What Game Mechanics Have You "Borrowed" From 2E?

[Voadam]

Drow are predominantly Chaotic and have ambidexterity (TWF in 3.5).

Wights are vulnerable to silver instead of no DR.

Maybe some RL stuff, I remember that 3e RL did some wierd things with spell interactions that I did not like.

Mercykiller planescape faction detect lie power info (I don't have the 3e MoP or dragon articles on Planescape stuff).

 

[Voadam]

Mostly from 2e I borrow flavor stuff such as descriptions.

 

[wingsandsword]

Called shot: wooden stake to the heart of a resting vampire. still makes me wonder how you kill a vampire without being able to target its heart.

I always treated a natural 20 while wielding a stake in melee combat as a threat (making them vulnerable to critical hits from that only), and a 20 to confirm was instant staking. Yeah, it almost never comes up, but it gives a solution to players who insist it should be possible, and if they say it's too unlikely, I ask them about trying to drive a chunk of wood through the shriveled heart of a creature with inhuman agility and toughness, and actually piercing the heart instead of grazing it or pushing it aside.

Otherwise, it's just a Coup de Grace. . .

As for other things from 2e:

The demographics rules from High Level Campaigns, slightly adapted to 3e classes. 1 out of every 10 people has a PC class, the other 90% are NPC classed, and one out of 20 is 2nd level PC class, 1 out of 40 is 3rd level PC classed, and so on.

A lot of little Planescape things about magic as well as the Quasi and Paraelemental planes. I did get rid of the clerics losing powers for being planes removed from their deities, that was just too harsh for fun (I got screwed over so many times in so many campaigns by that one, it makes divine casters totally useless on the planes).

Some of the high-level ability NWP's from High Level Campaigns turned into Epic Feats (Eminence, ect.).

 

[Sravoff]

I am seriously thinking about the initiative and weapon speed rules.

 

[Torm]

It's the same thing at every level.

I get that - really. But the removal of most of the math involving negative numbers just seems to make it all flow smoother.

The next step (4E?) in my opinion is to add 5 to all DCs, and get rid of the ability scores as they exist now altogether - just use the modifier, which is the only part that plays a roll in the math now, anyway. A 1 or 2 STR becomes a 1 STR, an 18 or 19 becomes a 9, and so on.

 

[coyote6]

I also want to ditch the 3.5 rules on outsiders returning, but am not sure how to do this right. 3.5 is more self consistent on this score, but less satisfying. I want to have you worry that the pit fiend will come back without handwaving in an 18th level caster to miracle him back to life.

You mean how summoned outsiders aren't really there, and thus don't actually die when they're "killed", while conjured outsiders are actually there and actually die?

I've been thinking of this: come up with a new category for outsiders that are gated in, arrive on the plane via their own planar travel, and/or come through a portal of some sort; these outsiders (call 'em "gated"?) are really there, and can die permanently. Outsiders that are conjured (via planar ally/binding spells, and the like) and killed don't die permanently; instead, they're forced back to their home plane & can't leave for some period of time. Also, I'm thinking they lose any stuff that they brought with 'em.

Possibly some portals would "conjure" rather than "gate" outsiders; and possibly some (powerful) outsiders would be able to "conjure" themselves to other planes.

I think that's about the only 2e-type rule I'd go with.

 

[Psychic Warrior]

I am seriously thinking about the initiative and weapon speed rules.

I use the Weapon Speed rules from Everquest (reprinted in the Scarred Lands book PLayer's Guide to Fighters & Barbarians).

I can't think of anything from older editions that I am using now.

 

[Whimsical]

Sean K. Reynolds has a rant against bringing back weapon speeds to 3e.

 

[Mercule]

I never cared for 2E -- I played 1E with a few elements of 2E thrown in.

Pedantry aside, I actually can't think of any old rules we still use -- at least no consciously, I'm sure there are a few convensions we've carried over, though. I do like the idea of no safety on Fly and Teleport, though. And huge, all-engulfing fireballs, too.

Over all, I've got no interest in previous editions. I intentionally quit playing them and moved on to other systems. I only "returned" to D&D because 3E was so different.

 

[sjmiller]

Well, considering the fact that 2nd Edition AD&D is what drove me away from D&D for well over a decade, I would have to say that there's nothing from that edition that I am using in my current (3.0) game. I can think of a few things I might take from 1st Edition AD&D, but few of them are really game mechanics. I think I might add in some of the weapons that are not in 3e, and I am adding some of the creatures from the MM that are not there either. That's pretty much it, really.