Fixing AD&D initiative/segments

In my most recent foray into the AD&D DMG, I found myself a bit frustrated with the combat mechanics. My general impression - and the same is true for the PHB - is that AD&D has tons of cool rules for combat, but these rules fell disjointed and complicated.

I also noticed what seems like an obvious hole - the lack of obvious connection between surprise, weapon speed and thief skills. They don't seem to communicate... but they obviously should!

I think it would make sense if:

* The thief uses fast weapons (daggers rather than swords) to improve his sneak attack. He often surprises foes by moving silently. 

* Anyone can attack a surprised foe with a fast weapon - maybe more than once. 

* A surprised enemy can be "backstabbed" by the front. 

Could we make a complete overhaul of segments, initiative, surprise and weapon speed - so they can all fit together in a coherent whole?

Well, let's try!

1. Getting surprise

Either:

A) Use the usual AD&D rules, or;

B) if you're using 1d20 skills/initiative (like in Dark Fantasy Basic), surprise is achieved by beating the enemies initiative (or perception, etc.) by 10 or more.

Notice that you can simply substitute your stealth/perception (if they also use a d20) roll for your initiative. If the thief gets 23 in his stealth check and the goblin rolls 9 for his perception (or hear noise, etc.), the goblin is surprised.

The goblin is surprised for one segment, plus one for each point of difference over 10; e.g., 5 segments in the example above.

[Alternatively, you could use 1d20 for AD&D too, and "translate" AD&D bonuses to surprise as modifiers to initiative: +3 for rangers, +5 for barbarians, etc. Add circumstantial modifiers as needed. This is much simpler than the original rules.]

If only one side is aware that the other side is present, they have an obvious advantage, which should also give them a bonus (I'd start with +5, maybe +10 if your foe is sleeping). "Prior detection negates the possibility of surprise", as the DMG says. Even if a PC in the best circumstances roll terribly and loses initiative, he won't be surprised.

2. Surprise effects

When you surprise someone, you win initiative. In addition, you gain additional segments (see above, or roll 1d10 once per player or per group) to take actions BEFORE any other action.

* Attacking takes at least one segment, but you're limited to your usual number of attacks (one for most PCs, more for high level fighters, etc.). In addition, you can take ONE extra attack if you use a number of segments equal to your speed factor (SF - determined by your weapon). E.g., if you usually have two attacks per round, a dagger (SF 2) allows you to make three attacks within two segments. Again, you only get ONE extra attack - you do NOT attack 15 times with ten segments!

[We need to assign SF to ranged weapons... I'd start with 5 or 6].

The first attack against a surprised opponent counts as a "backstab" regardless of direction.

* Spells take a number of segments equal to spell level TIMES THREE. This keeps spellcasting a lengthy process as intended in AD&D.

* Movement takes 10 segments. If you have fewer segments you can take a fraction of your movement (e.g., in 5 segments you can move 50% of your maximum).

* Other actions are determined by the GM; we suggest 1 segment for every few (2-6) seconds.

* Combining actions is also possible at GM fiat, but changing actions take at least one segment between them.

This is how it would look in practice:

Andrei, Bob and Chris surprise a group of four (NPC) goblins from an enemy clan. They decide to attack on sight. They get 5, 6 and 3 segments each.

Andrei gets to make an extra attack with his dagger (SF 2). The first attack counts as a back-stab.

Bob is using a spear (SF 7), so no extra attacks for him - he gets one attack as usual. Alternatively, up to 60% of his total speed, or try to talk, hide, get something in his backpack, etc.

Chris is a mage - he can cast a 1st level spell with his 3 segments.

After that, proceed to combat as usual. The PCs have the initiative.

Simple, right?

Using this for modern games

In most modern games (e.g., D&D 5e), winning initiative means you get to move and attack before the opponent, regardless of initiative "phases". If you're using such systems, surprise will only give you a few benefits - maybe an extra attack or some additional movement.

This is milder than the usual 5e rules for surprise, but it does allow a thief to take advantage of his sneak attack, which 5e doesn't, while also being more limiting to mages - both positive consequences, IMO.

In this case, it is up to you to decide a weapon's speed factor.

Anyway...

It took me a while to reach a reasonably elegant solution. I kinda like it - especially the d20 initiative part. It reduces the number of rolls and it "connects" everything (stealth, surprise, weapon speed) smoothly. Still far from perfect, but I like it better than the original.

