Author: Rick

A DM for *mumble* years, I've been playing AD&D since junior high. I've currently got two separate campaigns running, both in Mystara. I've been told when they handed out hobbies, I stood in the short lines. I actively cycle tour, kayak, play board games, read, develop home automation software, play Stars!, volunteer with the International and National American Red Cross, and work on a never-ending stream of home repairs. In my wake I've left paintball, medieval full-contact combat (SCA), computer gaming, Heroclix, and kite construction.

Think of the Wonderful Things!

Last updated: 190505, …, 260108

While my grounded PCs have interacted with flying creatures, PCs have rarely used even the Fly spell for combat. I’ve previously calculated long-distance movement and flight, but aerial combat is more immediate. The DMG defines aerial combat as, “a swoop and slash, hit-and-run affair,” with specifics for movement and maneuverability for creatures in flight—without detailing melee combat.  It’s been obvious that flying creatures could attack while flying, but clearly combat doesn’t happen at Initiative (because creature locations would rarely line up). How complicated is it?

Movement

Each 3” of flying rate equals 1 hex of potential movement. For Movement Class:

  • Class A (180°) creatures reach full movement in one segment. They can move any direction at any speed every round, and can immediately stop in the air and hover.
  • Class B (120°) creatures require six segments to reach full speed. That translates to roughly three-quarters normal movement in the first round. Class B creatures require 5 segments to come to a full stop—half movement in a round before a hover. Class B creatures can remain airborne at less than half-speed.
  • Class C (90°) creatures require a full round to reach full airspeed, translating to half-movement in the first round. For Class C, half-speed is also the minimum to maintain flight, with no ability to hover. Exceptions: The Carpet of Flying is Class C as pertaining to maneuverability, but can hover or move at any desired speed. The Broom of Flying can move at full speed the first round.
  • Class D (60°) creatures require two rounds to reach full airspeed, or a quarter movement in the first round, and half movement in the second round.
  • Class E (30°) creatures require four rounds to reach full speed: 1” the first round, a quarter movement in the second round, half movement the third round, and three-quarters movement in the fourth round.

Note: A creature can reach full speed sooner by taking off from a running start.

Movement Modifiers

Movement modifiers are cumulative, but if a Movement Class modifies to worse than Class E, creatures still function as Class E. When speed modifies Movement Class, only adjust turn radius (e.g., a Class C creature moving at half speed adjusted to Class B still cannot hover or accelerate faster).

Movement Speed

  • Winged creatures cannot move less than one-half their normal movement and remain airborne. The Broom of Flying is also explicitly included in this category. Exceptions: Class A/B or when taking off.
  • Flying creatures climb at one-half, and dive at twice their current movement rate. Fliers of Class B-E climb 1″ for every hex forward (~18%), and dive at 3″:1 hex forward (45%).
    • The Broom of Flying climbs (and dives) at 30%, or 2″ for every hex forward.
    • The Fly spell permits up to full vertical climb at half movement.
    • Eagles and harpies can plummet straight down (6″, 0 hexes) and still pull out or land safely.
  • Maximum speed decreases for a flying creature carrying more than a normal load—typically 50% (see WSG, p. 47).
    • The Broom of Flying can carry 182 pounds at 30″; every additional 14 pounds slows by 1″.

Movement Class

Flying creatures maneuver in 30° or 60° increments per hex, up to their maximum (determined by Movement Class) per round.

  • Flying creatures moving at half-speed (with a normal load) turn as one class better.
  • Flying mounts are treated in all respects as one maneuverability class worse (minimum Class E) when carrying equipment and/or mounted (even by a halfling!).
    • The Broom of Flying, Wings of Flying, and Magic Carpet are not considered “flying mounts.”

Aerial Melee

Initiative

Grounded PCs can move, or attack, or charge (where charge has implications for AC, To Hit, and Movement). Aerial combat doesn’t work as a hit-and-run affair with standard melee and Initiative rules. In the BtB combat sequence, actions are, in order:

  • discharge missiles or magical attacks
  • close to striking range or charge
  • strike blows with weapons

How does that translate to aerial combat?

Ranged Attacks

Dragons can choose to breathe on an approach and then pass and slash with fang or claw. Given the movement of dragons when considering the range of their breath weapon, this implies dragons can both breathe and melee attack in the same round! Manticores similarly can fling tail spikes the same round they employ their front claws.

Creatures using breath weapons (e.g., dragons, chimerae) have a harder time hitting other flying creatures—moving aerial targets add +2 to their saving throws vs. breath weapons.

For all missiles fired while flying, treat short range as medium (–2 to hit) and medium range as long (–5 to hit). Firing at long range will always miss.

Range to creatures at a different elevation is generally calculated as +1″ for every 1″ of elevation.

Levitating archers strike at a cumulative –1 To Hit (maximum –3). Slinging, casting javelins or spears, or swinging a weapon (such as a sword) will be at double the cumulative minuses “to hit” for archery (i.e., –2, –4, –6). There is no penalty for archery while flying (assuming the archers are hovering—if they are moving, treat as fired missiles), but there are minuses for slinging or swinging weapons—identical to the penalties for archery while levitating.

Melee Attacks

As all creatures are in motion, range attacks must occur prior to any (applicable) melee attack. The number of melee attacks allowed flying creatures each round is typically less than their default. The chimera can use claws or attack with one of its heads. Type 1 Demons can only slash with their rear talons. Giant eagles attack with their talons but not beak. Gargoyles spear with their horn or slash with their claws, but never both. Harpies either use their talons or a weapon. Griffons and hippogriffs attack with their talons or beak. Etc., Etc.

And what of the Fly spell? Well, the Fly spell specifically takes as much concentration as walking. Combat therefore would be much like that of a walking character. Two creatures using Fly can be treated as normal (grounded) movement.

Melee combat occurs between creatures within melee range. As flying creatures can close and attack in the same round, all melee combat works similarly to charge—creatures move on Initiative, yet strike in order of weapons length (ties broken by size, Move, and Movement Class). Creatures with multiple similar attacks (claw/claw) would occur at the same time. Those with multiple attacks per round with the same weapon (such as fighters with more than one attack per round) are likely far from their opponent by their second attack, similar to flying creatures only using one attack form. When making a melee pass, flying creatures don’t expose themselves to a “free” attack, as the attack is part of standard movement.

If a flyer attacks a creature on the ground, it also works much like charge. Both creatures get an attack, and the flyer will complete its movement.  An airborne character is +1 “to hit” against an opponent on the ground, or +2 if the attack is made at the end of a dive. A diving creature loses Dexterity AC bonus but inflicts double damage against non-diving targets. This includes attacks on earthbound creatures from a height of greater than 30 feet.  Unless explicitly stated otherwise, dive attacks against creatures on the ground end with the flying creature on the ground.

A character on the ground may defend against an attack from above by bracing for the onslaught. If done, and wielding a weapon of at least 6′ in length, the character receives a +4 bonus on their “to hit” roll, but at the same time they forfeits any Dexterity AC bonus. An airborne opponent, noticing this tactic, can choose to pull up and break off his attack, in which case neither combatant will score a hit.

In summary, all melee combat when flying works like charge without a movement increase. If a creature has a separate ranged attack, the range attack can be used when closing for melee. Creatures with multiple melee attacks (claw & bite, for example) can use only one attack form when making a melee pass.

A creature capable of vertical movement from a standing start (Class A/B, or a Fly spell), that starts a round engaged with a grounded creature could also choose to withdraw/fall back from a grounded creature by moving straight up!

Spell Casting

Spell casting while riding a flying mount or Broom at any speed is impossible. Much like the Fly spell, spellcasting is possible from a magic carpet only if hovering or moving slowly (3” or less).

Stamina

For purposes of melee, a creature’s Stamina is unlikely to be relevant, although a few creatures have a Stamina less than or equal to three turns (the boobrie, pteranadon, giant pterosaur, and giant vulture).

Damaged in Flight

Damage eventually forces flying creatures from the sky. Hit points reduced by 50% (75% for feathered creatures) forces a creature to land. Creatures with hit points reduced by 75% (90% for feathered creatures) will plummet from the sky!

Landing

Class A creatures can land anywhere. Most winged creatures need no more space to land than their size, assuming the hex before the landing zone is not higher than their ability to dive (normally 3″).

A creature forced to land slows to at most two-thirds of its movement and loses at least 1″ of altitude per round. If the creature is not flying more than 10″ above the ground and is not somehow forced to remain aloft, it will descend and make a safe landing within the same turn as forced to land. If unable to land within a turn, the creature will plummet.

Falling

When plummeting, the animal will go into a steep dive (WSG). Its rider(s) has an increased chance of falling while performing this maneuver. If a rider does not fall there will still be the sudden stop at the end. A rider who does not have at least their lower body strapped to the mount will be thrown from the mount, suffering 11-40 hit points of damage (3d10+10) from the tumble. Otherwise, for every 1″ of distance the animal plummets, a rider will suffer 1d2 hit points of damage from the buffeting he receives when the animal crashes to a stop, halved for a character with proficiency in airborne riding or for a character securely strapped (upper and lower body) to the back of the mount.

Death

If a flying mount dies, the creature will fall (along with their rider), most likely carrying the rider to their death, especially if the rider is securely strapped onto the mount. If the creature dies close to the ground (~ 20′), an unstrapped character with proficiency in riding the mount could potentially leap from its back and land safely on the ground.

Mounted Falling

A character’s chance of falling while riding an airborne mount is checked at least once every three turns while airborne, beginning the count anew each time the mount lands and takes off. This assumes that the flight is smooth and normal in all respects. If the weather is bad, or the mount is very uncooperative, or if it is abruptly changing direction and speed (such as in a combat or evasion situation), a check may be called for much more frequently—perhaps as often as once per round while the unusual conditions persist.

If a flying mount takes damage that brings it to less than half of its total hit points, the rider must immediately make a check to see the rider falls. Further checks are required every round until the mount is brought to a landing or until it regains enough hit points to put it out of danger.

The base chance of a character falling from his mount is 0%. This assumes that the mount is giving its rider(s) a smooth and level flight at its full normal movement rate. The base chance is modified by any of the following factors:

  • -200% Rider’s entire body (upper and lower) securely strapped (1 turn/5 rounds)
  • -150% Rider’s lower body only securely strapped onto mount (5 rounds/2 rounds)
  • -50% Rider has proficiency in Airborne Riding (on the appropriate creature)
    • -84% (with an additional- 1%/level) for Cavaliers (supersedes Airborne Riding)
  • +50% Rider not strapped onto mount and not holding on with both hands (hands are free or carrying something)
  • -10% Rider using saddle
  • -10% Saddle equipped with stirrups.
  • -02% per each point of rider’s dexterity above 12, and rider’s strength above 12 (considering 18 as maximum)
  • +02% per each point of rider’s dexterity below 12, and rider’s strength below 12
  • +20% Mount is carrying more than its normal load limit
  • +20% Mount is moving faster than full normal movement rate (diving, dodging, performing combat maneuvers, etc.)
  • + 10% Mount is not flying level (making sharp turns, loops, etc. Turns greater than 45°) [cumulative?]
  • +20% Mount is wounded > 50%
  • +20% Mount’s demeanor is unwilling, and the creature is not charmed, subdued, or similarly influenced.
  • +20% Inclement weather (sandstorm, heavy precipitation, etc.)
  • +01% per mph of wind velocity greater than 30 mph

That which can be calculated in advance (Dexterity, mount load, etc.) should be.

The Guts of Flying

Movement

  1. Determine Flyer’s current Hex Movement (MV / 3).
  2. Decide whether to change speed:

Increase speed (Winged creatures moving less than half normal movement must increase speed, or fall)

  • Class A: Can change speed immediately, up to normal. Move up to 100% any time.
  • Class B: Can increase speed by 25% of normal immediately. Move 75% on takeoff.
  • Class C: Can increase speed next round by 100% of normal. Move 50% on takeoff.
  • Class D: Can increase speed next round by 50% of normal. Move 25% on takeoff, 50% on round 2.
  • Class E: can increase speed next round by 25% of normal. Move 1”/25%/50%/75% on rounds after takeoff.

Decrease speed

  • Decelerate up to 100%. If not landing, Class B will still move at least 50% of movement from last round. Winged creatures that are not Class A/B will fall 1″ / round if speed < 50%.

Note: Including acceleration is more complicated than simply choosing speed at the beginning of the round, but not doing so decreases the significance of the movement classes. I don’t use acceleration except at takeoff.

  1. Determine flyer’s turn radius. At normal load, creatures moving at half Hex Movement turn one class better.
  2. On Initiative1, each Combatant moves their entire movement, and can:
Maneuver Hex Cost Forward Elevation2 Maneuver
Move 1 Hex 1 Hex – Can turn 30°|60°3
Climb 2 Hex 1 Hex +1″ –
Dive ½ Hex 1 Hex -3″ –
Land – – 0 –
Ranged Attack4 – – – None

1In the case of a tie, current speed, size, and then Movement Class breaks the tie
2Broom of Flying is ± 2″, Fly is ± 3″
3Post-movement and not back-to-back—movement must occur between each maneuver.
4Cannot Maneuver and ranged attack in the same hex.

Combat

  • Melee
    • Once/round when combatants enter a hex within 10′ elevation (20′ if the attacker is Large)
    • Creatures with multiple forms of melee attack can use only one attack form
    • The attacker with the longest weapon strikes first
    • For melee as the result of a Dive of ≥3″, Charge rules apply (No Dex, To Hit +2, and Damage ×2)
  • Ranged Combat
    • Cannot occur during or after Melee
    • Treat Short Range as Medium and Medium as Long
    • Cannot Maneuver in the same hex as making a ranged attack
    • Range determined between the attacker and defender at the time of the ranged attack
  • Class A combatants gain multiple attacks (if possible) if they choose to stop in the hex.

Collisions (Optional)

Planes in WWII making head-on attacks sometimes died in head-on collisions. If both opponents are flying, either opponent fumbling could represent a head-on collision. Both opponents would stop moving, and plummet, falling for d4 seconds (falling 3″, 6″, 10″, or 13″), followed by an additional Save vs. Maneuverability. *A Save vs. Maneuverability is based on the movement class of the creature, rolling a d6. If the number rolled is equal to or less than the creature’s maneuverability (where Class A is a 1, and Class E is a 5), the fall continues.

Nap-of-the-Earth (Optional)

Near the ground, fliers can collide with things. Boulders, trees, fences, and hills often lie in the flier’s path. Defenders might plant stakes to keep aerial enemies at a higher altitude. When a collision is likely, the airborne character traveling at nap-of-the-earth must roll above his Maneuverability* on d10 to avoid the crash (with a -1 penalty for every 10″ of movement). For every 10″ of movement, collisions do d6 hp damage to the mount, and half damage to the rider. Unless the rider rolls a result equal to or less than his Dexterity on d20, the rider will be stunned for d8 rounds (no attacks or shield use possible, -4 on saving throws and armor class). This assumes that the rider is tied onto his mount, of course. If a PC is flying under their own power (e.g., using a Fly spell or Potion of Flying), they take full damage.

An intrepid proficient flier can lean down to snatch objects from the ground with a successful Save vs. Maneuverability. To grab an unwilling victim, a grapple roll is required. If the object to be lifted is at least 50% as heavy as the character grabbing it, the character must make an Open Doors roll to avoid taking an additional d6 hp damage from muscle strain and lose whatever they were trying to grab. If not strapped on, a PC making any attempt to grab something from the ground falls off his mount. A character who falls to the ground takes d6 hp damage for every 10″ they are traveling, plus normal falling damage, to a limit of 20d6.

Environment (Optional)

For every 10 mph of wind speed, the movement rate for fliers change by 1” (direction-dependent).  Crosswinds blow fliers sideways at a speed of 1” for every 20 mph of wind speed. Additionally, the rider must Save vs. Maneuverability* (at a -1 / 10 mph of wind speed) or lose control, falling for d4 seconds (falling 3″, 6″, 10″, or 13″).

