An Example of Pummeling

Anada, an 8th-level elf warrior, has just escaped from a cell inside a bugbear lair. He has no weapons but still wears his suit of chain mail +1. Anada surprises a pair of unwary bugbear guards and moves in to attack them from behind. The bugbears are Large creatures, but Anada is Man-sized, so his pummeling attacks can effect them. Anada is familiar with pummeling, and can make only one pummeling attack each round despite his warrior level (though he could make a second attack with his other fist and suffer the penalties for a two-handed attack).

Because he is not in a threatened square, his first punch does not provoke an attack of opportunity. Anada’s attack roll must be good enough to hit AC 5, a bugbear’s normal Armor Class. He hits with a roll of 18, good enough to score a critical hit. Anada’s Strength is 17, so the bugbear suffers 2d2+1 points of damage from Anada’s bare fists (the damage is doubled due to the critical hit). The blow inflicts 3 points of damage, all temporary. Next, Anada and the bugbear must make opposed Strength rolls. Anada receives a –2 penalty to his Strength score because he is one size class smaller than his opponent. The bugbear’s effective Strength is 17, with a +2 bonus because it is larger than Anada. Anada rolls another 18 and the bugbear rolls a 10. The bugbear is not knocked down. (Because Anada failed his Strength roll, the bugbear would not be knocked down in any case.)

The critical hit makes the bugbear roll a saving throw vs. death at –1 (because of Anada’s 17 Strength) to avoid being knocked out. It fails the roll and falls unconscious for 3d10 combat turns. The second bugbear takes no action, because Anada has surprise.

The next round, Anada wins initiative and moves in to pummel the second bugbear, who turns to face him. Anada’s punch provokes an attack of opportunity, because the bugbear threatens him. The bugbear has +4 attack and damage bonuses and its racial damage bonus of +2. It hits Anada for 9 points of normal damage and scores a knockdown chance. Anada’s pummeling attack automatically fails, but his saving throw is successful and he is not knocked down. The bugbear decides to use its regular attack to punch Anada with its free hand, in hopes of recapturing him alive. It must hit AC 3 (Anada has a 15 Dexterity in addition to his magical armor) and misses.

During the next round Anada tries to pick up the fallen bugbear’s weapon. The second bugbear wins initiative, however, and tries to punch Anada again. Anada is not yet armed, so there is no attack of opportunity. This time the bugbear hits, inflicting 1d3+2 points of damage with its mailed fist. It scores 5 points of damage, 1 normal and 4 temporary. Anada has now suffered 14 points of damage, 10 normal and 4 temporary. Unfortunately, Anada only had 12 hit points at the start of this battle, having been wounded earlier. Because his current hit point total is –2, he falls unconscious for 2d6 full turns. The bugbears drag him back to his cell, and watch him more carefully this time.

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