Editions of Dungeons & Dragons
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Over the years, there have been a number of different versions of the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing game, all of which are still played.
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[edit] Edition and version history
Dungeons & Dragons has gone through several revisions. Parallel versions and inconsistent naming practices can make it difficult to distinguish between the different editions.
[edit] Original version
The original Dungeons & Dragons was published as a boxed set in 1974 and featured only a handful of the elements for which the game is known today: just three character classes (fighter, magic-user and cleric; four races (human, dwarf, elf, halfling); only a few monsters; only three alignments (lawful, neutral, and chaotic). The rules assumed that players owned and played the miniatures wargame Chainmail and used its measurement and combat systems. An optional combat system was included within the rules that later developed into the sole combat system of later versions of the game. In addition, the rules presumed ownership of Outdoor Survival, an Avalon Hill board game for outdoor exploration and adventure (an unusual requirement, since Tactical Studies Rules was never in any way affiliated with rival Avalon Hill until two and a half decades later, when Wizards of the Coast - the purchaser of TSR's assets and trademarks - merged with Hasbro, which then owned Avalon Hill). The rules were an editorial mess, with many ambiguities and contradictions. Ironically, this helped its success as individual groups had to develop their own rulings and ways of playing and thus gained a sense of ownership of the game.
Supplements such as Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Eldritch Wizardry and Gods, Demi-Gods and Heroes (the last a predecessor of Deities and Demigods), published over the next two years, greatly expanded the rules, character classes, monsters and spells. For example, the original Greyhawk supplement introduced the thief class, and weapon damage varying by weapon (as opposed to character class). In addition, many changes were "officially" adopted into the game and published in the magazines The Strategic Review and its successor Dragon Magazine.
During this era, there were also a number of unofficial supplements published, arguably in violation of TSR's copyright, which many players used alongside the TSR books. The most popular of these were the Arduin series. For the most part, TSR ignored these unofficial supplements, although one of the innovations from the Arduin series (fumbles and critical hits) eventually made its way into mainstream D&D play.
[edit] Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
An updated version of D&D was released as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (officially E. Gary Gygax's Advanced Dungeons & Dragons™, but almost universally known as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, and abbreviated to AD&D). This was published as a series of rulebooks between 1977 and 1989, collecting rules from the original version and the supplements into three volumes, and extensively revising the system into a new game. The term Advanced does not imply a higher level of skill required to play, nor exactly a higher level of or better gameplay; only the rules themselves are a new and advanced game.
[edit] Dungeons & Dragons, or the Basic Set and its sequels
Simultaneously, TSR hired an outside writer, John Eric Holmes, to produce an introductory version for AD&D. This simpler, "streamlined" version was published in 1977 as the Basic Set. The rule booklet featured a blue cover with artwork by David C. Sutherland III. This Basic Set was very popular and allowed many folks to discover and experience the D&D game for the first time. The original Basic Set was notable in that it was intended as a bridge between the original D&D and the AD&D rules rather than a simple introductory version of the game. Unusual features of the original basic game included an alignment system of five alignments as opposed to the 3 or 9 alignments of the other versions. It only supported character levels of one through three. Although this Basic Set was not compatible with AD&D, players were expected to continue play beyond third level by moving to the AD&D version.
The Basic Set saw a major revision in 1981 by Tom Moldvay, which was immediately followed by the release of an Expert Set (supporting levels 4 through 14) to accompany the Basic Set. This revision is distinguished from the original Basic Set by cover colors: the Basic booklet had a magenta cover, and the Expert booklet a cyan one.
Between 1983 and 1985 this system was revised and expanded by Frank Mentzer as a series of five boxed sets, including the Basic Rules (red cover), Expert Rules (blue), Companion Rules (green, supporting levels 15 through 25), Master Rules (black, supporting levels 26 through 36), and Immortal Rules (gold, supporting levels beyond 36).
