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Or just apply disadvantage to the check.

One thing that I've pointed out elsewhere is that it's actually harder to die in AD&D than 5e, although the consequences are quite different. In AD&D, you didn't die until you reached -10 hp. From the 1e DMG: "When any creature is brought to 0 hit points (optionally as low as -3 hit points...

The only thing I kind of disagree with here is the usual use of the term "heroic." 3e and later is firmly in the "superheroic" world in my eyes, where the PCs are "a cut above" everybody else and expected to be able to do things the average person can't. I still prefer to use the classic...

I definitely agree with this. While I understand the concept behind them, I prefer fewer mechanics, not more. I also prefer mechanics not to interfere/dictate/direct the narrative itself. Overall I prefer simulationist mechanics that aid the DM in adjudicating the action, rather than defining...

So, I'm tweaking my house rules, and really going back to what I wanted to do in the first place which is leverage the streamlined rules of 5e but on an AD&D framework. To that end, I decided to look at the Proficiency/Expertise of 5e compared to the to-hit tables for AD&D (which I think was...

My favorites were probably the Cloistered Cleric, Scribe and Incantatrix.

It's always dependent upon the circumstances, of course. That's not the point of my example, though, it was just to provide a simple example of succeeding at a skill because you have a certain level of proficiency. I've seen DMs who called for a check to see if something with smithing ability...

Of course there are other ways to do it. I'm just saying that this approach is more complete than the 5e version and fills in the gaps nicely. What works for you or other groups is what matters for any given table. I'm just explaining the system we use, what we're trying to accomplish with it...

It's definitely a different approach to the game, and while I can understand that for a mass market game the current approach possibly has more appeal, I also haven't really found published adventures I'm interesting in running because of it. While they are usually defined as player vs...

It wasn't hard to address the DCs. With or without Passive scores as a floor, I disagreed with the published ones anyway. In addition, I didn't care for the huge range of bonuses once Expertise was factored in. As for the game "ignoring skills and proficiencies" it has to do with assessing when...

Other than humans, Dragonlance and Greyhawk are mentioned as much as the Realms in the 5e PHB. The main difference between 5e and AD&Din this regard is that there was virtually no lore in the core AD&D books. Greyhawk was mentioned in a lot of adventures, but once they started publishing other...

I would disagree that Strahd and Yawning Portal are “Realms-centric.” They have simply provided a Realms starting point as an option because it is likely that you might have played one of the many APs set in the Realms. Now we have Eberron, Saltmarsh (a teeny bit of Greyhawk), other Greyhawk...

Thus my statement that circumstances can (and should) be taken into account, applying advantage/disadvantage as needed. Disadvantage for a Passive check is -5, thus making many things that would otherwise be easy enough to do now require a check. In other words: there's actual drama and risk...

What you are describing is similar to why I love the 5e system with one significant difference/change of focus. Passive checks. In the AD&D non-weapon proficiency system, with a few exceptions, when you were proficient in something, it was expected that you could just do it. If you had...

For many of us, the world-building aspect is part of the fun. While I tend to write short snippets of ideas, sometimes they grow into something significant with a number of hours of work. And yes, the PCs often don't engage or intersect some of those things. Although the process of writing...

My approach to this is to have lots of ready-made backgrounds and goals that I can grab at a moment's notice. The same way you should always have a list of names. That is, you don't have to name everybody in the village, but should the PCs find themselves crashing through the window of the...

Back in the day, new supplements consisted primarily of lore and hooks like these. Although they have scaled back a bit from the 3e/4e heyday, the idea that new publications (other than adventures) have to be full of new mechanics continues in 5e. Current Clack was a perfect example of...

We originally played around with numerical bonuses like this. However, part of our approach was specifically because we wanted to avoid the possible +12 bonus for expertise at high levels. So we were considering a +2 bonus above the Proficiency Bonus. In the end we felt that the extra math (as...

XP is a game construct that doesn't really exist within the game world itself. It is up to the DM to determine what constitutes activities within the setting worthy of gaining XP in the game. The rules do not define the setting/game world. They are an out of setting tool to help a DM...

Yeah, the fields we've come up with is what my players have wanted. I've tried to keep it as simple as possible and the reality is, it's pretty clear as to when you have expertise (gain advantage) on the check due to the narrow field.