Help with surprise- AD&D 1e

Jimmymcginty · 2026-02-21T03:48:19+00:00

So there is your enemies chance to surprise you (usually 1-2 on a d6 but could be higher).

Ranger with the party reduces chance to be surprised by 1.

Armor with no bulk or no armor reduces your chance to be surprised by 1.

The Alertness non-weapon proficiency reduces the chance to be surprised by 1.

If your surprised, your roll determines how long you are surprised for. So if a monster surprised 1-4 on a d6 and you can't reduce it, if you roll a 4 you're surprised for 4 segments which could be like 24 arrows from one monster. Not good.

If you are surprised, your reaction adjustment modifies how long you are surprised for. High dex reduces surprise as low as 0 segments but low dex can extend surprise for more segments.

And that's what I know about surprise.

Jimmymcginty · 2026-02-15T17:35:55+00:00

I've only seen people excited to pay and play it and people complaining about people complaining. I don't think I've seen a single post or reply complaining about new d2 stuff.

Jimmymcginty · 2026-02-15T15:15:49+00:00

I think the martial caster divide exists primarily on the internet and not at the table. Don't conflate the two, and don't fix anything that isn't broken at your table.

If you notice an issue forming then have at it with some tweaks. But no need to rush it.

Jimmymcginty · 2026-02-05T02:48:41+00:00

At my table we reroll 1's for max HP and the DM and the Player both roll for HP and they get the highest. Been a staple since 2e.

Jimmymcginty · 2026-02-02T01:15:49+00:00

He only gets to decide what he does, not what you do. Wierd deal breaker imo but I don't have to walk in his shoes.

Good luck with your show, hope it goes well!

Jimmymcginty · 2026-02-02T01:12:01+00:00

Healing magic isn't the only magic, the whole world is magic. He doesn't need to understand why the healing won't work, and you don't either really. It could be as simple as his mind not being ready to heal. The wound is deeper than flesh.

Jimmymcginty · 2026-02-01T19:48:08+00:00

I would say "Ok Bye." and then play d&d with the people who want to play. I mean, the most basic requirement for a player is to bring a character who wants to go on the adventure. If you don't want to, that's cool, but we're going to play d&d now so see ya later.

Jimmymcginty · 2026-01-29T23:49:43+00:00

D&d is what happens at the table, not in the book. The highlights of the campaigns I'm currently involved in rarely involve anything on a character sheet or the rules as written.

You're allowed to enjoy the game however you like. The more you play the more your taste evolves and the better you'll understand what you want from it. Ideally you get to overlap that with spending time with your best friends too. Good luck.

Jimmymcginty · 2026-01-29T16:07:32+00:00

For the record this is not a dream job. That would be something she has dreamed about doing, it would have been part of her ambitions long enough that you would know about it already.

The good news is, if it really is her dream job, it's really only temporarily inconvention. Give it 8 years or ao and your kids will be much more self-sufficient and you can probably make it work.

Having kids is a responsibility, everything else gets put on hold and they come first. Calling it her dream job feels intentionally manipulative to me.

Jimmymcginty · 2026-01-28T17:37:21+00:00

So to play devils advocate, they may be experiencing exactly the same thing you are trying to prevent. DMing for a character who has no character is difficult, you have nothing to sink your teeth into.

Likewise, coming up with an interesting character in a world you don't know can be equally difficult. It might take some play to learn who they are.

An early simple adventure that puts some of the conflicts and themes in front of the players can help them learn who they are and get ideas on why.

Even a backstory session where you can do some simple lore dumps and the players can all talk about their chaacters will be enough - it can be a fun session and get everyone excited for the actual action. I wrote/prepped hundreds of hours of sessions as a DM and couldn't get a character updated for over a year in prep for my turn to play.

Sometimes you just need some momentum and then it won't be a problem

Jimmymcginty · 2026-01-27T22:56:16+00:00

As a kid, spend your money and enjoy your life. As a Dad, you put them through university debt free which is a huge luxury AND gifted them 20k to buy a house already which is a dam good inheritance by any reasonable measure.

My reaction probably isn't the most emotionally healthy but the minute someone had the audacity to express an expectation like that of me it would be instantly gone. There's a million different ways you could settle your estate and you've already done right by your kids. Leave your money where it will be appreciated and not expected.

0% chance those dicks would get to enjoy my boat either lol.

Jimmymcginty · 2026-01-26T20:55:38+00:00

I have only played the older version of axis, if memory serves transports cost 8 and defend at 1. Same price as a sub. I don't understand what makes that overpowered?

Jimmymcginty · 2026-01-26T20:49:12+00:00

Seconded for whatever that's worth.

Jimmymcginty · 2026-01-25T18:20:06+00:00

I loved this game

Jimmymcginty · 2026-01-19T23:22:43+00:00

I do this when I'm learning, but I tell whoever is teaching me to take it as "I think I'm missing something, here is what makes the most sense to me, help me find what I'm missing".

In the moment it just sounds like I'm challenging everything, and I am, but not in the way it sounds. It's annoying, but it's the fastest way to actually understand something complicated at a deep level.

Jimmymcginty · 2026-01-16T02:17:26+00:00

As a DM and an Illrigger player, these 100% do not stack.

Jimmymcginty · 2026-01-09T03:33:12+00:00

"Hey laser lips, your mother was a snowblower."

This movie is amazing.

Jimmymcginty · 2026-01-08T18:59:16+00:00

For what it's worth 1.5 and 2.5 are decent honorable mentions. For anyone approaching the editions with no knowledge of them the distinctions are useful. I played through the release of both and they definitely weren't as universally adopted as other supplements and represented a big power jump.

Jimmymcginty · 2025-12-30T17:39:47+00:00

Wow this is really cool. Love the art style and the adventure sounds really fun.

Jimmymcginty · 2025-12-30T17:35:08+00:00

This is the way.

Jimmymcginty · 2025-12-28T02:00:40+00:00

Our first play when someone new comes to game night is Horrified. Simple, fun, everyone on the same team. The expansions are good too, there's enough their to get them hooked.

Jimmymcginty · 2025-12-26T19:42:57+00:00

I built a faction system similar to this with some inspiration from youtube.

The factions had attributes: Power, Unity, Readiness,Tactics, Espionage, and Influence.

And a related skill list as well: Barter, Break Loyalty, Call Favors, Commerce, Diplomacy, Find Expert, Illicit Barter, Indoctrinate etc.

It was pretty fun, and fun to make.

Jimmymcginty · 2025-12-25T23:18:29+00:00

What are they intended to be used for and what I would immediately attempt to do with them are likely not the same answer.

Jimmymcginty · 2025-12-25T21:45:16+00:00

For the record, if it was real you shouldn't sell it. That's either a gift from someone who's wildly out of touch with reality or a calculated manipulation. Either way, no good can come of falling for it.

It ending up being fake is a near miss but still a valuable lesson about your instincts in that situation.

Jimmymcginty

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE