This is the fourth post showcasing rules from Hundred Dungeons, a free roleplaying game that borrows from d20 fantasy, OSR, and narrative games like FATE. Today we’re looking at Combat, the third mode of play. If in reading these posts, you haven’t yet had the thought that Hundred Dungeons is a sort of retroclone of 2014 D&D, today’s post might get you there. It’s fairly obvious where the starting point for the Combat rules came from.
The Wild (wilderness exploration)
The Dark (dungeon exploration)
Recuperation (resting and downtime)
COMBAT
In Combat, foes draw blades and face each other down, the party chases brigands into their woodland lair, and wizards mutter incantations that warp embattled corridors to their advantage. Victory may not always mean killing your opponents, but Conflict always involves serious risk and time pressure.
Although the discussion below focuses on the operations of Combat, remember that roleplay, exploration, creativity, and storytelling aren’t on hold while fighting. Combat will be much more rewarding for everyone as characters and NPCs make discoveries, express their point of view, and interact in character.
STRUCTURE
Rounds in Combat represent 20 seconds — just long enough to attempt several swings of your weapon, cast a spell, or unleash a verbal repartee. Three rounds add up to 1 minute of time. As in other modes of play, the simultaneous actions are resolved one after another around the table.
When characters enter Combat, they determine initiative by rolling a d6 and adding their Dexterity, Intelligence, and Wisdom scores. The GM rolls initiative for one NPC: usually a hostile creature, often the leader or a creature most ready for battle. The player (including GM) with the highest result has initiative. If the GM judges that any participants are taken off guard or otherwise unaware of the combat, they have the surprised condition, which prevents them from taking a turn or using reactions during the first round of Combat.
CHARACTER ACTIONS
Take turns going around the table, starting with the character who has initiative. Each round, you can:
Move a distance up to your speed (60 feet, unless modified)
Take one action OR up to two quick actions (on your turn)
Take one reaction (during anyone’s turn, if its trigger occurs)
These parts of your turn are completely flexible and can be split up between each other in any way you like. See the rules for Exploring the Environment for more on movement through space and terrain.
ACTIONS
Attack: Make a weapon attack or improvised attack. This roll represents a series of attempts to strike a vulnerable spot. It factors tactical elements like swordplay, timing, and summoning the appropriate strength, all of which take up more time than a single swing.
Cast a Spell: Cast a spell with a casting time of Action or Slow. If the spell’s casting time is Slow, concentrate and take this action each round for 3 rounds including this one. The spell's components must be completed for it to be cast.
Dash: Double your remaining movement.
Help: Choose a character and an action. Until the start of your next turn, ability or attack rolls that character makes as part of the action you chose are mighty.
Hide: Roll Dexterity to become hidden from one or more creatures. If you have no cover or obscurement, the result automatically becomes 0. Record this result and compare it to each creature’s Wisdom score + 10 to determine if you become hidden from that creature. Your Dexterity result persists while you remain hidden.
Ready: Choose an action and a trigger: an imminent circumstance under which your readied action will occur. When the trigger happens, use your reaction to take the readied action. If you Ready a spell, concentrate until the trigger occurs. If you lose concentration or the trigger never occurs, the readied spell fails.
Search: Roll Intelligence to examine an area, or Wisdom to spot a creature.
IMPROVISING
Exploits and items provide additional actions you can take. If you want to do something that isn’t covered by the rules, describe the action in narrative terms. The GM facilitates these actions and decides what ability, if any, to roll.
QUICK ACTIONS
A quick action requires some intention but takes little time, like drawing or stowing an item, opening a door, or drinking a potion. Some exploits provide additional quick actions you can take, but the following quick actions are standard:
Cast a Spell: Cast a spell with a casting time of Quick. The spell's components must be completed for it to be cast.
Unarmed Attack: Make an unarmed attack.
Disengage: Until the end of your turn, you don’t provoke attacks.
Dodge: Until the start of your next turn, attacks against you are weak and your Dexterity is mighty. You lose this benefit if you become incapacitated.
REACTIONS
Reactions are always prompted by a specific circumstance, which might be stipulated by an exploit, spell, or other source. When a source like these allows you to take a reaction, you choose whether or not to do so.
Cast a Spell: Cast a spell with a casting time of Reaction when its trigger occurs. The spell's components must be completed for it to be cast.
Parry: When an attack would hit you, add a +2 bonus to your defense against that attack if you’re dual wielding.
Provoked Attack: When an enemy provokes an attack (see Provoking Attacks below), make one melee attack, unarmed or with a weapon you’re wielding.
Readied Action: When the trigger you chose occurs, you can take your Readied action.
MAKING ATTACKS
To make an attack, you choose a target and make an ability roll at its defense. If your roll meets or exceeds the defense, the attack hits and you apply its effects: normally inflicting damage on the target.
