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

[Nikosandros]

I think that, as is the case with many rules seen in "early" D&D, level limits can make (at least some) sense in the context of the idea of each player running a "stable" of characters.

 

[Voadam]

One I remember is item saving throws. One of the reasons that Cone of Cold was higher level than Fireball was because it was less likely to destroy the enemy treasure you were fighting them to obtain.

Huh. I always thought it was higher because fewer creatures had innate cold resistance and that items/devices of cold resistance were less common.

That, and 4th level needed its own AoE damage spell.

Aside: 5th level.
Well, I did say, "one of," which has the advantage of being non-exclusive. I'm sure 'and Xth level needs some damage spells' applies to all of them that didn't port over from Chainmail (fireball and lightning bolt).

I think I read a while back that one of his kids playing a magic user did in game research to create it. I think having something that would leave more loot behind was one of the kid's stated reasons for developing it.

In 1e it has a huge area of effect, 1/2" long per caster level cone, but has the downside of starting at the MU unlike the artillery fireball and lightning bolt spells and so can't be launched starting past your front line fighters.

d4+1 per level is the same average damage as a lightning bolt or fireball, but it is a lot more of a pain to roll and count up a ton of d4s.

 

[Mannahnin]

In reality, of course, giving demihumans lots of free abilities which cost no XP starting at 1st level, in return for imposing a limit to advancement someday in the future (which the game may never reach, even if the DM ever DID actually stick by that), is not balance.

Well, they are sort of needed if there is multi classing going on with splitting of XP. Ran through the GDQ series with an all elf campaign, and the pure fighter was obviously outclassed by all the Magic-user/<something else> in the party even if he was one level higher than them in fighter. We weren't using level limits in this case but if I did it again, I'd keep them (in some form) for multi classed characters and ignore them for single classed characters.

Yes, AD&D-style multi-classing seems like obviously the most powerful of the special free abilities demi-humans get.

 

[Mannahnin]

I think that, as is the case with many rules seen in "early" D&D, level limits can make (at least some) sense in the context of the idea of each player running a "stable" of characters.

I mean, sorta? In the context of Gary's early groups where he expected a PC to be able to make 9th after around a year of dedicated regular play, that's not terrible. Bruenor Battleforge can go retire to his Dwarven stronghold and domain play while Bob, his player, starts a new PC, or starts running one of Bruenor's henchmen as a full PC.

Heck, some modern OSR games cap out at 9th or 10th, because a lot of folks rarely or never bother to play above that.

But it still doesn't address the issue that any given time, demi-humans are generally overpowered (free special abilities) next to their human chums, or underpowered once the humans leave them in the dust in level. If balance between them exists at all, it's in some mutable period after the cap in level but before the humans completely outclass them. And I don't think that situation really serves fun.

 

[Lanefan]

Aside: 5th level.

D'oh - was thinking of Ice Storm. I always mix those two up.

 

[billd91]

But it still doesn't address the issue that any given time, demi-humans are generally overpowered (free special abilities) next to their human chums, or underpowered once the humans leave them in the dust in level. If balance between them exists at all, it's in some mutable period after the cap in level but before the humans completely outclass them. And I don't think that situation really serves fun.

3e was a real step forward in this regard because it was the first edition of D&D that offered real, positive reasons to choose to play humans rather than simply avoiding the negative reasons of demi-humans being unable to play as or advance far in these other classes.

 

[Lanefan]

Yeah, part of the problem with level limits is that in practice most games never get to them or go much above them.

Elves would have a hard time getting to those limits anyway due to another oft-forgotten (or discarded) rule: they couldn't come back from the dead, once killed.

 

[Lanefan]

3e was a real step forward in this regard because it was the first edition of D&D that offered real, positive reasons to choose to play humans rather than simply avoiding the negative reasons of demi-humans being unable to play as or advance far in these other classes.

We've found that doing three things...

1 - mostly removing demi-human level limits (there's still some class-species combos that are outright banned), and
2 - making multiclassing work the same for all species
3 - making revival from death work the same for all species

...has left Humans as still being the most commonly played species.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Yeah, part of the problem with level limits is that in practice most games never get to them or go much above them.

While Gary rationalized level limits as necessary for game balance and to justify humans being the predominant species, even he increased them over time, apparently because he learned through experience that they weren't fun.

In the 1974 original rules the Dwarf can only reach 6th level as a Fighter. A year later in Greyhawk Gary changed the rules to allow Dwarves to get to 7th level if they had a 17 Strength, to 8th with an 18. And added the Thief option with unlimited advancement, as well as the ability to multi-class. Similarly, in 1978 AD&D 1E the level limits were increased again (for example, all Dwarves could now reach 9th level Fighter), and then when Unearthed Arcana came out in '85 it increased level limits yet AGAIN; at least for the new sub-races.

And the 2E designers raised them even further. They actually put the limits in the DMG instead of the PH (though they mention in the PH that limits exist, and repeat Gary's rationalization), but in addition to raising them (Dwarf Fighters can now reach 15th!), they warn the DM that such limits can be un-fun, and contextualize them with additional optional rules for exceeding those limits with high ability scores, or advancing further, just more slowly, costing more XP, rather than the limits being hard limits.

This is symptomatic of what most DMs can tell you- that if you actually run a game long enough to reach those level limits, they create an unenjoyable experience for the players impacted by them. They are attached to those characters and want to see them continue to advance! And so Gary, like the 2E designers after him, kept raising the limits! Of course, if you keep making exceptions and raising the limits, the idea that those limits are necessary becomes obviously spurious.

In reality, of course, giving demihumans lots of free abilities which cost no XP starting at 1st level, in return for imposing a limit to advancement someday in the future (which the game may never reach, even if the DM ever DID actually stick by that), is not balance. It's just imbalance in two different directions at different times. In the early game the demihuman is just better. And at high levels once the human gets a chance to leave them behind in level, the human is just better. At almost no time are they actually equal.

Yeah, while I think some people might have not played a Dwarf of Halfling because some day they might hit a limit, I think for most it just didn't come up in play. I had one campaign that went long enough for it to matter. Far more odious were the limits to which classes they could be.

It's kinda funny how long it took for someone to come up with the idea of just giving humans a power bump rather than restricting demihumans.

 

[Brendan Byrd]

Elves would have a hard time getting to those limits anyway due to another oft-forgotten (or discarded) rule: they couldn't come back from the dead, once killed.

But could hope for reincarnation as a human…