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1 Codex Martialis Core Rules Version 25.2 1
Transcript of Codex Martia lisdesu-usergeneratedcontent.xyz/tg/image/1468/33/1468331106190.pdf · Extract from Go...
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Codex Martialis Core Rules Version 25.2
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C o d e x M a r t i a l i sCore rulebook version 25.2, by Jean Chandler
Credits
Author: Jean Henri Chandler
Editor: Ian Plumb, Lenny Zimmermann
Original Artwork: Reynard Rochon, Ramon Estevez
Public Domain Art: Viktor Vasnetsov, Ivan Bilibin, Urs Graf Hergsell M.S. Talhoffer 1467
Layout: Jean Chandler Original version layout: Ian Plumb Proofreaders: Fraser Ronald, Patricia Plumb, Lenny Zimmermann
Additional Material: Fabrice Cognot: Shield Grab and Shield Slap, Ubergrieffen and Assistance with Images. Sammy Grimes: Dynamic Criticals rule Lenny Zimmermann: Martial Feats from Italian Fencing, Mezzo Tempo and Contra Tempo etc.Thom Jason: FMA Martial Feats Albert “Lord Trevejo”: OGL “Power Attack” rule. Additional Mounted Combat Rules, Dressage and Born to the Saddle MF’s: Michael Curl
Additional Artwork: “Chapter Illumination” by Grace D. Palmer. Copyright Griffin Grove Gaming, used with permission., “Dog Attack” by Ramon Estevez.
Playtesters and Beta Testers: Mike “Musashi” Zenzer, Reynard Rochon, Walter “Cinder” Claiborne, Fabrice Cognot, Marjorie “Maeve” Dalton, Thom Jason, John “Luxor” Lehon, Stacy “Synne” Molinary, Frank “Bismark” Otillio, Christian Trosclair, Michael Zenzer, Lenny Zimmermann, Tim “Camaro Nova” Kelly
With special thanks to Jake Norwood, creator of “The Riddle of Steel”, the first game to bring Western Martial Arts to the world of RPGs, to Matt Easton of Schola Gladiatoria for letting me use his forum as a laboratoryfor the game.
Codex Martialis Version 2.5.011 copyright © 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 Jean Henri Chandler
“And five times, for my honour, I have had to fight in unfamiliar places without relatives and without friends, not trusting anyone but God and my art and myself, Fiore, and my sword. And by the grace of God, I, Fiore,kept my honour and I did not injure myself.”
--Maestro Fiore dei Liberi, from the introduction to the Flos Duellatorum,1409 AD
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Quotations Scattered throughout this text you’ll find quotations from contemporary documents detailing personal accounts of martial combat.
Below are the sources for these quotes:
Extract from the Volsunga Saga (Old Norse / Germanic Saga 12th Century). Extract from Kormak’s Saga aka ‘The Life and Death of Cormac the Skald’ (Icelandic Saga, 12th Century).The diary of the German knight Jorg von Ehingen, who fought with the Portuguese in 1467. Extract from Grettir’s Saga aka ‘The Saga of Grettir the Strong’ (Icelandic Saga, 12th Century). Extract from Joachim Meyer’s “Kunst des Fechtens”, 1570 version (Germany 1570). Extract from the Laxdela Saga (Icelandic Saga, 12th Century). Extract from Saxo Grammaticus ‘Gesta Danorum’ aka ‘History of the Danes’. Extract from Go Rin No Sho aka “Book of the Five Rings”, Miyamoto Musashi (Japan, 1645). Extract from the Fechtbuch of Sigmund Ringeck MS Dresd. C 487 (Germany, 15th Century).
Codex Website Codex Martialis has an active website where user feedback has a real impact on the development of this project. Many Codex fans have become credited contributors to the Codex or one of the Codex supplements. For moreinformation about the Codex, as well as free extras and additional material:
www.codexmartialis.com
Introduction . ....................................................................................................................................................9 Codex Martialis Combat Rules System. .....................................................................................................9
The Martial Pool . ........................................................................................................................................... 11 Changing Range ..................................................................................................................................... 11 Weapon Characteristics . ....................................................................................................................... 11 Reach To Hit Bonus . ............................................................................................................................. 11 Speed To Hit Bonus . ............................................................................................................................. 11 Weapon Defense Bonus . ...................................................................................................................... 11 Damage Rating ...................................................................................................................................... 11 Armor Piercing Bonus . .......................................................................................................................... 11 Attack Types . .......................................................................................................................................... 11 Primary Attack ........................................................................................................................................ 11 Martial Pool . ........................................................................................................................................... 11 Natural 20 and Natural 1 . .................................................................................................................... 12 Saving Throws ........................................................................................................................................ 12 Martial Pool and the Full Attack Option . .............................................................................................. 12 Martial Pool and Movement . ................................................................................................................ 12
Basic Combat . ............................................................................................................................................... 14 Initiative . ................................................................................................................................................ 14 Reach and Measure . ............................................................................................................................ 14 Attack . .................................................................................................................................................... 14 Using Multiple Die Rolls for One Attack . .............................................................................................. 14 Multiple Attacks ..................................................................................................................................... 14 Combat Ranges: Onset, Melee, Grapple . ............................................................................................ 14 First Attack . ............................................................................................................................................ 14 Follow-up Attacks and Melee Range . .................................................................................................. 14 Maintaining Range . ............................................................................................................................... 14
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Grapple Range ....................................................................................................................................... 15 Fighting in Grapple Range . ................................................................................................................... 15 Attacks of Opportunity . ......................................................................................................................... 15 Defense . ................................................................................................................................................. 15 Counterattacks ...................................................................................................................................... 15 Defense Bonus per BAB . ...................................................................................................................... 15 Active Defense ....................................................................................................................................... 15 Desperation Defense . ........................................................................................................................... 16 The Tie that Binds .................................................................................................................................. 16 Passive Defense .................................................................................................................................... 16 Undefended Targets . ............................................................................................................................ 16 Shields . .................................................................................................................................................. 16 Extra (Active) Defensive Die Roll for Shields. . ..................................................................................... 16 Defense against Missiles . ..................................................................................................................... 16 Shield Damage....................................................................................................................................... 17 Damage . ................................................................................................................................................. 17 Critical Hits . ............................................................................................................................................ 17 Dynamic Criticals ................................................................................................................................... 17 Attack Types and Critical Hits . .............................................................................................................. 17 Bludgeon Damage and Bludgeon Critical Hits .................................................................................... 17 Nonlethal Damage . ............................................................................................................................... 17 Knock Out Threat (Optional Alternative) . ............................................................................................. 17 Fumble . .................................................................................................................................................. 17 Armor . .................................................................................................................................................... 17 Armor Bypass . ........................................................................................................................................ 18 Attacking Armor ..................................................................................................................................... 18
Advanced Rules . ............................................................................................................................................ 19 Attack Types vs. Armor . ......................................................................................................................... 19 Hit Point Ceiling ...................................................................................................................................... 19 Disengagement ...................................................................................................................................... 19 Grappling from a Distance . ................................................................................................................... 19 Shield Hook . ........................................................................................................................................... 19 Seizing Weapons .................................................................................................................................... 19 Pommel Strike ........................................................................................................................................ 20 Disarm Weapons .................................................................................................................................... 20 Slash the Hand ...................................................................................................................................... 20 Twist the Blade ...................................................................................................................................... 20
Optional Rules . .............................................................................................................................................. 21 Initiative Bonus by BaB (Optional) . ..................................................................................................... 21 Armor vs Spellcheck (Optional) ............................................................................................................. 21 Damage to Weapons During Binds (Optional) . .................................................................................... 21 Forcing Criticals (Optional) . ................................................................................................................... 21 Reach Init Bonus for Ready Weapon (Optional) .................................................................................. 21 Weapon breakage (Optional) . ............................................................................................................... 21 Repairing Weapons (Optional) .............................................................................................................. 21 Fighting indoors (Optional). ................................................................................................................... 21
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Martial Feats . ................................................................................................................................................ 23 Basic Martial Feats .................................................................................................................................... 23
Abzug . ................................................................................................................................................... 23
Contra Tempo ....................................................................................................................................... 24
Cooperative Fighting . ........................................................................................................................... 24
Counterstroke ....................................................................................................................................... 24
Danse De La Rue . ................................................................................................................................ 24
Distance-Fighting . ................................................................................................................................ 24
Fühlen (‘Feeling’) . ................................................................................................................................ 24
False-edge Cutting . .............................................................................................................................. 25
Feint . ..................................................................................................................................................... 25
Formation Fighting . .............................................................................................................................. 25
Frenzied Attack ..................................................................................................................................... 25
Half-staff . .............................................................................................................................................. 25
Half-sword Fighting . ............................................................................................................................. 26
Improvised Defense . ............................................................................................................................ 26
Inscrutable Countenance . ................................................................................................................... 26
Lunge . ................................................................................................................................................... 26
Main Gauche ......................................................................................................................................... 27
Meisterhau (‘Master Cut’) . ................................................................................................................... 27
Mezzo Tempo ........................................................................................................................................ 27
Missile Parrying ..................................................................................................................................... 27
Mutieren / Duplieren (‘Mutate’): ......................................................................................................... 28
Nukitsuke (‘the Flowing Cut’) ............................................................................................................... 28
Point Control ......................................................................................................................................... 28
Poll-axe Fighting .................................................................................................................................... 29
Ringen (‘Grappling’) . ............................................................................................................................ 29
Riposte . ................................................................................................................................................. 29
Rollout . .................................................................................................................................................. 29
Sidestep . ............................................................................................................................................... 30
Situational Awareness . ........................................................................................................................ 30
Shield Fighting ...................................................................................................................................... 30
Shield Grab . .......................................................................................................................................... 31
Shield Slap . ........................................................................................................................................... 31
Shield Smash ........................................................................................................................................ 31
Shield Wrench ....................................................................................................................................... 31
Slip-thrust . ............................................................................................................................................. 31
Steal Initiative ....................................................................................................................................... 31
Unflinching . ........................................................................................................................................... 32
Volley Firing . ........................................................................................................................................... 32 Advanced Martial Feats . ........................................................................................................................... 35
Advanced Cooperative Fighting ........................................................................................................... 35
Advanced Half-sword Fighting ............................................................................................................. 35
Advanced Point Control . ...................................................................................................................... 35
Advanced Poll-axe Fighting . ................................................................................................................. 35
Advanced Distance Fighting ................................................................................................................ 35
Bind and Batter ..................................................................................................................................... 36
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Bind and Strike ..................................................................................................................................... 23
Durchlauffen (‘Passing through’) . ....................................................................................................... 36
Niten Ichi (‘Two Swords as One’) . ....................................................................................................... 37
Gioco Stretto (‘The Tight Game’) . ....................................................................................................... 37
Graceful Rush ....................................................................................................................................... 37
Grapple and Pin .................................................................................................................................... 38
Kampfringen (‘War-Grappling’) ............................................................................................................ 38
Missile Catching .................................................................................................................................... 38
Versetzen . ............................................................................................................................................. 37
Morstrosse (‘Murder Strikes’) .............................................................................................................. 39
Mounted Ringen (Mounted Grappling) . .............................................................................................. 39
Nachreisen . ........................................................................................................................................... 39
Pugilism (Boxing) . ................................................................................................................................ 40
Ringen Am-Schwert . ............................................................................................................................. 40
Winden (‘Winding’) . .............................................................................................................................. 40
Tactical Movement . ............................................................................................................................. 40
Zucken (‘Twitch Cut’) . .......................................................................................................................... 41
The Sucker Punch (Special) . ................................................................................................................. 41 Martial Feats from the FMA . ..................................................................................................................... 44
Defanging The Snake. .......................................................................................................................... 44
Gunting (Scissors) (Advanced Martial Feat) ...................................................................................... 44
Hand Checking ...................................................................................................................................... 44
Limb Destruction (Unarmed) ............................................................................................................... 45
Two Weapon Disarm . ........................................................................................................................... 45
Scabbard Break ..................................................................................................................................... 45 Appendices . ................................................................................................................................................... 46
Appendix I: Magic Rules. ........................................................................................................................... 47 Rules for Certain Spells in Combat . ..................................................................................................... 47 The Spell Failure Rule . .......................................................................................................................... 47
Appendix II: Weapons Tables . ................................................................................................................... 48 Melee Weapons . ........................................................................................................................................ 49
Simple Weapons .................................................................................................................................... 49 Simple weapons, continued. ................................................................................................................. 50 Martial Weapons .................................................................................................................................... 51 Martial Weapons continued. ................................................................................................................. 52 Exotic Weapons...................................................................................................................................... 52 Exotic weapons, continued . .................................................................................................................. 53 Using weapons two handed vs one handed table ............................................................................... 53 Base speed for animals by size table . ................................................................................................. 53 K/ O Results Table: . .............................................................................................................................. 53
Missile Weapons ........................................................................................................................................ 54 Missile To Hit and Armor Bypass Modifications by Range Table: ....................................................... 57 Readying Missile Weapons . .................................................................................................................. 57 Self Bows, Javelins, and Indirect Fire . ................................................................................................. 57 A Note on Throwing Weapon Ranges . ................................................................................................. 57 Special Ammunition . ............................................................................................................................. 57 Cover and Missile Weapons . ................................................................................................................ 57
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Using missile weapons with the Martial Pool . ..................................................................................... 57 Piercing Critical Hits and Missile Weapons (Optional). ....................................................................... 58
Shields . ...................................................................................................................................................... 60 Shield Construction. .............................................................................................................................. 60
Appendix III: Mounted Combat . ................................................................................................................ 61 The Deluxe Warhorse Template............................................................................................................ 62 Destrier . ................................................................................................................................................. 63 Palfrey . ................................................................................................................................................... 63 Courser . ................................................................................................................................................. 63 Hobbie . ................................................................................................................................................... 63 Jennet . ................................................................................................................................................... 64
Appendix V: Armor ..................................................................................................................................... 67 Types of Armor ....................................................................................................................................... 67 Armor Tables . ......................................................................................................................................... 68
Appendix VI: Using OGL 3.5 Feats with the Codex .................................................................................. 71 Unchanged Feats ................................................................................................................................... 72 Modified Feats ....................................................................................................................................... 72 High Level Feats .................................................................................................................................... 74 Replaced Feats ...................................................................................................................................... 74 Incompatible Feats . .............................................................................................................................. 74 Incompatible weapons . ......................................................................................................................... 74 Animal Fighting Strategies. ................................................................................................................... 76 Closing the Range .................................................................................................................................. 76 Animals and Defense . ........................................................................................................................... 76 Monsters and Animals in Codex Rules . ............................................................................................... 76 Sample Animals ..................................................................................................................................... 78 1 Ape . ..................................................................................................................................................... 80 2 Bear, Brown ........................................................................................................................................ 80 3 Boar . ................................................................................................................................................... 81 4 Crocodile . ............................................................................................................................................ 81 5 Dog. ..................................................................................................................................................... 81 6 Eagle . .................................................................................................................................................. 82 7 Elephant. ............................................................................................................................................. 82 8 Horse (Warhorse- Heavy) . .................................................................................................................. 83 9 Leopard . .............................................................................................................................................. 83 10 Lion . .................................................................................................................................................. 84 11 Snake (Small Viper) . ........................................................................................................................ 84 13 Dire Rat. ............................................................................................................................................ 85
Appendix VIII: Characters in the Codex . ................................................................................................... 86 Sample Characters . .............................................................................................................................. 86
Character Sheet. .......................................................................................................................................... 104 Bibliography . ................................................................................................................................................ 107
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Introduction
Codex Martialis Combat Rules System
The Basic Philosophy The idea of the Codex Martialis is to slightly retool the basic 3.5
combat system in a way that enhances the immersive and
dynamic aspects of combat in a realistic way without adding
layers of complexity. Most other “realism” oriented RPG combat
systems tweak the damage model, but we wanted to take a
different approach. In Codex Martialis we have analyzed the
mechanics of real-world medieval martial combat in an attempt
to give players more tactical and strategic options.
Our goal is to make combat into more of a ‘game within the
game’ without having to rely on the elements of spells or
magical powers to make combat interesting. By borrowing
maneuvers from Historical European Martial Arts as well as
Budo (Samurai) traditions and other martial arts from around
the world, Codex Martialis imbues a more nuanced and
internally consistent feel to the fight. We believe this allows
players to more intuitively enjoy the combat experience while
contributing to a better feeling of immersion in the gaming
environment.
Combat in Codex Martialis is fast and bloody and often
unpredictable. The individual Player’s strategy has a major
impact on the outcome of any fight. Codex Martialis seeks to
promote player involvement in combat rather than increasing
the level of detail for its own sake. While Codex Martialis does
not create a more realistic wound or injury system it is designed
to be modular so that a variety of existing damage models can
be easily integrated.
Tactical options without the need for Magic or
Miniatures 3.5 allows for some combat options, such as fighting
Defensively or using feats such as Power Attack and Expertise.
Codex Martialis builds on this by adding a variety of basic
offensive and defensive combat options. With more combat
options available the player is able to take a more active role in
how their character fights. New Martial Feats are also designed
to be simple to understand and visualize without relying on
numerous charts or requiring the use of miniatures, cards,
chits, maps, or counters.
Thanks to the unique weapon characteristics the choice of
weapons becomes a major tactical consideration rather than a
cosmetic adornment for a character. Weapons are not just
rated for damage, but also for reach, defensive value, speed in
follow-up attacks, effectiveness against armor and suitability for
different types of attacks. The selection of weapons becomes
another major aspect of the basic combat strategy.
How to Use the Codex Martialis The Codex Martialis is a resource for people interested in
expanding their combat options. Many of the rules in the Codex
are deliberately listed as optional. This allows the DM and
players to choose those rules that best suit their campaign and
their playing style. Codex Martialis is designed to work both as a
self contained system and as a kind of a-la-carte menu of
crunchy combat options which you can use as you please in
your games.
With this approach in mind there may be balance issues if you
pick some options but decline to use others. Players who prefer
a tightly balanced system or do not like to adjust the rules may
not wish to take advantage of all this flexibility. If that is the
case for your gaming group then the best approach is to
implement the Codex Martialis in its entirety.
Dice Pool vs. D20 A Dice Pool lends a lot of flexibility to combat, but a 20 sided die
allows a wider range of probability. Codex Martialis gives you a
little of both by combining aspects of a dice pool with the 20
sided die. Multiple 20 sided dice can be rolled in a single attack
or defense roll, but only the highest die is counted. This keeps it
simple and allows players and DMs alike to overcome the
dreaded ‘flat curve’. This way you can make your own luck,
literally.
Do you prefer rolling defense against an attack or simply
requiring your attacker to defeat a target number? Codex
Martialis allows both options. Defense can be either Active or
Passive. Armor acts as Damage Reduction (DR) as in many
other systems now, but armor can also be bypassed or attacked
itself. Having trouble piercing that iron breast plate or those
tough dragon scales? Strike around the hard parts and into the
soft underbelly with a bypass attack. No luck piercing that
brigandine? Maybe it’s time to start taking it apart with a few
well placed cuts.
Character skills combine with choice of weapons to open up a
variety of tactical options and personal strategies. Do you select
a staff for its excellent defensive value, a military pick for its
enhanced armor piercing features, or a longsword for its
versatility in attack and defense? A spear or a pole-arm has a
terrific reach in the opening attack but it is relatively slow in the
followup attack. A dagger is a very dangerous weapon at close
range because it allows the wielder to perform rapid followup
attacks. To use it effectively, mount a cautious defense until
your opponent makes a mistake allowing you to rush in and
stab stab stab. Most beasts such as lions and wolves will
attempt to engage in close-fighting or grappling by preference.
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Martial Feats allow personal combat strategies to take on
considerable depth. For example, a spear–fighter may take the
Stop Thrust Martial Feat which makes it easier to impale folks
with daggers attempting to rush into close range. A Samurai will
usually choose the Nukitsuke Martial Feat allowing a sheathed
weapon to be instantly deployed into a cut or a flowing block
which confers a bonus to defense and opportunities for
counterattack.
The possibilities are actually limitless. Codex Martialis allows
combat to feel like combat; you can try out ideas you see in
movies, know from martial arts, or think up yourself. This
system is designed to allow you to have fun with the fight
without getting bogged down in it. Precision vs. speed, strength
vs. finesse, attack vs counterattack… the outcome of combat is
decided by each Character’s specific abilities and each
individual Player’s personal style.
Our goal is to present the player and DM with a range of new
tactics which bring a far more dynamic feel to combat, by
adding numerous options without adding a great deal of
complexity. We invite you to try the system out and let us know
what you think of it.
A note about the period artwork or “what is with
those funny pants?” Throughout this document,
particularly in the Martial
Feats section, you will find
artwork from the 15th
Century fencing manual of
Hans Talhoffer, one of the
Fencing Masters of the
Liechtenauer tradition from
whom the techniques in
this book are derived. I
have made extensive use
of the Talhoffer prints
because they are one of
the only fencing manuals in
the public domain with
artwork good enough for
the techniques to be clear.
The men (and occasionally women) in these illustrations are
dressed in what appears to be an odd manner to the modern
eye. They wear either pourpoint and hose, a standard 15th
Century attire, or specialized leather body suits used for judicial
combat. The men also usually wear a ‘codpiece’, which is both
something like a modern athletic cup, and serves for modesty
since the hose is very thin material like a ballet leotard. The
skin-tight Judicial Combat uniforms are even more odd looking,
but if you can get past that, some very interesting historical
techniques are well illustrated in this artwork, and therefore I
have included it in it’s original, slightly odd looking format rather
than recreating it in trendy ‘dungeonpunk’ or standard fantasy
attire, because this way you can interpret the original artwork as
the Master himself intended.
Parco Di Monstri, Bomarzo Italy, built 1552
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The Martial Pool
Changing Range
You can change range one step (from grapple to melee or
melee to onset or vice versa) for the expenditure of one
Martial Pool Dice. Move equivalent actions (any actions
which could draw an Attack of Opportunity) may require
expenditure of one to two Martial Pool Dice at the GMs
discretion. Entering or leaving Grapple range may trigger an
Attack of Opportunity, though some Martial Feats trump
this (See Martial Feats).
Weapon Characteristics
The characteristics of the weapon you wield plays a role in
the strategy you use in a fight. Large weapons have better
reach, small weapons are faster. Piercing weapons are
more effective against armor, while slashing weapons are
better against unarmored opponents.
Reach To Hit Bonus
Each melee weapon has a Reach To Hit Bonus (RTHB)
which comes into play in all opening attacks. Longer
weapons such as spears, staves, lances, and pikes all have
excellent reach. Initial attacks use the RTHB. See Basic
Combat, Attack.
Speed To Hit Bonus
Each melee weapon has a Speed To Hit Bonus (STHB)
which comes into play in all follow-up attacks. Daggers,
hatchets, knives and short-swords have good speed.
Weapons balanced by an iron pommel, such as
broadswords or arming swords, have better speed than
those which don’t, such as a hatchet or a mace. With
certain Martial Feats, double-edged weapons can have a
speed advantage as well. Any time you attack for the
second and subsequent times in a given round, and any
time you make a Counterattack or an Attack of Opportunity,
you use the STHB of your weapon. See Basic Combat,
Attack.
Weapon Defense Bonus
Each melee weapon is rated for defense. Shields and
weapons which are of a substantial size but well balanced
have a good Weapon Defense Bonus (WDB). Most swords,
maces, and certain daggers have good defensive
characteristics, as do staves, spears, and pole arms when
used with two hands. Weapons with extra hand protection
also have a higher WDB. See Basic Combat, Defense.
Damage Rating
The Damage Rating value represents the normal damage
done for any attack.
Armor Piercing Bonus
Certain weapons are designed specifically to pierce armor.
These weapons receive an Armor Piercing Bonus. This
bonus lowers the Damage Reduction value from your
opponent’s Armor (see Armor).
Attack Types
Each weapon has one or more Attack Types. The different
Attack Types are Chop, Slash, Bash, and Pierce.
Primary Attack
The Primary Attack is the Attack Type which is used for
Critical Hits. For example a dagger may be able to Slash
and Pierce but the Pierce Attack Type is considered the
Primary Attack type as it is the one that may cause a
Dynamic Critical (see Critical Hit).
Martial Pool
In the Codex Martialis you don’t get a fixed number of
attacks per round. Instead you have a Martial Pool (MP)
which consists of a number of dice. These dice may be
used to make multiple attacks, to enhance the
effectiveness of one or more attacks, or for Active Defense
(see Basic Combat). The value of the MP reflects the
number of 20 sided dice you can use in combat in one
round. You can literally hold your MP in your hand at the
beginning of each round.
The Martial Pool accrues at the rate of one die per Base
Attack Bonus or BAB. The minimum is 1, the maximum MP
is 4. For example a 3rd Level Fighter has a BAB of 3 and
therefore 3 MP. A 12th level fighter has a BAB of 12 and an
MP of 4 (the maximum). A first level Wizard with a BAB of 0
would have an MP of 1.
How you spend the dice in your Martial Pool is part of your
individual strategy. Assuming you have an MP of 4 (BAB of
4 or better), do you make 4 separate attacks? Do you make
one enhanced attack with all four dice (see Basic Combat,
Attack)? Do you use one die for attack and save three dice
for Active Defense, or use one and save the rest for a
counter-attack? It’s up to you to decide. You create your
own strategy to suit your Character’s fighting style and the
circumstances of the moment.
If you prefer not to use the Martial Pool, you can substitute
a +4 To Hit bonus for each Free Dice or Extra Dice
recommended for a Martial Feat or a Counterattack.
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Natural 20 and Natural 1
When rolling multiple dice a natural 1 is ignored so long as
another higher die roll was also rolled, and a natural 20 is
always considered a hit since you take the best die roll.
When rolling only one die a natural 1 is always considered
an automatic fumble.
Saving Throws
Dice in the Martial Pool may be applied to Saving Throws as
well as attacks or Active Defense. They are used the same
way except that any Pool dice expended on a Saving Throw
are pooled with the normal Saving Throw roll. In other
words you always get at least one die for any Saving Throw;
adding MP dice gives you a way to improve your odds
Martial Pool and the Full Attack Option
If you use Martial Pool, it takes the place of Fighting
Defensively and using a Full Attack option. When using the
Pool it’s simply a matter of choosing how many MP dice you
wish to put into moving, attacks, and Active Defense, and
this can be all attack or all defense or anything in between
as you see fit.
Martial Pool and Movement
Using the Martial Pool also requires a slight change to the
standard 3.5 movement rules. We allow one free
movement per round up to each PC or NPC’s movement
rate (i.e. 15’-30’). Each subsequent movement after the
initial move requires the expenditure of 1 MP, up to a
maximum of 3 movements (this is separate from changing
combat range in a fight, for that see Changing Range). To
Run (4 movements) the PC must expend all available MP
(i.e. none can be assigned for Attack or Active Defense)
Entering or exiting combat range (anywhere threatened by
an Attack of Opportunity) also costs 1 MP. This makes PCs
and NPCs (and Monsters) a bit more mobile than low level
NPCS which should be kept in mind, it also allows more
natural range from no movement / total combat (the Full
Attack option) to all movement / no combat.
Viktor Vasnetsov “Bogatyrs” (Boyas) 1898
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Ivan Bilibin, The Merchants visit Tsar Saltan, 1905
Thorstein the Black and Svein, son of Alf o’ Dales, stood before the door. The rest of the company were tearing the roof off the dairy. Hunbogi the Strong and the sons of Armod took one end of the beam, Thorgils, Lambi, andGudrun’s sons the other end. They now pull hard at the beam till it broke asunder in the middle; just at this Hardbein thrust a halberd out through where the door was broken, and the thrust struck the steel cap of Thorsteinthe Black and stuck in his forehead, and that was a very great wound. Then Thorstein said, as was true, that therewere men before them. Next Helgi leapt so boldly out of the door so that those nearest shrunk aback. Thorgilswas standing near, and struck after him with a sword, and caught him on the shoulder and made a great wound.Helgi turned to meet him, and had a wood-axe in his hand, and said, “Still the old one will dare to look at and faceweapons,” and therewith he flung the axe at Thorgils, and the axe struck his foot, and a great wound that was. And when Bolli saw this he leapt forward at Helgi with Footbiter in his hand, and thrust Helgi through with it, andthat was his deathblow. Helgi’s followers leapt out of the dairy forthwith, and Hardbein with them. Thorleik Bollison turned against Eyjolf, who was a strong man. Thorleik struck him with his sword, and it caught him on the legabove the knee and cut off his leg, and he fell to earth dead. Hunbogi the Strong went to meet Thorgils, and dealta blow at him with an axe, and it struck the back of him, and cut him asunder in the middle. Thord Cat wasstanding near where Hardbein leapt out, and was going to set upon him straightway, but Bolli rushed forwardwhen he saw it, and bade no harm be done to Hardbein. “No man shall do a dastard’s work here, and Hardbein shall have life and limbs spared.” -Volsunga Saga
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Basic Combat
Initiative
Initiative determines who strikes first in a fight, a critical
factor in any fight and in the strategy a Player implements
in combat. This works like normal. (However for more on
initiative and options see the optional rules.)
Reach and Measure
In real life, a longer reach gives a major advantage in the
opening stages of a fight. To represent this, grant a Free
Dice during any initiative roll to whoever has the longest
weapon or reach To Hit bonus. This overlaps with the
Initiative Bonus by BAB optional rule if you are using that.
Attack
Codex Martialis gives the PC and DM alike several new
options for the Attack. The To Hit bonus is based on the
BAB plus either a Reach or a Speed bonus from the
weapon itself. An unarmed attacker is considered to have a
Reach bonus of 0 and Speed bonus of 6.
Using Multiple Die Rolls for One Attack
You can use two or more dice from your Martial Pool on the
same attack in order to increase your odds of a hit or a
critical hit. To do this simply roll all the dice selected; keep
the highest roll and discard the rest. For example, you may
choose to use all four dice in a single attack. You roll a 4,
an 11, a 6 and a 17. You would keep the 17 as your roll
and discard the others, and you have now expended your
entire MP for this round.
Multiple Attacks
Alternately you can split your Martial Pool into multiple
attacks, in any combination you like. For example you could
put 3 dice on one attack and save one for a follow-up
attack, do two attacks of 2 dice each, or four single-die
attacks. You can also keep dice in reserve for Active
Defense, for a counterattack, and for an Attack of
Opportunity. In fact it is often wise to do so.
Combat Ranges: Onset, Melee, Grapple
We can think of combat as taking place at three ranges:
onset, melee, and grapple. All missile combat takes place
in the onset range. The first melee attack of a round also
takes place in the onset range. All attacks made in the
onset range gain a To Hit bonus based on weapon reach.
Attacks in the melee range are based on speed.
Subsequent attacks in the same round are considered at
melee range unless you are Maintaining range (see below):
First Attack
Your first attack in a fight is almost always in the onset
range. In the Onset Range, your weapons to hit bonus is
based on reach.
Follow-up Attacks and Melee Range
Your second and subsequent attacks in the same round
are usually considered to be in the Melee Range. Weapon
bonus is based on speed. All counterattacks are also based
on speed.
The various ranges used in the codex system are clearly apparent in this
15th Century painting depicting the brutal reality of Medieval combat. In
the center of the painting, one knight in bronzed plate harness kills
another similarly equipped with a lance strike, attacking at onset range.
At the top, cavalry fight with swords at melee range. At the bottom,
dismounted knights fight desperately on foot with daggers at grapple
range.
Maintaining Range
As long as you make no followup-attacks or counterattacks
you are considered to still be in Onset Range at the
beginning of each round. Once either combatant has made
a second attack in the same round you are considered in
melee (or grapple range). The only exception to this rule is
that it is possible to execute two attacks while maintaining
range by committing two dice to each attack (thus leaving
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none for Active Defense). Normally this would mean that
you will have no MP remaining for Active Defense.
Many fights start at a distance with long, fancy weapons, but endclose up on the ground with daggers… the dagger is a fight-finisher(from Talhoffer 1467)
Grapple Range
To enter Grapple range one must make a successful attack
either unarmed or with a size S or T weapon. Once the PC
announces their attack and intention to enter Grapple, their
opponent may first make an Attack of Opportunity (AoO) if
they have dice remaining in their Martial Pool. If there is no
AoO or the PC survives the AoO and the PC hits with their
attack, they are now in Grapple range. Note: it is possible
to be at grapple range with one opponent and onset or
melee with another.
While at Grapple Range, Weapon Defense Bonus no longer
applies for active defense and Weapon Reach does not
apply to attacks, but Speed does. Being at Grapple range
does not mean that grappling is necessarily taking place.
Exiting from Grapple range requires the expenditure of one
die from the Martial Pool, and provokes a potential AoO.
Fighting in Grapple Range
Once in Grapple Range, there are four special effects:
1) The Weapon Defense Bonus no longer applies.
2) Weapons sized M or larger cannot be used to
attack (except for special cases).
3) Shields confer passive defense only (see Shields).
4) All weapons receive their Speed To-Hit Bonus
instead of their Reach To-Hit Bonus.
Attacks of Opportunity
Are not automatic extra attacks in Codex Martialis.
Executing an Attack of Opportunity requires that dice be
available in your Martial Pool.
Defense
You can engage in Active or Passive Defense with the
Codex Martialis.
The fencer on the left has very effectively displaced an attack from thefencer on the right with his buckler and his counterattacking with athrust. From Talhoffer 1467.
Counterattacks
Any time the Defender rolls a natural 20 in Active Defense
then they may perform an immediate counterattack with
any remaining dice in their Martial Pool (see Defense). In
the event that you roll a 20 in Active Defense and the
attacker also rolls a 20 you can still Counterattack. Any
resulting hit would be considered to have occurred
simultaneously with the attacker’s hit. A Counterattack is
also triggered if the attacker rolls a natural 1 against any
Active Defense. A natural 1 against a passive defense is a
fumble (usually meaning a dropped weapon or equivalent
mistake at GM’s discretion)
Defense Bonus per BAB
Your Base Defense value is equal to your BAB plus your
Dexterity bonus. Both Active and Passive Defense are
based on your Base Defense value. All PCs and NPCs
receive a Defense Bonus (DB) based on their Base Attack
Bonus. For example a third level fighter with a BAB of +3
also gets a Defense Bonus of +3.
Active Defense
Active Defense means that you are paying special attention
to actively trying to defend yourself. When you are attacked
any dice available in your Martial Pool can be used for
Active Defense. You roll a d20 and add that to all of your
defensive bonuses for Dexterity, Weapon Defense, BAB,
Feats, and so on where applicable. If you roll a natural 20
you are eligible for an immediate Counterattack if you have
dice remaining in your MP (see Counterattack).
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Generally speaking the odds are slightly better for Active
Defense. Also you have extra opportunities for a
Counterattack with an Active Defense. However there is
also considerably more risk.
Desperation Defense
If you are attacked while using Active Defense, and your
opponent scores a hit, you may expend any remaining MP
you have to make another Active Defense roll. If you have
the initiative advantage you must then swap initiative
values with your enemy (effective next round). If you do not
have the Initiative, you lose one MP on your next round.
These fencers fighting with sword and buckler have just entered abind. From Talhoffer 1467
The Tie that Binds
A tie on any die roll that counts is considered a “Bind”, and
can trigger certain Martial Feats (See Martial Feats) as well
as opportunities to seize or disarm your opponents weapon.
This means the physical die roll, not the modified die roll. If
you are using the optional rule Damage to Weapons During
Binds the attacker has potentially damaged the defenders
weapon. (On the other hand the Fuhlen MF confers
immunity from your weapon being damaged in a bind.)
