2e Players' Option

[paladinn]

Hola all,

I've started looking at the old 2e "Player's Option" stuff (i.e. 2.5e). I know that in a lot of ways, C&C is an extension of 2e; it's been called 3e as it should have been. Anyway, some of this looks interesting, especially some of the class options. I've found that a lot of pre-3e stuff can possibly be bolted onto C&C without breaking the game.

Has anyone had any experience with PO? Anyone tried (or given thought to) adapting any of it to C&C? Or is it all completely broken?

Gratzi!

[JediOre]

I've not touched any of the Player's Option material. Back in the day, my group went to 2nd edition and stayed with it for about three years and found we liked original AD&D more, so we reverted back and my 2nd edition books (just the core three) have set on my shelf every since.

Sorry I cannot be of any help to you.

[Rigon]

I've looked at them, but never used them.

R-

[Go0gleplex]

We used the players options extensively but didn't really use Skills & Powers much. The various class and race books got a good work out as well. Still have my books too. If I wasn't focused on C&C, 2nd ed would be what I'd be using.

[Fizz]

I know (or knew) the books fairly well. They are a mixed batch.

Skills & Powers was the one i found the most useful. I particularly liked the options that permitted characters to customize their class abilities. It also had new proficiences and mastery rules.

Spells & Magic had a few new classes and new ways to classifying arcane spells. It has alternative to Vancian magic, but i found them unnecessarily complicated.

Combat & Tactics i liked the least, as a lot of it is combat bloat, much of which found its way into 3e. But it did have some ideas for martial styles.

In short, all three books have elements that could be used in C&C, but also elements that i think would be excessive complications for C&C.


-Fizz

[Captain_K]

can you be more specific? options?

skills? proficiencies?

I like skills outside of class abilities to see if you can cook, light a fire in the woods, tie flies and fish, etc. details to your PC archetype.

[Go0gleplex]

Skills and Powers was what was used to customize your racial abilities using a point system to purchase them. Classes fell under the same type system. There were also Kits which were like a sub-class (ie Thief-Acrobat or Thief-Beggar or Cleric-Smuggler). It also split the six Attributes into 12 allowing further customization; example- Strength consisted of Stamina and Muscle, the average of the two was STR. Stamina governed weight carried while Muscle was damage, lift cap., and bend bars. Then you had weakness which you could take to add points to your purchase pools, non-weapon proficiences, weapon mastery, additional magic schools such as Shadow Mage, and a bit on Psionics.

Spells & Magic really delved into how magic works, specialist mages and priests, spell creation/research, new spells, etc.

Combat & Tactics got into a step by step breakdown on the combat round, battlefields, tracking time, combat maneuvers like Shield Punch or Grappling, more weapon mastery, fighting styles (ie Sword and Shield vs Two-handed), Critical hits by weapon types, Unarmed Combat, Siege warfare, Armor and mastery, and How monsters fight/tactics.

The forth book was High Level Campaigns which was DM advice, Adventure creation advice, Spell and Magic Item advice, Creation of Magic Items, Magical Duels, True Dweomers, High Level Characters (20+ level) and all that fun type stuff like a THACO breakdown graph for the backbone classes.

The main problem with a lot of the options outside of the Character and Class stuff was it caused a massive power creep. Almost worse that 3e & 3.5e...but far less than 4e & 5e munchkinism. If used as a tool box adopting only certain aspects of the books, they really did add positively to the game...if just adopted as a whole without really thinking about what would and wouldn't work in your game it quickly became a complete cluster****.

[Fizz]

Skills and Powers was what was used to customize your racial abilities using a point system to purchase them. Classes fell under the same type system.

Indeed- this is the best part of the book in my mind. My group in the day had already implemented these kinds of tweaks. So my favorite ranger could not cast spells, but he did have the ability to backstab in the wild. This book just formalized those kinds of swaps with a point system.

It also split the six Attributes into 12 allowing further customization; example- Strength consisted of Stamina and Muscle, the average of the two was STR. Stamina governed weight carried while Muscle was damage, lift cap., and bend bars.

Ah yes, i should have mentioned those. I really liked this idea too. It allowed for the possibility of a character who can't walk a tightrope ability, but has nimble fingers to open a lock (Dex-Balance vs Dex-Aim).

Spells & Magic really delved into how magic works, specialist mages and priests, spell creation/research, new spells, etc.

And it had a few new priestly classes... crusader, monk, shaman. They were more miss than hit for me though.

The forth book was High Level Campaigns which was DM advice, Adventure creation advice, Spell and Magic Item advice, Creation of Magic Items, Magical Duels, True Dweomers, High Level Characters (20+ level) and all that fun type stuff like a THACO breakdown graph for the backbone classes.

Ah, i knew there was a fourth book, but i couldn't remember what. I never used this one at all, so can't comment.

The main problem with a lot of the options outside of the Character and Class stuff was it caused a massive power creep. Almost worse that 3e & 3.5e...but far less than 4e & 5e munchkinism. If used as a tool box adopting only certain aspects of the books, they really did add positively to the game...if just adopted as a whole without really thinking about what would and wouldn't work in your game it quickly became a complete cluster****.

i think most of the power creep came from Combat & Tactics, as i remember, but it was awhile ago.


-Fizz