NEW COMBAT OPTIONS! AWESOME!!

        **** NOTE ON NEW COMBAT OPTIONS

For those of you not familiar with the new combat options presented in 
the Complete Fighter's Handbook, here is a list of alternate attacks any 
character can perform instead of a normal attack. If you wish to perform 
any of these attacks in combat, simply say so in your message.

Disarm - You attempt to relieve your opponent of his weapon.+1 
initiative, -4 to hit. A successful attack will knock the weapon 2-12 
feet from your opponent's hands in a random direction. The disarm 
maneuver only applies to disarming single-handed weapons. To disarm a 
two-handed weapon, two successful disarm attacks must be made in the
same round (not necessarily from the same character). A successful 
attempt to disarm a shield will result in the shield's AC bonus being 
negated for the remainder of the round, as a shield can NOT be torn off 
from a disarm attack.

Expert Disarm - At a +2 initiative and -8 to hit, you can disarm an 
opponent as per above, except that you have control in which direction 
and how far the weapon lands (within 2-12 feet). XP bonus if successful.

Grab - Attempt to snatch something your opponent is carrying (including 
weapons, though attempting to grab a sword blade is not recommended). +1 
to initiative, -4 to hit. Success in jarring the object away from your 
opponent requires a strength check. You MUST have at least one hand free 
to perform this.

Grab Person/Monster - In most cases, a fairly useless maneuver. I won't 
go into any details here.. it's basically trying to grab onto your 
opponent (preferably with 2 hands) and hold him against his will. Severe 
penalties and strength checks.

Parry - An attempt to block an attack made by your opponent, either 
using your weapon, or your shield (+2 to hit). A successful parry means 
you took no damage whatsoever from your opponent's attack.

Pin - Using either your shield or your weapon, attempt to pin your 
opponent's weapon (by pressing it against him or a wall behind him) so 
that he can neither move nor attack. -4 to hit. Strength roll determines 
whether or not your opponent is able to break the pin.

Pull/Trip - An attack designed to knock an opponent down. You MUST 
describe EXACTLY how you intend to perform this maneuver. Opponent rolls 
a dexterity check to determine whether a successful attack has knocked 
him down, a bonus of +6 if he was not moving, and a penalty of -3if he 
was unaware of your attempt.

Sap - An attempt to knock someone into unconsciousness by hitting them 
over the head. Useful for situations when you wish to capture your 
opponent alive. +1 initiative, -8 to hit. A hit means a 5% chance of 
knocking him out for every point of damage the weapon does, up to a 
maximum of 40%.

Shield Punch - Basically attempting to hit your opponent with your 
shield (small shields only). No bonuses or restrictions. Attack does 1-3 
damage if successful.

Shield Rush - A combination of the Pull/Trip and Shield Punch maneuvers. 
You must start at least 10 feet away from the victim and must have a 
medium or body shield. Basically, you charge your opponent, shield 
first, in an attempt to injure him and/or knock him don. Opponent makes 
a dexterity check if the attack was successful, at +3 if he was moving 
towards you, +3 if he was not moving, -3 if he was hit from behind 
(ouch!), and/or -3 if he was unaware of the attack. Much more reliable 
than just the Pull/Trip maneuver. However, the attack must also face a 
dexterity check if he is to remain standing after the attack.

In addition to these attacks, you can also perform a CALLED SHOT..that
is, attempting to hit a specific part of the body. All called shots have +1
initiative and -4 to hit restrictions. Here are the effects of 
hitting specific body locations REPEATEDLY:

Head: -Blindness, giving anyone attacking a +4 bonus to hit him
      -Deafness, so that he cannot hear any orders or warnings shouted at
      him by his allies (or opponents, for that matter)
      -Dizziness, so that all dexterity rolls made by him are at -4. All
       attacks made on him for more than 2 points damage require a
       dexterity roll to determine whether he can avoid falling down.
      -Knockdown, forcing him to fall flat on his back for an indefinite
       period of time
      -Blindness AND Deafness
      -Dizziness AND Knockdown

Arms: The opponent will be unable to hold a weapon in the target arm.
      If he is holding a shield, he looses the AC bonus.

Legs: Dexterity check required if he is to remain standing. Movement at
      25%. Subsequent attacks for 2 hit points or more require another
      dexterity check. A Shield Rush attack will AUTOMATICALLY knock
      him to the ground.

Stun Areas: These include the solar plexus, groin, etc.. repeated attacks
            on these areas cause movement to be dropped to 50% and all
            attacks against him are at +2 to hit.

I realize some of the technical stuff n this message may confuse some 
first-timers, but it's really not that important that you know what your 
initiative and to hit scores will be. What's important is that you now 
have a very wide range of possible attack methods to choose from.

If anyone has any questions on this system, feel free to ask, or pick up 
a copy of the Complete Fighter's Handbook. The next message will contain 
a very brief list of all the possible attacks, which you may wish to 
print out or write down as a quick reference. 

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|/ungeon |  |aster

Sage's Desk AD&D