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Message: <blockquote data-quote="airwalkrr" data-source="post: 3096706" data-attributes="member: 12460">To preface, combat in 3e is much too complicated for my tastes. I haven't read my AD&D books much since 3e came out, but recently I have grown more disatisfied with the way 3e handles combat and have gone back to reading my AD&D books to figure out a way to get the best of both worlds. I am not overly fond of 2e so I when I reference AD&D in this thread, I am referring to 1e unless I specify otherwise.Now I am not claiming that combat in AD&D was simple in general for such a claim would be ludicrous. But some aspects of AD&D combat WERE simpler than they are in 3e. For example, initiative determination was simpler in the sense that you divided initiative into PCs and NPCs. I'm not sure if I want to maintain that element specifically, but it serves as an excellent paradigm of the kind of simplicity I want to accomplish.Many things in AD&D were needlessly complicated (IMHO). Things such as weapon speed factors, the huge variance in spellcasting times, and the random determination of missile weapon targets in melee are things that have been boiled down to simple elements in 3e. A weapon attack is a standard action. Most spells take a standard action. Firing into melee imposes a -4 penalty to hit. I wish to conserve these things, or at least their simple nature, in my new system. However, I also want to preserve the atmosphere of AD&D combat, where spells could be disrupted (I do not like the readied action mechanic for this purpose) and combatants traded blow for blow rather than full attack for full attack.Below is the basis for a hybrid combat system of AD&D and 3e. Please give me feedback so that I can improve and develop it further.Initiative is determined by a simple roll of the d20 with no adjustments for Dexterity each round. One roll is made for the PCs and one for each set of monsters (e.g. a fight against orcs and goblins would have two sets of monster initiative).All spells that require standard actions now require full-round actions. Spells cast as a swift action may be cast at the beginning of the round or at the end of the round, or during the spellcaster's initiative if the spellcaster is not casting any other spells. Spells cast as immediate actions may be cast at any time as long as it does not take place during the caster's casting of another spell.The PCs must declare their intentions at the beginning of each round before initiative is determined. Their actions take place on their initiative. Spells are resolved at the end of a round, in initiative order (minus swift and immediate spells which take effect immediately). Melee and ranged attacks are resolved in initiative order alternating between combatants based upon base attack bonus, with additional attacks (such as those granted by the Rapid Shot feat or the haste spell) being resolved at the end of the round. Thus a 6th-level fighter with two attacks per round fighting orcs with one attack per round would make one attack at his highest base attack bonus, then the orcs would each make one attack, then the fighter would take his second attack.That is the basic idea. I fear it may not be as simple as I wish it to be, but it is a start. If anyone has done any work on amalgamating the two systems before, insight would be welcome as it might keep me from re-inventing the wheel. It is possible I might just go back to AD&D combat, but I want to see if this has the potential of working first.</blockquote>

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