D&D General What rule do you hate most from any edition? (+ Thread)

[Jack Daniel]

B/X: … No real rules for anything outside of combat.

In B/X!? A.k.a., "the one with all the really detailed dungeon-crawling and hex-crawling rules"!?!

 

[UngeheuerLich]

class level limits for demi-humans in 1e, hands down the worst

They were in 2e too. And this is why I usually made half elven bards who actually had no limits.

My most hated rule...
Shifting/5ft steps im 4e/3e.
In 3e I really was pissed by ranged characters stepping 5ft back and unloading their full ranged attack.
In 4e shifting was so crucial, that it really made theater of the mind combat very unfun.
"I shift and do at-will-x" in german we had no good translation so that always sounded very technical and clumsy. (And at-will powers for martials were a close runner-up).

 

[Mezuka]

No one mentioned this one. AD&D weapon speed factors rule... use it for one combat, abandonned it immediately after.

 

[Scars Unseen]

No one mentioned this one. AD&D weapon speed factors rule... use it for one combat, abandonned it immediately after.

I think that one could work out using modern digital tools to automate the initiative tracking, but in its time? Yeah, a little too cumbersome at the table.

 

[The Glen]

I'm confused by this. Before them, you had class skills only. Cross-class was exactly what you are asking for - a way for you to chose what skills your character was good at. It was a step in the direction you wanted.

I'm not debating your hate, I'm just looking for clarification because your reasoning seems the opposite of what it did.

The first real usable skill system was from the rules cyclopedia and that evolved from the gazetteer series. If you wanted to play an intimidating Wizard, charismatic fighter or perceptive cleric it was easily done.

3rd Edition decided that certain classes were automatically better at specific skills than others. Intimidating because that was a cross class skill, despite the fact that you could kill everyone in the room with a word. And some of it didn't make sense high-level adventurers you knew were going to be super good at spotting hazards because that was one of the requirements of the job. It was worse than a lot of classes only got a few skill points anyways. And then you punish them further by saying not only do you not get a lot of skills you also only get a small number of available skills to begin with

 

[Mezuka]

Another one is the Combat Phases sequence from Basic Moldvay. It made skirmish combat feel like a military engagement. It was so repetitive and predictable we soon adopted the optional individual initiative.

Combat Sequence Per Round:

1. Declare spells and retreats
2. Initiative: Each side rolls 1d6.
3. Winning side acts:
a. Monster morale
b. Movement
c. Missile attacks
d. Spell casting
e. Melee attacks
4. Other sides act: In initiative order.

 

[Oofta]

Is it an actual rule that any elf I play in any edition dies by 2nd level (a 1/2 elf made it to 3rd once!) or just a curse?

 

[billd91]

Is it an actual rule that any elf I play in any edition dies by 2nd level (a 1/2 elf made it to 3rd once!) or just a curse?

It's the special insert rule addendum that came in all of our rulebooks except yours.

 

[Gammadoodler]

5e - all the weirdness around unarmed strikes.

Is it a weapon? no, but when you attack it is a melee weapon attack.. If you use dex for it, can you sneak attack? no.

So much effort put in to limit something so far from optimal.

 

[Mad_Jack]

It's the special insert rule addendum that came in all of our rulebooks except yours.

Which specifically mentions you by name, and states that it only applies to you...

(I, on the other hand, have had four different wizards killed by ogres who walked into the room mid-fight and were immediately in melee range - I can't open a barrel or search a drawer without an ogre popping out.)