(More) Exceptional Ability Scores for AD&D 2E

In my last post, I provided a new take on Exceptional Strength and also added Exceptional Dexterity and Exceptional Constitution to the mix. Now it is time to move on with this madness.

Here are Exceptional Ability Scores for Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma.

My first question is whether these last Exceptional Scores should be limited to just some classes. 

At first, I thought of limiting Exceptional Intelligence to the Wizard and Psionicist groups, Exceptional Wisdom to Priests, and Exceptional Charisma to Rogues. 

However, I’m a bit hesitant for the following reasons:

Point 1: spellcasters and psionicists are already powerful in my opinion and have tons of cool powers to play with.

Point 2: I really love making Warriors and Rogues more interesting.

Point 3: In fact, Rogues are by far the weakest class and Warriors already have 3 Exceptional so I would limit the last 3 ONLY to Rogues (Thieves and Bards). Yes, they have to pick just one Exceptional Ability Score. 

...but! Point 4: I’m all in favour of options, so if your Wizard, Psionicist or Priest (heck, even your Warrior) want to have one of them, we can discuss an XP penalty (or cost) or even use points from Player’s Options: Spells & Magic.

A warning: I was never a fan of bonus inflation, and I love different schools of RPG (see the subtitle of this blog) so some of the perks of Exceptional “mental” Ability Scores might not be to strictly Old School likings.

Tehol Beddict from the Malazan Book of the Fallen by Meonika

Here is EXCEPTIONAL INTELLIGENCE. Remember, my initial target are Rogues, but I tried to make it interesting in case a Wizard/Psionicist gets it.

Open Non-Weapon Proficiency (NWP) Slot: the Rogue gains an extra Language (or NWP if using the optional system). The difference is that they can decide DURING play to spend it, if it makes sense. For example: a Rogue could reasonably declare that he learned Goblin after that party survived a few Underdark trips. They want to know Goblin to talk with the Hobgoblins currently coming in their direction.

Read Languages: add this bonus to the Thief Skills. Characters without Thief Skill (e.g. a Mage) gain the Thief Skill at this level.

Magic Use: instead of waiting for the 10^th level, Rogues can use scrolls (and Bards magical devices of a written nature) before that. Non-Rogues can use the same magic items (if they don’t have access to them). For example, a Priest could try to use an arcane scroll, with the same miss chances as a Rogue.

Magic Aptitude: add this bonus to a Rogue/Bard’s original attempt to use magic items.

(Optional) Psionic Aptitude: instead of Magic Use and Magic Aptitude, a Psionicist can improve any non-Intelligence-based power by +1 (if a Science) or +2 (if a Devotion) or increase any 2 Devotions by +1. He can repeat this for every degree of Exceptional Intelligence. DMs who prefer the rules of the Will and the Way might ignore this optional rule.

Perks: choose any of the following…

 

Ars Memoria: You have photographic memory. To keep things manageable, the PC can “slot” one perfect memory each time. For example: a 1-turn conversation, one map, some pages of text, a 10 x 10 room and its visible contents etc.  You can buy this more than once to have more “memory slots”.

 

Mental Flexibility: once per level you change a Weapon or Non-Weapon Proficiency (or a Language) by a new one. Basically, your old knowledge gets rusted, and you adapt to new stuff. If you think this is not “realistic” … first, this is a game. Second, you never tried to learn more than 3 languages. You can buy this more than once for additional uses per level.

 

Doubting Thomas: you have a +4 bonus against illusions, or you have a 15% of noticing that something is an illusion merely by sensing it (DM rolls in secret). You can buy this 2 times to have both.

 

Deduction: after examining an object for roughly 1 minute (maybe one memorized with Ars Memoria), you can make a Yes/No question to the DM (similar to augury but you need evidence here).

 

Tactician: during initiative choose one creature you can see, the DM must declare their actions to you before you choose your own action. You can easily deduce others’ steps. Instead of that, once per encounter, you can ask for one stat of an enemy after 1 round of combat (like hit points, AC etc.).

