Previously, I wrote about how, in most OSR games, there’s not a lot to do in melee combat beyond swinging your weapon. Then I proposed heroic exploits, but those may feel too much like modern D&D feats for some. So here, I propose just simple maneuvers that encourage movement and drama in melee combat.

Melee Attack Roll

Your melee attack roll determines what maneuver you can do, if your opponent is a humanoid the same size or one size smaller. If you hit with the values below as your natural roll, you can perform that maneuver or any maneuver of a lesser roll. For example, if you hit your opponent with a natural 15 plus your modifiers, you can perform a grapple, plow, or tackle in addition to your weapon damage. If your roll plus modifiers doesn’t hit, you can’t perform a maneuver.

• When biting monsters perform these attacks, they do their normal bite damage instead of 1d6 damage.
• A distance means a distance equal to your height.
• You can’t fight most non-humanoids with these techniques.

13+: Tackle

You can tackle your opponent, pushing him or her back 5 feet; both go down. You now have the opponent in a grapple on the ground below.

15+: Grapple

You can take hold of your opponent in a standing grapple. The next round, the opponent must make an opposed strength check to break the hold. Otherwise, the opponent can’t take an action, and you can cause 1d6 hp damage plus strength bonus or (if you’re standing and not on the ground as a result of a tackle) optionally move the opponent a distance in any direction.

Biting monsters get an automatic hit with the bite instead.

17+: Shove

You can shove or kick your opponent back a distance away from you. A smaller opponent is also knocked prone.

19+: Knockdown

You can knock your opponent back a distance away from you and prone. A smaller opponent also takes an additional 1d4 hp damage.

20: Critical Hit

Maximum damage plus normal damage.