How I'd Run AD&D
First off, I should thank Skip Sneed for much of this. Probably about half of what follows I got from him and the way he runs his AD&D campaign.
Second, a word about AD&D in and of itself. For all the flack it gets, its really not that bad a game. Gamers tend to start out on AD&D, and eventually most of them move on to another game that suits them better. They look back on AD&D with disdain, because of all the ways it suits them less than their current game. But when you get down to it, the game you use to roleplay is a matter of choice. Arguing over RPGs is like agruing over computer platforms, it all depends on what you want to get out of the game. And sometimes for somepeople, AD&D works just fine.
The Rules
To start out with, all of the following assumes AD&D 1st edition. This is more because I haven't even read through 2nd edition than for any bias against the newer rules. I'll probably get around to reading them when 3rd edition comes out.
Character Generation
The first thing you do is pick a class. If you want to be a multi-class character, just pick the class you're sure you want to be, because you might not get the other class. Once you have a class, roll up your stats. For each stat you roll a number of dice depending on your class and the stat. Cross reference the stat and your class on the table below to see how many dice you roll:
| Class | ST | IN | WI | DX | C0 | CH |
| Cleric | 6 | 7 | 8 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Druid | 3 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 8 |
| Fighter | 8 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 7 | 5 |
| Paladin | 6 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 8 |
| Ranger | 5 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 8 | 3 |
| Magic-user | 3 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 4 |
| Illusionist | 5 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 3 | 4 |
| Thief | 4 | 7 | 3 | 8 | 6 | 5 |
| Assassin | 8 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 3 |
| Monk | 5 | 4 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 3 |
| Bard | 4 | 6 | 5 | 8 | 3 | 7 |
The above table is based on a table Skip was using, but I don't have a copy of that table so I made this one up on my own. I believe that the table Skip was using came from Unearthed Arcana. Also the monk and bard listed on this table are the revised versions from Dragon (issue 53 for the monk and issue 56 for the bard).
When you roll a stat, you roll the number of d6's as listed above. You keep the highest three, and those three are your stat. Once you roll up all of the stats, you can see if you want to become a multi-classed character. To become a multi-classed character you must have three more than normally required for all stat requirements for both classes. For example, a fighter needs at least a ST 9 and a CO 7; a magic-user needs at least a IN 9 and a DX 6. So to be a multi-classed fighter/magic-user you would need at least ST 12, CO 10, IN 12, and DX 9. To be multi-classed in three classes you must have at least 6 more than the usual minimums.
Note that any race can be multi-classed in any classes they are able to normally have, including Humans. Any combination of classes can be used, as long as they aren't from the same group (no cleric/druids or fighter/paladins). This brings us to another change in the rules, specifically to Character Race Table II.: Class Level Limitations.
| Class | Dwarf | Elf | Gnome | Half-Elf | Hobbit |
| Cleric | U | no | U | no | no |
| Druid | no | U | 5 | U | U |
| Fighter | U | 10 | 10 | U | 5 |
| Paladin | U | no | U | no | no |
| Ranger | no | U | no | U | 10 |
| Mage | 11 | U | 5 | 11 | U |
| Illusionist | 10 | no | U | no | U |
| Thief | 5 | 10 | U | 9 | U |
| Assassin | 9 | U | 10 | no | U |
| Monk | U | no | 10 | U | no |
| Bard | 5 | U | no | U | 5 |
You might have noticed that there are no Half-Orcs in the above table. That would be because I don't allow Half-Orcs in my game.
Finally, I have read some of the 2nd Edition rules, specifically the proficiencies section. The obvious transitions are made for the main set of character classes. Monks are considered warriors for proficiencies, and bards are considered rouges.
Other Stuff
Once the characters are made I don't make too many changes to the rules. One change I do make is the addition of critical hits. For all to hit rolls you roll a d6 and a d10, the way you did before there were d20's (for the young among us: if the d6 is 1-3 then just count the d10, if the d6 is 4-6 then add 10 to the d10). A natural 20 is a crit, and scores double damage. If the 20 is rolled by getting a 6 and a 10, roll 3d6 and consult the following table:
| Roll | Result |
| 3 | Foe Dead |
| 4-5 | Foe loses leg, Falls down |
| 6-7 | Foe knocked unconcious |
| 8-9 | Triple Damage |
| 10-11 | Double Damage |
| 12-13 | Triple Damage |
| 14-15 | Foe loses non-weapon arm |
| 16-17 | Foe loses weapon arm |
| 18 | Chop foes head off |
That would be it. Other than that, I just play in Greyhawk.
Last Modified 9/6/99
Created 2/14/99