Monster & Treasure Assortment question. . .

[jdrakeh]

I just noticed that despite being ostensibly intended for use with Basic D&D, the Monster & Treasure Assortment (Sets One-Three: Levels One-Nine) provides an "Attack Level" rating for monsters rather than any measure of damage or a To-Hit value based on Hit Dice (as is used on the matrices in the core D&D rule book). So. . .

How exactly does one use this "Attack Level" to determine the amount of damage dealt by a given creature? The text explains that the AL is a creature's base chance to strike an unarmored opponent (AC 9), so while it's counter-intuitive, I can puzzle that much out. But damage dealt?

I just don't see how this value is figured at all based on the AL and, without it, the product seems pretty useless given its stated intent of making dungeon prep easier. Any pointers on how I might be able to squeeze my money's worth out of the product in question with regard to monster damage?

 

[Delta]

That was really written for D&D, what we would now call OD&D. The assumption was that everything just does 1d6 damage; AL certainly has nothing to do with damage.

There are a few exceptions, such as for giants and black pudding -- see Level 6, #67 where the variant damage is explicitly called out. Etc.

It is a little bit of a shame that that product got written before variant damage came out in the OD&D supplements. It would indeed be more useful that way.

 

[jdrakeh]

That was really written for D&D, what we would now call OD&D.

You know, I wondered about this after I posted so I went to check my OD&D Monsters & Treasure booklet, and found that the stats matched up almost exactly — but there are some changes such as giving monsters an arbitrary number of attacks, rather than basing the number of attacks on Hit Dice (e.g., in the original M&T a troll has six attacks, while they have three attacks in the M&T Assortment product).

I assumed after some quick research on my end that the supplement may have been a somewhat rushed product that combined some of the old system and the then current system (Holmes D&D, which was published that same year), much as Holmes D&D was itself a somewhat rushed product that contained parts of OD&D and the as yet unfinalized AD&D.

Thanks for clarification! I really didn't want to head into running a game with faulty assumptions. I guess what I'll do is substitute the Holmes D&D monster stats where appropriate and handle the reamining monsters like their OD&D counterparts (I've already expanded all of the Holmes advancement tables up to Level 9, though, so I'm good to go there).

 

[Delta]

Thanks for clarification! I really didn't want to head into running a game with faulty assumptions. I guess what I'll do is substitute the Holmes D&D monster stats where appropriate...

Yeah, that's more-or-less what I do. Best of luck!

 

[grodog]

James, you may want to also check into the general Acaeum entry @ M&T Assort and the changes tracked across editions of it by TFoster @ M&T Changes

 

[jdrakeh]

James, you may want to also check into the general Acaeum entry @ M&T Assort and the changes tracked across editions of it by TFoster @ M&T Changes

I thought that these had been released on goldenrod cardstock at one time (I had a set years ago, back when I lived in Topeka)! Thanks for the links

 

[diaglo]

I just noticed that despite being ostensibly intended for use with Basic D&D,...

They released this for OD&D. in the form of 3 assortments: lvls 1-3, 4-6, and 7-9.

later it was combined into just 1 assortment lvls 1-9.

damage for OD&D is 1d6

 

[MerricB]

James, you may want to also check into the general Acaeum entry @ M&T Assort and the changes tracked across editions of it by TFoster @ M&T Changes

Allan, do you possess a copy of the Outdoor Geomorphs?

Cheers!

 

[Grimstaff]

man, I used to use this alot along with the geomorphs when we had nothing better to do. It was crazy the tangents these random rolls would lead us off on...

Ah, to have so much free time again....

 

[grodog]

Allan, do you possess a copy of the Outdoor Geomorphs?

Why yes, why Merric? In case you haven't seen it, I posted details about all four geos sets on my site @ Dungeon Geomorphs and Outdoor Geomorphs in Greyhawk