AD&D 2e: Making Warriors Tough Enough

Fighters are notorious for being weaker than those classes that cast magic (which in AD&D 2e is every class except Thieves). Modern games (such as D&D 4e and D&D 5e) have taken the approach of making casters less powerful in order to make them comparable to fighters. However back in AD&D 2e there were attempts to make fighters more powerful.

These benefits were:

• Faster XP Table
• Weapon Specialisation
• An extra +1, +2 or +3 HP each level for Constitution scores of 17 or higher.
• Using Method 6 from the Player's Handbook to generate ability scores (recommended in the Complete Fighter's Handbook).

For me a faster XP table, Weapon Specialisation and bonus HP for High Constitution scores are all familiar ways in which to allow  fighters to be more powerful. However having an alternative ability score generation method is unintuitive. I often think of old school character creation as being:

• Roll ability scores.
• Choose a race.
• Based on the previous two choices now choose a class.

This is because if you rolled really well you suddenly became eligible to play a Paladin and so if you could, you often would choose the Paladin. This can't be done if you're deciding class and then rolling ability scores.

As such, I'd rather look at the effect of Method 6 on generation ability scores vs the standard way.

In the standard method you roll 3d6 6 times and assign to an ability score. This will result in an array similar to: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.

Method 6 has you start with an 8 in each ability score and then roll 7d6. You then assign the dice to the ability score of your choice. This will result in a spread similar to: 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 17. In order to get a similar (although not identical) I'd rather have all characters generate ability scores via 3d6 but give fighters the following ability:


Exceptional Body: Fighters roll 2d4 and can add each die to the ability score of their choice so long as it does not increase the score higher than 19 (the die can be added to the same score or different scores).

This will create an array very similar spread to start with 8 and add 7d6 to your scores. But it keeps the bonus in the class level and so fighters can use the same ability score generation method as other classes.

AD&D 2e: Simplified Modifiers

Before D&D 3rd edition there were no unified ability score modifier based on the base ability score. This was done to help make every single ability score value be important as it provides a benefit of some kind. However since the advent of 3rd edition it hasn't become that big of a deal to have odd value ability scores (especially if you're playing in a game with ability score damage).

So here's my take on a unified ability score modifier for AD&D 2e:

Value	Modifier
1	-4
2-3	-3
4-5	-2
6-7	-1
8-14	+0
15-16	+1
17-18	+2
19	+3

This takes the average of all modifiers for each ability score and then simply adds them together. Fans of AD&D 2e will note that there are no percentile bonus for Strength 18. Here's an optional rule to handle those in this system:

Optional Rule: Exceptional Strength
It can be quite difficult to gain a score of 18. Fighters, Rangers and Paladins who have an 18 or higher in either Strength or Constitution gain the following benefits.
Strength 18

You roll 1d20 on the following chart:

1- 11: You deal one and a half times strength modifier for weapon damage.
12-19: You deal double strength modifier damage for melee weapons.
20: You deal two and a half times strength modifier damage for melee weapons.

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This effectively results in the same final effect (with certain exceptions, such as bonus languages/proficiencies) without all of the various different modifiers to have to track.

Introduction

I am most definitely without a doubt a New School DM. I began playing tabletop RPGs back in 2008 with Dungeons & Dragons 4th edition. I would go on to give Dungeons & Dragons 3.5e a chance the following year (albeit not much of one) and would eventually relent and begin playing Pathfinder. I have always been a gamer who likes the advances to tabletop RPGs that we've seen in modern games since 2000.

However that isn't to say I haven't had brief forays into old school games. I once tried to run an Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition game for a group of 4th edition players and new players. I made some basic houserules (ascending saves and ACs) but ultimately I wasn't a good fit for the group. I've tried incorporating some old school techniques in my modern gaming. I once tried to run a game Theatre of Mind (no miniatures) using Dungeons & Dragons 5th edition. We lasted all of 2 combats.

However as a tinkerer I'm always tinkering with rules. I enjoy doing it (and have even been published) and I've decided to explore more old school games. This might mean taking D&D 5th edition rules and modifying them to get a more olf school feel. It could mean looking at AD&D 2nd edition rules and trying to tweak them to simplify the mechanics a bit. Or it could involve looking at some of the OSR clones out there.

Either way, this will be an eclectic bunch of posts about Dungeons & Dragons from all sorts of angles.