D&D 1E Favorite Obscure Rules from TSR-era D&D

[Alzrius]

Undead really, really sucked in 1e and 2e. I was happy to see the energy drains allow saves in 3e, though I think the DCs were a bit low on those, and probably shouldn't have allowed two saves in order to permanently lose the level. It went from too hard to avoid losing levels to too easy to avoid losing levels.

I understand this sentiment, and I can't bring myself to condemn it, but it always feels to me like level-draining undead should have been more appreciated than they were simply because they kept the PCs in that "sweet spot" that everyone waxes nostalgic about. You think the game plays best between 6th through 12th level? Well guess what, the vampire just drained your 15th-level character back down to 7th level, congratulations!

Obviously, it didn't work that way, and it's not hard to see why. For all that people seemingly love to complain about how D&D (of any edition) simply doesn't work when the numbers "get too big," they also like tangible representations of advancement, i.e. gaining levels. Gaining them only to have them be quickly and easily lost later on makes the accomplishment feel Sisyphean in nature, becoming a source of frustration rather than enjoyment.

...but it still feels like there should have been a way to bridge that gap, you know?

 

[James Gasik]

It makes me think that Gygax was sad that he never got around to creating his "Amulet of Imperviousness to Extra Damage from Rangers" that was only useable by humanoids.

I wanted to like that with a "Haha" but then I realized, you're probably exactly right.

 

[James Gasik]

I understand this sentiment, and I can't bring myself to condemn it, but it always feels to me like level-draining undead should have been more appreciated than they were simply because they kept the PCs in that "sweet spot" that everyone waxed nostalgic about. You think the game plays best between 6th through 12th level? Well guess what, the vampire just drained your 15th-level character back down to 7th level, congratulations!

Obviously, it didn't work that way, and it's not hard to see why. For all that people seemingly love to complain about how D&D (of any edition) simply doesn't work when the numbers "get too big," they also like tangible representations of advancement, i.e. gaining levels. Gaining them only to have them be quickly and easily lost later on makes the accomplishment feel Sisyphean in nature, becoming a source of frustration rather than enjoyment.

...but it still feels like there should have been a way to bridge that gap, you know?

But then look at all the magic items that granted tons of experience points, almost as if Gary thought to himself "gold to xp isn't enough, these guys might get angry with all the level draining".

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

I wanted to like that with a "Haha" but then I realized, you're probably exactly right.

We should petition Morrus to create a "GYGAX!!!!!" reaction.

 

[TwoSix]

Well, unless you believe Unearthed Arcana is real, since as I mentioned, it had some wackiness:

Half-Orc: C/F, C/T, C/A, F/T, F/A

Halfling: C/F, C/T, D/F, D/T, F/T

Dwarf, Gray: C/F, C/T, C/A, F/T, F/A

Dwarf, Hill or Mountain: C/F, F/T

Gnome, Deep: C/F, C/I, C/T, C/A, F/I, F/T, F/A, I/T, I/A

Gnome, Surface: C/F, C/I, C/T, F/I, F/T, I/T

Elf, Wild: F/T

Elf, Dark: C/F, C/R, C/M, C/T, C/A, F/M , F/T, F/A, R/M, M/T, M/A, C/F/M, C/F/T, C/M/T, F/M/T

Elf, Others: C/F, C/R, C/M, C/T, C/A, D/F, D/R, D/M, D/T, F/M, F/T, F/A, R/M, M/T, M/A, C/F/M, C/F/T, C/M/T, F/M/T

Allowing Multiclass Bards was about the weirdest thing in the leatherettes I remember, and something I always wanted to do but never got around to. Bard/Mage? Sharing Wizard spells in your spellbook with yourself? Sounds wild.

But some limitations were apparently so inviolate, so core to the D&D experience that you got things like the Compete Book of Dwarves which had to make a Fighter/Cleric Kit just to say "Of course Dwarves can't be Paladins! But uh, here's a bunch of Paladin abilities for your LG Fighter/Cleric..."

As much as I prefer 2e to 1e, the presence of the C/T multiclass is a strong point in 1e's favor.

