AD&D 1E Rules that are kinda cool but everyone forgot

[Sacrosanct]

One of the rules in 1e that didn't carry over to 2e or any other edition that I always thought was cool was how measurements are treated. Specifically outdoors vs. dungeons (indoors). Most folks familiar with 1e are familiar with a measurement like 6". Either movement, or a spell or bow range, etc. But in the outdoors, each 1" is 10 yards and 1" indoors is 10 feet. It's justified by "in dungeons or indoors, there are obstacles, tunnels, twist, and turns to justify why the effective range of a bow is much less than it would be outdoors when you have a longer line of sight."

Yeah, that kinda makes sense. But I never see it applied, especially for spells. The effect of your spell is greatly modified by if you're outdoors or not. A spell with a 3" radius has a 30-foot radius indoors, and a 90-foot radius outdoors. That 20-foot radius fireball in the dungeon has a 60-foot radius when outdoors!

Not something I really recall a lot of folks playing that way. Just another wonky way 1e handled things that never carried over.

 

[SpellObjectEnthusiast]

In B/X notably this is true of ranged weapons and spell ranges but NOT spell areas and the like - helps prevent one AOE from killing hundreds and hundreds of soldiers in a mass combat scenario.

 

[Sacrosanct]

In B/X notably this is true of ranged weapons and spell ranges but NOT spell areas and the like - helps prevent one AOE from killing hundreds and hundreds of soldiers in a mass combat scenario.

It definitely feels like a rule that after people actually played for a while, they quickly discovered they needed to address it. So going from 1979 PHB to 1981 b/x seems about right for that change.

 

[aco175]

Dying at 0HP was something that faded as well. I seem to recall -10 before you die and then half HP in negative and 3 death saves, but you start at 0 if you get healed. I do not remember if we had a rule to not die at 0 back then. I remember some people dying, but not sure if they got knocked down, but got up again... Chubawubba

 

[Mannahnin]

In B/X notably this is true of ranged weapons and spell ranges but NOT spell areas and the like - helps prevent one AOE from killing hundreds and hundreds of soldiers in a mass combat scenario.

It's the same in 1E AD&D.

1978 PH, p39:

Distance scale and areas of effect for spells (and missiles) are designed to fit the game, The tripling of range outdoors is reasonable, as it allows for recreation of actual ranges for hurled javelins, arrows fired from longbows, or whatever. In order to keep magic spells on a par, their range is also tripled. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT OUTDOOR SCALE BE USED FOR RANGE ONLY, NEVER FOR SPELL AREA OF EFFECT (which is kept at 1” = 10’) UNLESS A FIGURE RATIO OF 1 :10 OR 1 :20 (1 casting equals 10 or 20 actual creatures or things in most cases) IS USED, AND CONSTRUCTIONS SUCH AS BUILDINGS, CASTLES, WALLS, ETC. ARE SCALED TO FIGURES RATHER THAN TO GROUND SCALE. Note that the foregoing assumes that a ground scale of 1” to 10 yards is used.

 

[Mannahnin]

Dying at 0HP was something that faded as well. I seem to recall -10 before you die and then half HP in negative and 3 death saves, but you start at 0 if you get healed. I do not remember if we had a rule to not die at 0 back then. I remember some people dying, but not sure if they got knocked down, but got up again... Chubawubba

Dying at 0HP was the rule in 1974 OD&D and 1981 B/X, but 1E AD&D instead says you're unconscious at zero, and at the DM's option, as long as -3 from the same blow that knocked you below 1 HP.

1979 DMG p.82:

Zero Hit Points:

When any creature is brought to 0 hit poinis (optionally as low as -3 hitpoints if from the same blow which brought the total to 0), it is unconscious. In each of the next succeeding rounds 1 additional (negative) pointwill be lost until -10 is reached and the creature dies. Such loss and deathare caused from bleeding, shock, convulsions, non-respiration, and similarcauses. It ceases immediately on any round a friendly creature administersaid to the unconscious one. Aid consists of binding wounds, starting respiration, administering a draught (spirits, healing potion, etc.), or otherwise doing whatever is necessary to restore life.

Any character brought to 0 (or fewer) hit points and then revived will remain in a coma far 1-6 turns. Thereafter, he or she must rest for a full week, minimum. He or she will be incapable of any activity other than that necessary to move slowly to a place of rest and eat and sleep when there. The character cannot attack, defend, cast spells, use magic devices, carry burdens, run, study, research, or do anything else. This is true even if cure spells and/or healing potions are given to him or her, although if a heal spell is bestowed the prohibition no longer applies.

If any creature reaches a state of -6 or greater negative paints beforebeing revived, this could indicate scarring or the loss of some member, if you so choose. For example, a character struck by a fireball and thentreated when at -9 might have horrible scar tissue on exposed areas of flesh - hands, arms, neck, face.

2E made Hovering on Death's Door an optional rule (dead at 0HP was the baseline), but made it simpler- anything shy of -10 was down and bleeding, so you could survive being dropped to -4, or even -9 if someone got to you quickly with healing.

 

[Sacrosanct]

It's the same in 1E AD&D.

1978 PH, p39:

Which is weird, because the spell descriptions are different. These are just two of the spells that infer that you still keep the 3:1 ratio

Fireball:

Or blade barrier

 

[David Howery]

D&D had some growing pains from the old 3-book set to 1E, and some Chainmail carryovers, moving from a heavily 'miniatures on a gaming board' to 'theater of the mind'....

 

[Lanefan]

Dying at 0HP was the rule in 1974 OD&D and 1981 B/X, but 1E AD&D instead says you're unconscious at zero, and at the DM's option, as long as -3 from the same blow that knocked you below 1 HP.

2E made Hovering on Death's Door an optional rule (dead at 0HP was the baseline), but made it simpler- anything shy of -10 was down and bleeding, so you could survive being dropped to -4, or even -9 if someone got to you quickly with healing.

Death at -10 had to have come in a lot earlier than 1989 (2e release), as we were using it by about 1983 (or maybe sooner?) and it's not something our crew would have invented themselves.

 

[Lanefan]

Which is weird, because the spell descriptions are different. These are just two of the spells that infer that you still keep the 3:1 ratio

Fireball:
View attachment 431222

Or blade barrier
View attachment 431223

I chalk those up to typical Gygax inconsistency, fix them, and carry on.