This version was compiled and slightly revised in 1991 as the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, a hardback book which included all the sets except Immortal Rules which was also revised and renamed Wrath of the Immortals. While the Cyclopedia included all information required to begin the game there were also several editions of an introductory boxed set, including the Dungeons & Dragons Game (1991), the Classic Dungeons & Dragons Game (1994) and the Dungeons & Dragons Adventure Game (1999).
Though often seen as simpler than Advanced Dungeon & Dragons, with the collection of all five boxed sets Dungeons & Dragons players had access to rules for everything from interdimensional and interstellar travel to the cost of hiring an animal trainer, including areas such as domain rulership which AD&D did not cover.
It is widely suspected in some circles that the Basic set was originally created for legal reasons, to give backing to the claim that Dave Arneson was not entitled to credit or royalty rights for the AD&D game. (See the Controversy and Notoriety section in the main article.)
[edit] Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition
In 1989, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Second Edition was published. By the end of its first decade, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons had expanded to several rulebooks, including three monster manuals, and two books governing character skills in wilderness and underground settings. Initially, the second edition would consolidate the game, with three essential books to govern Dungeon Masters and players alike. Periodically, TSR published optional rulebooks for character classes and races to enhance game play.
Overall, the combat system was changed to a mathematical formula, known as THAC0, with actions based around real-life distances (feet) rather than miniatures-board distances (inches). Demi-human races were given higher level maximums to increase their long-term playability, though they were still restricted in terms of character class flexibility. Critical hits were created as optional rules. Moreover, the game editors made an effort to remove some objectionable aspects of the game, which had begun to attract some negative publicity, due (in part) to a company policy that tried to pander to people that didn't play Dungeons & Dragons. Shedding the moral ambiguity of First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, the TSR staff eliminated character classes like the murderous assassin, while stressing the importance of heroic roleplaying and player teamwork. For the first few years, Second Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons managed to be very popular despite the number and diverse styles of games it now competed with.
The game was once again published as three core rulebooks, incorporating the expansions and revisions which had been published in various supplements over the previous decade. The Monster Manual was replaced by the Monstrous Compendium, a loose-leaf binder which was later replaced by the hardcover Monstrous Manual in 1993.
The release of AD&D2 also corresponded with a policy change at TSR. An effort was made to remove aspects of the game which had attracted negative publicity. Half-orcs were no longer presented as a player character race in the core rulebooks, heroic roleplaying and player teamwork were stressed, demons and devils were renamed tanar'ri and baatezu (respectively, and only after they were eliminated from the game entirely and were "restored" by the outcry of outraged fans), and the product artwork became less racy. The target age of the game was also lowered, with most 2nd edition products being aimed primarily at teenagers. The Second Edition art and marketing were also modified to appeal more to female players.
Critics of TSR have suggested that the second edition was produced mainly to have a set of core rulebooks to sell which did not list Gary Gygax as the primary author, and thus deprive Gygax of royalties; certainly, few major changes to the rules were made, aside from the addition of nonweapon proficiencies (which were introduced in various 1st Edition supplements) and the division of magic spells by group into Schools (for mages) and Spheres (for clerics) of magic.
In 1995, the core rulebooks were slightly revised and a series of Player's Option manuals were released as "optional core rulebooks". Although still referred to by TSR as the 2nd Edition, this revision is seen by some fans as a distinct edition of the game and is sometimes referred to as AD&D 2.5.
After this auspicious start, the new owners of TSR (Gygax and Arneson had left earlier) angered some fans with several practices intended to make up for declining sales. These practices included raising prices, high split pricing of individual game products, and relentlessly pursuing copyright infringement lawsuits. They also repeated the practice of publishing many sourcebooks and handbooks, making it cumbersome to keep up with rule changes. Fantasy had begun its decline in popularity during the late 1980s, replaced by science fiction and horror themes. Furthermore, collectible card games like Magic: The Gathering offered a simpler means of fantasy gaming. Coupled with the rise in popularity of White Wolf, Inc.'s Storyteller System games (primarily Vampire: The Masquerade and Werewolf: The Apocalypse), this led to a gradual decline in popularity into the 1990s. In 1997, TSR considered filing for bankruptcy but was purchased by former competitor Wizards of the Coast, the creators of Magic: The Gathering.