 

Logician: you have 25% chance of ignoring confusion and maze (and similar effects that cause disorientation, like the psionic power id insinuation).

 

Mastermind: 1/day, you have planned for the situation you are in. This allows you to add a small riskless action that you could have undertaken in the past. For example, you could have suspected there would be poisons creatures and bought an antoxin while passing through merchant. Or you could have taken the opportunity of visiting the temple to inform them of the cultists ambushing you. The DM has the final say. This is inspired by the heist flashback mechanics of Blades in the Dark.

 

Exceptional Intelligence	Open NWP Slot	Read Languages	Magic Use	Magic Aptitude	Perks
0-50	+0	+5%	9th level	+5%	1
51-75	+1	+5%	8th level	+5%	2
76-90	+1	+10%	7th level	+10%	2
91-99	+2	+15%	6th level	+10%	3
00	+3	+15%	5th level	+15%	4

Gandalf the Grey by Lucas Graciano

Here is EXCEPTIONAL WISDOM:

Sagacity: if you PC is trying something clearly stupid or foolhardy, the DM roll 1d100 in secret and will let you know before your action (Yes, I stole this from GURPS).

Sixth Sense: the DM rolls secretly and will let you know every time a magical, psionic, supernatural or otherwise uncanny event happens within 30 ft. of your PC. You just know it happened, none other information.

Perks: choose any of the following…

 

Judge of Hearts: 1/day, after interacting with someone for 1 round/minute you can ask a Yes/Now question that you could otherwise discover through effects like augury, ESP and detect lies. You can buy this multiple times to use more times per day.

 

Willpower: if you fail in a saving throw against a mind-effect (no matter the original), you can try roll equal to or lower than half your Wisdom. If you succeed, you postpone the effect for 1 round. You can buy this multiple times to extend the duration by +1 round.

 

Foresight: 1/day, after failing an action and hearing the consequences, you can declare that your forethought that and try something different.

 

Mercy of the Gods: 1/day, treat a fumble as a critical hit. Make a considerable sacrifice/donation to some deity after that or this ability might not refresh (and in fact some deities might inflict a fumble if you roll a critical).

 

Temperance: choose a type (fear, insanity, charm, domination, despair etc.). You gain a +3 bonus to saving throws. You can choose different types, but never one type more than once.

 

 

Exceptional Wisdom	Sagacity	Sixth Sense	Spell Immunity*	Perks
0-50	15%	10%	-	1
51-75	20%	10%	1 spell from Wisdom 19	2
76-90	25%	15%	2 spells from Wisdom 19	2
91-99	30%	15%	2 spells from Wisdom 19 or 1 spell from Wisdom 20	2
00	35%	20%	2 spells from Wisdom 19 and 1 spell from Wisdom 20	3

*Spell Immunity: the DM might allow you to choose an equivalent psionic power.

Fafhrd & Grey Mouser by Mike Mignola

Here is EXCEPTIONAL CHARISMA:

Maximum # of Henchmen: Nothing new here.

Loyal Follower: select one hireling/retainer. That NPC never needs to roll Morale while working for you (of course, there limit, if you torture the poor thing…). But under 99% of circumstances, if treated fairly, they will never let you down. The DM is encouraged to reduce or negate this if the PC use their hirelings/retainers as cannon fodder (to disarm traps, for example).

Reaction Rerolls: as described, if your PC is takin the lead, they can reroll Reactions and use the best result.

Perks: choose any of the following…

 

Talkers Go First: One of my all-time favourites. If your PC JUST want to talk, you win initiative automatically. You have 1 free round.

 

Friends in Weird Places: If you could theoretically know someone in a location, you can declare it so and create with the DM a minor local friendly NPC contact (even among “monsters”). This should be limited to 1/location and no more than 1/session or 1/adventure, depending on your table’s pace.

 

Not the face: If you haven’t hurt the target and they are about to hurt you, 1/day (and never against the same target), they won’t. They lose their action. This doesn’t work against area attacks.

 

Take my lead: if you succeed at a saving throw against a mind-effect, choose another PC or NPC seeing you to follow your example. 1/day. You can buy this more than once.

