You are reading the key to the most exciting hobby in the world – role-playing games.
These first few pages will introduce you to the second addition of the most successful role-playing game ever published. If you’re a novice role player, stop right here and read the section labeled the real basics (on the next page). When you understand that role-playing and the AD&D game are all about, come back to this point and read the rest of the introduction. If you are an experienced role-player, skip the real basics.
Why a Second Edition?
Before answering that question, let’s define what the second edition of the AD&D game is and is not.
The second addition of the AD&D game is a lot different from the first edition. The presentation of the game has been cleaned up. The rules are reorganized, clarified, and streamlined. Where necessary, things that didn’t work have been fixed. Things that did work haven’t been changed.
The second edition of the AD&D game is not a statement of what any one person thinks the game should be. It is the result of more than three years of discussion, thought, consultation, review, and play testing.
Now to the question of “Why a second edition?” The AD&D game evolved over the course of 16 years. During that time, the game grew tremendously through play. Changes and improvements (and a few mistakes) were made. These were published in subsequent volumes. By 1988, the game consisted of 12 hardcover rulebooks. It was physically and intellectually unwieldy (but still a lot of fun). The time was right to reorganize and recombine all that information into a manageable package. The package is the second edition.
How the Rule Books are Organized
The AD&D game rulebooks are intended primarily as reference books. They are designed so any specific rule can be found quickly and easily during the game.
Everything a player needs to know is in the Players Handbook. That’s not to say that all the rules are in this book. But every rule that a player needs to know in order to play the game is in this book.
A few rules have been reserved for the Dungeon Master’s Guide (DMG). These either cover situations that very seldom arise or give the Dungeon Master (DM) information that players should not have beforehand. Everything else in the DMG is information that only the Dungeon Master needs. If the DM feels that players need to know something that is explained in the DMG, he will tell them.
Like the DMG, the Monstrous Compendium is the province of the DM. This gives complete and detailed information about the monsters, people, and other creatures inhabiting the AD&D world. Some DMs don’t mind if players read this information, but the game is more fun if players don’t know everything about their foes – it heightens the sense of discovery and danger of the unknown.
Learning the Game
If you have played the AD&D game before, you know most everything you need to play the second edition. We advise you to read the entire Players Handbook, but the biggest changes are in these chapters:character classes, combat, and experience. Be sure to read at least those three chapters before sitting down to play.
If you come to a term you do not understand, look for it in the glossary, which begins on page 11.
If you ever play the AD&D game before, the best way to learn to play the game is to find a group of experienced players enjoying them. They can get you immediately into the game and explain things as you need to know them. You don’t need to read anything beforehand. And fact it’s best if you can play the game for several hours with experienced players before reading any of the rules. One of the truly marvelous things about role-playing game is that even though the concept is difficult to explain, it is simple to demonstrate.
If none of your friends are involved in a game, the best place to find experienced players is through your local hobby store. Role-playing and general gaming clubs are common and are always eager to accept new members. Many hobby stores offer a bulletin board through which DMs can advertise for new players and new players can ask for information about new or ongoing games. If there is no hobby store in your area, check at the local library or school.
If you can’t find anyone else who knows the AD&D game, you can teach yourself. Read the Player’s Handbook and create some characters. Try to create a variety of character classes. Then pick up a pre-packaged adventure module for low-level characters, round up two or three friends, and dive into it. You will probably make lots of mistakes and wonder constantly whether you are doing everything wrong. Even if you are, don’t worry about it. The AD&D game is big, but eventually you’ll bring it under control.
The Second Edition AD&D Game Line
Quite a few books and other products are published for the AD&D game. As a player, you need only one of them – this book. Every player and DM should have a copy of the Player’s Handbook. Everything else is either optional or intended for the Dungeon Master.
The Dungeon Master’s Guide is essential for the DM and it is for the DM only. Players who are not themselves DMs have no cause to read the DMG.
The Monstrous Compendium is not one, but several products. The book can be expanded whenever new compendiums are released. The first pack of monsters is essential to the game. It includes the most commonly occurring monsters, mythical beasts, and legendary creatures. Additional packs expand on these monsters and give the game more variety. Specialty compendiums – those for Greyhawk, the Forgotten Realms, Kara-Tur, etc. – are highly recommended for DMs who play in those settings.