[edit] 3rd edition
In 2000, a major revision of the AD&D rules was released, called only Dungeons & Dragons, but popularly referred to as 3rd edition (or 3E for short). It is the basis of a broader role-playing system designed around 20-sided dice, called the d20 system. The rules are somewhat less restrictive than the second edition and allow players more flexibility and choice in the character that they want to play. The edition removed previous editions' restrictions on class and race combinations that were supposed to track the preferences of the race, and on the level advancement of non-human characters. Skills and the new system of feats were introduced into the core rules to encourage players to further customize their characters. The d20 system uses a more unified mechanic for action resolution, although some complain that D&D has been a late adopter when it comes to a "unified play mechanic". The new rules also rationalized movement and combat, though some feel that adding rules regarding "attacks of opportunity" and standardizing all movement onto a square grid made the game too complex. Magic-using classes were split from "Wizards" to Wizards, Sorcerers, and in later books such as the Complete Arcane to further classes such as Warmage. "Thieves" were renamed Rogues, a term that Second Edition had used to classify both the Thief and Bard classes. Third Edition also introduced the concepts of Prestige Classes which characters can only enter at higher character levels upon meeting certain character-design prerequisites or fulfilling certain in-game goals. Expansions for the game greatly added to the optional ruleset, including super high-level campaigns with the "Epic Level" campaign options, and psionics.
The introduction of the d20 system made it possible for authors to write new games and game supplements without the need to develop a unique rules system and, more importantly, without the need for approval from Wizards of the Coast. The d20 system is an open source version of the D&D core rules that was made available under the Open Gaming License. This makes it easier to market D&D-compatible content under a broadly recognizable commercial license. Many other companies have produced content for the d20 system, such as White Wolf (under the Sword & Sorcery Studios label), AEG, and Malhavoc Press.
Some purist fans have not accepted changes made to the game by Wizards of the Coast and continue to play and enjoy previous editions. These fans feel that the new level of detail and complexity is unwieldy, and that the new rules inhibit certain kinds of playstyles. Specific objections include the new, more detailed system for criticals that increases the amount of damage inflicted, as well as the somewhat darker aspects of the new edition (reminiscent of the First Edition). However, some fans of 1st edition AD&D who never adopted 2nd edition are satisfied with their move to the 3rd edition. For many 2nd edition purists dissatisfied with the 3rd edition, the Castles & Crusades RPG, which strips out many of the "offensive" elements, is an often-used alternative.
[edit] 3.5 edition
In July 2003, a revised version of the 3rd edition D&D rules (termed version 3.5) was released that incorporated numerous rule changes, as well as expanding the Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual.
While the majority of players have shifted to 3.5 from 3.0 there was some frustration expressed with the way that Wizards of the Coast released the edition; many 3rd party publishers (publishing under the OGL or the d20 liscense) were caught unaware by the change and had large unsold inventories of 3.0 books.
The various editions of Dungeons & Dragons have won many Origins Awards, including All Time Best Roleplaying Rules of 1977, Best Roleplaying Rules of 1989 and Best Roleplaying Game of 2000 for the three flagship editions of the game.
