The basic called shot requires the player to announce before initiative is rolled, his intention to perform a called shot, and what he is trying to accomplish. When initiative is rolled, you receive a +1 penalty and a –4 penalty to hit. This is the basic called shot and can be applied to most of the attack options listed above.

Block: A block is an active attempt by a character, during the round, to block the main thrust of his opponent. To perform a block maneuver, the player declares his intention. He then forgoes his first attack with the weapon he intends to block with for that round. Any weapon except rope-like things such as nets, lassoes, or slings can be used to block.

Even if the block rolls higher during the initiative, it will take place against the first of the opponent’s attacks. For the block to succeed, the player must roll and successfully hit his opponents effective AC including the +4. This can be offset if the player is using a shield to perform the block maneuver. If the block is successful, no damage results from the opponent’s attack.

A player character may block a thrown weapon attack, but to block a missile weapon, add an additional +4 (total +8 to target AC). If a bow, crossbow or staff sling is used to block a weapon it has the normal chance of success, but will be ruined in the attempt.

If the character announces his block before initiative is rolled, he can block an attack even if it beats his action phase. If he decides to wait, he can only block attacks in his action phase or later.

Blocking is an excellent tactic for characters with multiple attacks to use against characters or monsters with only one attack. A rapier specialist with a main-gauche in his off hand can use his off-hand weapon or one of the rapier attacks to block while using the rest of his attacks offensively.

Disarm: A disarm is an attempt by the character to perform a called shot against the weapon of his opponent. As a Called Shot, the disarm attempt must be announced before initiative is rolled to be effective against strikes that come before it in the combat round. The penalties for initiative (-1) and to hit rolls (-4) still apply.

If the to hit roll is successful, the weapon, if it is the same size or smaller and wielded one handed, is disarmed. To disarm a weapon one size larger than the weapon attempting to disarm, an additional +4 is applied to the called shot’s to hit roll. If the weapon is two sizes larger, a disarm will not succeed. Nor will it be successful against a shield, as a shield is strapped to the arm of the opponent.

If the weapon being attacked is wielded in two hands it requires two successful disarm results during the same combat round to send the weapon out of the hands of the opponent.

A disarming can occur using a missile weapon, but the missile’s size is the factor used to determine whether or not the attempt can succeed, not the weapon firing the missile.

When a weapon is disarmed, it falls 1–10 feet away in a random direction.

Grab: Characters can grab weapons or important items away from their opponents. If the character wants to grab his opponent directly, he should consider it a wrestling attack and resolve it as unarmed combat. A character has to have a hand free to grab; if both hands are full, he’s got to drop something in order to attempt the grab. (Two-handed weapons can be held in just one hand, but the character can’t attack this way.) The attacker must announce the grab attempt before he makes his attack roll and apply the called shot modifiers +1/-4 to initiative/to hit. If the attack roll is successful, the attacker has grabbed his stated target.

Once the grabbing character succeeds in grasping the item, the opponents must wrestle for control of it using opposed Strength checks. This occurs only if the opponent is holding the item. If a character only grabs (or was originally holding) the item with one hand, then his Strength is reduced by 3 points. Items restrained by straps or other items must have the strength of the securing item determined by the DM.

For monsters, the strength is often unknown. Use the following formula to determine the relative strengths of these opponents. Monsters can be assumed to have a Strength of 31/2 points per size category (3 for Tiny, 7 for Small, 10 for Man-sized, 14 for Large, etc.) plus their Hit Dice.

Overbear: The best attack against a warrior of heroic prowess is often a simple rush. Overbearing is a common tactic when several creatures are confronting a lone enemy who can cut them to pieces one at a time. Overbearing attackers throw themselves at their opponent, using whatever holds they can find to get him on the ground and restrain him.

As a Called shot, begin by stating the attack before initiative is rolled and then applying the +1/-4 initiative/to hit penalties. It is important to note that the maximum number of attackers does not change for an overbearing attack (Size M target=4 size large, 8 size medium, 16 size small, etc.). However, up to double the number of attackers can participate in an overbearing attack from one direction. For example, If Lorien the Paladin stood his ground in a corridor 10’ wide, and the lizardmen that he faced attempted an overbearing attack, the first four in the corridor could make the attempt, twice as many as could attack him normally. However, in an open room, if Lorien faced a dozen lizardmen who could surround him, only a maximum of eight could make the attempt.

