One innovation per edition

[fuindordm]

A few people have mentioned kits. I actually never used them much while I was playing 2E but I get the appeal.
I think 5e subclasses try to fill the same niche. You can easily have 10-20 subclasses per base class.
In an alternate universe, 3E could have carried over kits while expanding their scope to perovide level-based benefits as well as a 1st level package of advantages and limitations.

I agree that the d20 for everything and always roll high was a highlight of 3e. I'm not sure why I didn't think of it. Maybe because it felt more like a cleanup than an actual change to how the game works under the hood?

For 5th edition I was tempted to list bounded accuracy, but 1E already has it in a different form.

 

[billd91]

I'm going to start with 2e and look at adding innovations to the 1e base - largely because I think there are too many that 1e added to the original D&D/basic D&D models.

2e: school specialty casters
honorable mention: specialty priests

3e: feats
honorable mention: ascending AC and general DC structure

4e: bloodied status
honorable mention: improvised damage table

5e: backgrounds
honorable mention: advantage/disadvantage

 

[overgeeked]

If you had to pick just one rule innovation from each edition of D&D to add as a house rule to your current campaign (of any edition), then what would it be? What evolutions have stood the test of time?

OD&D. Freeform class and race.

B/X. Roll under your stat to do things not covered by the rules.

BECMI. Unified stat modifiers.

AD&D. Simple 1d6 side-based initiative.

AD&D2E. Kits.

3X. Ascending AC.

4E. Honestly, almost everything. But if forced to pick just one, it would be splitting combat magic and ritual magic into separate silos.

5E. Dis/advantage.

 

[Simon Miles]

1e - base system with Unearthed Arcana but the Barbarian and the Cavalier nerfed a bit.
2e- variable spends in Thief Skills
3e - erm, nothing really...
4e - never read it...
5e - I like the idea of unlimited Cantrips, but using the UE Cantrip lists.

And that's it... I just REALLY like 1st ed.
Of course, I have loads of other house rules and alternative character classes in the Player's Guide to Dunromin at www.dunrominuniversitypress.co.uk

 

[GreyLord]

OD&D is the base I suppose.

AD&D - All the different classes (including Monk, Assassin, Cavalier, Barbarian, Bushi, etc).

BECMI - Giant Dragons (large and Huge Dragons) on an understandable scale, but also doable.

AD&D 2e - THAC0 (yes, I love it much more than what came after), though it dealt with initiative in a pretty good way as well.

3e - Easier to understand Psionics that melded in with the game far more easily

4e - Minions

5 - Advantage and Disadvantage

 

[R_J_K75]

2E morales rules and them being incorporated into the Monstrous Manual stats.

 

[Mark Hope]

4e - definitely bloodied. Such an easy concept to add to any other edition. And so much fun to implement.

"It's doing what now?!"

 

[AnotherGuy]

1e Level Drain
2e THACO
3e Feat Trees
4e AEDU Structure
5e Hit Point Bloat

 

[Voadam]

How about you all? Are there any rules or quirks from earlier editions that you now consider essential, no matter what edition you're playing?

2e - Player facing stats like THAC0 and saves.
3e - Ascending AC.
4e - Solo, Elite, and Minion monsters.
5e - Concentration.

 

[nevin]

I'm currently running an AD&D campaign but sneaking in some houserules inspired by later editions.
This got me thinking: If you had to pick just one rule innovation from each edition of D&D to add as a house rule to your current campaign (of any edition), then what would it be? What evolutions have stood the test of time?

For me:
1e - base rules for campaign
2e - incentives for single-class PCs (specialty priests, specialist wizards, weapon specialization for fighters...)
3e - feats, so that players have some leeway to customize their base class
4e - a warlord base class
5e - class/subclass structure

As I'm writing these, I realize that they are all on the player side. Frankly, I can't think of any major innovations in the rules that really transformed the game for me as a DM. Advantage/disadvantage is useful but doesn't quite meet the "gotta have it" threshold. 3e-style magic item creation is a mixed blessing and more for the players than the DM.

How about you all? Are there any rules or quirks from earlier editions that you now consider essential, no matter what edition you're playing?

class subclass structure is just another way of doing Prestige classes. Not really innovation. Warlord base class was just a fighter subclass so borderline innovation. I think nothing since 3rd has truly had innovation. Most changes have just been change for change sake so we can print new books. I suppose you could call magic item attunement an innovative thing but whether it made the game better or not is arguable. I can't think of anything innovative in 4e other than trying to make it easier for the DM.