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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Sept 11, 2023 18:24:07 GMT -5
What are the rules that you would not use, regardless of what version of D&D or D&D emulation that you are playing? Feel free to add yours. I will start.
1. Initiative
I started with OD&D and it did not have rules for Initiative and with an average of 16 players using it would really slow down combat. So I always run it this way:
With no surprise, all action is considered to be simultaneous from both sides. Benefit two opponents can die in the same round as they both kill the other. Benefit, if your PC dies, he still gets his swing at the monster. I think it makes a much more fun and exciting game.
With surprise, the surpriseee gets a free attack the first melee round on the surprised and then on all subsequent rounds all action is simultaneous.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Sept 11, 2023 18:27:47 GMT -5
2. Spell components
First spell components are part of real world occult practice, I throw out anything with such a connection.
The purpose of spell components is to nerf Magic-Users and use scarce resources to limit what spells they can cast and how often they can cast them. I don't like that, I want Magic-Users to be able to pick the spells they want each day.
And while I believe in resource management and tracking in a game, there is already plenty of it without this.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Sept 11, 2023 18:29:32 GMT -5
3. Ascending Armor Class
I have been using Descending Armor Class for almost 50 years. (48+) I have zero interest in switching now.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Sept 11, 2023 18:33:27 GMT -5
4. Unified Mechanics
I hate unified mechanics, it removes flavor and nuance from the game. Not a fan of anything that takes things that are not broken and changes them just of the sake of changing.
Like the metric system, I used it all through college and converted back and forth constantly between systems because we had to show both on our work. At one point I could think in the metric system and still can to a certain extent. Always hated it, no soul. All the sayings and proverbs that die and are forgotten when the standard units are gone.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Sept 11, 2023 20:49:32 GMT -5
The side discussion has been split off.
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Post by Crimhthan The Great on Sept 13, 2023 0:13:13 GMT -5
I agree with all of your points, but the first one. I use initiative and do it by individual. Due to the sheer amount of characters in play, each player rolls for their entire group of characters. Highest roll goes first, so that player resolves all of his characters at the same time. It goes to the next player until the end of the round. I personally don't use automatic level up. I require the characters to go through training. I don't use fire and forget magic, but have spellcasters use Spellcraft, Arcane or Spellcraft, Divine to cast spells. Failure means the spell doesn't go off and they don't lose the slot. Success means the spell is cast normally. What it does is that it allows me to use critical failures and successes for their spells like melee characters. OK so, 5. Standard leveling up 6. Vancian Magic |
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Post by Crimhthan The Great on Sept 13, 2023 0:15:15 GMT -5
7. I don't use demons and devils and other things of that type from the Supplements
I just have no interest in having the players interact with supernatural beings in direct conflict, so I don't use them.
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Post by Crimhthan The Great on Sept 13, 2023 0:17:07 GMT -5
8. I do not use Thieves - something I have in common with PD.
We were in our late 30s when D&D came out in 1974, we just didn't get into thieves when the Greyhawk supplement came out, but a couple of guys loved Paladins.
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Post by Crimhthan The Great on Sept 13, 2023 0:18:15 GMT -5
9. No Druids
Druids are only NPCs in my game. Besides which no one ever wanted to play one.
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Post by Crimhthan The Great on Sept 13, 2023 0:19:30 GMT -5
10. No Monks
We despised monks as a very poor writeup and really an insult to Asians in my opinion.
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Post by Crimhthan The Great on Sept 13, 2023 0:20:53 GMT -5
11. Bards from The Strategic Review
One the writeup was really long, very un OD&Dish.
Two they were seriously just over powered and poorly done.
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Post by Crimhthan The Great on Sept 15, 2023 13:01:42 GMT -5
OK so, 5. Standard leveling up 6. Vancian Magic I still use Vancian magic, but it's tied to a skill roll now. You said: |
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Post by Crimhthan The Great on Sept 15, 2023 22:37:43 GMT -5
I use the spell slots still. The fire and forget is only half of the system. Fire and forget is the Vancian part of the system, spell slots can be used for many different spells system, which is what you are doing. |
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Sept 16, 2023 13:09:10 GMT -5
12. Skills
OD&D, D&D are games where you progress by leveling up. Every player can try everything. Their ability scores are one factor that can be used to determine their chance of doing something. A player that wants to leap into the air and fly, has a zero chance of success unless you have built into the game world something that would give him a chance to do it. Picking a lock, any player can attempt it, the higher the Dexterity, Intelligence and Wisdom scores the higher their change of success. As referee, I can devise a table to take these three factors into account and then adjust them by the condition of the lock and the tools being used. In a game using skills, the skills become dominant and nerfs the chances of all players not having the skill. Skills introduce limits into the game. So I don't use them.
Also in old school D&D. Players don't have skills, they have abilities and talents, not skills and proficiencies.
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Sept 16, 2023 13:10:23 GMT -5
13. Proficiencies
Everything I said about skills applies here. If I run AD&D 1st or 2nd edition, I scrap both.
