bag of many edition questions

[Man in the Funny Hat]

1. If you had a missile weapon readied you could shoot it a the top of the first round for free (might have been only for x-bows).

1E and 2E both had such rules.

2. Group initiative with a d6

BTB, 1E initiative was rolled for each SIDE with a d6 but then had a number of confusing and complicated means of adjusting it to determine which individuals actually went first.

3. Individual initiative with a d10 (almost positive this was 2e), but you had to declare your action before you rolled, with the dm adjudicating a speed modifier (in addition to your weapon speed).

2E did use a d10 but had a VERY simple "Standard" intiative procedure, and then two optional approaches: "Individual" and "Group" intiative.

Standard 2E initiative had declaration but not for any particularly compelling reason. Initiative was by side and although there were situational modifiers to the intiative roll for the side, nothing a character actually chose to do was going to alter whether they or their side went first or not in THAT round.

The two OPTIONAL approaches to intiative, Group and Individual, both used a much larger optional table of modifiers. Group still rolled by side but modified the roll using the optional modifiers; Individual rolled initiative for each individual but also used the optional modifiers. It was only the optional modifiers that provided a good reason for declaration and that was mostly just because of spell choice.

Since spells had different casting times added to the initiative roll without declaration a spellcasting player could game the system and frequently change his choice of spells to cast. In order to ensure that his spells were resolved before the opponent he could choose one with a shorter casting time.

Weapon speed was one of the optional modifiers.

4. Actual death at zero hp, no minus.

Original/Basic D&D, and 2E as well.

5. For every minus hit point you went, you had to rest for one day, but minus 9 you had to rest for a month (85% sure this was a house-rule)

Yeah, that would be a house rule although 1E was very close to that. If you reached 0 hit points or lower and revived you were in a coma 1-6 turns and regardless of healing were required to have a minimum of 1 week of complete bedrest before being able to do anything.

6. Polymorphing had both a risk of constitution related death (some sort of percentile) as well as the risk of accidentally assuming the ego of your new form, permanently. This might be a mash up of 1e and 2e, not sure.

Polymorph Other for 1E and 2E was identical, requiring a System Shock survival roll (a % chance based on Con score)upon being transformed, and then there was an initial and then daily checks based on the intelligence for the target of the spell to assume the mind of the creature they were polymorphed into. Then when the spell was dispelled there was a second System Shock check.

 

[Nifft]

I've known of (O)D&D/AD&D1E games that had party sizes from a few to many, many with some DMs having a dozen or more players all with their own character and many henchmen/hirelings.

This is my recollection as well. Party size could be two dudes, but they always had about a dozen Henchmen and/or Hirelings.

Earlier editions did not state an explicit expected party size.

Some modules did, but not all, and not always the same number of PCs were expected. ISTR the range was usually between four and eight PCs.

Cheers, -- N

 

[GMforPowergamers]

I remember (3e) limited number of spells known for wizards per level based of INT, and bonus spells for clerics based on Wis. I always wondered why clerics got bonuses well wizards got limits....

I remeber weapon mastery rules in combat and tactics getting pretty crazy...

 

[Verdande]

Well I can tell you that there was a period during the 1E era where the group I played with thought dwarves were the greatest thing in the game and elves were swishy, interior-decorator ponces whose only reason for inclusion in the game was to be the most convenient butt of jokes. That was a trope I really, really despised since they then gave dwarves the best of most everything and MY elf character the worst. I defeated it though by becoming the DM for the group and putting dwarves in thier rightful place as LOWER class creatures. HA!

I agree with their sentiment, but not so much your treatment. I, too, feel that elves are overrated fops, and it's far more annoying that in every game elves are the wise, overbearing tree-huggers, or svelte, graceful rangers, or any other trope that they get put on. No matter where elves fall in the story, they're always the end-all-be-all of whatever they do.

I avoid the problem entirely by editing elves out of my campaigns. Take THAT!