Cumulus clouds usually form at altitudes between 1,000 and 5,000ft. Characters inside a cloud can see only 40’ and are penalized an additional -2 on all missile “to hit” rolls. Every time a character changes direction in a cloud there is a 70% chance that they become lost and proceed in a random direction (limited by Movement Class). All unwrapped items become wet; exposed parchments and papers must save on a roll of 5 or better each turn or become warped and smeared. Invisible creatures are outlined, and can be attacked at -2 instead of the usual -4, and make saving throws with but a +2 bonus.

The time it takes gas-related spells to dissipate is doubled in a cloud. Magical fire-based attacks do 1 HP less per hit die. There is a 20% chance that any electricity-based spell is negated.

Cumulus clouds are created by thermals, and updrafts are always beneath them. Hills create updrafts as well; a 60% chance exists that a given hill produces a thermal. In such a draft, flying creatures may climb at 75% of their normal movement rate (instead of the normal 33% rate), or 2″ for each hex of forward movement.

Air-To-Ground (Alternate System)

2nd Edition offers an alternate abbreviated “Tournament” system, where Class A/B creatures can attack every round, Class C creatures can attack every other round, Class D every three rounds, and Class E every six rounds, a good basis for simpler air-to-ground combat. Initiative is modified by Movement Class.

Appendix A – Encounters

In many ways, aerial encounters are the same for those on the ground, just encountered while flying, taking into consideration the increased visibility of those in the air.  When the party is travelling by means of flying, simply use the appropriate OUTDOOR RANDOM MONSTER ENCOUNTERS table. Check at every opportunity (four times in the daylight, twice if flying at night also, or four times if flying at night only), but an encounter occurs only if the creature indicated is able to fly or is actually flying.

Bibliography

TSR 2011, Dungeon Masters Guide [1e], 1979.
Dragon #50, The Ups and Downs of Flying High, 1981. [Includes traits for flying mounts]
Polyhedron #12, “Dispel Confusion”, 1983, p. 10. [weird answers, like +4 to hit for surprise]
TSR 2020, Wilderness Survival Guide [1e], 1986. [Flying mounts]
Dragon #124, Flying the Friendly(?) Skies, 1987. [WSG prequel]
TSR 2100, Dungeon Master Guide [2e], 1995.
Dawn of Emperors [BECMI], 1989. [Detailed aerial combat]

Remotely AD&D

Recently I had a long-standing player move to “away,” and he asked for the opportunity to play remotely. Historically my experiences with remote AD&D have been negative. Every so often someone has had kids to take care of, or some other commitment causing them to desire to play remotely. We’ve tried it on and off. Our ability to communicate is impaired, or whatever the reason is for their being remote gets in the way of their playing remote. They wander off for a drink, and we can’t tell where they went, or if a connection dropped. Unsurprisingly the potential to play remotely also increases the desire to play remotely, leading to more requests to play remotely, so we mostly abandoned it.

Remote play also takes time. Time the GM has to spend preparing for any idiosyncrasies of remote play. Time to set up whatever the technology is. Time to handle issues with said technology that arise. A fair amount of time that’s just clarifying what’s going on for the remote player. Not a fan.

I wanted to not lose this long-term friend, and decided if I was going to try,  I needed to not go halfway — I’d have to give remote tabletop a serious try. I dragged out laptops and cameras, spending time arranging the room and camera for optimal viewing. I spent a lot of time reviewing voice and video sharing options. After a lot of tinkering, we settled on Discord for voice, and Skype for video. Session 1 was simply two cameras, one on the group, and the other on our shared whiteboard, both connected via Skype from different laptops. A chunk of the evening was spend resolving problems associated with that overall setup. It was painful, but it worked. Not well enough.

The remote player still didn’t have a camera. One thing I feel important is the group being able to see the remote player, and the remote player being able to see the group. I realize a lot of groups play with VTTs without that, but my desire is to maintain that local tabletop. It provides more of a local presence, as well as another vector to determine issues.

I’d also started investigating the various Virtual Table Tops (VTTs). VTTs are primarily designed for 100% remote play, expecting all the data to be in tool. In this case, we have only one player remote. I needed a solution that would permit interaction without requiring everyone to be on the tool. Every player playing remotely, or staring at individual screens, loses the feel I want with AD&D.

By the second session I’d reviewed a LOT of VTTs. While I looked at many more, the top three are Roll20, Fantasy Grounds, and MapTool. I can’t stand the interface of Roll20, and Fantasy Grounds looked like a lot more power and complexity than I wanted to throw at the issue. Along the way I found a 1E extension for Fantasy Grounds. After settling on MapTool, I found the same person had developed a 1E extension for MapTool!

MapTool runs as a server, which would mean running MapTool locally, punching holes in my firewall(s), and make that connection dependent on my local network (already taxed with multiple Skype sessions). Instead, I decided to create an Amazon Web Services instance. Free for the first 750 hours, and surprisingly easy to set up. I could connect from my laptop as GM, a separate laptop could connect as the local players, and the remote player could connect directly to AWS.

One problem with VTTs is needing tokens on the board. Most of the VTTs don’t come with tokens, and I hadn’t figured out a good source. Using the Order of The Stick (OOTS) A Monster for Every Season (AMFES), I’d created a few tokens for the map using MapTool’s sister product, Tokentool.

For Session 2, Discord ended up being a complete failure, and we fell back on Voice over Skype. Yeah, don’t do that. That was terrible. We used MapTool. On my standard GM laptop I had the GM view, and a separate 47″ TV with a separate laptop for the PC View. I’d recently discovered the Fog of War and Line of Sight and Lighting functionality, and attempted to use that when I didn’t quite understand it yet. Using the AWS, I discovered management differences when the GM isn’t directly using the server system. For combat we rolled dice as usual. I managed to use the ad hoc mapping to draw maps when the party enters caverns, but the combination of my experience with the tool, and the complexity with the caverns meant that experience was mediocre at best.

By Session 3 we’d spent some time with Discord, changed over to Push To Talk, and disabled most of the post-processing functions to increase performance. We’d also tested Discord in advance to make sure we could get that working quickly, and overall we didn’t have Voice problems.

By then I’d also spent … a while … tinkering with MapTool. I had a slew of tokens from OOTS via TokenTool. I’d spent time with the standard and ad hoc mapping. I had a much better understanding of lighting, Fog of War and Line of Sight. One of my players had suggested that the VTT could be a DM supplement as well as a player supplement, potentially offsetting the work of maintenance with a value-add of a partial DM Assistant. The group was about to engage in a large combat, and I’d integrated all the monsters and line-of-sight into the map. With the add-on by Celestian, I had stats and whatnot for monsters, and had (mostly) figured out how to assign stats to tokens  so that MapTool could handle the DM side of combat. I had hopes of using the round tracker as well as the combat calculations. I knew of some THAC0 problems, but had figured out how to work around them.

I’d already struggled my way through all sorts of MapTool configurations. The tokens now display a health bar. I could (mostly) multi-attack with a monster. I’d entered rudimentary PC stats, and monsters displayed core player information (AC, Size) when moused-over. The system now calculated critical hits the same way we calculated them (requiring a 20 and a second “hit” to count”).

In the end, Session 3 was … less horrible. More problems with Skype along the way, and I mostly tossed the  “whiteboard” camera session. It didn’t take me long to throw out the Line of Sight and round tracking as well, as they simply weren’t working well or I didn’t understand them. There were hiccups like invalid monster stats (and other associated combat-specific math), and players having to manage where the MapTool screen was focused. The process for combat I hadn’t practiced in advance, and that slowed me down a bit. The interfaces for combat were also more detail than I needed. State of effects didn’t decrement how I expected. However, the system handled the tracking of monster HP and monster attacks. Visualization and how far things could move were handled by MapTool. We managed to finish everything though with no major crisis, and at least not that much slower than usual.

Since then, I’ve corrected (I hope) the problems in the monster stats. I’ve changed the core code to do THAC0 the 1E way instead of the 2e way so I don’t have to adjust for every monster. I’ve removed one of the screens I had to click through for combat. If something takes damage that would take them below -10, the system automatically adjusts the damage (less math for those regenerating trolls). I changed some options defaults to the values I want, so less adjustment each time I do something. Given our group has all monsters attack at the same time (identical initiative) I can also ignore the initiative function. I have round-tracking figured out (so I can enter a spell duration, and the tool will both track it, and indicate the state on a PC token). I have attacks figured out so that a monster can attack a specific PC instead of a more generic attack. I have also figured out how to shift the player view from the GM tool so I don’t have to explain where I’m talking about, or take control of the player MapTool laptop.

I don’t think I have much left to do before Session 4. I’m going to adjust the camera, laptop, and voice layout so the remote player’s view is also where the voice and their display is, so everyone is looking the right way when communicating. I have to figure out a few performance issues before I can resolve the issue with the top-down session with the actual fallback whiteboard.

Now that I have a more solid grasp of the MapTool features, I should probably go back and review Fantasy Grounds. Celestian said he’d switched because the programming language was better, and the quality of his work is incredible.

We’ll take a few more sessions to evaluate the overall viability of MapTool.  I think I’ve passed the point I can make substantive session-by-session improvements. As a GM tool, can it save me more time than it costs me? Seems unlikely, but I think I can get that to be a close comparison at least. Can we make the session comparable (or at least acceptable) to the players? Remains to be seen.

 

 

The Making of Henchlings

Last updated:  190201, …. 240624

Hirelings are 0-level NPCs. Most hirelings (and expert hirelings) are low-salary, paid only a few gp 2-4 gp / month. Hirelings don’t count against the Charisma limit for henchmen. As PCs gain levels, standard hirelings become VERY vulnerable because, by the book, 0-level characters can’t gain levels.

A potential path to more durable minions is hiring henchmen. Yet replacing many hirelings (such as a ship’s crew) with henchmen gets expensive and … complicated. There’s a hiring process for henchmen. Henchmen cost 100 gp/month/level in addition to hiring bonus(es) and shares of treasure. Charisma limits prevent PCs from hiring henchmen for an entire ship’s crew, as a standard crew complement is beyond even the most charismatic of characters!

Standard hirelings appear inexpensive before remembering that hirelings recognize hazardous duty. Hirelings might serve as part of a trading ship’s crew for their usual salary, but sailing to a mysterious island (pirate island, etc.) counts as hazardous duty over a normal trading mission. Hazardous duty salaries are calculated per day instead of per month, spanning the salary gap between hirelings (2-4 gp/ month for a 0-level sailor or marine) and henchmen (level 1 is 100 gp / level / month + bonuses). The 0-level hireling sailor serving hazardous duty would be 60 gp / month.

Yet even hazard pay isn’t enough. As the party gains levels, the level-0 hirelings are placed at risk greater than any sane 0-level hireling would accept as a condition of continued employment.

Long-duration hirelings can also have a backstory within the party—the trusted porter or animal handler. In my case, the party not only acquired a ship’s crew worth of hirelings, but, having lost their crew to slavers, made heroic efforts to rescue them. It doesn’t make story sense to replace a trusted loyal crew with “mere” henchmen.

But there’s a hybrid approach. If the PCs increase the monthly wage for hirelings (e.g., sailors and/or marines) to the base rate for henchmen, the hirelings function more like henchmen. That is to say, pay a hireling 100 gp/ month, and their Saving Throws and THAC0 will increase to 1st level. Pay a hireling 200 gp/month, and their HP will increase to 2nd level (2d8). Should the party reach 11th level, hirelings could advance to 3rd level, with increases in HP (3d8), THAC0, and Saving Throws.

PCs are limited in the level of henchman they can retain: at 6th level a PC can hire 2nd level henchmen, and at 11th level they can hire 3rd level henchmen. For this hybrid approach, the most the PCs can pay a “hireling/henchman” would be 200 gp / month for a party averaging 6th level, but less than 11th level. NPCs worth more than that wouldn’t work for the PCs; they’d seek work with even higher-level PCs since that would earn them a correspondingly larger share. The maximum number of these henchmen/hirelings should also be limited by the total party maximum number of henchmen permitted the entire party, minus the number of normal henchmen.

For individuality, the upgraded hirelings can be assigned a proficiency in addition to their core competency (e.g. sailor, archer, etc.), providing an additional sense of story without placing them in the direct spotlight. It also explains the ship’s carpenter and ship’s navigator.

For simplicity, this advancement path is available only to an entire group of hirelings (e.g., a ship’s crew), in order to keep stats uniform for management purposes. And once PCs start paying these henchlings as henchlings, they of course have to keep paying them that way.

This:
-make hirelings more durable to correspond with party level
-make hirelings more useful to correspond with party level
-provide hirelings a somewhat logical progression path, without the burden of tracking XP
-Cause hirelings to have a more solid attachment to the story as a whole.

References

Polyhedron, Issue 12, “Dispel confusion”, Volume 3, Number 3, 1983.

Initiative Reworked

Last updated: 181201, 200704

1st Edition initiative is … complicated. Even with the excellent fan-created 20-page A.D.D.I.C.T document delving into 1e intricacies, discussions about the details of how 1e initiative works never end. And in a 10-segment round, rolling a d6?

While I consider the game I play 1st Edition AD&D, I use 2nd Edition initiative: roll d10 and add modifiers such as weapon speed. While initiative—at its very core—simply determines who goes first, I prefer a bit more granularity in a round to determine who is where, and when. If nothing else, it clarifies where the fighters are when the fireball goes off.

I ran across an article from Imagine Magazine #28 proposing an action-based initiative system years prior to 2e. The article reworked initiative to more directly use weapon speed, using the die appropriate to the weapon speed (dagger d4, long sword d8, etc.) for individual initiative, and defaulting to d10. The article proposes a number of other modifications (modifying initiative by class, changing missile-weapon initiative, explicit segment-by-segment actions) which don’t interest me. But the idea of using weapon speeds more directly intrigued me. Could I integrate that method into my modified 2e initiative?

I already use individual initiative. Using only the die appropriate to the weapon—instead of a d10 + weapon speed—means that (unlike adding weapon speed to the initiative roll) every weapon has the chance to go first (or tie) regardless of the other person’s roll. That chance varies more directly with the weapon speed. And less math with every roll!

Using the weapon speed to determine the die to roll for initiative requires tweaking weapon speeds that don’t match a die, adding +1 to odd-numbered weapon speeds. My default speeds for unarmed combat (e.g., claw, bite, etc.) for Small/Medium/Large are+3/+5/+7. As those also don’t align with a die, they also increase by 1 to +4/+6/+8. All that’s missing then is weapon speeds for missile weapons, which don’t exist in 1e. 2e gets me there quickly, with: Bow 6, Crossbow 6/10, Dart 2, Sling 6. After those adjustments, the core attacks—Bow, Long Sword, and Medium creature—use d6 (the default 1e die); other rolls vary from that baseline. A non-proficient character would roll the next higher die. Non-melee actions such as digging in a backpack continue to use d10, more directly representing the likelihood of being hit before accomplishing some other task.

The next consideration is spell casting—weapons just sped up compared to d10 + weapon speed. AD&D ostensibly has spell casting begin prior to melee, but in practice spell casting generally completes after melee attacks. As the baseline melee attacks occur on d6, a d6 for spell casting seems appropriate, modified by casting time. While each spell has a casting duration, for simplicity I usually use 1 segment / spell level.  1st level spells then default to slightly slower than the baseline, which feels about right.

Switching from d10 + weapon speed to d[weapon speed] also lends itself to, as suggested by Imagine, a more open, continuous initiative, where the round never ends; instead, you just add your next die roll to whenever you last acted. But in that way lies madness.

Bibliography

Imagine Adventure Games Magazine, Issue 28. July, 1985.

