multiple attacks ?

[Rickenbacker]

I'm looking to get back into AD&D after years of abandoning it for 3.5.
It's amazing how much I've forgotten, including how multiple attacks work.

How would you do 5/4 attacks? (I think I may've been confused by that even back in the day)

Thx!

 

[the Jester]

2 attacks on round 1 (and 3 and 5 and...), and 3 attacks on round 2 (and 4 and 6 and...).

By RAW, someone with multiple attacks is supposed to go before and after an enemy with one attack, but that gets very cumbersome and I always found it was easier to just have each creature take all its attacks at the same time.

EDIT: Whoops, 5/4, not 5/2!

So actually, it's one attack per round on rounds 1-3, then two attacks on round 4. Then one per round for rounds 5-7, then two on round 8. And so on.

 

[trancejeremy]

Well, 5/4 is for monks, and as it says "5/4 means 5 attacks per 4 rounds, with the additional attack coming at the end of the round sequence", which I would take mean that on the 4th round the monk gets 2 attacks. But probably easier to front load it, especially as monks in 1e kind of stink.

 

[Rickenbacker]

It truly is cumbersome, Jester. Hate to ask this, but when someone has time, can someone write out a sample 5/4 melee? Thx again.

 

[delericho]

2 attacks on round 1 (and 3 and 5 and...), and 3 attacks on round 2 (and 4 and 6 and...).

Surely that's a 5/2 progression?

5/4 would be: 1 attack on round 1, 1 attack on round 2, 1 attack on round 3, and 2 attacks on round 4.

 

[the Jester]

Surely that's a 5/2 progression?

5/4 would be: 1 attack on round 1, 1 attack on round 2, 1 attack on round 3, and 2 attacks on round 4.

D'oh, you are correct- I misread.

So yeah:

Round 1: One attack.
Round 2: One attack.
Round 3: One attack.
Round 4: Two attacks.
Round 5: One attack.
Round 6: One attack.
Round 7: One attack.
Round 8: Two attacks.
Round 9: One attack.
...etc. Basically, any round number evenly divisible by four, the monk gets his extra, second attack.

 

[PapersAndPaychecks]

Traditionally the extra attack comes at the first available opportunity. So a character with 3/2 attacks goes twice in every odd-numbered round and once in every even-numbered round. Our 5/4 attacks person goes:-

Round 1: 2 attacks
Round 2: 1 attack
Round 3: 1 attack
Round 4: 1 attack
Round 5: 2 attacks

 

[Ferghis]

I don't have a source, but I believe that technically the extra attack would happen on the last round of the cycle, but I think that's stupid. It means the extra attack will happen that much more rarely. I would encourage you to houserule that it goes on the first round of the cycle.

 

[Nikosandros]

I don't have a source, but I believe that technically the extra attack would happen on the last round of the cycle, but I think that's stupid. It means the extra attack will happen that much more rarely. I would encourage you to houserule that it goes on the first round of the cycle.

The two quotes that I found are seemingly contradictory. On page 31 of the PHB, as a footnote to the Monk Ability Table, the following is stated:

[...] 5/4 means 5 attacks per 4 rounds, with the additional attack coming at the end of the round sequence.

On page 63 of the DMG we read instead that:

A 12th level fighter is allowed attack routines twice in every odd numbered melee round [...]

Either the rule was changed between the printing of the PHB and that of the DMG or monks have a late extra attack while fighters have an early one.

 

[Ferghis]

Classic 1e.