Kamikaze Midget said:
Here's where it gets me:
PC: I grab his head and slam it into the table!
(Step 1: are you in reach?)
(Step 1a: Do you win initiative?)
(Step 2: You need to make a touch attack to grab him. Because he has a weapon, this provokes an attack of opportunity)
(Step 3: He makes an attack of opportunity, hits, and deals damage. Does this negate your attempt to touch him, or can you still do it?)
(Step 4: Assuming you can, you make your touch attack to grab him.)
(Step 5: Make opposed Grapple checks to see if you can grapple with him)
(Step 6: Assuming you win, move into his space. This provokes attacks of opportunity from his buddies)
(Step 7: Resolve his buddie's attacks of opportunity. One or two hit. You've taken some damage grabbing him)
(Step 8: Are you still within the reach of the table?)
(Step 9: Now that you're grappling, what does this fall under? You're not doing unarmed damage, it's more like you're controlling his body, so you need to achieve a pin. You can't do that unless you have more than one attack/round)
(Step 10: You don't)
(Step 11: He takes an an action. He tries to undo your grapple. If he does, to grab his head again, you'd need to go through steps 1-9 again)
(Step 12: He doesn't. Your turn. You need to make another Grapple check to pin him)
(Step 13: You do. Now you slam his head against the table)
(Step 14: How much damage does this do?)
....the entire action should take about one second. Grab, slam, laugh. But it doesn't. It takes several rounds of combat and more than 5 d20 rolls. All for what I'd rule is 1d3+STR damage from slamming someone's head into a table.
The complexity of attack doesn't become much of an issue until it stops me from actually envisioning what my character does. It becomes a barrier to fantasy, not an aide.
The trouble is that you haven't properly envisioned the action. The action is "The PC makes an unarmed attack", not "The PC grapples the opponent, then pins him, then damages him". The effect you want is to deal unarmed damage to the opponent, nothing more - thus, it's an unarmed attack. The way it looks is entirely in the mind of the players.
Grappling reads as complicated, but it basically boils down to: "If you want to do something in a grapple, make an opposed grapple check".
For AD&D, the original grappling system was...
1). Determine first attack based on...
a) surprise
b) charging to attack
c) higher Dex
d) higher die roll - in that order
2) Base score to grapple
a) +1% per point of attacker's Dex
b) +10% if defender in leather or padded
c) +20% if defender in chain, ring or scale
d) +30% if defender in banded, plate or splint
e) +20% if defender slowed or stunner
f) -10%/3" if opponent base movement 3" faster
g) -20% if opponent hasted
3) if a hold is gained, roll dice again to determine what hold gained. Modifiers:
a) +1% per point of attacker's Dex
b) +1% per point of attacker's Str
c) +1% per 10% point of attacker's Str over 18
d) +10% opponent slowed
e) +20% opponent stunned
f) +30% opponent helpless
g) +/-5% per 10% weight difference (attacker)
h) +/-5% per 10% height difference (attacker), halved if prone
i) -2% per point of defender's Dex over 14
j) -1% per point of defender's Str over 12
k) -1% per 10% point of defender's Str over 18
l) -10% opponent wearing banded or plate mail
m) -10% opponent wearing gorget and helmet
n) -10% opponent wearing shield
4) Look up result on this table:
a) under 21 - waist clinch, opponent may counter, no damage
b) 21-40 - arm lock//forearm/elbow smash, 1+Str bonus damage
c) 41-55 - hand/finger lock/bite, 2+Str bonus damage
d) 56-70 - bear hug/trip, 3+Str bonus damage
e) 71-85 - headlock//flip or throw, 5+Str bonus damage
f) 86-95 - stranglehold//head butt, 6+Str bonus damage
g) over 95 - kick/knee/gouge, 8+Str bonus damage, opponent stunned
(any hold remains in place until opponent rolls a better hold; damage accrues until hold is broken or attacker opts for better hold; opponent may still inflict damage with lesser holds noted by double slashes).
No wonder it got replaced in UA!
Cheers!
