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29-480: Complete Warrior presents additional rules and advice for the creation and use of character classes which specialize in melee and ranged combat. It also provides a catchall for anything that doesn't fit into Complete Adventurer , Complete Divine , Complete Arcane , or Complete Psionic . The Hexblade mixes martial prowess with a unique curse ability, the ability to cast arcane spells and good resistance against spells and spell effects. Similar in concept to

58-414: A deep dive into specific class types. They expanded on what it meant to be that kind of class, gave informative prestige classes, extra abilities, and even new concepts for playing them." Melee A melee ( / ˈ m eɪ l eɪ / or / ˈ m ɛ l eɪ / ) is disorganized hand-to-hand combat in battles fought at close range with little central control once it starts. In military aviation ,

87-459: A mêlée has been defined as "an air battle in which several aircraft, both friend and foe, are confusingly intermingled". The English term melee originated in the 1640s from the French word mêlée ( French: [mɛle] ) and means a confused struggle or fight among several people, especially in hand-to-hand combat and battles among many combatants. The French term is derived from

116-514: A persistent aspect of modern warfare. Hand-to-hand combat is the principal form of combat during skirmishes between Indian Army and Chinese People's Liberation Army soldiers along the disputed Himalayan border between India and the People's Republic of China. While Chinese and Indian soldiers carry firearms, due to decades of tradition designed to reduce the possibility of an escalation, agreements disallow usage of firearms along this border. In

145-569: A supplement to armed combat. Soldiers in China were trained in unarmed combat as early as the Zhou dynasty (1022 BCE to 256 BCE). Despite major technological changes such as the use of gunpowder, the machine gun in the Russo-Japanese War and the trench warfare of World War I , hand-to-hand fighting methods with the knife and bayonet remain common in modern military training, though

174-482: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Hand-to-hand combat Hand-to-hand combat is a physical confrontation between two or more persons at short range ( grappling distance or within the physical reach of a handheld weapon) that does not involve the use of ranged weapons . The phrase "hand-to-hand" sometimes include use of melee weapons such as knives , swords , clubs , spears , axes , or improvised weapons such as entrenching tools . While

203-527: Is a fighter that emphasizes finesse, style and flair, combining martial prowess with amazing acrobatics to outmaneuver opponents. With a d10 for hit points and a 1/1 base attack bonus advancement, the swashbuckler is an effective frontline fighter, and while the inability to wear medium or heavy armours makes the character vulnerable to counterattacks, some of the class features compensate. The ability to deal strength (weakness critical class feature) and constitution damage (wounding critical class feature), as well as

232-547: Is mentioned in the Tailteann Games dating back from somewhere between 1839 BC to 632 BC (academics disagree) to the 12th century AD when the Normans invaded. Other historical forms of close combat include the gladiator spectacles of ancient Rome and medieval tournament events such as jousting or medieval martial arts . Military organizations have always taught some sort of unarmed combat for conditioning and as

261-740: Is not intended only for fighters , David Noonan clarified that Complete Warrior would be useful for: "In short, anybody who makes attack rolls. That's often the fighter, of course, but there's something in Complete Warrior for the polymorphed wizard, the wild-shaped druid, and any number of archetypes who don't trundle around in heavy armor heaving a big battleaxe." Viktor Coble listed the entire Complete series - including Complete Adventurer , Complete Divine , Complete Warrior , Complete Arcane , Complete Champion , and Complete Mage - as #9 on CBR 's 2021 "D&D: 10 Best Supplemental Handbooks" list, stating that "These books took

290-673: Is the most ancient form of fighting known. A majority of cultures have their own particular histories related to close combat, and their own methods of practice. The pankration , which was practiced in Ancient Greece and Rome , is an example of a form which involved nearly all strikes and holds, with biting and gouging being the only exceptions (although allowed in Sparta ). Many modern varieties of martial arts and combat sports, such as some boxing styles, wrestling and MMA , were also practiced historically. For example, Celtic wrestling

319-664: The International Settlement (1854–1943) of Shanghai in the 1920s, widely acknowledged as the most dangerous port city in the world due to a heavy opium trade run by organized crime (the Chinese Triads ). CQC was derived from a mixture of judo , jujutsu , boxing , savate , wrestling and street fighting . After the May Thirtieth Movement , Fairbairn was charged with developing an auxiliary squad for riot control . After absorbing

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348-644: The Iraq and Afghanistan wars found that the majority of hand-to-hand combat involved grappling techniques instead of striking. Most combat sports involve hand-to-hand combat. A 2014 study found that, amongst US soldiers deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan between 2004 and 2008, 19% reported the use of hand-to-hand techniques in at least one encounter, in a variety of circumstances and contexts (such as close combat, prisoner handling, crowd control and security checkpoints), supporting prior research that indicated that, despite advances in technology, hand-to-hand combat remained

377-488: The sorcerer , the Hexblade is an individual who possesses unnatural jinxes or an evil eye, and uses it towards combat. With a d10 for hit points, a 1/1 base attack bonus advancement, and a very slow spell advancement, the hexblade is more like an arcane ranger or paladin than a bard . The Samurai is a brave and noble warrior, possessing martial prowess and unique abilities to intimidate and terrify his opponents. Like

406-576: The French expression pêle-mêle , a rhyme based on the Old French mesler , meaning to mix or mingle. Lord Nelson described his tactics for the Battle of Trafalgar as inducing a "pell mell battle" focused on engagements between individual ships where the superior morale and skill of the Royal Navy would prevail. The 1812 tabletop war game Kriegsspiel referred to the hand-combat stage of

