Recent content by jlac

Yeah. The word "Option" in the title of the book sort of explains that already. :)

You kind of have a point, at least with respect to AD&D 2E's fireball. Here is how you aim the thing, straight from the text: "The wizard points his finger and speaks the range (distance and height) at which the fireball is to burst. A streak flashes from the pointing digit and, unless it...

The AD&D 2E book Player's Option: Combat & Tactics was released in 1995, and it had critical hit tables. So, maybe he meant 1996? ;)

I'm not sure why you included "cast a spell" on a list of rolls you had to make, other than to pad the list. However, rolling for surprise in 2E is d10, roll low. So, other than the attack roll, all the rolls in your list are roll low. Hardly seems like a "maddening jumble" to me. :)

Use the stats for an owlbear until the DM catches on. ;-)

Is this really a problem in your games? I mean, do your players actually try stuff like this to the point where you have to change the rules? The value of 5000gp gives you a way to gauge the size/quality of the diamond needed, based on the economics assumed in the books. The players can say...

$25 for a pdf is too expensive for me. I understand the price of the full-color hardcover, obviously. But it's a pdf now. Color pixels and black pixels cost the same (they came free with my monitor), so those costly print runs are a thing of the past. :-) Still, looks like a fun game...I'd like...

Gary Gygax wrote the AD&D 1E Player's Handbook, too. Here is part of what he wrote from page 8: "This game is unlike chess in that the rules are not cut and dried. In many places they are guidelines and suggested methods only. This is part of the attraction of ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, and it...

You're right, and the rogue swashbuckler kit is very similar to the fighter version of the kit. The rogue swashbuckler looks to be pretty good, too, as you get fighter THAC0 with your swashbuckler weapons and a neat disarm ability, among other things. However, I think it's easier to create what...

Using the Complete Fighters Handbook, you can use the Swashbuckler fighter kit for its benefits and flavor. Then, use two weapon proficiency slots to be ambidextrous and a Two-Weapon Style specialist (one slot each). Now, you can use two weapons with no penalty. That gets you most of the way...

I have that same screen. The way that I understand it is that the screen with the Outer Planes illustration is the "standard" screen, with the core stuff on it. The other one presents the "Player's Option" stuff (critical charts, knockdowns, psionic combat, etc). Assuming you use those rules...

Filled in the survey as well. Currently DMing 3.5, but my fav is 2E by a wide margin.

I owned all of the available books up until a month or two ago. Now I only own the core. If I'm playing, the Character Builder and Compendium have everything that I need. I'll only get other books if I decide to GM a game (Dark Sun has me considering a campaign). If players want to use options...

I used to do that all the time back in the 1E/2E days of D&D. I would DM for my buddy, and every so often he'd switch and DM for me (though only very rarely did the characters meet). It was a blast (literally, since both our solos were wizards), because with only one PC we were able to deck...

Well, I answered that I allowed 3PP stuff, but only because no one in my group (including me) ever bothers with them. I very rarely buy 3PP (and if I do its mostly just to read and not use in play). WotC gives my group plenty of options, and I'm still gun-shy from the huge crapalanche that 3PP...