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Moldvay Cook OD&D House Rules

by KenHR.

This stuff is taken from a clarification and house rule document I've been tinkering with on and off for my megadungeon game, which is run between other games or when the whole group can't get together. Wondering if anyone has any comments.

Fighters
Starting at 4th level, fighters can make multiple attacks in melee and missile combat. Multiple attacks are made at a cost to accuracy, so some consideration may be needed before making the decision to use them. To determine how many attacks the fighter can make and at what cost, use the following rule:
• If the fighter wishes to make two attacks, use the row two worse than the fighter’s normal row on the Character Attacks table.
• If the fighter wishes to make three attacks, use the row three worse than the fighter’s normal row on the Character Attacks table; in effect, a fighter will not be able to do this until 7th level.

For example, a 4th level fighter who wishes to make two attacks would use the “normal man” row for both to-hit rolls. A 12th level fighter making three attacks in a single round would use the 1-3 row.

Elves, Dwarves and Halflings cannot make use of this rule.

Thieves
Thieves add their Dexterity bonus to their level when determining their base chance to succeed using on of their special abilities. Thus a 1st level thief with an 18 Dexterity (+3 bonus) would use the 4th level row on the Thieves’ Abilities table. Note that base chances can be modified by especially difficult or easy conditions.

Spell Research
Per the Expert rules, a spell user of any level may research new spells at a cost of 1,000 gp and 2 weeks of game time per spell level.

The time and cost is cut in half if the spell user is researching a pre-existing spell and has a scroll or spell book containing the object of their research; a scroll is consumed in the research process.

Two-Handed Weapons
Two-handed weapons automatically strike first on the first round they are employed in melee against opponents wielding one-handed weapons.

Fighter Multiple Attacks
If a fighter uses multiple attacks in a round, the first blow is struck in normal initiative order. Subsequent attacks come after all other attacks have been resolved. If multiple fighters are using multiple attacks, the second and third attacks are resolved in initiative order.