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PC DnD
Aug 18, 2005 3:40:43 GMT
Post by Shan on Aug 18, 2005 3:40:43 GMT
Elliot Thank you, thank you, thank you. I think for once all this game stuff is finally making a little sense thanks to you guys. A couple more questions if you don't mind. Were the AD&D rules developed for computere rpgs or were they also used with the pen and paper games? Is Strength the major factor in the amount of damage that you do? Are all these rolls combined to determine whether you hit or not and if you do hit the amount of damage that you do or is it determined by just one roll? Shan
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PC DnD
Aug 18, 2005 4:03:20 GMT
Post by Gray Lensman on Aug 18, 2005 4:03:20 GMT
AD&D was created long before the computer games. The rules predate even Torment by some years. The PNP game has been around for quite a long time.
In fact, the game worlds are all based on settings created for AD&D. Forgotten Realms (the world that BG, NWN, and Icewind Dale take place in) goes back to at least the mid-80's, IIRC. There's an entire huge line of fantasy novels that are devoted to that game world.
The rules were adapted to the computer games later on by the game designers. But the rules themselves have been around for many years now.
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PC DnD
Aug 18, 2005 4:08:23 GMT
Post by Shan on Aug 18, 2005 4:08:23 GMT
Thanks Steve. What do you mean roll the numbers to BE a paladin? Can't you just pick the character class that you want to play? To hit armor class zero, what does that mean? I think I saw that word, THACO in Planescape and had no idea what it stood for or meant. Now I know what it stands for but I have no idea of the meaning. Shan
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PC DnD
Aug 18, 2005 4:34:55 GMT
Post by Gray Lensman on Aug 18, 2005 4:34:55 GMT
What do you mean roll the numbers to BE a paladin? Can't you just pick the character class that you want to play? I've personally found that it depends on the Game Master and what he might allow. Some GMs might just let you pick the class, regardless of numbers. Others are a bit more strict and may rule that the numbers you roll are what you get. Either way, the game rules specify minimum class stats. Of course, individual GMs have been known to change the rules as it suits them. Been a while, but IIRC, it's the number you're supposed to roll to be able to hit a character with an armor class of zero. There's an entire chart devoted to this.
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PC DnD
Aug 18, 2005 4:42:45 GMT
Post by Elliot Kane on Aug 18, 2005 4:42:45 GMT
There are also GMs who say, "Create the character you want. I'll tell you if you can have it." Or maybe that's just me... ;D I hated all that dice rolling. Waste of everybody's time, IMO Shan - Strength is the only determinator of damage bonuses, yes
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PC DnD
Aug 18, 2005 4:45:00 GMT
Post by Elliot Kane on Aug 18, 2005 4:45:00 GMT
THAC0 = To Hit Armour Class Zero.
Basically you roll a D20, add any bonuses for Str, Dex or skill, and if you roll equal to or over, you hit AC0. Which is the midpoint of the AC scale in 1st & 2nd ed AD&D.
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PC DnD
Aug 18, 2005 5:45:56 GMT
Post by janggut on Aug 18, 2005 5:45:56 GMT
that's a lot to swallow considering that i am like Shan, who's never into PnP D&D games. the closest i had been to D&D would be NWN games & the modded versions of it in KOTOR games. anyway, i am quite grateful of CRPG else i won't touch D&D stuff (especially PnP). note: somehow still prefer S.P.E.C.I.A.L
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PC DnD
Aug 18, 2005 5:52:29 GMT
Post by Elliot Kane on Aug 18, 2005 5:52:29 GMT
Some day I will have to get around to posting my last player's guide online. Give you guys an idea of what the system (Albeit heavily adapted) looks like 'in the raw', as it were
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PC DnD
Aug 18, 2005 6:41:07 GMT
Post by Dark Phoenix Rising on Aug 18, 2005 6:41:07 GMT
DragonLord do you know anything about how games are programmed? Even if you don't, do you know if they use a random number generator for dice rolls? If not how would they program a dice roll? Shan You are correct they use a random number generator to produce the rolls that you see, and it probably works out something like
RollDice: dicetype numberOfDice: nrOfDice TotalValue = 0 repeat nrOfDice times TotalValue = TotalValue + (Random(minValue = 1 maxValue = dicetype)) Do repeat return TotalValue
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PC DnD
Aug 18, 2005 7:05:55 GMT
Post by Dark Phoenix Rising on Aug 18, 2005 7:05:55 GMT
Sorcerer's have the same armour restrictions as mages in 3rd ed. and the same chances of spell failier as well. Originally the sorcerer was added to 3rd ed because they hadn't finished the psionics and so they needed something to fill the gap, it is now a more combat orientated class than the wizard as their spells are set at the point of learning them, and so the potential for wide ranging spell use is significantly reduced. DragonLord, are you saying here that a sorcerer is more combat oriented than a wizard? I kinda always thought they fell into the same area and that the only difference was the way they learned their spells (sorcerer had to pick at level up and a wizard could learn at any time if they were of the right level for the spells) and one was chrisma based and the other intelligence based. Shan On paper that is correct, however due to the way you need to pick your spells it generally works out that they tend to pick more combat orientated spells, and due to the fact that (in the pen and paper version) you only generally get one spell at a time, and on top of that you don't have to memorise the spells your going to use, then they tend to work out that they have more combat spells ready for use than most mages.