If you re rolling a multi-dice attack, you may choose which
die roll to pick as your die that counts (it doesn't have to be
the highest number) so it is possible to pick the die roll
which gives you a tie and therefore a bind. (It would also be
possible to pick a natural 1 if for example you wanted to
intentionally lose a fight for some reason.) If both attacker
and defender are using multiple dice, the person with the
initiative decides who declares first.
If two opponents both have MF triggered by a Bind, such as
for example if the attacker has Mutieren MF but the
defender has Bind & Strike MF, these attacks take place
simultaneously. Alternately if you prefer a less ‘bloody’
system you can allow the person with the initiative to go
first.
Binds do not count when the defender has elected to ‘void’
in their active defense (i.e., there is no bind if they did not
count their weapon or shields defensive value).
Passive Defense
Passive Defense means you are relying on your reflexes,
distance and training to react appropriately to enemy
attacks. For Passive Defense you simply add 8+ all
applicable defensive bonuses. The attacker must roll higher
than your Passive Defense score. For example an unarmed
1st level fighter (BAB 1) with a 13 Dex (+1) would have a
Passive Defense of 2+8= 10. Normally weapon defense
does not apply to Passive Defense (some Martial Feats
trump this, see Martial Feats), but Shield Defense always
does apply.
Undefended Targets
Undefended targets have a Passive Defense value of 2 vs
melee weapons (roll dice for Critical) and are considered to
have a Passive Defense value of 8 against missile
weapons.
Shields
Shields are treated like special defensive weapons; they
have a Defense Bonus like weapons do which can be
applied to Active or Passive Defense. Some feats allow
shields to be used offensively as well. Normally when
fighting with a shield, either the weapon’s defense value OR
the shields defense value is used to calculate Active
Defense (whichever is higher). Keep in mind that a shield
always gains a “Free Dice” in any Active Defense roll. The
DB of a shield is also automatically added to Passive
Defense, unlike the weapon’s DB. Certain Martial Feats
allow you to combine the DB of your shield with that of your
weapon (see Martial Feats).
Extra (Active) Defensive Die Roll for Shields.
If used for Active Defense shields automatically generate
an extra defensive die roll every time they are used, but this
must also be matched by at least one die from the shield
bearer’s Martial Pool. This can be combined with any other
Active Defense die rolled normally. It does not have any
effect on passive defense. Using a shield Actively always
forces the allocation of at least one MP die.
Defense against Missiles
Your weapons Defense bonus does not apply in Active
Defense against Missiles (unless you have the Missile
Parrying MF), but your shields Defense bonus does. When
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defending against missile attacks cover may also play ar
role (one Free Dice for Active Defense for every 25% cover)
Other than that your defense against Missiles is the same
as defending against a melee attack.
Shield Damage
On any bind (tie roll) against an Active Defense roll with a
shield the shield has been potentially damaged. Roll
damage for the attacking weapon, subtract Toughness
value as a DR, and apply damage to the shield
appropriately. A shield used for Passive Defense may also
be targeted for attack like Armor (see Attacking Armor).
Damage
This is the standard damage inflicted by this weapon during
a normal attack. Basic damage is sometimes lower for
weapons which can cause multiple forms of critical hits.
Bludgeon weapons tend to have higher basic damage since
Bludgeon critical hits do not cause extra killing damage,
and because it (arguably) takes less finesse to cause
damage with a blunt instrument than with an edge or a
point.
Critical Hits
Critical Hits represent extraordinary damage caused by any
attack. A natural 20 is always considered a hit, but is only a
Critical Hit if the modified roll is higher than the defenders
roll (if any). So for example if you are at -5 to hit, and roll a
natural 20, and your opponent is at +5 and rolls a 19, it’s a
hit, but it’s not a Critical Hit. Critical Hit damage is special
for Bludgeon Weapons (see below). Crit Damage is a D6 for
Bludgeon and Piercing, a D8 for Chop attacks, and D10 for
Slash attacks, regardless of the weapon. Basic damage and
Critical Hit damage is always combined for purposes of
Damage Reduction. Alternately, if you prefer a simpler
system simply make all critical hits cause D10 damage or
double damage.
“Take two aspirin and call me in the morning.”
Dynamic Criticals
When attacking with the Primary attack type for your
weapon, and using multiple attack dice in a single attack,
damage is one die per MP rolled. So a Critical Hit scored in
a 3 dice slash attack with a Katana would cause 3d10
damage, a 2 dice chop attack 2d8 etc. (Note: it is only a
Critical Hit if you meet the criteria above, i.e. it has to not
only be a natural 20 but also higher than the defenders roll,
if any.)
Attack Types and Critical Hits
The Primary Attack type(s) listed by weapon represent the
types of attacks for which the weapon is most suitable and
the only means by which the weapon can cause a Dynamic
Critical. For example, a sidesword is capable of the attack
types Slash, Chop, and Pierce but only Pierce and Slash are
listed as the Primary Attack types. So you can Chop with
this weapon but if you make a multi-die Chop attack and a
natural 20 is rolled your Critical Hit will only cause 1D8
Damage. If a Critical Hit is indicated in a Piercing attack
however, it is considered a Dynamic Critical.
Bludgeon Damage and Bludgeon Critical Hits
Bludgeoning weapons are more likely to cause basic
damage as less finesse is required to break bones or crush
organs than to properly cut or pierce an opponent. Critical
Hits from bludgeoning weapons are handled differently. A
Critical Hit from a Bash attack is treated as a potential
Knock Out (KO). This can be handled one of two ways:
Nonlethal Damage
Critical Hit damage is rolled normally, and is applied as
nonlethal Damage per standard OGL rules.
Knock Out Threat (Optional Alternative)
Critical Hit damage is added to Basic Damage and the two
values are combined into a Knock Out threat. This becomes
the TN for a Will save (see KO Table, Appendix II: Weapons)
If the target fails the save they may be knocked out or
stunned.
Fumble
A natural 1 on an attack die roll is automatically considered
a fumble and may indicate a counterattack by your
opponent. (see counterattack). A natural 1 on an Active
Defense die roll means an automatic hit by the attacker.
The only time a natural 1 can be ignored is if you rolled
multiple dice in the same roll (using the Martial Pool), in
which case it can be discarded in favor of a higher die,
unless all dice in the pool come up 1 of course.
Armor
Armor works as Damage Reduction. Armor does not affect
Defense except detrimentally by reducing the Maximum
Dexterity bonus (Max Dex).
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Armor Bypass
Armor can either be penetrated (by overcoming Damage
Reduction) or bypassed. Bypassing an opponent’s armor
means striking them in such a way that the blow slips past
their armor. To bypass armor the attacker must apply the
Bypass Penalty for the particular armor type. Depending on
the type of armor this can be anywhere from -2 to -10.
Natural Armor is always -10 to bypass. If a hit is scored in
spite of the Bypass Penalty no Damage Reduction is
applied for the armor. See Armor for more information on
the Bypass Penalty.
Attacking Armor
In some cases, when using certain types of weapons
against certain types of armor, armor which cannot be
penetrated can be ablated. You simply announce your
intent to attack the armor instead of the person or creature
wearing it. This can be done against natural armor as well.
Any hit does damage to the armor. Hardness is deducted as
Damage Reduction and any remaining damage is applied
against the armor’s Hit Points. Once the armor has been
reduced to 0 or less hit points it offers no further DR until it
is repaired. Repair requires the skill of someone with
suitable expertise and equipment.
Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, “A Knight at the Crossroads” 1878
"Tóla had this stone raised in memory of her son Haraldr, Ingvarr's brother. They travelled valiantly far for gold, and in the east gave to the eagle. Died in the south in Serkland."
- Gripsholm Runestone, 11th Century,Sweden
“These brothers were the best of men in the land and abroad in the retinue, held their huskarls well. He fell in battle in the east in Garðar commander of the retinue, the best of landholders.” - Turinge Runestone, 11th Century, Estonia
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Advanced Rules The following rules are part of the core system but are a bit
more advanced in concept or in terms of detail, and may be
layered in to your game after you are familiar with the basic
Codex rules.
Attack Types vs. Armor
Bludgeon and Piercing weapons cause damage vs armor
normally. Chop weapons suffer double the normal DR and
hardness, and Slash weapons triple (unless vs all-textile
armor). So for example A brigandine doublet (DR 4) would
remain a DR 4 vs Bludgeon or Piercing, would be DR 8 vs
Chop, and DR 12 vs slash.
Hit Point Ceiling
Codex Martialis can be adapted to high level play, but it was
originally designed to be a grim system; combat is meant to
be dangerous and never routine. To this end a Hit Point
ceiling is recommended; 3x constitution for fighters,
rangers, and paladins and 2x constitution for all other
classes or multi-classed characters. For example a fighter
with a 15 constitution would have a maximum of 45 hit
points, whereas a cleric with a 15 constitution would have a
maximum of 30 HP.
Disengagement
Under Codex movement rules you may move one range
category or one movement (normally up to 30’ depending
on your Move rate) per MP expended. If at the end of your
round you have sufficient MP to move out of Onset range of
any and all enemies, and you are not currently under threat
from any prepared missile weapon, you are considered
‘Disengaged’. You may then re-roll initiative effective if and
when you then re-enter combat distance.
The fencer on the right is about to trip the fencer on the left with theback-spike of his pollaxe which is hooked around his knee. Notice heis not telegraphing with his eyes. From Talhoffer 1467
Grappling from a Distance
Each Weapon has a Grapple Bonus which takes effect
during any attempt to grapple using the weapon (either at
short range or from a distance) including making Trip
attacks and Disarm attempts or pulling someone off of a
horse for example. Any weapon with a Grapple Bonus may
be used to Grapple from a Distance.
Shield Hook
Another way you can use Grappling from a distance is the
shield hook. This is a common tactic with polearms that
you even see used in modern re-enactment groups like the
SCA. If you have a weapon with a grapple bonus like a
halberd or a bill, you can make a grapple attack at your
opponents shield (which they can resist with a normal
Active Defense roll). If you “hit”, the shield doesn’t count
for their defense in your next attack.
The fencer on the left has seized the sword of the fencer on the rightafter a bind, trapping it against his body, and is now about to strikehim. From Talhoffer 1467.
Seizing Weapons
Any time you are at grapple range, or get into a bind (tied
die roll on Active Defense), you may attempt to seize your
opponent’s weapon. If your opponent still has MP
remaining they may interrupt you with an AoO when you try
this; after which you simply roll a contested Grapple Check
to grab the weapon (or your Grapple vs. their Base Defense
if they have no MP remaining). Of course the Ringen MF
gives you a free dice on any roll to initiate or avoid Grapple
which applies here for either party. This also works for
Natural weapons (grabbing a monsters paw or throat to
keep them from biting, etc.)
If you have grabbed a weapon it cannot be used against
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you either this round or the next round or thereafter until it
has been freed (which will require another contested
grapple check.) If your weapon is being held you can let it
go yourself as a "free action" and do something else (like
seize their weapon, or draw a dagger, or go to grapple or
whatever).
If you have grabbed your opponents weapon and are
wielding a Hand and a Half (HH) Weapon you may still
attack them in this round (only) with no penalty /
adjustments for one-handed use, and their own weapon will
not apply to their defense.
The fencer on the right is making a perfect pommel-strike to the chin ofthe fencer on the left, who was attempting a half-sword thrust. He willsoon be missing teeth. From Talhoffer 1467AD
Pommel Strike
If you are carrying a sword, or any other weapon with a
significant pommel or metal haft, and find yourself in
grapple distance where the blade perhaps cannot be used
(if it is size M or L) you can still strike with the pommel as a
formidable weapon. The pommel on a sword is almost
equivalent to a light mace. Damage for a sword pommel is
D6 B/B. This can also be done with some daggers and
shorter swords where a bludgeon attack is desirable, such
as for a KO.
Having transitioned from a bind, the fencer on the left is in the processof taking the sword away from the fencer on the right. If the hisopponent continues to hold on to his sword the fencer on the left willuse his leverage and he will be thrown to the ground. Talhoffer 1467.
Disarm Weapons
Once you have seized a weapon, if you have any MP
remaining, you may make a second contested Grapple
check to take it away (Disarm). If your opponent has no MP
remaining this is against their Base Defense per above. If
neither of you have any MP remaining you can still hold on
to their weapon and they will not be able to attack you with
that weapon next round until they manage to free it ...
unless the weapon is a sword or a dagger (see below).
Slash the Hand
If at the start of your round your weapon is still being held
and is a sword, knife or dagger of some kind with an S
(Slashing) attack type, you may automatically cut them with
a Slashing attack (you must expend at least one MP but no
to-hit die roll is necessary - you automatically cut them for
full Slashing damage). The only defense for this are
gauntlets or mail-lined gloves (which is why mail lined
gloves became very popular during the Renaissance.) This
makes it dangerous to grab a sword and try to take it, but
still tempting so long as you don't hold on too long! These
rules make it considerably more tempting to grab any kind
of hafted weapon if you are close enough or have the
opportunity due to a bind. And this is one of the real
advantages a sword has over an axe or a mace. Just like in
real life.
Twist the Blade
Any time you score a Piercing critical hit with a weapon
capable of P primary attack type, you may throw one or
more extra MP to cause one extra die of Crit damage for
each MP you expend. This makes thrusting weapons a bit
more deadly!
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Optional Rules The following rules are optional. They may enhance your
combat experience but they may also make it more bloody,
and can require a bit more book-keeping.
Initiative Bonus by BaB (Optional)
Individuals more experienced in combat tend to have a
better sense of timing which can trump faster reflexes. You
can reflect this by granting a Free Dice on initiative rolls to
the player (or NPC) with the highest BAB.
Armor vs Spellcheck (Optional)
The Armor Check penalty can be applied against spellcraft
checks if using the Spell Failure / Success rule (see
Appendix I: Magic Rules).
Damage to Weapons During Binds (Optional)
During Active Defense if a tie is rolled the defending weapon
has been solidly hit and may suffer damage. Apply attack
damage normally and deduct weapon hardness. An attacker
may also intentionally target an opponent’s weapon. The
attack is conducted normally and a hit means damage is
done to the target weapon. A tie in this case however means
the attacker’s weapon is damaged.
Forcing Criticals (Optional)
A player can ‘force’ a critical by announcing the attempt
before their attack roll and applying a -10 To Hit penalty. If
they are successful they have scored an automatic Critical
Hit in all respects. Furthermore Forced Criticals can cause
Critical hits for any attack type the weapon is capable of, not
just primary attacks. The penalty for Armor Bypass and the
penalty for Forcing a Critical stack.
Reach Init Bonus for Ready Weapon (Optional)
Add the reach bonus of your weapon to your init roll. This
bonus is based upon the Reach Bonus of the individual
weapon type and it is also circumstantial. In advance of
combat being initiated the Player must announce that their
character is readying their weapon. For example, “I ready my
sword and prepare to cut the head off the first thing which
comes through that hole!” or “I knock an arrow to my bow
and enter the chamber, and I’m ready to shoot…” However,
the bonus is not awarded automatically. If the opponent also
has their weapon ready and is expecting combat then
neither combatant gains the bonus. If used with Reach and
Measure both rules stack.
Weapon breakage (Optional)
Any weapon with a hardness of less than 8 takes damage
when it makes a multi-dice critical hit, and any time a
weapon with any hardness makes a multi-dice critical hit
against armor with a higher DR than the weapons hardness
(including natural armor) unless making a bypass attack.
Damage is equal to the critical hit damage caused by the
weapon. You may also want to degrade the effectiveness of
a damaged weapon with a damage step-down (D6 becomes
D4 etc.), up to the GM’s discretion.
Repairing Weapons (Optional)
A broken sword must be re-forged, requiring a swordsmith
and costing about as much as making a new one. A broken
spear, halberd or axe can be simply re-hafted which is a
fairly simple process any blacksmith and most ordinary
soldiers could do in theory – provided suitable material and
tools are available. It would still be advisable to get a
professional woodworker to rehaft the weapon, Swiss
arsenals had specialized ‘woodsmiths’ to haft weapons.
Intermediate levels of damage can be repaired at the GM’s
discretion, some damage to a sword blade can be ground
away with a whetstone, more serious problems require a
visit to the forge. Another alternative is that a broken sword
can be somewhat more easily (less expensively) made into a
smaller sword.
This is actually what apparently happened with many
Scottish weapons, which started out as two-handed
Claymores (claidheamh mòr) and were later reforged (or re-
ground) into single handed swords, with or without a
baskethilt and also called claymores, then remade again into
dirks (long daggers) and then finally into skein dubhs
(knives) sometimes three or four hundred years later. No
point in letting good steel go to waste even if you aren’t
Scottish.
Fighting indoors (Optional)
Keep in mind cutting with an axe or a greatsword is not
something easily done indoors, in a castle or a church, in a
cave or a catacomb, in the forest, on a ship etc. where
shorter weapons generally have a big advantage. To
simulate this you can set a “reach ceiling” of a certain
weapon size, and take one or more MP away from anyone
wielding a weapon that size or larger. On the other hand,
thrusting can work just fine in some circumstances,
depending on the layout of a given space, a thrusting
weapon with a reach advantage can dominate a tight spot
like a corridor, so you may want to add a Free Dice for
thrusting attacks only. You have to give some thought to
when to apply the penalty and when not to so there is always
some subjective aspect to this
.
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The infidel threw his shield in front of him, and laying
his spear on his arm he ran swiftly at me, uttering a
cry. I approached, having my spear at the thigh, but as
I drew near I couched my spear and thrust at his
shield, and although he struck at me with his spear in
the flank and forearm, I was able to give him such
mighty thrust that horse and man fell to the ground.
But his spear hung in my armor and hindered me, and I
had great difficulty in loosing it and alighting from my
horse. By this time he also was dismounted. I had my
sword in my hand; he likewise seized his sword, and we
advanced and gave each other a mighty blow. The
infidel had excellent armour, and though I struck him
by the shield he received no injury. Nor did his blows
injure me. We then gripped each other and wrestled so
long that we fell to the ground side by side. But the
infidel was a man of amazing strength. He tore himself
from my grasp, and we both raised our bodies until we
were kneeling side by side.
I then thrust him from me with my left hand in order to
be able to strike at him with my sword, and this I was
able to do, for with the thrust his body was so far
removed that I was able to cut at his face, and
although the blow was not wholly successful, I
wounded him so that he swayed and was half-blinded. I
then struck him a direct blow in the face and hurled
him to the ground, and falling upon him I thrust my
sword through his throat, after which I rose to my feet,
took his sword, and returned to my horse. The two
beasts were standing side by side. They had been
worked hard the whole day, and were quite quiet.
When the infidels saw I had conquered they drew off
their forces. But the Portuguese and Christians
approached and cut off the infidel’s head, and took his
spear, and placed the head upon it, and removed his
armour. It was a costly suit, made in the heathen
fashion, very strong and richly ornamented...
-from the diary of the German knight Jorg von Ehingen, whofought with the Portuguese in 1467.
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Martial FeatsMartial Feats are a new type of Feat introduced in the
Codex Martialis. Martial Feats confer specific tactical
options for combat. It is recommended that Martial Feats
be conferred to players at a rate of one Martial Feat per
BAB. It is up to the DM’s discretion as to whether to apply
Martial Feats at the same rate to NPCs or Monsters.
Martial Feats can be used as another way to distinguish
the unique abilities of PCs and/or special NPCs, or they can
be viewed as being universal.
Martial Feats allow players to customize the fighting style
of their character and take full advantage of the nuances
of different types of weapons. Players are given a greater
range of tactical options in order to balance the increased
lethality of the system (especially if the recommended Hit
Point Ceiling option is used).
Most Martial Feats have prerequisites including key normal
feats such as Dodge, Combat Expertise, Mobility, and so
on.
Free Dice Many Martial Feats confer a special advantage in the form
of Free Dice. This means from one or sometimes two dice
added to a single attack or defense roll without any cost to
your Martial Pool. For example, a fighter with 4 dice in his
MP decides to execute a Counterstroke. He waits for his
opponent to attack and then strikes with a 2 die attack.
Due to the Counterstroke Feat he gains a bonus third die
for his roll. Thus he retains 2 dice in his MP while rolling 3
dice for his Counterstrike.
Free Dice must be used in the same round and in the same
action which invokes the Feat. They cannot be held in
reserve or used later.
Basic Martial Feats
Absetzen Prerequisites: Dodge and Counterstroke MF
Benefit: Designate a Dodge target, when they attack you
with a slash, chop or a bludgeon attack, and your Active
Defense is successful, you may then spend one MP to
immediately counterattack with a thrusting-attack only, and
your attack applies against their original Attack die-roll. If
you only attack with one die they may only defend with one
die.
You may throw in more dice but if you spend more than
one MP they may also throw in additional Active Defense
dice to defend with.
Useful in cases where your opponent rolled low in their
attack.
Abzug
You are skilled at the art of exiting Melee range.
Prerequisites: Sidestep
Benefit: Any time you are performing Active Defense with your
last die in the round you may make a ‘free’ move from melee
to Onset range.
Bind and Strike
Prerequisite: Dodge, Fuhlen
Benefit: Declare a Dodge target on your initiative. When they
attack you and you get a Bind or generate an automatic
counter-attack (from natural 20 on Active Defense roll) with
your shield, buckler, or off-hand weapon, you can attack
them immediately and they gain no defensive bonus for their
weapon.
A mercenary displaces a spear thrust and prepares to strike
with his sword. From a 15th Century Illumination.
Works in conjunction with counterstroke, but you don't get
the penalty effect (removing weapon defense bonus) unless
you generated the counterattack automatically or got a Bind
(tie die roll). Works in conjunction with sprechfenster (you
must seek the bind with your shield)
Born to the Saddle Type: Mounted
Prerequisites: Dex 12, Mounted Combat feat.
Benefit: Once per round you get a bonus die that may be
used for Ride checks, or for movement on horseback.
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Contra Tempo
Contra Tempo is kind of a reverse feint or spoiling attack in
which you threaten to quickly wound your opponent to keep
them from effectively attacking. It can be a particularly
good option if you have lost initiative.
Prerequisites: Weapon Finesse or Weapon focus with the
weapon in question, Sense Motive Skill 3 ranks, weapon
speed bonus at least 3.
Benefits: Any time you are attacked in onset range, once
per round you may expend a single Martial Pool die (only)
to make a special attack of opportunity. This is considered
a ‘spoiling attack’ which takes place before their attack is
executed, but stepped down one die in damage, (so that
D8 becomes D6 etc.)
If your opponent chooses to they can change their attack
die-roll to an Active Defense die-roll on the spot, or they can
opt to just continue with their attack anyway in which case
your ‘spoiling attack’ is rolled against their passive
defense. If they have announced a multi-die attack they
must switch all committed dice to Active Defense or keep
all of them in the Attack. (See also Mezzo Tempo)
Cooperative Fighting
Exploit the assistance of your allies to defeat your enemy.
Prerequisites: Situational Awareness MF, must have fought
along side partner through the entire period since attaining
the previous level. Partner must gain the same feat.
Benefit: Gain a Free Dice once per round when attacking
any single opponent that their partner has attacked in the
same round. This feat is only effective if two or moreparticipating attackers have the feat.
Counterstroke
Interrupt the attacks of your opponent with an immediate
counterattack.
Prerequisites: Dodge, Weapon Focus with weapon to be
used
Benefits: Gain an automatic counter attack against a
designated opponent. You must announce that you are
using Counterstroke and designate an opponent as your
Dodge target. Once attacked by the selected target
(assuming you survive the attack) you may immediately
counter attack as a special Attack of Opportunity. Only the
first attack can be responded to in this way. Once the
Counterstroke is executed if the original attacker survives
the Counterstroke then they may continue their attacks for
the round. This can be very useful when you have lost
initiative.
Special: If you generate a Counterattack when executing a
Counterstroke you gain a Free Dice for your counter attack,
even if you have no pool remaining.
This feat can be used in conjunction with Nukitsuke,
Riposte, or the Main Gauche MF. In this case the off-hand
weapon can still be used to defend.
Danse De La Rue
Use your feet to make unarmed attacks. Danse De La Rue
means literally “dance of the street” and was one of the
slang terms for a French underworld unarmed combat
system which was one of the predecessors of Savate.
Needless to say this art of fighting with your feet also exists in
Japanese, Chinese, Korean, and Filipino Martial Arts systems
as well (among many others).
Prerequisites: Movement 20’, Dexterity 12+
Benefits: You can spend two dice to make a long-range
unarmed attack at Onset range, with a reach bonus of +4 To
Hit and a minimum damage of 1-4. To make the kick you
must be at onset range and you must have at least two MP
remaining. Iron-shod or spiked boots or shoes confer +1
damage. This MF does work with the Bind and Batter MF,
Morstrosse MF, and the Sucker Punch MF. The +4 reach
bonus also applies to init roles.
Distance-Fighting
You may make a 5’ step away from your opponent to void
(dodge) your enemies attacks more effectively.
Prerequisites: Sidestep feat, Movement 20’
Benefits: Whenever you are attacked in Onset range, you
receive a Free Dice for any void. A void means an Active
defense using no weapon or shield bonus (only your Base
Defense). This MF can be used with the Nachreisen MF.
Special: you must make a five foot step either sideways,
diagonally, or backward relative to your opponent each time
you use this MF. You can use it over and over as long as you
have space to move. The five foot step is ‘free’ and does not
cost any extra MP but you must have room to move. This MF
does not work unless you are at Onset range.
Dressage Type: Mounted
Prerequisites: Born in the Saddle, Ride bonus of 6.
Benefit:
1) Whenever a mounted opponent closes with you in order to
attack, you may use a die to force another contested Ride
check (which you must also spend a die on). If you succeed
then you pull away from your opponent again. If you
opponent doesn’t have dice to oppose this, or doesn’t want
to use a die, then you just have to beat DC 15.
2) When an opponent on foot closes in to strike you, you may
use a die to move away sideways. (Horses have ½ speed for
this movement.)
Fühlen (‘Feeling’) “Next time with fuhlen!”
This is the ability to sense pressure of your opponents
weapon during a bind so that you can react accordingly.
Prerequisites: Charisma or Wisdom 12 or better.
Benefits:
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1) You may add your Charisma bonus or your Wisdom
bonus (whichever is higher) to any die roll related to
executing or opposing any MF triggered by a bind, including
but not limited to Winden, Mutierin, and Sprechfenster.
2) Your weapon is not damaged by Binds unless explicitly
attacked.
3) (Special): If you have the Steal Initiative MF you may
Steal Initiative any time you enter a Bind.
The fencer on the left missed his vertical cut, and the fencer on theright is making a zwerchau (‘cross strike’) as a counterattack with thefalse-edge to his ear. From Talhoffer 1467.
False-edge Cutting
This Martial Feat allows the character to cut with both the
true and the false edges of the sword without rotating the
blade. This in turn allows faster follow-up attacks.
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus with the weapon in question,
only works with double-edged swords, large daggers,
sword-like weapons with a partial false edge, and staff-like
bludgeon weapons with a speed of at least 3.
Benefit: +2 to the speed bonus for cutting attacks only
from hand-and-a-half or two-handed weapons with full
double edges (longsword, jian, greatsword, bastard sword,
zweihander etc), +1 to the speed bonus for the weapon for
single-handed two-edged weapons (arming sword,
katzbalger, akinakes, gladius, broadsword, and so on),
clubs, bata or other light bludgeon weapons (those with a
speed of at least 3), or for two-handed weapons with a
partial false edge (falchion, langen messer, bagua dao, and
so on), thus improving the To Hit bonus for follow-up
attacks.
Feint
Prerequisites: Bluff or Intimidation skill 2 levels.
Benefit: You expend one or more MP to roll a contested
skill check, your Bluff or Intimidation vs. your target’s
Sense Motive. If you succeed you draw off one of your
opponents Martial Pool, plus 1 per MP expended. If you
roll a natural 20, you draw off all their MP. This can be used
in conjunction with many other maneuvers.
Special: A Feint can draw off a Counterstroke or Meisterhau-
counterstroke.
Formation Fighting
You and your mates are trained to protect one another when
you fight.
Prerequisites: Profession Soldier skill 1 rank
Benefit: +4 to Defense when fighting in formation with at
least 4 other allies who also have this Martial Feat.
Frenzied Attack
Prerequisite: None
Benefit: Make one extra attack if you make no Active
Defense. Gain a Free Dice for attack only but you may make
no Active Defense die rolls in the round.
Grappling from the half-staff guard using a pollaxe, from Talhoffer 1467
Half-staff
Prerequisites: Poll-axe Fighting MF if using a spear or pole-
arm, or Weapon Focus: Staff if using a staff of any kind.
Benefits:
1) Weapon Defense Bonus (including bonus for Poll Axe
fighting if applicable) applies even when in Grapple, unless
pinned or prone.
2) While in Grapple range your weapon can still be used to
make Piercing, Grappling and Slash attacks only but not
Chop or Bludgeon attacks. Your weapon gains no speed
bonus but grapple bonus does apply.
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Two fencers face each other in half-sword guards, from Talhoffer 1467
Half-sword Fighting
Special sword fighting technique for use with most swords
which allow the weapon to be used in close combat (that is,
at Grapple range). The technique involves grabbing your
sword blade with your free hand
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus with any sword which can
cause Piercing damage (or equivalent sized staff weapon).
Thrusting from the half-sword guard, Talhoffer 1467
Benefits:
1) Gain +2 AP (for thrusting attacks only) with your sword.
2) While in Grapple your weapon can still be used to make
thrusting (piercing), Bludgeon, and Slash attacks but not
Chop attacks, regardless of the weapons size. Bash
damage of a sword pommel is equivalent to a light mace.
Restrictions:
1) You lose your Reach To Hit Bonus (RTHB) while
halfswording.
2) Rolling a natural 1 while using half sword techniques
without heavy gauntlets or mail lined gloves causes you to
injure yourself (D4 Damage) and you must roll a Reflex
Save DC (15) or drop the weapon.
Improvised Defense
This is the ability to utilize mundane objects for defense.
Prerequisites: Situational Awareness.
Benefit: May use a variety of mundane objects for defense. A
shield bonus of +1 or +2 is conferred, depending on the
DM’s judgment as to the nature of the object used. A cloak,
hat, or dinner knife would confer a +1 bonus while a stool,
candelabra, fireplace poker, or torch would confer a +2
bonus. The object is held in the off-hand. Just about any
object may be used (a hat, a cloak, a chair, a candlestick,
and so on). This technique was taught in many historical
fencing schools going back to the Middle Ages.
Inscrutable Countenance
Prerequisites: Charisma or Wisdom 12+.
You have a fantastic game face or poker face. Your excellent
control over your facial expressions and body language
enable you to mask your intentions and trick your opponents
in combat. In Iaido this is perhaps best expressed by the
concept of chakugan, or eye contact. Chakugan is a critical
feature of basic combat training. The wise fencer uses what
is known as enzan no metsuke, or “distant mountain sight”
to watch their opponent slightly out of focus, taking in their
eyes, their stance, their hands and the position of their
weapon simultaneously, without giving away intentions or
reactions.
Benefits: Gain a Free Dice on all Bluff Checks and the ability
to Bluff or Intimidate with the eyes (without speaking).
Lunge
A special thrusting attack developed for the rapier or cut-and-
thrust sword during the Renaissance. A leap forward is made
in coordination with the thrust. This enabled the attacker to
reach an opponent who thought he was out of attack range.
It also allowed the attacker to concentrate power and energy
and to attack with remarkable speed. Once gained the
technique can be applied to any finesse weapon.
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Prerequisites: Weapon Finesse or Weapon Focus with the
weapon in question (must be a sword or staff with a speed
of 3 or better, capable of P or B attacks.)
Benefit: You may conduct a single thrusting attack, and
gain a Free Dice on the attack. You can take an additional
5’ step in your attack if necessary.
Restrictions: A Lunge attack cannot be initiated unless you
are in Onset range. It cannot be executed as a followup
attack. Can only be used once per round. You may not
perform an Active Defense on the same round as a Lunge.
That is, all of your Martial Pool dice must be applied to
attack(s).
Main Gauche
Two weapon fighting style which allows the off-hand
weapon to be used defensively.
Prerequisites: Weapon focus with both weapons, off-hand
weapon must be a Size S or T weapon.
Benefit: Add the off-hand weapon’s full Weapon Defense
Bonus to Defense against melee attacks for the entire
round (max combined +8).
Restriction: The off-hand weapon may not be used to
attack for the entire round.
The fencer on the left is executing a shielhau (squinting strike) with hisfalse-edge against the fencer on the right, plunging his point into hisopponents chest while he remains in contact with his opponentssword and is covered on his left. From Talhoffer 1467.
Meisterhau (‘Master Cut’)
Another ancient fencing technique for two-handed swords,
this was taught in Japan, in Europe, and in the Philippines.
A Meisterhau (master-cut) is a cut in which the fencer
simultaneously defends against any attack as they cut their
opponent. This is done either by cutting through the
opponent’s potential avenue of attack (a single time
counter, in effect defense through complete concentration
on attack) or by controlling the opponents weapon to set up
a rapid follow-up attack (double time counter).
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus feat with two-handed cutting
weapon.
Benefit: Once per round when you have a higher initiative roll
than your opponent you may attempt to make one ‘perfect’
strike. You make a single focused cut against your opponent
(Chop or Slash attacks only). Whether you hit or miss, your
modified Attack roll is used in place of your Defense roll
against the next attack from this same opponent if that
attack is made within one round. For example, a Meisterhau
is attempted with a die roll of 17 including all modifiers.
When the defender attacks next they must roll 17 or better to
get a hit. All Meisterhau must be made with at least 2 dice
from your Martial Pool.
Mezzo Tempo
A mezzo tempo attack is a often a pre-emptory quick strike or
half-attack that does not often cause much damage, but
does allow you to maintain distance.
Prerequisites: Weapon finesse or Weapon Focus with the
weapon in question, weapon speed and reach at least 3
Benefits: You get an extra quick slashing or piercing attack
once per round during your own initiative with a single Free
Dice, at onset only, but you can’t throw any other dice into it.
This attack does not put you out of Onset range even if it is
your second attack. Damage for these attacks is stepped
down one die, so D8 becomes D6, D6 becomes D4 etc.
Special: Stacks with Contra Tempo. If you have both Contra
Tempo and Mezzo Tempo MS, you can use up to two dice in
your Contra Tempo spoiling attack.
The fencer in this armored judicial combat on the left has just thrown aspear, the fencer on the right parried it with his own spear and swordtogether. Talhoffer 1467.
Missile Parrying
Prerequisites: Dexterity of 12+.
Benefit: Bat spears, javelins and darts out of the air with your
weapon or your hand. May apply your Weapons Defense
Bonus to Defense against thrown missile weapons. Does not
apply against crossbows, slings, bows, or firearms.
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The fencer on the right has transitioned from a cut into a thrust and has
run the fencer on the left through his stomach. Talhoffer 1467
Mutieren / Duplieren (‘Mutate’): “Be like water making its way through cracks. Do not be assertive, but adjust to the object, and you shall find a way round or through it. Ifnothing within you stays rigid, outward things will disclosethemselves”. - Bruce Lee
Prerequisite: Weapon Finesse or Weapon focus with any
type of sword or staff with a speed of 2 or better, Fuhlen
MF.
Benefits: Can be used either offensively or defensively.
1) On any bind (tie roll) in an attack, you can throw another
die in for a second attack against their original Active
Defense die roll, except that your new attack must be a
different type from the last, so a thrust (piercing) is
followed by a cut (chopping) or a cut with a slice (slashing).