[edit] Time line
| YEAR | GAME | |
| 1974 | Original Dungeons & Dragons Three volume boxed set: Men & Magic, Monsters & Treasure, The Underworld & Wilderness Adventures |
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| 1975 | Greyhawk Blackmoor |
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| 1976 | Eldritch Wizardry Gods, Demi-Gods and Heroes |
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| 1977 | Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (1st Edition) Monster Manual (December) |
Dungeons & Dragons 2nd version Basic Set (Blue Box) (levels 1 - 3) |
| 1978 | Players Handbook (January) | |
| 1979 | Dungeon Master Guide (August) - Core books complete | |
| 1981 | Dungeons & Dragons 3rd version Basic Set (Purple Box) Expert Set (Light Blue Box) (levels 4 - 14) |
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| 1983 | Core books reprinted with new covers | Dungeons & Dragons 4th version Basic Set (Red Box) Expert Set (Blue Box) Companion Set (levels 15 - 25) |
| 1985 | Master Set (levels 26 - 36) | |
| 1985 | Unearthed Arcana (Rules Expansion) | Immortals Set (levels 36+) |
| 1989 | Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition Player's Handbook Dungeon Master's Guide Monstrous Compendium (replaces Monster Manual) |
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| 1991 | Dungeons & Dragons 5th version Rules Cyclopedia (levels 1 - 36) Wrath of the Immortals (levels 36+) |
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| 1993 | Monstrous Manual replaces Monstrous Compendium | |
| 1996 | 2nd Edition revised and expanded Player's Handbook and Dungeon Masters Guide |
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| 2000 | Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition
Player's Handbook - Core Rules vol. 1 - August |
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| 2003 | Dungeons & Dragons 3rd edition revised (3.5) New editions of core books Errata available to allow continued use of older 3rd edition books |
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[edit] Specific differences between versions of Dungeons & Dragons
Below are differences between versions that are not covered above. Only changes to the core rules are mentioned and supplemental material is not covered.
[edit] Original Dungeons & Dragons to Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition
- The game rules were reorganized across three hardcover rulebooks (the Player's Handbook, Dungeon Master's Guide, and Monster Manual) rather than one boxed set (of three books, Men & Magic, Monsters & Treasure, and The Underworld and Wilderness Adventures, and a series of supplemental booklets, Greyhawk, Blackmoor, Eldrich Wizardry, and Gods, Demigods, and Heroes.
- Supplemental rules retained included the Thief class, variable weapon damage by weapon type, weapon to hit modifiers vs armor.
- Supplemental rules cut included hit locations.
- The Chainmail based combat system was completely abandoned.
- Many details in class abilities were altered and clarified.
- Character classes (Ranger, Illusionist and Bard) that had only appeared in magazine publication were added to the game.
- Alignment was broken down into two polarities, "ethics" being Lawful, Neutral or Chaotic, and "morals" being Evil, Good, or Neutral, so there were now nine alignments: Lawful Good, Neutral Good, Chaotic Good, Lawful Neutral, Neutral, Chaotic Neutral, Lawful Evil, Neutral Evil and Chaotic Evil.
[edit] Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition to 2nd Edition
- Assassins and Monks (from Players Handbook) and Barbarians and Cavaliers (from Unearthed Arcana), were removed from the game as character classes. Later supplements would introduce "kits" bearing the names of these classes and/or optional classes from sources such as Complete Book of Barbarians.
- "Magic-users" were renamed "mages".
- Half-orcs were removed from the Player's Handbook, although they would be again made a playable race in supplements such as the Complete Book of Humanoids.
- Character classes were grouped into one of four groups: Warrior (Fighter, Paladin, Ranger), Wizard (Mage, Specialist Wizard), Priest (Cleric, Druid), and Rogue (Thief, Bard).
- Bards were made a normal character class, rather than the multiple-classed character that they had been, although they still possessed elements of fighters, thieves, and mages.
- Illusionists were made into a subtype of the Wizard class, along with new classes specializing in the other seven schools of magic (which were first introduced in Dragonlance Adventures).
- Fiendish and angelic creatures (demons, devils, daemons, devas, solars, etc.) were removed from the game, as were spells that allowed such creatures to be summoned or controlled. These creatures would later be renamed and modified in the Monstrous Compendium supplement on the Outer Planes.
