ADD 1st ed Monk conversion to ADD 2nd ed

[jaz0nj4ckal]

Hi Everyone:
I have been looking over the first edition Monk Class, and was thinking about converting this class to use in my 2nd edition games; however, the unarmed combat rules drastically changed in 2nd edition. In second edition, an unarmed combat table is used.

Due to the latter, I am thinking – I should give the Monk class attack and damage benefits, and still use the unarmed combat tables for 2nd edition.

Have any of you converted the Monk Class to use with 2nd edition rules? If so, what did you do to balance the character class while still using the 2nd edition rules?

Thank you,
JJ

 

[Riley]

When I was playing 2e, we had a player who wanted to play a monk. (Also one who just wanted to play a traditional 1e cleric, rather than a 2e priest.) We found that we had no trouble simply letting the characters be played straight out of the 1e PHB, without bothering with any conversion at all.

But then we never found either 1e or 2e unarmed combat to be workable as written.

 

[Riley]

I might also add that we found the 1e monk fatally underpowered at low levels in 1e or 2e, so we were actually using the monk variant from Dragon Magazine 53:

https://www.google.com/search?q=dra...7.11642j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

 

[Moorcrys]

There was an accessory for 2E called 'The Scarlet Brotherhood' written by Sean K Reynolds that has 2nd edition versions of the monk and the assassin classes. If you can get ahold of that you'll have the TSR take on the class at the time.

 

[Man in the Funny Hat]

I have been looking over the first edition Monk Class, and was thinking about converting this class to use in my 2nd edition games; however, the unarmed combat rules drastically changed in 2nd edition. In second edition, an unarmed combat table is used.

Due to the latter, I am thinking – I should give the Monk class attack and damage benefits, and still use the unarmed combat tables for 2nd edition.

Why would you think that? When monks use their "Open Hand" attack in 1E they do NOT attack using the unarmed combat system because it is not an "unarmed" attack. It is a special attack given to the class. It should work no different in 2E, especially as nobody is any likelier to want to use 2E's unarmed combat rules than they were 1E's unarmed combat rules. Trying to make the monks Open Hand attack conform to UNARMED combat rules is only going to make the class less desireable and less effective AT COMBAT.

Have any of you converted the Monk Class to use with 2nd edition rules? If so, what did you do to balance the character class while still using the 2nd edition rules?

Yes, I did "convert" the class. I didn't attempt to make the class use UNARMED combat rules. In fact, my players found it amusing that in every 2E game I started I had yet another revision of the monk class trying to IMPROVE their combat abilities - faster in play, less complicated, more effective, yet not overpowering what fighters could do with weapons. The last thing a monk class needs is to be saddled with some other horrific flavor of unarmed combat rules that nobody in their right mind would want to use except in absolute desperation. And I've yet to find a set of unarmed combat rules for D&D that doesn't fit that description.

 

[jaz0nj4ckal]

There was an accessory for 2E called 'The Scarlet Brotherhood' written by Sean K Reynolds that has 2nd edition versions of the monk and the assassin classes. If you can get ahold of that you'll have the TSR take on the class at the time.

I do not have a copy of this resources - if possible, could you briefly detail how the class was altered?

 

[jaz0nj4ckal]

Why would you think that? When monks use their "Open Hand" attack in 1E they do NOT attack using the unarmed combat system because it is not an "unarmed" attack. It is a special attack given to the class. It should work no different in 2E, especially as nobody is any likelier to want to use 2E's unarmed combat rules than they were 1E's unarmed combat rules. Trying to make the monks Open Hand attack conform to UNARMED combat rules is only going to make the class less desireable and less effective AT COMBAT.

I was thinking of doing this after I submitted my post. I am sitting here working on the class right now, and started to suspect that I should handle the attacks as something special.

Yes, I did "convert" the class. I didn't attempt to make the class use UNARMED combat rules. In fact, my players found it amusing that in every 2E game I started I had yet another revision of the monk class trying to IMPROVE their combat abilities - faster in play, less complicated, more effective, yet not overpowering what fighters could do with weapons. The last thing a monk class needs is to be saddled with some other horrific flavor of unarmed combat rules that nobody in their right mind would want to use except in absolute desperation. And I've yet to find a set of unarmed combat rules for D&D that doesn't fit that description.

Can you give a brief overview of what you did? I am looking for some pointers to get me going in some sort of direction.

Much appreciated.
Thank you
JJ

 

[jaz0nj4ckal]

I might also add that we found the 1e monk fatally underpowered at low levels in 1e or 2e, so we were actually using the monk variant from Dragon Magazine 53:

https://www.google.com/search?q=dra...7.11642j0j7&sourceid=chrome&es_sm=93&ie=UTF-8

Wow thanks...

 

[Moorcrys]

I do not have a copy of this resources - if possible, could you briefly detail how the class was altered?

Hehe - I don't have it myself. I just was looking for something similar a while back and came across that info.

I will tell you that while I like the dragon magazine monk, it's very powerful. It could be totally fine or a nightmare, depending on the overall power level of your campaign.

 

[Atlatl Jones]

Hehe - I don't have it myself. I just was looking for something similar a while back and came across that info.

It came out very late in 2e, and I recall Sean K. Reynolds say later that it was essentially a back-conversion of the then-being-developed 3e monk back to 2e.

I will tell you that while I like the dragon magazine monk, it's very powerful. It could be totally fine or a nightmare, depending on the overall power level of your campaign.

I played one of those, back in the day. It's also in The Best of Dragon Magazine #3. It was quite powerful, but no more so than a mid-level fighter/MU or any fighter type with 18/% strength.