2) On any automatic counterattack, your Attack die roll will
be applied to their previous attack die roll instead of a new
roll (similar to Meisterhau). You can do any type of attack
except the type you already made (so a cut must be
followed by a thrust or a slash or a bash, a thrust by a cut,
etc.)
Nukitsuke (‘the Flowing Cut’)
Cut your enemy or defend from a blow as you draw your
weapon in a single movement. This is a fundamental
principle of the martial arts practiced by the Samurai of
Japan. It is also similar to the Guardia Prima of Italian
Renaissance fencing.
Prerequisites: Quickdraw feat. Can only be used with a
sword or other cutting weapon capable of causing Slash
Critical Hits.
Benefits:
1) Attack your opponent or defend yourself as you draw
your weapon. Gain a Free Dice for your initial attack or
defense (or mastercut / meisterhau) when you start with a
sheathed weapon. The attack (if any) is always a Slash. For
defense your weapon is considered instantly deployed and
can be applied to your Active Defense (against the next
attack only) with your Free Dice.
2) Before rolling Initiative, if your sword is still sheathed you
may announce your intention to make a Nukitsuke attack
and you gain a +1 bonus to your Initiative roll.
Special: Curved, single-edged swords have an advantage in
Nukitsuke attacks. With strait swords you may only gain a +2
bonus to either Slashing Attack To Hit rolls or Active Defense
instead of the Free Dice. This is called Ukenagashi – “Flowing
Block” in Iaido, and is very similar to the opening guards in
German and Italian fencing, often used as the precursor to a
counterattack in all three systems.
Even if you are attacked unexpectedly, with a successful
Reflex Save vs. DC 15 you can draw your weapon and still
receive a Free Dice (or +2 bonus) for the first attack only.
The Nukitsuke technique is often used in combination with
other feats such as Meisterhau, Meisterhau-Countercut,
Steal Initiative, Riposte, Sucker-Punch, and Counterstroke,
with many possible variations. It is also frequently used in
attempts to force Slash Critical Hits.
It is worth noting that in cultures where the Nukitsuke are
known and prevalent, people are naturally highly aware of
the potential danger posed by a sheathed sword and a
careful etiquette is established over which way the blade is
facing, whether blades are tied with ‘peace knots’ etc. If
there are any such strictures in place and you adhere to
these stricture the Reflex Save DC to instantly draw your
weapon for defense is raised to DC 20.
Point Control
Improved Attacks of Opportunity with a thrusting weapon.
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes, Dodge
This feat can be used with any weapon with a primary attack
type ‘P’ and a Speed of at least 3
Benefits:
1) By keeping the thrusting weapon’s point leveled at your
target you prevent a single opponent who has been
designated as your Dodge target (see the Dodge feat) from
rushing you and entering into Grapple range. You gain a Free
Dice for all Attacks of Opportunity against a single designated
opponent when using a thrusting weapon.
2) Also gain an Attack of Opportunity against any designated
opponent which attempts to close to Grapple but has
Improved Grab, Improved Grapple, or some other feat which
normally confers immunity from AoO when initiating Grapple.
This feat works with any primarily thrusting weapon but not
with weapons with a secondary thrusting capability. The AoO
is always considered a thrusting (Pierce) attack.
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The fencer on the left delivers a killing thrust with the cue (butt) of hispollaxe. Talhoffer 1467.
Poll-axe Fighting
Special pole arm technique in which the user wields a
hafted weapon such as a spear, pole-arm, or staff,
attacking from both ends at the half-staff and utilizing
defensive techniques.
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus with pole arm or staff.
Benefits:
1) +2 Weapon Defense Bonus (max 6)
2) +1 Weapon Speed Bonus (max 6).
Executing a throw. Talhoffer 1467.
Ringen (‘Grappling’)
Ringen is the German term for no-holds barred grappling,
called jujitsu in Japanese fencing or “abrazare’ (Grips) in
Renaissance Italian fencing, it was known as Pankration by
the ancient Greeks, and by many other names in many
other cultures around the world. This is an unarmed
martial art involving striking, wrestling, grappling, throws,
arm locks and grips. This MF represents the basic skill
level and is the gateway to many other specific techniques.
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus: Grappling
Benefit: This is a grappling / unarmed combat feat.
1) Add a Free Dice to any attempt to initiate or avoid Grapple
once per round.
2) Once at grapple range, you may attempt a throw (Trip
attack) without incurring an Attack of Opportunity.
3) Gain the ability to strike with hands or feet for 1d3
Damage.
Riposte
You may counter attack by thrusting when your opponent
makes a mistake.
Prerequisite: Dodge, Weapon Finesse or Weapon Focus with
the weapon in question. Can only be used with a single
handed weapon with a primary attack type of P or B and a
minimum speed of 3.
Benefit: At the beginning of the round, on your initiative, you
must designate a Dodge target for counterattack. If your
Dodge target attacks and you score a counterattack or they
fumble, you gain a Free Dice in your counterattack. If you
have not already attacked in this round then your
counterattack is still considered to be at Onset range.
Special: Can be used in conjunction with the Counterstroke
and Steal Initiative feats. The Free Dice effects stack.
Rollout
Prerequisites: Mobility
You can recover from Prone status more quickly than normal.
Benefit: You can recover from Prone status as a move-
equivalent action, drawing no Attack of Opportunity.
Recovering from prone does require using up one Martial
Pool die.
Schnappen (‘Snapping’) “When you strike an Underhau from the right side, if he drops with
his sword on top of yours do that you cannot come up with it, so go
swiftly with the pommel over his sword and cut with powerfulmovement with the long edge against the head. Or if he drops onto
your sword towards your left side, so cut him with the short edge.” -Joachim Meyer 1570
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Snapping. This is similar to Zucken, when you cut around to
another opening, but you use pressure at the bind to make
a very powerful counterattack.
Prerequisites: Fuhlen MF, Counterstroke MF
Benefits:
1) You may use the pressure from your enemies weapon in
a bind to attack him at another opening, usually alternating
between true and false edges. To do this you must commit
at least two MP to defense; if you succeed at defense you
make an immediate counterattack. If you achieve a bind
(tie roll) or if you roll a natural 20 (automatic counter) you
may then apply half of the dice that your opponent used in
their attack against you, rounded down, to attack them (as
Free Dice). So for example if you are attacked with 4 dice,
you defend with 2 and achieve a bind, you then gain 2 Free
Dice for your counterstroke in addition to your remaining
pool and any other MF.
2) If you enter into a bind and do not want to be in one, you
gain a Free Dice for any attempt to avoid exploitation of the
bind by your opponent (only), including but not limited to
active defense rolls against Winden or Mutierin, with the
restriction that you yourself may not then make any
aggressive action or MF from the bind.
Sea Legs
Prerequisites: Skill Profession (Sailor) 1
Benefits:
Normally people will suffer from -1 to -3 Martial Pool during
combat and for all other activities during heavy seas, but
not if you have the Sea Legs MF, in which case this penalty
is reduced by 1 MP.
Sidestep
Step aside as your opponent attacks, avoiding
engagement.
Prerequisites: Movement 20’, Dodge.
Benefits:
1) Evade by moving aside instead of making an Attack of
Opportunity. You have the option of expending one die from
your Martial Pool and taking a five-foot step instead of
making an Attack of Opportunity. This feat can be used to
move multiple 5’ steps.
2) Gain a Free Dice for any Grapple check for purposes of
avoiding Grapple only. The Sidestep Feat can be used
multiple times against the same opponent. Each Sidestep
requires spending one die from your MP. If your MP is
empty, you may not Sidestep.
A fencer contends with two opponents. Talhoffer 1467.
Situational Awareness
You are not distracted by the chaos of battle.
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes or Charisma 12,
Benefit: You may defend against multiple attackers. Gain a
Free Dice for Active Defense or Reflex Saves only when
attacked by two or more opponents in the same round.
Situational Awareness kicks in with the second attack but
can be used in any subsequent attack in the round, including
by missile weapons, spells, magic items or magical effects. It
can be used only once per round.
The fencer on the right uses both his blade and his buckler to defendagainst a cut here, setting himself up for a bind and a lethalcounterattack. From the Talhofffer 1467.
Shield Fighting
Prerequisites: Shield proficiency, Weapon Focus: shield
Benefit: The Defense Bonus of the shield can be combined
with the Weapon Defense Bonus of any S to M sized weapon
(including axes, maces, and so on), for a maximum combined
Defense Bonus of +8.
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Shield Grab
Grab the opponent’s shield and tear it our of their hand or
twist it and the attached arm. Your opponent loses their
shield bonus for the rest of the fight.
Prerequisites: Shield Fighting MF
Benefit: Make a grapple attempt (this draws an Attack of
Opportunity if not already in Grapple). For center-grip
shields a success indicates their shield is twisted out of
their hand. For strapped shields a success indicates that
they will be thrown and must make a contested reflex save
against your grapple roll or be prone.
Shield Slap
In a fight where both you and your opponent have a shield,
you may attempt to strike their shield with your own in an
attempt to get it out of the way. This is the Shiltschlach
from the famous I.33 manuscript.
Prerequisites: Shield Smash MF
Benefit: Attack their shield with no weapon bonus. If you
hit, your opponents Defense (Active or Passive) does not
benefit from their shield Defense Bonus for the remainder
of the round as you have pushed it aside with yours. On a
critical hit (a natural 20) you have either knocked the
shield out of their hand (if it is a center-grip shield), or
knocked it so far out of the way that it is useless for the
next round as well.
Shield Smash
Prerequisite: Shield proficiency, Shield Fighting MF
Strike your enemy with the boss or edge of your shield. On
any melee round in which you are in Grapple range with an
opponent but not currently pinned or grappled, you may
attempt to strike your opponent with your shield as if it
were a club as a move equivalent action.
Benefit: Attack with the shield at +2 To Hit in Grapple range
only. Bash damage is 1 for wicker or leather shields, 1-4 for
wooden shields, 1-6 for iron or bronze shields. Shields with
a spike can also attack for 1-6 Pierce damage with a D6
Pierce critical.
Shield Wrench
Prerequisites: Shield proficiency, Shield Fighting MF
Benefit: This was a technique often employed by the
Vikings. Catch your opponent’s cutting or thrusting weapon
in your shield, and then wrench it out of their hands by
twisting the shield. Designate a single attacker using a
thrusting or chopping melee weapon. If your opponent
attempts to strike your shield but fails to destroy it, if you
enter a Bind (tie roll), or if you roll a natural 20 in defense,
then you may immediately make a contested strength
check with a Free Dice. If you win the strength check then
they are disarmed.
Slip-thrust
A special thrusting attack, similar to the Lunge, but used with
two-handed hafted thrusting weapons (only) which are not
normally reach weapons, including most spears, staves and
pole-arms. This technique allows the wielder to attack targets
normally out of range, and to concentrate power and energy
while attacking with remarkable speed. Functionally, the
wielder pushes the weapon forward with one hand while
letting it slip through the other.
Prerequisites: Weapon Specialization with the weapon in
question.
Benefits:
1) This technique allows the weapon to function as if it were
a reach weapon in the attack, Attack any target within 10’
(i.e. outside of normal range), instead of the normal 5’.
2) Gain a free dice in your attack once per round against any
target at onset range.
Special: Once gained, this technique can be applied to any
applicable weapon for which the user has the Weapon
Specialization Feat.
Restrictions: Attack must be made from Onset range. Slip-
thrust requires at least 2 dice be used from the Martial Pool.
This technique can only be used by two-handed thrusting
hafted weapons which are not normally reach weapons. A
slip–thrust cannot be used in an Attack of Opportunity.
Sprechfenster (‘Speaking Window’) The “speaking window”. This is a technique by which you can
intentionally seek the bind.
Prerequisite: Fuhlen MF
Benefit: You may expend one MP to make an attack, which, if
successful, automatically results in a Bind, which can trigger
various other feats including but not limited to Winden,
Mutierin, Bind and Strike, and Bind and Bash., as well as
attempts to seize your opponents weapon.
Steal Initiative
Take the momentum in a fight.
Prerequisites: Combat Reflexes, Dexterity 12+
Benefits: At the beginning of the round, on your initiative,
designate a Dodge target. If you generate a counterattack
against this opponent, or they fumble (they roll a natural 1)
you may immediately swap initiative values with your
attacker. All subsequent attacks by this enemy in this round
and hereafter take place at your former initiative turn. So if
they rolled a 16 and you rolled a 6, you are now considered
to have rolled a 16 initiative and they a 6 (effective on the
beginning of the next turn). Can be used in conjunction with
Counterstroke or Meisterhau Counterstroke, but it is only
triggered by a ‘natural’ counterattack (i.e. generated by your
20 or their 1 die-roll).
Special: If you have the Fuhlen MF you may Steal Initiative
any time you enter a Bind.
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Unflinching
Prerequisites: Inscrutable Countenance, Wisdom 12+.
Due to your hardened nature and combat experience you
are insusceptible to feints, bluffing, or intimidation.
Benefit: Gain a Free Dice on any Sense Motive rolls vs.
Bluff or Intimidate attempts and when making skill checks
versus all Feint attempts. Gain a Free Dice on all Saving
Throws vs. any Fear effect, magical or mundane. Stacks
with Inscrutable Countenance and the various
counterattacking feats.
Volley Shooting
You are trained to fire missile weapons at area targets.
Prerequisites: Formation Fighting
Benefit: Gain +4 To Hit when firing missile weapons in unison
in a group containing at least 4 other marksmen. Targets
must be at a distance of 2 or more range-categories away.
Only half the number of missiles fired get to attack. The
others are assumed to hit the ground harmlessly near the
target area.
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Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov “The fight of the Scythians and the Slavs” - 1888
“...At that moment Grettir returned, and taking his halberd in both hands he thrust it right through Thorir’s body just as he was about to descend the steps. Theblade was very long and broad.
Ogmund the Bad was just behind pushing him on, sothat the spear passed right up to the hook, came outat his back between the shoulder blades and enteredthe breast of Ogmund. They both fell dead, pierced bythe spear. Then all the others dashed down as theyreached the steps. Grettir tackled them each in turn,now thrusting with the spear, now hewing with thesword, while they defended themselves with logs lyingon the ground or with anything else which they couldget. It was a terrible trial of a man’s prowess to deal with men of their strength, even unarmed.
Grettir slew two of the Halogaland men there in thenclosure. Four of the serving-men then came up. Theyhad not been able to agree upon which arms eachshould take, but they came out to the attack directlythe berserks were running away; when these turnedagainst them they fell back on the house. Six of theruffians fell, all slain by Grettir’s own hand; the other six then fled towards the landing place and took refugein the boat-house, where they defended themselveswith oars. Grettir received a severe blow from one ofthem and narrowly escaped a serious hurt.
The serving-men all went home and told great storiesof their own exploits. The lady wanted to know whathad become of Grettir, but they could not tell her.Grettir slew two men in the boat-house, bu tthe otherfour got away, two in one direction, two in another. Hepursued those who were nearest to him. The nightwas very dark. They ran to Vindheim, the placespoken of before, and took refuge in a barn, where
they fought for a long time until at last Grettir killed them.By this time he was terribly stiff and exhausted. The nightwas far spent; it was very cold and there were drivingsnow-storms. He felt little inclination to go after the two whoyet remained, so he went back home...” The Saga of Grettir the Strong (Icelandic Saga, 12th Century).
But when he was on the way back again, out came Bersiand Halldor to meet him. Bersi had a halberd in one handand a staff in the other, and Halldor had Whitting. As soonas Vali saw them he turned and hewed at Bersi. Halldorcame at his back and fleshed Whitting in his hough-sinews.Thereupon he turned sharply and fell upon Halldor. ThenBersi set the halberd-point betwixt his shoulders. That washis death-wound.
Then they set his shield at his feet and his sword at hishead, and spread his cloak over him; and after that got onhorseback and rode to five homesteads to make known thedeed they had done and then rode home. Men went andburied Vali, and the place where he fell has ever sincebeen called Vali’s fall. Halldor was twelve winters old when these doings came to pass. -Kormak’s Saga (Icelandic Saga, 12th Century).
We swung our sword;
that was ever so long ago
when we walked in Gautland
to the murder of the dig-wulf.
Then we received Þóra;
since then
(at that battle when I killed the heather-fish)
people called me Furry-pants.
I stabbed the spear
into the loop of the earth
-Ragnar Lodbrocks death-poem, Lay of Kraki
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“...Fencing is based on two prerequisite parts, namely first on the Strikes which you initially put against youropponent, with the other being displacement, which ishow you judge and work off of your opponent’s Strikes, and you do not do this weakly. How youaccomplish the Strikes and the elements of strivinghas already been sufficiently clarified, becausedisplacing, or how one properly meets every opposingstrike with your weapon and therewith put them awayat need so as not to have your body injured, cannot belearned without first learning the Strikes.
Because you have now learned the Strikes you canapproach the subject of how you displace thoseStrikes, and come to learn and understand these justas the Strikes have now been heeded and cannot bedismissed, and will be solidified from noting andtreating the basics with special care. Be first awarethat the parries are twofold, the first is without anyparticular advantage and is resorted to only forblocking parries from which you cannot do more withyour weapon in that you oppose your opponent’s
strike to avoid being damaged, but then seek not todamage him, but only to withdraw as you wish withoutbeing injured by him.’
The second Art of displacing is when you parry and injureyour opponent with one strike, which the ancientsundertook with special praise, from which these spokenwords grew: a proper fencer parries not, as his opponentstrikes so he too strikes, as his opponent steps so he toosteps, as his opponent stabs so he too stabs.’
Place yourself into the Wrathful Guard, if you are thenstruck from above, then step with the right foot forwardagainst your opponent’s side, and strike with a traverse to that side, short cut a high traverse to close in with it, thusthat you take his strike onto the strong of your blade,catching it near your quillons and, with the farther end ofyour sword, hit his left ear, thus have you thus closelydisplaced and hit with a second...”
Joachim Meyer’s Kunst des Fechtens, 1570 version (Germany
1570).
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Advanced Martial Feats The following feats all have the additional prerequisite of a
BAB of 6 or better (if you are playing using E6 rules, change
this to a BAB of 4 or better).
Advanced Cooperative Fighting
Prerequisites: Cooperative Fighting MF, BAB of 6 or better
Benefit: When attacking any single opponent that the fighter’s
partner has already attacked in the same round the attacker
receives a Free Dice for their first attack on the same
opponent. This Martial feat is only effective if two or more
participating attackers have the feat.
Halfsword fighting techniques, including the dreaded Morstshlag. Talhoffer 1467.
Advanced Half-sword Fighting
Use the full repertoire of half-swording techniques, including
special defensive guards and locks within the grapple.
Prerequisites: Half-Sword Fighting MF, BAB of 6 or better
Benefits:
1) You gain a Free Dice when halfswording which can be used
once per round for Defense, or for any Grapple check, or any
attack you make with your weapon while in grapple range.
2) You retain your weapons Defense Bonus while in Grapple.
3) Morstshlag “Murder Stroke”. While in Melee or Onset
range you have the ability to make one strike with your
sword’s quillions as with the beak on a war-pick. The attack is
at +2 AP for D6 Damage, Pierce Critical, Grapple bonus +2
(allows grappling from a distance).
4) Gain the ability to grapple with the cross or pommel of your
sword in a ‘mortshlag’ guard, with a Grapple Bonus of +2 (this
stacks with Ringen Am Schwert).
Restrictions: You lose your RTHB (Reach To Hit Bonus) while
halfswording. Rolling a natural 1 while using half-sword
techniques without heavy or mail-lined gauntlets causes you
to suffer an injury (D4 Damage) and you must roll a Reflex
Save DC (15) or drop your weapon
Advanced Point Control
Prerequisites: Dodge, Point Control MF, BAB of 6 or better
Benefit: Designate a Dodge opponent at the beginning of the
round, on your initiative. Whenever you start in Onset range
with the longer weapon (based on weapon reach bonus), and
your opponent has moved into or attempts to make any
attack that would move them into Melee range, you may
make a special Attack of Opportunity against their first attack
only.
By defending with the cue (butt) of his pollaxe, the fencer on the right hasentered a bind which will allow him to decisively counterattack with thebusiness end of his weapon. Talhoffer 1467.
Advanced Poll-axe Fighting
Prerequisites: Poll-Axe Fighting MF, BAB of 6 or better
Benefit: Gain a Free Dice for a single extra attack once per
round when attacking with a pole arm at any range. To qualify
the weapon must have a beak or spike (1-6 piercing damage,
+2 AP) weapon haft (1-4 bludgeon damage) counterweight*
(1-6 bludgeon Damage) or butt-spike (1-6 piercing damage,
+1 AP) depending on what extra attacks are available with
the given weapon. The normal speed penalty applies (as
modified by the Poll-axe Fighting feat where applicable).
* if counterweight exists on weapon type, such as with a
counterbalanced spear.
Advanced Distance Fighting
By backing away to maintain distance you enhance your
defense.
Prerequisites: Distance Fighting, Mobility
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Benefits: Free dice for any Active Defense while at Onset
range.
Special: you must make a five foot step either sideways,
diagonally, or backward relative to your opponent each time
you use this MF. You can use it over and over as long as you
have space to move. The Five foot step does not cost any
extra MP but you must have room to move in order to execute
it. This MF does not work unless you are at Onset range. If
you are at Melee range for example you will have to expend
an MP to move to Onset before making your Active Defense
roll.
Having displaced a cut and achieved a bind, the fencer on the right kicksthe fencer on the left in his stomach, knocking off his hat. Talhoffer 1467.
Arrow Flurry Prerequisites: Dex 13, Point Blank Shot, Rapid Shot, BAB +6.
Benefit: By holding arrows ready in your hand, you shoot very
quickly at the expense of accuracy and power. You may
reduce the prep time of any bow by 1 for the duration of the
number of arrows you are holding at the ready (max 8). You
suffer a -10 penalty to range increment, and a decrease of
one step on damage (d8 becomes d6 and so on).
Bind and Batter
Make a special attack or counterattack with a punch or a
kick.
Prerequisites: Ringen OR Weapon Focus: Unarmed feat, BAB
6 or better.
Benefits:
1) If you are in melee range, just made your final attack on an
opponent (i.e. used the last die in your Martial Pool), and your
opponent actively defends and blocks your attack, you may
gain a ‘Free’ additional attack die with your fist or foot, for
normal open-hand damage, (+2 damage if in full armor due to
gauntlets).
2) When you have expended the last die of your MP in active
defense, but scored a counterattack (natural 20), you may
gain a Free Dice with your fist or foot, per above.
Can be used in conjunction with shield smash for an attack
with the shield instead of the fist, can be used in conjunction
with the Morstrosse MF or the Dance De La Rue MF..
Special: With Dance De La Rue this MF may be initiated at
onset range (with a kick).
Durchlauffen (‘Passing through’)
Durchlauffen, a German term meaning “passing through” or
“running through” is a basic principle which was frequently
cited in the German 14th-16th century Fechtbuchs. It simply
means to pass beside or through your enemies’ attack, and
can be an excellent way to cope with an aggressive closing
opponent by using timing to bypass their defense as you
counterattack. A similar principle was discussed by Musashi
in the Five Rings, related to the concept of “Suki” or a gap in
the opponent’s concentration.
Prerequisites: Dodge, Sidestep MF, BAB of 6 or better. At
least two dice remaining in your Martial Pool.
Benefit: This is a means to attack while passing through
grapple range.
1) After a successful Active Defense against any attack from
your designated Dodge target while in melee or grapple
range, you may immediately change range (including entering
or exiting grapple range without provoking any Attack of
Opportunity). You may change one range category (from onset
to melee to grapple etc.) for every MP you expend in your
Active Defense. So for example if you spent one MP on
Defense you could move from melee to grapple without any
further cost. If you spent two MP you could move from melee
to grapple to melee again (or grapple to melee to onset)
2) Attack with your weapon Speed bonus while at grapple
range even if your weapon is sized M or L. This can be very
deadly since at grapple range most opponents have no
weapon defensive value (unless they have half-swording or
half-staff MF) and may not be able to attack with their own
weapons.
Musashi, Self Portrait, 1640 AD
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Niten Ichi (‘Two Swords as One’)
The Nitchen Ichi is a two-weapon fighting style which allows
both weapons to be used defensively, together. This is
named after Musashis system for fighting with a Wakizashe
and a Katana simultaneously.
Prerequisites: Combat Expertise, BAB of 6 or better. One of
the two weapons must be size S or smaller.
Benefit: You may combine the Defense Bonus of both
weapons being used for a combined maximum of +8 to
Defense while still attacking with both weapons if you wish to
do so (though you gain no extra attacks or MP). This stacks
with Combat Expertise. The combined defensive bonusremains in effect even at grapple range.
The fencer on the right has achieved a bind while displacing a cut and isstepping toward his opponent…
…and as he steps in he traps his opponents weapon arm while cuttinghis forearm with his messer. As he lifts his left arm up his now woundedopponent will be disarmed. Talhoffer 1462.
Gioco Stretto (‘The Tight Game’)
These are arm-locks and disarms, part of the system of
abrazare or ‘grips’, usually with the goal of seizing your
controlling your opponents weapon. This concept is from the
Italian Master Marozzo (1536) though it first appears in Italy
with Fiore (1410) and it’s also all over the German manuals,
it was called “Ubergriffen” (overgrabbing) by Meyer and
Schwertnemen (“Sword taking”).by Tallhoffer, and was part of
Japanese fencing as well.
Prerequisites: Dodge, ringen, must be at Grapple or Melee
range.
Benefits: Designate a Dodge target at the beginning of the
round, on your initiative. You gain a Free Dice in any Grapple
check related to seizing or disarming their weapon, or in
resisting disarming or seizing attempts from that opponent.
See Seizing Weapons and Disarming Weapons.
Special: If you have the Gioco Stretto MF and are attacked
with a Gioco Stretto you can attempt to take your opponents
weapon as they are attempting to take yours, with a
contested Grapple Check. If you both succeed you have both
disarmed the other. If you both get a Critical hit, you have
taken each others weapons.
Graceful Rush
The Graceful Rush is the art of slipping in past an opponent’s
defenses and reaching Grapple range without being
effectively counterattacked. Also known as ‘shooting’ in some
martial arts circles. Many animals do this by instinct.
Prerequisites: Dodge, Base move 30’ or better, Weapon
Focus: Grapple or Improved Grapple, BAB of 6 or better.
Benefit: One opponent is designated as a Dodge opponent.
Gain a Free Dice for Active Defense against any Attack of
Opportunity from this opponent only when you charge or
attempt to close for grapple. This works with any bonus from
Spring Attack. Graceful Rush can be used in conjunction with
Nachreisen.
The fighter on the right has his semi-conscious opponent in a ‘sleeper’ hold. Talhoffer 1467
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Grapple and Pin
These extremely powerful wrestling techniques allow the
dominant wrestler to cripple an opponent and/or render them
unconscious by using joint locks and holds which cut off the
circulation of the blood.
Prerequisite: Kampfringen MF, BAB of 6 or better.
Benefits:
1) Pin to Submission. Once you have had an opponent in a
pin for at least 2 rounds you may make a new contested
Grapple check. A success by a margin of four points or more
means that you are inflicting excruciating pain and may
attempt to force a surrender or some other concession (at the
DM’s discretion). To attempt this your opponent must make a
Will Save with the DC equal to your modified Grapple roll.
Failure means at least temporary submission from pain
followed by unconsciousness in 1-4 more rounds (for
creatures susceptible to falling unconscious). Once
unconscious any creature with a susceptible physiology must
make a Fort Save vs continued Grapple rolls or suffocate.
2) Pin to Maim. Once you have had an opponent in a pin for
at least 3 rounds, you may make a new contested grapple
check. A success by a margin of four points or more means
that you are causing permanent damage to joints, bones, or
muscles. Your opponent must make a Reflex Save with the
DC equal to your modified Grapple roll. Failure triggers the
permanent loss of one point of Strength, Dexterity, orConstitution (determine randomly).
The fencer on the right dodged a Mortschlag and is attempting to throwhis opponent. From Talhoffer 1467.
Kampfringen (‘War-Grappling’)
This is the martial art of wrestling to kill both unarmed and
with weapons, an ancient tradition going back aeons. It is the
equivalent of Jujitsu in Japanese fencing. This art was taught
formally in fencing Guilds, monasteries and warrior
fraternities in many cultures. The Kampfringen MF allows you
to make more effective use of grappling techniques by
entering a grapple more quickly and causing fatal injuries by
the means of throws and joint-locks. This feat is also the
prerequisite to the extremely powerful Grapple and Pin feat.
Prerequisites: Ringen MF, BAB of 6 or better.
Benefits:
1) If you achieve a Bind, you may move into Grapple Range
and / or initiate Grapple without triggering an AoO.
2) Defensive Throw. When an opponent attempts to enter into
a Grapple, you may attempt a throw (trip attack) as Active
Defense with a grapple check. Success means the attacker
is thrown: they take 1d4 damage and are now prone. They
are considered to be 5’ away in the same direction they had
been moving (depending on surroundings) and not in contact
with the defender.
Armlocks used with throws. Talhoffer 1467.
3) Crippling Throw. These are throws designed to cause
maximum damage, breaking joints, breaking backs, putting
your enemy onto their head etc. Your throw attempt is
treated as a Primary attack type B for a Dynamic Critical. Crit
Damage is 1D6 per MP used. Stacks with Morstrosse MF.
Missile Catching
Prerequisites: Missile Parrying MF, at least one free hand,
BAB of 6 or better
Benefit: Catch javelins and other thrown weapons with your
hand. Roll a contested Dexterity check against the To Hit roll
of any one opponent attacking with a thrown missile weapon.
If the Dexterity check roll is equal to or higher than the
opponent’s To Hit roll then the weapon has been caught. Can
only be used against one thrown missile attack per round.
Does not apply against crossbows, slings, or bows.
Versetzen
Prerequisites: Meisterhau MF, Counterstroke MF with two-
handed cutting weapon. At least 2 dice remaining in your
Martial Pool.
Benefit: A Meisterhau (master-cut) can also be used as a
counter attack. In this case, as with the Counterstroke feat,
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you must wait for the designated Dodge target to attack you.
With the Versetzen your counter is simultaneous, your
defense is also your attack roll, and you attack immediately
(whether they have MP remaining or not). When using this
feat you must commit at least two dice to your attack. As with
the Mastercut, your modified die roll is used as your Active
Defense against the attack, with both attacks taking place
concurrently. Whoever has the higher roll has actually hit. If
the modified die rolls are equal, both attacker and defender
are hit simultaneously.
Special: A Versetzen can be defeated by a successful feint. If
a feint is successful and you no longer have enough dice in
your Martial Pool to execute the attack, the Versetzen is used
up and cannot be executed this round. This MF replaces the
Counterstroke feat. If used in conjunction with Steal Initiative
feat, a successful hit in your Countercut attack allows you to
Steal Initiative.
Morstrosse (‘Murder Strikes’)
Murder Strikes. Blows with the hand or feet used to stun or
cripple an opponent, often deployed before a grapple. These
strikes are based on a knowledge of human anatomy
Prerequisite: Improved Unarmed Strike, BAB of 6 or better.
Benefit: Cause D6 Damage (or gain primary attack B for KO
threat) or damage increases by one step (D4 to D6, D6 to D8
etc.) when making a special unarmed strike with at least two
MP. Stacks with pugilism, dance de la rue, sucker punch,
and bind and batter MFs.
Rossfechten (Mounted Grappling)
Prerequisites: Ringen, Mounted Combat Feat, BAB 6 or
better.
Benefits: You may apply Ringen techniques, including
disarms, pins, submissions and throws, from horseback. You
may add your Riding Skill bonus to your defense rolls.
The fencer on the right has made a ‘wrath-cut’ but was out of range, thefencer on the left is stepping forward in the Nach (after) and cutting with a false-edge Nachreisen. Talhoffer 1467.
Nachreisen
From a German term used in the Fechtbuchs meaning
“following after”.
Prerequisite: Dodge, BAB of 6 or better, base movement of
30’.
Benefit: First one designates a Dodge opponent. You must
defend against their next attack by dodging (voiding) only,
without any Defense bonus applied from shields or weapons
(that is, use your Base Defense value). If the designated
opponent misses in their attack you can make an immediate
counter attack and receive a Free Dice for this attack only. If
you score a natural 20 in your defense you gain 2 Free Dice. A
risky gambit which can be very deadly. Useful for very agile
fighters, well armored fighters, and those wielding weapons
with poor defensive characteristics. Nachreisen can be also
used to initiate a Grapple, but does not bypass the defenders
Attack of Opportunity.
Roman pugilists, from a Tunisian mosaic, circa 2nd Century AD
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Pugilism (Boxing)
You are an expert at the ancient art of fighting with your fists.
Prerequisite: Bab of 6 or better, Weapon Focus: Unarmed or
Ringen MF
Benefit: Your unarmed damage goes up by one die category
(D3 to D4, or D4 to D6, D6 to D8 etc.) and you gain a Free
Dice for every unarmed striking attack, and for every Active
Defense roll you make against an unarmed strike. Stacks
with Bind-and-Batter, Mostrosse, Sucker Punch, and Dance
De La Rue MFs.
The fencer on the left has displaced a ‘mortshlag’ and hooked his pommel behind the neck of the fencer to the right, who will be thrown tothe ground and dispatched with a cut to the back of his head. Talhoffer1467.
Ringen Am-Schwert (‘Grappling with
Swords’). Prerequisites: Ringen, Half-Swording, BAB 6 or Better.
Benefit: You may use your sword as leverage in grappling,
therefore your Reach to To Hit bonus becomes a Grapple
bonus while you are at Grapple range. This stacks with the
Advanced Half Sword MF.
The fencer on the right is controlling the hand of the fencer on the left,and is pushing his blade into his armpit for (painful) leverage to execute a
throw. Notice the position of his right hand. The fencer on the left isalready off balance. Talhoffer 1467.
Winden (‘Winding’)
You are trained to control the bind by attacking your opponent
with point or edge.
Prerequisite: Mutieren MF, BAB 6 or better, weapon with P
(piercing) primary attack type.
Benefits:
1) You gain a Free Dice for any action triggered by a bind such
as Mutierin.
2) If you enter a Bind while attacking or defending, or are
attacked with a Meisterhau, Meisterhau-Countercut, Mutieren
attack, and you have MP remaining you may immediately
counter your opponents attack (even if it is itself a counter) by
making a Winden attack. If you hit, it means they also missed,
if you tie you both hit each other simultaneously. When you
announce a Winden attack your opponent can roll Active
Defense if they have MP remaining or attempt another
Versetzen or Mutieren etc. if they still have MP remaining.
So for example, if your opponent tries to cut you, rolls a 10,
you defeat him rolling an 11 Active Defense. He attempts a
Mutieren and rolls a 14 which qualifies as a hit against your
original 11. You still have 2 MP remaining however so you
throw in two die as a counter, rolling a 12 and a 16. If he has
MP remaining he can try to beat your 16, if he doesn’t he has
been hit and must take damage.
3) If you have Winden, in the event of a tie when both parties
roll a natural 20, you may attempt this action immediately.
Tactical Movement
Prerequisites: Sidestep
Benefit: You have the option of expending a movement point
every time someone moves into your range, or changes a
range category relative to you. So for example, if someone
moves into Onset to attack you, you may expend and MP to
move out of range. This is like Sidestep except without the
AoO trigger as a requirement. If someone moves from Onset
to Melee you may expend an MP to move back to Onset,
immediately. If someone moves from Melee to Onset, you
may expend an MP to move back to Melee again. Stacks with
the SRD Feat Mobility, works well with Distance Fighting.
