rootring
rooted in blogs, linked in a ringNonweapon Proficiency
Visit site Feed Incoming links Search this blog
On the ring since 2026-08-09
Latest activity 9mo ago
59 posts
Brick
Older posts · Back to profile
Earlier
-
The inconsistency of die mechanics in AD&D is often cited as one of the more confusing parts of the game. Putting aside the cacophony of die types (death to the percentile...
-
The following post is self-indulgent state-of-the-blog stuff. You’ve been warned. I wasn’t sure what this blog was going to be when I started out a few months ago; I just...
-
In Part 1, I looked at issues with the current 2e saving throw ruleset. This time, I’ll be desecrating a beloved game mechanic to ‘fix’ those issues. I hold no deep affection...
-
He's a big boy.Judging by how often they’ve changed through the history of the game, the rules for saving throws might be the least sacrosanct of the D&D mechanics. For more...
-
The primary ability of bards and face-characters across many editions, Charisma gets a fair shake here, with three adjustments that tie to “a character’s persuasiveness,...
-
Wisdom has always been an odd bird. In OD&D this ability doesn’t do squat, serving only as the prerequisite score for Clerics and their access to an XP bonus. There’s not even...
-
I’m not a fan of this table, as it provides only two things: wizard limits and languages. For an ability that claims to represent “a character’s memory, reasoning, and...
-
The sick man of the ability scores. It is occasionally suggested that Constitution’s role as a measurement of “physique, fitness, health, and physical resistance” is...
-
Now that I’ve dissected Strength beyond recognition, I’ll move onto Dexterity. The PHB states that this ability affects reaction speed, ranged attacks, and dodging. Dexterity...
-
I was busy in the last post being critical of AD&D’s Strength table and ruining it at the same time, so let’s keep going and really break some stuff. Column 6 and 7. Open...
-
Since we were talking about Ability Scores in the past few entries, I thought I’d review each of the individual scores, while providing a few bad takes and tweaking everything....
-
ASI with no balance issues whatsoeverIt is my uncontroversial opinion that as a character gains levels, that character should improve. This is already the case in AD&D for...
-
I3-5: Desert of Desolation, 1987In Part 1, I did my best to explain why the ‘push-button’ argument is crap, but it’s not the only concern people have with the Ability Check...
-
AD&D 2e GlossaryThe ability scores of D&D have remained consistent from ’74 onward, albeit the final reordering only occurred in 2e. How one uses these scores for adjudication...
-
In the last entry, I discussed why I like descending AC and some of its advantages. I left the disadvantages for later, and so we have arrived. My argument is simple: the bad...
-
I hail from the era of the post-3e consensus, where it is a given that descending armor class is unintuitive and dumb, while ascending armor class is simple and pristine. The...
-
Planescape is, by far, the most interesting fantasy world I’ve ever stumbled across. The later editions of D&D offered only the barest glimpse of this setting, with...
-
Is that a zero in the word "OPP0NENT?" In short, I wanted to run Planescape. That’s a stupid reason to learn and run a 35 year old TTRPG from a defunct publisher, but it was...
-
If you’re here to just grab the file, it’s here. If you’d like to understand why I made the thing, keep reading. While this edition is better organized than the earlier games,...