There is infinite crunch to be added here... if you want. You could recalculate the number of attacks per round according to weapon speed, move characters segment by segment, etc. But I think therein lies madness. We are trying to simplify things, not make them more complicated. so we leave spell interruption and other effects of weapon speed to a different post.

AD&D DMG cover to cover - part VI, pages 61-83 (COMBAT)

We´ve been reading the original DMG - the ultimate DM book! - but from a B/X and OSR point-of-view.

Check the other parts of this series here.

Today we discuss COMBAT!

COMBAT 61
— ENCOUNTERS, COMBAT, AND INITIATIVE 61
— Surprise 61
— ENCOUNTER REACTIONS 63
— DISCHARGE MISSILES63
— GRENADE-LIKE MISSILES 64
— Holy/Unholy Water 65
— SPELL CASTING DURING MELEE 65
— Magical Device Attacks 65
— Effect of Cover On Spells And Spell-like Powers 65
— Monster Charm Power 65
— TURNING UNDEAD 65
— Counter-Affecting 66
— FURTHER ACTIONS 66
— Charge 66
— Weapon Speed Factor 66
— Striking To Subdue 67
— Special “To Hit” Bonuses 67
— MORALE 67
— MORALE SCORES 67
— MORALE FAILURE 67
— PURSUIT AND EVASION OF PURSUIT 67
— Pursuit And Evasion In Outdoor Settings 69
— MELEE 69
— Special Types Of Attacks 70
— Important Note Regarding “To Hit” Adjustments 70
— Attacks With Two Weapons 70
— Breaking Off From Melee 70
— Monks’ Open Hand Melee 70
— Actions During Combat And Similar Time-important Situations 71
— Example of Melee 71
— NON-LETHAL AND WEAPONLESS COMBAT PROCEDURES 72
— COMBAT TABLES 73
— Opponent Armor Class Description 73
— ATTACK MATRICES 74
— ASSASSINS’ TABLE FOR ASSASSINATIONS 75
— ATTACK MATRIX FOR MONSTERS 75
— CREATURES STRUCK ONLY BY MAGIC WEAPONS 75
— MATRIX FOR CLERICS AFFECTING UNDEAD 75
— PSIONIC COMBAT TABLES 76
— PSIONIC COMBAT NOTES 79
— SAVING THROW MATRICES 79
— SAVING THROWS 80
— MAGIC ARMOR AND SAVING THROWS 81
— PROGRESSION ON THE COMBAT TABLES 82
— HIT POINTS 82
— EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL AND DRUGS 82
— RECOVERY FROM INTOXICATION 83
— INSANITY 83

ENCOUNTERS, COMBAT, AND INITIATIVE contains a lengthy quote that I'll reproduce here:

"It is not in the best interests of an adventure game, however, to delve too deeply into cut and thrust, parry and riposte. The location of a hit or wound, the sort of damage done, sprains, breaks, and dislocations are not the stuff of heroic fantasy. [...] 

As has been detailed, hit points are not actually a measure of physical damage [...]. Therefore, the location of hits and the type of damage caused are not germane to them. While this is not true with respect to most monsters, it is neither necessary nor particularly useful. Lest some purist immediately object, consider the many charts and tables necessary to handle this sort of detail, and then think about how area effect spells would work. In like manner, consider all of the nasty things which face adventurers as the rules stand. Are crippling disabilities and yet more ways to meet instant death desirable in an open-ended, episodic game where participants seek to identify with lovingly detailed and developed player-character personae? Not likely! Certain death is as undesirable as a give-away campaign. Combat is a common pursuit in the vast majority of adventures, and the participants in the campaign deserve a chance to exercise intelligent choice during such confrontations. As hit points dwindle they can opt to break off the encounter and attempt to flee. With complex combat systems which stress so-called realism and feature hit location, special damage, and so on, either this option is severely limited or the rules are highly slanted towards favoring the player characters at the expense of their opponents. (Such rules as double damage and critical hits must cut both ways — in which case the life expectancy of player characters will be shortened considerably — or the monsters are being grossly misrepresented and unfairly treated by the system. [...])

While critical hits are certainly a matter of taste, I disagree with most these points. "Sprains, breaks, and dislocations are not the stuff of heroic fantasy"? What about ear disease? 

Besides, you shouldn't need hit location or critical hit tables for each hit. E.g., if you ONLY use them when you reach 0 HP, it doesn't increase lethality nor complexity; on the contrary. Also, "double damage" is not even necessary; you could treat a natural 20 as maximum damage, +1 damage, or another attack (potentially against another creature). 