 

Simplified Encumbrance

Last Updated:  181101,200704

Most groups find using Encumbrance … encumbering. Tracking encumbrance adds a lot of details to calculate and keep track of. While some players love that level of detail, other players find encumbrance a lot of fiddly tracking. Yet encumbrance becomes particularly relevant when there’s a large quantity of loot to haul off!

Encumbrance integrates with a lot of other rules. The Dexterity Reaction/Attacking bonus negates segments of surprise. Any physical restriction or heavy encumbrance prevents casting Somatic spells (10% failure if only bulky clothing). Thief-Acrobats can’t function when encumbered. Encumbrance limits movement.

Yet for something so integrated, it’s defined poorly. Carrying capacities aren’t well defined. The encumbrance tables don’t include many standard items. Encumbrance isn’t helped by the DMG and the PHB using different and confusing Gygaxian vocabulary: “not encumbered” vs. “not Encumbered” vs. “unencumbered” vs . “Encumbered”.

What I wanted was an easy-to-use, adaptable, streamlined solution—one that suits both types of player. Below is a generic encumbrance system, permitting a rapid assessment of encumbrance for everyone. The generic system ends up slightly heavier than standard encumbrance calculations, so the players who wish to go the extra mile gain a minor benefit.

First, let’s define the various encumbered states (modified by STRENGTH bonus):

Swimming <=20 lbs, and/or leather armor.
≤ 8# (+STR modifier) Unencumbered.
>= 9#-35# (+STR modifier) Normal/Light Encumbrance: As gear weight with no great bulk. Leather. No limit on movement.
≥ 35-70#  (+STR modifier) Moderate Encumbrance: As gear weight and/or fairly bulky. Other armors. 9” max movement.
≥ 70-105# (+STR modifier) Heavy Encumbrance:  As gear weight and/or bulky. Scale, splint, plate mail. 6” max movement.
>105-150# (+STR modifier) Severe / Encumbered: As gear weight  and/or very bulky, or swimming in magic armor (dog paddle only). 3” max movement. No DEX bonus and +2 AC. Cannot charge.

 

Both gear weight and the bulk— whichever is more limiting—defines encumbrance, e.g.  regardless of the Strength of a PC wearing non-magical plate mail, they are heavily encumbered, and have their movement restricted.

At a simple level, the capacity for various storage devices: Pouch (5 lbs), Backpack (40 lbs), Small Sack (20 lbs), Large Sack(60 lbs). Individual weights thus aren’t necessary, simply decide what could fit in a pouch, backpack, or sack, using the encumbrance values as guidelines.

Generic encumbrance values:

  • 0#: clothes, normal spell components, thieves picks and tools, helmet (considered part of armor)
  • 5#: full pouch, weapon (2 daggers=1 weapon, bow + arrows=2 weapons, grapnel=1 weapon, 2-handed=2 weapons)
  • 5#: Shield: Small or normal(non-)
  • 10#: large (bulky) shield (magical has no bulk but is not lighter)
  • 15/30/45# : Leather/chain mail/plate (weight halved if magical, and one better on bulk)
  • 35#: Backpack with spell book or “standard” adventuring gear (includes dagger, ¾ full)

PCs by DMG definition are capable of carrying 150 lbs, adjusted by Strength.   Example stats for the character sheet of a PC with 16 STR (+35 lbs), carrying 45 lbs:

U<=35/L<70/M<105/H<140/E<185: 45 lbs.

providing a handy reference when the data is needed. A quick review of the few weapons and the default weight of each of the storage capacities carried by a character defines current encumbrance.

I’m Surprised

Last updated: 180901, … 260502
surprise@corwyn.net
https://dnd.sinister.net

I had abandoned using Surprise as written years ago—so long ago I don’t recall why. I suspect because I tried to make the rules make sense, and as written they don’t (and can’t, there are errors in the early printings of the PHB and DMG!). The rules are also surprisingly (hah!) unclear on who rolls for what effect. Am I rolling for whether I’m surprising or surprised? What if the result is modified?

 I’ve recently been inspired to dig into some of the more fiddly AD&D rules, and have been impressed at how well those rules work once I understand them, so I tried Surprise again. That said, I’ve modified the below just a bit to be consistent with the rest of my house rules (see Initiative). I personally limit surprise to a single attack per segment, without stacking, to a maximum of 2 attacks. That’s intentional, otherwise 7th level Elven Ranger catching someone completely flat-footed could gain 10 melee attacks during Surprise (and more extreme examples exist!)

A surprised party is one caught unawares or unprepared by another party (DMG, p. 61, 62). In such circumstances the non-surprised (or less surprised) party has an advantage of “free and unanswered activity to move, attack, flee, etc.,” reflected by free segments of actions against the surprised party prior to rolling initiative. It is possible for both parties to be surprised equally—with Surprise thus having no effect.  Parties are unaware of how surprised the other side is.

Prior detection negates the possibility of being surprised. Light can spoil the possibility of surprise for one party. Noise can negate surprise considerations, whether the sound is the normal progress of the party or a fruitless attempt to open a door. A party hearing something at a door (Hear Noise) negates their possibility of surprise. Magical devices can possibly negate surprise by detection of thoughts or intentions. In all such cases, only parties subject to surprise roll to determine surprise (DMG, p. 62). If one party is making considerable noise which is discernible by the other party, the latter will also have the options of fleeing or concealment regardless of Surprise; the former negating the encounter, the latter allowing distance to be 1″ to 4″ before discovery by the noisy party (DMG, p. 62).

For each side, if the chance of surprise exists, a single d6 is rolled to determine whether their entire side is surprised. By default, on a 1 or 2 their side is surprised, for the number of segments equal to the number rolled on the die, otherwise (on 3-6) they are not surprised. If a creature surprises on 4 in 6, it can surprise for up to 4 segments (when their opponent rolls 1-4 on a d6) (PHB, p. 51,103; DMG, p. 62).

If both parties roll results in their range for Surprise, Surprise duration is calculated for one party based on the net of the two Surprise results: “Assume A [surprised on 5 in 6] rolls a 4, so A is surprised for 4 segments unless B rolls a 1, in which case A’s inactive period will be only 3 segments, or if B rolls a 2, in which case A’s surprise will last for only 2 segments (4–1 = 3, 4–2 = 2).” (DMG, p. 62). Only one side will have lost segments (DMG, p. 61, PHB, p. 103). Subtract the segments of surprise from each other, not the dice rolls. Only the non-surprised party can act.

“Complete Surprise” is defined as 2 (or more) segments of surprise [c.f. , MM-Catoblepas; DMG-Crossbow of Speed; PHB-Phantasmal Killer; UA-garrote; MM2-Dracolisk; G1-3, p.12 & 23; S3, p. 13 & 14; and the potential 4 segments of complete surprise for the Aerial Servant (PHB/MM). See Eldrich Wizardry, p.10 for origins of Complete Surprise. The Boalisk prompts “Complete Surprise” on a 1-2; whether the Boalisk rolls a 1 or 2, it will surprise for 2 segments. [I choose to interpret that any surprise ≥ 2 segments is “Complete Surprise” of 2 segments.]

Only once Surprise is completely resolved do both parties roll Initiative.

 

Encounter Distance

If either or both parties are surprised, the normal underground encounter distance of d6+4″ will typically be only 1″ to 3″, as surprise is normally a factor only in close encounter/underground situations. When outdoors, each segment of surprise reduces the normal encounter distance (6d4″) by 1″ (DMG, p. 49) in addition to free segments of activity. Terrain type will also modify encounter distance:

Scrub  -1 per distance die on all 3’s and 4’s.
Forest  -1 per distance die on all numbers (00’s are possible).
Marsh  -1 per distance die on all 2’s, 3’s, and 4’s.

Illumination or visual capability of the concerned parties also affects encounter distance. A light source reliance limits the encounter distance to twice the normal vision radius of the source (2× radius of the light source). lnfravision and/or ultravision operate only to the stated limit of their range and limit encounter distance accordingly (DMG, p. 62).

Interpretation: What if, due to prior detection, Party A is surprised but the Party B is not? Determine the normal encounter distance for Party B. Should Party B not react, encounter distance can be determined as normal for Surprise (d3″), otherwise Party B has the number of Surprise segments to react from the normal encounter distance. This contradicts the DMG (p. 62): “If either or both parties are surprised, the distance must be either 1″ to 3″ or it must be less as determined under the actual area modifier.” but takes into account the exception of prior detection (light, noise).

Modifiers to the Chance of Being Surprised (Your Die)

Audial or visual superiority will tend to negate surprise (DMG, p. 194). A party (or group of monsters) is surprised only as easily as its most perceptive member if that awareness can be communicated; in other words, in a party with a ranger (surprised only on 1 in 6), the entire party is only surprised on a 1 in d6 (DMG, p. 61). If awareness is limited (such as a human ranger in the dark), special class or race benefits do not apply (WSG, p. 13, DSG, p. 60).

In the case where the party is surprised on 1 in d6, the overall chance to be surprised is reduced by 1. In this case if the other side would normally surprise 5 in d6, the net result is the party will be surprised only on 4 in d6 (DMG, p. 62)—not Surprised on 5 in d6, and then the duration reduced by 1 segment.

Alertness/Senses can make a party or individual less susceptible to surprise:

  • Alertness makes the ettin difficult to surprise (decreasing the Surprise range by 1 to 1 in d6 instead of 1-2 in d6) due to their alertness (MM, p. 20).
  • All cloud giants have a keen sense of smell, thus they are surprised only a 1 in d6 (decreasing the Surprise range by 1 to 1 in d6 instead of 1-2 in d6) due to their alertness (MM, p. 44).
  • Hell hounds have keen hearing, and they are surprised on a die roll of 1 in d6) (decreasing the Surprise range by 1 to 1 in d6 instead of 1-2 in d6) due to their alertness) (MM, p. 51).
  • Satyrs have keen senses, so are surprised only on a 1 (decreasing the Surprise range by 1 to 1 in d6 instead of 1-2 in d6) due to their alertness (MM, p. 85).
  • The keen hearing and eyesight of giant apes makes them only surprised on a 1 (decreasing the Surprise range by 1 to 1 in d6 instead of 1-2 in d6) due to their alertness (MM, p. 7).
  • The unusual peripheral vision of the kna, kopru, and shark decreases their Surprise range by 1 to 1 in d6 instead of 1-2 in d6 (PC3, p. 3).
  • Rangers (& Duelists) are surprised only on 1 in d6 (decreasing the surprise range by 1, normally to 1 in d6 instead of 1-2 in d6) due to their alertness (Polyhedron #12, p. 10). [The Ranger ability originally derived from their tracking.4]
  • Barbarians are surprised only on 1 in d10 (effectively decreasing the normal range by 4 from 2 in d6 to 1 in d10 (see Calculating Cumulative Surprise below) due to their alertness. This further decreases the normal range by an additional 2 (to 1 in 20) if in familiar terrain. [I find this overpowering at a party level, and instead consider the Barbarian ability as identical to the Ranger ability. That also removes a recurring Surprise d10 complication.]
  • With a proficiency check, characters with Alertness decrease the range by 1, now 1 in d6 instead of 1-2 in d6. Assuming an ability to communicate to others in the party, their chance of being surprised is also reduced by that amount. Otherwise treat the number of segments they are surprised as reduced by 1. Interpretation: This does not stack with the class abilities that reduce the chance of being surprised—those classes effectively have this proficiency without the requirement for a proficiency slot or proficiency check.

Interpretation: A few creatures with exceptional senses are defined as unable to be Surprised (Brownies with “exceptional senses”, barbed devils “alert at all times”, eagles “eyesight”, leprechaun’s “keen ears”. Exceptional senses could be calculated as an additional -1 from Surprise for extreme sensory capacity (considered as surprised 0 in 6 prior to other adjustments). Keen senses can be interpreted as being twice as good (seeing or hearing twice as far).

Modifiers to the Chance of Surprising Others (Their Die)

Surprise capability relates to special movement ability and possibly other factors (DMG, p. 194). A party with an increased chance to surprise their opponents increases their opponents’ range from 1-2 in d6 to 1-3 or more (also increasing the potential number of segments that their opponent(s) can be surprised), but only if that increased chance of surprise is true for the entire party (e.g., all rangers, a group of only halflings and elves 90’ in advance not wearing armor, all huge spiders, etc.).

Rolls that adjust the Surprise roll (such as Hide in Shadows, Move Silently, or Boots of Elvenkind) must be checked prior to a Surprise roll, as success can indicate an improved chance to surprise an opponent (PHB, p. 102, 103).

  • Noise can negate surprise considerations, whether the sound is the normal progress of the party or a failed attempt to open a door. Characters in metal armor can be heard for 90′, hard boots can be heard at 60′, and relatively quiet movement can be heard at 30′ (DMG, p. 68).
  • Being hidden (invisibility, camouflage, hiding in shadows) increases the opponents’ chance of being surprised by 1 (increasing the opponents’ range by 1, i.e., surprised on 1-3 in d6 instead of 1-2 in d6) (PHB, p. 103; Drmg #133; FF, p. 17, Bullywug). One cannot Hide in Shadows and Move (Silently) (DMG, p. 19, PHB, p. 28).
  • Move Silently/Silence increases the opponents’ chance of being surprised by 1 (increasing the opponents’ range by 1, i.e., surprised on 1-3 in d6 instead of 1-2 in d6) due to stealth (PHB, p. 103, Drmg#133). One cannot Hide in Shadows and Move (Silently) (DMG, p. 19, PHB, p. 28). Bugbears and undead are explicitly silent (DMG, p. 60), also increasing the opponents’ chance of being surprised by 1. Hell hounds “move with great stealth”, granting them the ability to surprise on 1-4 in d6 (MM, p. 51).
  • Psionic invisibility is a mind control ability (“The Shadow Knows!”) which is more similar to the druidic Invisibility to Animals, for the affected creature(s) does not notice sounds or odors from the psionic (DMG, p. 60), increasing the opponents’ range by 2 (1-4 in d6) due to being hidden and silent.
  • Elves and Halflings surprise opponents 1-4 in d6 when not in metal armor and 90’ in advance (increasing their opponents’ range by 2, i.e., surprised on 1-4 in d6 instead of 1-2 in d6), due to both their stealth and ability to be hidden. If they open a portal, that chance for surprise returns to 1-2 in d6. See also Solonor (UA, p. 113).
  • Metal armor is not a factor for rangers, clarifying that the ranger Surprise benefit isn’t due to silence. Rangers surprise opponents 50% of the time (increasing their opponent’s chance of being surprised by 1, i.e., surprised on 1-3 in d6 instead of 1-2 in d6 (Polyhedron #12, p. 10) due to their ability to hide. This ability doesn’t explicitly include conditions, but rangers can’t surprise opponents aware of their companions and thus require the same distance as elves and halflings—rangers must be at least 90’ in advance.
  • Metal armor is not a factor for barbarians when calculating Surprise, clarifying that the barbarian Surprise benefit isn’t due to silence. Barbarians increase their opponents’ chance of being surprised by 1 (increasing their opponents range by 1, i.e., surprised on 1-3 in d6 instead of 1-2 in d6) due to their ability to hide, with an additional 1-point increase if also in familiar terrain (i.e., surprised on 1-4 in d6 instead of 1-2 in d6), due to the barbarian’s ability to hide in known terrain. The barbarian’s ability doesn’t include conditions, but barbarians can’t surprise opponents aware of their companions and thus require the same distance as elves, halflings, and rangers—they must be at least 90’ in advance.
  • The bullywug, when camouflaged, can further increase the chance of surprise by 2 by hopping 3″ to the attack.