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The fencer on the left is executing a zwerchau (‘cross-strike’) diagonallyto the right, cutting with the false-edge. Talhoffer 1467.
Zucken (‘Twitch Cut’)
Prerequisites: False-edge Cutting MF, a two handed cutting
weapon, BAB of 6 or better.
This is a method known as zucken in German. It was taught in
14th -16th century Long Sword Fencing manuals. The fencer
follows up a long-edge cutting attack immediately with a
second false-edge cut (or vice versa), normally at the opposite
side of the body. For this reason the technique only works
with double-edged swords, or swords with at least a partial
false-edge. This technique requires some training and
practice to master, but properly executed it allows extremely
rapid follow-up attacks. For example, a cut to the right side of
the head might be instantly followed with a cut to the left side
of the head. A cut to the top of the head might be followed
with a cut to the groin or lower legs, or a cut to the left
shoulder might be followed with a cut to the right knee. Very
experienced fighters can execute rapid combinations of
several true-edge / false edge cuts.
Benefit: Gain a +3 Speed Bonus for cutting (Chop or Slash)
attacks only with double-edged swords. Gain a +2 Speed
Bonus for partial false-edge weapons. Effectively there is no
bonus for the initial attack but quite a bit on all subsequent
attacks. This feat does not confer extra attacks. Effects
replace and do not stack with False-edge Cutting.
The Sucker Punch (Special)
The Sucker Punch feat is essentially a Bluff / Attack with
gains the attacker a Free Dice. This is a feat which Thieves (or
“Rogues” to the weak kneed) and streetwise Fighters, Bards,
Monks and Rangers use for initiating a surprise attack when
still standing face to face with an opponent. A player
possessing this feat may initiate a Sucker Punch attack by
first moving to within 5’, and making a contested Bluff Skill
Check, against the defenders Wisdom Bonus.
It is considerably harder to successfully fool someone into
relaxing their guard for a sucker punch if carrying a weapon in
hand, therefore if the attacker is armed the defender gets a
+4 to their die roll. If the attacker places a weapon in easy
reach first, the defender gets a +2 to their die roll. If however
a weapon happens to be in easy reach but was not recently
placed there by the attacker there is no die roll bonus. It is
possible therefore to have an accomplice place a weapon
nearby.
If the attacker loses the original die roll then the defender
senses something suspicious and may act by either moving
away, taking some other action, or attacking. The defender
may make a Sense-Motive roll to determine that the attacker
intended them harm. If the defender chooses to attack at that
point initiative is rolled normally. If the attacker wins the
contested die roll then the Defender must make a contested
reflex saving throw against the Attacker’s Reflex saving throw.
If the Defender wins the roll then normal combat begins and
no surprise has occurred. If the Defender fails the save then
the Sucker Punch has been successful and the attacker gains
a Free Dice. The Attacker then has several choices, some of
which are based on other class features, skills, or feats.
Prerequisite: Dex 13, Wis 10, 2 ranks in Bluff Skill, BAB of 6
or better.
Thief Surprise Attack
A thief may attack unarmed causing his bonus attack
damage as nonlethal damage. An experienced thief can often
ensure a knockout in this way.
Strike With an Object Or WEAPON
An attacker may use a beer mug, a bottle, a helmet, a rock, a
lantern, a frying pan, or any other suitable hard or heavy
object at hand to attack the defender. The DM must decide
damage but the base Damage range will be from (1d3)-4 (a
light tin cup) to (1d6)+1 (a heavy iron bar). A Thief’s surprise
attack damage bonus would be added to any successful
attack. If a weapon was in reach or in hand, the attacker may
attack normally. A Thief’s surprise attack damage bonus
would be added to any successful attack.
Concealed Weapon and Quickdraw
If the attacker concealed a Tiny weapon such as a strait razor
or a sap it can be used to attack the defender. A Thief’s
surprise attack damage bonus would be added to any
successful attack (as either nonlethal or normal damage
depending on the weapon used). An attacker with the
Quickdraw feat may draw their weapon normally and attack. A
Thief’s surprise attack damage bonus would be added to any
successful attack.
Trip Attack and Grapple
After a successful Sucker Punch the attacker can attempt a
trip at +4 on the die roll. A trip is the Attacker’s strength
opposed by the defender’s Strength or Dexterity mod roll
(whichever is better). Once Prone (tripped) the victim gets –4
To Hit and may be attacked at +4 To Hit. After a successful
Sucker Punch the attacker can attempt a Grapple at +4 on
the die roll
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‘Thorstein the Black and Svein, son of Alf o’ Dales, stood before the door. The rest of the company weretearing the roof off the dairy. Hunbogi the Strong and thesons of Armod took one end of the beam, Thorgils,Lambi, and Gudrun’s sons the other end. They now pullhard at the beam till it broke asunder in the middle; justat this Hardbein thrust a halberd out through where thedoor was broken, and the thrust struck the steel cap ofThorstein the Black and stuck in his forehead, and thatwas a very great wound. Then Thorstein said, as wastrue, that there were men before them. Next Helgi leaptso boldly out of the door so that those nearest shrunkaback. Thorgils was standing near, and struck after himwith a sword, and caught him on the shoulder and madea great wound. Helgi turned to meet him, and had awood-axe in his hand, and said, “Still the old one will dare to look at and face weapons,” and therewith he flung the axe at Thorgils, and the axe struck his foot,
and a great wound that was. And when Bolli saw this heleapt forward at Helgi with Footbiter in his hand, andthrust Helgi through with it, and that was his deathblow.Helgi’s followers leapt out of the dairy forthwith, and Hardbein with them. Thorleik Bollison turned againstEyjolf, who was a strong man. Thorleik struck him withhis sword, and it caught him on the leg above the kneeand cut off his leg, and he fell to earth dead. Hunbogi theStrong went to meet Thorgils, and dealt a blow at himwith an axe, and it struck the back of him, and cut himasunder in the middle. Thord Cat was standing nearwhere Hardbein leapt out, and was going to set upon himstraightway, but Bolli rushed forward when he saw it, andbade no harm be done to Hardbein. “No man shall do a dastard’s work here, and Hardbein shall have life andlimbs spared.”’ -Laxdela Saga
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The shield maiden Hervor dying after battle with the Huns, Peter Nicolai Arbo, 1852
...Meanwhile, the Jutes and Skanians were kindled with an
unquenchable fire of sedition; they disallowed the title of
Ragnar, and gave a certain Harald the sovereign power.
Ragnar sent envoys to Norway, and besought friendly
assistance against these men; and LadgerÞa, whose early love
still flowed deep and steadfast, hastily sailed off with her
husband and her son. She brought herself to offer a hundred
and twenty ships to the man who had once put her away. And
he, thinking himself destitute of all resources, took to
borrowing help from folk of every age, crowded the strong and
the feeble all together, and was not ashamed to insert some
old men and boys among the wedges of the strong. So he first
tried to crush the power of the Skanians in the field which in
Latin is called Laneus (Woolly); here he had a hard fight with
the rebels. Here, too, Iwar, who was in his seventh year, fought
splendidly, and showed the strength of a man in the body of a
boy. But Siward, while attacking the enemy face to face, fell
forward upon the ground wounded. When his men saw this, it
made them look round most anxiously for means of flight; and
this brought low not only Siward, but almost the whole army on
the side of Ragnar. But Ragnar by his manly deeds and
exhortations comforted their amazed and sunken spirits, and,
just when they were ready to be conquered, spurred them on
to try and conquer.
LadgerÞa, who had a matchless spirit though a delicate frame,
covered by her splendid bravery the inclination of the soldiers
to waver. For she made a sally about, and flew round to the
rear of the enemy, taking them unawares, and thus turned the
panic of her friends into the camp of the enemy. At last the
lines of Harald became slack, and Harald himself was routed
with a great slaughter of his men. LadgerÞa, when she had
gone home after the battle, murdered her husband.... in the
night with a spear-head, which she had hid in her gown. Then
she usurped the whole of his name and sovereignty; for this
most presumptuous dame thought it pleasanter to rule
without her husband than to share the throne with him...
-from Saxo Grammaticus ‘Gesta Danorum’ aka ‘History of the Danes’. 9th Century
There was a hill between them and Grettir, who had turned back
along the footpath. Now he had no others to reckon with in
making the attack. He drew his sword Jokulsnaut and tied a loop
round the handle which he passed over his wrist, because he
thought that he could carry out his plans better if his hand were
free. He went along the path. When the bear saw a man coming,
he charged savagely, and struck at him with the paw that was on
the side away from the precipice. Grettir aimed a blow at him with
his sword and cut off his paw just above the claws. Then the
creature tried to strike him with his sound paw, but to do so he
had to drop on the stump, which was shorter than he expected,
and over he fell into Grettir’s embraces. Grettir seized the beast
by the ears and held him off so that he could not bite. He always
said that he considered this holding back the bear the greatest
feat of strength that he ever performed. The beast struggled
violently; the space was very narrow, and they both fell over the
precipice. The bear being the heavier came down first on the
beach; Grettir fell on the top of him, and the bear was badly
mauled on the side that was down. Grettir got his sword, ran it
into the heart of the bear and killed him. Then he went home,
after fetching his cloak which was torn to pieces. He also took
with him the bit of the paw which he had cut off.
-from the saga of Grettir the Strong 12th Century
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Martial Feats from the FMAFilipino Martial Arts MF from Arnis, Kali, and Escrima.
Developed by Thom Jason.. These should all be considered
optional.
The Medieval German equivalent of ‘Defanging the Snake’, an unterhau with a messer as a counter against a cut…
…and the inevitable sad conclusion. Talhoffer 1467.
Defanging The Snake
Prerequisites: Weapon Focus with the weapon in question,
Restrictions: Requires at least two dice remaining in Martial
Pool. You are aiming at the hands or wrists, so effectively
this means you must make a bypass attack if they are
wearing any armor. This attack must be made at Melee
range, if you want to make a ‘Defanging the Snake’ attack
and are at Onset range, this must be part of a counterattack
or your second attack in the round.
Benefits: You make a targeted multi-die attack which may
cause your opponent to drop their weapon. Damage from a
Defanging the Snake attack is stepped down one die, so
D10 becomes D8, D8 becomes D6 etc. If you cause any
damage however, your target must make a Fort save vs. your
To Hit die roll or drop their weapon.
If you score a critical hit during an attempt at Defanging the
Snake, in addition to normal critical hit damage you cause
1d4 permanent Dexterity damage, and they automatically
drop their weapon. Defanging the Snake may be used in
conjunction with the Counterstroke MF or with automatically
generated counterattacks.
Gunting (Scissors) (Advanced Martial Feat)
Prerequisites: BaB 6 or better, Two-weapon Fighting feat,
Defanging the Snake MF, Meisterhau MF or Versetzen MF,
weapon speed 3 or better and weapon capable of Slashing
or Chopping primary attack. Attack must be made at melee
range.
Benefits: May attack with each of two weapons
simultaneously in an attempt to do a Meisterhau against an
opponent’s attacking limb. If the attack hits, both weapons
do damage to the limb. This may sever the limb if using at
least one cutting weapon or disable it if using blunt weapons
or empty hands.
You must attempt two- simultaneous Meisterhaus, so this
uses up an entire four-die pool. The attack has to be done at
Melee range and must be a bypass attempt if they are
wearing any armor or have natural armor.
If you hit with both weapons, it is counted as an automatic
critical hit and your opponent is automatically disarmed. If
your opponent is reduced to zero or fewer hit points, you
have permanently severed their hand or equivalent limb. If
you scored two natural 20’s (with both Meisterhau) you
sever their hand automatically regardless of their remaining
hit points.
Hand Checking
Prerequisite: Weapon Focus: Unarmed. This feat only works
at Melee Range.
Benefits: If you are not using a weapon in your offhand you
may use it to check your opponents weapon when in close
range, giving you a special ‘Free Dice’ to any Active Defense
rolls any time your opponent attempts a counterattack or
counterstroke feat. If you roll a 1 during this Active Defense
roll you were automatically hit (in your off hand) regardless
of any other defense die you rolled. If you have the MF Limb
Destruction or Morstrosse you may make an immediate
attack of opportunity with your off-hand instead of an Active
Defense roll.
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Limb Destruction (Unarmed)
Prerequisite: Morstrosse, Weapon Focus: Unarmed, ability to
cause at least 1d4 unarmed damage.
Benefits: You are proficient in striking your opponents limbs
to disable them. You attempt to strike your opponents limbs
(if they are wearing armor this requires a bypass attempt).
Any successful unarmed attack which causes maximum
damage (the highest possible on your die roll) forces your
opponent to make a Fortitude save vs. your modified attack
dice or lose 1 die from their dice pool (cumulative) for the
rest of the fight. May be used in conjunction with the
counterstroke feat.
Two Weapon Disarm
May use an offhand weapon in the second hand in
conjunction with your primary weapon to disarm an
opponent without drawing an attack of opportunity.
Prerequisites: Main gauche Martial Feat.
Restrictions: requires at least two dice remaining in Martial
Pool, you must be at Melee Range to attempt this.
Benefits: If you have two weapons and your opponent only
has one, you may attempt a Two-weapon disarm. Attack with
your first weapon, if your opponent successfully makes an
Active Defense roll, you may attempt to disarm with your
offhand weapon without drawing any Attack of Opportunity.
Scabbard Break
Prerequisites: Special scabbard
Benefits: Your weapon is kept in a loosely tied wooden
scabbard that is designed to break open and free the blade
the first time you strike the opponent. This is an alternative
to the Nukitsuke Feat.
If you hit with the scabbard it causes 1d4 bludgeoning
damage and then the weapon is considered drawn.
The 13th Century Crusader Fortress, “Crak Des Chevaliers”, built by the Knights Hospitaller, Homs Syria, today
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Appendices
The previous sections cover the complete Codex Martialis combat rules system. From here on out, the Appendixes
which follow contain information and resources designed to ease integration of your game into Standard Third Edition
OGL, and also as the basis for integrating with a variety of other RPG systems. The following Appendix sections contain
information primarily oriented toward integrating the Codex with OGL systems.
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Appendix I: Magic RulesThese rules will be expanded further in another supplement,
they are not part of the combat system per se but may be
helpful to make this combat system work, so they have been
included strictly as an option. Feel free to take any elements
of the Magic rules outlined below to adapt to your own
campaign, or ignore them.
Rules for Certain Spells in Combat
Shield provides +4 bonus to both Active and Passive Defense.
Mage Armor acts as Damage Reduction.
Barkskin acts as Damage Reduction.
TrueStrike confers +10 to attack rolls. It can be used in
attempts to bypass armor or force critical hits, but remember
penalties for forcing criticals and bypassing armor stack.
Ivan Bilibin, Illustration to Alexander Pushkin's Ruslan and Lyudmilacirca
1898
The Spell Failure Rule
DC for casting spells
10 + 3 x spell level memorized spells
10 + 4 x spell level reading spells out of a prepared scroll
10 + 5 x spell level reading spells out of a book or notes
10 + 6 x spell level spells over level
This is an optional rule for spell success / failure based on
a Spellcraft or Concentration check (depending on DM’s
preference) for casting each spell. If the skill check is a
success, the spell works, if not it fails (or optionally,
backfires.) This rule is included here because it can be
used in conjunction with the Armor Check penalty for
casting spells while in Armor (apply the Armor Check
penalty to the Spellcraft or Concentration skill roll).
Level Memorized
Casting DC
Reading
from Scroll
Reading
from Book
or Notes
Casting
Spells Over
Level
0 10 14 15 16
1 13 14 15 16
2 16 18 20 22
3 19 22 25 28
4 22 26 30 34
5 25 30 35 40
6 28 34 40 46
7 31 38 45 52
8 34 42 50 58
9 37 46 55 64
When wearing armor, the Armor-check penalty applies to
the casting DC of all spells with somatic components.
Memorized Casting DC
This is the DC for casting a spell which has been
memorized normally.
Reading out of Book
In the Codex system it is possible to read a spell that was
not prepared directly out of a book, this just has a higher
chance of failure.
Casting Spells Over Level
This is the DC for casting a spell which has been
memorized but is over the normal casting level allowed
for this Character or NPC. In the Codex system is also
possible to cast a spell over the normal casting level
allowed for this Character or NPC, but you must make two
Spellcheck rolls, one when memorizing (which the GM
keeps secret) and one when casting. If either roll is a
failure the spell fails and may backfire. Not
recommended for Demon Summoning.
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Appendix II: Weapons Tables
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Melee Weapons
Simple Weapons
Weapon Size
Reach /Speed /Defence
BaseDamage
AttackTypes /Primary
AP Bonus
GrappleBonus
Hardness/ HitPoints
Cost
Razor T 0/6/0 F 1-2 S/S - - 3/1 1 sp Knuckleduster T 0/6/0 F 1-2 B/B* - - 10/3 1 sp
Sap Gloves T 0/6/0 F 1 B/B** - - 5/1 5 bp Small Knife T 0/6/0 F 1-2 SP/- - - 6/2 1 sp Misericorde / Poniard T 0/6/0 F 1-4 P/P +2 - 7/3 1 sp
Large Knife T 1/6/0 F 1-4 SP/P - - 5/3 2 sp Small Dagger T 0/6/0 F 1-6 SP/P +2 - 10/3 5 sp
Stiletto S 1/5/1 F 1-4 P/P +4 - 9/3 7 sp Mace, Light S 2/3/2 1-6 B/B - - 5/5 3 sp Sickle S 1/3/1 F 1-4 SP/- - +2 5/3 2 sp
Sax Knife S 1/5/1 F 1-6 SCP/SC - - 9/4 7 sp Cutlass S 2/3/4 1-6 SCP/C - - 10/6 12 sp
Sword, Pian Dao S 2/4/2 1-6 SCP/S - - 9/3 10 sp Stick, Heavy S 2/2/1 1-2 B/- - - 2/4 1 bp
Small Club S 2/4/2 1-4 B/B - - 4/2 2 bp Waihaka Club S 1/3/1 1-6 B/B - - 8/4 2 sp Hatchet S 1/3/1 1-6 C/C - +1 5/3 3 sp
Hand Axe S 1/4/1 1-6 C/C - +2 6/4 4 sp Tomahawk S 2/4/2 1-6 CB/CB +2 +2 7/4 5 sp
Tomahawk, Stone S 2/2/1 1-8 B/B +1 +! 5/3 1 sp Woodsman’s Axe (HH) S 2/-2/1 1-8 CB/C - +1 7/5 2 sp Half Spear S 4/2/1 F 1-6 SCP/P +2 - 6/3 3 sp Sword, Long Sax S 2/4/2 F 1-8 SCP/C - - 8/4 10 sp Bauernwehr S 2/5/2 F 1-8 SCP/SP - - 10/4 Sp Mace, Heavy M 3/1/2 1-10 B/B - - 12/20 3 sp Mace, Flanged M 3/2/2 1-10 B/B +2 - 14/20 12 sp Mace, Stone M 3/1/2 1-10 B/B - - 5/3 1 sp Bata / Sail-Éille M 4/5/3 F 1-4 B/B - +1 6/3 5 bp War Club M 3/3/2 1-6 B/B - - 5/4 10 bp Protosword M 4/3/2 1-6 S/S - - 5/3 5 bp Protosword, Two Handed L 5/2/3 1-8 S/S - - 5/4 10 bp Bill M 2/0/2 1-8 C/C - +2 5/3 5 sp Mattock M 2/-4/1 1-6 CPB/P +2 +2 6/3 1 sp Wooden Mallet M 2/1/3 1-4 B/B - +1 4/3 2 sp Iron Maul M 2/-6/1 2-12 B/B +2 - 6/3 3 sp
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Simple weapons, continued
Weapon Size Reach /Speed /Defence
BaseDamage
Attack Types /Primary
AP Bonus
GrappleBonus
Hardness / HitPoints
Cost
Sword, Dussack S 2/5/3 1-6 CSP/SC - - 10/4 5 sp Sword, Messer M 3/4/3 F 1-8 SCP/C - - 10/4 15 sp Falchion M 3/1/2 1-12 SC/C - - 12/5 12 sp Pitch Fork L 4/0/2 1-6 P/P - - 4/3 1 sp Shovel / Spade L 3/-2/2 1-6 CBP/C - +1 4/3 1 sp Small Staff L 6/5/5 F 1-4 B/B - - 5/3 5 bp Kern Axe L 4/1/2 1-10 SCP/CP - +2 6/3 5 sp Godendag (TH) L 5/0/2 1-12 BP/BP +2 - 6/7 10 sp Morgenstern (TH) L 5/0/2 2-12 (BP)/- +2 - 6/5 8 sp Scythe (TH) L 3/-2/1 1-8 SCP/- - +3 4/3 5 sp Great Club (TH) L 5/0/1 1-8 B/B - - 6/5 1 sp Taiaha L 6/2/4 1-6 B/B - - 7/5 2 sp Quarterstaff (TH) VL 7/2/5 1-6 B/B - - 5/5 1 sp Iron Bound Staff (TH) VL 6/0/5 1-8 B/B - - 7/6 2 sp Spear (TH) VL 7/1/3 1-8 SCP/P +2 - 6/3 6 sp Spear VL 8/0/2 1-8 SCP/P +2 - 6/3 6 sp
(HH) indicates Hand and a Half weapon(TH) indicates Two Handed weapon F indicates a Finesse weapon * Or +1 Damage for anyone capable of causing unarmed damage D3 or greater ** Roll an extra D6 for Bludgeon Crit Damage
A word on money
Prices here have been adjusted to roughly equal the prices in late medieval (14th -15th Century) Western andCentral Europe. If you want to switch back very simply to something more like standard SRD prices, just changesilver pieces to gold pieces.
Bp = bronze piece, equivalent to a bronze dinari (or a much smaller silver dinari, of the same value). This is the“1 dollar bill” of medieval Europe, principle currency for minor daily purchases such as food and drink, a visit tothe bath house, tips, minor tolls etc. 20 bp = 1 sp.
Sp= Silver piece, equivalent to a silver kreuzer. This is the “20 dollar bill” of medieval Europe, principle currency for significant purchases such as weapons and equipment, and lodging during travel, fancy dinners and so on. This is the coin that player characters will probably use most often. 60 sp = 1 gp.
Gp= Gold piece, equivalent to a gold florin or gulden (or the Polish zloty), which is equal to a pound (16 ounces) of pure silver. Also equivalent to the Lire in Italy, the Livre in France and the pound sterling in England. This isthe major currency used by governments and armies, also used by individuals for major expenses such as payingrent, buying horses, paying for ship travel, paying major fines and so on. Gulden also historically existed as verylarge silver coins or silver bars.
For a larger denominations you can use the ducat, which is 4 florins or gulden. (i.e. 4 gp). Another commondenomination historically is the mark which is worth 12 ounces of silver, (sometimes exchanged as 12 ouncesilver bars called grivna in Eastern Europe). Common smaller denominations include the groat (half a kreuzer),and the thaler (4 kreuzer).
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Martial Weapons
Weapon Size Reach /Speed /Defence
BaseDamage
AttackTypes /Primary
AP Bonus
GrappleBonus
Hardness/ HitPoints
Cost
Jambiya T 0/5/0 F 1-6 SP/S - - 8/3 10 sp Rondel Dagger S 1/5/1 F 1-6 P/P +4 - 12/4 8 sp
Broad Dagger S 1/5/0 F 1-8 SCP/P - - 10/5 6 sp Long Dagger S 1/5/2 F 1-6 SCP/P +3 - 10/4 10 sp War Hammer S 2/3/2 1-8 BP/P +4 +2 7/4 4 sp
War Pick S 2/3/2 1-8 BP/P +6 +4 14/12 5 sp Sword, Akinakes S 2/4/1 F 1-6 SCP/P - - 6/2 10 sp
Sword, Short S 2/5/2 F 1-6 SCP/P +2 - 9/3 5 sp Sword, Gladius S 2/3/1 1-8 SCP/CP - - 8/5 6 sp Sword, Cinquedea S 2/5/2 F 1-8 SCP/P - - 9/3 12 sp
Sword, Katzbalger S 2/3/3 1-8 SCP/C - - 12/4 10 sp Sword, Leaf Blade M 3/1/1 1-10 SCP/C - - 8/4 7 sp
Sword, Spatha M 3/2/1 1-8 SCP/C - - 9/4 9 sp Sword, Broad M 3/4/2 F 1-8 SCP/C - - 10/4 12 sp
Sword, Arming M 3/3/3 F 1-8 SCP/CP - - 10/4 15 sp Sword, Cut-Thrust M 3/3/4 F 1-8 SCP/P - - 11/3 20 sp Sword, Sidesword M 4/4/4 F 1-6 SCP/SP - - 10/3 22 sp
Sword, Backsword M 3/2/4 1-10 SCP/C - - 10/5 18 sp Sword, Schiavona / Palasz L 4/2/5 1-8 SCP/C - - 11/5 20 sp Sword, Liuye dao M 3/4/2 F 1-8 SCP/S - - 9/3 10 sp Sword, Yanmao Dao M 3/3/2 1-8 SCP/SP - - 9/3 12 sp Sword, Sabre M 3/5/1 1-6 SCP/S - - 10/3 9 sp Sword, Shamshir / Tulwar M 2/4/2 1-8 SCP/S - - 10/3 8 sp
Morning Star (HH) M 3/1/2 1-10 (BP)/(BP) +2 - 16/15 3 sp Axe, Battle (HH) M 3/1/2 1-12 C/C - +2 7/5 6 sp
Sword, Hand & Half (HH) M 4/4/3 F 1-8 SCP/CP +1 - 10/3 25 sp Axe, Bearded L 4/1/2 1-10 C/C - +2 7/5 4 sp
Axe, Great (TH) L 4/0/2 2-12 C/C - +2 7/5 5 sp Poll Hammer (TH) L 6/1/5 1-10 BP/BP +4 +3 8/6 8 sp Pollaxe (TH) L 6/1/5 1-12 BCP/CP +2 +2 8/6 8 sp
Sword, Longsword (HH) L 5/3/4 F 1-10 SCP/CP - - 10/4 40 sp Sword, Federschwert (HH) L 5/4/4 F 1-2 B/- - - 9/3 6 sp
Sword, Bastard (HH) L 4/4/4 F 1-10 SCP/CP +1 - 10/4 35 sp Kriegsmesser (HH) L 5/2/4 F 1-12 SCP/SC - - 10/5 20 sp Schwiesersabel (HH) L 4/3/5 F 1-10 SCP/SC - - 11/3 55 sp
Sword, Greatsword, (HH) L 5/2/4 F 2-12 SCP/C - - 10/6 30 sp
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Martial Weapons continued
Weapon Size Reach /Speed /Defence
BaseDamage
AttackTypes /Primary
AP Bonus
GrappleBonus
Hardness/ HitPoints
Cost
Light Lance VL 8/-1/1 1-6 P/P +2 - 5/3 5 sp Ahlespiess (TH) VL 7/0/3 1-8 P/P +4 - 10/9 8 sp
Balanced Spear (TH) VL 6/2/4 1-8 BP/BP +2 +1 6/4 10 sp Hewing Spear (TH) VL 7/1/3 1-10 CP/CP - +2 7/6 7 sp Halberd (TH) VL 7/0/3 2-12 CP/CP +3 +3 8/6 8 sp
Volgue (TH) VL 7/-1/3 2-16 CP/C +1 +2 7/6 6 sp Bill-Guisarme (TH) VL 7/0/3 1-10 CP/C +2 +5 8/5 8 sp
Exotic Weapons
Weapon Size Reach /Speed /Defence
BaseDamage
AttackTypes /Primary
AP Bonus
GrappleBonus
Hardness/ HitPoints
Cost
Sap T 0/5/1 1-2 B/B - - 5/2 1 sp
Balisong T 0/6/0 F 1-4 SP/- - - 9/3 5 sp Tanto Dagger T 0/5/0 F 1-6 SCP/SP +1 - 10/2 12 sp
Katar Dagger T 0/7/0 F 1-6 SP/P +2 - 10/3 5 sp Kurkri Knife S 1/5/1 F 1-8 SC/C - - 10/3 8 sp Main Gauche S 1/5/4 F 1-6 SP/P +2 - 12/3 18 sp
Keris S 1/5/1 F 1-4 SP/P - - 9/2 or 7/2 12 sp Moro Kris / Kalis S 3/3/1 1-6 SPC/S - - 10/3 14 sp
Barong S 2/3/1 F 1-8 SPC/C - - 10/3 8 sp Sword, Wakizashe S 2/5/1 F 1-8 SCP/S - - 11/2 15 sp Sword, Falcata S 2/2/1 1-10 SCP/C - - 10/4 8 sp
Bokken M 3/3/2 F 1-4 B/- - - 7/6 3 sp Sword, Smallsword M 3/6/2 F 1-6 P/P +2 - 6/3 16 sp
Sword, Colichemarde M 3/5/3 F 1-6 P/P +2 - 9/4 15 sp Sword, Jian (HH) M 4/4/3 F 1-8 SCP/S - - 9/4 24 sp
Sword, Kopis M 3/1/1 1-12 SCP/C - - 10/4 14 sp Flail, Heavy M 4/4/1 1-12 B/B - +1 10/2 12 sp Flail, Heavy, Spiked M 4/4/1 2-12 (BP)/- - +1 10/2 13 sp
Sword, Katana (HH) M 3/4/2 F 1-12 SCP/S - - 11/3 60 sp Sword, Executioners (TH) L 4/-1/3 F 2-16 SC/C - - 12/7 30 sp
Sword, Niuweidao (HH) L 4/0/2 1-10 SPC/C - - 9/5 50 sp Trident (HH) L 6/0/1 2-8 P/P +2 +2 7/4 4 sp Flail, Light (TH) L 5/6/1 1-6 B/B - - 5/2 6 sp
Sword, Tachi L 4/3/2 F 2-12 SCP/S - - 11/4 30 sp Sword, Khanda L 4/2/3 1-10 SCP/C - - 12/5 18 sp
Kampilan L 4/1/2 1-10 SCP/C - - 9/4 10 sp Sword, Rapier L 5/3/2 F 1-6 SP +2 - 8/3 70 sp
Sword, Estoc L 5/2/3 1-8 BP/P +4 - 14/6 20 sp
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Exotic weapons, continued
Weapon Size Reach /Speed /Defence
BaseDamage
AttackTypes /Primary
AP Bonus
GrappleBonus
Hardness/ HitPoints
Cost
Sword, Claymore (TH) L 6/0/4 2-14 SCP/C - - 12/5 50 sp Sparth Axe (TH) L 6/-1/1 3-18 CP/C - - 10/5 8 sp
Falx (TH) L 5/0/2 2-12 SC/S - - 9/5 10 sp Dha (HH) L 4/3/2 1-10 SC/S - - 12/5 25 sp Bhuj L 5/-1/2 2-12 SCP/C - - 12/3 15 sp Flegel (TH) L 7/4/1 2-12 (BP)/(BP) +2 +1 8/3 15 sp Bullwhip VL 7/4/0 1-2 BS/B - +2 6/3 5 sp Sword, Zweihander (TH) VL 7/0/4 2-16 CP/C - +1 14/6 80 sp
Sword, Flammard (TH) VL 6/0/4 2-16 SCP/SC - +1 14/6 100 sp Glaive VL 8/0/2 2-16 CP/C - +2 9/6 5 sp Spetum / Ranseur VL 7/1/4 1-10 CP/CP +2 +3 9/6 8 sp
Pike VL 9/-4/0 1-6 P/P +2 - 9/5 5 sp Heavy Lance VL 9/-2/0 1-8 P/P +4 - 5/3 7 sp
Yari VL 7/1/2 1-10 SCP/SP +2 - 10/3 9 sp Najinata VL 7/2/4 2-12 SCP/S - - 7/3 3 sp
Using weapons two handed vs one handed table
Used Type 1H HH TH One handed - +1 reach -1 Speed /
Defense -2 Speed / Defense
Two Handed -1 reach +1 damage - -
Base speed for animals by size table
Very Small 10Small 8 Medium 6 Large 4 Very Large 2
K/ O Results Table:
Save made: no effect Save failed: Stunned 1-4 rounds
Save failed by 4 or more: Unconscious 1-6 turns(KO Saves are at +2, +3 or +4 for victims wearinghelmets)
Ġgantija temple, Malta, circa 3,500 BC
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Missile Weapons
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Ivan Bilibin, “Nikolai Muromets and the Nightingale Robber”
Simple MissileWeapons
Cost Weight ReadyBonus
RangeIncrement
MaxRange
PrepTime
AP BasicDamage
AttackType
STRBonus
Rock, Thrown (T) **** - 1 lb 0 10’ 60’ 0 - 1-4 B Y
Throwing Stick (S) - 3 lb 0 5’ 50’ 0 - 1-2 B Y
Throwing Wood (S) - 2 lb 0 10’ 100’ 0 - 1-3 B Y
Throwing Club (S) - 4 lb 0 5’ 80’ 0 - 1-4 B Y
Throwing Hammer (S) - - 0 10’ 60’ 0 - 1-6 B Y
Thrown Mace (S) - - 0 5’ 20’ 0 - 1-8 B Y
Throwing Dagger (T) 3 sp 1 lb 0 5’ 20’* 1 - 1-3 P Y
War- Dart (S) 5 sp 1 lb 0 20’ 180’ 0 - 1-2 P (Y)
War -Dart, Plumbata (S) 8 sp 2 lb 0 40’ 240’ 0 +2 1-3 P (Y)
Hurlbat (S) 6 sp 2 lb 0 10’ 30’ 0 +2 1-6 C (Y)
Crossbow, Balestrino (S) 200 sp 2 lb +2/ +4 5’** 20’* 2 - 1-3 P N
Crossbow, Light (M) 20 sp 4 lb +2/ +4 10’** 40’* 2 - 1-6 P N
Crossbow, Hunting (M) 50 sp 5 lb +2/ +4 15’** 60’* 3 +2 1-8 P N
Javelin, Light (M) 5 sp 1 lb 0 20’** 120’ 0 - 1-6 P (Y)
Javelin (M) 10 sp 2 lb 0 15’ 90’ 0 +2 1-6 P (Y)
Half-Spear, Thrown (M) - 3 lb 0 5’ 20’ 0 +1 1-8 P (Y)
Spear, Thrown - 4 lb 0 5’ 30’ 0 +2 1-8 P (Y)
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Martial Missile Weapons Cost Weight ReadyBonus
RangeIncrement
MaxRange
PrepTime
AP BasicDamage
AttackType
STR Bonus
Javelin, Pilum (M) 5 sp 1 lb 0 15’ 90’ 0 +2 1-6 P (Y)
Javelin, Heavy Pilum (M) 8 sp 2 lb 0 10’ 60’ 0 +4 1-6 P (Y)
Javelin, Thong (M) 2 sp 3 lb 0 15’ 90’ 1 +2 1-8 P Y
Short Bow (M) 10 sp 1 lb +1/ +3 30’ 180’ 1 - 1-6 P N
Recurve Bow (M) 50 sp 2 lb +1/ +3 25’ (300’)*** 1 +2 1-8 P Y
Crossbow, Slurbow 90 sp 5 lb +1/ +3 30’** 120’ 2 - 1-6 B N
Crossbow, Repeating 50 sp 8 lb +2 20’ 250’ 0 - 1-3 P N
Crossbow, Heavy (M) 100 sp 5 lb +2/ +4 40’** 300’ 3 +2 1-8 P N
Long Bow 45 sp 2 lb +1/ +3 20’ (360’) 1 +2 1-8 P Y
Staff Sling 3 sp 4 lb - / - 5’ 200’ 1 - 1-6* B (Y)
Exotic Missile Weapons Cost Weight ReadyBonus
RangeIncrement
Max Range PrepTime
AP BasicDamage
AttackType
STRBonus
Thrown Dagger, Small (T) - 1 lb 0 5’ 20’* 0 - 1-4 P (Y)
Thrown Dagger, Large (T) 0 2 lb 0 5’ 10’* 0 - 1-6 P (Y)
Chakrum / Quoit (T) 5 sp 1 lb 0 10’ 60’ 0 - 1-4 S (Y)
Axe, Throwing (S) 8 sp 2 lb 0 15’ 45’ 0 - 1-8 C (Y)
Fransica Axe, Thrown (S) 10 sp 2 lb 0 20’ 60’ 0 - 1-8 C (Y)
Hatchet or Hand Axe, Thrown (S) - - 0 5’ 30’ 0 - 1-6 C (Y)
Atlatl (M) 5 sp 5 lb +1 10’ 80’ 2 +2 1-6 P (Y)
Crossbow, Arbalest (M) 150 sp 7 lb +2/ +4 50’** 600’ 4 +4 1-10 P N
Crossbow, Arbalest, Heavy (M) 180 sp 8 lb +2/ +4 60’** 660’ 5 +4 1-12 P N
Crossbow, Gastrophetes (L) 100 sp 10 lb +2/ +4 30’ 300’ 3 +4 1-10 P N
Flat Bow (L) 40 sp 6 lb +1 / +3 20’ (150’) 1 +2 1-6 P Y
Yumi Bow (L) 20 sp 7 lb +1 /+3 30’ (300’) 1 +1 1-6 P Y
Heavy Composite Bow (M) 80 sp 6 lb +1/ +2 25’ (600’) 2 +4 1-6 P Y
English War Bow (L) 60 sp 8 lb +1/ +3 20’ (500’) 2 +4 1-8 P Y
Sling (S) - - 0 30’**** (400) 0 - 1-4 B (Y)
AP = Armor piercing bonus (Y)= Strength Bonus applies at melee, close,and short range only.