Overbearing is hazardous; the defender gets an attack of opportunity against any attacker attempting the overbearing attack from the front or flanks (up to the maximums imposed by the attacks of opportunity section at the beginning of the Rules Errata Chapter 9: Combat * .). It can take a concerted rush of a dozen or more (some not surviving the rush) to get through a high-level fighter’s guard. Overbearing is treated as an unarmed attack, and is resolved on the base initiative of the slowest attacker in the pile, after the +1 is applied.

The overbearing force resolves the attack by making a single attack roll at the THAC0 of their best member. The attackers get a +1 bonus to hit for each additional attacker. The attack is made against the defender’s natural Armour Class (AC 10 for most PCs), only counting magical and Dexterity adjustments—a man in plate mail is just as vulnerable to being pulled down as a man in leather armour is.

If the attackers hit, they must make an opposed Strength check against the defender to see if they drag him down or not. Use the Strength of the largest attacker, and apply the following modifiers:

• 4-point bonus or penalty per size difference of the largest attacker versus the defender

• +1 per additional attacker

• –4 if defender has more than two legs

* Obviously this section is only in effect if the Attacks of Opportunity section is used.

Monsters can be assumed to have a Strength of 31/2 points per size category (3 for Tiny, 7 for Small, 10 for Man-sized, 14 for Large, etc.) plus their Hit Dice. If the defender wins the Strength check, he keeps his feet and shrugs off the attack. If the attackers win, the defender is knocked down. The defender can be pinned and restrained if he is successfully overborne again in the next round. The defender must make this second strength test with a –4 penalty applied to his strength, as he is now on the ground and covered in multiple attackers.

For example, six kobolds are fighting Alvoth, a human knight. The monsters decide to use their numbers against Alvoth and overbear him. Alvoth kills one of the kobolds in an attack of opportunity as the monsters close, but the other five try to overbear anyway. Alvoth is normally AC 0, but his chain mail and shield don’t help him here, only his Dexterity of 18. The kobolds attack against an AC of 6, with a +4 bonus to hit since five of them are making the attempt.

The kobolds score a hit, so Alvoth engages in a Strength contest to keep his feet. Kobolds should have a Strength score of 7 based on the formula above (31/2*2 for Small). However, their effective Strength is increased to an 11 due to their numbers (4 extra kobolds). Alvoth has a Strength of 17 and rolls a 9, making his Strength check. The kobolds roll an 11, just making their check with a higher roll and winning the contest. Alvoth goes down beneath the brutes’ rush.

As an option, a saving throw vs. paralyzation can be substituted for the opposed Strength checks. This works a little faster, but it’s not as accurate as the system described above.

Pin/Trap: It’s possible to use your weapon or shield to pin your enemy’s weapon against his body or to trap the weapon on your own sword-hilt or weapon haft. This maneuver is known as a pin/trap. Pin/Traps are much like blocks; the character can get a chance to trap an attack that comes before his action phase by declaring the trap before initiative is rolled, or he can trap any attack that comes in his action phase or later without declaring his action beforehand. He must still apply the +1 penalty to his initiative for a called shot.

Like with a disarm attack, the pin/trap is resolved before the opponents attack roll is made. As with any other called shot the -4 penalty to hit must be applied, using a shield to perform the trap attempt offsets the penalty. Once an enemy’s weapon is pinned/trapped, he loses any additional attacks he could have made with that weapon in the current round. At the end of the round, the trapping character and his victim make opposed Strength rolls to see if the victim can free his weapon. In each subsequent round, one Strength check is made on the fastest character’s base initiative, and a second one at the end of the round.

A character with a trapped weapon can always attack with a secondary weapon or simply abandon the weapon that’s been caught. The character who performs the trap cannot use the weapon or shield he’s pinning the opponent’s weapon with.

