D&D 1E Favorite Obscure Rules from TSR-era D&D

[MGibster]

How the heck do you guys remember all these rules? It's been more than 35 years since I've played 1st edition. If I'm honest with you, 1st and 2nd edition blend so well in my memories that I can't really tell them apart and I certainly can't remember all these obscure rules though I remember a few. I'll certainly never forget that random harlot table. That table made a man out of me.

 

[overgeeked]

Thanks, so better than a candle, but less useful than most other light sources.

Nah. Still incredibly useful…for the monsters.

 

[overgeeked]

How the heck do you guys remember all these rules? It's been more than 35 years since I've played 1st edition. If I'm honest with you, 1st and 2nd edition blend so well in my memories that I can't really tell them apart and I certainly can't remember all these obscure rules though I remember a few. I'll certainly never forget that random harlot table. That table made a man out of me.

Because a lot of us still play older editions. And/or we skipped over some editions so the changes stand out more in our minds.

 

[Kannik]

There was always the joy of fireball!

"The burst of the fireball does not expend a considerable amount of pressure, and the burst will generally conform to the shape of the area in which it occurs, thus covering an area equal to its normal spherical volume. [The area which is covered by the fireball is a total volume of roughly 33,000 cubic feet (or yards)]."

Cast that sucker in a dungeon and watch it fill up and burn everything and everyone within it... including yourself!

 

[Mannahnin]

They were actually really great, except for two things-

1. They slowed down combat a lot.
2. Given most combat was against monsters, it was always unclear how to translate this.

For that reason, it was a great idea that I never saw used because it slowed down the combats.

The math for them was also borked, because they converted too-literally from the Chainmail charts.

The Big Mistake in Weapon vs. Armor Adjustments

Where did the 1E D&D weapon vs. armor adjustments come from? Are they reasonable? Have we overlooked something key for 50 years?

deltasdnd.blogspot.com

Thieves could cast spells from scrolls. At tenth level.

This is directly based on incidents from the source fiction, as is the chance of them screwing it up and accidentally causing opposite effects. This happens both with Leiber's Grey Mouser and with Jack Vance's Cugel the Clever.

This is one that every single 2e DM I ever played with (and a few players as well) would argue with me about, saying "there's no such rule". But here it is, straight from the PHB:
View attachment 364620

That's the 2nd ed version, but it's just carrying forward an existing rule from 1E. DMG page 81:

MAGIC ARMOR AND SAVING THROWS
The magical properties of the various sorts of magic armor will sometimes, but not always, add bonuses to saving throw dice rolls made by wearers. All cases cannot be dealt with, for there will undoubtedly be many special circumstances which occur. There are guidelines, however, which will generally serve. Saving throws will NOT be aided by magic armor against:
GAS
POISON
SPELLS WHICH DO NOT CAUSE PHYSICAL DAMAGE
*petrification, polymorph, magic jar, charm.

Saving throw rolls WILL receive an armor bonus against:
ACID, EXCEPT WHEN IMMERSION OCCURS
DISINTEGRATION
FALLING DAMAGE
FIRE, MAGICAL AND OTHERWISE
SPELLS WHICH CAUSE PHYSICAL DAMAGE
*Exception: Metallic armor will NOT add to saving throws versus electricalattacks, although nonmetallic armor will do so.

Of course, where no saving throw is permitted, magic armor does not then give such an option unless otherwise stated.

Magic-Users had to find spells on scrolls and in books and copy them down. Which means that every LFQW argument is the result of a Monty Haul referee handing out way, way too many spells to magic-users.

In OD&D both M-Us and Clerics are just "assumed" to acquire a new book containing all the spells for a given level when they get to the level to cast a new spell level. (Men & Magic page 34).

That's another good obscure rule, BTW- that Clerics used spell books in 1974 OD&D.

In AD&D (see DMG page 39), M-Us start with a book containing Read Magic, and 3 random spells, one each generated on short tables of Offensive, Defensive, and Misc. spells. They're d10 tables and if you roll a 10 you get to choose! When gaining a level you automatically add one new spell of your choice to your book, but otherwise you need to find scrolls or enemy spellbooks, or engage in bargaining with other spellcasters to copy spells from their books, for which the DM is directed to demand high prices! And, similarly to the bit about the DM not telling Assassin players about making poisons, the DM is also directed not to suggest to PCs that their mages can share spells with each other.

You can also gain new spells from Magical Research, of course, but it's time-consuming and expensive.

