Marching Order

The four characters in your party each have a position (1, 2, 3, or 4). You can change marching order whenever the party is in an empty room or corridor, never during combat.

Why it matters

In a corridor

A corridor is narrow — only two characters fit abreast.

• Positions 1 and 2 are the front. Only they can attack in melee, and only they can be attacked by monsters.
• Positions 3 and 4 are the rear. They cannot melee. They can cast spells or fire bows / slings over the front rank's shoulders.

A party of two characters in a corridor counts as "both in front" — but both will be attacked in the rear if surprised.

In a room

A room is wide enough that everyone fights at once. Marching order is mostly irrelevant in rooms — but:

• Archers (bows, slings) may shoot only on the first combat turn before melee closes. After that, they fight at -2 to Attack rolls with kicks and punches unless they have a melee weapon.
• Casters (wizards, elves, clerics) can cast in any round.

Surprise from wandering monsters

When wandering monsters appear in a corridor (because you rolled a 1 while retracing), they sneak up from behind.

• They attack positions 3 and 4 first.
• The first attack ignores the shield bonus.

Put your durable rear characters in 3 / 4 if you expect wandering monsters.

A typical setup

• Position 1–2: warriors, dwarves, barbarians, paladins, sometimes a cleric with heavy armor.
• Position 3–4: wizards, halflings with sling, elves with bow, support clerics.

In wide rooms it scarcely matters. In corridors and on retreats, marching order is the difference between a long delve and a TPK.