Player's Option: Combat & Tactics (abbreviated CT, or C&T) is a supplemental sourcebook to the core rules of the second edition of the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons

Dungeons & Dragons is a fantasy role-playing game originally designed by Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, and first published in 1974 by Tactical Studies Rules, Inc. . The game has been published by Wizards of the Coast since 1997...

fantasy

Fantasy

Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...

 role-playing game

Role-playing game

A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...

. This 192-page book was published by TSR, Inc.

TSR, Inc.

Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....

 in 1995. The book was designed by L. Richard Baker III

Richard Baker (game designer)

Richard Baker is an American author and a game designer who has worked on many Dungeons & Dragons campaign settings.-Early life, education, and military:...

 and Skip Williams

Skip Williams

Ralph Williams, almost always referred to as Skip Williams, is an American game designer. He is married to Penny Williams, who is also involved with the games industry...

. Cover art is by Jeff Easley

Jeff Easley

Jeff Easley is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork in the tradition of Frank Frazetta.-Early life:...

 and interior art is by Doug Chaffee, Les Dorscheid, Larry Elmore

Larry Elmore

Larry Elmore is an American fantasy artist whose work includes creating illustrations for video games, comics, magazines and fantasy books. His list of work includes illustrations for Dungeons & Dragons, Dragonlance, and the comic strip series SnarfQuest...

, Ken

Ken Frank

Ken Frank is an artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games.-Works:Ken Frank produced interior illustrations for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine throughout the 1990s, as well as cover art for the adventure modules Flames of the Falcon and Falconmaster...

 and Charles Frank, Roger Loveless, Erik Olson, and Alan Pollack

Alan Pollack

Alan Pollack is an artist whose work has appeared in role-playing games.-Works:Alan Pollack produced interior illustrations for many Dungeons & Dragons books and Dragon magazine since 1994, and did the covers for Shaman , Chronomancer , Avengers in Lankhmar , Netheril: Empire of Magic , Mind Lords...

.

Contents

The book begins with a one-page introduction by Baker and Williams, which explains that this book is intended to provide details to make combat more believable. Chapter One (pages 6-37) describes the Player's Option combat system, which was expanded from the Player's Handbook

Player's Handbook

The Player's Handbook is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons . It does not contain the complete set of rules, but only those for use by players of the game...

and Dungeon Master's Guide

Dungeon Master's Guide

The Dungeon Master's Guide is a book of rules for the fantasy role-playing game Dungeons & Dragons...

, and is played on a gridded battle map with 1-inch squares. Chapter Two (pages 38-55) describes a set of combat options for the new combat system, including battle tactics, attack options, fighting styles, dueling, and brawling. Chapter Three (pages 56-69) describes how the climate and terrain of a battlefield affects combat. Chapter Four (pages 70-81) presents details on weapon specialization and mastery, revising the weapon proficiency system from the Player's Handbook. Chapter Five (pages 82-99) provides rules for unarmed combat, including brawling, subduing, and martial arts. Chapter Six (pages 100-115) details two systems for determining critical hits within the game. Chapter Seven (pages 116-151) expands on the weapons and armor presented in the Player's Handbook. Chapter Eight (pages 152-177) details the war machines, and sieges and fortifications of siege warfare. Chapter Nine (pages 178-187) details monsters in combat, particularly creatures in battle, creature types

Creature type (Dungeons & Dragons)

In the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, creature types are rough categories of creatures which determine the way game mechanics affect the creature. In the 3rd edition and related games, there are between thirteen and seventeen creature types. Creature type is determined by the...

, and attack and armor types of monsters. Pages 189-192 are an index to the book.

Additional reading

• Review: Dragon
  Dragon (magazine)
  Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
  
  #221
• "Part 1: Critical hit tables from the Combat & Tactics book", Dragon #216
• "Sage Advice", Dragon #222