I think most tables today prefer having the thrill of the "natural 20" mean something - even if they are playing B/X or AD&D.

Anyway.

As the author explains in this section, combat is more or less abstracted and simplified. Well, not REALLY simplified, as you'll see... Coming from B/X, this is a bit of a nightmare.

Surprise allows the surprising party to take action for a number of six-second "segments" before the surprise party reacts. But each segment allows you to make the same number of attacks as you normally do in a round (1 minute). In certain circumstances, a medium-level fighter could attack you half a dozen times before you can react, or fire arrows three times faster than usual, which soudns strange and extreme. OTOH, spells are not "sped up" accordingly, so this provides a deserved boost for fighters at the expense of wizards.

This section contains lots of good common-sense rulings/advice on surprise and detection, morale, parlaying, distance, and so on - all readily applicable to B/X.

Initiative is simple enough at first. then you need to factor in the order of attacks (for creatures with more than one), but the whole thing is pretty sensible and intuitive - although it might become a nuisance in practice. I won't go to deep into AD&D initiative here since this probably requires the PHB.

ENCOUNTER REACTIONS are similar to the classic B/X reaction table, but uses d100. It assumes that the parties are speaking, which clarifies things a bit. Doesn't explain how to deal with "uncertain" results however (or what to do when PCs decide to wait and see).

Some sensible remarks on  avoiding, parlaying and waiting come next.

MISSILE DISCHARGE contains rules on firing into a melee - you usually do not get to choose your targets, unless one size is significantly larger. Fair enough.

Then, there is this:

Dexterity Penalty And Bonus Considerations: The Dexterity Attacking Adjustment is for missile firing considerations when initiative is considered. It adjusts the initiative die roll for the concerned individual only. Thus, it may well allow the concerned individual to discharge a missile prior to the opponent’s attack even though the opponent has gained the initiative otherwise or vice versa. More important, this factor also gives the individual a “to hit” penalty or bonus when discharging a missile at an opponent.

A terrible rule and unnecessary fiddly, IMO.

The section keeps on to describe various special cases: siege machines (that curiously ignore AC bonus provided by Dex, another baffling idea IMO), cover, concealment, grenade-like weapons (oil, holy water, etc. - the require a roll to see if they break, but fortunately glass break 95% of the time...), etc.

SPELL CASTING DURING MELEE requires the caster to be motionless and concentrate; being hit spoils the spell. I appreciate the extra difficulty to spell casting. Magical devices are faster, however.

Monster Charm Power contains some detailed rules on the subject.

TURNING UNDEAD contains an idea I like to use in my B/X games: "If the undead are in a mixed group — for example, 1 vampire, 3 ghasts, and 8 ghouls — you may opt to disallow any turning or other effect if the most powerful member — in the example above, the vampire — is not affected by

the cleric. Naturally, this rule applies only to groups of mixed undead where the lesser are following or serving the greater. Mindless undead, skeletons and zombies, cannot be considered.". Neat!

Evil clerics can control undead, evil areas make turning undead harder.

FURTHER ACTIONS contains detailed rules on charges, including a bonus to movement and attacks, and a penalty to AC. "Initiative is NOT checked at the end of charge movement. The opponent with the longer weapon/reach attacks first." another sensible and fun idea.

Tied initiative brings "Weapon Speed Factor" into effect, allowing a knife to attack two (or three) times against someone using a heavy weapon, for example. This also affects the chances of stopping a spell with a weapon.

I love these small details that differentiate weapons, and even the interaction with spells is fun if a little complex (here is a good chance you can interrupt a powerful mage with a magic missile!). I cannot help but to wish for a simplified version of this system (e.g., roll 1d20 for initiative and subtract you speed factor or spell level, a natural 20 allows multiple attacks etc.).

MORALE is more detailed here than in B/X; multiple circumstances are considered - including HD, since AD&D monsters default to 50% morale (curiously, unintelligent monsters seem to get no bonus).

PURSUIT AND EVASION OF PURSUIT

This are the "chase" rules, including how likely a pursuit happens in the first place. Sensible, detailed stuff, but nothing specially fun, and in the end it is up to the DM in some cases ("The likelihood of any distraction being successful is a matter for individual adjudication by the DM", etc.).

MELEE

This sections start with some rules about positioning, flanking, rear attacks, grids, etc. "Magically sleeping" opponents suffer maximum damage and twice the number of attacks (curiously, not as many as some surprised opponents...).