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Post by The Semi-Retired Gamer on Sept 17, 2023 10:22:14 GMT -5
13. Proficiencies Everything I said about skills applies here. If I run AD&D 1st or 2nd edition, I scrap both. I only use Proficiencies as a background thing that might give a bonus or some inside information; just something to jot down on your character sheet as a reminder. |
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Post by hengest on Sept 20, 2023 21:38:15 GMT -5
4. Unified Mechanics I hate unified mechanics, it removes flavor and nuance from the game. Not a fan of anything that takes things that are not broken and changes them just of the sake of changing. Like the metric system, I used it all through college and converted back and forth constantly between systems because we had to show both on our work. At one point I could think in the metric system and still can to a certain extent. Always hated it, no soul. All the sayings and proverbs that die and are forgotten when the standard units are gone.There must be a study somewhere of what has happened with this in the metric countries. I will see if I can find anything. |
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Post by hengest on Sept 20, 2023 21:39:24 GMT -5
What are the rules that you would not use, regardless of what version of D&D or D&D emulation that you are playing? Feel free to add yours. I will start. 1. Initiative I started with OD&D and it did not have rules for Initiative and with an average of 16 players using it would really slow down combat. So I always run it this way: With no surprise, all action is considered to be simultaneous from both sides. Benefit two opponents can die in the same round as they both kill the other. Benefit, if your PC dies, he still gets his swing at the monster. I think it makes a much more fun and exciting game. With surprise, the surpriseee gets a free attack the first melee round on the surprised and then on all subsequent rounds all action is simultaneous. I dream of running combat this way. Likely it'll never happen at this point, but I can dream. |
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Sept 20, 2023 22:03:53 GMT -5
4. Unified Mechanics I hate unified mechanics, it removes flavor and nuance from the game. Not a fan of anything that takes things that are not broken and changes them just of the sake of changing. Like the metric system, I used it all through college and converted back and forth constantly between systems because we had to show both on our work. At one point I could think in the metric system and still can to a certain extent. Always hated it, no soul. All the sayings and proverbs that die and are forgotten when the standard units are gone.There must be a study somewhere of what has happened with this in the metric countries. I will see if I can find anything. I would imagine the older people still used the old sayings until they died off and then the saying began to be lost we each succeeding generation until it is all gone. |
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Sept 20, 2023 22:06:01 GMT -5
4. Unified Mechanics I hate unified mechanics, it removes flavor and nuance from the game. Not a fan of anything that takes things that are not broken and changes them just of the sake of changing. Like the metric system, I used it all through college and converted back and forth constantly between systems because we had to show both on our work. At one point I could think in the metric system and still can to a certain extent. Always hated it, no soul. All the sayings and proverbs that die and are forgotten when the standard units are gone.There must be a study somewhere of what has happened with this in the metric countries. I will see if I can find anything. I would imagine that the old people continued to use them until they all died off. After a few generations no one except a few history buffs remember them. |
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Post by hengest on Sept 20, 2023 22:06:18 GMT -5
There must be a study somewhere of what has happened with this in the metric countries. I will see if I can find anything. I would imagine the older people still used the old sayings until they died off and then the saying began to be lost we each succeeding generation until it is all gone. I'm sure that's the general picture, but I want details! Especially for English. Which ones have stuck around, which are now misunderstood, and so on. |
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Sept 20, 2023 22:07:33 GMT -5
I would imagine the older people still used the old sayings until they died off and then the saying began to be lost we each succeeding generation until it is all gone. I'm sure that's the general picture, but I want details! Especially for English. Which ones have stuck around, which are now misunderstood, and so on. The United Kingdom should have such a book if one exists. |
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Post by hengest on Sept 20, 2023 22:09:10 GMT -5
I'm sure that's the general picture, but I want details! Especially for English. Which ones have stuck around, which are now misunderstood, and so on. The United Kingdom should have such a book if one exists. Investigating this is such a good idea, I sure hope someone thought of it and actually did the study. Even an article. Now I'm too tired to even search, but if I find anything, I'll share it. |
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Post by The Perilous Dreamer on Sept 20, 2023 22:18:46 GMT -5
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Post by hengest on Sept 21, 2023 7:07:22 GMT -5
Interesting, good find, will read more attentively. |
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Post by El Borak on Oct 5, 2023 23:07:48 GMT -5
14. I also do not use Illusionists. I would rather select the few good spells and add them to the Magic-User list.
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Post by muddywater on Mar 28, 2024 12:59:39 GMT -5
2. Spell components First spell components are part of real world occult practice, I throw out anything with such a connection. The purpose of spell components is to nerf Magic-Users and use scarce resources to limit what spells they can cast and how often they can cast them. I don't like that, I want Magic-Users to be able to pick the spells they want each day. And while I believe in resource management and tracking in a game, there is already plenty of it without this. Agreed and spell components are just a real time waster in the game. |
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Post by muddywater on Mar 28, 2024 13:00:20 GMT -5
3. Ascending Armor Class I have been using Descending Armor Class for almost 50 years. (48+) I have zero interest in switching now. I detest AAC, there was never a need or reason for it. |
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Post by muddywater on Mar 28, 2024 13:01:54 GMT -5
7. I don't use demons and devils and other things of that type from the Supplements I just have no interest in having the players interact with supernatural beings in direct conflict, so I don't use them. I don't use them either, PCs are not on the same power level as supernatural beings, the beings that live in their world are more than enough challenge for them. |
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Post by muddywater on Mar 28, 2024 13:03:42 GMT -5
12. Skills OD&D, D&D are games where you progress by leveling up. Every player can try everything. Their ability scores are one factor that can be used to determine their chance of doing something. A player that wants to leap into the air and fly, has a zero chance of success unless you have built into the game world something that would give him a chance to do it. Picking a lock, any player can attempt it, the higher the Dexterity, Intelligence and Wisdom scores the higher their change of success. As referee, I can devise a table to take these three factors into account and then adjust them by the condition of the lock and the tools being used. In a game using skills, the skills become dominant and nerfs the chances of all players not having the skill. Skills introduce limits into the game. So I don't use them. Also in old school D&D. Players don't have skills, they have abilities and talents, not skills and proficiencies. The word "skills" makes my skin crawl, there is just something slimy about the word. |
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