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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Squire James" data-source="post: 2958753" data-attributes="member: 548">The AD&D rules for preventing spellcasting were as complicated (or more so) than today's AoO's in my opinion.  The following comprises my experience as DM with this rule, so obviously Your Milage May Vary.My reading of the rule was as follows:  if someone with a weapon strikes a spell-caster before he finishes a spell, the caster loses the spell and cannot attempt another one that round.  Some extended that to mean the weapon had to hit WHILE casting the spell, but I can see the BEFORE rule sticking in a rules-set without the Delay action (it is presumed those who would of hit early will await his opportunity to disrupt a spell).Casting times of spells were usually 1 segment per spell level, and each weapon type had a Speed Factor which determined roughly how many segments it took to effectively use it.  So the heavier the weapon used by the foe, the bigger the spell the spell-caster could usually eke out before being attacked.  A dagger was almost certain to stop most spellcasting, longswords (being the Ultimate Weapon until the katana rules sprouted somewhere) were very good, but a two-handed sword pretty much acted at the end of the round.There were initiative factors and a boatload of optional rules changing this basic system.  Rules lawyers had a field day trying to convince the poor DM to adopt a particular optional or house rule.  I finally settled on an initiative system where initiative was rolled on 1d10, minus Dex reaction bonus, plus weapon speed factor or casting time.  Thus, the players had to declare intended action ahead of time (I allowed them to change their mind, but only if they still used the weapon or spell they declared) before rolling initiative.It worked well at the time, but what a cumbersome system!</blockquote>

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