Modifiers are cumulative when dissimilar. Example: A lone invisible elf not wearing metal armor comes upon an orc. The standard chance of being surprised is 1-2 in d6. For the orc, its range is increased due to the elf (+2 from being hidden and silent), but not further increased due to the elf’s invisibility (+1) as the elf is already hidden—the orc will be surprised if it rolls 1-4 in d6.

If both parties determine results in their range for Surprise, Surprise segments are calculated based on the difference of the resulting segments of Surprise. After rolling Surprise, the elf is surprised for 2 segments, and the orc is surprised for 4 segments—The end result is the orc is surprised for 2 segments (4 segments of surprise –2 segments of surprise) before moving on to Initiative (DMG, p. 61).

Modifiers to the Duration of Individual Surprise

Individual adjustments for Dexterity and Encumbrance never create (or negate) Surprise itself; instead they subtract (or add) segments for individuals once the party is surprised.  The Dexterity Reaction/Attacking Bonus affects that many segments of surprise for that individual only, e.g. on a range of 1-2, with the group rolling a 2, a lightly-encumbered character with a 16 Dexterity (+1 Reaction/Attacking) would be affected for one less segment. If an opponent then attempts to attack them, the attack defers to the standard initiative round (DMG, pp. 62, 71).

  • Encumbered (> 105# or very bulky equipment) characters are slowed greatly (PHB, p. 102); when the party is surprised, an encumbered character will be affected for an additional two segments.
  • “Very Heavy” encumbrance (#105 or bulky armor/equipment) causes a character’s reactions to be “slowed” (in a situation of surprise) (PHB, p.102). If the party is surprised, the individual is affected for an additional segment.
  • “Heavy” encumbrance (70# or fairly bulky armor/equipment) defines “no bonuses” to Surprise. Dexterity Reaction adjustment to segments of Surprise? Gone! (The ranger’s actual abilities are unaffected however, since the Reaction bonus only affects mitigating surprise (DMG, p. 62)]
  • Only lightly or unencumbered characters [reaction normal or better], (PHB p. 101) gain the Dexterity Reaction/Attacking Bonus:
    • If the Dexterity Reaction modifier reduces the Surprise segments for an individual, that individual still can’t act during Surprise even if Dexterity reduces the individual’s Surprise segments to 0 (or below). If they are attacked individually, they are up and on their guard (DMG, p. 71), so opponents will not get an attack until Initiative.
    • All armors except leather and elfin chain are fairly bulky or bulky, making the character more than lightly encumbered for purposes of Surprise.
    • Magic armor has the same encumbrance as non-magic armor. The properties of magic armor allow movement at the next higher base rate (DMG, p. 28), not with less encumbrance.
    • Large shields are bulky (see “Very Heavy”). Magical shields however are non-bulky with respect to encumbrance (DMG, p. 28).

Interpretation: I choose to limit surprise attacks to a single attack per segment for 2 segments.

Actions During Surprise

While the attacker’s opponent(s) is/are surprised, each surprise segment the attacker may perform the following as if it were an entire round:

  • Do nothing.
  • Attempt to parlay.
  • Evasion is automatic if outdoors (DMG, p. 69).
  • Move 1″ (and potentially close for melee).
  • Prepare (e.g., drawing or setting a weapon).
  • *Charge 2” (if close enough) and attack.
  • *Fire missile weapons.3 If “nocked and ready” on the first segment of Surprise, add an extra missile.
  • *Use a breath weapon (if normally possible!).
  • Attempt to activate a magical device. The device could activate during Surprise. If not enough surprise segments exist to complete activation, subtract each surprise segment from the future initiative roll (2 under my 20-segment combat round).
  • Hide in Shadows (if thief, assassin, or monk).
  • *Melee or grapple (if prepared and within 1″).
  • *Back stab (if thief or assassin and within 1″). Surprise is required to gain the damage multiplier and +4 to hit instead of the standard +2 for a rear attack.2,6 If at the rear, strike at +4 to hit for each surprise segment. Striking from the rear also negates any shield or Dexterity bonus. The back stab damage multiplier applies for only the first segment of surprise attack (DMG, p. 74, PHB, p. 27, Polyhedron #31, p. 29).

After surprise ends, if a thief removes themself from melee such that their opponents are no longer aware of the thief’s presence, the thief could reenter combat, attempt to Move Silently behind their opponent, and back stab again. However, they can’t gain surprise as long as their opponent is aware of their location, so have only the standard rear attack bonus of +2 with no damage multiplier.

  • *Roll on the Assassination Table (if an assassin and within 1″). See notes under back stab.
  • Spells that require but a single segment can be cast in a surprise segment. Longer-casting-time spells can only be begun during the first segment of surprise (DMG, p. 61), and if not completed by the end of Surprise subtract 1 segment (2 under my 20 segment initiative system) for each surprise segment from the future initiative round.

“[M]agic spells require the proper number of segments of casting time” (PHB., p. 103). However, surprise permits only “telling blows [and missile discharge] each segment,” not spell casting. With three segments of Surprise, a spell caster can:  cast a 3-segment spell; move one segment and cast a two-segment spell; or cast three segments of a four-segment (or more) spell. The caster does not know how long their opponent will be surprised when declaring actions.

  • *Turn undead (also action 4.D), limited by failure preventing future attempts.

*If an attacker with Surprise individually directs an attack at an opponent who for whatever reason is not surprised (e.g., a Dexterity bonus), the attack is ineffective.

Number of Melee Attacks During Surprise

The Player’s Handbook states (p. 103):

Physical attacks during surprise situations are also possible on a 1-per-segment basis, whether the form is by weapon, projectile, or method intrinsic to the creature (claws, fangs, etc.).

and the DMG reads (p. 62):

the surprising party will be able to attempt telling blows during each segment of surprise as if the segment were an entire round! That is, a fighter able to attack twice during a normal round of combat will be able to do so twice during each surprise segment, so dice are rolled for hit determination accordingly. Even if distance prevents striking with weapons, the discharge of arrows, bolts or hand-hurled weapons is permissible at three times the normal rate providing the weapon/missiles are ready, otherwise at normal rates for rounds. Once surprise segments are over, melee proceeds normally on around-by-round basis.

which clarifies that the PHB “attack” is an full round’s attack sequence, not just a single attack.

Number of Missile Attacks During Surprise

The PHB permits 1 arrow / segment of Surprise (“Physical attacks during surprise situations are also possible on a 1 per segment basis, whether the form is by weapon, projectile, or method intrinsic to the creature“). The DMG changed that to: “Even if distance prevents striking with weapons, the discharge of arrows, bolts or hand-hurled weapons is permissible at three times the normal rate providing the weapon/missiles are ready, otherwise at normal rates for rounds.”

The normal rate of missile fire is twice per round—2 arrows every 10 segments. Triple that would be 6 arrows every round—1 arrow per segment. That timing is consistent with the Crossbow of Speed:
In surprise situations it is of no help, but in complete surprise situations the held crossbow will enable its user to fire in the 2nd segment portion.

Gygax himself did not intend that to read as 6 arrows / segment.5

Additional Notes

  • A thief Moving Silently can prompt a Surprise roll even when expected.
  • A thief failing to Move Silently triggers a Surprise roll for both sides (as the thief doesn’t know they failed their Move Silently).
  • An attack when using Dust of Disappearance is always by surprise (assumed for the entire party if silent). Roll normal surprise, with a minimum of 1 segment of surprise for the opponent party.
  • A character wearing the Robe of Eyes can easily detect hidden things; surprise of a character wearing a Robe of Eyes due to things being hidden is impossible.
  • The Crossbow of Speed can fire during Surprise on the 2nd segment of surprise (“complete surprise”) (DMG, p. 168). Loading and firing a normal crossbow therefore can’t be accomplished during 2 segments of Surprise.
  • Sandstorms and frostbite both increase the chance to be surprised by 1 (increasing the party’s potential surprise range by 1) (WSG p. 28, 29).
  • A garrote attack will only succeed with Complete Surprise from behind (UA, pl. 27).
  • While a weapon might be poisoned before the Surprise round, the poison will only affect the first strike: “Blades can likewise be coated with a toxic resin … cause a poison saving throw to be made by the first creature initially struck by such a weapon (PHB, p. 107)”.
  • Assassins can don disguise to create the opportunity for surprise (see PHB, p.29).
  • Improved Invisibility has the effect of moving considerations for detection of such invisibility downwards by two places compared to other forms of invisibility on the Detection of Invisibility Table, not Surprise, so still increases the range of Surprise by 1 (1-3 in d6) (DMG, p. 47).
  • The Rod of Alertness (UA, p. 94) “bestows +1 to the possessor’s die rolls for being surprised”. While it might appear this creates additional segments of surprise, it does not. A normal PC is surprised on 1-2 in d6: a 1 in 6 chance of being surprised 1 segment (if a 1 is rolled), and a 1 in 6 chance of being surprised for 2 segments (if a 2 is rolled). After adding a +1 to the die, the chance of being surprised 2 segments is the same (1 in 6, if a 1 + 1 is rolled), but it’s no longer possible to be surprised 1 segment.

Interpretations

  • Outdoors, if not surprised themselves, a party with Surprise can withdraw (where possible) unnoticed (DMG, p. 49, 69, 183). Complete Surprise is required (more than 1 segment of surprise) underground.
  • Encounter distances are defined for a normal party. But what about the thief (or elves, etc.) moving silently? The “relatively quiet movement” of the lightly-armored thief can only be heard at 30′ (DMG, p. 68). At 30′, roll Surprise (potentially modified by Move Silently), and resolve Surprise encounter distance as normal (d3″) (DMG, p. 62).
  • While performing a back stab from Surprise after a successful Move Silently, the thief could be considered to also be invisible (as their opponent can’t see them), surprising on 1-4 in 6 (receiving both the Hidden and Silent modifiers to Surprise).
  • The monk’s chance of being surprised drops 2% per level. However, the duration of surprise isn’t necessarily reduced. Reformulating the monk ability, monks are surprised: 2 in d8 at Level 5, 2 in d10 at Level 8, 2 in d12 at Level 10, 2 in d20 at Level 13, and 1 in d20 at Level 16. Invisibility and Stealth modify as normal (e.g., a hidden, silent thief will surprise a Level 5 monk 1-4 in 8).
  • If, at the beginning of a round, a new 3rd party has suddenly entered combat, treat this as the beginning of a new encounter. Each engaged party makes a new surprise roll. Surprise is resolved, and then Initiative continues as normal. This is the same explanation as why Surprise for back stab in melee, effectively starting a new encounter (as an encounter is defined as “An unexpected confrontation with a monster, another party, etc.”) (DMG, p. 228). It’s also consistent with when Initiative starts, “when an encounter occurs” (DMG, p. 62). The 3rd party initiates a new encounter, restarting the entire encounter sequence.
  • Attacking a (normally) sleeping creature triggers a Surprise check (with a minimum of 1) as if the attacker is Invisible (1-3 in 6).
  • Priests of Nerull use the mechanic of “surprised 2 in 12” to represent the ability to be surprised on only 1 in d6, but still be surprised for two segments.1 Perfect for the Ranger 1 in d6.
  • The piercer surprises 95% of the time. Given the piercer’s movement / segment (1′) and inability to attack without falling, the number of segments of surprise aren’t relevant. They either get a free attack, or the party isn’t surprised, and attack order is by Initiative.

Edge Case: Spell casting and Surprise

Two parties roll Surprise. The PCs are surprised for 2 segments. The enemy spell caster begins casting a 3-segment spell. Normally, after two segments both groups would roll Initiative, with the spell caster having 1 segment remaining. But what of the case of a single PC whose Surprise has been modified by encumbrance or a low Dexterity to 3? Of the two possible interpretations:
–The spell caster completes their spell, at a penalty to the party.
OR
–everyone rolls Initiative, and the more-Surprised PC’s additional segment just gets ignored, or integrated in the initiative round.

The latter appears more practical, for this extreme edge case.

Group Surprise Rolls

A ranger is surprised only 1 in d6. If they can convey that to the party, then the party is surprised 1 in d6.

But what if they can’t convey that information? You now have the monsters surprised 2 in d6, the party surprised 2 in d6, and the ranger surprised 1 in d6. In that case the ranger subtracts 1 from their own individual surprise.

Alertness works similarly, but requiring a proficiency roll:
“Roll Surprise”.
“Wait, I have Alertness. *roll*. Our Surprise value (range and duration) are decreased by 1.”

The case of three parties in Surprise is the combat example of two parties fighting when a 3rd party comes on the scene. Pause at the beginning of the round, reroll and process Surprise for all 3 groups, and then resume Initiative.

Ambush

The question that often arises is the PCs attempting an ambush. While it’s possible that the PCs can’t be surprised (due to awareness of their opponents), it’s not possible to guarantee surprise for the PCs. Their chance of surprise is 2 in 6. If they’re moderately silent (say more than 90′ away while wearing metal armor), then the GM might grant them “silent”, increasing their chance to 3 in 6. Getting to 4 in 6 would require “hidden”, only possible if the party is thieves, rangers, etc. Magic-users don’t hide so well.

Outdoor encounter range (the point at which the PCs become aware of their opponents) defaults to 6d4″, modified by terrain. Normally, surprise outdoors modifies the encounter range, in addition to the number of segments of free and unanswered activity, subtracting the number of segments of surprise from the encounter range as well.

However, in the case of an ambush, the number of surprise segments should increase the distance between the PCs and their opponents, as surprise provides the PCs more time to prepare, not less.

Example: The PCs, hidden in a grove of trees in a forest, plan to ambush a group of orcs they know will come down the trail, firing at the orcs when the orcs are 12″ away. As the PCs are aware the orcs are coming and can’t be surprised, they don’t roll surprise. The GM rolls surprise for the orcs and rolls a 2 (surprised for 2 segments, and 2 segments further away). The forest will subtract 6″ (1 / die) from the encounter range. The surprise will add 2″.  If the encounter distance (6d4 – 6 + 2)  is now ≥12″, the PCs plans will come to fruition, waiting to fire until the orcs reach 12″. However, if the encounter range is < 12″, the PCs will fire at the encounter range. They’ll get 2 segments to attack, and then both sides will roll for initiative.

It’s important to note that just because the PCs believe the orcs will come down the trail does not guarantee the PCs cannot be surprised, as the orcs could arrive early, have outlying scouts, etc. Rolling surprise for the PCs can still be appropriate.

Wise players won’t argue for the ability to automatically ambush lest the same thing occur to them!

Calculating Cumulative Surprise (Optional)

Any time the range of surprise for a group would be reduced to 0 (i.e., a 0 in d6 chance), the die size is incremented instead (next 1 in d8, then 1 in d10, etc.). Blackmoor uses this for the monk (“At 3rd level monks are surprised only on a roll of 1 in 6, at 5th level only 1 in 8, and at 7th level and above only 1 in 10.”). The same applies to a Surprise chance of 1-6 in d6, instead converting to 1-7 in d8, etc.

Any time the range of surprise would be increased (say a halfing at 4 in 6 encountering a drow at 1 in 8), increase the drow by the difference from 2 in 6. So the halfing is 2 better than 2 in 6, so the drow’s surprise roll would be 1-3 on d8.

For a by-the-book example of a similar methodology, consider the greenhag, which surprises 1-5 in d6. If invisible (which normally would be 1-6 in d6), the greenhag instead surprises 19 in 20.

There are rare instances where surprise could be converted into d100. If the opponent uses a different die than d6 to calculate surprise (d8, d10, even d20), then modifications to their range of being surprised could be calculated on d100 (such as adding 16.67% from the ranger ability to the 5% chance of the creature surprised only 1 in 20). But instead, modify by the same number (applying the “1” from the 1 in 6 chance to the 1 in 20, making the range 2 in 20), because that’s faster, easier, and reflects the increased difficulty to surprise that creature.