 

Charm of the Gods: 1/day you can force a Reaction roll to things that should NOT have to roll Reaction. For example: mindless undeads or golems. Please honour the gods after this, just to be safe.

 

Scoundrel: 1/day, you can improve a Reaction roll by one degree. Yes, you can buy this more than once. Either to improve the roll by 2 degrees or to improve it by 1 degree twice. You can buy it a third time. Remember: it must still make sense!

 

Minion: 1/session or 1/adventure, depending on your table’s pace, you can declare you have a 0-level/1^st-level hireling. If that makes sense with the narrative.

 

Born Leader: mercenaries and hirelings cost 50% for you. You bastard. If they all die, you might lose this benefit for some time.

 

Comeliness (yes, Unearthed Arcana!): you’re too beautiful/sexy/sassy for your own good. Good news is that most foes (of opposite sex or attracted by your gender/sex/identity) will take great pains to keep you alive. Bad news is that you draw too much attention (the DM is encouraged to inflict one random encounter automatically over the party just to kidnap you). Do you want more rules? Okay, those fascinated by you will (DM’s fiat) operate as Friendly as long as you play along (but won’t change their goals, Intelligence or alignment). This is a very narrative advantage/disadvantage trait that requires trust/communication between DM and the table. If that is too much to ask, DON’T USE IT.

 

Ransom: for some reason you are more worthy alive than dead. Intelligent NPCs will take that into account and try to get money/magic items/favours in exchange. Please bear in mind that NPCs that failed Morale rolls and are running for their lives will still kill you.

 

 

 

Exceptional Charisma	Maximum # of Henchmen	Loyal Follower	Reaction Rerolls	Perks
0-50	-	+1	-	1
51-75	+5	+2	1/day	2
76-90	+10	+3	1/day	3
91-99	+10	+4	2/day	4
00	+15	+5	3/day	5

 

Now, a final afterthought: I’m a creature influenced by DCC RPG, where low ability scores have their own charm. Damn, I have created a darkhumour DCC RPG hack where your REALLY low ability scores can give you small benefits. I am almost tempted to also offer those.

Exceptional Ability Scores for AD&D 2E

Exceptional Strength is one of those iconic rules of D&D. I thought that it was something created for AD&D 1E, but I discovered that it first showed up on OD&D Greyhawk. Basically, if you are a Fighter (Warrior Group in AD&D2E) and you have Strength 18, you can roll 1d100 to access a special chart with additional progressions for to hit, damage, encumbrance and feats of might stuff.

 

The idea behind Exceptional Strength is beautiful: Warriors can achieve degrees of strength unreachable by other classes. The execution of that idea: sorry Gygax, but quite “meh”.  C’mon: if you are rolling 3d6 in order (like we are), the chances of getting a 18 are – I think – lower than 1%. To create a class feature that less than 1% of its members can use sounds absurd (but 100% pure Gygaxian I guess). No wonders basically ALL Fighters in the 90s had Strength 18 on the Brazilian groups that I frequented.

 

In other words, I would love to keep Exceptional Strength in my AD&D 2E game, but I wanted to de-couple it from Strength 18. Thankfully, the fine gentlemen of the Dragonsfoot forums went ahead and did all the work.

 

So, basically, in my current campaign, ALL Warriors (usually Fighters, Rangers and Paladins… but I might also add Barbarians) have Exceptional Strength, no matter their true Strength Ability Score (which, following AD&D 2E rules, must be 9+ if you are a Fighter).

 

Here is the EXCEPTIONAL STRENGTH table (again, inspired by Dragonsfoot):

 

Exceptional Strength	Hit Probability	Damage	Weight Allowance	Maximum Press	Open Doors	Bend Bars/Lift Gates
0-50	+0	+1	+25	+25	+1	+4
51-75	+1	+1	+50	+50	+2	+9
76-90	+1	+2	+75	+75	+3	+14
91-99	+1	+3	+125	+125	+4(3)	+19
00	+2	+4	+225	+225	+5(6)	+24

I really liked this approach, and my table so far has enjoyed it too.

