Melee

The Skill of Melee influences a character's ability to land a damaging blow when boxing or striking with a weapon in hand. Melee level is dependent upon Dexterity (DX).

Training

• Melee Apprentice: The character's speed with a melee weapon is increased by 5
  • Trainer: Any guard in any town or city.

• Melee Expert: The character is unaffected by lighting penalties.
  • Trainer: Hekmer Oggdoddler in Black Root
  • Trainer: Gorrin in the Isle of Despair penal colony

• Melee Master: The character cannot critically fail with a melee weapon
  • Trainer: Sir Garrick Stout in Dernholm
  • Quest: Find Lady Druella

Uses

• Does direct damage in combat
• Can be used to destroy some objects and locked items

Modifiers to Melee

• Items
  • None

• Blessings
  • Shakar's Blessing gives +4/20
  • Moorindal's Blessing gives +4/20 (overrides Shakar's Blessing)
  • Veloien's Blessing gives +12/20 (overrides Shakar's and Moorindal's Blessings)

• Races
  • Half-orc gives +2/20

• Backgrounds
  • Army Training gives +1/20
  • Barbarian gives +1/20
  • Beat with an Ugly Stick gives +1/20
  • Raised by Orcs gives +1/20
  • Raised in the Pits gives +1/20

• • Charlatan's Protégé removes -1/20
  • Débutante removes -2/20

Mechanics

• An attacking player's Melee rank is compared to the target's Armor Class
• A calculation is made to determine that chance of a successful strike
• The "% To Hit" equation is : %TH = (20M+25) - AC[.1(M+1)], where M = the attacker's Melee Rank and AC is the defender's AC
• Any "% TH" modifiers are then added and/or subtracted
• Then the roll is made
  • If Melee fails, then the attacker misses
  • If Melee critically fails, then the attacker or their equipment is damaged in some way
  • If Melee succeeds, then a normal damage roll is made
  • If Melee is a critical success, then the attacker does addition damage and/or stuns the opponent

Notes

• Melee Mastery overrides a defender's Dodge training
• Melee attacks can target Specific Body Parts