Appendix A:  Surprise: An Operational Guide

  1. Roll Move Silently (where applicable) and other effects that determine Hidden or Silent (such as Boots or Cloak of Elvenkind) if and only if they apply to the entire party.
    1. Move Silently (and other effects) provide a Base Surprise modifier you need for the next step
  2. Determine the potential Base Surprise for each involved Party
    1. Normally 2 in 6, this can be modified by Class, Race/Monster, Stealth/Silence, and Alertness
    2. See https://dnd.sinister.net/im-surprised/ for extended details
  3. Roll Base Surprise for each party (normally 1-2 in d6)
  4. Determine Encounter Distance
    1. If any party was surprised: d3″ (indoors); 6d4″ modified by terrain – Base Surprise” (outdoors)
    2. If neither party was surprised: d6 +4″ (indoors); 6d4″ (outdoors). Move on to Initiative
    3. Adjust (if necessary) by line-of-sight/ size of room
  5. Determine party Surprise duration (in segments)
    1. Surprise duration is the same number that determines if the party was surprised (e.g., a party that rolled a 5 when surprised 1-5 in d6 is surprised for 5 segments)
    2. If neither party is surprised, move on to Initiative
    3. If both parties are equally surprised, move on to Initiative
    4. If only one party is surprised, Surprise duration for that party is the Base Surprise.
    5. If one party is more surprised, Surprise duration (in segments) for the most surprised party is: (most surprised party’s Base Surprise) – (least surprised party’s Base Surprise). Only one party will lose segments and be surprised.
  6. Determine individual Surprise duration
    1. Adjust the number of segments each individual in a Surprised party can be affected according to their Dexterity, encumbrance, individual alertness, or other modifiers.
    2. An individual with ≤ 0 Surprise segments remaining will no longer be affected by individual attacks (melee or ranged), but cannot respond in any other way.
  7. Process each Base Surprise segment as a full round in but a single segment (actions 4.A-H).
    1. Movement is 1/10th normal (a single segment)
    2. Casting time is by segment. Any spell not completed in a Surprise segment carries over to the next segment of Surprise, and then carries over into Initiative if still not complete.
    3. Ranged weapons fire at three times the normal rate if ready (in other words, if prior to the first surprise segment: “I’ll nock an arrow”, “Ready weapons and missiles”), otherwise at normal rates (I read this as one arrow the first segment if nocked and ready, and one arrow for each later Surprise segments).
    4. Any individual attack (melee or ranged) against a surprised opponent with no remaining individual surprise segments is deferred to Initiative.
  8. Process extended Surprise
    1. Any individual with remaining Surprise segments can be individually attacked (melee or ranged) for any remaining individual surprise segment. No other actions by attacker(s) are possible.
  9. Roll Initiative
    1. Adjust any spell casting time by whatever arcane method you use for casting time in 1e Initiative.
  10. If at any point a new party enters the fray during Initiative rounds, repeat the Surprise process (above).

References

4Strategic Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, “Rangers: An Exciting New Dungeons & Dragons Class,” Summer 1975.
Dungeons & Dragons Additional Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames Campaigns Playable with Paper and Pencil and Miniature Figures, Supplement 1: Greyhawk. Gary Gygax and Rob Kuntz, 1976.
Dungeons & Dragons Additional Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames Campaigns Playable with Paper and Pencil and Miniature Figures, Supplement 2: Blackmoor. Dave Arneson, 1975.
Dungeons & Dragons Additional Rules for Fantastic Medieval Wargames Campaigns Playable with Paper and Pencil and Miniature Figures, Supplement 3: Eldritch Wizardry. Gygax & Blume, 1976.
TSR 2010, Players Handbook, 1978.
TSR 2011, Dungeon Masters Guide, 1979.
Polyhedron #12, “Dispel Confusion”, 1983, p. 10.
Dragon Magazine, Issue 42, “Sage Advice”, October 1980, p. 23.
1Dragon Magazine, Issue 71, “Deities & Demigods of Greyhawk”, March 1983.
Polyhedron #24, “Dispel Confusion”, 1985, p. 36.
TSR 2017, Unearthed Arcana, 1985.
TSR 2020, Wilderness Survival Guide, 1986.
2Polyhedron #31, “Dispel Confusion”, 1987, p. 29.
6Dragon Magazine, Issue 117, “Sage Advice”, January 1986, p. 54.
Dragon Magazine, Issue 133, “Surprise: Determining who gets the drop on whom”, May 1988.
3Zagyg’s Wisdom, https://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=10004&start=180
https://playingattheworld.blogspot.com/2012/08/gygaxs-thief-addition-1974.html [original thief]
http://murphysvictim.blogspot.com/2013/03/1st-edition-ad-surprise-not-so-difficult.html
https://nagorascorner.blogspot.com/2018/05/surprised-and-confused.html [history]
Great Plains Games Players Newsletter #9.
4Dragonsfoot.org, March 15, 2005. https://www.dragonsfoot.org/forums/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=10004&p=166208  “As far as my intent went, there was no difference between a blow and a missile attack in regards to surprise. So if there are three segments of surprise, the weapon has a RoF of two per segment, then six attacks could indeed be made thus.”

Streamlining Cavalier Minions

Last Updated: 180815, 200616

The cavalier acquires followers and henchmen early and often. All told, there are 17 (!) different types of minions, with differing weapons, armor, armor class, hit points, and THAC0, making management a bit of a nightmare. At the same time, there’s a lot of flavor there, in particular in types of troop; it’s good to maintain at least the distinction between cavalry, infantry, and archers. Time to streamline that a bit.

Followers

The cavalier must go to a locale where such men-at-arms are located in order to attract these followers. Those followers lost are not replaced except by troops gained at higher levels. A cavalier’s followers will not demand wages or salary, but must be fed, cared for, and rewarded as suitable for the conditions. The number is not limited by Charisma.

By the Book Followers

01-50 Light cavalry in ring mail and shield, each with 3 javelins, long sword, and hand axe; or, Heavy infantry in scale mail, with pole arm of choice and club.

51-75 Heavy infantry in splint mail with morning star and hand axe; or, Heavy infantry in leather armor with pike and short sword.

76-90 Crossbowmen in chain mail with heavy crossbow and short sword; or, Crossbowmen in chain mail with light crossbow and military fork.

91-00 Cavalry in banded mail and shield with lance and horseman’s mace; or, Cavalry in studded leather with long sword and horseman’s flail. Either type will be mounted on medium warhorses.

Streamlined Followers

The streamlined minions have a higher than average THAC0, AC, damage, and hit points, to reflect their being a bit better than average.  For simplicity almost all of the damage dice and weapon speeds are the same.

  AC Average
50% 6 3
12.50% 4 0.5
12.50% 8 1
15% 5 0.75
5% 3 0.15
5% 7 0.35
    5.75

 

Average follower AC: 5.75, with bonus AC: 5

Cost: 10 gp / month each.

50% Heavy infantry in chain mail (AC: 5), with pole arm (d8, Weapon Speed: 8) and club (d8, Weapon speed 3). THAC0 19. 8 hp.
15% Crossbowmen in chain mail (AC: 5) with heavy crossbow (3d4, Weapon Speed: 8, Range 8/16/24), and short sword (d8, WS 3). THAC0 19. 8 hp.
35% Cavalry in scale mail and shield (AC: 5), with lance (d8, Weapon Speed 8), 3 javelins (d8, Range 2/4/6), and horseman’s mace (d8, Weapon Speed: 8), mounted on light warhorses. THAC019. 8 hp.

By The Book Leaders

For every group of 20 troops which serve a cavalier, there will be a fighter follower/leader of 5th level, dressed in plate mail and shield with a battle axe +2. For every 60 troops there will be a 6th-level fighter leader (with plate mail + 1 and shield, longsword + 2), and a 3rd-level fighter lieutenant (plate mail, battle axe).

Streamlined Leaders

For every 20 troops, there will be:

  • 5th level leader: AC 1 (Plate mail and shield), 35 HP, Weapon: d8 damage, weapon speed 6. +2 to hit, +2 damage, THAC0 15 Cost: 500 gp / month

For every 60 troops there will be:

  • A 6th-level leader: AC 1 (Plate mail and shield), 35 HP, Weapon: d8 damage, weapon speed 6. +2 to hit, +2 damage, THAC0 15. Cost: 600 gp / month
  • A 3rd level leader (similar to Esquire), for 300 gp / month.

Retainers (Henchmen)

Total number limited by Charisma +3

By the Book Retainers

As soon as a cavalier of good alignment reaches 4th level (Knight Errant), the cavalier must acquire at least one retainer. These retainers can be either Armigers (level l), or Scutifers (level 2), or both. Upon becoming a Knight (6th level), an Esquire (level 3) must be added to the staff. Upon becoming a Grand Knight (7th level), a Horseman (Level  0, d4+1 hp) to act as a herald and a Lancer (Level0, 2d4 +1 hP) to act as a guard must be added. At 8th level, the Banneret must bring at least an additional mounted man-at arms to his staff of retainers. All cavalier retainers will serve for nothing more than care, upkeep, and training, as applicable.

Streamlined Retainers

Retainers cost 100 gp / level / month

  • Level 1: (Horsemen, Lancer , Men-at-arms). Identical to Cavalry.
  • Level 2: (Armigers, Scutifers). Identical to Cavalry, except +1 to hit, +2 when mounted. 16 hp.
  • Level 3: (Esquire). Identical to Cavalry, except +1 to hit, +2 when mounted. 24 hp and THAC0 17.

The Lowly Thief-Acrobat

Last updated: 181231… 250621
ta@corwyn.net

The thief-acrobat is a mess. Most abilities are worse than an average high school athlete. In a world that mages can cast world-altering spells, even the best thief-acrobat can’t match a world record–ever. In a class where falling is key, they take more (relative) damage from a fall than a fighter with the same experience. The thief-acrobat should be better at thief-acrobat things than other classes. At the same time, the class should be distinct from thief and monk. Time to fix all that, while maintaining the spirit of the thief-acrobat. I started from the Dragon Errata articles, and moved on from there!

Any single-classed thief character with a minimum strength of 15 and a minimum dexterity of 16 may forego normal thievery and become a “split-class” specialist, a Thief-Acrobat.

Upon gaining sufficient experience points to achieve 6th level[2] as a thief, the character desiring to specialize as a thief-acrobat must seek out a thief-acrobat of at least 10th level to train him or her. It will require 6 full weeks of training to learn the basic skills needed to begin active practice of the social profession of thief-acrobat. Except as noted, the specialization procedure is otherwise the same as regular thief training.

A thief-acrobat may be of any race. Thief-acrobats with strength and dexterity scores of 16 or better add a 10% bonus to earned experience. Thief-acrobats gain six-sided hit dice up to 12th level, and 2 hit points per level after 12th (UA, Character Classes Table 1).

Weapons: As thief, plus lasso, staff, blow gun (DF).

Backstab is more villainous than carnival, and more similar to the other lost abilities.

The primary functions of a thief-acrobat are: tightrope walking, pole vaulting, jumping, and tumbling. In addition to these functions, the thief-acrobat retains the abilities to improve: move silently, hide in shadows, hear noise, climb walls, and read languages. This program of gymnastics precludes any further progress in the following skills: pick pockets, find/remove/set traps, open locks, and backstab. Ended skills max at 6th level (dexterity 16) to 9th level (dexterity 19) [2].  A thief-acrobat retains the ability to decipher magical writings and utilize scrolls at 10th level, just as regular thieves[2].

The thief-acrobat is only lightly encumbered when carrying up to 450 gp (increasing 10 gp per level > 6, and modified for Strength). A thief-acrobat cannot function beyond lightly encumbered. The exception is tightrope walking, where the limit is twice that of lightly encumbered.

Tightrope walking assumes that the character will use this means to cross from place to place. This skill allows ascent up a rope or beam up to a 45-degree angle or descent at a slightly steeper angle, all while upright and with hands free (in general). Movement is 60’ per round. If the distance is greater than 60’, then additional checks must be made for each additional 60′. A 6th level thief-acrobat has a 75% chance of success, improving 5% per level. Moderate winds decrease the chance of success by 10%, strong winds by 20%. In strong, gusty wind conditions there is always a 5% chance of failure. In non-windy conditions, a balance pole increases the chance of success by 10%. Failure means that the thief-acrobat falls, taking damage accordingly. Those characters who are not thief-acrobats can walk a tightrope at a base 20% chance, and move no faster than 30’ per round.

The world record for pole vaulting is 20′, in a world without magic, monks falling any distance, and in general heroes of old. Yet a 23rd level thief-acrobat can’t even tie that record? Average high school competitors can pole vault 12′. In a world when the thief can climb most obstacles, pole vaulting is of even less utility.

Pole vaulting includes any jumping which employs a leverage device to assist the individual in gaining height from momentum; e.g., a teeter board or springboard might serve as well or better than a pole in some cases. A successful pole vault requires at least a 30’ running start and a pole at least two-thirds the length of the distance to be vaulted. A 6th level thief-acrobat can pole vault 12′, increasing 2′ per level. The pole is dropped when the vault occurs. The vaulter can land on his or her feet atop a surface of 1′ less height than the maximum height of the pole vault if so desired, assuming such a surface exists. Otherwise, the vaulter lands, tumble rolls, and is on his or her feet in 2 segments[1]. The thief-acrobat cannot pole vault when engaged in melee. Non-thief-acrobats cannot pole vault.

So long as the thief-acrobat finds (or is able to place) a hanging object such as a rope, vine, or chandelier to use as an assist for at least half the distance to be covered, he or she may use the rope to swing up to a distance of up to twice the character’s maximum pole-vaulting height and land on his or her feet. (DF)

Jumping includes all sorts of unassisted leaps—high jumping and broad jumps (both from a standing and a running start).

All jumps assume the thief-acrobat will land on his or her feet. If the thief-acrobat wishes to leap in an extended position, 2′ of additional distance can be gained, but the character will land prone and take 2 segments to get back on their feet. A 3′ extension can be attempted, with a 25% chance of failure and a 3-segment period of recovery; a 4′ extension has a 50% chance of failure and an 4-segment recovery; an extension of 5′ has a 75% chance of failure and a 5-segment recovery period.

The high jump numbers aren’t horrible, but are rarely useful. But increasing by ¼” at a time?

High jumping requires at least a 20’ running start. At 6th level the thief-acrobat can high jump 4′, increasing 1′ per level. The high jumper clears the obstacle in a near-horizontal position but lands on his or her feet. If some elevated step, or a series of such steps, enables the character to maintain rapid motion, he or she can then high jump from such an elevated step just as if doing so normally. Alternately, the jumper can opt to land atop some higher surface. This surface must be 2’ under the maximum height for normal high jumping. In either case, the thief-acrobat lands on his or her feet in 1 segment. Non-thief-acrobats can high jump d4′.

For an average trained high school athlete a good broad jump is 8′. A good running long jump is 16′. The barbarian jumps 10’/16-21/4.5-6’ starting at level 1. And in a world measured by 5′ and 10′ increments, shorter distances aren’t that useful.

Broad jumping requires 1 segment to accomplish. A 6th level thief-acrobat can standing broad jump 8’+d4′ (increasing 1′ per level), and running broad jump 16′ + d4′, increasing 2’ per level. In standing jumps, the thief-acrobat can leap forward up to the maximum distance, or backward up to half the maximum distance, in order to attack or avoid being in attack range, if this is deemed possible by the DM. The thief-acrobat can therefore: attack and then broad jump out of attack range (after their opponent attacks); broad jump into attack range and attack (as charge); broad jump and backstab if their opponent is unaware of their presence. A running broad jump requires a run of at least 20′. A thief-acrobat executing a broad jump receives no AC Dexterity bonus.

Tumbling assumes all sorts of gymnastic skills—tumbles, rolls, jumps, handstands, and so on. These routines are then used in attack, defensive evasion, and in jumping/falling. Tumbling maneuvers have the following benefits:

The thief-acrobat can regain their feet in 1 segments.