Another curious rule asserts that "it is generally not possible to select a specific opponent in a mass melee. If this is the case, simply use some random number generation to find out which attacks are upon which opponents", but if "creatures are able to single out an opponent" somehow, "then the concerned figures will remain locked in melee until one side is dead or opts to attempt to break off the combat". I fail to see the point of the entire section; maybe it means unintelligent monsters will attack randomly. Here are my thoughts on the matter.

Attacking with a secondary weapon is possible with a penalty.

Breaking off from melee allows a free attack (so "attacks of opportunity" are a thing from the beginning...).

Monks get to affect larger and heavier opponents with their stunning/killing as they level up. Unfortunately, "weight" an "height" are not usually included in monster statistics, so the GM has to guess. And it is suggested the DM can change the table anyway. Sigh.

Actions During Combat likewise leave to DM common sense to decide if a PC can attack, drink a potion and stab in the same round.

Example of Melee is a lengthy description of combat bringing most of this stuff (and PHB stuff like the weapon versus armor table) together in a coherent whole.

NON-LETHAL AND WEAPONLESS COMBAT PROCEDURES has an entirely different combat system for unarmed combat, using percentages rather than the d20, substituting AC for penalties, and (partly temporary) damage included in the d100 roll. There must be some easier way!

An "example of unarmed combat" might be useful here, but alas, we get none.

From a brief glance, the system is based on adding all kinds of bonus to get to a percentage, and then roll to find out how you attack you enemy (it is not up to the attacker to decide to kick or bite, for example; kicking is extremely hard to do, but OTOH is much more effective than a dagger if you hit...). It gives me the feeling that the author doesn't know much about actual grappling or striking either.

There could be some ideas on how to create a d100 combat system here, but adding an entirely different combat system ON TOP of the existing one is not something I want to do.

COMBAT TABLES are attack matrices (chances to hit a target), the assassination table (for assassins), turn undead (for clerics), saving throws (including for items), and so on. They are missing from the PHB, IIRC. Here is one example:

While I prefer THAC0 or a simple formula, I like AD&Ds smoother progression for fighters (about 1 point per level, suggested as an optional rule over the indicated 2 point per 2 levels) over B/X. They deserve the boost. Notice that rolling a 20 basically counts as 25, allowing anyone to hit opponents in formidable armor.

Monster save as fighters. They could attack as fighters too, but why make things simpler?

This section also include mental combat (psionics). I will not even try to understand this one (there is no B/X equivalent), sorry. Maybe some other time. It looks amazingly complex and it baffles me that they couldn't simply use something more similar to spellcasting (example). It is probably a cool rock-paper-scissors systems if you're familiar enough.

SAVING THROWS explains, in the convoluted Gygaxian tone, the reason of this mechanic. The interesting part is that each character has its own method of avoiding spells/effects: fighters with defiance, thieves with quickness, clerics with faith, etc. A natural 1 is always a failure, a natural 20 always a success. Magical armor enhances your saving throws, which is nice.

HIT POINTS are described here as toughness PLUS intuition, luck, magic and so on. HP loss is not wounds - but a high-level fighter, "having sustained 40 or 50 hit points of damage", "will be covered with a number of nicks, scratches, cuts and bruises. It will require a long period of rest and recuperation to regain the physical and metaphysical peak of 95 hit points". Okay... At least "4 weeks of continuous rest will restore any character to full strength".

Zero Hit Points do not mean immediate death, necessarily, but unconsciousness and bleeding.  -6 HP could cause the lass of a member, etc. Since the DMG advises against critical hit tables, this is left to DM discretion.

EFFECTS OF ALCOHOL AND DRUGS include making you braver, tougher, and dumber.

Are we still in the combat section? Okay.

Next we have the various types of INSANITY.

This is certainly useful for some types of campaigns.

"Naturally, these forms of insanity are not clinically correct. They are designed to conform to game terms and situations. Their inclusion is to fill in an area of the game where a condition exists and no adequate explanation is otherwise given (Cf. DISEASE)."

What have we learned today?

 

This section was frustrating, TBH. 

AD&D contains lots of cool combat ideas (e.g., I like weapon speed, length, etc.) but the whole thing is convoluted, often unnecessarily so. 

I've been trying to add detail to B/X combat, and this was less helpful than I had hoped. I should probably look at the PHB again for weapon details. But anyway, I like the ideas on charging, speed factor, and even segments. 

Let's see if we can adapt this to B/X somehow.

Here are a couple of ideas to play with in the future: minimalist unarmed combat and "hitting the unhittable".