Expanded character class books – The Complete Fighter, The Complete Thief, etc. – provide a lot more detail on these character classes than does the Player’s Handbook. These books are entirely optional. They are for those players who really want a world of choice for their characters.
Adventure modules contain complete game adventures. These are especially useful for DMs who aren’t sure how to create their own adventures and for DMs who need an adventure quickly and don’t have time to write one of their own.
A Note About Pronouns
The male pronoun (he, him, his) is used exclusively throughout the second edition of the AD&D game rules. We hope this won’t be construed by anyone to be an attempt to exclude females from the game or imply their exclusion. Centuries of use have neutered the male pronoun. In written material it is clear, concise, and familiar. Nothing else is.
Creating a Character
To create a character to play in the AD&D game, proceed, in order, through Chapters 1 through 6. (Chapter 5 is optional). These chapters will tell you how to generate your character’s ability scores, race, class, decide on his alignment, proficiencies, and buy equipment. Once you have done all this, your character is ready for adventure!
This section is intended for novice role-players. If you have played role-playing games before, don’t be surprised if what you read here sounds familiar.
Games come in a wide assortment of types: board games, card games, word games, picture games, miniature games. Even within these categories are subcategories. Board games, for example, can be divided into path games, real estate games, military simulation games, abstract strategy games, mystery games, and a host of others.
Still, in all this mass of games, role-playing games are unique. They form a category all their own that doesn’t overlap any other category.
For that reason, role-playing games are hard to describe. Comparisons don’t work because there isn’t anything similar to compare them to. At least, not without stretching your imagination well beyond its normal, everyday extension.
But then, stretching your imagination is what role-playing is all about. So let’s try an analogy.
Imagine that you are playing a simple boardgame, called Snakes and Ladders. Your goal is to get from the bottom to the top of the board before all the other players. Along the way our traps they can send you sliding back towards your starting position. There are also ladders that can let you jump ahead, closer to the finish space. So far, it’s pretty simple and pretty standard.
Now let’s change a few things. Instead of a flat, featureless board with a path winding from side to side, let’s have a maze. You’re standing at the entrance, and you know that there’s an exit somewhere, but you don’t know where. You’ll have to find it.
Instead of snakes and ladders, will put in hidden doors and secret passages. Don’t roll a die can see how far you move; you can move as far as you want. Move down the corridor to the intersection. You can turn right, or left, or go straight ahead, or go back the way you came. Or, as long as you’re here, you can look for a hidden door. If you find one, it will open into another stretch of corridor. That corridor might take you straight to the exit or lead you into a blind alley. The only way to find out is to step in and start walking.
Of course, given enough time, eventually you’ll find the exit. To keep the game interesting, let’s put some other things in the maze with you. Nasty things. Things like vampire bats and hobgoblins and zombies and ogres. Of course, we’ll give you a sword and shield, so if you meet one of these things you can defend yourself. You do know how to use a sword, don’t you?
And there are other players in the maze as well. They have swords and shields, too. How do you suppose another player would react if you chance to meet? He might attack, but he also might offer to team up. After all, even an ogre might think twice about attacking two people carrying sharp swords and stout shields.
Finally, let’s put the board somewhere you can’t see it. Let’s give it to one of the players and make that player the referee. Instead of looking at the board, you listen to the referee as he describes what you can see from your position on the board. You tell the referee what you want to do and he moves your piece accordingly. As the referee describes your surroundings, try to picture them mentally. Close your eyes and construct the walls of the maze around yourself. imagine the hobgoblins as the referee describes it whooping and gamboling down the corridor towards you. Now imagine how you would react in that situation and tell the referee what you are going to do about it.
We have just constructed a simple role-playing game. It is not a sophisticated game, but it has the essential element that makes a role-playing game: the player is placed in the midst of an unknown or dangerous situation created by a referee and must work his way through it.
