Combat

The hit point system is an abstraction. It does not model physical injury directly. Hit points represent the combination of endurance, positioning, reflex, and luck that keeps a character in the fight — the margin between a near-miss and a decisive wound. Losing hit points in combat does not mean being cut or broken with each exchange. It means that margin is eroding.

The abstraction requires awareness. It applies when a character knows an attack is occurring. A character who is genuinely unaware of an attack is not protected by the system — harm is resolved by circumstance, not by hit points. For the full treatment of the awareness model and non-combat harm, see

HP and Non-Combat Harm.

Attack probability is resolved using d100, replacing the vanilla attack matrix and THAC0 approach. Scaled modifiers apply; outcomes are broadly comparable to the original system. The finer-grained resolution allows meaningful distinctions at both ends of the capability range without disrupting game balance.

Damage dice are retained from vanilla AD&D. The d100 system governs whether a hit occurs; damage resolution is unchanged.

The regenerated attack and saving throw tables — recalculated in d100 terms, retaining the original reference numbers — are available as exhibits.

The vanilla system’s weapon type versus armor class modifiers — which assign specific to-hit adjustments for each weapon against each armor type — are largely abandoned. The Oath-Bound position is that the variation between weapons is real but operates at a level of granularity that doesn’t justify per-armor-type modifiers. Weapon choice is primarily expressive: a character carries the weapon that fits their background, their style, and the fiction of who they are. The system does not treat that choice as a mechanical liability.

The dexterity armor class bonus is recalculated within the d100 framework. The underlying relationship is preserved; the specific numbers are adjusted for the resolution system.

The vanilla unarmed combat rules are not used. They are unwieldy and impede game flow. Unarmed exchanges are resolved by the GM using the decisive harm framework where appropriate, or handled narratively within the fiction of the encounter.

The combat sequence itself — movement, surprise, initiative, spell casting, resolution, morale — follows vanilla AD&D 1e. Saving throw categories are retained, modified to accommodate the Oath-Bound arcane and divine systems. Players familiar with vanilla AD&D will find the table rhythm recognizable.