** +4 To Hit if readied beforehand (or Cocked and loaded). \: *** Fistsized, hard, heavy rock (granite, obsidian)**** 10’ radius required for throwing
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Missile To Hit and Armor Bypass Modifications by Range Table:
Ranges Melee (0) Close (1) Short (2) Med (3) Long (4) Very Long (5) Extreme (6) Damage +2 +1 - - - -1 -1 To Hit -2 +4 +2 0 -2 -4 -6 AP +2 +2 - - -2 -4 -6
Readying Missile Weapons
Prep Time Prep time is the number of MP required to prepare
another shot. Weapons with 0 Prep time can be shot once
per MP, but only if they are already held in the off hand.
Normally only 3 javelins can be held in one hand for example.
Weapons with prep time of 1 or more require extra MP to
reload. So for example a Bow takes 1 MP to shoot, 1 to
reload, 1 to shoot again, costing 3 MP for two shots. A Heavy
Crossbow with a Prep time of 3 can effectively shoot one bolt
per round, whereas an Arbalest can effectively only shoot
once every other round.
Bow and Crossbow Attack Bonus and Initiative Bonus
Bows, meaning self bows as opposed to crossbows, may be
prepared in advance for use in a fight. If a bow has an arrow
nocked, the bonus is +1 To Hit and +1 to Init. If a bow is
readied, i.e. pulled back to fire, the bonus is +3 / +3.
Bows can only be readied for a number of rounds equal
to 2 times the STR bonus of the wielder. Crossbows gain
+2 To Hit / Initiative when loaded before combat, and +4
To Hit / Initiative when aimed at a target for at least one
round before firing. Unlike bows, crossbows can remain
cocked indefinitely.
Self Bows, Javelins, and Indirect Fire
Self bows and javelins can shoot at up to double their
maximum range as indirect / area attack, range is
considered Extreme.
A Note on Throwing Weapon Ranges
To keep it in perspective, top Olympic javelin throwers
manage a range of about 240 feet, that’s a 40’ range
increment in the game. That’s throwing for distance only,
not accuracy.
Special Ammunition
Special Ammunition Cost Wt Range To Hit AP Damage Light Bolt 1 bp 10= 1lb - - - -
Light Hunting Bolt 2 bp 10 = 1lb ½ - -1* +1
Light armor Piercing Bolt 1 sp 10=1lb - - +1 -
Heavy Bolt 2 bp 4=1lb - - - +1
Heavy Hunting Bolt 5 bp 4=1lb ½ - -1 +2
Heavy Armor Piercing Bolt 1 sp 4=1lb - - +2 -
Arrow 1 bp 20=1lb - - - -
Hunting Arrow 2 bp 20=1lb ½ - -1* +2
Fowling Arrow 2 bp 20=1lb - +2 -2* -
Armor Piercing Arrow 5 bp 20=1lb - - +2 -
Pebble Rock - 25=1lb ½ - - -
Stone Bullet (small) 1 bp 20=1lb - - +1 -
Stone Bullet (Large) 2 bp 15=1lb ½ - - +1
Lead Bullet (small) 3 bp 5=1lb - - +1 +1
Lead Bullet (large) 5 bp 2=1lb ½ - +2 +1
Cover and Missile Weapons
Cover confers Free Dice for Active Defense. This can be
between 1-4 Free Dice, 1 die (for every attack) for 25%
cover, 2 die for 50% cover, and etc. The equivalent is +2
for Passive Defense per 25% of cover. Active Defense
makes much better use of cover, but you don’t get the
benefit unless you spend at least one MP of your own.
Using missile weapons with the Martial Pool
If you have read through the Codex so far you probably
have a decent grasp of how to use the Martial Pool in
melee. You may not have thought much about using your
MP with a bow or some javelins.
The MP works essentially the same way with ranged
weapons. If you have played paintball you know one of the
key dynamics is suppression, people hide behind cover, then
emerge to take shots. People under fire or potential fire will
behave much more cautiously, people taking a shot without
themselves being under threat can take more time to aim
etc.
Using Martial Pool, if you are under threat of attacks by other
missiles, you use more dice for Active Defense (to duck
behind cover etc.) if you aren't facing this threat, you can use
more dice to attack with or move. Like when your enemy is
pinned down because your pal is shooting at him.
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So you also use dice to scurry from cover to cover. Each
die you expend from your pool allows you to move your
normal rate, so for example if your move rate is 30' you
could shoot, use two dice to move 60', then one die for
defense when you get shot at as you arrive at your next
tree. If you use all four dice you are running flat out but
can't attack or defend.
You can also move around in a melee the same way of
course, and from melee to ranged fire ranges etc.
Mounted Archery Ride Checks (Optional) Carrying a bow or any missile weapon on horseback is
tricky, using one effectively even more so. Whenever a
ride check is required (due to tactical movement of the
mount (turning suddenly), dealing with terrain (jumping a
fence) or performing some other type of action while
carrying a missile weapon, you must expend 1 or more MP
for the roll. You may also expend multiple MP for a single
roll just as when attacking or defending.
To Hit Penalty while mounted Instead of the default value in the SRD, use this table
based on the weapons size. Smaller weapons are easier
to handle on horseback (especially when it comes to
firearms or bows)
Ride check and To Hit penalty for missile
weapons:
Weapon
Size
Ride
Check
To Hit
Thrown
Weapon
To Hit
Bow
To Hit
Crossbow
or Firearm
T -1 0 - -1
S -1 0 -2 -2
M -1 -1 -4 -4
L -2 -2 -8 -6 Note that the Japanese Yumi bow and the Flatbow, due to their unusual
construction, count as a size M bow for purposes of this penalty.
Mounted Archery feat The Mounted Archery feat improves the ability to use all
missile weapons from horseback, it halves the To Hit
penalty (round down), and confers a Free Dice on all ride
skill checks made when using a missile weapon.
Volley Fire Volley fire is a way to reduce the To Hit penalties for range
and various other factors, by having several archers aim
at the same general target. This can only be done with
bows, javelins, darts, or other weapons capable of long
range indirect area fire, it is not effective with crossbows
except for the Chinese repeating crossbow.
To conduct volley fire, at least eight weapons must be
shooting or (in the case of firearms) firing in the same round,
though they do not have to shoot simultaneously. If the
archers in question are capable of shooting more than once
in the round they may count ‘double’ or ‘triple’ for purposes
of counting as volley fire (so conceivably three horsemen
throwing three javelins each in a round would qualify). To
qualify as volley fire, all eight or more weapons must be
targeting one or more individuals within the same ten foot
diameter.
When volley fire is established, the To Hit penalty for all
factors cannot be more than -4, but the total number of
attacks made is reduced by half. So for example, ten Mongol
archers shoot two arrows each at the same group of 3
knights 150’ away, for a total of twenty arrows, instead of
each of them suffering a – 8 TH (-6 for Extreme range plus -2
for shooting from horseback with the Mounted Archery Feat)
their TH penalty is reduced to -4 but only ten of the twenty
arrows may attack.
You can make bypass attempts when shooting in volley fire,
this represents the natural tendency of a certain number of
the missiles to land in unarmored locations and to some
extent, the factor of aim even at long range
Volley fire is how many weapons including recurve bows, long
bows, and javelins were typically employed in battle
historically, and for exactly the same reasons as in the game.
The Cathars are expelled from Carcassonne, 1209 AD
It is also possible to Feint using missile weapons. Just
pointing a weapon at someone can keep their head down
(cause a Bluff check to force them to expend an MP on Active
Defense).... another way to feint is to feign vulnerability, stick
your head out to lure a shot, (or put a helmet on a stick) and
get them to loose an arrow at you ineffectively....
Piercing Critical Hits and Missile Weapons
(Optional)
A normal hit from a missile weapon is considered to have
bounced off. A critical hit by a missile weapon has an
additional effect. The defender who has been hit with a
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piercing critical hit or a bludgeon critical hit from a sling,
firearm or crossbow bullet must contend with the impaling
projectile still in their body. This effect can also be caused
by a ‘double critical’ from a melee weapon.
Removal
Once a missile weapon successfully impales a target, it must
be removed. Removing the missile may cause extra damage.
A Character with the Heal skill can remove an arrow or other
impaled missile without causing extra damage if they make
the DC check. Consult the table below:
Removing impaled missiles
Action DC Damage caused by failure
Remove spear or javelin 20 1-10
Remove barbed javelin 25 2-12
Remove arrow or crossbow bolt 15 1-10
Remove barbed arrow or crossbow bolt 20 2-12
Remove bullet or sling stone 25 1-10
If an impaled missile weapon is left inside the body of a victim
there is a 5% cumulative chance per day that the victim will
contract gangrene. Once gangrene is contracted the victim will
lose 1 point of constitution per day. Each day they may attempt
to make 3 fortitude saving throws (DC 20). The disease will
progress unless the victim makes 3 consecutive fortitude
saving throws or dies, or until someone casts a Cure Disease
spell upon them. Impalement by a missile weapon also
effectively incapacitates the victim. Any violent action
such as engaging in combat, running, climbing, jumping,
dodging, etc., requires that the Impaled individual must
make a Reflex saving throw (DC 15) or suffer an
additional D10 of damage for each attempt.
Carcassone, Langedoc, France, today.
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Shields Shields are treated as an off-hand defensive weapon. Anyone with the shield proficiency can make an extra Active
Defense die roll for their shield. A success means the shield was hit instead of its owner.
Historical Shield Types Materials Size Cost DefenseBonus
ArmorCheck
Weight Toughness HP MinimumStrength
Hand Buckler Iron T 10 sp 1 -1 1 lb 8 9 - Buckler Wood Composite S 5 sp 2 -1 3 lb 4 4 - Buckler Metal Composite S 10 sp 2 -1 2.5 lb 6 6 4 Buckler Iron S 20 sp 2 -1 4.5 lb 8 16 7 Scottish Targe Leather Composite S 15 sp 3 -2 5 lb 3 6 7 Pelta Hide Composite M 3 sp 4** -2 1.5 lb 1 5 7 Greek Aspis Metal Composite M 100 sp 3* -5 6 lb 6 15 11 Roman Scutum Wood Composite L 60 sp 5** -6 3.5 lb 4 18 10 Zulu Shield Hide Composite M 5 sp 5** -5 2 lb 2 5 7 Viking Roundshield Wood Composite M 20 sp 4** -5 3 lb 3 10 8 Norman Kyte Shield Wood Composite L 25 sp 5** -6 3.5 lb 4 12 10 Small Heater Iron S 20 sp 3** -4 6 lb 6 30 9 Rotella Iron M 50 sp 4** -4 7 lb 6 30 12 Mazzo Scudo Iron S 30 sp 3 -1 5 lb 6 25 10 Medium Heater Iron M 40 sp 4** -5 9 lb 6 36 14 Ottoman Bullet Proof Shield Tempered Steel M 240 sp 4** -5 9 lb 10 36 14
** +1 Defense vs. Missiles *** Minimum Strength is the optional minimum strength required for a character to wield this type of shield in combat.The Aspis and the Scutum are always considered masterwork shields
Shield Construction
All-wood and all-metal shields were very rare historically.
Though role playing and computer games often depict
shields made of wooden planks like picnic tables, or
inch thick sheets of iron like manhole covers, most
shields actually used in real life from the Classical
(Greek and Roman) period though the dark ages and
into the Renaissance, from one end of the planet to the
other, were made of very light materials such as wicker,
hide, bamboo, bone, horn, antler, leather, and cloth.
In some places like Europe, Persia, India, and China
where heavier weapons and armor were often used,
more substantial shields made of thin wood laminate,
and incorporating metal bosses and sometimes rims
were popular. In the Renaissance in Europe and South
Asia some all-metal shields were designed. Most were
bucklers but there were some larger examples such as
the bullet-proof steel shields used by elite Ottoman
Turkish infantry.
Hide Composite hese shields are made of leather or
animal hide, with a wooden, bone, horn, wicker, or
metal frame, and sometimes a wicker structure. Most
very early era shields (such as during classical times) were
made this way.
Wood Composite These shields are made of thin layers of
light wood with a total thickness of roughly ¼” -3/8”,
usually with iron or bronze fixtures, notably a boss and
sometimes a rim, reinforced with some hardwood struts,
and often with a layer of linen or leather over the outside.
Most European shields dating from the Classical era
through the dark ages and well into the middle ages were
made this way.
Metal Composite Sheet metal over laminated wood, metal
rim, and metal grip Shield
Defense & Melee Weapons The defensive bonus conferred by a shield in melee
replaces and does not stack with that of any weapon
carried, unless the carrier has the Shield Fighting Martial
Feat.
In the latter case the shields defensive value can be
combined with that of any S to M sized weapon also carried
by the shield bearer (see Shield Fighting Martial Feat).
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Appendix III: Mounted Combat
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-Guido Cavalcanti “La brigata godereccia” (Minitature) 15th CenturyAD
“By this time the vanguard of the Frankish horsemen had
reached me, so I retired before them, turning back my
lance in their direction and my eyes toward them lest
some one of their horse should prove too quick for me and
pierce me with his lance. In front of me were some of our
companions, and we were surrounded by gardens with
walls as high as a sitting man. My mare hit with its breast
one of our companions, so I turned its head to the left and
applied the spurs to its sides, whereupon it leaped over
the wall. I so regulated my position until I stood on a level
with the Franks. The wall only separated us. One of their
horsemen hastened to me, displaying his colors in a green
and yellow silk tunic, under which I thought was no coat of
mail. I therefore let him alone until he passed me. Then I
applied my spurs to my mare, which leapt over the wall,
and I smote him with the lance. He bent sideways so
much that his head reached the stirrup, his shield and
lance fell off his hand, and his helmet off his head. By
that time we had reached our infantry. He then resumed
his position, erect in the saddle. Having had linked mail
under his tunic, my lance did not wound him. His
companions caught up to him, all returned together, and
the footman recovered his shield, lance, and helmet.” -An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the period of theCrusades. Usamah Ibn-Minqidh, 12th Century AD
Mounted combat requires a trained mount. The Codex
introduces a new type of Warhorse to meet this need.
3.5 OGL SRD lists three types of horse: a heavy and a light
warhorse, and a war pony.
The Heavy Warhorse costs 400 gp, 4 HD, Str 18, Dex 13,
Con 17, Base Speed 50', attacks with the Hoof for +6 TH
and 1d6+4 Damage
The Light Warhorse costs 150 gp, 3 HD, Str 16, Dex 13,
Con 17, Base Speed 60', attacks with the Hoof for +4 TH
and 1d4+3 Damage
The War Pony costs 100 gp but I can't find any stats for it.
The Charger Template
The standard OGL Light and Heavy Warhorse do not quite
live up to the reality of a real warhorse, for this reason we
have included the Charger and Warhorse templates, and
given five specific examples here though there were many
other types historically. You can also use these as the
basis for creating other types of historical or fantasy
mounts. All Deluxe Warhorses have three special traits:
Acceleration
All 'Deluxe' warhorses can move to charge speed as a free
action, and confer a +1 initiative bonus to their rider.
Strength
Another thing a really good charger seems to have been
able to do historically, is deliver its strength into your
attacks, particularly with a spear or a lance. All 'Deluxe'
Warhorses confer their own strength bonus into the To Hit
and Damage rolls for any attack made by a rider during a
charge. This makes it more valuable to have a stronger
horse. This strength bonus would normally be instead of
the strength of the rider, if the horse is stronger… but as an
optional rule you could make the two bonuses stack.
The Warhorse Template All Chargers automatically qualify as Warhorses
Courage
All Warhorses (and war-ponies) receive a Free Dice on
Saves vs. Fear effects.
Agility
Warhorses were agile and could be made by their riders to
perform all kinds of tricky moves, for example when Robert
the Bruce so famously split the head of Henry De Bohun, he
avoided Henry's lance thrust by spurring his horse into a
sideward leap. Any 'Deluxe' class warhorse can allow a
rider who has the Mounted Combat feat to use a Ride skill
check to negate a hit to his or herself and not just on the
mount.
A warhorse was a very valuable commodity in real-life,
these small improvements make Warhorses equally
valuable in the game.
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Destrier
Cost: 500 GP,
Type: Charger
Strength: 20, Dex 15, Con 17.
Base Speed: 50’
The word Destrier does not refer to a breed, but to a type
of horse: this is a charger. It is the drag-racer of the
warhorse world. The strongest warhorse available, these
horses were usually stallions, bred and raised from
foalhood specifically for war. The Destrier was ideally
suited to the joust or the battlefield lance charge; coursers
seem to have been preferred for other types of warfare.
They had powerful hindquarters, able to easily coil and
spring to stop, spin, turn or sprint forward. They also had a
short back and well-muscled loin, strong bone, and a well-
arched neck. From medieval art, the head of the Destrier
appears to have had a straight or slightly convex profile,
strong, wide jaw, and good width between the eyes.
A strong horse but not a huge one like a draft horse (which
is a common misconception)
Palfrey
Cost: 150 GP
Type: Heavy Warhorse
Strength: 18, Dex 14, Con 18
Base Speed: 60’
The Palfrey was a type of horse and not a breed. It was a
strong, agile and tough horse with good endurance. One
significant characteristic of the palfrey was that, rather
than trotting, it usually possessed a smooth, ambling gait.
The amble was the name given to a group of smooth, four-
beat gaits faster than a walk, but slower than a canter or
gallop.
Special: Can do the "Ambling" gait, this is twice normal
movement rate but does not require any ride checks to
maintain.
Courser
Cost 75 GP
Type: Charger
Strength: 18, Dex 14, Con 16
Base Speed: 70’
A courser was a special type of horse which was known for
a running gait, swift and strong, though lighter than a
Destrier, it was highly sought after by knights and European
aristocrats.
Image from a Medieval bestiary depicting a knight on a courser hunting a
‘Tiger’
Hobbie
Cost 50 GP
Type: Light Warhorse
Str 14, Dex: 17, Con 18
Base Speed: 70'
The Hobby is a now extinct breed which was the favorite
mount of a type of Irish cavalry called Hobelars who rode
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without saddles or bridles. It was the ancestor of many
famous breeds such as the Irish draft horse and the
Conemara Pony, and it was probably one of the ancestors
of the English Thoroughbred. A quick breed noted for its
agility and sturdiness.
Jennet
Cost 50 GP
Type: Light Warhorse
Str: 15, Dex: 16, Con 15
Base Speed: 80'
Like most of the others, this is a type of horse not a breed,
though it appears to have become a breed over time. The
jennet was a type of horse found in Spain, known for
having a natural ambling gait, related to the Iberian Barb
and derived from the Arab racing horse, which was the
ancestor of several American horse breeds. Very fast and
known for a smooth ride, it was thought ideal for light
cavalry (Caballeros).
Other types and breeds
These five types of horses represent only a tiny fraction of
the various mounts used throughout Europe, North Africa,
the Middle East, Central Asia and East Asia during pre-
industrial times. We will probably be adding more types in
the future but you may also feel free to add horses with
which you are familiar or have discovered through
research (or made up yourself) using these templates as a
guideline.
Sidebar: Some things to remember for Knight Characters
Remember that if you are wearing armor, your warhorse shouldalso have some kind of barding, if your horse is killed or seriously
wounded you will lose your greatest asset. In standard OGL a
fighter is allowed very few skill points. If you use this rule keep inmind the most important one here will be the Ride skill. At 4th
level you he'd be limited to 4 skill ranks, but that should bemaxed out. The most important standard OGL feats for a knight
are Mounted Combat, Spirited Charge, Ride by Attack, WeaponFocus: Lance, and Weapon Specialization: Lance.
The lance gets x2 damage in a charge which is good. With the
Spirited Charge feat that becomes x3 damage which is evenbetter. The Lance is also a reach weapon too which means the
Knight can attack most Large sized or smaller creatures without
being in range for a counterattack, which is potentially interesting.This works even better with the Ride By Attack Feat which allows
them to move (charge), attack, then move again. In the Codexsystem this makes a mounted Knight very dangerous indeed.
With the Mounted Combat feat the Knight can also make RideSkill Checks to avoid their mount being hit by an enemy attack.
(with the Codex ‘Deluxe’ warhorse template this can also be used to protect the rider from attack) With these Feats alone a 4th level
knight is capable of hitting enemies for 6-27 damage with reachattacks then taking off on their warhorses with their base speed of
50', and wheeling back around to attack again.
Riding Tasks
Guide with Knees DC 5
Leap (varies, Base DC 15) DC 15-30
Spur mount DC 15
Fast mount/dismount DC 20
Cover DC 20
Fast Stop DC 20
Fast Turn DC 15-30
Jump onto occupied horse DC 35
Guide with Knees: If you fail then you have to use one hand
to control your horse.
Leap: Make horse jump obstacle. DC is 5 plus 10 per 5’ of
jumping required, both vertically and horizontally.
Spur mount: Can increase speed of horse by +10ft. for one
round, horse takes 1 point of nonlethal damage, each
following round horse takes double the nonlethal damage,
2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc.
Fast mount/dismount: If you succeed at this role you get 1
dice back. If you fail you still mount/dismount, but it took
you time.
Cover: Drop behind horse for cover.
Fast Stop: Success on this roll decreases the horse speed
by 2 movement speeds. Failure means it only slows by one.
Fast Turn: To make a sharp turn when going at 2X speed or
greater, DC starts at 15 and increases for every speed
increase.
Jump…: Must be at melee range with horse.
Falling from a
horse. Speed
Damage Ride or
Acrobatic DC to
negate
Slow 1d6 DC 15
Charging 2d6 DC 20
Running 3d6 DC 30
Jump
onto
moving
horse
DC
Acrobatics
Walking DC 20
Running DC 30
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Mounted Duel with swords, Talhoffer 1467.
Jousting: must roll a special free dice to see if you can make your horse charge another, DC 15, if failed, your horse shied away
and is major embarrassment, you have 2 chances, after those, automatic loss.
Roll Result Points scored
Attack misses by shield value Lance strikes shield 1
Attack hits Lance strikes character, roll ride
check vs. damage* to see if you
fall.
2
You are hit and fall from your
horse
You lost your roll. Automatic loss, unless you
unhorsed your opponent, in
which case whoever gets up
first wins. Fort Save vs. Fort
save. If tied, whoever has more
points wins, if tied, ride again.
Mounted Combat Rules *Movement: Every change in horse movement requires
one of your die. At speeds above x1, it costs 2 dice a
round to maintain the speed, as soon as you stop
spending maintenance die the horse is considered to be
walking (x1).
*The Chase: In order to catch up with someone else on
horseback, you will have to get up to the speed they are
traveling. So if for example person A starts behind you
and uses 5 dice to run, even if they are only 50’ ahead
of you at end of their turn, you still have to use 5 dice to
represent getting up to speed, and their simultaneous
movement. If your dice result in you going faster, then
you can attempt to attack them while riding by (if you have
the ride-by-attack feat).
*Melee: Once you have caught up to someone you have to
make a contested ride check (unless both combatants are
willing to fight) to get into onset range, otherwise they are
just outside of range. To pull away, another contested
check must be made. The faster mount gets a Free Dice in
this roll.
*Shooting: Moving targets are hard to hit with ranged
weapons. For every 50’ a target has moved in this round (or
the last round if they haven’t moved yet this round),
attackers take a -1 to their attack rolls.
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*Attacking with the horse: In order for a horse to attack,
it must be standing still. If you are trying to command
your horse to attack, and it is a warhorse, then you have
to spend a die, and the horse will spend one of its own
to attack the target you want. If it is not a warhorse, you
must succeed at a ride check DC 15 (doesn’t cost an
extra die, but failure means your die is lost).
*Lance Rest: Certain equipment is ideally suited to
mounted combat. Any plate armor harness or cuirass can
be fitted with a lance rest. Charging (moving at x3) with a
lance rest gives you a +2 To Hit on your rolls with a lance.
Any plate harness for cavalry comes with a lance rest
automatically, and any cuirass can be fitted with one.
Additionally, Brigandine can be fitted with lance rests if so
desired.
Giving the Horse its head xxx
Ride check and To Hit penalty for missile weapons:
Weapon
Size
To Hit
Thrown
Weapon
To Hit
Bow
To Hit
Crossbow
or Firearm
T 0 - -1
S 0 -2 -2
M -1 -4 -4
L -2 -8 -6
Crossbow vs. Lance on the battlefield, Talhoffer 1467.
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Appendix V: Armor
Types of Armor
Partial Armor
Normally covers the torso only. Small (S) or smaller
opponents gain a +2 to bypass rolls against partial armor
worn by (M) or larger targets, because it has no leg
protection. Partial Armor also includes components which
can be added to Partial, Half or Medium armor, such as
helmets, greaves, or gauntlets. Partial Armor usually has a
bypass of 2. With additions like a helmet, coif, greaves,
gauntlets and so on it can go up to 4 (that is, Half Armor).
Half Armor
Covers the torso (chest, shoulders, and back) and head
only. No arm, leg or foot protection. Small (S) or smaller
opponents gain a +2 to bypass rolls against half armor
worn by (M) or larger targets, because it has no leg
protection. Boots, helmet and / or arming jack can be
worn in combination with other types of Half armor to
enhance protection. If worn with other Partial Armor DR,
Armor Check Penalty and weight are cumulative. Half
armor takes one turn per Armor Check penalty to don. Half
Armor has a bypass of 4.
Medium Armor
Covers the torso, upper arms, upper thighs, and head. It
includes an open or partially open helmet, a padded
undergarment such as an arming doublet or a gambeson,
and in some cases puttees or heavy leather boots worn as
lower leg protection. No other armor can be worn with
Medium armor. Small (S) or smaller opponents gain a +1 to
bypass attempts against medium armor worn by (M) or larger
opponents. Medium armor takes one round per armor check
penalty to don. It can be donned in two stages, however. In
one round the wearer can be considered in gambeson and
helm. Medium Armor has a bypass of 6.
Full Armor
Covers the whole body leaving no area exposed. In addition
to full armor covering torso, arms and legs, it includes a full
helmet, mail coif, gauntlets, and a padded gambeson worn
underneath the primary armor. Full armor takes three rounds
per Armor Check penalty to don. It can be donned in three
stages. In 2 rounds, the wearer is in gambeson. At the end of
the 2 rounds per armor check penalty the wearer is in
‘Medium’ Armor (i.e. Bypass 6).
To complete putting on Full Armor requires the assistance of
at least one other person.
At the end of 3 rounds per armor check penalty the wearer is
in ‘Full’ armor. For example, Partial Plate armor with an
Armor Check Penalty of –6, takes 18 melee rounds to don
fully. In the 1st round the wearer can be in Gambeson, after
18 rounds the wearer is in a complete suit of partial plate
armor. Each assistant can speed the donning process by one
round per Dexterity bonus. Full Armor has a bypass of 8-10.
Armored judicial combat with pollaxes
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Armor Tables
Components Component* Cost Stand-Alone
DR Bypass Bonus Armor
Check Speed Weight
Leather Cap 1 sp 2-3 + ½ - - 1 lb Iron Cap / Cervelliere 3 sp 6 ½ -1 - 2 lb Iron Kettle hat 5 sp 6 +1 -1 - 3 lb Iron Helmet, visored 10 sp 8 +1 -1 - 3-5 lb Iron Full Helmet or Helm 12 sp 8 +1 ½ -1 or -2 - 4-6 lb Ion Face Mask (face) 5 sp 6 + ½ - - 2 lb Iron Bevor (face) 5 sp 8 + ½ - - 2 lb Iron Greaves, pair (shins) 10 sp 8 + ½ -1 -5’ 3 lb Iron Shin Splints, pair 3 sp 7 + ½ -1 -5’ 2 lb Iron Poleyns, pair (knees) 15 sp 8 + ½ -1 -5’ 1 lb Iron Couters, pair (elbows) 10 sp 7 + ½ - - 1 lb Leather Bracers(forearm) 2 sp 2 + 1 - - 1 lb Splint Bracers (forearm) 5 sp 4 +1 - - 2 lb Iron Bracers (forearm) 8 sp 8 + 1 - - 2 lb Iron Half-Gauntlets 4 sp 6 + ½ -1 - 1 lb Iron Gauntlets 15 sp 6 +1 -2 - 1 lb Iron Plackart (abdomen) 12 sp 6 +1 -1 -5’ 5 lb Arming Cap 1 sp 2 + ½ - - 1 lb Mail Coif 10 sp 6 +1 - - 3 lb Iron Gorget (throat) 3 sp 6 +1 - - 3 lb
*Bronze or Brass can be substituted for iron here *DR bonus is limited to a maximum of DR 10 ** Bonus granted for armor with a DR lower than 8DR / HP Bonus only applies to the DR and HP of your armor, not your Character!
Partial or Half Armor (Bypass 2-4) . You an add bypass +1 to any breastplate by adding pauldrons for +10 sp
Armor Cost DR Pierce / Cut /Slash
Bypass ArmorCheck
Max Dex
Speed Weight Hardness DR
HP Min Str
Medium Clothing * 1 / 2 / 1 4 -1 +4 30 * 1 2 - Heavy Clothing * 2 / 4 / 2 4 -2 +3 25 * 1 4 - Felt Coat 2 sp 3 / 6 / 2 4 -2 +3 30 2 lb 1 3 - Buff Coat 8 sp 3 / 6 / 3 4 -2 +3 30 5 lb 2 5 - Light Coat Armor 10 sp 2 / 4 / 2 3 -1 +4 30 5 lb 1 8 - Coat Armor 15 sp 3 / 6 / 3 3 -1 +4 30 5 lb 2 10 - Light Gambeson 7 sp 3 / 6 / 3 4 -1 +4 30 3 lb 2 10 - Heavy Gambeson 15 sp 4 / 8 / 4 4 -2 +3 30 6 lb 2 12 - Arming Doublet 10 sp 3 / 6 / 6 3 -1 +4 30 10 lb 3 12 - Leather Doublet 15 sp 2 / 4 / 2 2 -3 +2 30 8 lb 2 6 - Heavy Leather Doublet 20 sp 3 / 6 / 3 2 -3 +2 30 12 lb 3 10 - Leather Lamellar Jack 25 sp 4 / 8 / 4 2 -2 +3 30 10 lb 2 5 - Dō-maru 60 sp 5 / 10 / 15 3 -2 +3 30 10 lb 3 5 - Arming Jack 50 sp 5 / 10 / 15 3 -3 +2 30 15 lb 2 10 6 Light Mail Corslet 30 sp 5 / 10 / 15 3 -2 +3 30 10 lb 5 4 - Scale Corslet 20 sp 4 / 8 / 12 3 -3 +2 30 18 lb 2 4 6 Lorica Plumata 50 sp 6 / 12 / 18 3 -2 +3 30 25 lb 4 6 7 Iron Lamellar Jack 12 sp 6 / 12 / 18 3 -3 +2 30 20 lb 3 10 6 Brigandine Doublet 15 sp 7 / 14 / 21 3 -2 +3 30 15 lb 4 10 4 Iron Cuirass 15 sp 9 / 20 / 30 3 -3 +2 30 25 lb 8 15 7 Steel Cuirass (‘proofed’) 80 sp 11/ 22 / 33 3 -3 +2 30 20 lb 12 15 6 Mail Shirt (Byrnie) 30 sp 8 / 16 / 24 3 -3 +2 30 20 lb 6 5 4 Heavy Iron Cuirass 40 sp 10 / 20 / 30 3 -4 +1 25 30 lb 8 15 7 Peascod Cuirass 80 sp 12 / 24 / 36 3 -3 +2 30 25 lb 8 15 7 Peascod Cuirass “proofed” 160 sp 14 / 28 / 42 3 -3 +2 30 20 lb 12 15 6
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Medium Armor (Bypass 5-7)
This is combination armor consisting of different types of armor worn as a panoply, enough to cover most of the body. Medium armor always includes a helmet or a helm Type Cost DR
Pierce/ Cut /Slash
Bypass Armor Check
MaxDex
Speed Weight HardnessDR
HP Min Str
Gambeson & Helmet 30 sp 5 / 5 / 5 5 -2 +3 25 8 lb 1 5 5 Leather Armor & Helmet 40 sp 3 / 3 / 3 5 -3 +2 25 15 lb 1 6 5 Cuir Boilli Armor & Helmet 60 sp 4 / 8 / 16 5 -4 +1 30 15 lb 3 12 5 Cuir Boilli Lamellar Panoply 80 sp 5 / 10 / 5 6 -3 +2 30 10 lb 3 6 5 Dō-maru Panoply 200 sp 5 / 10 / 15 6 -3 +2 30 10 lb 3 5 - Brigandine & Gambeson 50 sp 6 / 12 / 18 6 -3 +1 25 25 lb 4 5 6 Lorica Segmentata 60 sp 7 / 14 / 21 5 -3 +2 25 30 lb 7 6 8 Light Mail Haubergeon 100 sp 5 / 10 / 15 5 -1 +4 30 20 lb 5 3 6 Tatami Do 120 sp 4 / 8 / 12 6 -2 +3 25 20 lb 4 4 5 Brigandine & Mail 250 sp 10 / 20 / 30 6 -3 +2 25 45 lb 6 6 10 Bakharets Panoply 200 sp 7 / 14 / 21 6 -3 +2 25 25 lb 5 6 12 Klibanion 300 sp 10 / 20 / 30 7 -4 +1 20 50 lb 6 8 12 Mail Haubergeon & Helmet 60 sp 8 / 16 / 24 5 -2 +3 25 30 lb 6 5 8 Mail Hauberk & Helmet 80 sp 8 / 16 / 24 6 -3 +2 25 35 lb 6 5 10 Doubled Mail Hauberk 150 sp 10 / 20 / 30 6 -5 0 15 50 lb 8 7 12 Half Armor 55 sp 10 / 20 / 30 5 -2 +3 25 35 lb 10 10 10 Half Armor “Proofed” 200 sp 12 / 24 / 36 5 -2 +3 25 30 lb 12 10 9 Three Quarters Harness 70 sp 10 / 20 / 30 6 -3 +2 20 45 lb 10 10 10 Ō-Yoroi 300 sp 7 / 14 / 21 7 -4 +1 20 65 lb 4 10 8 Toudei-Gusoku 350 sp 8 / 16 / 24 7 -3 +2 25 40 lb 5 8 6
Full Armor (Bypass 8-12) includes helmet, textile component, and limb protection
Type Cost DR Pierce / Chop/ Slash
Bypass Armor Check
Max Dex
Speed Weight HardnessDR
HP MinStr
Mail Panoply 300 sp 8 / 16 / 24 10 -3 +2 20 50 lb 6 5 12 Heavy Backhterets 400 sp 9/ 18 / 27 9 -5 0 20 45 lb 5 10 10 Brigandine Panoply 350 sp 10 / 20 / 30 8 -4 +1 20 55 lb 6 8 10 Partial Plate Harness 200 sp 10 / 20 / 30 8 -4 +1 15 60 lb 10 8 12 Plate Harness 250 sp 10 / 20 / 30 10 -4 +1 15 55 lb 10 10 12 Gothic (Light) Harness 210 sp 9 / 18 / 27 9 -3 +2 25 40 lb 9 10 10 Gothic Harness “Proofed” 500 sp 11 / 22 / 33 9 -3 +2 25 35 lb 11 10 10 Milanese Harness 300 sp 12 / 24 / 36 15* -4 +1 15 60 lb 10 12 12 Milanese Harness “Proofed” 600 sp 14 / 28 / 42 15* -4 +1 15 55 lb 12 12 12 Maximillian Harness 2400 sp 12 / 24 / 36 12* -3 +2 25 45 lb 12 10 12 Field Harness 6000 sp 14/ 28 / 42 14* -4 +1 20 50 lb 12 12 12 Kings Harness 12000 sp 15 / 30 / 45 15* -2 +3 20 45 lb 12 12 12
* can only be bypassed with a thrusting / piercing attack
Sleeping in Armor The armor check penalty for Armor is also the amount of nonlethal damage sustained from each night spent sleeping in it.