Spells Beyond Those At Start:
Naturally, magic-user player characters will do their utmost to acquire books of spells and scrolls in order to complete their own spell books. Totvhose acquired, the magic-user will add 1 (and ONLY 1) spell when he or she actually gains an experience level (q.v.) . Therefore, most will be frantically attempting to purchase or cozen spells from non-player character magic-users, or even from other ployer character magic-users.

How you handle NPC magic-users is of utmost importance. There is a special section of the rules regarding non-player characters, and you should follow the suggestions therein carefully. By doing so, players will find that their magic-user characters are unable to acquire new spells -at worst - ar must pay so dearly for them in money, magic items, and quests that the game is hardly worth the candle. Of course they will pay the price nonetheless, and that will help you to maintain the campaign as fresh and challenging, as it will rid it of excess treasure and give player characters reason to adventure at the same time.

Superior players will certainly co-operate; thus, spells will in all probability be exchanged between PC magic-users to some extent. No special sanctions need be taken to prevent such exchange - although this cooperation should never be suggested or otherwise encouraged, either. The DM should leave this interaction strictly alone. This is NOT the case when PCs deal with NPC henchmen or hirelings. Non-player character hirelings or henchmen will ABSOLUTELY REFUSE to co-operate freely with player characters, even their own masters ar mistresses. Again, this matter is dealt with separately under the section pertaining to the DM's role in operating henchmen and hirelings. As a general rule, they will require value plus a bonus when dealing with their liege. If they will deal with other PCs (or NPCs) at all, they will require double value plus a considerable bonus. For example, Thigru Thorkisen, Magician in the hire of Olaf Blue Cheeks, a 10th level Lord, knows the spell, suggestion; and Olaf’s associate, Halfdon the Necromancer, requests that he be allowed to copy this spell into his book of third level spells. If Olof is willing, Halfdan can approach Thigru. If Halfdan has been at least civil to the magicion, Thigru will ask nothing more than a third level spell in return, plus another spell, plus some minor magic item such as a set of three potions, a scroll of 3 spells, or perhaps a ring of invisibility. If Holfdan had formerly insulted the magician, then the price would be more dear; but supposing the necromancer had actually saved Thigru's life at one time, the cost would be reduced to but a spell exchange and a single potion or scroll of 1 spell.

In B/X your trainer/master just teaches you one new spell each time you gain a level, and the only other way to get more spells is Magical Research.

BECMI restored the ability for MUs and Elves to scribe spells from scrolls and enemy spellbooks.

not sure how obscure it was, but I recall a rule about fighters getting one attack per level when facing critters with less than 1HD. I remember it being useful when you were level 4-5, but after that, the DM generally stopped throwing hordes of kobolds at you....

It was nerfed to less than 1HD in AD&D, but was originally 1HD or less in OD&D, representing taking on hordes of normal men, soldiers, or orc-types. And it's a particularly useful rule because of the large Number Appearing of such humanoid monsters, especially in wilderness encounters, where there are commonly hundreds of them.

 

[Kannik]

How the heck do you guys remember all these rules? It's been more than 35 years since I've played 1st edition. If I'm honest with you, 1st and 2nd edition blend so well in my memories that I can't really tell them apart and I certainly can't remember all these obscure rules though I remember a few. I'll certainly never forget that random harlot table. That table made a man out of me.

Heh, it is all too common that I have to preface or otherwise caveat when I talk about a rule or item description or cost or whatever within the game with "I think that's how it is in this edition..."

Too many editions rattling around up there.

 

[Alzrius]

not sure how obscure it was, but I recall a rule about fighters getting one attack per level when facing critters with less than 1HD. I remember it being useful when you were level 4-5, but after that, the DM generally stopped throwing hordes of kobolds at you....

There's a great blog post about this over here:

A History of the Fighter’s Extra Attacks versus Low-Level Monsters

In page 25 of the AD&D 1e Players Handbook, beneath the “FIGHTERS’, PALADINS’, & RANGERS’ ATTACKS PER MELEE ROUND TABLE”, you have this special note for a Fighter: The origin of…

songoftheblade.wordpress.com

 

[General_Tangent]

In AD&D I seem to recall that four squirrels could automatically surprise a zero level farmer and strip all his flesh off in a round or two.

 

[Celebrim]

In AD&D I seem to recall that four squirrels could automatically surprise a zero level farmer and strip all his flesh off in a round or two.

Or a single house cat, thus the long standing "housecat problem" AD&D had with interactions between creatures of 1HD or less not having much granularity at all. The same basic problem applies to the house cat and say 4 normal sized wasps.

 

[Professor Murder]

The hoops required to be a Bard in 1st ed are still just so amusing goofy. The height of letting flavour dictate design.