Additional reading (on combat, etc.)

https://methodsetmadness.blogspot.com/2023/06/minimalistexpanded-bx-weapons.html

https://methodsetmadness.blogspot.com/2023/06/ad-weapon-speed-and-armor-piercing-made.html

https://methodsetmadness.blogspot.com/2023/07/deaths-door-table.html

https://methodsetmadness.blogspot.com/2022/10/the-simplest-critical-hit-table-osr-etc.html

Coming next... EXPERIENCE! THE CAMPAIGN!

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Rulings on the fly: griffons + B/X + DMG + 4e/5e + actual play

I am running a Dark Fantasy Basic sandbox/hexcrawl campaign for several sessions now. I'm using DCC and LotFP adventures, monsters from OSE and AD&D... it is a bit of a mess. At the same time, I've been reading the original DMG and looking for ideas to apply to my own DFB / B/X campaign.

Last night, the PCs went exploring the wilderness and ran into a small pack of griffons. I imagined they would do some kind of "swooping attack" like a bird, but I had no rules for that (either in DFB or B/X, as far as I could remember)... so I made some rulings, and took inspiration from the DMG, 5e (the owl has a "flyby" attack) and even 4e!

This was my ruling: the griffon would attack only with its claws, without landing. If you win initiative, you can attack first... IF the griffon is attacking you specifically. Otherwise, you had to use ranged weapons.

[Fun fact: the 2e MM mentions these tactics but not any actual mechanics for that AFAICR].

I got hand-wavy with "actions": yes, you can trade a bow for a sword without affecting your attacks, as the griffons fly over you to attack again. One minute rounds can justify lots of stuff...

And then I used an idea from the DMG: winged creatures cannot fly at less than half HP (which 4e call "bloodied" and uses for multiple monster actions) since their wings are probably hurt. There could be other useful rules in the DMG I ignored... let me know if you remember anything. 

Eventually, the PCs got together with their hirelings in a tight pack so any could attack a griffon with their magic swords.

The griffons landed after a while... and then they got to use their claws AND bite, becoming more dangerous (but more vulnerable). Notice that if they had been protecting their nests they'd probably just stand and fight.

It was a fun fight, bigger than the sum of its parts. Just thought I'd share this with you.

It is good to have a favorite version of D&D or, even better, create your own. But I'm also glad to mix bits and pieces, even from editions I don't like or play anymore. And to come up with my own stuff.

In conclusion, I don't think I'll be able to play anything RAW anytime soon...

UPDATE: turns out this is already in the rules, as pointed out in the comments (X27):

Swoop: This is a diving attack, used by certain flying monsters. If the flier has surprise the swoop attack does double damage. Swoop attacks cannot be attempted against opponents hidden by dense forest or jungle cover. In addition, on a roll of 18+, the creature has grasped the victim and will try to fly away. If the character is too heavy, the monster will release him or her and attack normally the next round.

B/X doesn't see to specific which attacks (should we include bite?), nor does it mention swooping for griffons or giant hawks (only for rocs), but this is covered if you check the 2e MM as suggested above. Still, it doesn't quite answer the question "can you attack a flying griffon?", AFAICT... so maybe there is some point to my ruling.

So, I guess the rules are there, if you look for them... My bad. At least my instincts (or memory) made some sense during the session.

Death's Door Table

This table is adapted from Dark Fantasy Basic. In this game, you don't die immediately when you reach 0 HP. Instead, all excess damage goes to Constitution (which takes longer to replenish; zero Constitution means death) and you have to roll on the Death's Door Table.

You can use this table for almost any OSR RPG that uses HP (and also 5e, maybe in combination with this rule). I'm leaving this here for future reference, since I'm running a Dark Fantasy Basic campaign. I might add some lasting damage (on limbs, etc.) option later on, or maybe an entirely new table - not sure.

If you're feeling particularly benevolent, immediate death can be held for one round with a death saving throw - but you must roll again next round, and there's no third chance.

You don't need to use this for NPCs, but if you do, either count them as having 10 Constitution or Constitution equal to their HD. Undead/automatons have no Constitution here and no NPCs will fight after they lost Constitution (but the table might be useful to see if someone survived to give information, etc.).

One final warning: do not think this will protect your PC from death at 0 HP. The fact that you can survive 0 HP will often encourage to fight longer than you need and risk you life on unwinnable battles. Pick your battles with care!

Death’s Door table (1d20)

1. Immediate death.

2-7. The PC is dying, but able to act normally. Take 1d6 points of Constitution damage and roll again next turn.