This is the heart of role-playing. The player adopts the role of a character and then guides that character through an adventure. The player makes decisions, interacts with other characters and players, and, essentially, “pretends” to be his character during the course of the game. That doesn’t mean that the player must jump up and down, dash around, and act like his character. It means that whenever the character is called on to do something or make a decision, the player pretends that he is in that situation and chooses an appropriate course of action.
Physically, the players and referee (the DM) should be seated comfortably around a table with the referee at the head. Players need plenty of room for papers, pencils, dice, rule books, drinks, and snacks. The referee needs extra space for his maps, dice, rule books, and assorted notes.
The Goal
Another major difference between role-playing games and other games is the ultimate goal. Everyone assumes that a game must have a beginning and an end and that the end comes when someone wins. That doesn’t apply to role-playing because no one “wins” in a role-playing game. The point of playing is not to win but to have fun and to socialize.
An adventure usually has a goal of some sort: protect the villagers from the monsters; rescue the lost princess; explore the ancient ruins. Typically, this goal can be attained in a reasonable playing time: 4 to 8 hours is standard. This might require the players to get together for one, two, or even three playing sessions to reach their goal and complete the adventure.
But the game doesn’t end when an adventure is finished. The same characters can go on to new adventures. Such a series of adventures is called a campaign.
Remember, the point of an adventure is not to win but to have fun while working toward a common goal. But the length of any particular adventure need not impose an artificial limit on the length of the game. The AD&D game embraces more than enough adventure to keep a group of characters occupied for years.
Required Materials
Aside from a copy of this book, very little is needed to play the AD&D game.
You will need some sort of character record. TSR publishes character record sheets that are quite handy and easy to use, but any sheet of paper will do. Blank paper, lined paper, or even graph paper can be used. A double-sized sheet of paper (11×17 inches), folded in half, is excellent. Keep your character record in pencil, because it will change frequently during the game. A good eraser is also a must.
A full set of polyhedral dice is necessary. A full set consist of 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, 12-, and 20-sided dice. A few extra 6- and 10-sided dice are a good idea. Polyhedral dice should be available wherever you got this book.
Throughout these rules, the various dice are referred to buy a code that is in the form: # of dice, followed by “d,” followed by a numeral for the type of dice. In other words, if you are to roll one 6-sided die, you would see “roll 1d6.” Five 12-sided dice are referred to as “5d12.” (If you don’t have five 12-sided dice, just roll one five times and add the results.)
When the rules say to roll “percentile dice”or “1d100,” you need to generate a random number from 1 to 100. One way to do this is to roll two 10-sided dice of different colors. Before you roll, designate one die as the tens place and the other as the ones place. Rolling them together enables you to generate a number from 1 to 100 (a result of “0” on both dice is red as “00 “or “100”). For example, if the blue die (representing the tens place) rolls an “8” and the red die (ones place) rolls a “5,” the result is 85. Another, more expensive, way to generate a number from 1 to 100 is to buy one of the dice that actually have numbers from 1 to 100 on them.
At least one player should have a few sheets of graph paper for mapping the group’s progress. Assorted pieces of scratch paper are handy for making quick notes, for passing secret messages to other players or the DM, or for keeping track of odd bits of information that you don’t want cluttering up your character record.
Miniature figures are handy for keeping track of where everyone is in a confusing situation like a battle. These can be as elaborate or a simple as you like. Some players use miniature lead or pewter figures painted to resemble their characters. Plastic soldiers, chess pieces, board game pawns, dice, or bits of paper can work just as well.
An Example of Play
To further clarify what really goes on during an AD&D® game, read the following example. This is typical of the sort of action that occurs during a playing session.
Shortly before this example begins, three player characters fought a skirmish with a wererat (a creature similar to a werewolf but which becomes an enormous rat instead of a wolf) . The wererat was wounded and fled down a tunnel. The characters are in pursuit. The group includes two fighters and a cleric. Fighter 1 is the group’s leader.
DM: You’ve been following this tunnel for about 120 yards. The water on the floor is ankle deep and very cold. Now and then you feel something brush against your foot. The smell of decay is getting stronger. The tunnel is gradually filling with a cold mist.
Fighter 1: I don’t like this at all. Can we see anything up ahead that looks like a doorway, or a branch in the tunnel?