 

But that opened new questions for me.

 

AD&D 2E mentions that Halflings can never have Exceptional Strength, even if they rolled 18. While, on one side, I love the byzantine requirements and restrictions of AD&D 2E, I also like to provide alternatives. So, if you are a Halfling Warrior, you still can’t have Exceptional Strength, but you can have Exceptional Dexterity or Exceptional Constitution (other Warriors can choose freely).

 

Here is my first take on EXCEPTIONAL DEXTERITY (it is still under playtesting, as just one player has used it so far): 

Exceptional Dexterity	Reaction Adj.	Missile Att. Adj.	AC Adj.	Saving Throws Adj.	Special
0-50	+1	+0	+0	+1	+1 ranged dmg*
51-75	+1	+1	+0	+1	+1 ranged dmg, +1 AC vs ranged att
76-90	+1	+1	+1	+1	+2 ranged dmg, +1 AC vs ranged att
91-99	+2	+1	+1	+2	+2 ranged dmg, +2 called shots, +2 AC vs ranged att
00	+2	+1	+1	+2	+2 called shots, +2 ranged dmg +2 AC vs ranged att, +1 RoF

  *DM can rule that this damage operates under the same limitations of backstab and critical hits (i.e., if a creature has no discernible anatomy and is immune to backstabs/critical hits, then it should be immune to this precision damage too). However, DMs using Combat & Tactics are welcome to ignore this if the player provide a proper justification and, for example, ask for a called shot (after all, a magic arrow in a vampire’s eye might hurt more).

Here is EXTRAORDINARY CONSTITUTION (no one has used it yet). And this one requires some explanation.

 

Hit Point Adjustment, System Shock, Resurrection Survival and Regeneration: those stay as they are. I don’t want to inflate AD&D 2E’s hit points (and I like how Warriors gain extra hit points on 17) . Also, both System Shock and Resurrection Survival are already clearly bounded in the 1-25 scale.

 

Poison Save: as in the current table.

 

Disease and Fatigue Save: same logic as Poison Save but applying to these categories.

 

Resist Lethal Wound: the most radical departure. This presupposes that you’re using the Hovering at the Death’s Door (from the Dungeon Master’s Guide). Basically, you can keep fighting at that amount of hit points, but you must make a System Shock roll after your action or suffer 1d6 points of damage due to exertion.

 

Exceptional Constitution	Poison Save	Disease Save	Fatigue Save	Resist Lethal Wounds	Special
0-50	+0	+1	+2	-	Flesh Wound: Recover 1 hps after an encounter if you lost hps in that encounter.
51-75	+1	+2	+2	0 hit point	As above, but it is 2 hps.
76-90	+2	+2	+3	-1 hit point	As above, but it is 3 hps.
91-99	+2	+3	+3	-2 hit point	As above, but it is 4 hps.
00	+3	+3	+3	-3 hit point	As above. 1/day you can make one saving throw vs death to negate one critical hit, one energy drain attack or to reduce to half an attack that doesn’t allow a saving throw.

 

And YES! Tinkering with rules above, made me want to create Exceptional Intelligence, Exceptional Wisdom, and Exceptional Charisma. I’m ironically aware that I might be going “full Hackmaster”. But let us leave that for another post 😊

Back to the 90s…

Say 'Cheese!'

 

Short (and Optional) Real-Life Disclaimer: This blog isn’t the place for my life melodrama but, that said, the last years have been hard through all fronts – financially, professionally, emotionally, socially, health… the dread list goes on. That is one of the reasons why I couldn’t keep up this blog with the regularity that I originally envisioned. To keep my sanity, I focused on the one RPG table that, for the last 15 years, has never let me down. I was not disappointed. I was surprised when they asked, 4 years ago, to start an AD&D 2E game but I didn’t hesitate. These guys are my “DM compass”. If they say they want AD&D 2E, there must be a reason. We are now almost 70 sessions later and I have never produced so much content and sessions reports in my life (almost 500 pages!). Let’s see if I can use some of that on this blog (and see if you are interested in AD&D 2E as well).

