One innovation per edition

[fuindordm]

I'm currently running an AD&D campaign but sneaking in some houserules inspired by later editions.
This got me thinking: If you had to pick just one rule innovation from each edition of D&D to add as a house rule to your current campaign (of any edition), then what would it be? What evolutions have stood the test of time?

For me:
1e - base rules for campaign
2e - incentives for single-class PCs (specialty priests, specialist wizards, weapon specialization for fighters...)
3e - feats, so that players have some leeway to customize their base class
4e - a warlord base class
5e - class/subclass structure

As I'm writing these, I realize that they are all on the player side. Frankly, I can't think of any major innovations in the rules that really transformed the game for me as a DM. Advantage/disadvantage is useful but doesn't quite meet the "gotta have it" threshold. 3e-style magic item creation is a mixed blessing and more for the players than the DM.

How about you all? Are there any rules or quirks from earlier editions that you now consider essential, no matter what edition you're playing?

 

[Firwood]

I express my very personal opinion:

3E: talents allow you to customise your character, but they also create imbalances and difficulties at the gaming table. If you decide to use feats, be prepared for endless hours of character creation.
5E: classes/subclasses serve to define a more strategic approach to the game, as they provide access to more specific skills and talents.
Why not use AD&D-specific elements such as kits instead of using “foreign” elements taken from later editions?
In my personal experience, kits have allowed players to customise their characters in a satisfying way.
The problem with some kits is that they can be either too powerful (see bladesinger in the Complete Book of Elves) or too weak, and that some players may take a long time to choose the kit they like best (as with feats)

The beauty of AD&D is precisely that it is more imaginative and fantastic than later editions.

 

[sevenbastard]

Frankly, I can't think of any major innovations in the rules that really transformed the game for me as a DM.

I don't know if it was transformative but 4e monster design was pretty good.

 

[aco175]

1e might be bringing back the non-human races as classes. Yeah, it sticks the elf as a fighter/wizard or the halfling as a fighter/thief but I always liked it and cannot think of much else to being in from that edition that would be of great value.

3e would be the d20 system. I like feats, but everything was made simpler with the D20 mechanic.

4e would be the saving throws and PCs rolled to attack with everything. Cast a fireball- you attack the monster Reflex save instead of watching the DM makes saves for all the monsters.

5e could be feats or subclasses. They both have a place but either could be taken out. Maybe just keep the advantage/disadvantage mechanic to keep things simple.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Hmmm

1e - official settings; 2e is known for settings, and Judges Guild started setting books earlier, sure, but the first official ones came on the scene here
B/X & BECMI - race as class; it's a drastic simplification, but considering how many OSR games model it, clearly one that resonated with people
2e - I'm torn here - on the one hand, kits are the signature mechanic of 2e, on the other hand, I think its real innovation was streamlining and reorganizing 1e
3e - opening all classes to all races
4e - group & extended skill checks
5e - advantage/disadvantage
6e - switching to species

 

[Stormonu]

My list would be:

1E - Base; 1E PHB/DMG + UA, with Wilderness and Dungeoneer's Survival Guides NWP's
2E - Kits
3E - Ascending AC
4E - ???, maybe Bloodied?
5E - Advantage/Disadvantage

(Though personally, I'd start with 2E as a base)

 

[payn]

2E Kits
3E Prestige Classes
4E Healing surges (ugh that name...)
5E Bounded accuracy

 

[Mannahnin]

OE: XP for treasure combined with the clearest direction re: placing hoards
1E: Initiative taking reach into account and allowing for spell interruption
B/X: Monster morale & dungeon crawl procedures
2E: The options for non-treasure XP.
3E: Ascending AC, clear and usable magic item creation rules.
4E: Monster design is a bit of a cheat. Healing Surges is probably a more discrete option. Non-AC Defenses also a strong candidate.
5E: Advantage/Disadvantage

 

[James Gasik]

1e - Lots of character classes. In addition to Unearthed Arcana, Dragonlance Adventures, and OA, there were more classes than you could count in things like Dragon Magazine. I enjoyed the possibilities.

2e - Priests of a specific deity feeling very different than their peers. Wacky, gonzo possibilities with race and settings (why yes, I am an animate cube with legs serving as a crewmember on a flying ship IN SPACE!).

3e - Alternate class features- it doesn't make sense that every Ranger is going to be a cookie cutter with the exact same abilities, if they travel in different lands! Taking the existence of magic items into account- the solution arrived at here is flawed, but way better than what we have these days, IMO. Provisions for high level play that could be transformative. Prestige classes- sure, they weren't handled the best way, but breaking the chains of being a "standard" class in interesting ways was incredible and could make a campaign world feel more vibrant when you have organizations of Wayfinders and Academic Wizards roaming about. Being able to cast buffs that actually matter!

4e - defined roles so that each class has a built in niche, which is supported. Warriors who can actually protect weaker party members, instead of just kind of hoping enemies target them. Hybrid characters (probably the best multiclassing experience I've ever had in D&D). Dedicated force multiplier Leaders, instead of guys who sit behind a pinpoint laser defense barrier and sometimes bother to pop you up to single digit hit points if you fall down. Healing surges that were both impactful and a limit on how much you can adventure today. Disease rules that were useful! Moving magic effects to non-combat rituals that take longer amounts of time and resources to enact! Doing away with most of the perceived caster/non-caster nonsense! Everyone on the same timetable, instead of some classes wanting to nap every 5 seconds, others constantly afraid of running out of gas, and still others doing the same thing, every turn, round after round after round, wondering why everyone else is getting bent out of shape!

5e - subclasses are a great idea. Feats that do more than grant +1 to hit or AC is a great idea. Could be handled better.

 

[Ath'kethin]

Basic: Level advancement that wasn't just based on combat. I realize the systeme was more specific than that, XP for treasure and all, but I think the real value is just conceptually decoupling (or pre-coupling?) level advancement from beating up monsters.

2e: Kits. While clunky in application and hugely varying in quality and "power," I love the idea of having a more or less transparent overlay on a character that added unique and flavorful abilities, directions, and setbacks. Especially since kits could be applied to a bunch of different classes so they felt more like expanded options and less like a railroad.

3e: Ascending AC. While I have real issues with the implementation of the d20 system, mostly because it totally same-ified all mechanics in the game and rendered ability scores (as opposed to ability modifiers) largely irrelevant, there's no doubt that switching to the more intuitive "higher-is-always-better" approach for AC made the game much easier to grok. I started playing D&D in a school for "gifted & talented" high schoolers in the mid-90s with 2e, and even there we had a couple of people who struggled with THAC0. Amusingly, one of those folks was also the most resistant to the change over to 3e, but so it goes/went.

Spoiler: Other 3e Thoughts

If we were picking more than one I'd add in simplified saving throws, conditions, the alignemnt descriptions, and moving away from male-only pronouns in the text, too. There was a lot to like here.

4e: All-in-one-place monstser stat blocks. I absolutely loved not having to flip through pages and/or different books just to use a monster's special abilities.

5e: I'm gonna go with the Dis/Advantage mechanic. There's a lot to love about 5e, but ditching endless charts of modifiers for a simple alternative is my desert island feature.