# Staying Alive in Old-School Adventures: Fighter

2024-12-31

This is second in a series of posts on how to keep your low-level
PCs alive in old-school adventures, mostly geared towards OD&D, B/X
and clones. This one deals with the Fighter, and like yesterday's
post [0], it was posted to my web blog originally. This is an
updated version written for gopher.

## Armor

First, let's talk protection. In OD&D and B/X, plate armor is
relatively cheap, on the order of 50gp or so. Make sure you buy it
during character creation, even at the expense of cheaper weaponry,
like spears (see below). In later editions and some clones it can be
quite pricey, so take advantage of it if it's cheap in your chosen
system. After you've been on a few adventures and have saved up some
gold, plate armor makes a great gift for your hireling
meatshields. My own gaming group does this to great effect - nothing
says you care and boosts loyalty like the gift of decent armor.

## Weapons

Next, weapons, the fighter's bread and butter. I suggest you equip
Mogo the Mighty with a spear. Why the spear? First, you can use it
one- or two-handed, and in many OSR systems it does more damage when
used two-handed (and if not, try to convince your referee to
house-rule it to do more damage when used that way). It can be
thrown. It can be used as a trap-finder and general prodding
device. It can attack from the second rank. It can even be set
against a charge to do double damage. Best of all, it is one of the
cheapest weapons to buy, leaving you more money for that plate armor
(see above).

## Tactics

Tactics can be even more important for fighters than with
Magic-users, just because fighters are expected to, well, fight. But
you may as well be smart about it. A line of fighters with plate
armor, shields and spears is an impressive sight and keeps the bad
guys away from the soft and chewy Magic-Users. Most humanoids will
need a 16 or 17 to hit AC 2 (plate & shield), and while they are
dealing with that, the second rank can attack with longer reach
weapons like, well, spears (you may be sensing a pattern here).

If possible, attack enemies in pairs, so their non-shield flank is
exposed by at least one of you, or if your opponents are
outnumbered, a group can move to attack from the rear. Every little
bonus helps.

Don't be afraid to try the so-called non-combat maneuvers (a bad
name, since they can and should be used in combat, or to enter
combat). Go ahead and flip that table to get more cover, swing from
that chandelier to crash into the enemy's front line, jump through
the window to take an enemy by surprise, gang up and tackle the bad
guy, or push your opponent with your shield so they fall into the
pit. These work best in rules-light games, where the referee can
adjudicate your attempts with a simple die roll or roll-under
ability check, either for the PC or the opponent. For referees, 2d6
rolls make a decent check for these kind of ad-hoc actions. As a
bonus, they make combats fun and memorable, even when they fail.

## Missile Weapons

Before you even consider melee, you should be trying to make best
use of your missile weapons. Bows in OD&D and S&W White Box fire
twice per round and are only usable by fighters (assuming the
original three classes).

But even in other systems allowing one shot per round (or fewer),
you'd be crazy not to use a weapon with such a long range. The heavy
crossbow seems like a bad choice since it can only be fired once
every 2-3 rounds, but it has a very long range, and can be
pre-loaded, fired, and dropped before melee ensues. You just have to
make sure you are in a position to use it. So send that thief or MU
with an invisibility spell or potion up ahead to scout things out,
then if you are going to attack, try to work in a round or two of
missile fire, either by drawing the bad guys out to you from a
higher or more secure vantage point, or by sneaking to within
missile weapon range. And if you can't afford a bow because you
spent all your coin on plate armor, buy a sling and fill your
pockets with stones.

## Run Away!

Sometimes you'll need to flee, either due to overwhelming odds, or
bad luck. Either way, don't just turn and run. In most old-school,
systems, a fighting retreat allows a gradual exit from combat
without exposing one's rear flank to a free attack. If enemies
follow a fighting retreat, a well-armored fighter or fighters can
still risk it, while allowing other party members to flee. Or, worst
case, just make sure the best armored in the group flee last (the
more lightly armored PCs will run faster anyway). Also remember that
OD&D has some rules around pursuits in the dungeon and
wilderness. If you're a fighter and last in line to flee, burning
oil, food and/or gold might deter a pursuit.

## Avoiding Melee

Lastly, despite your fighter wanting to, well, fight, don't just
think that every encounter should end in melee. Take advantage of
the affects of charisma or reaction rolls and try to talk your way
into a favorable outcome, meaning getting treasure or someone to
help you without a fight. Many intelligent dungeon denizens will
entertain help in fighting their sworn enemy, whoever that may be
(ask them). Some refs will even give you XP for cleverly avoiding
combat (I do this).

[0]: gopher://gopher.smolderingwizard.com/0/phlog/staying-alive-old-school-adventures-magic-user.md