D&D Problems

[GMforPowergamers]

I agree. And since all wizards maxed concentration as a skill, interrupting spells went away as well for the most part. Countering spells was so laughable that almost nobody used it. And there were other limits also removed in 3e.

I really think that going forward we need to look back at 2e for balance

 

[Mistwell]

I really think that going forward we need to look back at 2e for balance

I've never played 2e, but from what I understand 2e kept bonuses very small, a +1/+2 here and there that didn't often stack with other bonuses. There are definitely balance complaints about a few books I've seen, like the Elven one and the Skills and Powers book. But yeah, I've heard the 2e Wizard was much more balanced vs. the other classes by means of a large variety of limitations on their spellcasting.

 

[GSHamster]

I've never played 2e, but from what I understand 2e kept bonuses very small, a +1/+2 here and there that didn't often stack with other bonuses. There are definitely balance complaints about a few books I've seen, like the Elven one and the Skills and Powers book. But yeah, I've heard the 2e Wizard was much more balanced vs. the other classes by means of a large variety of limitations on their spellcasting.

As I recall, the biggest thing was that spellcasting was very easy to interrupt. Everyone announced actions first, then the spell added some cast time to initiative. If the caster took damage before her spell finished, it fizzled.

 

[Aenghus]

As I recall, the biggest thing was that spellcasting was very easy to interrupt. Everyone announced actions first, then the spell added some cast time to initiative. If the caster took damage before her spell finished, it fizzled.

Though I found the spell disruption rules as written, used adversarialy by the DM, could make wizards all but unplayable. Given fighters didn't have a defender mechanic, outside of a bottleneck defense, there was no way within the rules for melee PCs to pin down enemies and actually defend the squishies. In practice it seemed to come down to a "gentleman's agreement" where the players made an effort to defend the squishies, and the squishies weren't pursued and hacked down as literal wargaming tactics might seem to dictate.

Where this wasn't the case, I saw campaigns where few or no wizards survived, maybe the occasional fighter mage.

I strongly prefer practical and transparent rules to rules that are applied situationally due to their brutality. I hated having to question DMs in 1e and 2e days to try and deduce whether wizards were worth playing in that campaign or a waste of my time.

 

[Zardnaar]

I disagree. It's always been a real issue. For example, Gary Gygax, Strategic Review 2.2 1976:


[/B]

Back then they didnot use gonzo powerz to "balance" the game. I'm happy going back to different xp tables for the classes and Clerics and Druids losing access to lvl 8 and 9 spells.

 

[Argyle King]

To answer the question posed in the OP: yes, I do believe there are problems that exist in D&D which are unique to D&D.

 

[Hussar]

We're going to look at 2e for balance mechanics? Really? Good grief, balance was so bad in 2e that it was ridiculous. The difference between two PC's just because of character generation could be night and day. A 1st level fighter in 2e, straight out of the PHB, could kill up to six HD creatures in a single round (not the first round, true, just the second). 18/percentile strength and weapon specs meant you had a minimum +5 to damage and double attacks every other round.

People tend to forget that 3e beefed up the monsters a whole lot. Most creatures got two or three times more HP going from 2e to 3e and doubled their damage as well.

3e, for all its higher level balance issues, is head and shoulders better balanced as a system than 2e was. That was the whole point.

Let's not forget, when talking about 3e balance problems, we're generally talking 9th level plus. By 9th level in 2e, your character was a GOD.

 

[Zardnaar]

I'm playing 2nd ed again and it is not that broken compared to 3rd ed. Percentile based strength is not coming back and some of the AD&D have ditched it as well. Castles and Crusades uses the BECMI modifiers for example, 13-15 is a +1 bonus,16-17 is +2 and 18 is +3.

I think a cleaned up d20 ized 2nd ed with optional feats could be fun. Use tweaked 3rd ed monsters probably toning down the ability scores and ACs in some cases.

 

[Hussar]

What level 2e are you playing Z?

 

[Zardnaar]

What level 2e are you playing Z?

Varies by class Level 5/6 or so with parts of Myth and Magic used.