8-14. The PC is unconscious and can be easily slain, but will wake up in 1d4 hours (with 1 HP) if undisturbed.

15-19. The PC is disabled; conscious but barely able to move. Move is halved and rolls are made with

disadvantage (-4).

20. Fight on! Recover 1 HP and suffer no ill effects for now.

Darkness Weaves (book review) - The darkest fantasy you'll find

Darkness Weaves is the first Kane book written by Karl Edward Wagner. It is also one of the darkest S&S books I've ever read.

Here is the Wikipedia summary: "The mad sorceress Efrel seeks war and revenge upon her erstwhile husband, king Netisten Maril, and enlists Kane as her general in command of an army of mercenaries and monsters."

* The book was written published in abridged version in 1970, but the a restored version was published in 1978 (which is the one I read, AFAICT). It is not the first book by internal chronology but I find it a great introduction to the series, and it is very self-contained.

If you're into Dark Fantasy and S&S, this book is a must read. 

According to Wikipedia, "as an editor, [Wagner] created a three-volume set of Robert E. Howard's Conan the Barbarian fiction restored to its original form as written". The REH influence is obvious in this book - but his Kane is no mere Conan pastiche. If Elric is an "inverted Conan" of sorts (a sorcerer king from a decadent civilization), Kane is Conan on (even more) steroids. Or even Conan plus Elric, but even more callous, flawed and ambitious - not a tragic or brute hero, but a straight anti-hero. 

He is a fighter and a sorcerer, with the power of youth and the wisdom of the ancient; an "eternal champion" of sorts; a criminal and a commander, a loner and a peerless leader. In short, the kind of character that deserves to be drawn by Frank Frazzeta.

Kane's invincibility may sounds cringey, but Wagner somehow dodges this feeling most of the time, which is remarkable. In one of the coolest moments of the book (near the half), you'll find the origin of his might (and name)... since I didn't read much about Kane before, I really enjoyed this (I recommend you do the same).

In a previous review, I mentioned The Blade Itself fails at dark fantasy. Darkness Weaves not only succeeds -  it overdelivers. This is dark to the point of "grimdark" - like Berserk or Warhammer (without much of the humor). Everyone is evil and duplicitous (except maybe for one character - and you get the feeling she will pay dearly for being nice). Everyone suffers to no end, and most of the cast is dead eventually. There is torture, murder, treason, sexual assault, gore, etc. Sometimes, this feels gratuitous, but most often it feels discreet and appropriate to the story.

If you're reading fantasy for D&D ideas (monsters, spells, places, plots, etc.), this book has a decent amount - usually of the Lovecraftian type. The setting is decent if somewhat generic (except for the sorceress and her minions), at least in this book.

The book is well written, action-packed, and certainly a page turner (I couldn't stop reading) - even more than some of the previous books I reviewed. Still, the pacing never feels too rushed. Some characters could benefit from more depth, but then again they might soon be dead anyway. 

I'm certainly glad I picked this one, but I'm unsure if I'll read other books in the series. I find endless darkness and invincible protagonists can become somewhat tiresome if taken to the extremes, and the plot of the other books seem too similar to this one. I'll probably give it a try anyway - maybe read some of his short stories.

Overall, this is above average for Appendix N and fantasy. I might place it somewhere between the decent Black Company and the awesome The Broken Sword. 

I definitely recommend giving it a try.

AD&D DMG cover to cover - part V, pages 47-60 (THE ADVENTURE)

We´ve been reading the original DMG - the ultimate DM book! - but from a B/X and OSR point-of-view.

Check the other parts of this series here.

Today we discuss:

— ADVENTURES IN THE OUTDOORS 47

— ADVENTURES IN THE AIR 49

— AERIAL TRAVEL 49

— AERIAL COMBAT 50

— WATERBORNE ADVENTURES53

— UNDERWATER ADVENTURES 55

— Underwater Spell Use 57

— TRAVEL IN THE KNOWN PLANES OF EXISTENCE 57

— OUTDOOR MOVEMENT 58

— INFRAVISION & ULTRAVISION 59

— INVISIBILITY 59

— MIRRORS 60

— DETECTION OF EVIL AND/OR GOOD 60

— LISTENING AT DOORS 60

As you can see, this section is about two vaguely related topics: traveling to different places that are not cities or dungeons (through earth, air, water, and different planes of existence) and noticing things (noises, light, darkness, good and evil, invisible).

