Thinking About OD&D

[Philotomy Jurament]

Another update, with two new musings:

Essential & Recommended Material
Movement While Exploring

 

[Delta]

Hey, PJ, cool stuff as usual. Regarding your "Recommended Reading", I did get the Monster & Treasure Assortments PDFs a while back. In your game, how do you deal with the monster stats being in post-Supplement I (i.e., d8 hit dice) format? Possibly just not worry about it?

Another thing I noticed a few weeks back about OD&D is how wizards start out with lower hit dice than clerics (we're all used to that)... but once they get to the upper levels they actually overtake clerics and wind up with more hit dice. Myself, I think that's kind of cool.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

Hey, PJ, cool stuff as usual. Regarding your "Recommended Reading", I did get the Monster & Treasure Assortments PDFs a while back. In your game, how do you deal with the monster stats being in post-Supplement I (i.e., d8 hit dice) format?

I mainly use the Assortments when stocking dungeons, and I use them as more as a reference for what kinds of monsters/encounters are appropriate, rather than for the stat-blocks. I just ignore the hit points listed.

Actually, I roll monster hit points at the time of the encounter, and use the rolled dice to keep track of damage for that individual monster, behind my screen. (Works well if you have a lot of d6s.)

 

[Delta]

It's certainly easier to have a lot of d6's than a lot of d8's -- one of the very elegant things about OD&D.

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

I've posted a new musing:

The Dungeon as a Mythic Underworld

 

[Delta]

PJ, this is one of my favorite posts from you yet. Great stuff.

The one quibble is what you identify as characters "which normally possess infravision (e.g. elves, dwarves)". In the original set there's nothing indicating that they have infravision, not in the player's Vol. 1 or the monster Vol. 2. (I think goblins are the only, or at least first ones specially called out for that). Not until Supplement I do elves & dwarves get mentioned with infravision in the player's section.

I'm also reminded of the 1E PHB picture with dwarves mining, carrying torches. Hmm, when did they need those I wonder (namely in OD&D).

For me I sort of read that block of OD&D text the other way around and got the impression that simple men working as bandits got infravision if they lived in the dungeon!

 

[Philotomy Jurament]

PJ, this is one of my favorite posts from you yet. Great stuff.

Thanks! I can't take credit for all the ideas in that musing, though. I drew on some great discussions at Dragonsfoot, the OD&D Forums, and the Knights-n-Knaves forums. The initial post of this discussion provides a wealth of links on the subject.

The one quibble is what you identify as characters "which normally possess infravision (e.g. elves, dwarves)". In the original set there's nothing indicating that they have infravision...

That's true; my rule on infravision for dwarves and elves is drawn from the special abilities listed in Chainmail, rather than one of the three little books (I should put that in a footnote). Nevertheless, I think that's a valid approach, even if you're aiming for "by-the-book" (a difficult target in OD&D), since Men & Magic refers the reader to Chainmail for more on racial abilities, anyway. Chainmail lists both elves and dwarves (but not hobbits/halfings) as having "the ability to see in normal darkness as if it were light." In my game, I grant that as infravision.

I think vision is one of those areas in OD&D where there's a lot of room for interpretation. Not only can the referee choose which rules or combination of rules to use (i.e. Chainmail, three little books, or Supplement I), but even the wording leaves a lot of room. For example, if you're going by Chainmail, there's nothing that says the special vision of dwarves, elves, et al. is infravision. Heck, anything imported or translated from Chainmail allows a lot of referee interpretation.

For me I sort of read that block of OD&D text the other way around and got the impression that simple men working as bandits got infravision if they lived in the dungeon!

That's exactly the way I play it. The dungeon "recognizes its own," somehow. In the case of bandits using the dungeon as a "home base," I'd have them initially need light, but gradually be "accepted" by the place, and be granted the special benefits of an underworld monster.

 

[Raven Crowking]

I'm also reminded of the 1E PHB picture with dwarves mining, carrying torches. Hmm, when did they need those I wonder (namely in OD&D).

Infravision only allowed you to distinguish heat sources in 1e, so that dwarves would need light to identify ores while mining.

RC

 

[diaglo]

That's exactly the way I play it. The dungeon "recognizes its own," somehow. In the case of bandits using the dungeon as a "home base," I'd have them initially need light, but gradually be "accepted" by the place, and be granted the special benefits of an underworld monster.

i just make them a new monster. call them... um... morlocks. or troglodytes or sleestaks.

 

[TerraDave]

RE: Essential and Recomended Material.

I praise the decision to put Best of Dragon I in the "highly recomended". (I wish I didn't have my copy in storage!)

But shouldn't Sup I: Greyhawk also be there as well?