Also, they definately encouraged henchmen in the earlier versions of D&D. They assumed you'd have a few minions to order about, which was the whole point of charisma in early D&D. That's one of my favorite things about Labyrinth Lord, and one of the saddest things they chopped out in 3e/4e.

Also also (?), the most common tropes were the elf thing I mentioned above, and also that wizards were weak at their first couple levels, and mighty before that. That was a good trope, mind you, in my opinion.

 

[NewJeffCT]

I remember that in 1E and 2E days, most campaigns tended to finish around level 9-10, as leveling was often a lot slower. I think one of the ideas in the creation of 3E was to expand the range of the average campaign to closer to level 20.

Also, in 1E and 2E, it seemed that powergamers typically played demihumans, particularly elves, as the multi-class rules were often skewed towards the multi-classer... why play a level 6 human fighter when you could be an elf and level 5 as a fighter and also level 5 as a wizard? In 3E, powergamers would trend towards a specialized prestige class and build (frenzied berserker anybody?) and could be found spread across a lot more races. Though, there were some kits that did similar in 2E.

 

[Herobizkit]

Has there always been a presumed party size for each version of dnd?

I can't speak for the diaglo era, but I recall that 1ed and 2ed assumed a party of 6 (and in 1e's case, advised players to hire spear-carriers to round the party to 9). 3e assumes a 4-man party, and 4e assumes a 5-man party.

What were the most common class/race combos? (or just race in bdnd I guess)

IMXP, Elven (especially Drow) Wizards and Thieves and Wizard/Thieves, Dwarven Clerics and Fighters and Fighter/Clerics, Gnome Illusionists and Illusionist/Thieves, Half-Elven Bards and Mage/Clerics, and one Half-Orc Cleric/Assassin. (I've been playing D&D for over 20 years, and there was only one. Ever. And he was awesome.)

There was also tons of Barbarian abuse, but surprisingly little Cavalier abuse.

What were the most classic tropes? Housecat's buffness or low wizard hp that sort of thing.

Fighters fight, Wizards blow stuff up, Clerics heal, and Thieves take up precious air and supplies... and steal magic items from other players.

Am I tripping out or did other people have serious problems with badgers in their 2e game?

Clearly, you were tripping out on mushrooms.

What were the most broken rules? Easily surviving a fall from 100's of feet up, etc.

1ed Drow, Barbarians, and Drow Cavaliers. 2ed gave birth to the abomination of the Elven Bladesinger.

 

[pemerton]

1. If you had a missile weapon readied you could shoot it a the top of the first round for free (might have been only for x-bows).

IIRC bow (and crossbow?) specialization in 2e, and there was a similar rule in the 1e PHB.

In 1st ed this was not in the PHB - it was in the bow/crossbow specialisation rules in UA.

2. Group initiative with a d6

As Man in the Funny Hat said, OD&D, Basic, 1st ed AD&D.

4. Actual death at zero hp, no minus.

As Man in the Funny Hat said, and also in 1st ed AD&D.

6. Polymorphing had both a risk of constitution related death (some sort of percentile) as well as the risk of accidentally assuming the ego of your new form, permanently. This might be a mash up of 1e and 2e, not sure.

Certainly part of 1st ed AD&D Polymorhp Other, as Man in the Funny Hat said.

 

[diaglo]

Has there always been a presumed party size for each version of dnd?

20 was optimal for OD&D(1974)

What were the most common class/race combos? (or just race in bdnd I guess)

human fighting man/fighter was always popular

What dominated class builds for each edition? Such as two weapon fighting and weapon specialization for 2e, for example.

a variation of good defense, attack and spells throughout the editions.

What were the most classic tropes? Housecat's buffness or low wizard hp that sort of thing.

familiars with more hps than their masters
Golf bag fighters. carrying around an assortment of weapons for use against assortment of monsters
thieves stealing from the party

Am I tripping out or did other people have serious problems with badgers in their 2e game?

i think you might be thinking of the 1edADnD giant weasel here. nasty blood suckers

What were the most broken rules? Easily surviving a fall from 100's of feet up, etc.

grappling, overbearing, and pummelling
psionics
encumbrance