- References to "segments" (individual units of time representing one phase of initiative, or 6 seconds of game-time [simulated time]) were removed from the game; instead, "melee rounds" (game-turns) were changed so they now represented six seconds of game-time instead of one minute of game-time.
- Proficiencies were officially supported in the Player's Handbook and many supplements, rather than being the optional add-on found in a handful of 1st Edition supplements.
- Priest spells were organized into themed "spheres" similar to wizard spell schools, with access to spheres being determined by the priest's deity.
- Descriptions of artifacts {unique magic items) were removed from the Dungeon Master's Guide.
- Many utilities, including tables for random generation of dungeons, were removed from the Dungeon Master's Guide.
- Attack matrices were renamed "THAC0" (To Hit Armor Class 0) and the table printed only once in the Dungeon Master's Guide was reprinted in the second edition Player's Handbook and Dungeon Master's Guide.
- The hardcover Monster Manual was initially replaced by the looseleaf binder-format Monstrous Compendium; the Monstrous Compendium would eventually be replaced by the hardcover Monstrous Manual.
- Dragons were increased in strength and power to make the title monsters of the game a more serious challenge to players.
- The weight of coins was changed from 1/10 lb. each to 1/50 lb. each, making the carrying of large numbers of coins out of an adventure site much less of an impediment.
- Exchange rates for the low-valued coins were doubled; it now took only 100 copper pieces or 10 silver pieces to make one gold piece.
[edit] Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition to Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition
- The game system converted to the d20 System, in which task resolution is normalized into a roll of a 20-sided die and adding or subtracting modifiers to beat a Difficulty Class (DC) for the check.
- THAC0, which many gamers found hard to understand, was replaced with a simple attack bonus. Armor Class now goes up (instead of down) as defensive capabilities increase. (3rd Edition Armor Class = 20 - 2nd Edition Armor Class; 3rd Edition "Base Attack Bonus" = 20 - THAC0.)
- Ability scores follow a single table and give standardized bonuses (modifier = ( ability score - 10 ) / 2). Ability scores are no longer capped at 25.
- Saving throws are reduce from five categories (based on forms of attack) to three (based on type of defense): Fortitude (Constitution-based), Reflex (Dexterity-based), and Will (Wisdom-based), and also go up instead of down.
- "Non-weapon proficiencies" were replaced by skills, and became a fundamental part of the game rather than an optional one, with class abilities such as thieving skills being translated directly into skills. All characters are given a pool of points to spend on a wide range of specific skills to further define a character.
- Special abilities known as "feats" allow greater customization of characters. Fighters are no longer differentiated simply by weapons, roleplay and equipment selection.
- Magic item creation is simplified, requiring a prerequisite feat, spells, and monetary and experience costs, replacing the obscure rules of earlier editions.
- Barbarians, monks, and half-orcs return to the Player's Handbook as basic character types.
- "Mage" renamed to "wizard," and "thief" to "rogue."
- The thief's backstab ability became "sneak attack," which has a wider range of use.
- The sorcerer class was added to the game as an arcane caster that uses magic naturally, instead of through training.
- Clerics gain domains that allow them to use bonus spells and abilities based on their deity's area of influence, as well as the ability to swap out prepared spells for curative spells, increasing the magical capabilities of the cleric.
- All character classes use the same experience table.
- Characters receive maximum hit points at first level (a very common house rule in previous editions).
- Multi-classing and dual-classing as per previous editions was removed. In the new multiclassing system, multi-classing functioned similar to dual-classing had previously, except that a character could gain a level of any character class upon gaining a level instead of only gaining levels in the second class. Multi-classing was made available to all races, although characters with multiple classes of differing levels would be penalized.
- Prestige classes are added, representing special training or membership in an organization outside the generic scope of core classes. Entry into prestige classes requires characters to meet certain prerequisites.
- Any combination of race and class is now permitted, with the exception of some prestige classes. (Previously, characters of some fantasy races/species were not allowed to belong to some character classes.)
