Recent content by James Gasik

Outside of things like Style Specializations, Specialization in Punching/Wrestling/Martial Arts, Bladesong, or the strange "feats" in the Celts book, you can totally do without weapon proficiencies and the game is probably better for it, since there's a wide variety of possible weapons and being...

Unless I am and you simply lack the clearance to know.

You're not cleared for that!

It's been awhile, obviously, but I think pre-Fighter's Handbook, I had someone argue with me that it doesn't specify that you can use Int slots for weapon proficiencies, and that where it says that is closer to the NWP section (they didn't even believe I could get bonus NWP's until I showed them...

This really is D&D in a nutshell. In most games, combat isn't a fail state, it's an inevitability. You don't know what sorts of exploration or social challenges you might encounter, or how difficult they might be. But you do know that you're going to be asked to "roll for initiative" at least...

What Remathilis said.

Well, the Complete Fighter's Handbook, for example, introduced using Int language slots for weapon proficiencies, four fighting style specializations, martial arts, piecemeal armor, several new weapons, armor damage, called shots, jousting, advice for running themed games (gladiators...

I can't imagine playing 2e without at least the Complete Fighter's Handbook.

Honestly, what I'd do would start with how Sneak Attack works. It's flavorful to actually require people to use certain "Rogue" weapons and require them to catch people somewhat off guard, but since we keep being told by the designers that the Rogue is intended to always use Sneak Attack, why...

Really the main problem with the Rogue is ensuring a good balance between the three pillars of play (Combat, Exploration, Social), and giving the Rogue player the opportunity to flex what they have specialized in. Many games focus on combat encounters more than the others. What I've noticed is...

Let's not forget that encumbrance was never meant to be taken into account when moving other creatures.

"Never give the players an even break." - E.G. Gygax, probably.

When these items were placed in the 1e DMG, a book which was not meant for players to read (with the author even going to the point that any player perusing the tome was worthy of a "less than honorable death", lol), players had no clue that this thing could happen. Identify was not a spell...

Even in the Old West with six shooters, you had "fanning the hammer" as a technique.

And the answer is, it depends.