The attack bonus needs to be enough to offset the fighter’s THAC0, if the intent is a TA being better than a fighter. The fighter’s THAC0 is ~5 better.

Attack improves the character’s Non-Weapon Score (NWS) in hand-to-hand combat involving Pummel, Overrun, or Escape. The 6th level thief has a 25% (+5) bonus, increasing 5% per level, to a maximum bonus of 50% (+10).

If the thief-acrobat wins initiative, Evasion enables the thief-acrobat to opt to avoid attacks directed at him or her (or attacks within a few square feet, from which the thief-acrobat could easily remove himself or herself) with respect to melee combat, missile fire, and (just as magic resistance would work) magical attack forms. The 6th level thief has a 10% chance of evasion, increasing 5% per level. In any event, the chance for success cannot exceed a base of 60%, before adjusting for dexterity and/or race. Evasion requires 1 segment, after which another action can be attempted.

Falling damage should be significantly reduced for a thief-acrobat. The monk has all the thief abilities of the thief-acrobat plus Open Locks and Find/Remove Traps, and still takes less damage from falling than the thief-acrobat. At 6th level the monk can also speak with animals, mask his mind, is immune to dead, and can feign death. Monks save for half or none without having to tumble, and can knock missiles out of the air, both skills more appropriate to the thief-acrobat. Before considering any 17+ Constitution bonus for fighters, a thief has only 63-75% of a fighter’s hit points. A fall that does 16 damage to a thief-acrobat does only 12 relative damage to a fighter. To make the thief-acrobat take the same relative damage as a fighter at a starting point the TA has to take only 66% of the damage; 33% to correspond to 50% of the damage a fighter would take. 50% equals the same result as calculating a fall as 10’ less. I prefer to keep the thief-acrobat distinct from monk, and instead improve and simplify the current thief-acrobat ability.

Falling damage for the thief-acrobat is a non-factorial d6 for each 10′ of damage, to a maximum of 10d6. At 6th level, a thief-acrobat can fall 10′ and take no damage; any fall is calculated as if the thief-acrobat fell 10′ less. This ability improves 10′ per level (e.g., an 8th level thief-acrobat could fall 30′ and take no damage; a 50′ fall would inflict 2d6 damage).

Climbing conforms to the thief ability. Rappelling adds 50% to climb walls if against a surface (30% if free falling).

Lassos are weird. They’re a weapon using THAC0, but if throwing a rope over a stalagmite, there’s a 20% chance of success? A difference in proficiency?

There’s a base 20% chance of success for a character to throw a rope over a projection (like a stalagmite) if not proficient. If proficient, the thief-acrobat can throw a lasso 1”/2”/3” at 6th level, increasing 5’ per level (max 60’), with a +4 bonus to hit, treating the stalagmite as AC0. d6 rounds to recoil.

A thief-acrobat can throw a grappling hook upward a distance equal to ⅓ their Strength score (×2 horizontally). A 6th level thief-acrobat succeeds on a base 45% (a +20% bonus), plus 5% per level above 6th (DSG).

In all other respects, the thief-acrobat is treated as a thief, including the gaining of followers, Thieves’ Cant, and guild membership.

  Tightrope

 Pole Vault (30′ run) High jump (20’ run)2 Standing Broad2 Running Broad (20’ run)2 Evasion (%) NWS (%)
Non-T-A
(always extended)		 20%
(30’/rnd)		 – d4 1 + d4 5 + d4 – –
Non-T-A Level 7-9 – – +1’ +1’ +1’ – –
Base (level 6) 75%
(60’/rnd)		 12’ 4’ 8 + d4 16 + d4 10 25
T-A per level > 6

 

 +5% +2’ +1’ +1’ +2’ +5
max (60)		 +5 (5%)
(max 50%)
Halfling/Gnome/Dwarf – -2’ -1’ -2’ -4’/-4’/-3’ +10/5/5 +5/10/10
Half-Elf/Elf/Half-Orc – – – – -/-1’/- +0/5/0 +5/0/0
Dex (16/17/18) +5/10/15 – – – – +2/3/5 +1/2/31
Extended (TA only)* – – – +2’/3’/4’/5’ +2’/3’/4’/5’ – –
No armor +5 +1’ +1’ +1’ +1’ +4% +2
Heavy/Very Heavy Enc. No No -1’/No -1/No -1’ No No

*Only the thief-acrobat can jump backwards or leap farther in an Extended position. Recovery is 2 segments/3 segments (25% failure)/4 segments (50% failure)/5 segments (75% failure).

1Already included in the Non-weapon Score (NWS)
2Those Encumbered cannot jump at all.

Bibliography

Unearthed Arcana. The Thief-acrobat.
A “split class” for nimble characters: The Thief-acrobat. Dragon Magazine Issue 69.
[2]Arcana update, Part 1. Repairs, reasons, and even more new rules. Dragon Magazine Issue 103. November, 1985.
Unearthed Arcana Errata. Dragon Magazine Issue 103. November, 1985.

Oops, I’ve Stolen Something

Last updated: 180808…250906
stolen@corwyn.net

Overview

PCs are left occasionally left with time on their hands. Mages & clerics research spells, fighters compete in the arena. The thief? Pick Pockets is a simple roll, but what would be the outcome? What if the thief wants to acquire more than a few coppers between adventures? Or the Guild makes a demand that can’t be refused? Theft within an “adventure” context requires one-on-one time with the player and DM, or extended downtime for other players while the thief role-plays the encounter that the DM had to create.

Borrowing from various resources, hewing closely to 1st Edition rules, I present here a system for Pick Pockets and Theft. Rules scattered far and wide are consolidated and streamlined, filling in gaps. Player decisions still affect outcomes. For critical life-or-death moments, tables provide granularity, but the generalities are treated, well, more generally.

Pick Pockets

Up to two pick pockets attempts can be made during a round. A successful Pick Pockets roll gains an item from the victim; the item is determined at random unless the exact location of a particular item is known by the thief.

The potential victim reduces the thief’s chances for success by 5% for every level of experience they are above the 3rd, i.e. –5% at 4th level, etc. Chances of success are also affected by the Category of the target: Simple (a lowly farmer), Difficult (a merchant, –10%), or Extraordinary (adventurer/nobility, –15%).

Pick Pockets fails if the player rolls above their chance to Pick Pockets. If the roll fails by 21% or greater, the victim notices the thief’s attempt (note the victim might notice yet allow the thief to operate in order to track them back to headquarters). Undiscovered failures allow additional attempts (twice / round).

Success

Once a pocket is successfully picked, roll 2d10, modified by Category (Simple +0, Difficult +8, Extraordinary +12):

2d10 Result
2 Lint
3 Parchment with a mundane note
4 A key
5 Lower class personal item (rabbit’s foot, needle, dice, playing cards, small knife, etc.) of no value
6 A small vial or flask
7 Coins (2d6 cp)
8 Coins (2d6 sp)
9 Gem (10 gp)
10 Lint
11 Parchment with a business note
12 A key
13 Middle class small personal item (rabbit’s foot, needle, dice, playing cards, small knife, etc.) worth d4 gp
14 A small vial or flask (1% chance DMG Table III.A Potions)
15 Coins (2d6 sp)
16 Coins (2d6 gp)
17 Gem (50 gp)
18 Small jewelry (wrought gold, 2d20 gp)
19-20 Lint
21 Parchment with official communication
22 A key
23 Upper class small personal item (rabbit’s foot, needle, dice, playing cards, small knife, etc.) worth d8 gp
24 A small vial or flask (5% chance DMG Table III.A Potions)
25 Coins (2d6 gp)
26 Coins (2d6 pp)
27 Small jewelry (silver with gems, d100 gp)
28 Roll twice on this table, ignoring results after this.
29 Trap
30 Roll again on this table. Appears successful, but something important was stolen and the target really wants their loot back. Mercenaries are hired to track the thief down.
31 Roll on Gem table, DMG p. 25
32 Roll on Jewelry Table, DMG p. 26

Pick Pockets Failure

The result of a known failure is adjusted for the Category (Simple +0, Difficult+2, Extraordinary +4).

d10 Result
1 Chased. Lose d6 CON from exhaustion. Roll Evasion or lose d6 hp (cannot be fatal) and CON recovers one point per day of rest.
2 Beaten up—lose d6 hit points unless armored.
3 City Guard. Bribe way out with d100 gp or Arrested.
4 Chased. Lose d6 DEX. Roll Evasion or be injured for 2d6 hp (cannot be fatal). DEX recovers one point per day of rest.
5 Beaten up—lose 3d6 hit points unless armored.
6 Chased. Lose d6 STR. Roll Evasion or lose 3d6 hp (none in armor, non-fatal). STR recovers one point per day of rest.
7 City Guard. Arrested. If a guild member, the Thieves’ Guild will arrange bail for 2d100 gp, expecting the money back at 100% interest.
8 Beaten up and robbed—lose 5d6 hit points (none in armor, non-fatal), plus anything vaguely useful or valuable is taken.
9 Grabbed by a crowd of locals and punished: 1. pilloried, 2. tarred and feathered, 3. stripped naked & chased.
10 Word of ineptitude reaches Thieves’ Guild. Lose guild membership. If not a member of the guild beaten for 2d6 damage, increasing d6 for each offense.
11 Trapped. Explosive dye, a man-trap just right for prying hands.
12 City Guard. Can kill guard to attempt Evasion.
13 Steal a cursed item.
14 Killed (Save vs. Death to escape).

Burglary

A thief with access to civilization may perform solo burglary missions—the Heist!

Theory

Three different “By The Book” foundations exist for determining the success of a heist:

  • Assassins’ Table for Assassinations (DMG, p. 75)
  • Assassin Spying Table (DMG, p. 18)
  • The Thief Functions (PHB, p. 28)

The Assassination Table relies on a single roll, taking into account the level of the victim, which could be used to determine reward vs. difficulty, but burglary is more like spying than assassination. A Spy succeeds based on two Spying Table rolls (counting Discovery). Thieves could use different Thief Functions if performing a heist through roleplay, which has a certain appeal, as those abilities adjust based on character level, class, race, and Dexterity. The Thief Functions can also be modified by magical items (such as Boots of Elvenkind affecting Move Silently). However, exercising multiple thief functions during a typical heist (requiring individual rolls for each Thief Function) almost guarantees failure. Perhaps an average of those combined values? Pick Pockets would be excluded, given its clear use for a different task. Hear Noise and Read Languages are outliers from a success perspective, leaving five abilities: Open Locks, Finding Traps, Moving Silently, Hiding in Shadows, and Climbing Walls. That generates an Averaged Thief Function, which lends itself to a rounded/simplified composite of the thief and assassin abilities:

Thief Level Averaged Thief Functions (Rounded) Assassin Spying Table
Simple Difficult Extraordinary
1 31% 50% 30% 10%
2 35% 55% 35% 15%
3 39% 60% 35% 15%
4 44% 65% 40% 20%
5 49% 70% 45% 25%
6 54% 75% 50% 25%
7 59% 80% 55% 30%
8 64% 85% 60% 35%
9 69% 85% 60% 40%
10 74% 90% 65% 45%

The averaged chance of success across all the Thief Functions are all similar to the Difficult Assassin Spying Table tasks, varying no more than +9%. Using the existing Thief Functions to determine success hews closer to 1e than directly using the Assassination Table or creating yet another table. Averaged Thief Functions are the baseline of Heist success.

The more difficult the job, the higher the reward for success but also the higher the penalty for failure? Incorporating the Assassin table, heists would be separated into the Simple, Difficult, and Extraordinary.

How long does it take for a successful heist, when taking into account preparation and execution? Casing the joint is easier and shorter than a spying mission, and the odds of being discovered are less than a spying mission, so the difficulty categories should be adjusted downward from a time and discovery perspective.

Thief Function Modifiers

What about the invisible PC? A halfling? Wearing Boots of Elvenkind? Using a Chime of Opening? With a high Dexterity? Flying? The Averaged score combines five different Thief Functions (Open Locks, Finding Traps, Moving Silently, Hiding in Shadows, and Climbing Walls), suggesting a methodology to modify the overall chance of success—adjust the base Thief Functions percentages to modify the overall chance of success if one determines any delta to the individual Thief Function, and adjusts the overall chance of success by the delta divided by 5 (to represent the overall change across the five Thief Functions). Using this general methodology, the DM can readily (and less arbitrarily) determine modifications to the chance of success based on player specifics. Two adjustments to the same Thief Function might or might not be considered additive. Any one Thief Function shouldn’t adjust over 95%. Let’s look at some examples:

  • A halfling is 10% better at Moving Silently, which would increase the overall chance of success by 2% (10%, divided by the five Thief Functions).
  • If a 5th level thief (Move Silently 40%) were wearing Boots of Elvenkind (95%), his ability to Move Silently is effectively 95% (a 55% increase), increasing his overall chance by 11% (55%, divided by the five Thief Functions).
  • If an 8th level thief were invisible, his Hide in Shadows ability could increase from 49% to 95% (note the 95% maximum), an increase of 46% improvement in Hide in Shadows, or a 9% increase to his overall chance of success.
  • A Chime of Opening for a 5th level thief? 42% Open Locks to 95%, but –25% from Move Silently for the time(s) the Chime is used, so and 11% –5% modifier.

PC Characteristics

The effects of Race and Ability score modifiers can also be pre-calculated using the existing tables for race and ability:

Race Heist Modifier
Dwarf +3% +10% Open Locks, +15% Find Traps, -10% Climb Walls
Elf +2% -5% Open Locks, +5% Move Silently, +10% Hide in Shadows,
Gnome +2% +5% Open Locks, +10% Find Traps, +5% Move Silently, +5% Hide in Shadows, -15% Climb Walls
Half-Elf +1% +5% Hide in Shadows
Halfling +4% +5% Open Locks, +5% Find Traps, +10% Move Silently, +15% Hide in Shadows, -15% Climb Walls
Half-Orc +4% +5% Open Locks, +5% Find Traps, +5% Climb Walls

 

Dexterity Score Heist Modifier (No dexterity bonuses apply when wearing armor other than simple leather)
16 +1% +5% Open Locks
17 +4% +10% Open Locks, +5% Move Silently, +5% Hide in Shadows
18 +8% +15% Open Locks, +5% Find Traps, +10% Move Silently, +10% Hide in Shadows
19 +12% +20% Open Locks, +10% Find Traps, +12% Move Silently, +12% Hide in Shadows

Armor

Armor Heist Modifier
None +5% +10% Move Silently, +5% Hide in Shadows, +10% Climb Walls

 

A thief wearing no armor gains a +5% Heist Modifier (from the associated Unearthed Arcana: +10% Move Silently, +5% Hide in Shadows, +10% Climb Walls, which could affect adjustments from other sources). However, the thief is now at greater risk in any encounters if things go wrong, as they’re no longer wearing armor!

Thieves’ Guild

The thief can increase their chance of success, and make the fencing of stolen goods easier, as a member of the Thieves’ Guild, for a percentage to the Thieves’ Guild. The initiation fee for the Thieves’ Guild costs 1,000 gp (± 500 based on city size, ±500 based on approved theft difficulty). A Thieves’ Guild will require a 15% cut of any crimes committed.

Membership in the Thieves’ Guild increases the chance of any success by 5d4%.

There is a 20% chance that the Thieves’ Guild will become aware of the crime if the thief is not a member.

Chance of Discovery

It takes time to execute a successful heist: making discreet inquiries; identifying a target; casing the joint; waiting for the right moment (moonless night, appropriate distraction, owner out of town); leaving no trace behind. The Base Chance to be Discovered is a cumulative 1% per day spent preparing (subject to a maximum of 10%), minus the level of the thief, to a minimum of 1%. The probability of discovery depends on the Category of the heist:

Heist Category Time to Prepare Probability of Discovery
Simple  1 to 8 days  1%, checked each week
Difficult  3 to 24 days  Base Chance%, checked each week
Extraordinary  5 to 40 days  Base Chance%, checked twice per week

Sometimes, the thief is in a hurry! Decrease the chance of Heist Success by 1% for each day the thief needed to prepare, and doesn’t!