ADVENTURES IN THE OUTDOORS

It is necessary to have a reasonably well-detailed, large scale map for conducting

adventures outdoors. Naturally, the initial adventuring in the campaign will be

those in the small community and nearby underground maze. For whatever

reason — player desire, quest or geas, or because of your own direction —

adventuring will sooner or later move to the outdoors.

So we get some good advice right away:  start  your campaign with a small village and a nearby dungeon. The proceed to the larger setting (your own or something published). The setting should be divided in hexes and smaller subhexes (I prefer pointcrawls nowadays, butt here is a reason for hexes here, as we'll see).

LAND ADVENTURES

Here the author describes chances and frequencies of encounters (according to terrain and population density) with detail. This is useful, it somewhat crunchy - especially considering the author suggested we occasionally ignore random encounters.

Encounter Distance is also described with interesting detail - distances are smaller if one size is surprised. The rules on confrontation clarify some questions I had with B/X:

Confrontation indicates that the adventurers and some

monster have met at close proximity, and some interaction is likely to take

place. There are, however, modifying circumstances:

1) If the monsters are intelligent and would normally deem themselves to be

weaker than the party of adventurers, then they will always seek to avoid

such confrontation.

2) If the party of adventurers surprises the monsters and elects to flee the

encounter, they may attempt to avoid confrontation by using free segments

of action to move out of confrontation distance and evade the monsters.

Movement for parties of more than 100 creatures are detailed here.

Then we have rules for becoming lost. They only apply with a lot of caveats: "Any party not guided by a creature knowledgeable of the countryside through which the party is moving, or which is not following a well defined course (river, road, or the like), or which is not using a well-drawn and correct map, might become lost.". IF they apply, they are incredibly harsh: in a forest or marsh, there is a decent chance you'll simply starting walking backwards, 180º degrees.

"Procedures are only for exploration of unmapped terrain." This is why we use hexes rather than pointcrawls (also because they did not exist by this name at the time).

Forced movement is possible, but requires rest to avoid exhaustion (i.e., temporary loss of levels) and sudden death. These rules are comparatively simple and elegant (I'd prefer  Constitution loss, but this  has the advantage of hindering spellcasters equally).

ADVENTURES IN THE AIR

This section includes flying brooms,  carpets, and creatures. Training a  flying mount  requires money and time.

AERIAL COMBAT

Another incredibly detailed section about something I'm very unlikely to use, including a whole page on how different creatures fight when flying and hex-maps of flying maneuvers ("A running record of absolute (or relative) altitude should be kept, either on a separate sheet or on a small piece of paper under each figure or counter"). 

If I had to pick some rule from here, I like the idea  that winged creatures cannot fly at less than half HP since their wings are probably hurt. 

Other than that, I'll just skip it.

WATERBORNE ADVENTURES

This section details virus types of  boats, ships, galleys, etc. A nautical campaign is much more likely for me than an aerial one, so this definitely looks interesting. It has rules on navigation, combat, damaging ships, swimming in armor, naval terminology, and so on.  Lots to learn in here even if you don't include it in your games!

UNDERWATER ADVENTURES

Traveling underwater the water is even rarer than travelling on air.  This section has rules for breathing,  fighting,  moving,  seeing, and casting spells underwater. I'll just skip it again, since I don't think I'll ever use it. I do enjoy the facts  that these rare  circumstances are described here rather than in combat or spell sections, so you can just ignore them if you want.

TRAVEL IN THE KNOWN PLANES OF EXISTENCE contains some vague ideas about the planes, further detailed in the PHB.

OUTDOOR MOVEMENT details travelling speed on foot, mounts, boats, etc.  Pretty straightforward.

INFRAVISION & ULTRAVISION details and somewhat limits these special senses, making infravision somewhat less powerful than simply seeing in the dark. "Light sources which give off heat also absolutely prevent normal infravision from functioning within their sphere of illumination".

INVISIBILITY, similarly, nerfs invisibility powers. "Monsters might well be able to hear, smell, or see the invisible character.". This is funny and sensible: "Now consider a silence spell and large area invisibility cast upon a party. Imagine the chaos within the area as characters stub their toes on the heels of the person before them, with the inability to hear anything so that falls, suggestions as to what should be done, or orders cannot be heard. Consider also that dust on the floor will betray most invisibility, as will dust or powder in the air.". In addition, creatures of sufficient HD and intelligence have a probability of detecting invisibility through keen hearing/smell etc. I'm conflicted about this rule; could be fun, but why not allow dogs and cats to have a chance?

