Hi there!
I'm in the process of setting up my first S&W campaign and have some questions.
(I've played 3e/4e and related systems for many years and have a hard time wrapping my head around older D&D rules and their retroclones.)
I've heard that some DMs require random targeting in melee, i.e. you when you make a melee attack, you also roll to see which target within melee range you actually target.
I can definitely see advantages to this approach (fewer opportunity to focus all the PCs' attacks on, say, the orc captain; more swinginess; satisfying sense of the chaos of melee) but it's certainly not what I'm used to.
If there are rules either way (in Whitebox, Core, Complete, Continual Light), I'd love to hear about them. If not, I'd still love to hear how you handle it at your table, whether you've seen this practice, and what you think about it.
Best wishes
Johann
Random target selection in melee!?
Re: Random target selection in melee!?
Great question. I don't know of any rules addressing this in any of the S&W variants. I am pretty sure this rule first appeared in AD&D1e, and most likely Matt did not think it as part of OD&D when he was writing the first S&W rules (or maybe it was not even a consideration).
In Holmes basic random targeting is assumed for missiles or spells fired into melee from afar, but not for combatants within the melee itself. S&W kept the missile weapon portion of this and states that missiles fired into melee will hit a random target, friend or foe alike (at least for Complete, Core and White Box, not sure of the others).
In my own games I allow players to pick melee targets, so they could gang up on one Ogre for an entire combat round, for example. But I could see the appeal of random determination, it would make melee pretty chaotic as you say.
[note: moved this to the S&W parent forum and adjusted perms there so users could post, I had no idea they could not]
In Holmes basic random targeting is assumed for missiles or spells fired into melee from afar, but not for combatants within the melee itself. S&W kept the missile weapon portion of this and states that missiles fired into melee will hit a random target, friend or foe alike (at least for Complete, Core and White Box, not sure of the others).
In my own games I allow players to pick melee targets, so they could gang up on one Ogre for an entire combat round, for example. But I could see the appeal of random determination, it would make melee pretty chaotic as you say.
[note: moved this to the S&W parent forum and adjusted perms there so users could post, I had no idea they could not]
Re: Random target selection in melee!?
Thank you for your reply!
Good to know that random target selection may have originated with AD&D (and to learn about your practices at the table - just what I'm looking for). I'll check ou the AD&D reference.
Nice avatar, too. Is this from Grimtooth Traps?
Good to know that random target selection may have originated with AD&D (and to learn about your practices at the table - just what I'm looking for). I'll check ou the AD&D reference.
Nice avatar, too. Is this from Grimtooth Traps?
Re: Random target selection in melee!?
Thanks, one of my favorite images! It is actually from Labyrinth Lord OEC, drawn by Steve Zeiser.