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On the ring since 2026-08-09
Latest activity 2mo ago
59 posts
Brick
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In Part 1, I retained the alignment focus of the Paladin, along with the Saving Throw bonus and disease immunity. I converted Detect Evil into a spell grant, and buffed Lay on...
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Nice greaves. Described by 2e as the “noble and heroic warrior, the symbol of all that is right and true in the world,” the game has high expectations for the Paladin. They are...
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That's right, I'll be using the revised PHB artwork for this series. Despair! The Fighter (né Fighting-Man) has been here since Chainmail, and has survived every edition. If...
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Class is the beating heart of D&D. You could ditch almost everything from the game – many editions have, in one form or another – but as long as you have distinct classes which...
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Stepping away from the hack for a moment, I’ve been thinking about alignment. Alignment was there from the start. As such, it has been an ever-present feature of the varied...
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Surprise. The write-up on alignment is taking a bit longer than I anticipated, life is being life, and I really like the idea of having 7 parts (a la Rod) over just 6. So,...
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I’ve spent the past 5 weeks looking at all of 2e’s varied skill systems, mostly focusing on the Nonweapon Proficiencies. I have tried to rein in overpowered skills, boost weak...
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Last time, I threw most of the reviewed Nonweapon Proficiencies over the side of the ship. For this final review of the NWPs, we’ll look at Thief-adjacent NWPs and the Survival...
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Last entry, I pared down a few more Nonweapon Proficiencies into Animal Handling, Performance, Direction Sense, and Healing. I only got halfway through the list of feat-like...
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The last post established the background feature – allowing the Secondary Skills system to directly interface with Nonweapon Proficiencies – and tossing all the other ‘career’...
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Last time I opined about the varied skills systems in AD&D 2e and discussed how to bundle them into a single system. The takeaway was that every check outside of Ability Checks...
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Skills are often paraded as a dividing line between old-school play and the modern implementation of D&D. 2nd Edition sits on this line, providing an optional system of skills...
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Half-elves have had quite the time these past few years. They’ve been saddled with a variety of meanings, from being held up as a representation of lived experiences to being...
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The 2e Halfling is a smash-up of the Dwarf and Elf, pulling traits from both, with a few weird exceptions based on racial subtypes. These subtypes represent the only instance...
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The Gnome is an odd addition. Prior to 1e AD&D, they only appear as a monster, but in 1978 they suddenly show up as playable. As far as I can tell, this occurred only because...
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The eponymous Elf of this so-called elfgame, these pointy-eared Tolkien refugees are a true classic. As before, we’ll skip the sociology and jump right in. 1. Infravision Why...
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The taciturn staple of the genre. I think we can skip the intro on where they live and how they dislike horses. We’ll also put the Allowed Classes and Ability Score Adjustments...
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Before we speak of how demihumans should function within this hack, let’s talk about race. 1. Race There are deep, meaningful discussions about the negative impact of the word...
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For the 2e Primer, I used public domain art sourced from Old Book Illustrations. It served the aesthetic well and it was available at the right price. I’m certainly not the...
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I touched on Surprise in a prior post, but it’s time to solidify it. Surprise is codified in every edition of the game, so it’s a must-have. However, it’s worth a look at how...
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Last week, I reworked these NPCs into a single category: Followers, with a subcategory of ‘Sworn Followers’. This week, I’ll work on experience and leveling rules,...
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My players really like henchmen. I think all players do, even if it’s not coded into the game. The trope of the adopted goblin in the party exists because players love to make...
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AD&D 2nd Edition heralded the Age of the Campaign Setting, and with it came an endless parade of unique ideas and overfilled splatbooks. That collection is a goldmine, a rich...
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Last time, I reworked the 2e weights and weight allowances into a slot-based system. The final step is to determine encumbrance penalties. This is the entire reason we’re here....
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Encumbrance is considered a pillar of old-school play, creating a natural limiter on what can be brought into – and out of – the dungeon. It creates a puzzle, wherein players...
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Prior to getting behind the wheel of 2nd Edition, my experience with implementing ‘reactions’ centered around the skill check. Diplomacy (and later Persuasion), was the...
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My hunt for a good 2e DM screen has been somewhat unsatisfying. There’s the official screen which does the job, but the layout and arrangement of the tables leaves something to...
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AD&D 2nd Edition’s default initiative rule is the tried and true side-initiative (which it calls Standard Initiative Procedure), meaning that one roll is made for each ‘side’...
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I meant to have a holiday gift for you in this post, but creating it is taking a bit longer than I had estimated. So for now, I’ve got nothing, aside from seasonal greetings....
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Last time, I looked at converting Saving Throws, Surprise, and Attack Rolls to a roll-under system. Let’s do the rest. Please note: this is mostly the “make a new ruleset for...