Trapping is an excellent tactic to use against an opponent with fewer attacks. It is also a good tactic for a two-weapon fighter to use against a single-weapon fighter; by sacrificing one weapon’s attacks, he completely stops his opponent’s offense. Another sneaky trick is to have an ally trap a tough opponent’s weapon to free up unanswered flank or rear attacks for a second character. Trapping is tougher than a simple block, but worth the effort.

Pull/Trip: A good tactic against moving enemies or characters who aren’t paying attention is a trip or tangling maneuver. To pull or trip an opponent, the character must be armed with a weapon that has the ability to snare someone’s legs. The following weapons all qualify: bill, bola, bow, light or heavy crossbow, horseman’s flail, harpoon, javelin, khopesh, lasso, mancatcher, net, footman’s or horseman’s pick, any polearm, quarterstaff, scourge, spear, staff sling, and whip. These weapons feature long, staff-like pieces, chains or ropes, or heads that can catch and pull an enemy’s legs out from under him.

Begin by declaring the attempt before initiative is rolled, applying the +1 penalty. To pull or trip an enemy, the character makes a normal attack roll at –4 to hit. If he hits, he makes an opposed roll of his Strength against the defender’s Dexterity or Strength, whichever is better. If the attacker wins, the defender is knocked down. If the defender wins or if both fail, the attack fails. If the roll is a tie, they both fall down.

For purposes of this maneuver, a monster’s normal movement rate can be considered its Dexterity score. Its Strength is equal to 31/2 points per size plus its Hit Dice. There are several modifiers that apply to the attacker’s Strength, however:

• 4-point bonus or penalty per size difference of the attacker versus the defender;

• –2 to attacker’s Strength if the target has four legs or more;

• +3 if the defender was unaware of the pull or trip attack;

• –6 if the defender was stationary.

For example, Alvoth is waiting in ambush for the king’s messenger to come galloping down a wooded lane. He decides to use his halberd to trip the horse when it comes by. If he hits, he’ll use his Strength against the horse’s move of 18. Alvoth’s Strength is modified by –4 for the size difference and –2 for the horse’s extra legs, but +3 because he is hiding, so his 17 Strength is an effective 14 for purposes of tripping the horse.

Optionally, the opposed roll can be replaced by a simple saving throw vs. paralyzation. It’s not as accurate, but it may be more convenient for the DM and players to remember.

Sap: Sapping is an attempt to knock out an opponent by striking with the flat of the blade or slugging him from behind with a sturdy sword-hilt. It doesn’t work very well against characters or monsters that are expecting it; any character attempting to sap a creature from the front or flanks provokes an attack of opportunity for the defender. Hand-held weapons and thrown weapons may be used in sap attempts.

A sap is a type of called shot; it has a +1 initiative penalty, and the attacker has a –4 penalty to hit. The penalty increases to –8 if the defender is wearing some kind of helmet. Only Small or Medium creatures can be sapped; Large monsters can’t be knocked out like this.

If the attacker scores a hit, he may knock out his opponent. There is a 5% chance per point of damage of knocking out the victim, up to a maximum of 40%. Thus, if the sapper inflicts 5 points of damage, he has a 25% chance of knocking out his opponent. Sapping damage is like unarmed combat damage; 1/3rd is real and the rest is temporary. Naturally, if his damage roll exceeds the victim’s hit points, he’s knocked out anyway.

The knockout chance increases to 10% per point of damage (max 80%) if the victim is surprised, asleep, restrained, or magically held in some way. Sapped characters remain unconcious for 3d10 full rounds.

Shield-Punch: Any character equipped with a shield can choose to forego its protection and gain an extra attack known as a shield-punch. The shield-punch is treated as a normal, secondary weapon attack; the primary weapon suffers a –2 penalty to attack rolls that round and the shield-punch attack is rolled with a –4 penalty. A character may use his reaction adjustment due to a high Dexterity score to offset these penalties. Alternatively, the character can substitute his normal attack for a shield punch, with no penalties.

The exact characteristics (i.e., damage and speed) of each type of shield are noted below. If the character is trying a shield-punch, he must announce his intention while declaring his combat action and forfeits the defensive benefit of the shield for the round.