DM: Within the range of your torchlight, the tunnel is more or less straight. You don’t see any branches or doorways.
Cleric: The wererat we hit had to come this way. There’s nowhere else to go.
Fighter 1: Unless we missed a hidden door along the way. I hate this place; it gives me the creeps.
Fighter 2: We have to track down that wererat. I say we keep going.
Fighter 1: OK. We keep moving down the tunnel. But keep your eyes open for anything that might be a door.
DM: Another 30 or 35 yards down the tunnel, you find a stone block on the floor.
Fighter 1: A block? I take a closer look.
DM: It’s a cut block, about 12 by 16 inches, and 18 inches or so high. It looks like a different kind of rock than the rest of the tunnel.
Fighter 2: Where is it? Is it in the center of the tunnel or off to the side?
DM: It’s right up against the side.
Fighter 1: Can I move it?
DM (checking the character’s Strength score): Yeah, you can push it around without too much trouble.
Fighter 1: Hmmm. This is obviously a marker of some sort. I want to check this area for secret doors. Spread out and examine the walls.
DM (rolls several dice behind his rule book, where players can’t see the results): Nobody finds anything unusual along the walls.
Fighter 1: It has to be here somewhere. What about the ceiling?
DM: You can’t reach the ceiling. It’s about a foot beyond your reach.
Cleric: Of course! That block isn’t a marker, it’s a step. I climb up on the block and start prodding the ceiling.
DM (rolling a few more dice): You poke around for 20 seconds or so, then suddenly part of the tunnel roof shifts. You’ve found a panel that lifts away.
Fighter 1: Open it very carefully.
Cleric: I pop it up a few inches and push it aside slowly. Can I see anything?
DM: Your head is still below the level of the opening, but you see some dim light from one side.
Fighter 1: We boost him up so he can get a better look.
DM: OK, your friends boost you up into the room…
Fighter 1: No, no! We boost him just high enough to get his head through the opening.
DM: OK, you boost him up a foot. The two of you are each holding one of his legs. Cleric, you see another tunnel, pretty much like the one you were in, but it only goes off in one direction. There’s a doorway about 10 yards away with a soft light inside. A line of muddy pawprints leads from the hole you’re in to the doorway.
Cleric: Fine. I want the fighters to go first.
DM: As they’re lowering you back to the block, everyone hears some grunts, splashing, and clanking weapons coming from further down the lower tunnel. They seem to be closing fast.
Cleric: Up! Up! Push me back up through the hole! I grab the ledge and haul myself up. I’ll help pull the next guy up. (All three characters scramble up through the hole.)
DM: What about the panel?
Fighter 1: We push it back into place.
DM: It slides back into its slot with a nice, loud “clunk”. The grunting from below gets a lot louder.
Fighter 1: Great, they heard it. Cleric, get over here and stand on this panel. We’re going to check out that doorway.
DM: Cleric, you hear some shouting and shuffling around below you, then there’s a thump and the panel you’re standing on lurches.
Cleric: They’re trying to batter it open!
DM (to the fighters): When you peer around the doorway, you see a small, dirty room with a small cot, a table, and a couple of tools. On the cot is a wererat curled up into a ball. Its back is towards you. Theres another door in the far wall and a small gong in the corner.
Fighter 1: Is the wererat moving?
DM: Not a bit. Cleric, the panel just thumped again. You can see a little crack in it now.
Cleric: Do something quick, you guys. When this panel starts coming apart, I’m getting off it.
Fighter 1: OK already! I step into the room and prod the wererat with my shield. What happens?
DM: Nothing. You see blood on the cot.
Fighter 1: Is this the same wererat we fought before?
DM: Who knows? All wererats look the same to you. Cleric, the panel thumps again. That crack is looking really big.
Cleric: That’s it. I get off the paneL I’m moving into the room with everybody else.
DM: There’s a tremendous smash and you hear chunks of rock banging around out in the corridor, followed by lots of snarling and squeaking, You see flashes of torchlight and wererat shadows through the doorway.
Fighter 1: All right, the other fighter and I move up to block the doorway. That’s the narrowest area, they can only come through it one or two at a time. Cleric, you stay in the room and be ready with your spells.
