Boots & Blood Hawks

One thing that has been a bit surprising about AD&D is the increased survivability of the characters. Surprising, I say, because I’ve been listening to a lot of AD&D podcasts and reading more than a couple of AD&D blogs, and the casual, jovial way they’ve talked about fatalities.

Maybe my vision is colored by years of playing B/X.

To date, neither of my kids’ original PCs has been killed…not even slain and brought back to life. Yes, they’ve been in some tight spots (they’re in one right now, as a matter of fact). Yes, they’ve been fortunate on at least one or two occasions, with dice rolls falling spectacularly in their favor. But I think there’s more to it than that.

AD&D is a different beast from other types of D&D play. The main thing that will do you in is overreaching, i.e. trying to punch above your weight or extending yourself when you really can’t afford to do so. This is, of course, true of ALL forms of early edition play, but AD&D has certain “brakes” imbedded in the system that can stop a bad situation from turning into an absolute freefall.

Hit point inflation is, of course, one contributing factor to survivability. Assuming you have at least one or two fighter types in the party, you should have the "beef" to survive at least a round or two of combat with low-level opponents. Goblins average 3.5 damage on a successful hit; orcs average 4.5 damage. Fighters and paladins average 5.5 hit points on D10 hit dice (and rangers even more) and I allow 1st level PCs to start with max hit points, so it's a LOT harder to be "one-shot" than a B/X fighter. 

In addition, negative hit points in AD&D provides an additional "buffer zone," albeit one that carries stiff penalties (coming back from negative hit points results in the same penalties one gets from the raise dead spell). We use the fairly strict rules found on page 82 of the DMG which do not allow survival in the case of blows that reduced a character to -4 or less in a single shot; however, even with that, for practical purposes a magic-user in my game has seven hit points before dying (4 for max starting plus 3 negative). Makes dying from the occasional stray arrow extremely unlikely, and gives everyone a decent chance of running away from a combat that's gone sideways...provided your characters are fast enough to run.

[my kids have insisted on wearing leather armor for this reason, despite better stuff being available]

But more than just mechanics, there is a mindset that comes with AD&D in the "rules as written" that just aren't present in other basic editions' text. I draw your attention to the equipment lists on page 35 of the PHB and the following items:

Boots, high, hard     2 g.p.

Boots, high, soft      1 g.p.

Boots, low, hard      1 g.p.

Boots, low, soft        8 s.p.

Some may feel that such "minutia" exists solely for the purpose of characterization, i.e. visualizing the character's appearance...and maybe that was (originally) its only reason for being in the book. After all, the rules provide no specific advantages to an individual wearing any type of boots; the question of one PC's taste for a particular style of footwear is mainly a matter of preference. 

"Low, Soft"

I'm of a different mind. Rather than being "meaningless" (mechanics-wise) stylistic minutia, these little touches help shift the mindset of the players right from start of character creation. Armor, weapons, backpacks, torches, thieves tools, rations, rope...those things, resources every good adventuring party will strive to purchase...have been around since OD&D, and are tools of play. Things like boots, or a cape, or a chicken...these are touches of world building that puts players in the realm of thinking NOT "what do I need for the game?" but instead "what do I need for the world?"

And it's amazing (to me) just how much gets accomplished with just a little nudge. A little nudge, mind you: the equipment lists for the entire game fits on two pages. I scan through the 10 pages that make up the "Equipment" chapter in the 3E PHB and, quite frankly, my eyes start to glaze over. I don't WANT to read a description of the differences between a "courtier's outfit," a "noble's outfit," and a "royal outfit." I've got a pretty good idea what boots, low, hard look like without any need for description.

[and just for the record, the three outfits I mentioned above? Bland as their descriptions are, none of them even bother to include footwear. And since boots aren't sold separately, I suppose that means nobles are walking around barefoot unless they want to spring for a "traveller's outfit" with its sturdy boots]

Look: do folks understand the difference of what I'm getting at? In DND3, you ARE just picking a style when you purchase an outfit for your character. My fighter dresses like a noble. Someone else's fighter dresses like an "explorer." It's just changing the "skin" on your avatar (to use video game terms). It doesn't make you think about what you're doing. And 5E...well, heck, everyone just starts with the same gear based on their class and background (and maybe race), right? The 5E PHB doesn't even bother listing clothes for sale...though if your choice of class includes a "diplomat's pack" then you pick up a set of fine clothes along with your quills and parchment. It's cookie cutter. 

Whereas the AD&D list puts a sliver in your mind. Boots...oh, yes. Very important to wear something on your feet when hiking or spelunking. What's my alternative? Going barefoot like a halfling (or a peasant)? What would work best? What can I afford? The presented choice...a small one, not an overwhelming one spread over a dozen pages with paragraphs of padded text describing a mess kit or a two-man tent...immediately puts your mental state in that of a D&D adventurer. It begins the immersion process. 

And players who approach the game as if they were IN the game, rather then just playing a game...well, I've found they tend to be a bit more cautious with their (imaginary) lives. Yes, even young children, like my kids. And that leads to increased survivability, too.

Fiend Folio original

Discretion isn't just the better part of valor; it's the key to playing the long game in AD&D. Failing to approach the game with some amount of discretion (and a willingness to cooperate with your fellow teammates) is a recipe for a quick demise, as monsters in the advanced game are vicious. Blood hawks? Basically a flying hobgoblin (1+1 hit dice) with three attacks per round. A wandering monster encounter in the mountains brought down seven of 'em on the party...and, no, the magic-user did not have a sleep spell (she failed her % roll to learn the spell). Somehow, they still all managed to survive...though not without severe injury.

Anyway. It's the holiday season and the pace around here has become a bit frantic. Look at this post...started writing it Saturday morning. It's now Tuesday night. *sigh*

Just to finish the point...first edition AD&D isn't as unforgiving as it's rumored to be. I've seen far more player character death in good ol' B/X and OD&D. At least at low levels, with low level challenges, and a good dose of player discretion, it's very survivable. Not "always" or even "mostly" survivable, no. But quite a bit more than "hardly" or "barely" survivable. 

Next post: more "duh" observations regarding first edition AD&D.

: )