When making an attack, a result of 20 on the die is a critical hit, which always succeeds and inflicts double damage. A result of 1 on the die is a critical miss, which always fails.
Melee attacks are made with weapons like axes and swords, or with an unarmed part of your body. They normally use Strength, and must target something within your reach (which is 5 feet unless modified somehow).
Ranged attacks are made with weapons that are thrown or that shoot ammunition. Thrown weapons use Strength, while ammunition weapons use Dexterity. You can’t target something outside the specified range of the attack (normally stated by the spell or weapon used). When you make a ranged attack against a creature while within its melee reach, the attack is weak.
Unarmed attacks are melee attacks made without a weapon. When you make an unarmed attack, choose one of the following:
Damage: Roll Strength at the target’s defense. Inflict bludgeoning damage equal to your Strength score (minimum of 1).
Grapple: Roll Strength at 12 + the target’s Strength or Dexterity (their choice). If you succeed, the target is grappled, and can use an action to attempt an escape.
Shove: Roll Strength at 12 + the target’s Strength. If you succeed, the target is pushed prone or pushed back 5 feet.
Spell attacks are made as part of the Cast a Spell action, and normally stipulate eligible targets. Roll your spellcasting ability at the target’s defense. These attacks can’t be done interchangeably with attacks from the Attack action or provoked attacks.
WEAPON SKILLS
You can apply a weapon skill to your attack roll if the skill includes the weapon you’re using to attack. As with other ability rolls, add your renown to the attack roll’s result.
PROVOKING ATTACKS
Certain triggers provoke an attack, allowing you to use your reaction to make a melee attack (unarmed or with a weapon you’re wielding). Creatures provoke an attack when they:
Attempt to move out of your reach
Cast a spell within your reach
Make a ranged attack within your reach
DUAL WIELDING
Normally a character is only considered to be dual wielding if holding two melee weapons with the Light trait. If one or more isn’t Light, the character is not considered to be dual wielding. Some exploits grant the ability to dual wield with martial weapons. While dual wielding, you can make an attack with either weapon as a quick action.
As described under Parry above, while dual wielding you can use your reaction to add a +2 bonus to your defense against one attack that would hit you.
COVER, HIDING, AND VISIBILITY
Creatures can benefit from the following effects when targeted by an attack or effect in Combat:
Cover (Partial): If you’re roughly 50% covered from the attacker by blocking creatures, terrain, or objects (excluding armor), you get a +5 bonus to defense against that attack. If you roll Dexterity to avoid an effect originating on the other side of the cover, you get a +5 bonus.
Cover (Total): If you’re completely covered by creatures, terrain, or objects (excluding armor), attacks originating on the other side of the cover automatically miss you, and you automatically succeed on Dexterity rolls to avoid effects originating there. Line of sight is broken between you and anything on the other side of total cover. Other area effects that include the space you occupy will still affect you.
Obscurement: If you’re within an area of darkness or another affect that blocks visibility, such as thick fog, you gain the invisible condition against creatures unable to see past the obscurement.
Hiding: When hidden from a creature, you are invisible to it, and it can’t target you with attacks or effects that target creatures unless those effects state otherwise. You can suffer from attacks or area effects that include your space.
Normally, creatures who want to attack you while you’re hidden from them must attack a space they suspect you occupy. The attack is weak, and if you’re not in the space, the GM simply tells them that the attack misses. You lose the hidden condition if you do any of the following:
Attack
Cast a Spell
Move more than 10 feet
If the GM decides you’ve drawn attention another way
Stepping out of cover or obscurement doesn’t end the hidden condition as long as you don’t end it in a way listed above.
When you make an attack against a creature you’re hidden from, your attack is mighty because you are invisible to them.
INFLICTING DAMAGE
When you hit with an attack, you inflict damage of a certain type based on the weapon or spell you used:
Simple weapons inflict 1d6 damage
Martial weapons inflict 1d8 damage
Heavy weapons inflict 1d10 damage
Spells inflict damage specified in the spell’s description
HIT POINTS AND DYING
Damage reduces your hit points. Healing, whether magical or through recuperation, restores hit points, but can’t make it exceed your hit point maximum. The excess healing is lost.
If you’re reduced to 0 hit points, you begin dying. While dying, you’re slowed. At the end of each of your turns, suffer a level of exhaustion and roll Constitution at 10 + the number of turns you’ve taken since you started dying. If you fail, you die.
If you heal while dying, add the healing to your hit points (starting from 0) and remove the dying condition. Any levels of exhaustion you suffered persist until you recuperate.
Enemies rarely suffer the dying condition. Instead, they die outright when reduced to 0 hit points, unless the GM determines they’re an important enough NPC to merit special treatment.
KNOCKING A CREATURE OUT
When you reduce a creature’s hit points to 0, you can choose to keep them alive. Rather than dying, they gain the unconscious condition.