AD&D 2E Forgotten Realms (post Avatar War) was our “to go game” in the 90s (it was the first TSR setting translated in Brazil). Of course, we found AD&D 2E rules and subsystems confusing. We kept forgetting half of them and never using the other half (and probably what we used, we used it wrong). We rolled stats with such crazy and generous rules that “Strength 18/00” was a common presence at the table. Hit points were always maxed at first, if not increased. We never got why AD&D 2E had so many limitations, so we ignored a ton of requirements. We overused, of course, the most broken class/kit combos and loved it (Hello Specialist Priests!). We still told ourselves that we were playing “official content”, which was not technically true (we did use a ton of house rules that were common in the 90s’ Brazilian RPG zeitgeist… changing stuff like energy drain for example). Those were the golden years. We were all young and foolish (now just foolish), but it was a heck of fun! I think I stop running AD&D 2E around 1999 (because of 3^rd Edition) and yes, I regret dropping that game just because a new one had come up (a common sin among RPG players).

Now, the funny thing is that some players of my current table are old friends (from our 90s’ tables). In the first half of 2022, out of the blue, they pitched me the idea of going back to AD&D 2E. Everyone was instantly excited. My counterproposal: this time, for fun, let’s try it by the rules (not RAW, there is no RAW RPG in my opinion, each table slightly/slowly shapes the system to their style). For me, “by the rules”, meant that we were going to use all the limitations/requirements, subsystems and weird rules (if possible, at the same time, like using both Secondary Skills and Proficiencies). That would be a feature, not a bug. And we used basically everything: Reaction Rolls, NPC Morale, Death’s Door, Individualized XP per class etc. On the XP side, we added that any treasure acquired in the adventure and spent in civilization would give the PC 1 XP/GP… this finally made the XP charts of AD&D 2E make sense (in the 90s, we usually got “stuck” on levels 4-6 and never got enough XP to advance further, forcing the DM to grant us “XP bonuses”). Now, I never felt the need to do that. This rule also encouraged PCs to carouse, lead lavish lifestyles, build stuff etc. It enriched our downtime between adventures.

Yes, we rolled 3d6 in order. No, no one rolled an eligible Paladin PC yet, we barely rolled 1-2 potential Rangers. This actually generated parties that really reflected the “inner logic” of AD&D 2E worlds: tons of Warriors and Rogues, a Wizard here and there, a few Priests. YES, we rolled hit points! One thief with 1 hit point at 1^st level survived to the 5^th level… with 5 hit points! His epithet is “The Immortal”. Having played a ton of DCCRPG before we now embraced “suboptimal” and “weak” PCs and they shined! (Recently, a Priest with really low stats just reached 10^th level!)

After some 33-34 years as a DM, I approached AD&D 2E with maturity and the insights of the OSR, FKR, and other amazing game design (such as the games created by John Harper). No, I didn’t change any rules (not at first), but I let players' description of their actions ("player skill" as we say in the OSR) influence when the dice were rolled. However, once rolled, the bones were the rulers of Fate! Particularly for things like Secondary Skills, Non-weapon Proficiencies (NWPs), ability score checks (and the myriad sub checks in each score) and Thieves Skills, I would often remove the need of a roll if a player prepared carefully and described well their approach. I was inspired by the original rule advice to NWPs in Oriental Adventures 1E: proficiencies are only rolled under extreme circumstances, otherwise you are a professional.

Soon, I started a ruling that, when PCs had to roll under their Thieves Skills (I mean, if they HAD to roll), I would often ask first for them to roll under an ability score (often with penalties) and try to reach as high as possible without going over their stat (blackjack-like mechanic). If they failed, THEN they would roll the pertinent Thief Skill. This made those low percentages make sense for us. And – again, I must stress – ONLY when needed: if the Thief was in a dark cave, with plenty of time, without encumbrance etc... yeah, they CAN Move Silently and Hide in Shadows without rolling (AD&D 2E already has a wonderful precedent for that through the “racial stealth” ability of Elves and Halflings).

