Things I miss from 2nd edition

[Romotre]

3e has settled in and is mostly complete. I can't remember how or why i ever played 2nd edition. I'm just glad I made it through. 3e beats the pants off 2e (i know this is not new news) However, looking back, there are a few things I miss about 2e. First, I liked the different exp charts. It makes sense that a rogue will learn to sneak around quicker than a mage will learn to control magical energies. I know they balanced it out so rogues have more of an advantage, and i also know that the different exp charts would make easy-3e-multiclassing weird. Still, it was a nice touch. The other thing I can think of is HP. Everyone knows that we rationalize the 100 HP fighter as being able to "take it" better and 10 damage to him feels like 1 damage to the 10 HP fighter. What i liked about 2nd was that after 9 or 10 levels, PC's just got bonus' to their HP and their HD stayed the same. Here in 3e, a 15th lvl barb (without any magic) could have 250-300 hp! They become more than "tanks," they become just about impossible to threaten by normal people. Is there anyone that agrees with me? I doubt it but that's just how I feel.

PS: there are many other things i miss but those are the first two

 

[Crothian]

I don't miss the different experience charts. I like the way it is now. And the multi classing is the reason for that.

However, I do agree that hp get out of hand to easily.

 

[Duncan Haldane]

Here in 3e, a 15th lvl barb (without any magic) could have 250-300 hp!

How?

To have 300 Hps at 15th level is to have earned 20 HPs a level.
So, Bards get D6 HPs - 6 a level leaves 14 a level from Con. To gain 14 bonus HPs a level from Con requires a Con of 38.

If PCs in your game have a constitution of 38 without magic you have bigger problems than HPs!

Duncan

 

[Vaxalon]

I've written about HP before, but it bears repeating.

In my game, it is as if there were a book somewhere that the story of the universe was being written. Ordinary things don't go in the book, only dramatic events that people would want to read about. Overcoming obstacles, to be specific.

The more your name shows up in the book, the more the author takes notice of you. Whether you're villain or hero, the more he gets to know you the more he likes seeing you around. He starts orchestrating events to keep you going... you are more likely to survive, in many different ways. Hit Points are one of the ways the game system records this.

At high levels, this 'plot immunity' starts to get miraculous.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Re: Re: Things I miss from 2nd edition

How?

To have 300 Hps at 15th level is to have earned 20 HPs a level.
So, Bards get D6 HPs - 6 a level leaves 14 a level from Con. To gain 14 bonus HPs a level from Con requires a Con of 38.

If PCs in your game have a constitution of 38 without magic you have bigger problems than HPs!

Duncan

I think by "barb" he was abbreviating Barbarian, not misspelling Bard.

 

[Romotre]

yeah, i meant barbarian. 20pts/lvl=d12+8 con (17-18 to start, +2/3 con @ lvls 4, 8 and 12 greater rage +6 con) sorry about that. oh and not be to rude vaxalon, but what exactly are you talking about?

 

[Vaxalon]

...not be to rude vaxalon, but what exactly are you talking about?

Hit points. Sorry if I wasn't more clear.

Originally posted by Vaxalon
Hit Points are one of the ways the game system records this.

 

[Vaxalon]

yeah, i meant barbarian. 20pts/lvl=d12+8 con (17-18 to start, +2/3 con @ lvls 4, 8 and 12 greater rage +6 con) sorry about that.

The chances of this happening are pretty slim. You'd have to roll "12" on your hit die fourteen times in a row.

That's one in 1,283,918,464,548,864 - one in more than a *quadrillion*.

The average is more like 14.5 points per level, which comes out to 223... which is still pretty high, but a good deal less than the figure you came up with.

 

[Romotre]

I understand/stood that you were talking about HP. I think when you mention the "book," and that others stuff, its a way for you to rationalize lots of HP, is that right? I can still rationalize using the old, "learning to take it" concept but my point i guess was that I liked it better when the HP gain/lvl leveled off (haha) to the point where you still got more HP, just not a d-whatever +con more. I hope that's what you meant. Does anyone have anything they liked better in 2nd edition?

 

[Romotre]

The chances of this happening are pretty slim. You'd have to roll "12" on your hit die fourteen times in a row.

That's one in 1,283,918,464,548,864 - one in more than a *quadrillion*.

The average is more like 14.5 points per level, which comes out to 223... which is still pretty high, but a good deal less than the figure you came up with.

yes but sometimes I give players max for the first few levels (what fighter wants to have 4 hp? what DM wants to be afraid of ending a campaign because a kobold gets lucky? a challenge is one thing...) and other times i let players reroll low HP rolls based on con. also, the numbers i came up with were hypothetical, to illustrate a point.