Cost is somewhat arbitrary, since many of these types of armor existed in radically different economies sometimesthousands of miles and hundreds of years apart. DR is Damage Reduction. If you are not using the “Attack Types vs. Armor” optional rule only the first bolded number counts, otherwise use the second number for DR vs. Chop attacks, the third number for DR vs. Slash attacks.Bypass is the To Hit penalty for bypassing a person (or thing… buahahahah) wearing this type of armor. Armor Check is the die roll penalty for Dex based skill checks when wearing this armor, Max Dex is the ceiling for your Dexterity bonus to AC and missile weapons or Weapon Finesse etc. Weight is self explanatory
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Hardness is the DR of the armor itself if the armor is attacked HP is the amount of damage the armor can take before being rendered ineffectiveMin Str is the minimum strength required to wear the armor
Heavy Armor Effect on Martial Pool
Any armor with a Max Dex of +1 or less also causes the wearer to lose 1 martial pool (for a minimum of 1 MP per round)
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Appendix VI: Using OGL 3.5 Feats with the CodexFeats Status
ARMOR PROFICIENCY (LIGHT) [GENERAL] Unchanged ARMOR PROFICIENCY (MEDIUM) [GENERAL] Unchanged BLIND FIGHT [GENERAL] Incompatible CLEAVE [GENERAL] Incompatible COMBAT CASTING [GENERAL] Modified COMBAT EXPERTISE [GENERAL] Modified COMBAT REFLEXES [GENERAL] Modified DEFLECT ARROWS [GENERAL] Replace with Missile Parrying MF DODGE [GENERAL] Modified (pre-req only) EXOTIC WEAPON PROFICIENCY [GENERAL] Modified FAR SHOT [GENERAL] Unchanged GREAT CLEAVE [GENERAL] Incompatible GREATER TWO-WEAPON FIGHTING [GENERAL] High-Level GREATER TWO-WEAPON FIGHTING [GENERAL] High-Level GREATER TWO-WEAPON FIGHTING [GENERAL] High-Level GREATER WEAPON SPECIALIZATION [GENERAL] High-Level IMPROVED BULL RUSH [GENERAL] Replace with Graceful Rush MF IMPROVED CRITICAL [GENERAL] Modified IMPROVED DISARM [GENERAL] Incompatible** IMPROVED FEINT [GENERAL] Modified IMPROVED GRAPPLE [GENERAL] Replace with Ringen MF IMPROVED OVERRUN [GENERAL] Replace with Graceful Rush MF IMPROVED PRECISE SHOT [GENERAL] High-Level IMPROVED SHIELD BASH [GENERAL] Replace with Shield Smash MF IMPROVED TRIP [GENERAL] Unchanged IMPROVED TWO-WEAPON FIGHTING [GENERAL] Modified IMPROVED UNARMED STRIKE [GENERAL] Modified MANYSHOT [GENERAL] Incompatible MARTIAL WEAPON PROFICIENCY [GENERAL] Unchanged MOBILITY [GENERAL] Modified MOUNTED COMBAT [GENERAL] Unchanged* POWER ATTACK [GENERAL] Modified PRECISE SHOT [GENERAL] Unchanged QUICK DRAW [GENERAL] Unchanged RAPID RELOAD [GENERAL] Modified RAPID SHOT [GENERAL] Modified RIDE-BY ATTACK [GENERAL] Unchanged* RUN [GENERAL] Unchanged SHIELD PROFICIENCY [GENERAL] Modified SHOT ON THE RUN [GENERAL] Incompatible (Redundant) SIMPLE WEAPON PROFICIENCY [GENERAL] Unchanged SNATCH ARROWS [GENERAL] Replace with Missle Catching MF SPIRITED CHARGE [GENERAL] Unchanged* SPRING ATTACK [GENERAL] Modified STUNNING FIST [GENERAL] Modified TRAMPLE [GENERAL] Unchanged* TWO-WEAPON DEFENSE [GENERAL] Replace with Main Gauche MF TWO-WEAPON FIGHTING [GENERAL] Replace with the Main Gauche MF WEAPON FINESSE [GENERAL] Modified WEAPON FOCUS [GENERAL] Modified WEAPON SPECIALIZATION [GENERAL] Modified WHIRLWIND ATTACK [GENERAL] Incompatible
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Unchanged Feats
The following Feats work the same using Codex
as they do in the SRD.
ARMOR PROFICIENCY (LIGHT) [GENERAL]
ARMOR PROFICIENCY (MEDIUM) [GENERAL]
FAR SHOT [GENERAL]
IMPROVED INITIATIVE [GENERAL]
IMPROVED SUNDER [GENERAL]
IMPROVED TRIP [GENERAL]
MARTIAL WEAPON PROFICIENCY [GENERAL]
MOUNTED COMBAT [GENERAL]
PRECISE SHOT [GENERAL]
QUICK DRAW [GENERAL]
RUN [GENERAL]
RIDE-BY ATTACK [GENERAL]
TRAMPLE [GENERAL]
SIMPLE WEAPON PROFICIENCY [GENERAL]
SPIRITED CHARGE [GENERAL]
Modified Feats
The following Feats from the SRD should be
modified as described for use with the Codex.
COMBAT CASTING [GENERAL]
Benefit: You get a Free Dice for use on Concentration
checks (only) made to cast a spell or use a spell-like ability
while on the defensive or while you are grappling or pinned.
COMBAT EXPERTISE [GENERAL]
Prerequisite: Int 13.
Benefit: If you forgo all attacks during your own initiative for
the entire round, you gain a Free Dice that can be applied
to any Active Defense, Attack of Opportunity or
Counterattack roll (either automatically generated or due to
Counterstroke or Miersterhau-Countercut MFs) but not for
changing Combat range or for movement (see Mobility
Feat). This Free Dice stacks with any Free Dice gained for
defensive or counterattacking MFs, including but not
limited to Nukitsuke, Nachreisen etc.) and other SRD Feats
such as Combat Reflexes.
COMBAT REFLEXES [GENERAL]
Benefit: Gain a Free Dice once per round for use in Attacks
of Opportunity only. You may add other MP dice to this
Free Dice but you only get the Free Dice for one AoO per
round.
DODGE [GENERAL]
The Dexterity pre-requisite is lowered to 8
EXOTIC WEAPON PROFICIENCY [GENERAL]
Applies to multiple weapons in the same way as Weapon
Focus (see Weapon Focus). Also which weapons are
considered Exotic can vary in some by culture. For example
in a European setting, a Katana is an exotic weapon, whereas
in a Japanese setting, a Katana would be considered a
Martial weapon. This is up to GM discretion.
IMPROVED CRITICAL [GENERAL]
Choose one type of weapon.
Prerequisite: Proficient with weapon, Weapon Specialization
with Weapon
Benefit: When using the weapon you selected for this Feat,
any time you score a Critical Hit your damage is stepped up
one die, as follows:
Piercing or Bludgeon Critical: D8
Chop: D10
Slash: D12
Special: You can gain Improved Critical multiple times. The
effects do not stack. Each time you take the feat, it applies to
a new type of weapon (but a given weapon type may be
considered equivalent to some other weapon types, this Feat
follows the same rule as Weapon Focus, see below).
IMPROVED FEINT [GENERAL]
Prerequisite: Int 13, Combat Expertise, Feint MF
Benefit: You may Feint at any time during the round, whether
it is your initiative or not.
IMPROVED TWO-WEAPON FIGHTING [GENERAL]
Prerequisites: Dex 17, Main Gauche MF, base attack bonus
+6.
Benefit: Gain a Free Dice once per round for a single extra
attack with one of your two-weapons (your choice, probably
depending on range).
A 6th-level ranger who has chosen the two-weapon combat
style is treated as having Improved Two-Weapon Fighting,
even if he does not have the prerequisites for it, but only
when he is wearing light or no armor.
IMPROVED UNARMED STRIKE [GENERAL]
Benefit: Gain the ability to cause 1d4 damage striking with
hands and feet, and the ability to make unarmed strikes at
Melee range instead of Grapple range (thus without triggering
an Attack of Opportunity.)
Normal: Without this feat, any unarmed strike has to be
made at Grapple Range (and therefore draws an AoO) and
you deal only 1d2 damage.
Special: A monk automatically gains Improved Unarmed
Strike as a bonus feat at 1st level. She need not select it.
A fighter may select Improved Unarmed Strike as one of his
fighter bonus feats.
MOBILITY [GENERAL]
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Dodge.
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Benefit: You gain an additional MP once per round for the
purposes of movement only, to be used either moving
between range categories (Onset to Melee to Grapple etc)
or taking a Move Action (moving your Move rate). This
does not increase the maximum amount of Movements you
can do in a round (for this, see the Run Feat). This does
not directly confer extra protection against attacks of
opportunity as per the SRD Mobility Feat, but by getting an
‘free’ move you can use your remaining MP for additional
Active Defense or an extra attack, counterattack, etc.
POWER ATTACK [GENERAL]
Benefit: Spend an extra die to step your damage up one
category, i.e. D8 becomes D10, D10 becomes D12 etc.
RAPID RELOAD [GENERAL]
Works for any type of Crossbow
Prerequisite: Weapon Proficiency (crossbow type chosen).
Benefit: The Prep time required for you to reload your
chosen type of crossbow is reduced by one MP. If you have
selected this feat for hand crossbow or light crossbow, you
may fire that weapon as many times in a full attack action
as you could attack if you were using a bow.
RAPID SHOT [GENERAL]
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Point Blank Shot.
Benefit: You can get a Free Dice for one extra attack per
round with a ranged weapon. You may only use this Free
Dice for an extra attack and may not combine any other MP
dice with this attack.
A 2nd-level ranger who has chosen the archery combat
style is treated as having Rapid Shot, even if he does not
have the prerequisites for it, but only when he is wearing
light or no armor.
SHIELD PROFICIENCY [GENERAL]
Shield proficiency can apply to either bucklers (which also
includes small shields) or to Shields (which includes small,
medium or large shields but not bucklers)
SPRING ATTACK [GENERAL]
Moving, attacking and moving again is made redundant by
the Martial Pool and the codex movement rules. However
you can use this feat to allow a Tumble skill check to be
used as an Active Defense roll (i.e. use your Tumble Skill
modifier instead of your Base Defense or Weapon based
Defense modifiers). An Active Defense using Spring Attack
would count as a void for purposes of the Nachreisen MF
and other MFs.
STUNNING FIST [GENERAL]
Prerequisites: Dex 13, Wis 13, Improved Unarmed Strike
Feat or Ringen MF, Weapon Focus: Unarmed
Benefits:
Gain primary attack type of B for unarmed strikes (allows
multi die attacks to cause multi-die crits using Dynamic
Criticals rule). Critical hit damage is stepped up one die roll
(from D6 to D8, stacks with Improved Critical) for purposes of
nonlethal damage or KO threat (see Basic Combat, Bash
Damage and Bash Critical Hits, and also Appendix 3:
Weapons Tables, KO Results Table for more information on a
KO threat.)
Normal: Unarmed Strikes have no primary attack type
Special: A monk may select Stunning Fist as a bonus feat at
1st level, even if she does not meet the prerequisites. A
monk who selects this feat may attempt a stunning attack a
number of times per day equal to her monk level, plus one
more time per day for every four levels she has in classes
other than monk.
WEAPON FINESSE [GENERAL]
The same as the SRD except this feat applies to a wider
variety of weapons (indicated on the Codex Weapon Tables,
Appendix 3 of the Codex)
WEAPON FOCUS [GENERAL]
Weapon Focus, Weapon Specialization, and all Simple, Shield
or Martial Proficiency feats can ‘overlap’ for other weapons
which meet the following criteria:
1) Same size category (S to M, M to L etc.)
2) Within the same weapon category (Simple
melee, Martial melee, etc,)
3) Has at least one of the same Primary attack
types (Pierce, Slash, Chop or Bludgeon)
4) Is of the same ‘family’ per below:
Light blade (Dagger, Knife, Short sword etc.)
One-handed blade*
Two-handed blade *
Light hafted weapon
One-handed hafted weapon
Two-handed hafted weapon
Thrown Missile Weapon (only Martial or Simple Proficiencies)
Bow
Crossbow
Buckler / Small shield
Medium / Large Shield
*HH weapons can be considered either one or two handed
for this purpose.
So for example Weapon Focus: arming sword would also
apply to a leaf blade sword, a cut-thrust Sword, a sidesword,
a backsword, a schiavona, or a yanmao dao, but not a saber
(incompatible Primary attack type S) or a gladius (different
Size) or a great axe (different weapon ‘family’, i.e. hafted
weapon)
WEAPON SPECIALIZATION [GENERAL]
Applies to multiple weapons in the same way as Weapon
Focus
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High Level Feats
The following Feats are designed for high level
play that the Codex hasn’t yet been tested for,
they may be incorporated into later documents.
GREATER TWO-WEAPON FIGHTING [GENERAL]
GREATER WEAPON SPECIALIZATION [GENERAL]IMPROVED PRECISE SHOT [GENERAL]
GREATER TWO-WEAPON FIGHTING [GENERAL]
Replaced Feats
The following Feats are replaced by an MF from the Codex
(indicated below)
IMPROVED BULL RUSH [GENERAL]
Replace with Graceful Rush MF
IMPROVED GRAPPLE [GENERAL]
Replace with Ringen MF
IMPROVED OVERRUN [GENERAL]
Replace with Graceful Rush MF
IMPROVED SHIELD BASH [GENERAL]
Replace with Shield Smash MF
TWO-WEAPON FIGHTING [GENERAL]
Replace with the Main Gauche MF.
Designers Note on fighting with two weapons: in the SRD,
the main reason to use multi-weapon fighting is that using
a second weapon gives you an extra attack. But in the
Codex, while you can use a second weapon, it does not
necessarily confer any extra attacks or any other
advantages, unless you have certain martial feats.
So if you have say, a sword in your right hand and an axe in
your left, you still have your same pool of 4 (or less). It's up
to you if you want to alternate attacks between weapons or
do all with one or whatever.
If you have the second tier feat Improved Two Weapon
fighting then you do get one extra attack. Otherwise you
have to have one of the martial feats like Main Gauche or
Niten Ichi to get any benefit out of the second weapon.
But conversely the standard SRD penalties do not apply.
TWO-WEAPON DEFENSE [GENERAL]
Replace with Main Gauche MF
DEFLECT ARROWS [GENERAL]
Replace with Missile-Parrying MF (doesn’t work for arrows)
SNATCH ARROWS [GENERAL]
Replace with Missile-Catching MF (doesn’t work for arrows)
Incompatible Feats
The following Feats are not recommended for use with the
Codex combat system. All that actually means is that we
couldn’t figure out how to integrate them with the Codex. Feel
free to make up your own guidelines for using them, and let
us know if you come up with something clever.
BLIND-FIGHT [GENERAL]
CLEAVE [GENERAL]
GREAT CLEAVE [GENERAL]
POWER ATTACK [GENERAL]
This is made redundant by the Dynamic Criticals rule (see
Basic Combat, Dynamic Criticals). If you are using that rule
then do not use this Feat, otherwise (or optionally) use it as
written in the SRD.
MANYSHOT [GENERAL]
SHOT ON THE RUN [GENERAL]
Made redundant by the Martial Pool and Codex movement
rules. How many MP you assign to shooting vs. moving is up
to the player.
TOWER SHIELD PROFICIENCY [GENERAL]
Tower shields are not meant to be carried on ones arm like a
regular shield.
WHIRLWIND ATTACK [GENERAL]
Incompatible weapons
The entire concept of a ‘double weapon’ is redundant when
using Codex rules, particularly the Poll Axe fighting MF and
Half Staff MF. The Double Sword, the Urgosh, the Spiked
Chain, the Dire Flail, Spiked Armor, the Orc Double Axe, and
the Gnome hooked-hammer are not included here or in the
Codex itself because we have no historical sources to base
them on and no idea how they could function within the laws
of physics or even in a cinematic fashion. If you want to use
these weapons with the Codex feel free to make up your own
house rules for them.
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Appendix VII: When Animals Attack!
Animal Fighting Strategies
Closing the Range
Most predatory animals will not stand back and exchange blows
like a prize fighter. Instead they prefer to close to Grapple range,
often in a leaping pounce, as soon as possible, to make better
use of their natural weapons like teeth and claws. This does
make them susceptible to Attacks of Opportunity wherever
applicable.
Cats of all kinds tend to grapple and attempt to bite in a vital
area (bypass attempt) and engage their rear claws for raking
attacks. Canines often seize their prey with a biting attack and
then grapple from the bite, frequently attempting to shake to
cause catastrophic damage, while pulling their prey to the
ground. Bears either enter into grapple with a ‘hug’, only to bite
and claw murderously, or hang back and swipe with their huge
paws. Herbivorous and omnivorous creatures like bulls and pigs
tend to hit and run, moving in to bite or butt, and then moving
out of range again. They may rely on a Charge or something like
the Spring Attack feat.
Apes like to grapple opponents to take advantage of their
incredible strength, and will also bite and attack vital areas like
the face and genitals (bypass attack). Venomous snakes tend to
hold their ground and strike out at opponents, sometimes
aiming for hot spots which indicate blood vessels (bypass
attack) while constrictors will bite and simultaneously envelop
an enemy in one violent attack. Arachnids such as
spiders, and predatory insects like preying mantis,
centipedes, and scorpions tend to pounce on and seize
prey animals to control them while using their mouth
parts, claws and / or stingers if any.
Animals and Defense
Animals are at something of a disadvantage against
weapons since most of their natural weapons do not have
very good reach, and most animals don’t understand the
concept of parrying, but most animals dodge very well.
Defense is based on BAB, animal size and Dexterity.
Natural Armor is treated as damage reduction (that is, in
the same way as armor) with a bypass of –10.
Monsters and Animals in Codex Rules
The Table below includes conversion rules for using
monsters or Animals in the Codex system.
The Norse Queen Aslaug, in disguise as one of her alter egos, Krakathe orphan, sits with her pet wolf contemplating her answer to theriddled summons of Ragnar Lodbrok. Saga of Ragnar Lodbrockpainting by Mårten Eskil Winge 1862
Animals As Pets Fully trained animals other than dogs or horses were
unusual and considered very valuable in pre-industrial
times. (Trained hunting dogs and horses were also very
valuable, especially the latter). Domesticated animal
breeds which were easy to train were not as common then
as they are now. Dogs used for guarding or hunting were
often dangerous semi-feral beasts which were only partly
in control. Trained animals such as bears, monkeys or
wolves were highly valuable commodities. Trained
elephants could be major Strategic military assets.
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Standardized animal attack types
Animal Attacks Reach
To Hit
Bonus
Speed
To Hit
Bonus
Grapple
To Hit
Bonus
Str
To Hit
Bonus?
Str Damage
Bonus?
Basic
Damage
Damage Type Primary
Attack Type
AP
Bite, Tiny, Slashing 0 6 4 N N 1-4 Slash - - Bite, Tiny, Grasping 0 5 5 N N 1-2 Piercing - - Bite, Tiny, Piercing 0 6 6 Y N 1 Piercing - - Claws, Tiny 0 6 6 N N 1 Slash - - Bite, Small, Slashing 0 5 4 N Y 1-6 Slash - - Bite, Small, Grasping 0 5 6 N Y 1-4 Piercing - - Bite, Small, Piercing 1 5 6 Y N 1-2 Piercing - - Slam, Small 0 6 4 Y Y 0-1 Bludgeon B - Claws, Small 1 6 6 Y N 1-2 Slash - - Bite, Medium, Slashing 0 5 4 Y N 1-8 Slash S - Bite, Medium, Grasping 0 4 6 N Y 1-6 Piercing - - Bite, Medium, Piercing 2 3 6 Y N 1-4 Piercing P +2 Slam, Medium 1 6 4 Y Y 1-2 Bludgeon B - Claws, Medium 2 6 6 ½ N 1-4 Slash - - Bear Hug, Medium - - 6 Y Y 1-6 Bludgeon B - Bite, Large, Slashing 0 5 4 N Y 1-10 Slash S - Bite, Large, Grasping 0 3 6 N Y 1-8 Piercing P - Bite, Large, Piercing 3 2 6 N Y 1-6 Piercing P +4 Slam, Large 2 5 4 ½ Y 1-4 Bludgeon B - Claws, Large 3 5 6 ½ Y 1-6 Slash S - Back-Claw Rake, Medium - - 6 Y Y 1-8 Slash S - Back-Claw Rake, Large - - 6 Y Y 1-10 Slash S - Bear Hug, Large - - 6 Y Y 1-8 Bludgeon B -
To Hit represents the To Hit bonus due to reach or inherent
speed, it does not include BAB + Str bonus. etc.
Slashing Bites are those of creatures like sharks and
piranhas with teeth designed for tearing chunks of flesh
from their victims. Some insects and arachnids etc. have
slashing bites, as do some reptiles, and many fish. The
beaks of some birds make slashing bites.
Grasping Bites include most warm blooded carnivores like
dogs, wolves, bears, big cats, and etc., as well as many
reptiles such as alligators and crocodiles, and some fish.
These are bites designed primarily to grasp and hold prey
while it is subdued, and secondarily to cause pierce and
cut injuries. A grasping bite, once made, can be maintained
to do damage automatically (without a To Hit roll) every
round until the creature is forced to release its jaws.
Slam includes tail slap, unarmed striking with fists and feet
etc.
Grappling from a Bite: Once a grasping bite attack is
successful, the animal is considered in Grapple range. The
animal may then make a free contested grapple check to
attempt to pull its enemy to the ground (Prone) which is a
favorite strategy of many beasts of the gloomy forest glade.
Shaking and Rolling: Once in grapple, it is also possible for
an animal with this kind of bite to attempt a special critical
hit, representing an attempt to sever a limb or chunk of
flesh, or break underlying bones. Once in grapple, an
animal with a grasping bite (like a canine or a crocodilian)
which has successfully bitten its enemy may attempt to
shake or roll by making a second contested grapple check.
If this grapple fails, the enemy is released, if it is successful,
it counts as a critical hit for an extra full dice of damage.
Piercing Bites are from very large fangs such as a snakes
fangs, a spiders fangs, or the exaggerated teeth of a saber-
toothed tiger, the latter being considered oversized, with
teeth (and damage etc.) a full size category larger than the
creature itself. These bites are designed to kill by puncturing,
either by injecting venom or more rarely, by simply piercing
internal organs, the central nervous system or major blood
vessels. Most creatures with this attack type bite and then
immediately release their victim, to be ready to bite again.
Rake Attacks are attacks with the hind claws. They are
considered claw attacks one size category higher than the
size of the animal in question. Rake attacks can only be
attempted at Grapple range.
Large Claws can also cause KO like a bludgeon weapon.
Allow some large animals like bears to attempt this as an
alternate tactic against armored opponents.
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Sample Animals
This document includes the 13 animals which havebeen converted to Codex rules:
1 Ape 2 Bear, Brown 3 Boar 4 Crocodile 5 Dog 6 Eagle 7 Elephant 8 Horse (Warhorse) 9 Leopard 10 Lion 11 Snake (Small Viper) 12 Snake (Constrictor)
13 Dire Rat
Converting Monsters in Seven Steps:
1) Consult the SRD entry for the Monster or Animal in
question.
2) Make note of the BaB and the number of Attacks and
then consult tables 1.2 and 1.3 from this document to
determine the Martial Pool. Make note of this. Remember
to check the SRD for the multi-attack Feat and the
Monsters base speed because these affect the MP.
Remember to check if the animal has feats like Weapon
Finesse or Weapon Focus. Also note: normally a bite and a
claw attack counts as 3 attacks (two claws, one bite.)
3) Make note of the Monsters Str and Dex and their
appropriate modifiers.
4) Consult the “Standard Animal Attack Types” Table above
to determine the animals attack types. Make note of the
To Hit bonus at each range (onset, melee and grapple), if
the Str Bonus applies for To Hit and Damage, and note the
Damage and attack types.
To make it easier to understand the process I put these in
a little table when I was converting each monster for this
document. You can make a determination at this point
whether to make any changes such as assigning a larger or
smaller size category for a specific attack for example, or
any unique special attacks that aren’t covered in the codex
(Squid tentacles or probiscus or whatever).
5) Combine the appropriate modifiers to determine the To
Hit bonus for each attack at Onset, Melee, and Grapple
range (including Strength or Dex bonus where applicable),
and the Damage for each attack (including Strength Bonus
where applicable). Don’t forget to make note of any AP ability
the monster may have.
6) Use the BaB and Dex bonus to determine the Monsters
Active Defense modifier and Passive Defense value.
Remember to check for other modifiers such as for size.
7) Make note of the Natural Armor, if any, included in the AC
statblock within the SRD entry.
Ability Score Modifiers (from Sovelior SRD)
Table 1.1 Score Modifier
1 -5
2-3 -4
4-5 -3
6-7 -2
8-9 -1
10-11 0
12-13 +1
14-15 +2
16-17 +3
18-19 +4
20-21 +5
22-23 +6
24-25 +7
26-27 +8
28-29 +9
30-31 +10
32-33 +11
34-35 +12
36-37 +13
38-39 +14
40-41 +15
42-43 +16
44-45 +17
Monster BaB by HD
http://www.d20srd.org/srd/typesSubtypes.htm#types
Table 1.2 Martial Pool by BaB and Total Number of Natural
attacks: BAB: Total No of
Attacks: 1 2 3 4 5+
1 1 2 3 4 5 2 2 3 4 5 6
3 3 4 5 6 7 4 4 5 6 7 8
5-8 4 6 7 7 8 9+ 5 7 7 8 8
Table Formula= BAB (max 4) + Total Number of NaturalAttacks -1
Claw attacks are usually paired (two claws, one bite = threeattacks total)
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Table 1.3 Speed modifiers to Martial Pool: Speed Mod 15’ -1 (min 1)
20’ 0 30’ 0
40’ +150’ -60’ +2
70’+ +3
Multiattack Feat= +1 Martial Pool
Table 1.4 Size modifiers to Martial Pool (Min 1, Max 8) Size Mod
VS +2 S +1
M - L -1
Huge -2
Animal Type (from SRD) An animal is a living, nonhuman creature, usually avertebrate with no magical abilities and no innatecapacity for language or culture.
Features An animal has the following features (unless otherwisenoted in a creature’s entry). 8-sided Hit Dice. Base attack bonus equal to ¾ total Hit Dice (as cleric). Good Fortitude and Reflex saves(certain animals have different good saves, for instance dire animals have good Fortitude, Reflex, and Willsaves). Skill points equal to (2 + Int modifier, minimum 1) per HitDie, with quadruple skill points for the first Hit Die.
Traits An animal possesses the following traits (unlessotherwise noted in a creature’s entry). Intelligence score of 1 or 2 (no creature with an Intelligence score of3 or higher can be an animal).
Low-light vision. Alignment: Always neutral. Treasure: None. Proficient with its natural weapons only. A noncombative herbivore uses its natural weapons as asecondary attack. Such attacks are made with a -5 penaltyon the creature’s attack rolls, and the animal receivesonly ½ its Strength modifier as a damage adjustment. Proficient with no armor unless trained for war. Animals must eat, sleep, and breathe to remain living
Level Base Attack Bonus
1st +02nd +13rd +24th +35th +36th +47th +58th +6/+19th +6/+1
10th +7/+211th +8/+312th +9/+43th +9/+4
14th +10/+515th +11/+6/+116th +12/+7/+217th +12/+7/+218th +13/+8/+319th +14/+9/+420th +15/+10/+5
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1 Ape
BAB 3 (HD)
Martial Pool 4 (3 Bab +2 attacks -1 size)
Init + 2
Natural Armor 1 (Bypass -10) HP 29
Dex bonus +2 Str bonus +5 (half rounded up =+3)
Codex Attack Stats:
Attack Onset Melee Grapple Damage
Claws +6 (0+3 Bab +3 Str) +11 (6+3 Bab +3 Str) +11 (6+3 Bab+3 Str) 1-4 (S)
Bite +3 (0+3 Bab) +7 (4+3 Bab) +9 (6+3 Bab) 1-6 +5 (P)
Grapple 0 0 +15 (6+3 Bab +5 Str) Special
Active Defense: +7
Passive Defense: 14 Special: Weapon focus: Grappling
Tactics: This animal likes to get an opponent in close wherethey will use their grappling ability to seize and hold for
repeated bites. Unlike many animals an Ape will not hold it’s
pretty down with its bite, but rather bite repeatedly, using it’s
powerful arms to control it’s opponent. Don’t forget the +5 Str bonus in all Grapple checks
Designers Notes: Added weapon focus: Grappling as an extrabonus for grappling due to the use of the feet and innate
grappling skill. I don’t think the Ape I’m thinking of is a whole
lot larger than man sized so I treated the Apes claw and Bite
attacks as Medium sized.
2 Bear, Brown
BAB 4 (HD)
Martial Pool 6 (Bab 4 + 2 for 3 attacks + 1 due to 40’ Speed bonus -1 size)Init + 1
Natural Armor 2 (Bypass -10) HP 51
Dex bonus +1 Str bonus +8 (half =+4)
Codex Attack Stats:
Attack Onset Melee Grapple Damage
Claw +10 (2 +4 Bab +4 Str) +13 (+5+4 Bab +4 Str) +14 (+6+4 Bab +4) 1-6 +8 SB
Bite +4 (0 +4 Bab ) +7 (+3+4) +10 (+6+4) 1-8 +8 P
Bear-Hug - - +18 (+6+4+8) 1-8 +8 B
Active Defense: + 7 Passive Defense: 15
Special: Improved Grab (Ex): To use this ability, a brown bear
must hit with a claw attack. It can then attempt to start agrapple as a free action without provoking an attack of
opportunity.
Tactics: Bears are cunning and may attempt to bypass armor
after the first time damage is absorbed by it.
Designers Notes: As you can clearly see from the stats, thisis a VERY dangerous animal. Just as in real life, a bear in the
Codex world is not something to be messed with lightly. It’s bad enough if you are at onset range, if you let it get you into
a grapple you are in serious, serious trouble. With 27 Strengththis is a beast you don’t’ want to wrestle with – especially
while it’s biting you, clawing you and breaking your ribs in abear hug. During their famous expedition Louis and Clarke
used to shoot Grizzly bears and then still have to climb uptrees and watch helplessly while their mules were eaten before
their eyes. This is an animal you don’t want to fight on footclose up if you can help it.
Even plate armor isn’t much protection against a full grown
brown bear.
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3 Boar
Boar (or warthog)
BAB 2 (HD)
Martial Pool 3 (Bab 2 + Speed Bonus)
Init + 0 Natural Armor 3 (Bypass -10)
HP 25 Dex bonus 0
Str bonus +2 (half = +1)
Codex Attack Stats:
Attack Onset Melee Grapple Damage
Tusk Gore +3 (0+2 Bab +2 Str) +8 (5+2 Bab +1 Str) +8 (4+2 Bab+1 Str) 1-8 S
Bite +2 (0+2 Bab) +6 (4+2 Bab) +8 (6+2 Bab) 1-6 +2 P
Active Defense: +2
Passive Defense: 10 Special: Ferocity
Tactics: Boars will hit and run by charging and using theirslashing attack at Melee range if possible, their normal agenda
being to drive away any potential threat with an injury. But if
sufficiently irritated (for example a sow defending her young)
they will move in for the bite and fight to the death.
Designers Note: I treated the slashing attack of the boarstusk as a slashing bite.
4 Crocodile
BAB 2 (HD) Martial Pool 2
Init + 1
Natural Armor 3 HP 22
Dex bonus +1 Str bonus +4 (half =+2)
Codex Attack Stats:
Attack Onset Melee Grapple Damage Bite +2 (0+2 Bab) +5 (3+2 Bab) +9 (6+3 Bab) 1-8 +4 P
Tail +9 (3+2 Bab +2 Str) +9 (3+2 Bab +2 Str) +9 (3+2 Bab +2 Str) 1-6 +4 B
Active Defense: + 3 Passive Defense: 11
Special: Improved Grab, Roll
Tactics: Crocodiles are mainly ambush predators but they willalso Charge. Their preferred attack will be a bite from
concealment in an attempt to catch their target flat-footed ifpossible. If they get a bite in they will roll on the next round,
this causes automatic bite damage plus a reflex save againstthe gators Strength Ability check roll (D20 +4) or face an
automatic critical hit and be pulled prone. If the Crocodile is inthe water they will also have to check for drowning. Crocodiles
will drag prey into the water if possible (contested strengthcheck is applicable)
Designers Note: Even though it is a medium animal I ruled
that it has a particularly big and powerful mouth so I gave it aLarge Grasping bite.
