Advice needed: AD&D 2nd Edition Alternate AC System for RL

[PlanarRambler]

Evening, all.

So, I've been utilizing the Fraternity's materials for a long-ish time. Frequented the SotK before that. Didn't bother registering previously simply because I didn't really have much to add to the advice or materials being offered by the community, but I now find myself in need of some advice, I don't much like frequenting many of the other message boards (oh, ENworld ), and the questions I need answered pertain mostly to Ravenloft (obviously) so I'm thinking there's no better place to get the answers I'm after. Besides, TFoS seems like a good community, and I do love me some Ravenloft.

Anyway, here's my query:

Now, keep in mind that I'm very much a 3E guy. I started with 2E, but when 3E came out my group and I jumped on the bandwagon. As such, I have limited experience when it comes to re-working the 2E rule-set, but I'm willing to bet that there are more than a few old-timers (no offense, I love you guys) around these parts who could point me in the right direction.

Okay, so, my wife has decided to run a Ravenloft campaign. She's quite the writer, but isn't a very rules-oriented person and is pretty new to D&D as a whole. Now, I've got literally every 2E Ravenloft game product ever produced (minus whatever RPGA modules are out there), and they're part of the reason she's so enamored with AD&D. Honestly, I advised running it in 3E but she wouldn't hear of it, so here we are. She loves the rules , but wants to get more out of them, and she wants a more low combat, high risk, dramatic game. Her first complaints (and they're common ones): Armor Class and Character Survivability. I advised utilizing the critical hit system (ie: the great tables of maiming) from PO:C&T (Combat and Tactics), but I'm needing something in the way of an alternate AC system. Essentially, she wants one of those armor-equals-damage-resistance/dodge-and-parry systems. I recommended Grim-n-Gritty or an adapted or house-ruled version of the Conan RPG system created by Xoth (or even the one by Mongoose), but she seems to have something of a love affair with 2nd and a hate-on for 3E. So, yeah, there you have it.

Anyway, thanks for reading. If you guys have any suggestions or know of any house-ruled systems that do this sort of thing fairly well, I'd love to hear of them. And, yes, I know GURPS or BRP would do exactly what she wants, but she's really stuck on the idea of running D&D just as much as she is stuck on the idea of running a Ravenloft campaign. Yup!

[order99]

PlanarRambler,

I 'm a bit of a 2nd Edition purist myself ruleswise-but I can think of a few D20 resources that might help, but most of them are OOP unless you can turn up a copy on Ebay or other sources..

Polyhedron Issue #91 (march 2002) had a D20 Mini-game called Shadow Chasers, a prototype of the later D20 Modern setting. Unlike the finished product however, PCs had a Defense Bonus based on Class (Strong Hero, Fast Hero etc) Vitality(subdual damage) based on Hit Dice and Wounds(lethal damage) based on Constitution. Vitality was a good damage 'buffer' although Critical Hits went directly to Wounds. Armor had Damage Resistance to Wound Damage only(flack Jacket DR 3, SWAT Body Armor DR 10) but didn't list any of the Archaic armors.

Star Wars D20 had Defense Bonus based on Classes, Vitality and Wound damage, and DR body armor for Wounds as well. Call of Cthulu D20 simply had an "Offense Option" Class and a "Defense Option" Class which gave you your set-up for "to-hit" bonuses, Defensive bonuses and Saving Throws-also, the Magic system was brutal enough to make the Tainted Magic of The Red Death seem almost banal..

In the meantime though-i'm assuming that you are still using the AD&D 2nd Edition for your base? Let's try a few quick and dirty fixes to get your merry band into Gothic Earth and in peril as fast as possible...

Level 0 NPCs get no modification to AC normally. Hp=1/2 Con round up normally.
Sedentary Classes (Scholars etc.)get -0 AC bonus at Levels 1-3 -1AC at Lvls 4-6, -2 AC at Lvls 7-9, etc. Hit Points start at 1/2 Con, round up + 1d2 per Level (no Con bonus).
Semi-active PCs(Spiritualists) get the same AC bonus as Sedentary PCs but HP=1/2 Cn(round up)+1d3 per Lvl (no bonus for Con).
Active PCs(Tradesmen) get -0 AC bonus at Lvl 1-2, -1 AC at lvls 3-4, -2 AC at lvls 5-6, -3 AC at lvls 7-8, etc. HP=1/2 Con(round up)+1d4 per Lvl(no Con bonus).
Athletic PCs (Soldiers) get -0 AC bonus at Lvl 1, but -1 AC bonus at Lvl 2 and every Level Thereafter. HPs=1/2 Con(round up) + 1d4+1 per Lvl (no Con bonus).
You may notice that Soldiers get really scary in combat really fast-if the AC seems too good, just move the Multiples back one step ( Athletic every two levels, Active every three, Semi-active and Sedentary every four ) until it feels right. I just used the THACO as a direct reference. Giving a HP Baseline and much lower Hit Dice increases early survival slightly yet makes makes challenges at higher Levels no cakewalk...

Armor-Most but not all armor will have a Damage Resistance(DR).

Shield-+1 AC, +2 vs missiles but not gunfire.
Helmets(optional)-+1 AC (not DR) and protects against Saps to the head. Using AC will prevent any special "strike to the unarmored head" houserules unless the DM prefers them, or handwaves the whole thing..
Heavy woven greatcoats and sturdy leather clothing-DR=1
Leather and padded armor-DR=2
Studded leather or ring mail-DR=3
Scale mail or Hide-DR=4, +1 AC penalty
Chain mail,DR=5,+1 AC penalty
Splint mail, banded, bronze plate, Plate Mail-DR=6, +2 Ac penalty
Gothic Plate Armor-DR=7, +2 AC penalty

In addition to the usual Critical strikes and/or House rules already in place, Critical strikes bypass reduce DR by 1/2, round down as the weapon bashes or slides in between links or plates etc.

Gunfire-Armor reduces damage from bullets by 1/3 DR, round down-this number can be 0. Certain Masterwork breastplates and epaulets(plate mail, Gothic plate) may be 'proofed' against gunfire-these offer 1/2 DR round UP.

Enchanted Armor and shields grant full DR and AC vs Gunfire, and do not slow the wearer with AC or movement penalties-considering that pretty much all 'Magic items' are cursed in some manner in Gothic Earth this hardly seems overpowering...

Hope this helps- of course if you want to move Masque entirely into the 3E ruleset, just flip the AC into reverse. Also, though I still use the 2nd Edition ruleset when running MotRD, i've played in Masque campaigns with the GM running Boot Hill 3rd Edition and Houserules, Amazing Engine rules, GURPS and Warhammer Fantsy RPG (with updated Career Templates of course)

I'm not usually this wordy (one finger typist) so i'm going to let my typing digit cool off a while..please let us know how the campaign goes once you've set it up...

[PlanarRambler]

Excellent stuff. The lil' lady will be looking this over sometime in the near future.

Honestly, I told her pretty much the same thing (basically to utilize 3.X supplements), but she's looking for something that "feels" more like AD&D. I think I've got to have a closer look-see at my Player's Option books, then maybe I can cobble something together that'll run basically how she wants it to. You've definitely given me a head start on it, though. Many thanks, sir!