Focusing on describing your actions and rolling only when nothing else worked brought all the AD&D 2E crazy (and contradictory) subsystems to life! Rolling 3d6 in order made bonuses rare, which made total sense in AD&D 2E (Str 18/00 caps at +3 to hit and +6 to damage, this system was not made to have those crazy high modifiers of my youth – or of D&D 3th+ editions). The result was impressive for me: the table completely focused on the narrative, checking their character sheet 90% for equipment, and deeply invested in tactics (combat is deadly lethal in pre-3^rd D&D editions as most of you know). Rogues stole the spotlight beautifully, while still being the weakest characters in combat and resistance. Warriors were ESSENTIAL to keep the party alive. Clerics could handle themselves, but both they and Wizards are extremely fragile when spellcasting. Remember, this is AD&D 2E spellcasting: no moving, full concentration, even 1 damage is goodbye to your memorized spell, and you must DECLARE before rolling initiative that you are going to spellcast… what a beautiful risk if you don’t have a meat shield (a.k.a. as Warriors) to protect you. The tactics required were super fun for us! (And, yes, hirelings ARE A MUST!)

Having the experience to use all the subsystems and crazy tables to enrich the game instead of containing it was awesome, but I did add one house rule since the start: Open Saves.

AD&D 2E was the last edition to use the “arcane” and original Saving Throw categories of D&D (okay, a bit changed). I HATED Saving Throw in the 90s, as I could never understand or make sense of each category. Today? I find them quite charming. More importantly, after having read the original D&D and Chainmail, I think I finally get the purpose of Saving Throws: from a wargame perspective, they are a rule applied exclusively to elite (often solo) units, to allow them a chance to avoid death and stay in battle. In other words, they are a “second chance” when everything else has gone wrong.

I really want to bring that principle back, so I proposed the mechanics/ruling/weirdness that I call Open Saves.

Basically, any PC (and only PCs) can negotiate an Open Save with the DM as a reaction to an event in the narrative (a trigger if you like). For example, let’s say that your Fighter missed his charge (the attack roll) against an ogre. The player can request an Open Save. All Open Saves have costs and risks. The player promptly offers the cost: my spear will break. The risk? If he fails the Open Save, the ogre gets an attack of opportunity against them. If the DM agrees, they select a Saving Throw category (let’s use Rod, Staff or Wand). If the Fighter succeeds, his spear breaks but he hits the ogre. If he fails, the loses his spear and is about to be smashed. If the trigger is something that involves already a saving throw, then the Open Save must take that into account. For example, a Cleric is hit by a fireball and the DM asks for a normal saving throw. The player calls for an Open Save, describing how they raise their shield to protect themselves. Originally, a save against fireball is that you reduce damage by half if you succeed. The player wants to reduce damage to zero and proposes losing their shield (cost) and having their arm crippled if their fail (risk). The DM deems the cost too low for the benefit but accepts the risk. After some back-and-forth, the Cleric reframe the description as they desperately call for divine intervention, raising their shield. The cost now is the shield plus one random memorized spell. The DM loves it and asks for a saving throw against Breath Weapon. (If you ever read/played RPGs like Blades in the Dark, that deal with Position/Impact, this is the same idea. NeoclassicalGeek Revival approaches saves in general with the same open-mindness regarding negotiation between DM and player.)

I hope in the following months to share with you the stuff that I created for my AD&D 2E campaign: races, classes, kits, spells etc. (and the crazy rulings and house rules that we developed). We added considerable content from Dragon Magazines, the Complete Handbook series, Player’s Options* etc. (and even stuff from AD&D 1E, D&D BECMI and other previous editions). The campaign right now has PCs that have ventured through the Dalelands, Waterdeep, the Abyss, Elysium, Sigil, the Outlands… even the past during the glory of Netheril. And we still have a long way to go!

Fight on!

*But not the new “sub-Ability Scores” of Skills & Magic, there are limits to my madness.

We were young and foolish... it was fucking awesome!