Advanced Dungeon And Dragons.

Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook.

My copy is from 1997 and you can read at the introduction “This is not AD&D 3rd Edition”! What a premonition. The first was published in 1989 and this second edition of AD&D is from 1996

You all know that this is a Gary Gygax creation, but the Second Edition or Advanced Dungeons and Dragons Player’s Handbook is a book by David Cook, Steve Winter and Jon Pickens.

In this book you can find the following sections: Ability, Races, Classes, Alignment, Proficiencies, Money and Equipment, Magic, Experience Combat, Treasure, Encounters, NPCs, Vision and Light, Time and Movement and Spells, lots of Spells.

The picture at the right is a double page presentation of Magician's PC Classes.

This page is the quintessential D&D. It is the THACO or To Hit Armor Class Zero. A real nightmare to new players that, when mastered, will let you understand what you were fighting and how though the enemy was. To me 3rd edition solved this complex table with an elegant system.

A mythic spell. The most powerful of them all. Had you ever try it? No, I didn’t. You can perform everything you wish, including resurrecting a Character. Your character will suffer severe consequences from performing it, but this could be a one in a life-time experience.

Dungeon Master Guide.

Another copy from 1997. Here you can find almost the same chapter as the Player’s Guide: Abilities scores, Races, Classes, Alignment, Proficiencies, Money and Equipment, Magic, Experience, Combat, Treasures and Magical Items, Encounters, NPCs, Vision and Light, Time and Movement, Miscellany and Tables.

But the point of view is quite different. Here you are the referee, the monsters and the NPCs and more specially; the great inventor, the creator of the reality where your players will enjoy their adventure. No more, no less.

Scoring the abilities from a dice throwing was really something in the early days of the game. If you were lucky, your character would survive, if not, it won’t be necessary to play it: he/she will die soon. In second Edition, this problem was solved accepting home rules that where established long ago. This option (four dice, ignore the lowest and arrange the results as you like) was the option I always used and that my DMs used. To me, this is the best option to create a character that would mirror your expectatives.

Here is something really AD&D. It was removed from the 3rd edition. If your character has a race or a class that would not be allowed to grow, you could get bored of your character before it reaches his/her peak.

Another potent tool for DMs was the tables of random encounters. D&D is a game of adventure and combat. It could be developed into a more complex game, but its virtue is that is a great adventure and combat RPG.

Monstrous Manual

This copy is from 1993. Tim Beach and Doug Steward were the editors that compiled the monster manual that was the most attractive book of the three basic pack.

Rakshasa was one of the most fascinating creatures I’ve ever met in a AD&D adventure. A tiger so intelligent that could confront you by just talking. His hands were outside down and as a hostile enemy, it could kill you in first round. A real threat.

The other Monster Manual that I own is from 1997. The same content but it was mended in some mistakes.

Another favourite of mine. A Mind Flayer that could fry your brain in no time, but that is so intelligent not to do that if is not strictly necessary. In 3rd edition, you can be one of them as a Race.

Monstrous compendium annual 1994

A series of addendas to the Monster Manual that came from the Dungeon Magazine and the several adventures published after the basic set.

A funny Monster. Quite a threat.

Monstrous compendium annual 1995

Another big one. When you see something like this, you must run.

Monstrous compendium annual 1996

This very specialized NPC could be found at high levels. An interesting adversary for diehard PCs.

Monstrous compendium annual Planescape 1994

A new set was created at the begging of the 90s. It was Planescape and focused on adventures in planar travelling. It didn’t last because it was only for players that understood D&D very well.

As you can see, the art was beautiful and different from the common fantasy picture of the other products.

Tome of Magic 1991

This was a supplement that added hundreds of spells to the already overpopulated magician’s book.

Nap was a spell that I used. It was intended as a protection spell and as a way of curing the wounds. But I know someone that used it as an offensive spell. If I were the DM, I would never allow this kind of behaviour to my players.