5 Dog
BAB 1 (HD) Martial Pool 2
Init + 2 Natural Armor 1
HP 13 Dex bonus: +2
Str bonus: +2 (Half = +1)
Codex Attack Stats:
Attack Onset Melee Grapple Damage
Bite +1 (0+1 Bab) +5 (4+1 Bab) +7 (6+1 bab) 1-6 +2 P
Paw +3 (1+1 Bab +1 Str) +8 (6+1 +1 Str) +8 (6+1+1) Trip attempt only
Active Defense: + 3
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Passive Defense: 11
Special: Trip, Situational Awareness MF, Cooperative fighting MFTactics: They will use the free dice they get from Cooperative
fighting to make a 2 dice attack while saving one die for activedefense. This represents their darting in and nipping and then
jumping back out of range. At any point though the dog maydecide to go into for the kill by entering grapple range to seize
their target. At this point if they hit with a bite they willcontinue to bite (automatic damage) while grappling to pull
their victim to the ground (contested Str check or grapplecheck) Bite damage is automatic while grappling from a bite.
Designers Notes: I don’t know what a riding dog is supposed
to be exactly to be honest. This entry here is meant torepresent a medium / large sized dog like a German Shepherd
or a Rottwieller. Dogs have the situational awareness andcooperative fighting Martial Feats from the Codex. The latter
gives them a free dice to attack any opponent their partner(any other pack member or human companion) has attacked in
the same round. Most hunting or war dogs tend to beexceptionally brave and will often fight to the death, which
can’t be said for most wild animals.
6 Eagle
BAB 1 (HD) 1
Martial Pool 1 (4 when flying due to speed)Init + 2
Natural Armor: 0 HP: 5
Dex bonus: +2 Str bonus 0
Codex Attack Stats:
Attack Onset Melee Grapple Damage
Talons +4 (1+1 Bab+2 Dex) +9 (6+1 Bab +2 Dex) +9 (6+1 Bab +2 Dex) 1-4 S
Beak +1 (0+1 Bab) +7 (6+1 Bab) +5 (4+1 Bab) 1-4 S
Active Defense: + 3 Passive Defense: 11
Special: Will grab tiny prey and carry them off.Tactics: Will fly down (counts as a charge) and do two 2 dice
Talon (claw) attacks. Will attempt to attack by surprise ifpossible. Against a dangerous opponent it will stay at onset
range, strike and fly off. Against a prey animal or any othervulnerable looking target (magically shrunken characters?) it
will seize them and carry them off.
Designers Note: Even though it is a small animal I made the
talons medium claws because talons on birds of prey areparticularly formidable. The high flying speed gives it an
enhanced Martial Pool in spite of its low HD. Weapon finesseonly applies to the talons.
* Str bonus not applicable for Talons due to Weapon Finesse
7 Elephant
BAB 8 (HD 11) Martial Pool 6 (Max from HD and speed etc. but -2 for Size)
Init + 0 Natural Armor 3
HP 104 Dex bonus 0
Str bonus +10 (half = +5)
Codex Attack Stats:
Attack Onset Melee Grapple Damage AP
Tusks +15 (2 +8Bab +5 Str) +17 (4+8+5) +13 (0+8+5) 1-8+10 P +2
Slam (foot) +13 (0 +8Bab +5 Str) +17 (4+8+5) +17 (4+8+5) 1-8+10 B -
Trunk +13 (0 +8Bab +5 Str) +16 (3+8+5) +19 (6+8+5) See below -
Trample - - +17 (4+8+5) 2-12+10 B -
Active Defense: + 6 (8 Bab -2 Size)
Passive Defense: 14 Special: Trunk acts a bit like a constrictor snake. It is used
for grappling, and can squeeze for 1-8 HP Bludgeon damagewhile in grapple. It will also snatch weapons away from
opponents, trip opponents etc. An Elephant can only attackopponents it is facing. When flanked it must choose one
opponent to attack at a time.
Tactics: Charging is popular, attacking with tusks and trample
primarily, so is going in for a good close fight with foot slamsand trunk grappling. Trample includes a head-crush (pressing
the opponent with the elephants skull). Designers Note: I treated the slam attack as being a Huge
Claw that did bludgeon damage instead of slash, and reducedthe Reach to zero.
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8 Horse (Warhorse- Heavy)
BAB 3 (HD 4)
Martial Pool 6
Init + 1
Natural Armor 1 HP 30
Dex bonus +1 Str bonus +4 (Half =+2)
Codex Attack Stats:
Attack Onset Melee Grapple Damage
Front Hooves +7 (2+ 3 Bab + 2 Str) +10 (5 + 3Bab + 2Str) +9 (4+3 Bab + 2 Str 1-4+4 B
Bite +3 (0+3 Bab) +8 (5+ 3 Bab) +7 (4 + 3 Bab) 1-4 S
Back Kick* +8 (3+3+2) +10 (5+3+2) +9 (4+3+2) 1-6+4 B
* Back Kick works against flanking enemies only (rear attack only)
Active Defense: + 4Passive Defense: 12
Tactics: A warhorses tactics is normally dictated by its rider,
but they can instinctively rear up toward dangerous targetsand strike with their front hooves, and kick back at anything
attacking them from behind.
Designers Note: I ruled the bite was a tiny bite since horses
don’t have very strong jaws or sharp teeth, but can still do some damage.
9 Leopard
Leopard BAB 3 (HD) Martial Pool 6 (3 BAB + 2 “extra” attacks +1 Speed)
Init +4 Natural Armor 1
HP 19 Dex bonus +4
Str bonus +3
Codex Attack Stats:
Attack Onset Melee Grapple Damage
Claws +8 (1+3bab +4 Dex) +13 (6+3 bab+4 Dex) +13 (6+3+4) 1-4 (slash)
Bite +3 (0+3bab) +11 (4+3 bab+4 Str) +12 (6+3+3) 1-6+3 (pierce)
Rake - - +12 (6+3+3) 1-8+3 (slash)
* Weapon finesse on claw attacksActive Defense: +7 Passive Defense: 15
Special: Pounce (allows him to charge for the cost of only 1
MP), Improved Grab (Codex rules version allows this to workwith claws if he hits with both claw attacks, as well as with the
bite)
Tactics: Leopards will attack from surprise by preference,closing to melee for a lethal bite, this is called a punch, all the
MP dice would be expended in such an attack for a single bite.
Against a non-surprised opponent the Leopard will useimproved grab with claw attacks to go in for a bite, but always
leaving at least one MP for active Defense.
Designers Note: None
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10 Lion
BAB 3 (HD 5) Martial Pool 5 (3 BAB + 2 “extra” attacks +1 Speed -1 Large size)
Init + 3
Natural Armor 2
HP 32 Dex bonus +3
Str bonus +5 (Half = +3 rounded up)
Codex Attack Stats:
Attack Onset Melee Grapple Damage
Claw +8 (2+3 Bab+3 Str) +11 (5+3+3) +11 (6+3+3) 1-6+5 S
Bite +6 (0+3 Bab +3 Str) +9 (3+3+3) +11 (6+3+3) 1-8+5 P
Rake - - +14 (6+3+5) 1-10+5 S
Active Defense: +6
Passive Defense: 14 Special: Pounce, Situational Awareness MF, Cooperative
Fighting MF, Improved Grab Tactics: Lions attack from surprise or ambush by preference,
usually at night. Sometimes they will be more blatantly
aggressive and they are not afraid to go toe-to-toe with even
large prey or rival predators. Due to their status as apexpredators, they are as likely to take food from rival species as
to catch it themselves. They almost always attack in groups
and are extremely cunning, essentially like highly flexible 600
pound dogs with three inch claws.
Designers Notes: Add the Cooperative Fighting Martial Feat
and Situational Awareness Martial Feat to this animal. The
animal depicted here is an adult female Lion. A male would be
HD 7 Str bonus +7.
11 Snake (Small Viper)
BAB 1 (HD)Martial Pool 1
Init + 7Natural Armor 0
HP 4 Dex bonus +3
Str bonus -2
Codex Attack Stats:
Attack Onset Melee Grapple Damage
Bite +4 +6 +7 1-2 P *
* Poison Active Defense: + 5
Passive Defense: 13 Special: Poison
Tactics: Attacks primarily from ambush, uses camouflage tohide.
Designers Note: This would be an exceptionally large snake
by real world standards. Poison type would vary by type,some have nerve poison, some blood poison etc. ranging
widely in potency by species.
12 Snake (Constrictor) BAB 3 (HD)Martial Pool 2
Init + 3Natural Armor 1
HP 19 Dex bonus +3
Str bonus +3
Codex Attack Stats:
Attack Onset Melee Grapple Damage
Bite 0 +5 +6 1-2 P
Constrict - - +9 1-6+3 B
Active Defense: + 2Passive Defense: 10
Special: Constriction. Tactics: Once a hit is made with a bitean automatic attempt to
constrict will be made. Once there is a successful grapple roll
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it will have enveloped the target and begin squeezing.
Constriction damage is automatic after that and the snake willexpend both MP from that point on to constrict its target until
it is dead.
Designers Notes: Give it improved grab from the bite.
Snakes do not have very strong jaws and constrictors don’t have the kind of large teeth vipers do, so I made his bite a
small piercing bite. It’s more of a nuisance.
13 Dire Rat
BAB 1 (HD)
Martial Pool 3Init + 3
Natural Armor 1HP 5
Dex bonus +3Str bonus 0
Codex Attack Stats:
Attack Onset Melee Grapple Damage
Bite +3 +8 +9 1-4 P Active Defense: + 4
Passive Defense: 12 Tactics: Dire rats are aggressive and resourceful. They will
normally retain at least one die for active defense, if they
generate a counterattack they will often charge. They are
opportunistic and good at acting in a group when they havethe chance to.
Designers Notes: Martial pool enhanced due to speed and
size.
The proverbial gloomy forest glade…
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Appendix VIII: Characters in the Codex
Sample Characters To help with integration into 3.5 OGL, six sample characters
have been converted here to act as a guideline. Each of
these characters is 4-6th Level (one is 9th), and represent
different relatively common fantasy and historical
archetypes.
Sir Fulrad Von Ulm Male Human Knight
Hijikata Toshizo Male Human Ronin Samurai Redmond O’Hanlon Male Human Outlaw / Bandit
Aife The Wanderer Female Elf Fighter (caravan leader) / Stafffighter
Ard Bruig Male Dwarf Fighter (mercenary) / Axe and Shield fighter Le Tranche Grouiller Male Human Rogue (thief) / Dagger fighter
Augustin Staidt Male Human Fighter / Expert
These characters were initially generated from the website
http://www.pathguy.com/cg35.htm using standard 3.5
rules only, then converted to Codex rules.
The German knight, named Ernst von Baden. No seriously.
The famous Free Imperial Knight Götz von Berlichingen, by Holzstich,von Emil Eugen Sache
Sir Fulrad Von Ulm is a no frills 15th Century German knight.
He was not born a knight but rose through the ranks as asoldier. Unsatisfied with his fathers career as a cobbler, he
joined the Imperial Army as a spearman at the age of 16. Hegot lucky in his second battle during a skirmish with the
Swabian League, and ransomed a wealthy captive, earningenough thereby to buy a horse. In his second battle during
the same campaign, he acquired armor and two horses. Afterfighting as a man at arms and distinguishing himself in a
difficult campaign in Pomerania, he was granted knighthood byhis patron, the town of Ulm. Still a young man, Sir Fulrad is
big, mean and aggressive, as well as highly ambitious. Hetakes a serious, no-nonsense approach to fighting, and will
crush anyone who stands in his way.
Sir Fulrad owns a Courser and two amblers.
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Depiction of Nasu no Yoichi, archery legend of the Battle of Yashima1184. From a hanging scroll, Watanabe Museum, Tottori Prefecture,Japan
Hijikata Toshizo is a 16th Century Japanese Samurai turned
Ronin. When his lord was defeated in battle he was forced totake employment where he could, eventually finding work as
the bodyguard of a Yakuza chieftain. Respected for hisconsiderable fighting skills, Hijikata is not accustomed to
mincing words, he’d rather mince people if they mouth off. Hijikata also has a sensitive side however, and enjoys poetry
and music. He hopes one day to hire on with another Lord andleave the criminal underworld behind him, find a wife and
settle down. Until then, he makes sure to jealously guard hismost valuable possession: his honor.
Walter Scott of Harden, by Tom Scott
Redmond O’Hanlon was born of a noble family, fought as asoldier and distinguished himself in battle. But when his
people were defeated by a foreign invader and his familieslands were confiscated he was forced to flee to the hills and
turn outlaw. He now runs several lucrative protection rackets,shaking down foreign officials, and has a side business in
waylaying enemy military caravans, particularly supplyshipments and payroll for the local garrison, both of which he
uses to arm, equip and maintain his own men who are
gathering in the hills, waiting for the right moment to reclaim
their lands. He stages ambushes and evades pursuit with an
effortless ease, preferring to bluff than to fight when possible. He actually dislikes killing and has earned a reputation as
something of a ‘gentleman bandit’, but he has a fanatic dedication to his cause and a fierce temper which sometimes
gets the better of his considerable discretion, and is adangerous man when provoked. Redmond O’ Hanlon owns a
Hobbe horse, not depicted on his Character sheet.
Sandro Botticelli, Pallas Athena and the Centaur, 1482
Aife the Wanderer was born the daughter of a famous Elvenwarrior and a notorious witch. As a young woman she was put
in charge of an important supply caravan being sent to lift asiege. Before she left her worried father gravely presented her
with a silver-bound staff with which to defend herself on theroad. During her journey through the Bohuslan forest to
relieve the distant city, she found the lifestyle of the caravanharsh and dangerous compared to the luxurious existence she
had known, but she also enjoyed the adventure andexcitement of the trail.
After the mission was complete, she used her pay to buy into
one of the trade caravans which travel to the distant humantrading towns every spring, and was eventually appointed its
security chief. With bandits, goblins, robber knights and worselurking in every forest and behind every hill, caravanning is
perilous enterprise, but Aife was well prepared and remainedcool under fire: her strategic acumen was sharp, and she
protected her caravan well. Calling upon childhood training,she also achieved personal expertise with her staff. Her
fighting skill became legendary in the rough taverns of theHanse cities along the trade routes, more than one “tough
guy” learned the hard way not to bother the strange red headed Elf maid or touch her pretty walking stick.
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Dwarves fighting Cranes, Olaus Magnus, Sweden 1555 AD
Ard Bruig is a Dwarven mercenary. Humans think his name
means “Hard Brig” for the brigantine armor he wears and the
hard edge of his battle axe. He does not bother to tell them
that his name actually means “Tall Hill” for the mountain he once called home. He has not seen that mountain for a long
time, and prefers not to think about it now. Instead he makeshis living by the edge of his axe, fighting among humans in a
company of the famous Condottieri Malatesta, he receivesdouble pay as a sapper and a heavy skirmisher. The pay is
good, the Company is well run, and slowly Ard socks awaymoney so that he can one day return to his home.
Le Tranche Grouiller grew up on the mean streets of the
seaside city of Ramatuelle where a man’s reputation is his life. A slippery character known as an able second story man,
Grouiller has an easy smile and a hearty laugh, and is knownto appreciate a friendly drink and a good story. People say he
is openhanded after a score, gallant with the girls, loyal to hisfriends, and a generally honorable man… for a thief. But he’s
not known as “the slice” for nothing, and questioning his honor for whatever reason is something best carefully considered,
because this is a man who does not suffer a slur or bandyinsults, preferring to let his knives do that kind of talking. He
first achieved notoriety when rumors surfaced that he hadventured into certain bandit-haunted ruins and stole away with
valuable treasures. But his nickname was earned on the dayhe was challenged on a city street in broad daylight by a
belligerent Landsknecht feldweibel named Connor, armed with
a bastard sword. Feinting twice, Grouiller rushed in with his
dagger and cut the mans throat before he struck a singleblow… then calmly watched him fall dead at his feet.
Augustin Staidt, a native of Prague, is a scribe by trade, buthis greatest passion in life is fencing. Augustin is a member of
a fencing brotherhood which defines his life; the free-fencersguild called the Federfechter. As a member of the Taborite
religious sect, and a Bohemian, Augustins greatest rivals arethe members of the German fencing school, the Marx Bruder.
Like many Bohemians, Augustin has occasionally worked as a
soldier of fortune. As a youth he did a stint with a GermanLandsknecht company in Italy, where he participated in a siege
and several skirmishes, and more recently he fought as a(paid) volunteer for the Polish in the Battle of Orsha and picked
up some valuable loot from the defeated Muscovite army, allsquandered on wine and women during his trip home.
Since returning to Prague he has made an effort to moderate
the dissipated habits he picked up as a mercenary and hasapplied himself with vigor toward advancing the cause of his
faction, and as he sees it, protecting his home and hisneighborhood from outside aggressors. Augustin likes to fight,
but having had a few brushes with the law, he is careful tostay within the letter of the municipal code, and will only do so
under circumstances which will allow him impunity, unless hehas no other choice.
Due to some recent political events however, tensions are
currently high on the streets of Prague, if you walk down thecobblestone alleys late at night in certain neighborhoods, you
might run into Augusitn and some of his mates, or a group ofhis rivals among the Marxbruder. In either case if you can’t
call them Friends, it would be a good idea to stay polite andavoid eye contact.
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Sir Fulrad Von Ulm, Knight Male Human Fighter 4 (Knight) Neutral
Strength 17 (+3)Dexterity 16 (+3)Constitution 16 (+3)Intelligence 11 (+0)Wisdom 8 (-1)Charisma 14 (+2)
Size: MediumHeight: 6' 2"Weight: 240 lbSkin: PaleEyes: Gray
Hair: Dark Brown; Straight; Beardless
Total Hit Points: 38Speed: 20’ [in armor] or 30’ Initiative modifier: +7 = +3 [dexterity] +4 [improved initiative] Fortitude save: +7 = 4 [base] +3 [constitution]
Reflex save: +4 = 1 [base] +3 [dexterity] Will save: +0 = 1 [base] -1 [wisdom]
Attack (handheld): +7 = 4 [base] +3 [strength] Attack (unarmed): +7 = 4 [base] +3 [strength]
Attack (missile): +7 = 4 [base] +3 [dexterity] Grapple check: +7 = 4 [base] +3 [strength]
Languages: Common
Martial Pool: 4 BaB: 4Base Defense: +7 Passive Defense: 15
Melee Weapons: Weapon Onset Melee Grapple Defense Damage AP
Lance +17 (9+4 Bab +3 Str+1 WF)
+6 (-2+4 Bab +3 Str) - +7 (0+7) 1-8+3 P +4
Longsword +13 (5+4 Bab +3Str, +1 WF)
+12 (4+4 Bab +3 Str +1WF)
+ 9 (0+4 Bab +3 str +1 WF) +11(4+7) 1-10 +3 SCP/ CP -
Warhammer +9 (3+4 Bab +3 Str) +9 (3+4 Bab +3 Str) +9 +9 (2+7) 1-8+3 P +4 Rondel Dagger +7 (1+4 Bab +3 Str) +11 (4+4 Bab +3 Str) +11 +8 (1+7) 1-6+3 P +4
Armor DR
Pierce /
Blunt
DR
Chop
DR
Slash
Bypass Armor
Check
Hardness HP
Gothic Harness 8 16 24 7 -4 8 10 Gambeson 2 4 6 5 -2 1 5
Kit: Under normal civilian circumstances Sir Fulrad does not wear armor and only carries his dagger. When travelling in a moderately
dangerous area (including a bad neighborhood in town) he will wear his gambeson and carry his longsword. In warfare or whentravelling with the expectation of violence he will wear his gothic harness (platemail), and all his weapons. Note that Sir Fulrads False
Edge cutting MF confers a +2 to Speed for his longsword.
Feats: Improved Initiative, Mounted Combat, Rideby Attack, Spirited Charge, Weapon Focus: Lance, Weapon Focus: Longsword
Note: Spirited Charge confers x3 damage in lance charges, Rideby Attack allows charge, attack, and move again, Mounted Combat allows ride check tosave horse from attacks.
Martial Feats: Miesterhau, False-Edge Cutting, Half Sword Fighting, Ringen
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Skill Name Key
Ability
Skill
Modifier
Ability
Modifier Ranks
Misc.
Modifier
Appraise Int 0 = +0
Bluff Cha 3 = +2 +1
Climb Str* 3 = +3
Concentration Con 3 = +3
Diplomacy Cha 3 = +2 +1
Disguise Cha 2 = +2
Escape Artist Dex* 3 = +3
Gather Information Cha 2 = +2
Handle Animal Cha 4 = +2 +2
Heal Wis -1 = -1
Hide Dex* 3 = +3
Intimidate Cha 4 = +2 +2
Jump Str* -3 = +3 -6 [speed 20]
Knowledge (nobility) Int 1 = +0 +1
Listen Wis -1 = -1
Move Silently Dex* 4 = +3 +1
Ride Dex 8 = +3 +5
Sense Motive Wis 0= -1 +1
Spot Wis 0= -1 +1
Swim Str** 3 = +3
Use Rope Dex 3 = +3
* = check penalty for wearing armor
Tactics: Sir Fulrad is primarily a heavy cavalry fighter. In warfare he will fight in full armor from horseback, using Spirited Chargeand Rideby Attack, to hit and run with his lance, remaining out of range of most enemies (because the lance is a reach weapon, see
SRD). Normally he will fight until his lance breaks, then move in closer for hit and run attacks with his warhammer whenoutnumbered, or dismount and fight with his longsword in any relatively even fight.
Due to Spirited Charge Feat, lance does 3d8+3 damage in a Charge. Note that the lance automatically breaks on any roll of natural 20
or any tie roll. Keep in mind the Lance is a ‘reach’ weapon meaning it can be used to attack outside of normal melee range of mostweapons. Sir Fulrad can still use his Longsword at Grapple range due to his Half-Sword MF, but gets no speed bonus at that range
due to the weapons size. At grapple range he can only make Slicing, Piercing or Bludgeoning attacks.
When in a one-one one fight in harness (armor) Sir Fulrad will seek the opportunity to enter grapple and finish off his opponents withhis rondel dagger. Unless it is a one-on-one situation however he will avoid grapple and use his Ringen MF skills to fend off grapple
attempts.
In civilian attire Sir Fulrad fights by much the same tactics. If he has his longsword he will attack aggressively, normally opening with a two-dice attack. If he is in a one-on-one fight he will then follow with a two-die Miesterhau (3 dice in total counting the Free Dice…
keep in mind this means that whatever his Miesterhau roll was is also counted as his first Active Defense roll against that same
opponent). If outnumbered he will attempt to kill his enemies one at a time, starting with the weakest and moving on to the strongest.
If necessary he will use Ringen and Half Swording MF’s to finish off an opponent who tries to grapple.
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Hijikata Toshizo, Ronin Samurai Male Human Fighter 4 / Rogue 1 (Ronin Samurai) Lawful Neutral
Strength 15 (+2)Dexterity 17 (+3)Constitution 11 (+0)Intelligence 15 (+2)Wisdom 15 (+2)Charisma 14 (+2)
Size: MediumHeight: 5' 7"Weight: 170 lbSkin: PaleEyes: BlackHair: Black; Straight; Beardless
Total Hit Points: 33* Maxed out at 3 x ConSpeed: 30 feet [in armor or unarmored] Initiative modifier: +3 = +3 [dexterity] Fortitude save: +3 = 3 [base]
Reflex save: +6 = 3 [base] +3 [dexterity] Will save: +3 = 1 [base] +2 [wisdom]
Attack (handheld): +6 = 4 [base] +2 [strength] Weapon Finesse: +7 = 4 [base] +3 [dexterity]
Attack (unarmed): +6 = 4 [base] +2 [strength] Attack (missile): +7 = 4 [base] +3 [dexterity] Grapple check: +6 = 4 [base] +2 [strength]
Languages: Common (? 2 more)
Martial Pool: 4 BaB: 4Base Defense: +7 Passive Defense: 15
Melee Weapons:
Weapon Onset Melee Grapple Defense Damage AP Spear +13 (7+4 Bab +2
Str) +7 (1+4 Bab +2 Str) - +10 (3+7) 1-8+2 SP / P +2
Katana +11 (3+4 Bab+3Dex +1 WF)
+12 (4+4 Bab +3 Dex +1WF)
- +10 (2+7+1WF)
1-12 +2 SCP/ SC -
Wakizashi +9 (2+4 Bab +3 Dex) +11 (4+4 Bab +3 Dex) +11 +8 (1+7) 1-8+2 SCP/ SC -
Tanto +8 (1+4 Bab +3 Dex) +12 (5+4 Bab +3 Dex) +12 +7 (0+7) 1-6+2 SP -
Missile Weapons:
Missile Weapon To Hit Ready
Bonus
Range Prep
Time
Damage AP
Yumi Bow +8 +1 / +3 30’/60’/90’/120’/150’/180- 1 1-6+2 P +2 Armor:
Armor DR Pierce / Blunt DRChop
DRSlash
Bypass Armor Check Hardness HP
Tatami Do 4 8 12 6 -3 4 4
Kit: Under normal civilian circumstances Hijikata does not wear armor but always carries his Katana and Wakizashi. While travellinghe will carry his spear and his Tanto as well. In warfare or when travelling with the expectation of violence he will wear his Tatami-Do
and carry his Yumi bow. Max range is 240’. Note Hijikata receives a Dex bonus with his Katana, Wakizashi and Tanto rather than hisStr bonus, due to his Weapon Finesse feat. If he has lost initiative, Hijikata prefers not to parry with his katana, preferring to do a
two-die defense as a void followed by a Nukitsuke / Nachreisen.
Feats: Combat Expertise, Dodge, Quick Draw, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus: KatanaMartial Feats: Nukitsuke, Mutierin, Inscrutable countenance, Nachreisen
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Special Abilities (Rogue): Sneak Attack +1d6 (A Nukitsuke Attack counts as a Sneak Attack for thisextra D6 damage bonus), Trapfinding
Skill Name Key
Ability
Skill
Modifier Ability Modifier Ranks Misc.Modifier
Appraise Int 4 = +2 +2
Balance Dex* 3 = +3
Bluff Cha 6 = +2 +4
Climb Str* 2 = +2
Concentration Con 1 = +0 +1
Diplomacy Cha 6 = +2 +4
Disguise Cha 2 = +2
Escape Artist Dex* 3 = +3
Forgery Int 2 = +2
Gather Information Cha 5 = +2 +3
Heal Wis 2 = +2
Hide Dex* 5 = +3 +2
Intimidate Cha 6 = +2 +4
Jump Str* -4 = +2 -6 [speed 20]
Knowledge (history) Int 3 = +2 +1
Knowledge (nature) Int 3 = +2 +1
Knowledge (nobility) Int 3 = +2 +1
Listen Wis 4 = +2 +2
Move Silently Dex* 5 = +3 +2
Ride Dex 3 = +3
Search Int 4 = +2 +2
Sense Motive Wis 6 = +2 +4
Sleight of Hand Dex* 5 = +3 +2
Spot Wis 4 = +2 +2
Survival Wis 2 = +2
Swim Str** 2 = +2
Use Rope Dex 3 = +3
* = check penalty for wearing armor
Tactics: Hijikata remains calm under any threat, and under civilian circumstances when he decides to act he will do so decisively,
normally attacking suddenly from a sheathed weapon with his Nukitsuke MF, deploying his Katana instantly in a decisive two dice cut(2 die attack+ a free dice from the MF = 3 dice total) followed by another one-die cut, and yet another using Mutierin MF if possible
(whenever his opponent blocks an attack with a low roll), or alternately saving his last die for an Active Defense roll as seemsappropriate. One of his favorite tactics is to let his opponent attack first, he will then use his Nachreisen to void initially with a two-
die Active Defense (without parrying), followed by a four die Nukitsuke (gaining the bonus for both Nukitsuke and Nachreisen)
The Nukitsuke MF can be used both to initiate surprise attacks and for defense from initial attacks (conferring a Free Dice in eithercase), The Mutierin MF will be used whenever a defender blocks with a relatively low roll. Inscrutable Countenance MF gives
relative immunity from feints.
In warfare Hijikata will use his bow as his primary weapon, then his spear and finally deploy his Katana as soon as any fight reachesmelee range. Due to his Quickdraw feat he can switch from Spear to Katana without any cost in MP, and gain the benefits of his
Nukutsuki MF in the process.
Unless he has his spear, Hijikata will normally attempt to bypass armor rather than cut through it, since his swords use primarilyslashing attacks. Alternately he will go to grapple using his Tanto knife to pierce.
Note: when an enemy enters grapple Hijikata will use his Nukitsuki feat to draw his Tanto and attack…
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Redmond O'Hanlon, Rapparee (outlaw) Male Human Fighter 2 / Rogue 2 / Aristocrat 1Chaotic Neutral
Strength 14 (+2)Dexterity 13 (+1)Constitution 11 (+0)Intelligence 14 (+2)Wisdom 12 (+1)Charisma 15 (+2)
Size: MediumHeight: 5' 8"Weight: 200 lbSkin: Ruddy
Eyes: Green
Hair: Red
Total Hit Points: 30 Speed: 30 feet Martial Pool: 3 Bab: 3Base Defense: +4 Passive Defense: 12
Initiative modifier: +1 = +1 [dexterity] Fortitude save: +3 = 3 [base]
Reflex save: +4 = 3 [base] +1 [dexterity] Will save: +3 = 2 [base] +1 [wisdom]
Attack (handheld): +5 = 3 [base] +2 [strength] Attack (unarmed): +5 = 3 [base] +2 [strength] Attack (missile): +4 = 3 [base] +1 [dexterity]
Grapple check: +5 = 3 [base] +2 [strength]
Languages: Common Elven Sylvan
Melee Weapons:
Weapon Onset Melee Grapple Defense Damage AP Sidesword +10 (4+3 Bab +2 Str
+1 WF) +10 (4+3 Bab +2 Str+1 WF)
- +9 (4+4 Def+1 WF) 1-6+2 SCP / SP -
Dirk +6 (1+3 Bab+2 Str) +10 (4+3 Bab +3 Str) +10 +4 (1+4 Def ) 1-6 +2 SP/ P -
Targe (shield)* - - - +7* (3+4 Def) - - *Keep in mind the Targe confers a free dice on every defense roll.
Missile Weapon To Hit ReadyBonus
Range PrepTime
Damage AP
Arbalest +6 (+8) +2 / +4 15’/30’/45’/60’/75’/90’- 4 1-10 +2* P +4
* Redmond uses heavy hunting bolts for his crossbow, +2 damage / ½ range
Armor DR Pierce / Blunt DR
Chop
DR
Slash
Bypass Armor
Check
Hardness HP
Mail Byrnie + padded vest 6 12 18 3 -3 5 5
Kit: Redmond wears his mail corselet all the time, secretly under his clothing. He carries his targe within him on his belt. His primary
weapon is actually his crossbow, usually carried on his horse unless he is expecting trouble. He will threaten enemies with hiscrossbow and try to wound our kill with a 3 die attack in the prelude to any fight. Keep in mind if he has time to aim he gets his ready
bonus (+8 to hit instead of +6) and he can keep the crossbow readied indefinitely. If he is expecting a fight he’ll have his Crossbow inone hand and his sidesword in the other. Though he would generally prefer to shoot an opponent and then leave, he will fight bravely
with his sidesword and targe when pressed.
Feats: Deceitful, Dodge, Mobility, Persuasive, Quick DrawSpecial Abilities (Rogue): Sneak Attack +1d6, TrapfindingMartial Feats: Feint, Counterstroke, Sidestep
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Skill Name Key
Ability
Skill
Modifier
Ability
Modifier Ranks
Misc.
Modifier
Appraise Int 4 = +2 +2
Balance Dex* 1 = +1
Bluff Cha 8 = +2 +4 +2 [persuasive]
Climb Str* 2 = +2
Concentration Con 0 = +0
Diplomacy Cha 6 = +2 +4
Disguise Cha 6 = +2 +2 +2 [deceitful]
Escape Artist Dex* 3 = +1 +2
Forgery Int 5 = +2 +1 +2 [deceitful]
Gather Information Cha 6 = +2 +4
Handle Animal Cha 4 = +2 +2
Hide Dex* 5 = +1 +4
Intimidate Cha 9 = +2 +5 +2 [persuasive]
Jump Str* 2 = +2
Knowledge (arcana) Int 3 = +2 +1
Knowledge (architecture) Int 3 = +2 +1
Knowledge (geography) Int 4 = +2 +2
Knowledge (history) Int 3 = +2 +1
Knowledge (local) Int 6 = +2 +4
Knowledge (nature) Int 4 = +2 +2
Knowledge (nobility) Int 3 = +2 +1
Knowledge (religion) Int 3 = +2 +1
Listen Wis 2 = +1 +1
Move Silently Dex* 2 = +1 +1
Ride Dex 5 = +1 +4
Search Int 3 = +2 +1
Sense Motive Wis 3 = +1 +2
Spot Wis 7 = +1 +6
Survival Wis 2 = +1 +1
Swim Str** 2 = +2
Use Rope Dex 1 = +1
* = check penalty for wearing armor
Tactics: Redmond is a cautious fighter, preferring to stay alive than make a quixotic display. He will bluff or threaten and intimidatehis enemies into avoiding a fight if possible. If he decides he needs to kill someone his preferred method is to shoot from ambush with
his crossbow using a 3 die attack (keep in mind also that any hit in a surprise situation also triggers his Rogue sneak attack damage foran extra 1d6). Redmond has a temper however and he will fight if sufficiently provoked. If possible he prefers to shoot his crossbow
once, then engage with targe and sidesword. If he has the initiative he will use his Feint MF to draw off his opponents first attack,
then slowly back away using his targe for defense (making use of the free dice for using a shield) and Counterstroke MF after each of
his enemies attacks (attacking after they do with another free dice), while using his Sidestep MF to avoid grapplers or flanking attackswhenever possible.. Redmond will attempt to conserve his MP for defense / counterattacks and will rely on his feats rather than
committing to multi-dice attacks. If the fight is going against him, he will run if he believes he has a chance to escape, if not he willfight to the death rather than allowing himself to be captured.
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Aife the Wanderer Female Elf Fighter 4 / Aristocrat 1Chaotic Good
Strength 9 (-1)Dexterity 18 (+4)Constitution 10 (+0)Intelligence 14 (+2)Wisdom 13 (+1)Charisma 15 (+2)
Size: MediumHeight: 5' 7"Weight: 105 lbSkin: TanEyes: Green Hair: Red; Wavy
Total Hit Points: 30 Speed: 30 feet Martial Pool: 4 BaB: 4Base Defense: +8Passive Defense: 16
Initiative modifier: +4 = +4 [dexterity]
Fortitude save: +4 = 4 [base]
Reflex save: +5 = 1 [base] +4 [dexterity]
Will save: +4 = 3 [base] +1 [wisdom]
Attack (handheld): +3 = 4 [base] -1 [strength]
Weapon Finesse: +8 = 4 [base] +4 [dexterity]
Attack (unarmed): +3 = 4 [base] -1 [strength]
Attack (missile): +8 = 4 [base] +4 [dexterity]
Grapple check: +3 = 4 [base] -1 [strength]
Light load:
Medium load:Heavy load:
Lift over head:Lift off ground:
Push or drag:
30 lb. or less
31-60 lb.61-90 lb.
90 lb. 180 lb.
450 lb.
