"Dear JB" Mailbag #28

Huh. An actual "Dear JB" letter (via email), rather than something snagged from Reddit. Here you go, man...

Dear JB:

I have been reading the core AD&D books and some classic AD&D modules in hopes of running the game for my group. I noticed that, unlike B/X modules, AD&D modules omit morale entirely from stat blocks. This is something that persists into modern day modules, for example Guy Fullerton's modules. Why isn't having morale in statblocks standard in AD&D? 

Sincerely, 

Mystified About Morale

Dear Mystified:

Morale, as a game concept/mechanic has been around long before D&D...in fact, while it is made mention of in OD&D (see page 13 of Volume I, Men & Magic) no specific mechanics are provided. Instead, readers are referred back to Chainmail, the foundational wargame that provided a "jumping off point" for D&D...although the text (as is often the case with OD&D) is far from explicit.

Morale in Basic D&D, especially B/X (an edition which is...essentially..."streamlined OD&D"), is based off the Chainmail model. Chainmail was a d6 based rule system...all game mechanics in Chainmail are resolved with the use of six-sided dice, and morale...an essential part of wargaming...is no different. Specific units are provided with a target number (requiring a 2d6 roll), but the thresholds for requiring a morale check varies by troop type. "Elite heavy foot," for example, need only roll a 6+ (on 2d6)...and, then, only if sustaining more than 1/3 casualties (either in missile or melee combat). Peasant levies, on the other hand, need to roll an 8+ and are required to check morale at only 25% casualties...they panic more quickly and are easier to break.

All the various fantasy troop types listed in Chainmail have a "morale" rating listed: from the "5" of orcs and goblins, to the "10" of wraiths and wizards. These form the basis of the morale ratings in Basic editions of D&D (like B/X and BECMI and their derivative OSR retro-clones).

AD&D is a little different. Unlike the Basic editions of D&D, AD&D is not designed to introduce basic concepts of dungeon delving and skirmish-level wargaming to the new player. Instead, AD&D is a robust system designed for maximum playability, versatility, and verisimilitude while still maintaining the parameters of play. This leads it to having some more "fiddly" game mechanics, in comparison to the cut-&-dry systems found in B/X.

Still, morale is a large part of a game that places combat as a premium feature of the system. Rather than assign morale based on monster type (as does B/X), monster morale in AD&D is based on hit dice: 50% + 5% per HD over 1 and +1% per hit point adjustment. Thus an ogre (HD 4+1) would have a base morale score of 66% in AD&D. However, unlike the B/X edition, AD&D morale checks are slightly more subjective (is the enemy faced with "an obviously superior force?") and is adjusted by many more modifiers (friends killed or deserting versus enemies slain/routed, for example).

All these numbers are outlined on page 67 of the DMG. 

I'd speculate that the reason there are no morale ratings listed in the "stat blocks" of AD&D modules has something to do with allowing the DM to consider all the possible variables carefully, especially given Gygax's stipulations (see page 103 of the DMG) that NPCs should be played by the DM in an "appropriate" fashion (i.e. as based on a particular creature's intelligence, bravery, or lack thereof). The absence of morale scores in stat blocks doesn't equate to all encounters being "to the death" fights; rather, the DM of an AD&D game is supposed to be thoughtful about how to handle said encounters. 

For me, I tend to only use the morale rules (conveniently re-printed on the last page of the DMG) when dealing with groups of monsters/troops, i.e. when the NUMBER of creatures involved might bolster the amount of courage and "mob mentality" that the group has. For animals or individuals (even a handful of bandits), I tend to make decisions based on actual circumstance and how I feel the NPC in question would respond to the press of battle (based on personality), without rolling the percentile dice every couple rounds. But that's just me, and the mechanics are there, for those who want to use them.

[also, please note that stat blocks in modules serve DMs by giving them one less thing to reference during play...specifically, the Monster Manual. And "morale score" is not part of the the MM description of monsters (unlike the monster write-ups in the B/X bestiary)...thusly, the module author is not losing anything by omitting something that isn't already there]

Hope that's de-mystified things a bit.

Sincerely,

JB

Morale and Mastery

Mr. Rients had some great things to say about the Morale rules the other day, specifically regarding my preferred edition of D&D, Moldvay Basic (aka B/X). Optional rules in B/X play, they nevertheless provide a neat little game mechanic that certainly increases the survivability of the low level adventuring party.

Why's that? Because PCs don't randomly panic and surrender/flee...and most monsters do.