MOUNTED COMBAT
You can use half your movement on your turn to mount or dismount a willing creature that is at least one size larger than you.
While you remain mounted, the creature takes no turn during Combat. Instead, you use its speed instead of your own on your turn, and can have the mount either Dash or Attack as part of your turn. The mount can still be attacked and makes ability rolls to avoid area effects that include it. It can use reactions.
You are considered to be at the center of the mount’s space, but your reach isn’t increased. Your mount can provoke attacks.
UNDERWATER COMBAT
While swimming, creatures without a swim speed make weak attacks, except with daggers, nets, spears, or tridents. Creatures immersed in water cannot breath air while they remain, but are resistant to fire damage.
CONDITIONS
The following conditions can be applied during Combat:
Blinded: You can’t see, and automatically fail ability rolls that rely on sight. Creatures are invisible to you.
Charmed: You cannot attack the charmer, or target them with harmful abilities or magical effects. You rationalize the charmer’s behavior as reasonable. Their Charisma is mighty against you.
Deafened: You can’t hear, and automatically fail ability rolls that rely on hearing.
Dying: You’re slowed. At the end of each of your turns, suffer a level of exhaustion and roll Constitution at 10 + the number of turns you’ve taken since you started dying. If you fail, you die.
Exhaustion: This condition has six cumulative levels. When you suffer a level of exhaustion, add it to the levels you already have. Characters remove one level of exhaustion after completing a long rest.
You can’t take reactions
You don’t benefit from skills
Your ability rolls are weak
You are slowed
You are stunned
You die
Frightened: Your abilities are weak while the source of your fear is in your line of sight. You can’t willingly move closer to the source of your fear.
Grappled: Your speed becomes 0, and you can’t benefit from bonuses to your speed. Your grappler can drag you with it, but is slowed while moving. The grapple ends if your grappler is incapacitated, or if you’re removed from the reach of the grappler. You can attempt an escape with an action, rolling Strength or Dexterity at 12 + the grappler’s Strength. On a success, you’re no longer grappled.
Hidden: Your location is unknown to one or more creatures. You are invisible to those creatures, and they can’t target you with attacks or effects that target creatures unless those effects state otherwise. You can suffer from attacks or area effects that include your space.
Incapacitated: You can’t take actions, quick actions, or reactions.
Invisible: You are unseen, either magically or by virtue of being hidden or obscured. Obvious noises or tracks you make can reveal you, as can visible objects or materials that interact with your unseen form. Your attacks are mighty, and attacks against you are weak. If you take the Hide action while already invisible to one or more creatures, you have advantage on your Dexterity roll.
Mounted: You can use half your movement on a Combat turn to mount or dismount a willing creature that is at least one size larger than you.
While you remain mounted, the creature takes no turn during Combat. Instead, during your turn, you may:
use its speed instead of your own
have the mount take one action or quick action in addition to your own
have the mount use one reaction each round as normal
You are considered to be at the center of the mount’s space, but your reach isn’t increased. The mount can still be attacked and makes ability rolls to avoid area effects that include it. Your mount can provoke attacks.
Paralyzed: You’re incapacitated and can’t move or speak. You automatically fail Strength and Dexterity rolls. Attacks against you are mighty. Melee attacks against you automatically hit.
Petrified: You’re paralyzed and transformed to stone, along with any nonmagical object you’re wearing or carrying. You have resistance to all damage, and are immune to poison and disease (although any poison or disease already affecting you is merely suspended while you suffer this status). You’re unaware of your surroundings.
Poisoned: You automatically fail Constitution rolls, and your other ability rolls (including attack rolls) are weak. You can’t spend hit dice.
Prone: Your attacks are weak, and melee attacks against you are mighty. If you’re Medium or smaller, ranged attacks are weak against you. Your only movement options are to crawl or stand up (which uses half your movement and ends the condition).
Restrained: You are grappled. Attacks against you are mighty, and your attacks and Dexterity rolls are weak.
Slowed: You can only take one action or quick action on a Combat turn, and can’t take reactions. Your speed cannot exceed 20 feet. Unless you have another means of conveyance, you can move a maximum of 1 hex in the Wild.
Stunned: You’re incapacitated, can’t move, and can speak only falteringly. You automatically fail Strength and Dexterity rolls. Attacks against you are mighty.
Surprised: You take no turn and cannot use reactions during the first round of Combat.
Unconscious: You become paralyzed, drop whatever you’re holding, and fall prone. Taking damage from a melee attack causes you to start dying.
NEXT TIME
Recuperation is next! This is a piece of Hundred Dungeons I’m very excited about sharing.
This work includes material taken from the System Reference Document 5.1 (“SRD 5.1”) by Wizards of the Coast LLC and available at https://dnd.wizards.com/resources/systems-reference-document. The SRD 5.1 is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License available at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode.
Hundred Dungeons is created and written by Graham Ward © 2023
Permission granted to copy for personal use only.
