Cramped combat - low ceilings, narrow halls?

[Bruno]

Some staple monster-races in DF games are smaller than human (as are many PC races) and would probably build their homes to suit themselves rather than gigantic humans.

Thieves, Martial artists, and Dark Ones tend to have Flexibility or Double Jointed, ofsetting substantial penalties for cramped quarters.

Are there rules specifically for fighting in tight areas? I'm thinking situations like corridors 3' wide (or less), and ceilings below head height (plus or minus helmet).

In abscence of anything written, I'm considering the following:

Your "Space" is the 1 yard diameter hex normally occupied by the character in combat; for non SM0 characters, look up your SM on the Speed-Range chart, and divide Linear Measurement by 2. Space might also be useful for figuring how many of who can stand where.

When fighting in a corridor the width of your Space but with plenty of fore-and-aft room, consider it 'half' Close Combat (using the expanded rules from Martial Arts). C weapons have no penalties on attack or defense; weapons can be used at -2 per maximum hex of reach (-1 per hex on defense). Special: thrust attacks can be used at -1 per maximum hex of reach (-1 per two hexes) instead of -2.
There are no movement penalties for moving through an area the width of your Space; combat penalties are for not having wiggle room at most edges of your hex.

Characters can squeeze through areas as narrow as 2/3rds their Space at half Move (+1 movement point per hex). Fighting in these conditions suffers all the restrictions of Close Combat, with the added headache that the other guy may not be in your hex.

Characters can wriggle through areas as narrow as 1/2 their space as if crawling, suffering all the movement restrictions and combat penalties of that posture, AND are restricted as if in Close Combat.

Optionally, Fat characters may treat any narrow area as one step narrower, and Skinny characters may treat any narrow area is one step wider.

[Bruno]

Disclaimer: I'm claustrophobic. I'm trying not to over-penalize things, but I don't know if I succeeded or even over-compensated.


Commentary: There probably needs to be some sort of Dodge and Block penalty at 2/3rds Space and less. -1 plus the posture problem for 1/2 Space?

Low Ceilings - I have no idea. Low Ceilings combined with Tight Corridors give me enough of the willies that I have problems even trying to theorycraft some rules.

Flexible and Double-Jointed offset penalties for cramped quarters on regular skill checks - But they're some pretty sizable offsets and I'm not sure all the tentacles in the world should be able to get a 3 hex long spear to work in a 1.5' corridor at a mere -6 penalty (-12 for 3 hexes Reach, -4 for Crawling, +10 for Double Jointed). A 1 hex Broadsword would be at no penalty at all, and a 2 hex Spear would be -2. Is that sensible?

[mlangsdorf]

The tight space rules look pretty good to me.

The low ceilings can easily be handled by the existing Posture rules: Crouching, Kneeling, and Crawling already provide a penalty to movement and melee attack and defense.

This puts control of the penalties more or less in the PC's hands and is simple to judge: if you're taller than the ceiling but less than twice as tall, you must at least Crouch. If you're more than twice as tall, you must at least kneel. If you are more than three times as tall as the ceiling, you must crawl.

I did something like this for the dwarven mine portion of the Caves of Madness (my first DF adventure!) and the ogre Scout took a huge hit in effectiveness when he had to crawl through 4' tunnels and couldn't use his bow at all.

[nanoboy]

I think that the low ceilings and the like shouldn't affect long reach thrusting weapons like spears, since you don't necessarily lose the line of attack. Obviously, a halberd would be lousy in a confined space, but a spear would still be able to be moved pretty freely.

[AmesJainchill]

Originally Posted by nanoboy

Obviously, a halberd would be lousy in a confined space, but a spear would still be able to be moved pretty freely.

A swung halberd, yes, a thrusted halberd I would not penalize.

[another_nonsense]

Perhaps penalties should only apply to swung weapons?

I've always thought a bigger deal should be made about confined spaces in caves and dungeons. I think it would really add to tension especially if there were chanced of cave-ins and tight flooded spaces (swimming penalties and fright checks when you start running out of air and still can't see the other end..).

Tense. And would really knock the PC's confidence down a peg or two.

[Dustin]

For a recent fight in the ancient sewers of Babylon (the PCs had to stoop, but not to the point of Crouching), I simply declared that all swung attacks incurred Close Combat penalties, with shortsword and smaller weapons immune. This has worked pretty well, and lets the PCs who have invested in the Close Combat technique (or who carry a shortsword for close-in work) get a little more utility out of it.

[topper]

I think your ideas are good.
About the ceiling just use the rules for kneeling or lying down - as the height will force this on you.

[Bruno]

Continued thought on thrusting weapons - there's enough ambiguity about where in the hex either combatant is standing that I'm not sure if "no penalty" is really spot on - you and your weapon still need some room to maneuver, really, but I think I'd be comfortable with thrusting penalties being quartered, round down. You'd need a serious polearm before you'd encounter penalties at that point.

Everyone's spot on with regards to posture being the solution for head clearance, thanks!

[Lupo]

Originally Posted by Bruno

Characters can squeeze through areas as narrow as 2/3rds their Space at half Move (+1 movement point per hex).

Characters can wriggle through areas as narrow as 1/2 their space as if crawling

I think you might have over-penalized a bit here.
If the human Space is 1 yard (3 feet), I would not use the word "squeeze" to describe someone walking between two vans parked at 2 feet from each other. (perhaps it's just that English is not my native language, though).
I would halve Move for running, but I would still allow ordinary Step and... maneuvers in a corridor 2 feet wide.
Running in a narrow space is very difficult, walking not so much (to pass through a 2 feet wide passage, a woman or a minute man won't even need to turn sideways his/her shoulders so much)

Also, the narrowest "wrigglable" area should probably be something narrower than 1/2 yard, if passing through is meant to be as slow as crawling.
They say that, if you can squeeze your head through a narrow place, your whole body can pass through...