Confounded Rules! Spotlight: Melee Movement in AD&D

This article examines and clarifies the rules governing combat movement in First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

By R. Nelson Bailey

Introduction

Combat is a central feature of every edition of Dungeons & Dragons. In a melee round, combatants jockey for position, missiles streak toward their targets, and spells are unleashed amid the chaos. The rulebooks present this process as orderly and well-defined.

That assumption largely holds—unless one is playing First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (AD&D). The combat rules outlined in the Dungeon Masters Guide (DMG) are marked by ambiguity, imprecise language, and critical omissions. Nowhere is this more evident than in the rules governing movement during combat. These procedures are so poorly defined that it is striking they were never clarified further, either in the DMG itself or in later publications. Indeed, there is virtually no supplemental discussion of combat movement in contemporaneous TSR material.

References to movement during melee in the First Edition rulebooks are sparse and indirect. Movement appears in Steps 4.A and 4.E of the Combat Sequence, [1] again in the “Close to Striking Range” subsection, [2] and briefly in the Players Handbook (PHB). [3] What the rules never clearly explain is:

• who may move in combat

• when movement occurs during the combat round

• how much movement is allowed in combat

Most players and Dungeon Masters (DMs) nevertheless assume that First Edition AD&D allows combatants to maneuver and reposition themselves during melee. Yet the rules neither definitively nor explicitly state that such movement is permitted. One could read the combat section of the DMG in isolation and reasonably conclude that movement in melee is disallowed altogether.

Spellcasters, Missile Fire, & Tactical Movement

This ambiguity is especially pronounced for spellcasters, missile users, and those who employ magical devices or turn undead. All of these actions occur in Step 4.D of the Combat Sequence, yet the rules never state whether a character performing them may move. By contrast, the Moldvay “Basic” Dungeons & Dragons set (1980) presents movement rules that are explicit and unambiguous: combatants may move one-third of their Base Move, those engaged in melee have limited movement, spellcasters may not move and cast in the same round, and movement is handled in a clearly defined phase.

Read strictly, the First Edition rules can be interpreted to mean that combatants using missile weapons, magical devices, turning undead, or casting spells may not move once melee is joined, since these actions occur before Step 4.E (“Close to Striking Range”). Likewise, the Striking Range rules appear to imply that a combatant may attack only opponents already within approximately 1” (10 feet indoors, 30 feet outdoors), with no explicit provision for movement before striking. Read this way, an attacker throwing a dagger would need to spend a full round closing 15 feet before making the attack—an outcome few players would find plausible.

What is explicit is that spellcasters are forbidden from moving—including walking—while in the act of casting a spell. [4] This is a narrow but significant restriction: it prohibits movement during casting, but says nothing about movement before casting or after the spell is completed. No comparable restriction exists for missile fire or turning undead.

Whether such characters may reposition themselves tactically before or after these actions is therefore unclear. This behavior is neither explicitly permitted nor explicitly prohibited. Even TSR staff in the 1980s appeared uncertain about how these rules were intended to function. Two separate Sage Advice responses reflect this ambiguity rather than resolve it:

“The rules seem to imply, but don’t actually say, that a full round of motionlessness is required to cast a spell.” [5]

“A magic-user must remain stationary only as long as the casting time of the spell. After casting a spell, the mage can move during the remainder of the round.” [6]

The rules themselves explicitly support either of these interpretations.

As a point of comparison, the rules allow a character to “attack with a [magical] device” in Step 4.D. Read strictly, the Combat Sequence never specifies when a character may use a non-attack magical item. Yet few would argue that a character cannot drink a potion of invisibility during combat. Indeed, the DMG includes an example of a thief drinking a potion during melee and moving up to attempt to backstab. [7]

Melee Movement in AD&D

The strongest—if circumstantial—evidence that movement is intended during melee comes from the “Example of Melee” on p. 71 of the DMG. In that example, combatants—including spellcasters—are shown moving before taking their actions. Notably, a magic-user casts shocking grasp and then “steps forward” to discharge the spell into an enemy. While the example does not specify how much movement is allowed, it strongly implies that some degree of movement is compatible with attacking during a melee round.