I thought I'd already blogged about this in the past, but after searching through a couple hundred past posts (note to self: must someday organize this blog better), I could find nothing regarding the Morale rules...even in this post where I explained why 1st level characters are already plenty heroic.

And I SHOULD have put it in there because the B/X morale rules are yet another example of why your average player character, even at 1st level, is a stalwart hero worthy of respect. Because unlike most every other sentient being in the game, Player Characters ALWAYS have the option of mastering their fear and fighting to the death. They never test morale.

The average player, of course, probably glosses over this little point with blissful abandon...it is only a game, after all, and if one's character gets killed (especially at 1st level) it is a simple matter to roll up a new one. Even this, though, can be seen as yet another example of the extraordinary nature of the players' characters. They laugh in the face of death, facing it without fear...or at least making calm and rational decisions based on careful calculation and resource management, even when they are in the middle of a horrifying situation or terrifying environment, fighting for their lives.

"OH, but they are PCs," you say. "Of course, THEY have free will, unlike the measly NPCs." Not necessarily. This is a conscious design choice. The designers could just as easily have added morale or "panic rolls" for characters in D&D...just as Call of Cthulhu has sanity checks to see if your characters fall down drooling, or like Warhammer forces "break tests," or the personality mechanics of Pendragon or Dying Earth or have "stress hit points" as in Albedo. In D&D, the "rules of the universe" do NOT apply equally to all living creatures. Player Characters are cut from stiffer cloth than other individuals...even members of the same race/class. They ARE special.

Okay...now I DO have an "official post" about Morale in D&D so I can move onto the real subject of this post. Namely some new, optional rules for using Morale.

Every early edition of D&D (say, all "pre-retarded editions") have a number of magic weapons dedicated to overcoming certain opponents...call 'em "targeting weapons" or simply slayers. You should know the weapons I'm talking about: magic swords that are +1 except when used against a specific opponent type; for example +2 versus lycanthropes or +3 versus undead. In OD&D, B/X, and AD&D these weapons are ALWAYS +1 at base, with an extra bonus only counted against their "favored enemy."

And for that reason, I always found slayers to be less-than-desirable weapons to place/find in treasure hordes. After all, sticking a sword +3 versus regenerating creatures in a horde is fairly contrived if the big fight is against some massive troll lord...not to mention such an item might tip off players of what they'll be facing especially in pre-written dungeons.

But really, the main reason I found them to be "second-rate" magic weapons is that it felt like they were so limited in their use. After all, wouldn't you rather have a blade that was +2 against everything, rather than +1 against everything except dragons? Do you really want to run into a dragon at all? And even if you do, would it make that much difference that extra +1 that you would give up the all-around usefulness of wearing the +2 sword strapped to your side?

Now, having said that, what if these slayer weapons provided a little more oomph? What if drawing your sword versus undead could turn back those wights that the party cleric failed to before biting it? What if the dragon feared the sting of your wyrm-slayer so much that it'd back down without having to fight to subdue? What if your sword was indeed Orcrist the fabled "goblin-cleaver," and the mere sight of the weapon was enough to throw hordes of humanoids into panic?

Why not allow these "slayer swords" to instill mortal fear in the foes they are designed to slay. Just like some blades shed a magical light when drawn, perhaps these weapons, specifically designed to end a particular foe, sheds a mysterious radiance, an aura of dread palpable to their chosen enemy.

The way it works is this:

- just drawing such a weapon or presenting it, unsheathed, in a threatening fashion is enough to force a morale check in an opponent.

- actually drawing blood of a singular enemy (like a dragon) or the first inflicted casualty (for multiple opponents) forces an additional morale check.

- for all morale checks, the slayer weapon bonus is added to the creature's morale check. For example, a weapon +1, +2 versus lycanthropes forces a werewolf to add 2 (the amount of the bonus) when making its morale check. These are weapons that strike fear in the hearts of their foes!

- creatures normally immune to morale checks (like undead, constructs, or any creature with a morale of 12) may still be forced to flee (like a cleric's turning ability) if the morale check plus the slayer weapon's bonus is 12 or greater.

- a character that actually tries to negotiate or talk with a creature while openly wielding a slayer weapon that designated for that particular creature receives a penalty to his or her reaction roll equal to the slayer weapon bonus.

All right, that's it. Simple and fairly easy to remember/use. I plan on throwing more of these legendary slayer weapons into MY next B/X campaign...each with an appropriate history and reason behind its creation.

: )