- Spells that belonged to multiple schools of magic now belong to one, and some had their effects altered.
- The use of "memorization" was replaced with "preparation," removing the connotations of wizards forgetting spells after casting them.
- Many spells were given descriptors such as "Fire" or "Evil" that could determine how the spells interact with certain creatures and effects.
- Priest spell spheres were removed from the game; each spellcasting class now had its own specific spell list (although wizard and sorcerer shared a list).
- Creatures that were flatly immune to weapons below a specific level of enchantment (for example, +2 weapons) instead had damage reduction: damage dealt by a weapon not of that type would be reduced by a fixed amount instead of being completely negated.
- Percentage-based magic resistance was replaced by spell resistance, which functions in a manner similar to armor class.
- Class groups, warrior, priest, rogue, wizard were removed.
- "Priests of a specific mythos", also known as specialist priest classes, except druid, were eliminated.
- Each race gains a "favored class" for which they may multi-class with no penalties.
[edit] Dungeons & Dragons 3rd Edition to 3.5 Edition
This revision was intentionally a small one (hence the name change of only "half an edition"), small enough so that the basic rules are nearly identical and many monsters / items are compatible (or even unchanged) between those editions. In fact, some players, disliking some changes 3.5 made, use some 3e rules as house rules. Official errata for many of the most popular books are available for download as D&D v.3.5 Accessory Update Booklet.
[edit] Major changes
- The ranger class has a smaller Hit Die, more skill points, and many new class abilities.
- Weapon sizes work differently: there are now smaller and bigger versions of weapons for smaller and larger creatures.
- Damage reduction no longer depends on the enhancement bonus of a weapon, but rather on its material (e.g. cold iron), magical enhancement, magical alignment, or some combination thereof. DR ratings were reduced to 5, 10, 15, or 20 from some ridiculously high numbers (e.g. the iron golem went from 50/+3 to 15/adamantine).
- New spells and numerous changes to existing spells.
- New feats and numerous changes to existing feats.
- Monsters gain feats and skills the same way as PCs, usually resulting in more skill points and feats for every monster.
- Some high-end monsters (notably the balor and pit fiend) were altered to make them more powerful and thus warrant higher Challenge Ratings.
- Many new core prestige classes.
[edit] Minor changes
- The ranger and bard receive more skill points per level.
- Different rate of gaining new abilities for almost all the classes.
- Bards do not suffer arcane spell failure when wearing light armor.
- Druids can cast summon nature's ally spells spontaneously, just like the cleric's spontaneous casting.
- Some player races gain Weapon Familiarity, which allows them to treat exotic racial weapons as martial for proficiency purposes.
- Sorcerers and bards can change known spells infrequently.
- The gnome's favored class changed to bard.
- There are no longer skills exclusive to certain classes.
- Some skills changed and a few were folded together: for example, Wilderness Lore and Intuit Direction are now Survival.
[edit] Changes to the core books
In addition to rule changes, the core books themselves have undergone changes.
- The Player's Handbook is mostly similar to what it was before, with the exception of the chapter on combat (chapter 8), which focuses a lot more on grid-based movement and combat.
- In the Dungeon Master's Guide, the order of chapters was completely changed, and many prestige classes have been added. Some magic item traits were changed as well, but in general they remained the same.
- The Monster Manual sports a slightly different entry on each monster, particularly the division of the attack line into Attack and Full Attack entries. Also, most of the monsters have an enhanced version as an example of advancement, with more Hit Dice, a template, or class levels. All of the monsters the writers thought could be used as player races - and that includes many monsters - now have instructions on how to use them as such.
[edit] References
- Cook, David (1989). Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd Edition Player's Handbook. TSR, Inc..
[edit] External link
- Dungeons & Dragons - history, versions, and revisions. Lyberty.com: eclectic content (2003). Retrieved on February 13, 2006.
