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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Obryn" data-source="post: 5034962" data-attributes="member: 11821">I think 1e is perfectly playable, but there are a few things that could either stand some improvement, or which need fixing.(1) Attack bonuses, rather than attack tables.  I'm using a variant system for my own 1e game, which is mathematically true to the original but which sounds kinda ridiculous.  (Player rolls d20, adds bonuses from level, attribute, magic, etc., and tells me the number.  A natural 20 is read as 25.  I subtract the monster's AC.  A result of 20+ is a hit.)(2) More sensible saving throws.  I don't mind them being table-based - they stay more controlled than 3e saves can be - but I think F/R/W is a cleaner and more intuitive categorization.(3) Slight revision in the attribute tables.  Start bonuses lower - around 12 or 13.  Especially fix the Strength table, because Exceptional Strength is an insane rule.  Give an 18 or 19 better bonuses than they get now, but less than 18/00.(4) Make the Surprise rules coherent.  While it's simple enough if everyone's surprised on a 1 or 2 on 1d6, it can get weird in a lot of cases when your chance of surprise is wildly different from your group's.  Monks break the math bad, btw.  Either switch outright to a percentile system, or switch to a d10 or a d20 and work from there.(5) I actually don't mind the initiative system, apart from the insane occurrences on a tie.  Use speed factors as a tiebreaker, but only when the combatants are already in close combat.  Otherwise, I tend to like the reality-based initiative where missiles go first, the longer weapon goes first on a charge, and so on.  The only sticking point is spells - do casting speeds replace the die roll (this is what I've done in my own game)?  Are they added to the die roll?  If so, what happens if a caster is acting past the 10th segment?  It needs clarification.(6) Give humans something, even if it's small.  It's too bad when your only racial feature is that you can advance to a high level a few years down the road.  I'm actually not advocating removing or changing demihuman level limits - but humans need a little perk, anyway.(7) Use the unarmed rules from Unearthed Arcana.(8) If you can't have a workable psionics system, best drop it entirely.  I'd recommend dropping it, frankly.(9) Weapon Specialization is good, but multiple attacks should be harder to attain.  Also, it should be coherent between ranged and melee attacks.  Restrict double-specialization, too - a +3/+3 bonus is huge.  Do this while dropping the Weapon Proficiency system; just let PCs use any weapon allowed for their class.  (In my own game, I have a few house-rules for this, like making it so Specialization lets you pretend your level is 4 higher when it comes to multiple attacks, and you drop a "group" of weapons to get it.)(10) Fix a few abuses, like high-strength dart-throwers and two-weapon fighting....and that's really about it.  It's a remarkably fun and capable system which could nevertheless use a slight tightening-up.-O</blockquote>

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