Heather Under Moonlight

What Do I Do On My Turn

there's several options of "what to do on my turn" in AD&D so I thought I'd summarize a few of them.

Timing

AD&D combat is about timing. Timing is determined by segments; there's ten segments in a round, and about six seconds in a segment. Most actions start on the segment equal to the initiative value your opponent rolled. If your actions aren't opposed, you start from segment 1. The most common type of unopposed action is movement - if you're not already in melee, your movement starts on segment 1, and you arrive at the segment equal to the distance you're going divided by your speed in inches. The other common type is attempting to negotiate with the enemy, or surrender.

For instance, if I have a 12" move and am closing to melee (normal speed) with an enemy 60' away, I arrive in melee on segment 5. If I have a 6" move and am closing to melee, I arrive on segment 10.

Spellcasting in combat is always considered opposed, even if you're far away from the enemy. Say I roll a 3 and the other guy rolls a 4, and I want to cast a three-segment spell - I start on segment 4 and finish on segment 7. The only times when this isn't the case is when you're away from the combat area - say your thief encountered some bad guys a room ahead and you want to cast Darkness on the doorway - or when two spellcasters are casting spells at each other without anything else going on around them. In either case, you start casting at segment 1.

okay so without further ado; here's what you do if you want to...

Get into melee

When you want to be in melee and aren't, there's basically two options: charging and closing. When you close with the enemy, you move at normal speed toward them and may make an attack with a thrown weapon (lobbing javelins, daggers, darts, whatever) but not melee at the end. When you charge the enemy, you rush forward with reckless abandon, moving at double speed and finishing the charge with a melee attack at +2, or an unarmed attack which is also at a bonus. The enemy, in turn, gets a melee attack that ignores your DEX bonus if you have one, or gets a flat +1 if you don't. The order of these attacks are determined by weapon length. Spears and pikes also deal double damage if they set against your charge.

Fight in Melee

Okay, we all know about regular melee attacks - you roll a d20, if the number's big you hit, if it's small you miss. There's a few wrinkles to this - mainly, if you have multiple attack routines (like a high-level fighter or a person with Haste) you attack first and last. If your initiative is tied, first attack is determined by speed factor.

There's also unarmed attacks, which are of three types; pummeling, grappling, and overbearing. When pummeling, you make two attack routines (i.e. attack first and last) and have a hit chance based on your opponent's AC. You cause pretty solid damage, and can cascade into multiple attacks. When grappling, you make one attack and have a hit chance based on your own AC. You score incidental damage and hold your opponent down. When overbearing, you make one attack with a hit chance based on your own AC and can follow up with a grapple or (single) pummel attack if the overbearing attempt is successful.

All of these options are very likely to hit and score good damage, but there are two major drawbacks to unarmed attacks:

Basically, grappling and overbearing are useful tools against well-armored opponents, especially if you can attack from the rear or drag them down with bodies. They're not an all-the-time thing, and shouldn't be.

Attack at Range

Attacking at range has fewer options than attacking into melee. You roll your d20s and hit or miss. When you're firing into a tight group (formation of enemies, melee) you don't get to pick your target, and randomize between enemies. Small creatures (goblins, dogs) are half as likely to get hit as medium creatures, and large creatures (gnolls, ogres) are twice as likely. Very large creatures (dragons, giants) can always be picked out of a crowd. Very small creatures (pixies, normal spiders) can't be targeted in a crowd at all.

This isn't what the book says, but I think it's reasonable to make a half-speed move and fire a ranged weapon once (but not reload a heavy crossbow.)

Cast Spells

When casting a spell you know, or casting from a scroll, you start at the segment of your initiative and then take the casting time. At-will spells, and spells from wands/staves/rods/rings/etc, occur immediately.

Run Away

When you're retreating, you have two choices: to make a fighting withdrawal, or to flee. In either case, the movement is opposed, and so starts on your initiative. When you flee, the enemy gets a free melee attack on you at +6 if they're in melee, then you make a single move directly away from the enemy. They cannot follow this round; they have to wait until next round, so you start with a little bit of a head start. When you make a fighting withdrawal, you make a full move directly away from the enemy. They may choose to follow you, but don't have to. If they're slower than you, or if you have a friend already in melee, they might not want to - your friend will get a free attack, just as if they'd run away! Either way, they don't get a free attack, and you stay facing forward.

Reposition

and of course you can make a normal move lateral to the fight. Small moves of less than 10' don't take up your turn.

You can always pull things out of your bag, interact with the environment, or do whatever.

Summary

Your options, on a round, are:

Movement

Melee

Ranged