Let’s Fight! A First Edition AD&D Combat Example

Dungeoneers Guild Games

Jan 1

1 min read

Updated: 7 days ago

This First Edition AD&D combat example follows a dungeon encounter through surprise, initiative, spellcasting, movement, and attacks, with references to the original rulebooks. This walk-through combat encounter demonstrates how combat works in First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons.

By R. Nelson Bailey

Knights in armor engages a hobgoblin in a fight in a stone dungeon. Text "Let's Fight!" is displayed above, creating an intense, medieval mood.

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Battle map titled “Surprise Round.” A square-grid room shows a blue adventuring party clustered on the left—T, MU, C, P, M1, M2, M3, and F—inside or near a dotted 10-foot-radius Protection From Evil area. Pink enemies are positioned mainly on the right and around the room, labeled H1–H7, F, MU, H3–H5, and Imp. Circular stone obstacles or pillars are spaced throughout the room, with doorways on the right wall and a large curved boundary near the eastern side.

Battle map titled “End of ROUND 1.” The blue adventuring party is clustered on the left-center of the room around a dotted 10-foot-radius Protection From Evil area, with T positioned farther north. Pink enemies H1–H7, F, MU, and an Imp are spread around the party and across the room. H1, H2, H3, and F have yellow bands indicating Haste; H1, H2, H3, and P also show purple bands indicating Sleep. Circular stone pillars or obstacles are spaced throughout the chamber, with two doorways on the right wall and a large curved boundary on the eastern side.

Battle map titled “End of ROUND 2.” The remaining blue adventurers are clustered on the left-center of the chamber: C, P, F, and MU. The dotted circle marks a 10-foot-radius Protection From Evil area. Pink enemies H1, H2, H3, H5, H6, H7, F, MU, and an Imp occupy nearby and more distant positions. Yellow bands on H1, H2, H3, and F indicate Haste; purple bands on H1, H2, H3, H5, and P indicate Sleep. The blue MU has a yellow Shield symbol, while the pink MU has white dots representing Mirror Images. Circular stone pillars are spaced throughout the room, with doorways on the right wall and a large curved boundary on the eastern side.

Battle map titled “End of ROUND 3.” The blue adventurers C, P, F, and MU remain on the left side, surrounded closely by pink enemies H1, H2, H3, H5, H6, H7, F, MU, and an Imp. A dotted circle marks the 10-foot-radius Protection From Evil area. H1, H2, H3, and F have yellow Haste bands; H1, H5, and P show purple Sleep bands; H2, H3, and H7 have green bands indicating nausea. The blue MU has a yellow Shield symbol, while the pink MU has white dots representing Mirror Images. A green Stinking Cloud covers the lower-left melee area, while a large pink 15-foot-radius Silence area occupies much of the center-right chamber. Circular stone pillars are spaced throughout the room, with doorways on the right wall and a large curved boundary on the eastern side.

Battle map titled “End of ROUND 4.” The blue adventurers MU, C, P, and F remain clustered on the left side of the chamber, with pink enemies H1, H2, H3, H5, H6, H7, F, MU, and an Imp nearby or farther across the room. A dotted circle marks the 10-foot-radius Protection From Evil area. H1, H2, H3, and F have yellow Haste bands; H1 and H5 retain purple Sleep bands. The blue MU has a yellow Shield symbol, while the pink MU has white dots representing Mirror Images. A green Stinking Cloud covers the lower-left melee area, and a large pink 15-foot-radius Silence area fills much of the center-right chamber. Circular stone pillars are spaced throughout the room, with doorways on the right wall and a large curved boundary on the eastern side.

Battle map titled “End of ROUND 5.” The blue adventurers C, P, F, and MU remain clustered on the left side of the chamber. Pink enemies H1, H2, H3, H5, H7, F, MU, and an Imp occupy nearby and more distant positions. A dotted circle marks the 10-foot-radius Protection From Evil area. H1, H2, H3, and F have yellow Haste bands, while H1 and H5 have purple Sleep bands. The blue MU has a yellow Shield symbol, and the pink MU has white dots representing Mirror Images. A green Stinking Cloud covers the lower-left portion of the room, overlapping part of a large pink 15-foot-radius Silence area in the center-right. Circular stone pillars are spaced throughout the chamber, with doorways on the right wall and a large curved boundary on the eastern side.

Battle map titled “End of ROUND 6.” The blue adventurers C, P, F, and MU remain clustered on the left-center of the chamber, closely surrounded by pink enemies H1, H2, H3, H5, H7, and MU. A dotted circle marks the 10-foot-radius Protection From Evil area. H1 and H5 have purple bands indicating Sleep, while the pink MU has white dots representing Mirror Images. A green Stinking Cloud occupies the lower-left portion of the room, and an Imp stands farther southeast near the center-bottom. Circular stone pillars are spaced throughout the chamber, with doorways on the right wall and a large curved boundary on the eastern side.

Battle map titled “End of ROUND 7.” The blue adventurers C, P, F, and MU remain clustered on the left-center of the chamber within or near a dotted 10-foot-radius Protection From Evil area. Pink enemies H1, H2, H5, MU, and an Imp remain on the map; H1 and H5 have purple bands indicating Sleep, while the pink MU has white dots representing Mirror Images. The Imp stands farther south near the bottom-center of the room. Circular stone pillars are spaced throughout the chamber, with doorways on the right wall and a large curved boundary on the eastern side.

Battle map titled “End of ROUND 8.” The blue adventurers C, P, F, and MU remain clustered on the left-center of the chamber within or near a dotted 10-foot-radius Protection From Evil area. Only one pink enemy, H5, remains adjacent to the party, marked with a purple band indicating Sleep. Circular stone pillars are spaced throughout the room, with doorways on the right wall and a large curved boundary on the eastern side.

Let’s Fight! A First Edition AD&D Combat Example

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