D&D 5E Why AD&D Rocks and 3e - 5e Mocks all over AC...

[Oofta]

I found this one, where the guy says he can swim but it's pretty hard and he doesn't think he could make it across a lake.

I'd guess that he's rolling at disad, and I have no idea what his Strength score is.

Were they wearing a gambeson under that chain? It looked to me like he was just wearing a shirt. My understanding is that people wore a gambeson either alone or under virtually all armor.

 

[James Gasik]

Perhaps, but with 1e-2e it was easier to strip some of the complexity out without shattering the system completely, in comparison to 3e where the complexity went right down to the bone.

I can agree with that assessment, since in my early DMing days, I managed to run a game using only half the AD&D rules. A lot of subsystems and finicky rules bits are barely known to players who have played the game for decades, I've found, and when I bring them up, I get scoffs of disbelief and derision, right up until I say "here we go, page 102 of the 2e PHB, I'll take that +2 bonus to the saving throw due to my magical armor now".

 

[James Gasik]

The restriction on magi wearing armor is explicitly to keep them running around in bathrobes.

I'm shocked there was never a chance of spell failure for being beardless given how desperate D&D can get in enforcing archetype sometimes.

Or not being an old man.

 

[Jer]

I'm shocked there was never a chance of spell failure for being beardless given how desperate D&D can get in enforcing archetype sometimes.

Restrictions to what level spell you can cast based on the length of your beard and how tall your pointy hat is.

"Hm, your hat is 15" tall but your beard is only 3" - let's cross reference those on the haberdashing and facial grooming charts to see if that means you can cast 6th level spells or not..."

 

[Andvari]

One thing I’ve noticed is that if I’m creating a fighter in AD&D and have three high scores, I really want to put one of them in Dex, dumping all the non-physical stats.
When creating a fighter in 3rd and 5th edition I’m more likely to put a high score in Int, Wis or Cha, which makes me feel I have more options for what kind of personality or background he has.

 

[James Gasik]

That's because there's almost no penalties for low mental stats in AD&D unless they are super low. And even then, Charisma...can matter or not depending on the campaign.

In 5e, every ability score is a saving throw, and you really don't want to skimp on those, because eventually you will encounter a high level enemy who has a save DC that is impossible for you to make, even on a natural 20...

 

[Jer]

That's because there's almost no penalties for low mental stats in AD&D unless they are super low. And even then, Charisma...can matter or not depending on the campaign.

In AD&D the biggest use for stats was to be a "key" to different things that were gated off by high ability score requirements. Like to qualify for a particular class. So if you want to be a Paladin better put that 17+ into your Charisma. or your 14+ into your Wisdom if you want a Ranger.

And then those mental stats were important keys for the spellcasters. You could be a Magic-User with an Int of 9 but you'd never be able to cast 5th level spells or higher without finding some magic item to raise that ability score.

 

[Lanefan]

The restriction on magi wearing armor is explicitly to keep them running around in bathrobes.

I'm shocked there was never a chance of spell failure for being beardless given how desperate D&D can get in enforcing archetype sometimes.

Better would be if beard hairs could somehow become a required component for some common spells. Head hairs would be a passable substitute for those without beards, but beard hairs are preferred.

 

[Lanefan]

One thing I’ve noticed is that if I’m creating a fighter in AD&D and have three high scores, I really want to put one of them in Dex, dumping all the non-physical stats.

That's kind of SOP, isn't it? Makes sense, what with Fighters being the most physical-based class.

When creating a fighter in 3rd and 5th edition I’m more likely to put a high score in Int, Wis or Cha, which makes me feel I have more options for what kind of personality or background he has.

Personality (e.g. happy, grumpy, quiet, chatty, optimistic, depressed, etc.) isn't necessarily affected by those scores. Background can be, but that's something I prefer to largely flesh out once the character's in play and I've had a chance to see how it operates.

 

[Steampunkette]

So uh...

All the Dex in the world will let you dodge some attacks in light armor to minimize the damage you take. In heavy armor, the same amount of dodging makes no difference 'cause they'll hit metal instead of you.

Not getting Dex to AC in full plate has nothing to do with being -unable- to dodge. It's being unable to dodge more effectively than the armor already is at stopping you from taking damage.