Going Back in Time...AD&D

[Jasperak]

By the RAW, they then have to spend a week or two or maybe a month recuperating before they can adventure again. The rule is in the DMG somewhere (around death and dying, IIRC).

I wonder how many players used that rule?

Cheers!

If i remember correctly, you are talking about regaining up to 3 hit points per day of rest. Any way, it sure does keep down the "levels 1 to 20 in a month" problem some gamers have.

 

[MerricB]

If i remember correctly, you are talking about regaining up to 3 hit points per day of rest. Any way, it sure does keep down the "levels 1 to 20 in a month" problem some gamers have.

No, actually - there's a section saying that a character that is reduced to fewer than 0 hit points is basically bedridden until they've had a significant rest... and goes on to talk about the potential of scarring. It must be in the discussion of the "death at -10" 'optional' rule.

Cheers!

 

[Andavar]

Nice catch. I had forgotten that rule. The rest applies even if you use magical healing.

 

[Bullgrit]

Zero Hit Points:

When any creature is brought to 0 hit points (optionally as low as -3 hit points if from the same blow which brought the total to 0), it is unconscious. In each of the next succeeding rounds 1 additional (negative) point will be lost until -10 is reached and the creature dies. Such loss and death are caused from bleeding, shock, convulsions, non-respiration, and similar causes. It ceases immediately on any round a friendly creature administers aid to the unconscious one. Aid consists of binding wounds, starting respiration, administering a draught (spirits, healing potion, etc.), or otherwise doing whatever is necessary to restore life.

Any character brought to 0 (or fewer) hit points and then revived will remain in a coma for 1-6 turns. Thereafter, he or she must rest for a full week, minimum. He or she will be incapable of any activity other than that necessary to move slowly to a place of rest and eat and sleep when there. The character cannot attack, defend, cast spells, use magic devices, carry burdens, run, study, research, or do anything else. This is true even if cure spells and/or healing potions are given to him or her, although if a heal spell is bestowed the prohibition no longer applies.

If any creature reaches a state of -6 or greater negative points before being revived, this could indicate scarring or the loss of some member, if you so choose. For example, a character struck by a fireball and then treated when at -9 might have horrible scar tissue on exposed areas of flesh -- hands, arms, neck, face.

Note the "...even if cure spells and/or healing potions are given...".

I, and probably the others who are commenting on this, are not trying to nitpick your game and ruin your fun experience. But when you suggest that your AD&D1 experience was good/fun because that edition is easier, faster, simpler than later editions of the game, well, it brings out the mythbusters in many of us.

If you play AD&D1 and have a great time, we're happy for you. I had great times when I played it too. But just be fair and accurate in your comparisons. If you house rule one edition to make it better or worse, you can do the same with another edition.

Bullgrit

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Hey, I don't know if you're aware of the new material that's become available for AD&D (and other TSR editions), lately, so I thought I'd make a quick post, just in case. If you're interested in new support material for AD&D, check out OSRIC (do a search on Lulu or rpg.net, or check out the Knights-n-Knaves Alehouse and Expeditious Retreat Press and their "Advanced Adventures" line) and some of the companies that are releasing AD&D-compatible material using the OGL (Pied Piper Publishing, Black Blade Publishing, et cetera).

 

[WheresMyD20]

[No message]

 

[JoeGKushner]

Healing from near death experience is an obscrue rule? Learn something new every day.

 

[Saeviomagy]

I'll agree with this. Though I never played 1e, I did play 2e, and there was just something about the system that seemed to say, "Hey, these rules are the important ones. Keep them. This other stuff? You can throw it out if you like." Subsequent splat books just seemed to encourage this, with throwing everything out there as options subject to DM approval.

From memory, that feeling mostly came from the fact that it was a rare case when you could actually find a rule. If you have to go trawling through an entire chapter in order to find a rule, you tend to just run from memory or abandon it entirely.

 

[MerricB]

Healing from near death experience is an obscrue rule? Learn something new every day.

It's obscure insofar as I'm pretty sure most groups ignored it: either the DM made a conscious decision to ignore the rule, or the DM learnt the rules from another group and never bothered checking the dying rules in the DMG because dead at -10 is easy to remember. Then, when we look back on those days when we played AD&D regularly, we don't remember that the rule existed.

I'm hoping to run my first AD&D adventure in a while this weekend: The Hidden Shrine of Tamoachan. If it goes ahead, I'll let you know what happens.

Cheers!

 

[billd91]

It's obscure insofar as I'm pretty sure most groups ignored it: either the DM made a conscious decision to ignore the rule, or the DM learnt the rules from another group and never bothered checking the dying rules in the DMG because dead at -10 is easy to remember. Then, when we look back on those days when we played AD&D regularly, we don't remember that the rule existed.

I remember it... because we used it. Kind of liked it too. It made going into negative hit points mean something beyond just needing an extra cure light wounds or two.

Looking back, aside from the brawling rules (which we tried and ditched), the number of attacks a shield was good against, and the weapons vs armor types (which we also used for a while), I'd say we played a lot of AD&D 1e and 2e pretty close to RAW as we understood it. I'm reasonably sure we used over 90-95% of it. And yes, it did run faster than 3e and 4e with combat and yes, if you were the player, it did run simpler (though not necessarily for the DM whose job it was to manage the nitpicky rules like facing and so on).