Languages: Common Elven Goblin Sylvan
Codex Weapon Stats: Weapon Onset Melee Grapple Defense Damage AP
Darkwood Staff* +1 +16 (6+4 Bab +4 Dex +1WF, +1 MW)
+12 (2+4 Bab +4Dex +1 WF +1 MW)
+8** (0+4 Bab + 4Dex +1 WF +1 MW)
+16 (6+8 Def+1WF +1 MW)
1-8+1 SCP / SP -
Dagger +6 (1+4 Bab+2 Str) +10 (5+4 Bab
+3 Str)
+10 +4 (1+4 Def
)
1-6 -1 SP/ P +2
*This is a quarterstaff made of darkwood bound in silver. Treated as an iron-bound staff. Because of its lightness the Darkwood staff isconsidered a finesse weapon. It is also a +1 Masterwork weapon.
** Staff can be used in grapple range due to Half-Staff MF.
Missile Weapon To Hit Ready Bonus Range Prep Time Damage AP Short Bow +9 (+12) +1 / +3 30’/60’/90’/120’/150’/180- 1 1-6 P -
Armor DR Pierce
/ Blunt
DR
Chop
DR
Slash
Bypass Armor
Check
Hardness HP
Gambeson 2 4 2 3 -1 1 8
Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Weapon Finesse, Weapon Focus: Staff, Weapon Specialization: StaffMarshal Feats: Poll-Axe Fighting, Slip Thrust, Half Staff, Sidestep Traits: Farsighted, Polite
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Elf: +2 dexterity / -2 constitution (already included), Immune to magical sleep, +2 racial bonus to savesvs. enchantments, Low-light vision, Proficient with longsword, rapier, longbow & shortbow, +2 racial bonuson listen, search, and spot checks, Notice secret doors
Skill Name Key
Ability Skill
Modifier Ability
Modifier Ranks
Misc.Modifier
Appraise Int 4 = +2 +2
Balance Dex* 4 = +4
Bluff Cha 2 = +2
Climb Str* -1 = -1
Concentration Con 0 = +0
Diplomacy Cha 5 = +2 +2 +1 [polite]
Disable Device Int 3 = +2 +1
Disguise Cha 4 = +2 +2
Escape Artist Dex* 4 = +4
Forgery Int 2 = +2
Gather Information Cha 2 = +2
Handle Animal Cha 4 = +2 +2
Heal Wis 2 = +1 +1
Hide Dex* 5 = +4 +1
Intimidate Cha 0 = +2 -2 [polite]
Jump Str* -1 = -1
Knowledge (nature) Int 6 = +2 +4
Knowledge (nobility) Int 6 = +2 +4
Knowledge (planes) Int 4 = +2 +2
Listen Wis 5 = +1 +2 +2 [elf]
Move Silently Dex* 5 = +4 +1
Ride Dex 7 = +4 +3
Search Int 2 = +2 +2 [elf] -2 [farsighted]
Sense Motive Wis 1 = +1
Spot Wis 6 = +1 +2 +1 [farsighted] +2 [elf]
Survival Wis 1 = +1
Swim Str** 0 = -1 +1
Tumble Dex* 5 = +4 +1
Use Magic Device Cha 3 = +2 +1
Use Rope Dex 5 = +4 +1
= check penalty for wearing armor
Aife's Equipment:
18 lb
3 lb2 lb
5 lb1 lb
2 lb5 lb
1 lb
1 lb1 lb
8 lb1 lb
Weapons / Armor / Shield (from above)
Arrows (quiver of 20) x1 Backpack
Bedroll Case (for map or scroll)
Ink vial Ink pen
Lantern (hooded) Rope (50', silk) x1
Signet ring Soap
Spyglass Whetstone
Disguise kit Healer kit
Jewelers Loupe
1 lb
1 lb _____
50 lb
Scale, merchant's
Thieves' tools
Total
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Árd Bruig Male Dwarf Fighter 5 Align: Lawful Good
Strength 15 (+2)
Dexterity 17 (+3)
Constitution 11 (+0)
Intelligence 11 (+0)
Wisdom 14 (+2)
Charisma 10 (+0)
Size: Medium
Height: 4' 4"
Weight: 190 lb
Skin: Tan
Eyes: Dark Brown
Hair: Gray; Wavy; Thick Beard / Hirsute
Total Hit Points: 33 Speed: 30 feet [quick] Martial Pool: 4 Bab: 5Base Defense: +8 Passive Defense: 16
Initiative modifier: +3 = +3 [dexterity]
Fortitude save: +4 = 4 [base]
Reflex save: +4 = 1 [base] +3 [dexterity]
Will save: +3 = 1 [base] +2 [wisdom]
Attack (handheld): +7 = 5 [base] +2 [strength]
Attack (unarmed): +7 = 5 [base] +2 [strength]
Attack (missile): +8 = 5 [base] +3 [dexterity]
Grapple check: +7 = 5 [base] +2 [strength]
Light load:Medium load:Heavy load:Lift over head:Lift off ground:Push or drag:
66 lb. or less67-133 lb.134-200 lb.200 lb. 400 lb.1000 lb.
Languages: Common Dwarven
Codex Weapon Stats: Weapon Onset Melee Grapple Defense Damage AP
Battle Axe +11 (3+5 Bab +2 Str +1WF)
+9 (1+5 Bab +2 Str +1 WF) - +10* (1+8 Def+1 WF) 1-12+3 C -
Hand Axe +8 (1+5 Bab+2 Str) +12 (4+5 Bab +3 Str) +10 +10 (1+8 Def +1 WF ) 1-8 +3 C -
VikingShield**
- - - +14* (4+8 Def +1 WF +1Axe*)
- -
*Due to Shield Fighting MF, defensive values of Battle Axe and Shield are combined.
**Shield has toughness 3 HP 10
Missile Weapon To Hit ReadyBonus
Range PrepTime
Damage AP
Throwing Axe +8 0 5’/10’/15’/20’/30’ 1 1-8+3 C -
Armor DR Pierce/ Blunt
DR Chop
DR Slash
Bypass ArmorCheck
Hardness HP
Brigantine Doublet +Helmet
8 16 24 5 -2 4 10
Feats: Dodge, Track, Weapon Focus: Axe, Weapon Focus: Shield, Weapon Specialization: Axe
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Martial Feats: Shield Fighting, Shield Wrench, Counterstroke, Steal Initiative, FeintTraits: Abrasive, Honest, Quick
Skill Name Key
Ability Skill
Modifier Ability
Modifier Ranks
Misc.Modifier
Appraise Int 1 = +0 +1
Balance Dex* 4 = +3 +1
Bluff Cha -2 = +0 -1 [abrasive] -1 [honest]
Climb Str* 2 = +2
Concentration Con 0 = +0
Diplomacy Cha 0 = +0 +1 [honest] -1 [abrasive]
Disguise Cha 0 = +0
Escape Artist Dex* 3 = +3
Forgery Int 0 = +0
Gather Information Cha 0 = +0
Heal Wis 2 = +2
Hide Dex* 3 = +3
Intimidate Cha 1 = +0 +1 [abrasive]
Jump Str* 2 = +2
Knowledge (architecture) Int 1 = +0 +1
Knowledge (dungeoneering) Int 2 = +0 +2
Listen Wis 2 = +2
Move Silently Dex* 3 = +3
Ride Dex 3 = +3
Search Int 1 = +0 +1
Sense Motive Wis 2 = +2 +1 -1 [honest]
Spot Wis 3 = +2 +1
Survival Wis 3 = +2 +1
Swim Str** 2 = +2
Use Rope Dex 3 = +3
* = check penalty for wearing armor
Dwarf: +2 constitution / -2 charisma (already included in stats), Can move 20 feet even if in heavy armor, Darkvision (see 60 feet
in pitch-dark), Stonecunning (+2 on searching stone, intuit depth), +2 racial bonus on saves vs. poison, +2 racial bonus on saves
vs. spells / spell-like abilities, +1 racial bonus to hit orcs and goblinoids, +4 dodge bonus against giants, +4 stability bonus to
avoid being tripped/bull rushed standing on ground, +2 racial bonus on appraise checks if stone/metal, Fighter: Bonus Feats
(already included)
Bruig's Equipment:
51 lb
_____ 51 lb
Weapons / Armor / Shield (from above)
Total
Tactics: Ard Bruig is a cunning fighter, he prefers to attack last and will forfeit initiative to most opponents, his favorite tactic isto stay at long range with his battle axe and shield, designate his Dodge target make one die Active Defense with hisshield (which becomes a two-die defense) and using his Counterstroke ability to counterattack with vicious cuts of hisaxe. He will keep this up unless he feels seriously threatened, in which case he will try to gain the momentum usingFeint and Steal Initiative and try to finish his foe with two-die axe attacks. If anyone tries to intentionally damage hisshield he will use his Shield-Wrench MF.
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Le Tranche Grouiller Male Human Rogue 6Chaotic Neutral
Strength 13 (+1)
Dexterity 15 (+2)
Constitution 12 (+1)
Intelligence 14 (+2)
Wisdom 11 (+0)
Charisma 16 (+3)
Size: Medium
Height: 5' 7"
Weight: 145 lb
Skin: Pale
Eyes: Dark
Hair: Black
Total Hit Points: 24 *maxed out based on 2x Con score Speed: 30 feet Martial Pool: 4 BaB: 4 Base Defense: +6 Passive Defense: 14
Initiative modifier: +6 = +2 [dexterity] +4 Improved Initiative
Fortitude save: +3 = 2 [base] +1 [constitution]
Reflex save: +7 = 5 [base] +2 [dexterity]
Will save: +2 = 2 [base]
Attack (handheld): +5 = 4 [base] +1 [strength]
Attack (unarmed): +5 = 4 [base] +1 [strength]
Attack (missile): +6 = 4 [base] +2 [dexterity]
Grapple check: +5 = 4 [base] +1 [strength]
Light load:Medium load:Heavy load:Lift over head: Lift off ground:Push or drag:
50 lb. or less51-100 lb.101-150 lb.150 lb. 300 lb. 750 lb.
Languages: Common (? 2 more)
Codex Weapon Stats: Weapon Onset Melee Grapple Defense Damage AP Large Dagger +7 (1+4 Bab +2 Dex) +11 (5+4 Bab +2 Dex) +11 +7 (1+6 Def) 1-6+1* SP / SP +2
Small Dagger +6 (0+4 Bab +2 Dex) +12 (6+4 Bab +2 Dex)
+12 +6 (0+6 Def) 1-6+1 *SP / P +2
Razor +6 (0+4 Bab +2 Dex) +12 (6+4 Bab +2 Dex ) +12 +6 (0+6 Def) 1-2+1* S / S
Sap +7 (1+4 Bab+2 Dex) +11 (5+4 Bab +2 Dex) +11 +6 (1+8 Def +1 WF ) 1 +1** B -
* Surprise or Flanking attacks +3d6 damage ** Sap will be used to cause KO threat via critical hits (using forced critical)
Missile Weapon To Hit ReadyBonus
Range PrepTime
Damage AP
Throwing Dagger +6 0 5’/10’ 0 1-3+1 P -
Armor DR Pierce/ Blunt
DR Chop
DR Slash
Bypass ArmorCheck
Hardness HP
Gambeson 2 4 6 5 -2 1 5
Feats: Dodge, Mobility, Improved Initiative, Weapon FinesseMartial Feats: Feint, Sidestep, Situational Awareness, Riposte
Traits: Cautious, Skinny
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Skill Name Key
Ability
Skill
Modifier
Ability
Modifier Ranks
Misc.
Modifier
Appraise Int 6 = +2 +4
Balance Dex* 4 = +2 +2
Bluff Cha 10 = +3 +7
Climb Str* 6 = +1 +5
Concentration Con 1 = +1
Decipher Script Int 6 = +2 +4
Diplomacy Cha 7 = +3 +2 +2 [bluff]
Disable Device Int 10 = +2 +8
Disguise Cha 5 = +3 +2
Escape Artist Dex* 7 = +2 +4 +1 [skinny]
Forgery Int 4 = +2 +2
Gather Information Cha 7 = +3 +4
Heal Wis 0 = +0
Hide Dex* 2 = +2
Intimidate Cha 6 = +3 +1 +2 [bluff]
Jump Str* 5 = +1 +4
Knowledge (local) Int 4 = +2 +2
Listen Wis 5 = +0 +5
Move Silently Dex* 6 = +2 +4
Open Lock Dex 6 = +2 +4
Ride Dex 3 = +2 +1
Search Int 9 = +2 +7
Sense Motive Wis 4 = +0 +4
Sleight of Hand Dex* 9 = +2 +5 +2 [bluff]
Spot Wis 9 = +0 +9
Survival Wis 2 = +0 +2
Swim Str** 2 = +1 +1
Use Magic Device Cha 4 = +3 +1
Use Rope Dex 4 = +2 +2
* = check penalty for wearing armor
Bluff >=5 ranks gives +2 on disguise checks to act in character.
Search >=5 ranks gives +2 on survival checks while tracking. Cautious trait: +1 dodge bonus on AC when fighting defensively; -1 saves vs. fear.
Skinny trait: -2 on strength checks to avoid being overrun / bullrushed. Human: Extra feat at first level (already included) Four extra skill points at first level (already included)
One extra skill point at each additional level (already included)
Rogue: Sneak Attack +3d6, Trapfinding, Evasion (level 2), Trap Sense (level 3), Uncanny Dodge (level 4)
Tactics: If his life is threatened or his honor seriously compromised, he prefers to avoid confrontation and take out his enemy in an
ambush using his razor or his dagger, thereby taking advantage of his stealth skills and gaining his Sneak Attack bonus.
If he must fight directly, Le Tranche relies on his Improved Initiative to get the drop on his opponent, preferably with a bluff
beforehand to allay suspicion, after which he likes to aggressively use his Feint ability twice with his excellent Bluff skill (+7) to
draw off his opponents MP, then make a dagger attack in an attempt to reach grapple range where his daggers will have the
greatest advantage. If he succeeds he will make a second dagger attack. If his opponent is also armed with a knife, he will make
an impromptu shield out of a cloak or a tunic or a blanket for his off-hand (Defense +2, +8 total)
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Augustin Staidt "Who despises me and my praiseworthy craft, I'll hit on the head that it resound in his heart."
-Augustin Staidt, Federfechter Male Human Fighter 8 / Expert 2
Chaotic Neutral
Strength 12 (+1)
Dexterity 14 (+2)Constitution 11 (+0)
Intelligence 17 (+3)Wisdom 12 (+1)Charisma 15 (+2)
Size: Medium
Height: 6' 1"Weight: 170 lb
Skin: PaleEyes: HazelHair: Light Brown; Straight; Light Beard
Total Hit Points: 33 Speed: 30 feet Martial Pool: 4 BaB: 9Base Defense: +11 Passive Defense: 19
Initiative modifier: +8 = +2 [dexterity] +4 [improved initiative] +2 [aggressive]
Fortitude save: +6 = 6 [base] Reflex save: +4 = 2 [base] +2 [dexterity] Will save: +6 = 5 [base] +1 [wisdom]
Attack (handheld): +10/+5 = 9 [base] +1 [strength] Weapon Finesse: +11/+6 = 9 [base] +2 [dexterity]
Attack (unarmed): +10/+5 = 9 [base] +1 [strength] Attack (missile): +11/+6 = 9 [base] +2 [dexterity] Grapple check: +10/+5 = 9 [base] +1 [strength]
Light load: Medium load:Heavy load:Lift over head:Lift off ground:Push or drag:
43 lb. or less44-86 lb.87-130 lb.130 lb. 260 lb. 650 lb.
Languages: Common (? 3 more)
Codex Weapon Stats: Weapon Onset Melee Grapple Defense Damage AP
Bastard Sword +16 (4+9 Bab +2Dex, +1 WF)
+16 (4+9 Bab +2 Dex,+1 WF)
+12* +15 (4+11 Def) 1-10+1* SCP / CP +1
Federsword +18 (6 +9 Bab +2Dex +1 WF
+17 (5+9 Bab +2Dex +1 WF
+12* +15 (4+11 Def) 1-2+1 B / - -
Messer +15 (3+9 Bab +2 Dex+1 WF)
+17 (5+9 Bab +2 Dex/ WF)
+12* +14 (3+11 Def) 1-8+3 *SCP / C -
Large Dagger +7 (1+5 Bab +2 Dex) +17 (6+9 Bab +2 Dex) +17 +12 (1+11 Def) 1-6+1* SP / P +2
Buckler - - - +14 ** (2+ 11) - -
* due to half-swording feat he can still use his longsword and his messer, ** Buckler grants a Free Dice with Active DefenseThe speed of his dagger, messer and Bastard Sword are increased by his False-Edge cutting MF
Armor DR Pierce
/ Blunt
DR
Chop
DR
Slash
Bypass Armor
Check
Hardness HP
Light Gambeson 2 4 6 5 -2 1 5
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Feats: Acrobatic, Combat Expertise, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Mobility, Improved Initiative, WeaponFinesse, Weapon Focus: Longsword, Weapon Focus: Messer, Weapon Specialization: Messer
Martial Feats: Abzug, Fuhlen, False-Edge Cutting, Half-Sword fighting, Miesterhau, Winden, Ringen, Giocco
Stretto, Sprechfenster
Traits: Aggressive
Skill Name KeyAbility
SkillModifier
AbilityModifier Ranks Misc.
Modifier Appraise Int 5 = +3 +2
Balance Dex* 4 = +2 +2
Bluff Cha 7 = +2 +5
Climb Str* 4 = +1 +3
Concentration Con 0 = +0
Craft Document Int 8 = +3 +5
Craft Pamphlet Int 3 = +3
Craft Drawing Int 3 = +3
Diplomacy Cha 5 = +2 +1 +2 [bluff]
Disguise Cha 2 = +2
Escape Artist Dex* 3 = +2 +1
Forgery Int 3 = +3
Gather Information Cha 4 = +2 +2
Handle Animal Cha 6 = +2 +4
Heal Wis 4 = +1 +3
Hide Dex* 4 = +2 +2
Intimidate Cha 8 = +2 +4 +2 [bluff]
Jump Str* 4 = +1 +1 +2 [acrobatic]
Knowledge (architecture) Int 4 = +3 +1
Knowledge (geography) Int 4 = +3 +1
Knowledge (history) Int 3.5 = +3 +0.5
Knowledge (local) Int 6 = +3 +3
Knowledge (nature) Int 4 = +3 +1
Knowledge (nobility) Int 4 = +3 +1
Listen Wis 3 = +1 +2
Move Silently Dex* 4 = +2 +2
Perform Poetry Cha 2 = +2
Perform Singing Shantys Cha 2 = +2
Perform Dancing Jig Cha 2 = +2
Profession Scribe Wis 3 = +1 +2
Ride Dex 4 = +2 +2
Search Int 3 = +3
Sense Motive Wis 4 = +1 +3
Spot Wis 3 = +1 +2
Survival Wis 3 = +1 +2
Swim Str** 1 = +1
Tumble Dex* 4 = +2 +2 [acrobatic]
Use Rope Dex 3 = +2 +1
* = check penalty for wearing armor
Bluff >=5 ranks gives +2 on disguise checks to act in character. Craft_1 >=5 ranks gives +2 on related appraise checks.
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Human: Extra feat at first level (already included) Four extra skill points at first level (already included) One extra skill point at each additional level (already included) Fighter: Bonus Feats (already included)
Augustin Staidt's Equipment:
28 lb
1 lb10 lb
_____ 39 lb
Weapons / Armor / Shield (from above)Flint and steel Ink vial Ink pen Pouch x2 Rope (50', silk) x2 Signal whistle Signet ring
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federfechter
Tactics: Augustin does not usually travel openly with his bastard sword in town, though it’s not unusual for it to be nearby wherever
he is (like behind the counter in a pub). As a member of a fencing guild, he has a right to carry his federschwert so he frequently
does, it is a good weapon defensively and he can defend himself with it quite well, and it can also be used to inflict wounds on an
antagonist. On some other occasions he has an excuse to carry his messer, with which he is almost as dangerous as he is with
his bastard sword, and he always carries his dagger which will be used for any life and death struggle.
Augustin is an aggressive but intelligent fighter. He will use his skills appropriately to face a given situation. If outnumbered or
facing a crowd, he will use Abzug, and Miesterhau to make the most of his range, keep his distance from opponents and fight with
the greatest economy of movement. In an exhibition with federswords or in a one-on-one fight against an inferior opponent, he
will use Sprechfenster to get a bind, and then quickly close to disarm using Giocco Stretto.
.
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Character Sheet
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“The Four Guards
There are only four basic positions which are useful in combat, this areOchs, Alber, Pflug, and Vom Tag.
The first guard: Ochs
Stand with your left foot forward, hold your sword at the right side ofyour head, your point directed at his face.
The second guard: Pflug
Stand with the left foot forward and hold your sword at your rightside above your knee, with your hands crossed, your point directed athis face.
The third guard: Alber
Stand with your right foot forward and hold your sword in front ofyou with your arms extended, your point directed at the ground.
The fourth guard: Vom Tag
Stand with your left foot forward and hold your sword at the side ofyour right shoulder or above your head with your arms extended.
And in this book, you’ll find written down how to fence from these guards.
The Four Versetsen
You have heard previously, that you shall fight only froMFur guards.Now, you shall get to know the four displacements, which are fourstrikes.
The first strike is the Krumphau . It breaks the guard ochs.
The second strike is the Zwerchhau. It counters the guard Vom Tag.
The third strike is the Schielhau. It counters the guard Pflug.
The fourth strike is the Scheitelhau. It counters the guard Alber.
The Nachreissen (“Traveling After”):
There are two kinds of Nachreissen, and you should learn both. Use thefirst against an Oberhau. If he raises the sword to strike, travel afterhim with a strike or a thrust and hit him in the upper opening before hecan complete the strike. Or fall on his raised arms with the long edgeand push him away from you.”
- Sigmund Ringeck MS Dresd Circa 1442 AD
“All things entail rising and falling timing. You must be able to discernthis.”...
“There is no fast way of wielding the long sword. The long sword should be wielded broadly, and the companion sword closely. This is the firstthing to realize.
According to this Ichi school, you can win with a long weapon, and yetyou can also win with a short weapon. In short, the Way of the Ichischool is the spirit of winning, whatever the weapon and whatever itssize.”...
“There is a time and a place for use of weapons. The best use of the companion sword is in a confined space, or when you are engaged closelywith an opponent. The long sword can be used effectively in allsituations. The halberd is inferior to the spear on the battlefield. With the spear you can take the initiative; thehalberd is defensive. In the hands of one of two men of equal ability, thespear gives a little extra strength. Spear and halberd both have their uses,but neither is very beneficial in confined spaces.”...
“You win in battles with the timing in the Void born of the timing of cunning by knowing the enemies’ timing, and this using a timing which the enemy does not expect.”...
“The gaze should be large and broad. This is the twofold gaze “Perception and Sight”. Perception is strong and sight weak. In strategy it is important to see distant things as if they were close and to take adistanced view of close things. It is important in strategy to know theenemy’s sword and not to be distracted by insignificant movements of his sword. You must study this. The gaze is the same forsingle combat and for large-scale combat.”...
“Grip the long sword with a rather floating feeling in your thumb and forefinger, with the middle finger neither tight nor slack, and with thelast two fingers tight. It is bad to have play in your hands. When youtake up a sword, you must feel intent on cutting the enemy. As you cut anenemy you must not change your grip, and your hands must not “cower”. When you dash the enemy’s sword aside, or ward it off, or force it down, you must slightly change the feeling in your thumb and forefinger. Aboveall, you must be intent on cutting the enemy in the way you grip thesword.”...
-Miyamoto Musashi Go Rin No Sho – 1645 AD
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OGL Document
OPEN GAME LICENSE Version 1.0a
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15. COPYRIGHT NOTICE
Open Game License v 1.0a Copyright 2000, Wizards of the Coast, Inc.
System Reference Document. Copyright 2000. Wizards of the Coast, Inc;Authors Jonathan Tweet, Monte Cook, Skip Williams, based on materialby E. Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson.
Codex Martialis. Copyright 2008, Jean Chandler; Author: Jean Chandler.
NOTICE OF OGC and PRODUCT IDENTITY
The main documents pages 1-34 are considered Product Identity ,all ofthe Appendixes (page 35-96) including the weapons and armor tables,spell casting rules, character sheet and animal combat rules are OGC
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Bibliography By no means complete, but not a bad start. For more information on historical martial arts, historical weapons, fencingmanuals from the European Renaissance and the martial arts of ancient Japan:
Academic Publications Records of the Medieval Sword Ewart Oakeshott, Boydell Press, (May 2007) ISBN: 0851155669
The Archeology of Weapons Ewart Oakeshott, Dover Publications (October 18, 1996) ISBN: 0486292886
The Armourer and his Craft, Ffoulkes, Charles, Dover Publications, Inc., New York, 1988 (original printing 1912)
Armour from the Battle of Wisby, Thordeman, Bengt, Almquist & Wiksells, Boktryckeri, 1939
The Complete Encyclopedia of Arms & Weapons, Leonid Tarassuk and Claude Blair
Knight and the Blast Furnace, Alan Williams, Brill Academic Publishers (February 1, 2003) ISBN: 9004124985
Arms and Armor from Iran: The Bronze Age to the End of the Qajar Peroid Manouchehr Moshtagh Khorasani Legat Verlag
(November 3, 2006) ISBN: 3932942221
Academic Journals, Papers, and Articles Ballistic Resistance of Personal Body Armor, National Institute of Justice, Law enforcement and Corrections Standards and Testing
Program, #0101.04, June 2001
Stab Resistance of Personal Body Armor, National Institute of Justice. Law Enforcement and Corrections Standards and Testing
program, #0115.00, September 2000
The Journal of the Mail Research Society Schmid, Eric
Mary Rose, The Mary Rose Trust, Old Porstmouth 1985
Metalurgy Fundamentals: Ferrus and Non-Ferrous Daniel A. Brandt., Goodheart-Willcox Co; 5th edition (January 15, 2009), ISBN:
978-1605250793
Women in the military: Scholastic Arguments and Medieval Images of Female Warriors, James M. Blythe, University of Memphis
2004
The Birka Warrior: The Material Culture of a Martial Society, Charlotte Hedenstierna-Jonson, Stockholm University 2006
Violence and Local Society in Late Medieval Bavaria: A look at the Evidence Clif Hubby, 2004
Bullet Penetration: For Show or Safety? Arms and Armor Volume 3, No. 2, 2006, Sylvia Leever, Delft University of Technology
2006
Primary Sources-Classical The Histories Herodotus
Anabasis / The 10,000 Xenophon
Peloponnesian Wars Thucydides
Gallic Wars Julius Caesar
The Wars of Justinian and The Secret History Procopius
The Jewish War Josephus
The Germania, The Agricola Tacitus
The 12 Caesars, Suetonius
Primary Sources-Victrorian The Book of the Sword, Sir Richard Burton, Dover Publications (July 1, 1987) ISBN: 0486254348
The Civilization of the Renaissance in Italy, Joseph Burkhardt
First Footsteps in East Africa, Sir Richard Burton, ISBN 9781161431506
Primary Sources- Medieval / Renaissance Alexiad Ana Komnene
Beowulf Seamus Heaney
The Saga of Grettir the Strong, Anonymous, Bernard Scudder (Translator), Penguin Classics (November 2009) ISBN: 0140447733
Njals Saga, Anonymous, Penguin Classics, ISBN: 0140447695
Laxdala Saga, Anonymous
Volsunga Saga, Anonymous
Ragnars Saga, Anonymous
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Hrolk Krakis Saga, Anonymous
Saga of Eric the Red, Anonymous
Egils Saga, Anonymous
An Arab-Syrian Gentleman and Warrior in the Period of the Crusades: Memoirs of Usamah Ibn-Munqidh, Usamah Ibn-Munqidh, ISBN:
0691022690
Il-Principe (“The Prince”) Niccolò Machiavelli
The Story of the Mongols Whom We Call the Tartars, Friar Giovanni DiPlano Carpini, Brandon Publishing Company (1996), ISBN:
0-8283-2017-9
Chronicles of the Crusades, Jean de Joinville, Digireads.com publishing (2010), ISBN: 978-1-4209-3487-8
Medieval Russias Epics, Chronicles, and Tales (includes numerous excerpts from the Russian Primary Chronicle), Meridian Books,
(1974) ISBN: 0-452-01086-1
Chinese Military Texts: The Art of War, Thirty-Six Stratagems, Huolongjing, Wujing Zongyao, Seven Military Classics, Ji Xiao Xin Shu
(Paperback), Books LLC (2010), ISBN: 978-1155663012
The Conquest of New Spain Bernal Diaz
The 1001 Nights, aka The Book of A Thousand Nights and a Night aka The Arabian Nights Sir Richard Burton (translator /
compiler)
Military History Medieval Warfare: History of the Art of War, Volume III (History of the Art of War, Vol 3) , Hans Delbruck, University of Nebraska
Press (1990) ISBN: 0803265859
Medieval Warfare Source Book: Warfare in Western Christendom David Nicolle
The Northern Crusades, Eric Christiansen, Penguin Books (1997) ISBN: 978-0-14-026653-5
Viking Weapons and Combat Techniques, William R. Short, Westholme Publishing (2009) ISBN: 978-1-59416-076-9
The Great Warbow Matthew Strickland, The History Press (2005), ISBN: 978-0750931670
Popular Military History Arms and Armour of the Medieval Knight by David Edge and John Miles Paddock, ISBN: 978-0517103197
Medieval Warfare Source Book: Warfare in Western Christendom David Nicolle
Warfare in the Classical World, John Gibson Wary, University of Oklahoma Press, (October 1995) ISBN: 0806127945
Longbow- A Social and Military History Hardy, Robert, Patrick Stephens Limited, Great Britain, originally printed 1976
The Crooked Stick: A History of the Longbow* Hugh D. H. Soar, Westholme Publshing LLC, (2004) ISBN: 978-1-59416-090-5
The Medieval Archer, Jim Bradbury, The Boydell press, (1985), ISBN: 978-085115675-0
A Glossary of the Construction, Decoration, and Use of Arms and Armor in All Countries and in All Times, George Cameron Stone
Penguin Historical Atlas of the Vikings, John Haywood, Penguin Books (1995) ISBN: 978-0-140-51328-8
Osprey Military Boooks The Swiss at War 1300-1500 (Men-At-Arms Series, 94) Douglas Miller, Osprey Press, (November 1979) ISBN: 0850453348
The Scandinavian Baltic Crusades 1100-1500, David Lindholm and David Nicolle, Osprey Press, (2007) ISBN: 978 1 84176
Landsknechts (Men-At-Arms Series, 58), Douglas Miller, Osprey Press, (March 31, 1994) ISBN: 0850452589
Viking Hersir 793-1066 AD, Mike Harrison, Osprey Press, (July 29, 1993), ISBN: 1855323184
The Hussite Wars 1419-36, Stephen Turnbull, Osprey Press, 2004, ISBN: 1 84176 665 8
Teutonic Knight 1190-1561, David Nicolle, Osprey Press 2007, ISBN:978-1-84603-075-8
Samurai 1550-1600*, Anthony J Byrant, Osprey Press 1994, ISBN: 978 1 85532 345 2
English Longbowman 1330-1515, Clive Bartlett, Osprey Press 1995, ISBN: 978 1 85532 491 6
Popular History Dungeon Fire and Sword, the Knights Templar in the Crusades, John J Robinson, M. Evans and Company, Inc. (April 2005) ISBN
1590771427
Barbarians Terry Jones, BBC Books (2007) ISBN: 978-0563539162
Big Chief Elizabeth, Giles Milton (2001)
Samurai William, Giles Milton (2003)
Nathaniels Nutmeg, Giles Milton
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Historical Fencing Primary Sources The Martial Arts of Renaissance Europe, Sydney Anglo, Yale University Press (2000) ISBN 0300083521 The Art of Combat: A German Martial Arts Treatise of 1570, Joachim Meyer (Jeffery Forgeng, Translator), PalgraveMacmillan (2006), ISBN: 1403970920 The Medieval Art of Swordsmanship: A Facsimile & Translation of Europe’s Oldest Personal Combat Treatise, Royal Armouries MS I.33 (Royal Armouries Monograph), Jeffery Forgeng, Translator, Chivalry bookshelf 2002, ISBN: 1891448382Book of Five Rings, Miyamoto Musashi, Shambhala (1994) ISBN: 0877739986
The Hergsell / Talhoffer 1467http://www.archive.org/details/talhoffersfechtb00talhuoft
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Recommended Films Reclaiming the Blade (2009) The Deluge (Potop), (2004) based on the novel by Henryk Sienkiewicz With Fire and Sword, (1999) Jerzy Hoffman, based on the novel by Henryk SienkiewiczColonel Wolodyjowski, (1969) Jerzy Hoffman, based on the novel by Henryk SienkiewiczThe Old Fairy Tale: When the Sun Was a god Pathfinder (the original Finnish version, not the retarded Hollywood version) Krzyzacy NTSC "Knights of the Teutonic Order" (1960) Alexander Ford Yojimbo, (1961) Akira Kirosawa The Seven Samurai, (1954) Akira Kirosawa The Name of the Rose (1986) The Duelists (1977) Rob Roy, (1995) The Vikings, (1958)
Recommended Fiction
Fantasy Novels The Dying Earth, Jack Vance Lyonesse, Jack Vance The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian: The Original Adventures of the Greatest Sword and Sorcery Hero of All Time!, RobertE Howard Bard Kieth Taylor The Swords of Lankhmar, 1968 Fritz Leiber The Drawing of the Dark, Tim Powers, Del Rey (November 16, 1999) ISBN 0345430816 Hammer and Cross, Harry Harrison
Historical Novels The Name of the Rose Umberto Eco The Walking Drum Louis L’Amour The Deluge, Henryk Sienkiewicz With Fire and Sword, Henryk Sienkiewicz Colonel Wolodyjowski, Henryk Sienkiewicz The Adventurer Mika Waltari (1950) (aka Michael the Finn)The Wanderer Mika Waltari Nicolo Rising Dorothy Dunnet
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Phryné devant l'Areopage, Jean-Léon Gérôme 1861
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Codex Martialis
The Codex Martialis is a sourcebook of new combat options for 3.5, based on medieval andrenaissance era martial-arts manuals. This is not another complex damage system or aspreadsheet of tables and formulae, it is a fast-paced, cinematic variation on 3.5 combat, basedon the historical martial arts of Europe and Asia. The emphasis is on action, combat maneuversand the deadly interplay of attack and defense, with a minimum of hassle. The Codex isdesigned to make combat fluid, dynamic and intuitive, in order to bring a greater level ofimmersion and excitement to your gaming session by introducing new tactical options.
Optional innovations range from a new way to roll attack and defense dice to special MartialFeats that open up unique historically based combat techniques to your character. New weaponstats make the choice of fighting kit relevant to your individual fighting style rather than acosmetic adornment. Do you pick a staff for its defensive qualities and reach, a dagger for itsclose range lethality, or a military pick for its armor piercing value? The choice is yours, thepossibilities are wide open. With this system, your fighter character needn’t be the same old tank, nor must a Wizard be a wimp once her spells run out.
Special new Martial Feats allow you to integrate the unique qualities of different weapons into apersonal fighting style based on actual fighting techniques from the middle ages. Tapping intothe real fighting strategies written down by the ancients when they still lived by the sword, theCodex can breathe new life (and death) to the combat in your game,
Based on five hundred year old combat manuals penned by the true Masters of the ancientmartial arts such as Hans Talhoffer, Sigmund Ringeck, Johannes Liechtenauer, Joachim Meyer,Jud Lew, Miyamoto Musashi, Fiore Dei Liberi, Filippo Vadi, and Achille Marozzo, the CodexMartialis is a window from your game into the lethal reality of combat in the ancient world.
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