Fighter 2: At last, a decent, stand-up fight!
DM: As the first wererat appears in the doorway with a spear in his paws, you hear a slam behind you.
Cleric: I spin around. What is it?
DM: The door in the back of the room is broken off its hinges. Standing in the doorway, holding a mace in each paw, is the biggest, ugliest wererat you’ve ever seen. A couple more pairs of red eyes are shining through the darkness behind him. He’s licking his chops in a way that you find very unsettling.
Cleric: Aaaaarrrgh! I scream the name of my deity at the top of my lungs and then flip over the cot with the dead wererat on it so the body lands in front of him. I’ve got to have some help here, guys.
Fighter 1 (to fighter 2): Help him, I’ll handle this end of the room. (To DM): I’m attacking the wererat in the doorway.
DM: While fighter 2 is switching positions, the big wererat looks at the body on the floor and his jaw drops. He looks back up and says, “That’s Ignatz. He was my brother. You killed my brother.” Then raises both maces and leaps at you.
At this point a ferocious melee breaks out. The DM uses the combat rules to play out the battle. If the characters survive, they can continue on whatever course they choose.
Glossary
Ability – any of the six natural traits that represent the basic definition of a player character: Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma. A player character’s abilities are determined at the beginning of a game by rolling 6-sided dice (d6s). The scores continue to be used throughout the game as a means of determining success or failure of many actions.
Ability check – a 1d20 roll against one of your character’s ability scores (modifiers may be added to or subtracted from the die roll). A result that is equal to or less than your character’s ability score indicates that the attempted action succeeds.
AC – abbreviation for Armor Class (q.v.).
Alignment – a factor in defining a player character that reflects his basic attitude toward society and the forces of the universe. Basically there are nine categories demonstrating the character’s relationship to order vs. chaos and good vs. evil. A player character’s alignment is selected by the player when the character is created.
Area of effect – the area in which a magical spell or a breath weapon works on any creatures unless they make a saving throw.
Armor Class (abbr. AC) – a rating for the protective value of a type of armor, figured from 10 (no armor at all) to 0 or even -10 (the best magical armor). The higher the AC, the more vulnerable the character is to attack.
Attack roll – The 1d20 roll used to determine if an attack is successful.
Bend bars/lift gates roll – the roll of percentile dice to determine whether a character succeeds in bending metal bars, lifting a heavy portcullis, or similar task. The result needed is a function of Strength and can be found in Table 1.
Bonus spells – extra spells at various spell levels that a priest is entitled to because of high Wisdom; shown in Table 5.
Breath weapon – the ability of a dragon or other creature to spew a substance out of its mouth just by breathing, without making an attack roll. Those in the area of effect must roll a saving throw.
Cha – abbreviation for Charisma (q.v.).
Chance of spell failure – the percentage chance that a priest spell will fail when cast. Based on Wisdom, it is shown in Table 5.
Chance to know spell – the percentage chance for a wizard to learn a new spell. Based on Intelligence, it is shown in Table 4.
Charisma (abbr. Cha) – an ability score representing a character’s persuasiveness, personal magnetism, and ability to lead.
Common – the language that all player characters in the AD&D game world speak. Other languages may require the use of proficiency slots.
Con – abbreviation for Constitution (q.v.).
Constitution (abbr. Con) – an ability score that represents a character’s general physique, hardiness, and state of health.
d – abbreviation for dice or die. A roll that calls for 2d6, for example, means that the player rolls two six-sided dice.
d3 – since there is no such thing as a three-sided die, a roll calling for d3 means to use a d6, making 1 and 2 be a 1, 3 and 4 be a 2, and 5 and 6 be a 3.
d4 – a four-sided die.
d6 – a six-sided die.
d8 – an eight-sided die.
d10 – a ten-sided die. Two d10s can be used as percentile dice (q.v.).
d12 – a twelve-sided die.
d20 – a twenty-sided die.
d100 – either an actual 100-sided die or two different-colored ten-sided dice to be rolled as percentile dice (q.v.).
DMG – a reference to the Dungeon Master’s Guide.
Damage – the effect of a successful attack or other harmful situation, measured in hit points.
