Reduce the big to-hit sources except XL. Luck should scale up to maybe +5
to hit, weapon enchantment to +4.

Immediately drastically improve monster ACs. To a first approximation,
subtract each monster's HD from its previous AC. Check the list to be sure
one has not created any "holy terrors" - some ant monsters (for example)
already have good ACs early on and don't really need a boost.

However, monster AC works like player AC. If a monster has negative AC -n,
it counts as -(1 .. n), randomly selected, each time it is attacked.
However, it always gets damage reduction (1 .. n) as well.

_However_, each point by which the player's to-hit roll beats the
monster's AC cancels out one point of damage reduction. (Arguably,
monsters should get this system as well, as part of a general approach of
doing something about players' effective late-game immunity to physical
damage).

The aim of this system is to mean that additional to-hit is always
valuable, but that the player can never be completely unable to hurt a
monster. (It might totally outclass you and squash you like a bug, of
course.)

The rest of the combat proposal goes something like this:

Trim the weapons list dramatically (for example, reduce all the polearms
to "spear" (throwable), "halberd/naginata" (useful melee weapon), "pike"
(less damage, works 2 squares away).) Have the damages of the remaining
weapons more 3rd. Ed. style - the longsword isn't the only really useful
one.

"Shield use" skill, increasing the armour benefit of shields. "Tower
shield", worth base 3 AC points. Only useful combined with some "monsters
hit harder / player HP gain not unlimited" changes. If you want to be
well-protected, use a shield.

Two-handed combat multiplies skill and Strength bonuses to damage by 2. If
you are a mighty-thewed Expert and want to do a _lot_ of damage, use a
two-handed sword.

Two-weapon combat rolls to hit with both weapons. Better to-hit roll
(comparing final totals including weapon, skill etc bonuses) attacks the
monster; the other doesn't, unless the best roll was a 20/19+/18+ at
Basic/Skilled/Expert two-weapon combat. If you want to hit more, use
two-weapon; if you have a mediocre primary and an excellent secondary
(crysknife?), use two-weapon; if you have +7 Grayswandir and a +0 banana,
abandon two-weapon and concentrate on hitting people with Grayswandir.

Be able to get stuck with a cursed secondary and totally stuck with cursed
primary and secondary.