AD&D Initiative and Combat Table

[Hussar]

I don't find it odd that a scimitar's slender, curved blade might be better at slicing through webs than a dagger myself, but I didn't design the factors, I just used them in play.

Eh? How does that slender, curved blade actually help you to hit the caster before the spell is cast?

 

[The Shaman]

Eh? How does that slender, curved blade actually help you to hit the caster before the spell is cast?

Sorry, you're right, I misread that - I was thinking against webs themselves, not getting off an attack before the caster. (Too early here... )

It could be reach and speed for the scimitar compared to just speed for the dagger, whereas a longer sword might be too cumbersome (cf., bastard sword) compared to the scimitar.

Again, I'm not terribly knowledgeable about medieval weapons and I didn't design the factors, so I'm just spitballing - maybe that's a good question to pose to the good colonel himself...?

 

[buzz]

EDIT: Never mind.

 

[Raven Crowking]

EDIT: Never mind.

QFT.

I hope your 1e RAW game goes well, and I hope you intend to play it as the "glorious mess" rather than as a "godawful mess".

RC

 

[MerricB]

Another note: if B and C tie for initiative, you compare the speed factor of the weapon with the casting time of the spell and the lower number goes first. (pg 67, "Other Weapon Factor Determinants", last sentence).

If B wins initiative, then he always beats C (although this is not stated explicitly in that section).

Cheers!

 

[The Shaman]

You can imagine that I find claims about...egg-timers...

Try a search for "combat taking too long," and see how many times this or something like it has been recommended.

...or always...

Who said anything about "always?"

...resulting in tediously long combat...

Who said anything about "tedious?"

Could I ask you to please quote me without embellishing what I wrote?

...which of course never happened in 1e...

In more than a decade of playing 1e, I never had a three-round combat take an hour to finish.

Do you have a different experience? Please share the details.

...equally tiresome.

I find correcting the same mistakes over and over tiresome, but letting them fester unchallenged is worse. We all have our burdens to bear, I guess.

Seriously, people: dragonsfoot.org.

If you have a link to a post describing a three-round 1e combat that took an hour to finish, I'd be happy to read it.

Another note: if B and C tie for initiative, you compare the speed factor of the weapon with the casting time of the spell and the lower number goes first. (pg 67, "Other Weapon Factor Determinants", last sentence).

Yes - that's why I wrote if C ties B's initiative roll, C goes first.

In the event of a tie, the dungeon master must also compare the speed factor to the casting time. I did the comparison without really thinking about it as I wrote my post - as I said, do this a few times and it fades into the background.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

If you had a competent DM why would you care?

I'm not being snarky, but why would it matter if the DM kept things flowing? "Party's surprised". or "Party has initiative" or "Monsters go first".

Ultimately I wouldn't care. But that does rely on that "competent DM" factor as well as other players that are willing to go along. In the end, rather than fight with it at all it just seems that it would be better to house-rule it (which, as a plethora of posts are stating is what everybody did rather than bother with it anyway.) This would also fit with my own personal experience and nostalgic memories of 1E, whereas using the ACTUAL 1E AD&D initiative rules would not.