Frequency

Repeated heists in a short time will put town citizens on alert! Each successive heist attempted within an identical period (i.e., d8 days from the last Simple heist) will decrease the chance of success by d10%.

Chance of discovery will increase tenfold if a thief is discovered and another heist is attempted during a period of 20 to 50 days thereafter. If the heist is discovered, go to the Heist Failure Table below.

Results

Once all modifiers have been tabulated, the DM checks the Heist Chance for Success to determine Success or Failure. 5% or less will always fail, and even success won’t always mean getting away scot-free!

Example

We have a 9th level (69%) dwarven (3%) thief with a 19 Dexterity (+12%) who isn’t wearing armor (+5%). They’re attempting a simple heist with no preparation (-d8%) where they rolled a 7:

69% + 3% + 12% + 5% – 7% = 82%.

Before they set out, a MU casts Invisibility on them, increasing their Hide in Shadows from 56% to 95% (an increase of 39% divided by the five Thief Functions, or +8%).

Before he sets out, a friendly cleric casts Silence 15′ Radius on him, increasing his Move Silently from 70% to 95% (an increase of 25% divided by the five Thief functions, or 5%). However the Silence will only last 18 rounds in this case, where the Heist will take an hour, so the DM grants only a 2% bonus.

Totaling a 92% chance of success, almost as good as the 95% maximum permits!

Treasure

The Treasure Category Multiplier matches the crime: Simple (200 gp), Difficult (1,000 gp, +10% to roll), Extraordinary (5,000 gp, +20% to roll)

d100 Treasure Details
1-21 Nothing of Value
22-45 Coins d6 * Category Modifier gp in various coins.1 Note coin weight!
46-60 Gems d6 * Category Modifier gp in various gems. See DMG, p.25, Treasure Type Q (×[n])
61-70 Jewelry d6 * Category Modifier gp in various jewelry. See DMG, p. 26
71-80 Gems and Jewelry d6 * Category Modifier gp in gems and jewelry or Treasure Type R. See DMG, p. 26-27.
81-90 Rare Commodities d6 * Category Modifier gp. See DMG, p. 27.
91-95 Antiquities d6 * Category Modifier gp value.
96-98 Religious Icon d6 * Category Modifier gp value.
99-100 Potions Simple (1 potion), Difficult (d3 potions), Extraordinary (d6 potions) or Treasure Type S.
101-105 Scroll(s) Simple (1 spell, lvl 1-3), Difficult (d3 spells, lvl 2-5), Extraordinary (d6 spells, lvl 3-7) or Treasure Type T.
106-119 Roll Twice on this Table Can roll more than once, less than this.
120 The Motherload Treasure Type I (gems, jewelry, magic).

Coin distribution varies on Category: Simple (20%sp/30%ep/50%gp), Difficult (30%ep/55%gp/15%pp), and Extraordinary (80%gp/20%pp). Multiply % * (value in gp), then adjust for value of coins (i.e., gp value * 20 for # of silver).

Heist Success!

Should the thief succeed, roll to determine the results.

Heist Results Modifiers:

Results Modifiers Results Roll Modifier
Difficult +10
Extraordinary +20

Heist Results

Heist Results Table
d100 Type of Result
≤01-10 Success
11-15 Wild success (roll again on the Treasure Table)
16-35 Partial success (Flight, acquiring only 10%-90% of the Treasure value)
36-65 Success
66-80 Quality success (+25% on Treasure Table)
81-85 Trapped (Walk Away or make Remove Traps check to succeed). See DMG Appendix G. (d6: 1-2 Damage, 3-4 Poison Type A-C, 5-6 Lethal)
86-90 Poisoned (requires Save vs. Poison): Type A 15 hp damage (Simple), Type B 25 hp damage (Difficult), Type C 35 hp damage (Extraordinary). Chance to notice poison: A:80%/B:65%/C:40%*
91-95 Poisoned (requires Save vs. Poison or die): Type D.  Chance to notice poison 15%*
96-100 Apparent success, but if Bribery was used during the heist, they squeal to the Watch after the heist. Arrested. Otherwise no effect.
101-105 Apparent success, but Thieves’ Guild discovers afterwards of unsanctioned heist (if not member of Thieves’ Guild). Check Encounter Reactions for their response. Hostile responses: Fine equal to 2x value of heist, Quest, Expulsion. Otherwise no effect.
106-110 Apparent success, but your target wants their loot back. Mercenaries are hired to track thief down. Captain level 1-3 (Simple), 4-7 (Difficult), 9-12 (Extraordinary)
111-114 Apparent success, but Thieves’ Guild discovers afterwards of unsanctioned heist (if not member of Thieves’ Guild). Check Encounter Reactions for their response. Hostile responses: Fine equal to 2x value of heist, Quest, Expulsion, Death. Otherwise no effect.
115-117 Apparent success, but an Invisible Stalker is summoned to return the stolen goods.
≥117-120 Apparent success, but precious item stolen, creating a powerful enemy who will pursue the PC.

*If the thief notices the poison, they can roll a Saving Throw or safely abandon the heist.

Disposition of Goods

Turning rare or unusual goods into cash creates its own problem. Anything besides coin requires a fence! Without specific proficiencies, the thief’s appraisal of the stolen goods can vary by 10%-200%. Finding a fence will take d4 * (1:Simple, 2:Difficult, 3:Extraordinary) days. When first meeting a fence, determine the Fence’s reaction:

Modifiers (cumulative):

Modifiers to Fence Reaction
+10 Thieves’ Guild Membership
-10 Difficult
-20 Extraordinary
+5 Charisma 13
+10 Charisma 14
+15 Charisma 15
+25 Charisma 16
+30 Charisma 17
+35 Charisma 18

 

Disposition of Goods Table
d100 Fence Reaction
<01-15 Double-cross (only if value > 5,000 gp). Steals item(s) and escapes (otherwise makes Initial Offer).
16-23 Outraged. Makes Initial Offer but contacts authorities unless member of Thieves’ Guild.
24-29 Fence refuses to deal in commodity. Arrested unless member of Thieves’ Guild.
30-35 Fearful. Fence refuses to deal in commodity.
36-41 Cannot afford goods at this time. Try again in d4 weeks.
42-47 Concerned. Offers reduced by ½.
48-59 Neutral. Makes Initial Offer. Will demand bribe (d6 × 100 gp) for silence if refused.
60-67 Intrigued. Raises maximum offer by (5 × d6)%.
68-83 Neutral. Makes Initial Offer.
84-100 Must Have It. Offers 75% of actual value.

The fence will start with the Initial Offer. The thief can negotiate with another roll on the Disposition of Goods Table. The fence will increase the offer by d20% actual value until failure, agreement or the maximum is reached. There is a 10% chance after each offer that the fence will refuse to do business further.

Initial offer: 10% + 5% × d4 of the actual value
Maximum Offer: 15% + 5% × d12 of the actual value

Experience

A thief receives XP equal to 1/10th the value of goods stolen. This is modified by multipliers for the degree of heist difficulty: Simple (× ½), Difficult (× 1), or Extraordinary (× 1½).

Heist Failure

If a thief fails their Heist Chance of Success roll, it’s time to determine just how awry things have gone. Heist Failures are spread out within the table based on a base change of being Killed (5%), Proof (15%), Escape (25%), Suspicion (20%), and Discovery (chances > 100%).

Failure Modifiers:

Heist Category Failure Roll Modifier
Difficult -5
Extraordinary -10
Discovered +20

 

Heist Failure Table
d100   Failure Result
≤01 Killed (5%) Killed (Save vs. Death if wearing armor).
02-06 Proof (15%) Arrested with the Goods! See Crime and Punishment.
07-11 Proof (15%) Arrested with the Goods! Kill City Guard to attempt Evasion.
12-16 Proof (15%) Attacked with the Goods! 4d6 damage (halved in armor). Arrested or attempt Evasion.
17-21 Proof (15%) Arrested with the Goods! (d4 × ½ Treasure Category Multiplier) gp to bribe way out of it.
22-41 Escape 25% Barely Escaped. Further Attempts during Category Preparation Interval are 90% Likely to Fail.
42-46 5% Nighttime City Encounter (See DMG, Appendix C). Check Encounter Reaction* when appropriate.
47-75 Failure (35%) Failure. There are many possible causes for basic failure: a lock could not be picked, residents arrived home unexpectedly, left tools at home, etc.
76-80 Suspicious (20%) Tricked (see DMG, Appendix H).
81-85 Suspicious (20%) Caught during heist. Arrested for Trespass.
86-90 Suspicious (20%) Triggered alarm! Arrested for Trespass. Roll Evasion to Escape.
91-95 5% Underestimated Difficulty (and Reward). Roll entire Attempt again adjusting Category up one step.
96-100 Suspicious (20%) Triggered alarm! Arrested for Trespass. Roll Evasion at -40% to Escape
101-104 Discovery > 100% Discovered by Watch entering building. Check Encounter Reaction* to determine arrest for Trespassing.
105-108 Discovery > 100% Thieves’ Guild learned of unsanctioned heist (if not member). Check Encounter Reaction* for their response. Hostile responses: Fine equal to value of planned heist, Quest, Expulsion. Otherwise no effect.
109-112 Discovery > 100% If Bribery was used during the heist, they squeal to the Watch before the Heist. Check Encounter Reaction to avoid Arrest.
113-116 Discovery > 100% Queried by the City Watch. Check Encounter Reaction* to avoid arrest for Trespass.
117-120 Discovery > 100% Observed. Check Encounter Reaction* for whether they report it. Successful Disguise prevents Arrest.

 

Adjusted Result (d100) Encounter Reaction
≤01-05 Violently hostile, immediate attack
06-36 Hostile, immediate action
37-64 Neutral—uninterested / uncertain
65-95 Friendly, immediate action
96-00 (or greater) Enthusiastically friendly, immediate acceptance

*Any intelligent creature conversed with will react in some way to the character that is speaking. Reaction is determined by rolling percentile dice, adjusting the score for the Charisma Reaction Adjustment, and comparing to the table below:

Charisma Reaction Adjustment
13 +5
14 +10
15 +15
16 +25
17 +30
18 +35

Crime and Punishment

A thief arrested will be charged and tried. Fines and jail time are cumulative. Repeat offenders receive stiffer sentences within the Punishment category. The third (and subsequent) conviction always results in the maximum sentence.

Charges
Crime Type  
Trespassing (Simple, Difficult) Class 1
Trespassing (Extraordinary) Class 2
Unarmed Assault Class 1 Fists or threatening harm
Armed Assault – Lesser Class 2 Improvised weapons (club, bar stool)
Armed Assault – Greater Class 4 Deadly weapons or magic
Theft of Goods ≤ 10 gp Class 1
Theft of Goods 11 gp to 100 gp Class 2
Theft of Goods 101 gp to 1,000 gp Class 3
Theft of Goods 1,001 gp to 10,000 gp Class 4
Theft of Goods > 10,000 gp Class 5
Using Magic ? An additional charge of the associated crime Type
Forgery ? An additional charge of the associated crime Type
Escape/Flight Class 3 Fleeing the Authorities to escape the consequences of a Crime
Trial

Once arrested, a trial takes place within d6 weeks. The Judge can be bribed with a successful Bribery check (and payment equal to half the fine). Membership in the Thieves Guild will increase the bribery chance by 25%. A failed Bribery check will negatively affect the outcome and always include jail time.

Trial Modifiers Trial Outcome Adjustment
Bribery ±10
Difficult Crime +10
Extraordinary Crime +20
Charisma 13 -5
Charisma 14 -10
Charisma 15 -15
Charisma 16 -25
Charisma 17 -30
Charisma 18 -35

 

d100 Trial Outcome
<1-30 Acquittal
31-50 Default Punishment (Fine if applicable)
51-65 Default Punishment (Prison if applicable)
66-75 Default Punishment (Both Fine and Prison if applicable)
76-95 Third conviction, or Class 4 and above: Mutilation. Otherwise Fine and Prison. Sentence carried out in d4 days.
96-100+ Third conviction for Class 4 and above: Death. Otherwise Fine and Prison. Sentence carried out in d6 days.

 

Type of Crime Punishment
Class 1 Fine: 1d6 gp OR Jail: 1 Day OR Both
Class 2 Fine: 10d6 gp OR Jail: d6 Weeks OR Both
Class 3 Fine: 100d6 gp OR Jail: d6 Months OR Both
Class 4 Fine: 1,000d6 gp OR Jail: 1 Year OR Both
Class 5 Fine: 5,000d6 gp OR Jail: d6 Years OR Both
Class 6 Fine: 10,000 d6 gp OR Jail: 5d6 Years OR Both OR Death
Class 7 Death

Crime and Punishment Tables can be adjusted based on the severity of punishment with a particular culture.

The Attempt

  1. The thief (or DM) decides the Heist Category: Simple, Difficult, Extraordinary
  2. Gear up! Calculate the modified Heist Chance of Success (based on stats, magic, race, Dexterity, etc.)
  3. Determine time required to execute the heist
  4. The DM determines the value of the loot, modified by the Heist Category
  5. The DM determines if thief is Discovered (If a thief is discovered, roll on the Theft Failure table)
  6. The PC rolls to determine their Heist Success or Failure
    1. The DM determines the results
  7. The PC decides on the disposition of goods acquired
  8. Check whether the Thieves’ Guild becomes aware (20%) if the thief is not a member

Proficiencies

Below are few examples of relevant proficiencies.

Appraisal

This skill allows the character to make generally accurate (±10%) assessments of common objects, including items made of precious metals and gemstones. The character can also assess, to ±25%, the value of objects of art, tapestries, furniture, weapons, etc., provided a variety of these items are present in the game world. These assessments require no proficiency checks and the DM can roll (d20 or d100) to determine the accuracy of the appraisal.

A character who passes a proficiency check will be able to identify a forgery of a valuable object, to make a very accurate assessment of the value of a common item (within 5%), or to make a general assessment of the worth of an uncommon item, including artifacts. The DM may wish to roll this check, and on a roll of 20 the character makes a wildly inaccurate assessment. Intelligence, 0 penalty.

Bribery

Successful Bribery includes understanding the appropriate target, the timing of the offer, the amount most likely to generate the desired reaction, whether the one receiving the bribe will keep his side of the bargain, and the best way to avoid drawing attention from witnesses. Bribery allows the thief to judge (75%) how much of a bribe is required. A successful proficiency check (or rolling under half of their Charisma score) will increase one Thief Function by 25% (generally improving the chance of Heist success by 5%). Failure indicates the bribe is inadequate or refused and makes the chance for success correspondingly more difficult. The character may be reported to the Watch (depending on the Encounter Reaction). Charisma, 0 Penalty.

The cost of a Bribe will vary depending on the Heist: Simple (d10 gp), Difficult (d10 gp × 3), Extraordinary (d10 × 10 gp). More than one Bribe can be attempted.

Disguise

Characters trained in Disguise can conceal their appearance through makeup and costuming. They can make themselves look like any general type of person of about the same height, age, weight, and race. A successful proficiency check indicates that the disguise is successful, while a failed roll means the attempt was too obvious in some way. If the task is more difficult—the character in disguise meets and talks with an acquaintance, for example—an additional proficiency check is required. A successful disguise will prevent follow-up from an Escape or being turned in.

Characters altering their sex, race, or size, must make successful proficiency checks with a –2 penalty for each category. Character may attempt to disguise themselves as a specific person, with a –10 penalty to the proficiency check. These modifiers are cumulative, thus, it is extremely difficult to disguise oneself as a specific person of another race or sex. Charisma, –6 penalty.

Forgery

This proficiency indicates a skill at creating false documents, mimicking the handwriting of others, and detecting forgeries. To forge a document (military orders, local decrees, etc.) where the handwriting is not specific to a person, the character needs only to have seen a similar document before. To forge a name, an autograph of that person is needed, and a proficiency check with a –2 penalty must be successfully rolled. To forge a longer document written in the hand of some particular person, a large sample of his handwriting is needed, with a –3 penalty to the check.

If the check succeeds, the work will pass examination by all except those intimately familiar with that handwriting or by those with the Forgery proficiency who examine the document carefully. If the check is failed, the forgery is detectable to anyone familiar with the type of document or handwriting—if they examine the document closely. If the die roll is a 20, the forgery is immediately detectable to anyone who normally handles such documents without close examination. It is important to note that the forger always thinks he has been successful; the DM rolls the character’s proficiency check in secret and the forger does not learn of a failure until it is too late. Dexterity, –1 penalty.

PCs caught after using Forgery on Extraordinary crimes add Forgery to their charges.

Ruse

Ruses are oddities to create distractions, such as hiring mourners to fake a funeral procession outside to benefit his Hide in Shadows approach, or poisoning the guard dogs’ meat so their reactions are sluggish for the Move Silently check. Like Bribery, the player selects a specific Thief Function to improve. A failed Ruse puts the guards on alert instead, decreasing the Thief Function value by the same amount.

The cost of a Ruse will vary depending on the difficulty of the Heist: Simple (d10 gp), Difficult (d10 × 3 gp), Extraordinary (d10 × 10 gp). Only one Ruse may be attempted per Heist. Intelligence, –2 Penalty.

Bibliography

TSR 2010, Players Handbook [1e], 1978. [Pick Pockets]
TSR 2011, Dungeon Masters Guide [1e], 1979. [Spying, Pick Pockets]
Thieves’ Guild: The Fantasy System. Gamelords, Ltd. 1984. [legal system]
TSR 9193, GAZ 1: The Grand Duchy of Karameikos [BECMI], 1987. [crime, Thieves’ Guild]
Dragon Magazine Issue 47, Leomund’s Tiny Hut: The Thief: A Special Look, March 1981.
Dragon Magazine Issue 104, Was it Worth the Risk: A DM’s Guide to Pick Pocketing Success, December 1985.
Polyhedron Issue 41, Arcana Academy: Adding to the Thief, May, 1988. [Infiltrate, Appraise, Streetwise, Ransack]
TSR 2114, The Castle Guide [2e], 1990. [bribery]
TSR 1071, Rules Cyclopedia [BECMI], 1991.
TSR 2010, Player’s Handbook [2e], 1995. [forgery, disguise]
TSR 2154, Player’s Option: Skills and Powers [2e], 1995. [forgery, appraisal, disguise]
TSR 2445, Defilers and Preservers: The Wizards of Athas [2e],  1996. [bribery]
Footprints Issue #2, What Have I Got in my Pocket? August 2004.
http://the-city-of-iron.blogspot.com/2011/11/pick-pockets-results-charts.html

Appendix A: Converted Spy Failure Table (Reference Only)

Dice Score Result
01-35 Failure. There are many possible causes for basic failure: a lock could not be picked, residents arrived home unexpectedly, left tools at home, etc.
36-60 Alerted! Burglary attempt against same target will be 90% likely to result in failure, discovery, and imprisonment.
61-80 Arrested for trespassing.
81-95 Caught with the goods and arrested for burglary (and trespassing). Value of the goods determines punishment.
96-00 Arrested for evading capture and either destruction of property or resisting arrest (on top of burglary and trespassing). Value of goods determines punishment.

 

Naval Shipping in 1e

(Revised, for the most current version see the full Nautical article: https://dnd.sinister.net/1st-edition-naval-adventuring/  and Seafaring (PDF) )


In a sea-based campaign, talk will turn to shipping and trade. I’m not sure there’s a single area in the Dungeons & Dragons genre with more rules variation than ships and the sea (with the possible exception of unarmed combat). Ship names, size, hull points, movement, cargo, combat abilities, weather effects—all vary wildly. Most of those systems seemingly start from scratch and create another game within the game, instead of sticking to the core simplicity of 1st Edition. I tackled this in my blog post on naval adventuring, without discussing trade. As 1e has little information on trade, I borrow from other resources (primarily Gaz 9—the most detailed resource for naval trade). BECMI uses different standards for ships, so I’ve converted and simplified those stats for 1e. I’ve also created generic trade goods.

The PCs need only to find a ship, hire a crew, load a cargo, and sail to parts known (and unknown) for adventure and profit.

Ship

A small merchant ship of 25’-40’ with 6d6 hull points can be purchased for 5,000 gp, for a crew of 10 and a 5-ton capacity. A large merchant ship of 50’-80’ with 12d4 hull points can be purchased for 15,000 for a crew of 20 and a 15-ton capacity. Used vessels are available for 20%-70% the cost of a new one (d6 × 10%) + 10%, with additional costs of 20%–70% of a new ship’s cost to refit the vessel.

Repair and Upkeep

A vessel loses 10% of its speed and 1 hull point for each 1,000 miles sailed without maintenance. Ship maintenance costs 1 gp per 1,000 miles traveled per the ship’s maximum hull points. Maintenance takes one day for every 10 gp of expenses. As long as damage is less than half of a ship’s hull value, repairs can be made at sea. If damage to the ship is more than half of its hull points, the ship must put into port for repairs. Dry docks reduce the time required for general maintenance by 20 to 80 percent.

A major overhaul at a dry dock is required every 10,000 miles or one year at sea. Dry docks cost 15 gp per day per 10 tons (± 50% based on port size). This repair can also be done by beaching the ship, taking twice the normal time at additional risk to ship and crew.

Crew

Crewmen must be of the sort needed for the vessel and the waters it is to sojourn in. Sailors cost the same as heavy infantry soldiers (2 gp per month) and fight as light infantry. They never wear armor but will use almost any sort of weapon furnished. Oarsmen are considered to be primarily sailor-soldiers; they cost 5 gp per month, wear any sort of armor furnished, and use shields and all sorts of weapons. Marines are simply soldiers aboard ship; they cost 3 gp per month and otherwise have armor and weapons of heavy foot as furnished. More experienced crew earn 50% more for each additional level of skill/experience.

For every 20 crewmen there must be one lieutenant and two mates. Mates conform to specifications of sergeants and cost 30 gp per month. A lieutenant can command as many decades of troops as he or she has levels. A captain can command as many scores of sailors as he or she has levels. The level of the captain also dictates the number of lieutenants which can be commanded. The cost for captains and lieutenants are 100 gp per month per level.

Employment of captain and crew is a matter of offer and acceptance. There is of course always the press gang option for gaining crew: 2–16 burly sailors or soldiers armed with swords but wielding clubs. Outnumbered or incapacitated citizens may be shanghaied onto the ship (with appropriate ramifications for skill and morale).

The bulk of a crew’s pay is in shares of the ship’s profits as well as a share of any prize or treasure taken at sea. ~50% is the traditional share of the profits (and all of the losses) for ship owners, with the remainder paid out to the ship’s crew. For any crew, the master captain gets a 25% share, each lieutenant gets 5%, each mate 1%, and the crew share 5% between them. The remainder goes to the ship owners.

Cargo

Merchant Guilds

In a merchant sailor’s guild, roughly 50% of the cargo carried is transported for hire. A variable amount is charged, based on volume, weight, and value of goods. 40% of those shipping fees go to the ship’s crew as shares (the remainder goes to the Guild). About 20% of guild shipping is carrying goods on consignment, with 10-40% of the profit goes to the ship’s crew. About 30% of guild shipping is speculative cargo bought and sold by the captains themselves, with 80% of the profit going to the ship’s crew as shares.

Buying Cargo

Depending on the size of the port, one or more different goods will be available. While there could be a complicated listing of specific cargos available and demanded at each port (wine, cotton, fish, etc.), a simpler system defines generic cargo as the associated components: value, distance, demand. These basic components can be used to determine profit for any shipping venture.

Ship tonnage is a measure of the cargo-carrying capacity of a ship. Good availability can be calculated on the basis of the number of available “loads” of goods, defining one load as a half-ton of goods. Considering the load capacity for carts and wagons listed in WSG, one cart can carry one load, or two loads per wagon (a large wagon with many horses can carry four loads). A 10-ton ship can therefore carry 20 loads of goods.

Merchants in port will buy and sell cargo. Depending on port size, there will be d6 ± 2 merchants interested in transacting with the PCs (modified by the PCs Charisma Reaction Adjustment). Merchants take d4 weeks to arrive; one half of the merchants appear the first week in port, one quarter the 2nd week, and the remainder at 1 per week. Each merchant can deliver a varying quantity of goods.

To determine the potential profits, first determine the Base Price of the available good:

  • Per load (d10): Low (1-3: 50 gp), Medium (4-7: 100 gp), High (8-9: 150 gp), Precious (10: 500 – 1,000 gp1,2)

1The suggested value for monsters is 100 gp / HD, times 10 for each special or exceptional ability.
210% of all Precious cargos will be worth 1,000-10,000 gp

To calculate the number of loads available from the particular merchant, roll 2d8, then subtract the previous roll for the Base Price, and modify ± 2 based on the port size.

Selling Cargo

Merchant interest at the destination is calculated similarly to the port of origin. The Sale Price at the destination is determined using the Base Price Adjustment Table, adjusting the roll for distance hauled, demand, port size, and value of the goods. Roll 3d6, modified by:

  • Distance: Short (< 50 miles, -2 adjustment), Medium (< 500 miles, 0), Long (6, > 500 miles, +2 adjustment)
  • Demand (d6 modified ±1 with a Trade proficiency check): Low (1–2, -2 adjustment), Average (3–5, 0), High (6, +2 adjustment)
  • Port Size: ± 1
  • Bargaining proficiency check: ± 2
  • Precious goods: -2
Base Sale Adjustment Table (3d6)
3 30 percent
4 40 percent
… …
16 160 percent
17 180 percent
18 200 percent
19 300 percent
20 400 percent

Other Cargo

There is a 5% chance per port that a NPC will offer to hire a vessel for d12 cargo loads of goods to another destination. This chance increases by 25% if the crew actively solicits such work. A shipper is typically charged 40 gp per ton (two loads) of cargo space per 500 miles, with a minimum fee of 100 gp, with no requirement to fill the hold. Normally half the payment is made in advance, and the remainder paid by the shipper’s agent upon arrival. Bonuses for early delivery and hazardous travel conditions are negotiable.

A ship can accommodate 20% more people than the standard crew complement. There are typically 2d4 – d4 passengers seeking passage at any port, ± 2 depending on port size at both port of origin and destination. Passengers are usually charged 20 gp per 500 miles traveled. There is also a 5% chance per port visited that one or more passengers travelling together want to hire a ship to go to a destination of their choice. If this occurs, they desire to sail to the most remote port within 2d20 × 100 miles. If passengers hire a ship to go to the destination of their choice, they pay as if they shipped enough to fill the cargo hold at 40 gp per ton of cargo space for each 500 miles, with a minimum fee is 100 gp. A round-trip fee can be charged if there is no possibility of cargo at the destination.

Unloading Cargo

Cargo cannot be unloaded until inspected by Customs. Customs inspectors normally board within d6 hours. In a busy harbor this could be as long as d20 hours.  Customs officials generally have an Appraisal skill of 10 + d8. If a failure is on an odd number, the evaluation is low. The appraisal is off by 5% times the amount of failure.

After evaluating a cargo the customs inspector assess a tax which can range from 1% to 100% of the goods’ determined value, with an average customs fee of 2d10 percent.

At a dock, five crew can unload one load of cargo per hour during daylight with reasonable weather conditions (provided the cargo is not particularly awkward). Adverse conditions can double or triple that time. Loading the ship takes 50% longer as the cargo must be carefully stowed and secured. If dock workers are available they can be hired for 2 sp per hour.

Moving cargo to the shore in smaller boats increases loading and unloading time. At anchorage, it takes 75% longer to offload to a dock (one long boat required per five crew), and 150% longer if unloading to a beach. Rowing a loaded jolly boat through the surf additionally requires a Small Craft proficiency check for each round trip.

Setting Sail

Navigation

The Navigation skill is required for safe and accurate sea travel. Navigation checks are made for each week of travel. When a Navigation roll fails, a ship goes off course or becomes lost at sea.  After a storm, a successful Navigation check pinpoints the ship’s current location and heading. Any time the ship encounters fog or overcast skies, a failed Navigation check will cause the ship will drift to a new heading, turning one hex facing for each point the roll was failed, and delaying travel appropriately.

Ships which do not have the appropriate charts are at risk when they navigate, especially if the vessel travels out of sight of land. Navigation rolls without the correct sea charts suffer a – 2 penalty. The chance to find the proper chart is 75%, adjusted for the size of port. The cost is 2d12 gp, also adjusted for port size. The chance of finding a chart is reduced by 10% for every 500 miles distant, and the cost increased by 5%. One chart is needed for every 1,000 miles traveled.

Supplies

The crew require one barrel of water per week per five crew. Iron rations for the crew cost 3.5 gp per week per five crew (2 sp per day per crew).  A small sailing ship can carry one month’s worth of food and water, a large sailing ship 2–3 months. The space taken up by crew provisions does not normally affect the ship’s cargo space. however, additional supplies can be taken on: two weeks of additional food and water for five crew equals one “load,” (discussed later) and costs 9 gp. Once the crew has purchased additional water barrels, the future cost is reduced to 7 gp per week as long as they have a supply of fresh water.

A crew living on iron rations for more than a month becomes susceptible to scurvy (and other vitamin-related diseases). 10% of the crew will be affected by scurvy for each week the crew goes without fresh food. Those with scurvy lose one point of Constitution and Strength each week until either reaches zero, and the crew member dies. Those points are regains at a rate of three for each for each week with fresh food. Eating edible cargo reduces the cargo value by 10% per week that the cargo is eaten.

In dire straits the crew can fish. On the sea lanes or high seas there is only a 10% chance per week to net enough fish to feed the crew, increasing to 50% when within 100 miles of the coast.

Docking

There are a number of port fees that are the cost of doing business. Most ports charge a port entrance fee of 10-20 gp (depending on port size). It is possible to find a moorage berth 80 percent of the time. Ships that cannot find a berth may anchor in the harbor at a distance from the docks and quays. Moorage costs 1 gp per day for each hull point, or a flat 5 gp per day to anchor in harbor.

Representatives of the harbor master visit newly arrived vessels to assess docking and other service fees. When an arriving vessel is inspected, the harbor master asks its port of origin and the next destination. This information is posted at the port authority office. The representatives have the authority to quarantine or turn away undesirable ships.  They can also require or provide pilots, required to navigate in and out of difficult harbors for a 10-60 gp flat fee. They can also provide towage at a cost of 1 gp per hull point, required for large ships through congested harbors.

Port agents can be used as middlemen to ease process of the buying and selling of cargo. They have Appraisal and Bargaining skills of 10 + d8 + a d6-1 bonus. They make 2d10 + 5% of the sale profits or purchase, but remove the requirement for an available merchant at the cost of one level of demand.

Bibliography

TSR 2011, Dungeon Masters Guide, 1979 (pp. 29-34, 53-55).

TSR 2020, Wilderness Survival Guide, 1986 (pp. 33).

TSR 9236, Gaz 9: The Minrothad Guilds, 1988 (pp. 12-14, 23-41).

TSR 1071, Rules Cyclopedia, 1991 (p. 70-74).

TSR 9346, Pirates of the Fallen Stars, 1992.

Most current version: Seafaring (PDF)