 

[James Gasik]

As much as I prefer 2e to 1e, the presence of the C/T multiclass is a strong point in 1e's favor.

Druid/Thief struck me as being inexplicably awesome, and I despise AD&D Thieves. That and allowing for Elf and Halfling Druids in the first place! If I played more AD&D more often, and I didn't already have a stable of characters, I'd be asking my DM if he'd allow it.

 

[Undrave]

Over the last 40 years I can count on one hand the number of times we needed a mass combat system. The PCs had been put in charge of armies, or were kings going to war, etc. During those times a mass combat system would have been invaluable. The problem is that the other 99.9% of the time we didn't need it and it would just be wasted space in the book.

Play it like Dynasty Warrior: dot some objectives to capture on the battle map, stat up a couple generals and randomly have your allies fail to control the objectives or contend with the generals and the PCs have to run around taking care of it

Weird true fact.

Gygax is on the record (too lazy now to research the reference) as saying that one of his regrets with D&D is allowing turning undead for clerics.

In his opinion, it made undead too easy. Which made him create magic items that undead could use that would make them impervious to turning.

GYGAX!!!!!!

Weren't Clerics specifically created to deal with an OP Undead?! Why would you then make them sucky against undeads?

Oh yeah, when I ran the 5e version of Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan, the players were so confused by the magic items that existed specifically to prevent undead from being turned. "What are these? Why are these? How are these? And what are we supposed to do with them?"

My reply was "if you're Good? Probably pitch them into a volcano. Oh hey, White Plume Mountain is next!"

Who's making these?!?

 

[Voadam]

Well, unless you believe Unearthed Arcana is real, since as I mentioned, it had some wackiness:

Half-Orc: C/F, C/T, C/A, F/T, F/A

Halfling: C/F, C/T, D/F, D/T, F/T

Dwarf, Gray: C/F, C/T, C/A, F/T, F/A

Dwarf, Hill or Mountain: C/F, F/T

Gnome, Deep: C/F, C/I, C/T, C/A, F/I, F/T, F/A, I/T, I/A

Gnome, Surface: C/F, C/I, C/T, F/I, F/T, I/T

Elf, Wild: F/T

Elf, Dark: C/F, C/R, C/M, C/T, C/A, F/M , F/T, F/A, R/M, M/T, M/A, C/F/M, C/F/T, C/M/T, F/M/T

Elf, Others: C/F, C/R, C/M, C/T, C/A, D/F, D/R, D/M, D/T, F/M, F/T, F/A, R/M, M/T, M/A, C/F/M, C/F/T, C/M/T, F/M/T

Do you have an UA page number for that? I remember that and had a PC drow cleric MU in my longtime 1e then later 2e campaign I ran in the 80s but I can't seem to find the chart or listing of options in my PDF UA copy.

 

[Maxperson]

I understand this sentiment, and I can't bring myself to condemn it, but it always feels to me like level-draining undead should have been more appreciated than they were simply because they kept the PCs in that "sweet spot" that everyone waxes nostalgic about. You think the game plays best between 6th through 12th level? Well guess what, the vampire just drained your 15th-level character back down to 7th level, congratulations!

Obviously, it didn't work that way, and it's not hard to see why. For all that people seemingly love to complain about how D&D (of any edition) simply doesn't work when the numbers "get too big," they also like tangible representations of advancement, i.e. gaining levels. Gaining them only to have them be quickly and easily lost later on makes the accomplishment feel Sisyphean in nature, becoming a source of frustration rather than enjoyment.

...but it still feels like there should have been a way to bridge that gap, you know?

I don't believe in sweet spots. At least not as some sort of objective thing. I've always enjoyed D&D from 3rd to high level in every edition, except 4th.

 

[Maxperson]

Druid/Thief struck me as being inexplicably awesome, and I despise AD&D Thieves. That and allowing for Elf and Halfling Druids in the first place! If I played more AD&D more often, and I didn't already have a stable of characters, I'd be asking my DM if he'd allow it.

If nothing else, climb walls becomes a lot more reliable as a spider!