NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Psion" data-source="post: 206730" data-attributes="member: 172">First off, let me preamble this by saying that there were many things I liked about 2e. 2e was definitely an improvement over 1e (frex, got rid of munchy assassins, barbarians, and cavaliers), and there are things about 2e that I miss. See below. (like kits - not specific kits, mind you, because many were poorly executed, but the general idea of kits were a very useful tool in shaping the game. I also LOVE planescape. Best. Setting. Evar.)However, the sheer inflexibility of 2e would have had me quitting if Players Option hadn't come out (and even players option needed some jimmying to get to work right.)The biggest thing compared to 3e that was a major bother was the sheer morrass of inconsistancy. The cheif example of this was the dice systems. Thief skills - percentile low. To hit - d20 high. Saves - d20 high. Proficiencies - d20 low. Secret door checks - d6 low. Surprise, initiative, yadda yadda yadda.Other examples of inconsistency were the PHBR books. Though some were gems of utility (Wizards, Thieves, and Priests stand out in this department), they were pretty much a crap shoot, with different approaches and power levels.Another was the inflexibility of classes. There was little or no choice in what you could do except for a thief. Skills & Powers was a godsend in this department. In some ways, Skills & Powers outdid 3e in this department.Attributes were intolerable. It didn't really matter what you had if it was less than 14, which always struck me as lame. Further, I always founds percentile strength to be both a wart and munchkin bait.On the other hand, the proficiency system made attributes too important. Spend one slot on a proficiency you are good at - TADA! You are an instant master. However, additional slots only gave you +1 each and you only got one every three levels. As a result, characters rarely, if ever, spent more than one slot on a proficieny.Multiclassing and dual classing. Why the difference? I had some justifications for myself, but ultimately they rang hollow. Eventually I conflated the systems.Human versus demihuman balance - never really worked. The only balancing factor there was was that if you were demihuman, you would eventually be restricted in you advancement. Not only was this ill justified from a gameworld viewpoint, it really didn't accomplish much because of the next point.Power level. After 11th-12th level, hang it up. The system creaked under the strain at these levels, as great wyrm dragons and balors are insignificant before your might. And all those neat high level spells you have been drooling over like shapechange and prismatic spray, you will never get to cast.60 second rounds. The justifications rang hollow here, too.Lack of support of oriental adventures. OA was one of the best, most imagination capturing 1e books, with a wonderfully detailed martial arts system and other interesting and unique classes. But it was pretty much ignored for most of 2e, and martial arts replaced with some lame chart system.Finally, treatment of monsters. This never really bugged me while I was playing, but once I bought and started reading the 3e monster manual, I realized what a great restriction played with a reduced set of restrictions for monsters was. When I played 2e, Drow and Humans were always my major villains, as the tools to individualize nonhumanoid monsters just weren't there. Now I have many more options, and can make things like mind flayer sorcerers without having to ad hoc it.There were some great things about 2e as well, though.Planescape was the best published setting ever, IMNSHO. It was fantasy pushed to the limit. It was more than just fantasy-seasoned europe. It was a trip to a reality that operated by a totally different set of rules. It had the hitherto and since unmatched combination of givning the DM a ton of ideas and source material AND being incredibly flexible and open ended.Dead Gods and Tales of the Infinite Staircase: Best adventures ever. Return to the Tomb of Horrors and Rod of Seven Parts are way up there as well. All are better idea-wise that and 3e/d20 system adventure I have seen to date.World builders guide and Complete Villains Handbook: Fantastic tools for the GM, still useful today.</blockquote>

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