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So one of the rotating DMs for my Saturday D&D group has decided to try running V:EoR. This is the first foray into tiers 3-4 for this group in a long, long time. I've avoided spoilers, so I do not know the plot, or much else (other than start at level 9). I have been given leave to ask the...

Yep, and there were item saving throw rules in the DMG (p. 80 for AD&D). From what I understand, the reason Cone of Cold was a higher level was because items had a much (with the exception of liquids) better chance of surviving. It seemed that-- at least in the version of A/D&D emergent from...

So I take it other people didn't have the fireballs blow up the loot (and sometimes the party), huh?

Yes, I think that's part of the 'why would you keep playing with them when you could level up some new characters?' part I mentioned. Not only did the xp reward system not make it particularly plausible to continue to level up at that point, there didn't seem to be a lot of incentive to do so...

I can at least see the rationale if your thought process is mostly focused on (say) a large party of maybe 3rd level level characters having figured out good formation tactics and mopping up upper dungeon levels full of hobgoblins and orcs. Once you got to the upper tiers and gold dragons would...

I certainly loved the promise offered in Complete Priests Handbook. Customization with an eye towards worldbuilding was a breath of fresh air. Mind you, the notion of balance was bizarre (IIRC weapons that did 1d6+1 or less were low-value, and 1d8 or more were high-value. It doesn't take much...

See, again, I don't think this specific instance is a case of design improving*. Because, again, having characters be taken out of action isn't bad design (any more than having a chess piece locked in a 'I really can't move that' position) if the goal isn't to only have one piece to play at a...

I think, in conjunction, this highlights a point about how the game evolved. From original published oD&D to tetrasodium's ad&d 2e books, the game did change -- undoubtedly in recognition that the play patterns people adopted did not match the initial assumptions (people were not fielding...

Perhaps we can just say that original-intention oD&D sets up scenarios where one's forces can be unexpectedly (and maybe feeling unfairly*) completely ruined and that was considered a normal state of play much moreso than modern "normal" or "usual" play. *but hopefully still no DM-made scenarios...

Overall, there isn't anything wrong with making it permanent, even in a game where you want characters to have more importance than individual wargame units. It just makes perma-paralysis another challenge to be worked around. IMO, the design construct you need to build around a game like that...

Mental differences: We know there are certain types of mental acuities where one can have a deficit*, yet be wholly capable in most other ways. Particularly surrounding language and ability to form abstract constructs. *because of the IRL minefield of discussing individuals, I'm mostly going to...

Worth noting that oD&D didn't have sickles --or other non-battlefield weapons taken mostly straight from Chainmail, which seems to be the reason that magic users used daggers instead of (the non-existant staves).

From what I can gather*, the logic was thus: If you wanted to recover mid-dungeon, you used clerical healing or potions. Once you were done with the dungeon, you hoofed it back to town, got your XP, and generally resolved the adventure. Since BECMI wasn't intended for the style where you might...

I think this highlights the dichotomy I see. For me, the question is -- should dragons (particularly since they are in the game title*) 1) be iconic monsters to be feared above all else, or 2) be something you see a lot of in your game**? *and should that matter **or 3) both, but that becomes...

And thus* the meme of Charisma being a dump stat is born. :-D *Actually no, since it still governs henchmen and follower loyalty. It took people not playing those parts of the game before the idea really took hold. Constantly. I remember right around when people started really coming to terms...

Although this runs into the issue of DM adjudication. The spell description states that it creates a globe of light. whether it has a specific source and/or can be blocked by physical barriers (like said scroll tube) isn't clear. IIRC, one of the Gygax adjacent folks (Mentzer, I think, or maybe...

In oD&D, it was 1HD or less, but HD was defined as D6 (with fighters having 1d6+1 HD at level one instead of the 1d8 and later 1d10 it would eventually become).

I think even more than that, having 40%* of all magic weapons be swords and 70% of those be longswords** -- in a game where the magic also adds to the effectiveness of combat and is necessary to even fight certain opponents -- makes switch-hitting to maximize against the WvsAC charts just not...

Honestly, I think this last bit is where D&D really started to have trouble with magic vs. mundane. I recall (back in pre-3E* vancian casting days) when a second level spell expenditure didn't feel minor. Not sure if that was because we spent more time in levels ~1-6 or because there was more...

Also so you had to walk around with Read Magic memorized, so you could immediately read the magic scrolls (lest they fade away).