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To me those are two different things. Yes, some of our rules are restrictive, but that’s because they are helping to define the world. The rules are the framework. But the players write their story. My job as the DM is to provide an interesting setting with various plot threads, events...

I totally get why they try to keep the rules as simple as possible. And despite the fact that I do have a lot of house rules, that's my goal as well. Where we decide we'll use a houserule, I like to use existing mechanics where possible. I was responding specifically to this post: The first...

Yes, I'm talking about house rules. Because RAW, the rules don't mechanically support in-game effects from lower hit points. Either you have x number of hit points, or you're at 0, unconscious and dying. There's no battle fatigue. No being slowed or staggered from taking more than 50% of your...

Yes, but the mechanics don't support this. In our campaign, we use the same basic concept, but people all essentially have 5 actual "hit points." They are tracked using the exhaustion track. When you're reduced to 0 hit points you are at level 1 on the exhaustion track, and have to make a save...

I agree with most of these. I'm ambivalent about plot armor. I can adjust to the player's style, and if their expectation is that they will be playing this character for the whole campaign, I won't get uptight about it. It's rare that I end up having to "plot" a campaign, but I've had a few...

Yeah, that's basically my method, although I've always used the mob as an example. There are people that are bigger than you, and will hold you accountable. You might be forced to work with these characters, for example. On the other hand, there's still a lot of subterfuge (the mob boss playing...

I basically rewrite the entire PHB. And I've done it multiple times... It goes back to the '80s when at the time I owned everything that had released for D&D, including magazines, 3rd-party stuff, etc., not to mention a lot of non-D&D stuff. If we found a rule, class, whatever that we liked...

So I agree with your statement to a degree, but in a different way... The game continues to shift toward player/character entitlement and away from world-building. What I mean by this, is that game design is featured around what is "cool" and "fun" as a character, with a path toward special...

Gary commented on this a number of times over the years, here's some quotes and thoughts from Grognardia: http://grognardia.blogspot.com/2010/01/gygax-on-tolkien-again.html The ranger is more likely to be inspired by Tolkien because it wasn't written by Gygax. Joe Fischer wrote the original...

Initiative is old school. Although in AD&D RAW was roll a d6 for each side, with very few modifiers (including Dexterity). Low roll goes first, Dex is consulted if there's a tie. Having said that, even though I've written up a roundless initiative/combat system that's very, very fast (and not...

I only allow an active roll if somebody explains to me what actions they are taking. That is, you can't just ask "can I make a Perception check?" But if you decide to climb a tree to get a better vantage point, then I'll either simply give you a bonus on your passive Perception, or you can make...

RAW, they can't Ready an action until Initiative is rolled. It also sounds like you're giving them too much warning. In your spider example, I think the spiders would just drop at a near free-fall, not descend at a fixed rate on silk strands. They can slow themselves right near the end of their...

Actually, at least the way we play and which is RAW in AD&D, after the group of spells at 1st level, all of the spells you gained are ones you found. So no, it's not "odds are another damage spell." Unless you choose to wait until another damage spell. As for what "should" be randomly...

I haven't checked out this thread in a while. Just an interesting experience to add to the mix. Just a reminder, my preference is to roll stats, in order. I also like a little bit lower average point value than 4d6k3 provides, but also want to minimize characters with very low point value. So...

I use passive scores for pretty much every skill extensively. They represent the floor of what is easy for that character in that skill and reward being good at that skill. I also consider the capability of the character, that is, 20 + their modifier. If there’s a secret door and they are...

Agreed, but the general premise is the same - getting past the pointy part is difficult. With leverage, it would be less effort to move the tip around on a longer weapon since it would require less movement of your hands to do so, and with the bulk of the weapon increased, probably harder to bat...

The same reasons why night vision goggles aren't a staple in our lives. Torches, lanterns, candles and lamps are readily available to everybody, and easier and cheaper to produce. Humans still live much the same way we do - above ground and they tend to sleep at night. Most people have no...

I'd agree with that. On the other hand, if I was trying to be stealthy and avoid waking the bats, it's easier to cast silence on them than to ensure the entire party stays within the confines of the spell. And if the bats were sleeping, then I don't think the silence would necessarily bother...

Adventures in Middle Earth has an ability that some monsters have that makes a character fail their first death saving if their attack reduces them to 0 hit points. I've adopted it for a number of creatures. It's a nice middle ground. As for whether a monster will continue, some in the past...

I disagree with the "easy to dodge" part. A spear or pike wielded two-handed is very fast at the tip due to leverage when wielded two-handed. The forward hand is a pivot point and you move the rear hand to move the tip. You don't swing it like a sword. An example...