D&D 5E What should be in the "retro" module for 5e . . .

[Gryph]

All tongue in cheek refernces to wandering harlot tables aside:

I'd like to see Henchman/Hireling rules, strongholds, morale rules and wandering monster/random encounter tables as an "OD&D" module.

 

[Gryph]

Wizards of the Coast owns Avalon Hill. Plus everything Gary put out for Dangerous Journeys. I'd look at what I own.

• Wooden Ships & Iron Men (for sailing games)
• Epic of Aerth - as a campaign setting
• Necropolis - as a high level module
• Old Modules of TSRs, of course - the best stuff released slowly, including Dungeon Magazine (Empire of the Ghouls, Mud Sorcerer's Tomb, etc.)

Plus something like Outdoor Survival for getting lost and pursuit & evasion rules through overland exploration. (Add ones for underwater wilderness travel too / other environments).

And whimsical stuff like the Potion Miscibility table, Harlot Encounter subtable, and every polearm ever published.

A lot of the things that Gary wrote for TSR and for Danjerous Journeys are not owned by WoTC in the sense you mean. WoTC derived exclusive publishing rights from acquiring TSR but exercising those publishing rights requires them to pay a royalty on the sale.

Even when Gary ran TSR he was paid royalties on his materials.

I suspect the Avalon Hill catalog has some similiar encumbrances.

 

[Yora]

- Every 5 minutes, roll 1d20 against a DC of 1 plus 1 for every additional 5 minutes. On a failure, your character dies.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Pilgrims, neither tarrying nor hurrying.

 

[deadwor1d]

I had this reply all mapped out when I saw the topic. Remove background and theme and you have it. Ad-nauseum.

And then I read it.

Now, all I can do is snicker.

Jerks!

 

[slobo777]

Does anyone remember the weapon versus armour table? Where e.g. longbows got +3 (? probably wrong memory) versus chainmail - because chain is bad versus piercing weapons etc? I cannot even remember what edition this was in (an optional rule in 2e?)

Did anyone use it?

Did anyone have players with swiss-army-knife weapon combinations, picking out the lucern hammers to fight enemies in plate?

I think I tried using the table once, because i thought the idea behind it was cool - it meant there was difference between banded and scale for instance. But I found it a little too fussy to keep bringing up - besides which it only applied to fighting armoured humanoids, and didn't really apply to monstrous enemies eithe rto attack (with claws/teeth) or for their tough hide . . .

 

[Abstruse]

Does anyone remember the weapon versus armour table? Where e.g. longbows got +3 (? probably wrong memory) versus chainmail - because chain is bad versus piercing weapons etc? I cannot even remember what edition this was in (an optional rule in 2e?)

Did anyone use it?

Did anyone have players with swiss-army-knife weapon combinations, picking out the lucern hammers to fight enemies in plate?

I think I tried using the table once, because i thought the idea behind it was cool - it meant there was difference between banded and scale for instance. But I found it a little too fussy to keep bringing up - besides which it only applied to fighting armoured humanoids, and didn't really apply to monstrous enemies eithe rto attack (with claws/teeth) or for their tough hide . . .

It was in 2nd Edition. The chart in 1st Ed is even weirder though because the to-hit number changed based on the armor class regardless of the armor. So a scimitar works very well against a lightly armored enemy but not one that's heavily armored or completely unarmored and I have no earthly idea why.

 

[spudspotato]

*Random tables that could generate a flock of cockatrices at level one (actually happened to me my first time playing)
*Cursed artifacts that could do random bad stuff like turn your hair white (actually happened to me my first time playing)
*More random magic items that shrink you in six inch increments (actually happened to me my first time playing)
*Intense descriptions about what happens what you go inside a portable hole or bag of holding so you can suffocate people (actually happened to me my first time playing)
*More tables to know penalties of chopsticks vs. plate armor (actually happened to me my first time playing)
*Save or die effects (actually happened to me my first time playing)

I think after my six year old self asked my dad to play this cool looking game with me, he just threw an assortment of bad stuff he had seen over the years at me. I've been scared of 1st edition ever since.

 

[Fifth Element]

All characters start with 1d4-3 hit points. Now that's a challenge!

Players must pass the Polearm Recognition Test before being allowed to play.

An article for wizards entitled "So You've Cast Your Sleep Spell: 32 Ways to Feel Useful Even When You're Not."