What was clearly an improved rule in AD&D?

[waysoftheearth]

It's not clear this is specifically a rules "improvement" but possibly spell casting in melee is another difference between OD&D and AD&D.


With a quick look-back for spell casting during melee rules, I found:

. CM explicitly doesn't allow it (2nd Ed p29, 3rd Ed p32): "in order to cast and maintain any spell, a Wizard must be ... undisturbed by attack". Moreover, magic occurs outside of the melee segment of the turn, so this is also about interrupting an ongoing spell.
. The 3LBBs are not explicit, but presumably per CM.
. Holmes (p13) has: "... and certainly cannot cast a spell while engaged in combat", presumably per OD&D per CM, and not altered by EGG during editing.

. AD&D (DMG p65) has a section on: "spell casting in melee" which dwells mostly on how spells can be interrupted as they are being cast during a melee.

[waysoftheearth]

Here's another one that might be a genuine contender for "improvement":

In the 3LBBs the combat adjustments are arguably 2d6-centric. By GH, and AD&D, you have combat adjustments relative to d20 attack rolls.

[Deleted]

Mar 6, 2021 21:12:50 GMT -6 waysoftheearth said:

Here's another one that might be a genuine contender for "improvement":

In the 3LBBs the combat adjustments are arguably 2d6-centric. By GH, and AD&D, you have combat adjustments relative to d20 attack rolls.

This is more of a "do I like chocolate or do I like vanilla?" thing like most of them, but I will admit due to my BECMI-flavored upbringing I've had way more experience and affinity for the d20 style tables and progression charts. IMO, Greyhawk math isn't so much a supplement as a retcon for 3lbb. 

[Falconer]

I think the price for plate armor is too low in OD&D. I always change it to the AD&D price when running OD&D.

[asaki]

Mar 9, 2021 11:33:23 GMT -6 Falconer said:

I think the price for plate armor is too low in OD&D. I always change it to the AD&D price when running OD&D.

According to my friends, the price of every armor is too low :roll: So if we ever play B/X again, I'm going to tell them that, due to the current war, metal weapons and armor have become much more valuable, and sell for at least twice as much.

Wooden weapons can be had affordably, but they can obviously break (or burn), and maybe only do 1d6 damage max?

Any weapons or armor "found" during an adventure most be surrendered to the cause.

I was also inspired by Record of Lodoss War, to let them train to join the army once they reach level 3. I haven't put much thought into what happens after that.

...and yes, I know I'm going off topic

[Desparil]

Here's an improvement as of 2nd Edition - having THAC0 improve in a formulaic manner such that you can easily determine to-hit numbers based on monster hit dice or PC class and level without recourse to look-up tables.