Demihuman – a player character who is not human: a dwarf, elf, gnome, half-elf, or halfling.
Dex – abbreviation for Dexterity (q.v.).
Dexterity (abbr. Dex) – an ability score representing a combination of a character’s agility, reflexes, hand-eye coordination, and the like.
Dual-class character – a human who switches character class after having already progressed several levels. Only humans can be dual-classed.
Encumbrance – the amount, in pounds, that a character is carrying. How much he can carry and how being encumbered affects his movement rate are based on Strength and are shown in Tables 47 and 48. Encumbrance is an optional rule.
Energy drain – the ability of a creature, especially undead, to drain energy in the form of class levels from a character, in addition to the normal loss of hit points.
Experience points (abbr. XP) – points a character earns (determined by the Dungeon Master) for completing an adventure, for doing something related to his class particularly well, or for solving a major problem. Experience points are accumulated, enabling the character to rise in level in his class, as shown in Table 14 for warriors, Tab1e 20 for wizards, Table 23 for priests, and Table 25 for rogues.
Follower – a non-player character who works for a character for money but is initially drawn to his reputation.
Gaze attack – the ability of a creature, such as a basilisk, to attack simply by making eye contact with the victim.
Henchmen – non-player characters who work for a character mainly out of loyalty and love of adventure. The number of henchmen a character can have is based on Charisma and is shown in Table 6. The DM and the player share control of the henchmen.
Hireling – non-player characters who work for a character just for money. Hirelings are completely under the control of the DM.
Hit dice – the dice rolled to determine a character’s hit points. Up to a certain level, one or more new Hit Dice are rolled each time a character attains a new class level. A fighter, for example, has only one 10-sided Hit Die (1d10) at 1st level, but when he rises to the 2nd level, the player rolls a second d10, increasing the character’s hit points.
Hit points – a number representing 1. how much damage a character can suffer before being killed, determined by Hit Dice (q.v.). The hit points lost to injury can usually be regained by rest or healing. 2. how much damage a specific attack does, determined by weapon or monster statistics, and subtracted from a player’s total.
Infravision – the ability of certain character races or monsters to see in the dark. Infravision generally works up to 60 feet in the darkness.
Initiative – the right to attack first in a combat round, usually determined by the lowest roll of a 10-sided die. The initiative roll is eliminated if surprise (q.v.) is achieved.
Int – abbreviation for Intelligence (q.v.).
Intelligence (abbr. Int) – an ability score representing a character’s memory, reasoning, and learning ability.
Italic type – used primarily to indicate spells and magical items.
Level – any of several different game factors that are variable in degree, especially: 1. class level, a measure of the character’s power, starting at the 1st level as a beginning adventurer and rising through the accumulation of experience points to the 20th level or higher. At each level attained, the character receives new powers. 2. spell level, a measure of the power of a magical spell. A magic-using character can use only those spells for which his class level qualifies him. Wizard spells come in nine levels (Table 21); priest spells in seven (Table 24).
Loyalty base – a bonus added to or a penalty subtracted from the probability that henchmen are going to stay around when the going gets tough. Based on the character’s Charisma, it is shown in Table 6.
M – abbreviation for material component (q.v.).
Magical defense adjustment – a bonus added to or a penalty subtracted from saving throws vs. spells that attack the mind. Based on Wisdom, it is shown in Table 5.
Maneuverability class – a ranking for flying creatures that reflects their ability to turn easily in aerial combat. Each class from a top of A to a bottom rank of E has specific statistical abilities in combat.
Material component (abbr. M) – any specific item that must be handled in some way during the casting of a magic spell.
Maximum press – the most weight a character can pick up and raise over his head. It is a function of Strength and may be found in Table 1.
Melee – combat in which characters are fighting in direct contact, such as with swords, claws, or fists, as opposed to fighting with missile weapons or spells.
Missile combat – combat involving the use of weapons that shoot missiles or items that can be thrown. Because the combat is not “toe-to-toe,” the rules are slightly different than those for regular combat.
