Mod for 2nd edition rules?

[Strummer101er]

Anyone know if something like this exists? Thanks!

[Starwight/ttv]

Originally posted by Dragon Master:

Originally posted by Alealexi:

I don't see it happening. It would most likely end up dead in the water like the RTwP mod did for DOS2. That is a pretty big overhaul.

Fair point. I suppose I was just thinking of the Oblivion remake mod using Skyrim’s engine mod that the Skyblivion team is making. I’m sure it can be done but a full team with enough passion to remake an entire game would be needed.

The thing about Oblivion and Skyrim is that at least both games are functionally very similar. I don't think that the mod team has to change as many CORE mechanics for that. They instead have to build an entirely different world into Skyrim, changing up the maps, terrain, etc. But the core gameplay is basically the same, only tweaking the leveling. The biggest work is probably the world and NPC building, and bringing the magic system of Oblivion into Skyrim (which again is very similar, so probably just tweaking that needs to be done).

Whereas the differences between 2e and 5e of DnD are so vastly different.

[Razorblade]

Likely impossible. The Divinity Engine, in my experience, doesn't allow for modifying core gameplay elements to the extent that such a mod would require.

[Alealexi]

Originally posted by Mr Fred:

5e is pretty similar to 2e in many aspect THAC0 aside. Its pretty barebone and lack the customisation 3.5e or pathfinder offer.

As far as I know about pathfinder customization is that the majority of the options are traps and only a handful are usable. I find that there is more customization in 5e that is useful

[Dragon Master]

Originally posted by Alealexi:

Originally posted by Mr Fred:

5e is pretty similar to 2e in many aspect THAC0 aside. Its pretty barebone and lack the customisation 3.5e or pathfinder offer.

As far as I know about pathfinder customization is that the majority of the options are traps and only a handful are usable. I find that there is more customization in 5e that is useful

Largely, yes. There are builds that absolutely requires a few feats, and those feats are basically required to make a usable character at all, before you reach level 10. The real customization comes in at levels 10 and up, once the character's build is set. Anything before it basically has some set choices that must be made in order to have a usable character.

[BigAlzBub]

Subclasses are less of an issue than you might expect, as if you allow some of the splat books (The compete Fighter's handbook for instance) they each has something called kits, which were not a million miles from subclasses.

Some of the major issues with a conversion are pretty serious, like stats not scaling in a logical progression, in 2nd Ed any stat below a 15 gave little to no benefit, and only when a stat hit 18 did it really make a huge difference, Strength (for warriors: Fighters, rangers, paladins) was really weird as in addition to being 18, you also has a percentage value next to it (exceptional strength), so you could have something like 18/34, anything less than 50 was scarcely better than an 18, but if you managed the holy of hollies and got 18/00 (rolled 100 on percentile dice), then good lord were you a cut above the rest. Technically when rolling stats, the default way was 3d6 for each stat in order, however every GM I ever played with allowed one of non-standard ways, for my group the most popular was 4d6 (drop the lowest die) and then arrange the stats to taste, but more than one super harsh GM insisted on standard way (which made paladins SUPER rare as you needed a 16 in charisma to qualify).

Saving throw were also really weird, you has 5 categories of saves paralyzation/Poison/Death Magic, Pertrification/Polymotph, Rod/Staff/Wand, Breath Weapon and finally spell, this was super confusing for new players, as which save do you use if you get hit with a death spell from wand? And just to make it extra fun each category of class had a different table to roll on for...reasons.
Then there was the "beloved" Vancian Magic system of Fire and Forget. Each day you had to learn up your spells, sounds pretty like 5e huh? Nope...in 5e if you have 3 3rd level spells and learn fireball, haste and vampriric touch, you can cast any of those spells 2 fireballs and a haste, or three hastes or whatever you need, in 2e, if you learned 1 fireball, that was all you had, once it was gone, it was gone (until next day) you would still have the other spells of course, but if you needed a second fireball and you hadn't learned it...tough. Oh and in 2e every time you cast haste, it ages the recipients by 1 year.

Being a first level wizard in 2e sucked mightily, you had a d4 hit points per level, needed the most experience points out of any class to advance, had only a single spell (from your class) and had the worst THAC0 out of any other class, which meant that once you had used up your precious first level spells (you would only get one from the class, but would almost certainly get a second spell from having a high intelligence) you would have to resort to firing a crossbow or stabbing with a dagger, both of which you were dreadful with. There were no cantrips (although Cantrip was 1st level wizard spell which did a variety of really minor effects). If you were a specialist wizard, you would gain an extra slot (at each level) which could only be filled with a spell of your chosen specialist school...however being a specialist wizard was kind of harsh, as you immediately lost access to 1 or more other opposing schools, it was particularly harsh if you were an illusionist because you lost access to Necromancy, Invocation/Evocation and Abjuration, so no raising the dead, no fireballs (other than illusionary ones) and no protective magics...ouch.

Every time you died in 2e, and were raised, you lost a point of constitution, and then immediately after you had to make something called a system shock roll (a percentage roll based on your constitutions) if you failed, you immediately died again (although if your party wanted to) they could try again, which would cost you yet another point of Con and you then needed another system shock roll (this was known in the game as the death spiral), oh and if you were an Elf, raise dead wouldn't work on you, you could only be brought back to life with a resurrection spell or reincarnation spell which had a chance to bring you back as something weird like a Gnoll or a troll, and if you were a druid, it could bring you back as an animal.....

So TLDR...that is a lot of stuff under the hood which would need changing and some classes just didn't exists (Warlock and Barbarians). Assassins and Barbarians were in 1e but when 2e came out any character in the D&D lore that was a Barbarian or an assassin (in the novels) had to be killed off, R A Salavtori is rumoured to have saved Artemis Entreri by claiming that he wasn't an assassin, but a fighter/rogue who kills people for money, which personally (if it is true) I find hilarious.

[lyonesse2]

Originally posted by Mr Fred:

5e is pretty similar to 2e in many aspect THAC0 aside. Its pretty barebone and lack the customisation 3.5e or pathfinder offer.

There are way more differences than similiarities between AD&D 2nd and D&D 5E.

ThAC0
Saving throws
Racial restrictions for classes
Number of attacks per round
No cantrips, i.e. 0 level spells that can be cast at will
No real skill system (there was non-weapon proficiency system as an optional rule)
Only rogues could find/disarm traps, pick locks and sneak
No feats

Just to point out a few key differences. I like AD&D 2nd, but it would require a total conversion not just a simple mod.

[Incunabulum]

Originally posted by Strummer101er:

Anyone know if something like this exists? Thanks!

No.

Like, that would require a complete rebuild and rebalance of everything. You're never gonna see a mod for that.

We oldtimers have to accept that 2nd edition is gone. However, I don't think 4th and 5th edition are bad - they have their strengths.

[matrikkel]

I have been playing and DM'ing 1st Ed + 2nd ed Ad&d since mid 80's. I know the newer systems and have studied them but I really I think while 5e is praised a lot I take a stance it is a game for masses. It's no longer the same game system, it is something else which is not so deadly or punishing as the 1st or 2nd edition.

One of our players who have played a lot of 5e before joining our team told that this old school game is overpowering in detail, house rules but at the same time the always present terror and fear of character death is intoxicating.

Age range of our gaming fellowship is from 21 to 75, three generations, soon four. We visited Underdark before R.A. Salvatore published his books.

If a 1st/2nd edition overhaul is sometimes made I believe there would be fans.

[Mike]

This thread was quite old before the recent post, so we're locking it to prevent confusion.