As much as I love B/X, I often miss something from AD&D. I tried playing AD&D but found it too complex. What I often do, instead, is simplifying AD&D ideas to use in my B/X(ish) games.
Case in point, I find that magic-users in B/X are just too powerful (and Fighters are too weak, but let's leave that for another day).
AD&D got things right by adding spell components and magic resistance (MR) to the game - now so you cannot defeat EVERY enemy with a good fireball or two (except for a couple of golems that are immune to fire).
What AD&D gets wrong is adding a MR to EVERY creature (and about 80% of the time, the MR is "standard", which means it can just be ignored).
Here's a simpler version (or two...)
Method 1.
Only a few special creatures have MR.
To "defeat" the MR, a magic-user must roll 1d20+level and beat the target's MR.
For demons, the MR is 12+HD.
For devils, either use the same or 8+HD.
(This is, assuming your B/X games have demons and devils).
For faeries, the MR is 20 regardless of HD.
For golems, AD&D has special rules, but they are mostly impervious to magic. Either use 12+HD like demons, or AD&D rules as written.
If you don't want to calculate for every creature, just make it 20 to everyone - which is similar to giving 50% in AD&D.
Method 2.
Method 1 is already a huge simplification over AD&D. But here is something even simpler:
Demons, devils, faeries and golems have a +10 bonus to saving throws against spells (if the spell doesn't have a saving throw, they get the chance to roll a save with no bonus).
Demons, devils, faeries and golems have a +10 bonus to saving throws against spells (if the spell doesn't have a saving throw, they get the chance to roll a save with no bonus).
If they succeed by 10 or more, they completely ignore any effects (e.g., instead of taking 50% damage from a fireball, they take none).
If you want to take MU level into account, the target gets a penalty equal to half the MU level.
Notice that in AD&D 2e, the caster's level is ignored.
So you could just, say, give 50% MR to every monster that has MR, or use 2e monsters as written (which is probably the easiest way of them all...).
Bouncing off your saving throw idea, you can extrapolate the B/X saving throws for higher levels. It is easy to just say those monsters (usually demons) "save as M20", which would be a save of 4 or 5, depending on how you read the chart. That would essentially be a magic resistance of 80-85%. Or you can just say "vs. spells, wands, and staves, the monster saves on a 2", which gives them a 90% magic-resistance.
ReplyDeleteNotice that a save of 4 or 5 is not exactly like a magic resistance of 80-85%.
DeleteA save halves the damage of a fireball, for example, while MR negates it completely.
True. Perhaps "vs. spells, wands, and staves, the monster saves on a 2, negating all damage or effects on a successful save"?
DeleteOr just go the OD&D route from Eldritch Wizardry, and give those monsters a flat % to be magic resistant, without considering monster hit dice or caster level. In OD&D +Supplements, I believe only demons had % magic resistance. Prior to that, some monsters were stated to have "magic resistance equal to a X level fighter" or some such wording - just meaning their save vs. spells, wands, staves, etc. was higher than their hit die would indicate.
DeleteYes, I'm leaning towards this.
DeleteJust a flat percentage (and 50% sounds decent), and the monster still has saves (appropriate to HD) if it fails the MR roll.
I feel like I just walked into bizarro world. You took something simple... some creatures have magic resistance and you just have to roll percentile, and made it super complicated with the stuff I read on your blog.
ReplyDeleteI'll admit this looks more complicated than what I intended...
DeleteHowever, I don't find AD&D MR that simple either; you start with, say, 50% and add or subtract 5% per level over or under 11th.
This is very similar to rolling 1d20+level and trying to get 20 or more, which is one of my suggestions, but I find this method simpler.
Now, if you take something like 2e, MR is indeed much simpler... just roll a percentage and you're done.
It might be a bit more complicated, but for myself, I'd prefer some form of magic resistance that reduces effects rather than negating them completely. Maybe a reduction in spell parameters like duration or the magnitude of penalties inflicted on the target, or in the case of spells that do direct damage, simply subtracting X points per die of damage.
ReplyDeleteOne could apply magic resistance to effects, such as MR 50% would reduce damage - or duration etc. - by half.
DeleteThe Immortals set has magic resistance and it is basically a % number for the few creatures that have it(such as Immortals and demons)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I didn't remember that.
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