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PC DnD
Aug 18, 2005 12:36:50 GMT
Post by Tsel on Aug 18, 2005 12:36:50 GMT
Can you imagine if they used 1st Ed rules for NWN. You'd have some much Gold in Chapter 1 you could Buy 20th level! Tsel
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PC DnD
Aug 18, 2005 13:19:50 GMT
Post by Dark Phoenix Rising on Aug 18, 2005 13:19:50 GMT
erm, you couldn't as don't forget that xp in 1st edition increased exponentially rather than linerly (sp?)
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PC DnD
Aug 18, 2005 13:29:46 GMT
Post by Tsel on Aug 18, 2005 13:29:46 GMT
I guess the DM I always played with was more liberal in the way he DM’d than the way the books described.
Tsel
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PC DnD
Aug 18, 2005 13:41:40 GMT
Post by Dark Phoenix Rising on Aug 18, 2005 13:41:40 GMT
I think you needed something like 1,000,000 xp to get to about 9th or 10th level, and after that it just got worse
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PC DnD
Aug 20, 2005 0:38:04 GMT
Post by Shan on Aug 20, 2005 0:38:04 GMT
Steve thank you for the info on THAC0. Is this used in games where the lower the armor class the better like in Planescape? Does it come into play with the games where the higher the armor class the better? The Paladin thing still has me confused just a little though. You said it was hard to get the roll to play a Paladin. What kind of roll do you have to get and what makes it so much harder to get? Shan
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PC DnD
Aug 20, 2005 0:45:06 GMT
Post by Shan on Aug 20, 2005 0:45:06 GMT
Elliot I did not know that. Does this hold true for archers and mages also or are their damage bonuses based off of something else? If all characters use strength for the amount of damage they can do then why isn't strength a big factor for all chars instead of just fighters? d20, a dice with 20 sides, right? Hitting AC0 is good, right? Does that mean you've hit armor class zero? Shan
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PC DnD
Aug 20, 2005 0:50:53 GMT
Post by Shan on Aug 20, 2005 0:50:53 GMT
That makes sense, and then it is just called each time a dice roll is needed. Thanks DragonLord. Shan
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PC DnD
Aug 20, 2005 0:56:15 GMT
Post by Shan on Aug 20, 2005 0:56:15 GMT
What do you mean by "you only generally get one spell at a time?" Are you talking about at the time you can select spells? Which do you have to use more stragedy in playing a sorcerer or a wizard? I would think a wizard, since you would have to memorize your spells. Shan
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PC DnD
Aug 20, 2005 1:56:50 GMT
Post by Elliot Kane on Aug 20, 2005 1:56:50 GMT
Shan... It's true for all kinds of damage where muscles matter. it's not important for Mages because they do damage by spell, nor for Thieves, who are not supposed to fight the enemy head on anyway. It's less important for Clerics, too, as they too use spells. For pure thuggery though, Strength is the most important stat Yes, and yes. Although the better you get, the less impressive hitting AC0 is, of course, before you are adding a lot more bonuses
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PC DnD
Aug 20, 2005 23:39:02 GMT
Post by Shan on Aug 20, 2005 23:39:02 GMT
Thanks for all the help Elliot. I really appreciate all the info. Things make alot more sense now. Shan
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