More explicitly, the conclusion that movement is permitted during combat is supported by the Players Handbook (p. 102), which states:

“This same movement rate applies to combat situations, so by converting each 1” movement rate to 10’, and then taking 1/10 of the round (using segments), the distance a character or monster can travel during the course of combat is easily found.”

This passage is especially important because it demonstrates both that movement is allowed in combat and that a combatant may take their entire Base Move while engaged in melee. What the rules never explain is how this movement functions tactically once melee is joined. They do not state whether such movement represents free repositioning during combat, if movement rate is reduced, or whether it occurs before or after a combatant’s action.

Movement Rules in Practice

When the relevant passages of the DMG and PHB are considered together, it becomes clear that movement rules are intended to apply broadly to all combatants, whether they are making physical attacks, firing missiles, using magical devices, turning undead, or casting spells. What follows represents the closest reading of how melee movement in First Edition AD&D combat actually operates.

Surprise: Movement during surprise is one of the few areas treated with relative clarity. During each segment of surprise, a combatant may move 1/10^th of their base movement rate. [8] A character with a movement rate of 12”, for example, may move 12 feet per surprise segment. Movement is permitted regardless of the action taken, as none are explicitly prohibited.

Melee: Outside of surprise, combatants may move at their Base Move rate per combat round, with movement measured in tens of feet indoors. [9] Thus, a character with a 6” movement rate may move up to 60 feet in a round. This movement takes place before blows are landed, during the “Close to Striking Range” phase of the Combat Sequence (Step 4.E).

For those acting during the “Discharge” phase of the Combat Sequence—namely, those employing missile weapons, magic items, turning undead, or spellcasting—the DM must determine whether movement occurs before or after the action. It is strongly recommended that movement occur before the action, to parallel the treatment of movement during melee.

Striking Range: Further complicating matters is the concept of Striking Range, another poorly defined term from the First Edition. It is generally understood to mean 10 feet or less—the distance at which an attacker may strike an opponent without expending movement. [10] This concept applies under both surprise and non-surprise conditions, yet the rules never clearly explain how it interacts with movement allowances during a combat round.

Breaking Off & Falling Back

The rules specifically address two special cases of combat movement—breaking off combat and falling back.

Breaking Off: If a combatant breaks off from melee—whether to flee or to reposition—the opponent is allowed a free attack as the combatant disengages. [11] This attack is resolved as a rear attack: the defender receives no Dexterity adjustment, no shield bonus, and the attacker gains a +2 bonus to hit.

Falling Back: Alternatively, a combatant may fall back: a controlled, retrograde movement intended to maintain engagement while repositioning. In this case, the opponent may freely move to keep pace. [12] Once again, the rules fail to specify how far a combatant may fall back or what portion of their movement rate this consumes, leaving these determinations entirely to the DM’s judgment.

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Citations & Footnotes Melee movement in AD&D

[1] Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Dungeon Masters Guide (TSR, 1979), p. 61. This page presents the six-step Combat Sequence and its eight sub-steps.

[2] Dungeon Masters Guide, p. 66. See the “Close to Striking Range” section.

[3] Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook (TSR, 1978), p. 102. See the “Movement in Dungeons” section.

[4] Dungeon Masters Guide, p. 65. As noted in the “Spell Casting During Melee” section: “Casting a spell requires that a figure be relatively motionless and concentrating on the effort during the entire course of uninterrupted casting.” This does not mean that the caster is prohibited from moving before or after casting; movement is restricted only during the casting process itself.

[5] “Sage Advice” (Dragon, Issue 145, May 1989), p. 56.

[6] “Sage Advice” (Dragon, Issue 150, October 1989), pp. 9–10.

[7] Dungeon Masters Guide, p. 71. As noted in the “Actions During Combat And Similar Time-Important Situations” section. This example shows that the use of a magic item and movement in combat is permissible.

[8] Players Handbook, p. 102. See the “Movement in Dungeons” section.

[9] Players Handbook, p. 102. See the “Movement in Dungeons” section.

[10] Dungeon Masters Guide, p. 66. See the “Close to Striking Range” section.

[11] Dungeon Masters Guide, p. 70. See the “Melee, Breaking Off From Melee” subsection.

[12] Players Handbook, pp. 104–105. As noted in the “Combat, Melee Combat” subsection.