MIRRORS - "It is important for DMs to remember that in order to be reflective, a mirror must

have a light source." This is the entirety of the entry.

DETECTION OF EVIL AND/OR GOOD has detailed rules about detecting evil/good that should be included under the appropriate spells or power - or at least under alignment.

LISTENING AT DOORS has rules on exactly that... including details on races and even the chances of a character finding out to be "keen eared" the first time he tries it! Should be a part of character creation and is included here for no particular reason. The DMG is like that, full of fun little ideas that come from out of nowhere, as if the author was making it up as he goes.

When compared to B/X, AD&D gives 10%-15% chances of hearing rather than 16%-33% for most PCs. It also explicitly allows three PCs to try at once, and three attempts to be made, so the odds are in the PC's favor. It is a simple system and not particularly clever IMO (I might give a bonus proportional to the time being spent, maybe). However, I'm fond of the idea of using a d20 here (while many B/X fans prefer 1-in-6), and "three attempts" soudns good enough to me too.

What have we learned today?

 

There is  not much here for my B/X games, except some clarifications and rulings on how to nerf certain powers. The part on encounter distance is useful. This is not a particular inspiring entry to the series... But what we've got next will certainly be fun!

Additional reading (on encounters)

https://methodsetmadness.blogspot.com/2023/05/reaction-rolls-in-practice-osr.html

Coming next... COMBAT!

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Target 30

I must have proposed a dozen different systems for D&D skill/tasks already. 

B/X, one of the simplest forms of D&D available, has at least three or four - often for the same kind of test (e.g., hiding or climbing), sometimes even for the same character (e.g., the Halfling). Finding the perfect method is elusive, since each has its pros and cons. Usually, I favor methods that:

- Take levels AND ability scores into account.
- Use "roll high", with a natural 20 being the best result.
- Fit well with other rolls, such as combat, saving throws and thief skills.

My favorite so far is "fractional skills", which I refined to use in Dark Fantasy Basic, and still using in my current campaign. Xd6 roll under is also a favorite because the results match well with thief skills.

But I think there is another option. I have been a fan or Target 20 for a long time, and I have recently tried be67 with my friend Jens, which might have given me this idea:

Roll 1d20 + ability score + level (if appropriate), with a target of 30.

For example, a 4th level thief with Dex 14 rolls 1d20+14+4 to open locks, succeeding if he rolls 12 or more (i.e., 45% of the time). By level 14th, he is succeeding 95% of the time.

This system works especially well for me for a couple of reasons. First, my PCs have ability scores that average about 11 by first level*. Second, they have a few opportunities of raising abilities scores with feats. This brings us closer to an ideal Target 18 - i.e., close to 1-in-6 chances for untrained PCs (as B/X intended), but adjusted to their ability scores. Third, it makes each point matter for ability scores.

* I'm using something slightly more benevolent than "3d6 in order" to begin with (average 10.5 for each ability score). If you're using 4d6 drop lowest, this works even better to create heroic PCs. An average ability score of 12.2 is very close to 1-in-6 chances. And it would work perfectly for Knave too, as the abilities average more than 11.

To smooth things out, there is ALWAYS a chance of success or failure. If you roll a natural 20 and still fail, you can try again with a +10 bonus. Conversely, if you roll a natural 1 and would still succeed (e.g., a level 14 thief with 16 Dexterity), you must roll again with a -10 penalty or fail.

This solution seems decent for climbing, jumping, hiding, tracking, finding, etc. Use 25 for intermediate tasks or "minor tests" (e.g., open doors), 20 for most simple tasks (almost equivalent to "d20 roll under"), 35 for the nearly impossible (e.g. "bend bars" or the thief lesser skills such as hear noise and read languages).

The DC for surviving Resurrection/System shock is 15. Very close to AD&D.

The DC to understand spells is 20. Close to AD&D again.

I'm not sure I would use this for spellcasting and combat, however; the difference from B/X would be too great. Which is a downside compared to Dark Fantasy Basic, that uses a single system for everything.

Curiously, I think something similar to this could work well even for 5e D&D. Add 10 to the usual DCs (use 22 to 24 as default), reduce the proficiency bonus (maybe 1/4 level, apply to all saves and skills, half level+2 if you have expertise). If you are not familiar with 5e, this would require a longer explanation, which I'll avoid here since I'm not playing 5e anymore. But it could easily be the basis for a minimalist version of 5e.

Well, I like it. Maybe I should use it if I write something AD&Dish in the future...