[Not C&C]Old School d20?

[Aus_Snow]

3E's combat rules actually work fine for old-school action with one simple change: don't give 5' steps immunity from attacks of opportunity.

Yeah, this works just fine. "Careful where you step" indeed. Heh.


This might be a viable alternative to the standard skill system. Or sure, the Saga-esque variant you mention.

For something far simpler, perhaps just use ability checks, with circumstance modifiers and such. With it, you could use a basic set of DCs (going from "Easy" to "Nearly Impossible", or whatever). If necessary, certain classes might get a small bonus with certain types of checks, like maybe +1 per four or five levels. Just a thought.


Adjusting HPs shouldn't be too hard. Just be sure to do the same with monsters (i.e., just give them +1 HP per HD past 10th, or whichever level you've also designated as the cut-off point for PCs). Or maybe: +1 / HD [past c.o.p.] if warrior-ish HD, and +1 / 2 HD [past c.o.p.] otherwise, for PCs and monsters. Something like that?


It wouldn't be too hard to set ability mods back to old-school, more or less: 9-12 = +0, 13-15 = +1, 16-17 = +2, 18 = +3. Mirror that the other way, of course.

 

[mmadsen]

Yeah, this works just fine. "Careful where you step" indeed. Heh.

Perhaps I need to spell out the consequences of that little rule change. Eliminating the 5' step's immunity from Attacks of Opportunity does not mean that everyone will keep taking 5' steps and getting thwacked. It means that characters will engage an enemy in melee combat and won't disengage unless they're willing to take a free attack. (Sound familiar?) Similarly, archers and spell-casters won't use their bows or spells in reach of an enemy. They can't 5' step away and act as if they weren't in melee combat a moment ago.

 

[RFisher]

When it really comes down to it, I think the thing that would need the most change to make d20 feel more "old school" to me would be the spells. Invisibility having an indefinite duration. Hold Person having a useful duration. Fireballs spreading in confined spaces. Etc.

I've had whole adventures inspired by a single first edition spell.

I'm happy to just use the old systems.

 

[Aus_Snow]

Perhaps I need to spell out the consequences of that little rule change. Eliminating the 5' step's immunity from Attacks of Opportunity does not mean that everyone will keep taking 5' steps and getting thwacked. It means that characters will engage an enemy in melee combat and won't disengage unless they're willing to take a free attack. (Sound familiar?) Similarly, archers and spell-casters won't use their bows or spells in reach of an enemy. They can't 5' step away and act as if they weren't in melee combat a moment ago.

Oh, sorry I was hardly very clear there. I actually meant that I agreed it was a perfectly valid thing to do, and that in fact I've used that rule myself. I didn't exactly say as much though. D'oh, me.

 

[howandwhy99]

So, if you were going to take the SRD and convert it to emulate 1E, how would you do it?

Honestly? I would wait until 4th edition is out. I think it will solve a lot of the problems found in 3e's SRD.