435-514: The Old French mesler , which survives in medley and meddle . In the 1579 translation of Plutarch 's Lives of the noble Grecians and Romanes , Sir Thomas North uses the term ' pelmel ' to refer to a disorganized retreat. The phrase was later used in its current spelling in Shakespeare 's Richard III , 1594: "March on, ioine brauelie, let vs to it pell mell, / If not to heauen then hand in hand to hell." The phrase comes from

464-698: The ability to charge in difficult terrains (acrobatic charge class feature) makes the swashbuckler a formidable opponent in any battle. Complete Warrior was written by Andy Collins , David Noonan , and Ed Stark , and was published in November 2003. Cover art is by Wayne Reynolds , with interior art by Brent Chumley , Ed Cox , Wayne England , Rebecca Guay-Mitchell , Jeremy Jarvis , Doug Kovacs , Ginger Kubic , John and Laura Lakey , David Martin , Dennis Crabapple McClain , Matt Mitchell , Steve Prescott , Wayne Reynolds, David Roach , Mark Smylie , Brian Snoddy , Ron Spencer , and Joel Thomas . As this book

493-520: The game as a melee . Later war games would follow this pattern. From there, gamers would eventually begin to call the weapons used in that stage melee weapons . H.G. Wells ' 1913 Little Wars was the first to specifically outline a "melee" rule in his eponymous war game. Many later wargames (and video games) can trace their origins to the rulesets first laid out in Little Wars . In 1968, Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren adopted and modified

522-477: The importance of formal training declined after 1918. By 1944 some German rifles were being produced without bayonet lugs. Close Quarters Combat (CQC), or World War II combatives , was largely codified by William Ewart Fairbairn and Eric Anthony Sykes . Also known for their eponymous Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife , Fairbairn and Sykes had worked in the Shanghai Municipal Police of

551-435: The most appropriate elements from a variety of martial arts experts, from China , Japan and elsewhere, he condensed these arts into a practical combat system he called Defendu . He and his police team went on to field test these skills on the streets of Shanghai; Fairbairn himself used his combat system effectively in over 2,000 documented encounters, including over 600 lethal-force engagements. The aim of his combat system

580-528: The other classes, the Samurai has a d10 for hit points and a 1/1 base attack bonus advancement. The main drawback to playing a Samurai is the restrictions placed on the class. A Samurai cannot multiclass, then resume being a Samurai, some of his class abilities require him to use specific weaponry, and he is bound by the code of Bushido, which operates in a similar manner to the Paladin's code. The Swashbuckler

609-537: The restrictions imposed by civilian law , military rules of engagement , or ethical codes . Close combat using firearms or other distance weapons by military combatants at the tactical level is referred to in contemporary parlance as close-quarters battle . The United States Army uses the term combatives to describe various military fighting systems used in hand-to-hand combat training, systems which may incorporate eclectic techniques from several different martial arts and combat sports . Hand-to-hand combat

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638-448: The rules for Siege of Bodenburg , a medieval war game, and expanded on rules for one-on-one melee combat and specific melee weapon rules. This modified ruleset was published as Chainmail and included a fantasy supplement which would later be known as Dungeons & Dragons . The popularity of Dungeons & Dragons , which featured a "melee phase" to represent the fighting of characters outside of bows and magic, would help spread

667-472: The term "hand-to-hand combat" originally referred principally to engagements by combatants on the battlefield , it can also refer to any personal physical engagement by two or more people, including law enforcement officers , civilians , and criminals . Combat within close quarters, to a range just beyond grappling distance, is commonly termed close combat or close-quarters combat. It may include lethal and non-lethal weapons and methods depending upon

696-402: The use of "melee" as a phrase for other table-top and video games regarding any form of combat involving close proximity to and direct physical contact with an opponent, whether unarmed, using weapons or, occasionally, through other methods besides typical strikes and grappling , such as certain status effects that require physical contact to implement. This military -related article

725-657: The war, training was provided to British Commandos , the Devil's Brigade , OSS , U.S. Army Rangers and Marine Raiders . Other combat systems designed for military combat were introduced elsewhere, including European Unifight , Soviet/Russian Sambo , Army hand-to-hand fight , Chinese military Sanshou / Sanda , Israeli Kapap and Krav Maga . The prevalence and style of hand-to-hand combat training often changes based on perceived need. Elite units such as special forces and commando units tend to place higher emphasis on hand-to-hand combat training. Although hand-to-hand fighting

754-558: Was accorded less importance in major militaries after World War II , insurgency conflicts such as the Vietnam War , low intensity conflict and urban warfare have prompted many armies to pay more attention to this form of combat. When such fighting includes firearms designed for close-in fighting, it is often referred to as Close Quarters Battle (CQB) at the platoon or squad level, or Military Operations on Urban Terrain (MOUT) at higher tactical levels. A 2023 study using data from

783-578: Was adopted for use by British and American Special Forces . In 1942, he published a textbook for close quarters combat training called Get Tough . U.S. Army officers Rex Applegate and Anthony Biddle were taught Fairbairn's methods at a training facility in Scotland , and adopted the program for the training of OSS operatives at a newly opened camp near Lake Ontario in Canada . Applegate published his work in 1943, called Kill or Get Killed . During

812-505: Was brought back to Britain, and, after demonstrating the effectiveness of his techniques, was recruited to train the British commandos in his combat method. During this period, he expanded his 'Shanghai Method' into the 'Silent Killing Close Quarters Combat method' for military application. This became standard combat training for all British Special Operations personnel. He also designed the pioneering Fairbairn–Sykes fighting knife , which

841-484: Was simply to be as brutally effective as possible. It was also a system that, unlike traditional Eastern martial-arts that required years of intensive training, could be digested by recruits relatively quickly. The method incorporated training in point shooting and gun combat techniques, as well as the effective use of more ad hoc weapons such as chairs or table legs. During the Second World War , Fairbairn

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