Movement rate – a number used in calculating how far and how fast a character can move in a round. This number is in units of 10 yards per round outdoors, but it represents 10 feet indoors. Thus, an MR of 6 is 60 yards per round in the wilderness, but only 60 feet per round in a dungeon.
MR – abbreviation for movement rate (q.v.).
Multi-class character – a demihuman who improves in two or more classes at the same time by dividing experience points between the different classes. Humans cannot be multi-classed.
Mythos (pl. mythoi) – a complete body of belief particular to a certain time or place, including the pantheon of its gods.
Neutrality – a philosophical position, or alignment, of a character that is between belief in good or evil, order or chaos.
Non-player character – character controlled by the DM instead of a player.
NPC – abbreviation for non-player character(q.v.).
Open doors roll – roll of a 20-sided die to see if a character succeeds in opening a heavy or stuck door or performing a similar task. The die roll at which the character succeeds can be found in Table 1.
Opposition school – school of magic: that is directly opposed to a specialist’s school of choice, thus preventing him from learning spells from that school, as shown in Table 22.
PC – for player character (q.v.).
Percentage (or percent) chance – number between 1 and 100 used to represent the probability of something happening. If a character is given an X percentage chance of an event occurring, the player rolls percentile dice (q.v.).
Percentile dice – a 100-sided die or two 10-sided dice used in rolling a percentage number. If 2d10 are used, they are of different colors, and one represents the tens digit while the other is the ones.
Player character (abbr. PC) – the characters in a role-playing game who are under the control of the players.
Poison save – a bonus or a penalty to a saving throw vs. poison. Based on Constitution, it is shown in Table 3.
Prime requisite – ability score that is most important to a character class; for example, Strength to a fighter.
Proficiency – a character’s learned skill not defined by his class but which gives him a greater percentage chance to accomplish a specific type of task during an adventure. Weapon and nonweapon proficiency slots are acquired as the character rises in level, as shown in Table 34. The use of proficiencies in the game is optional.
Proficiency check – roll of a 20-sided die to see if a character succeeds in doing a task by comparing the die roll to the character’s relevant ability score plus or minus any modifiers shown in Table 37 (the modified die roll must be equal to or less than the ability score for the action to succeed).
q.v. – “which see,” or “turn to.”
Race – a player character’s species: human, elf, dwarf, gnome, half-elf, or halfling. Race puts some limitations on the PC’s class.
Rate of fire (abbr. ROF) – number of times a missile-firing or thrown weapon can be shot in a round.
Reaction adjustment – a bonus added to or penalty subtracted from a die roll used in determining the success of a character’s action. Such an adjustment is used especially in reference to surprise (shown on Table 2 as a function of Dexterity) and the reaction of other intelligence beings to a character (shown on Table 6 as a function of Charisma).
Regeneration – a special ability to heal faster than usual, based on an extraordinarily high Constitution, as shown in Table 3.
Resistance – innate ability of a being to withstand attack, such as by magic. Gnomes, for example, have a magic resistance that adds bonuses to their saving throws against magic (Table 9).
Resurrection survival – the percentage chance a character has of being magically raised from death. Based on Constitution, it is shown in Table 3.
Reversible – of a magic spell, able to be cast “backwards” so that the opposite of the usual effect is achieved.
ROF – abbreviation for rate of fire (q.v.).
Round – in combat, a segment of time approximately 1 minute long, during which a character can accomplish one basic action. Ten combat rounds equal one turn.
S – abbreviation for somatic component (q.v.).
Saving throw – a measure of a character’s ability to resist (to “save vs. “) special types of attacks, especially poison, paralyzation, magic, and breath weapons. Success is usually determined by the roll of 1d20.
School of magic – One of nine different categories of magic, based on the type of magical energy utilized. Wizards who concentrate their work on a single school are called specialists. The specific school of which a spell is a part is shown after the name of the spell in the spell section at the end of the book.
Somatic component (abbr. S) – the gestures that a spellcaster must use to cast a specific spell. A bound wizard cannot cast a spell requiring somatic components.
Specialist – a wizard who concentrates on a specific school of magic (q.v.), as opposed to a mage, who studies all magic in general.
Spell immunity – protection that certain characters have against illusions or other specific spells, based on high Intelligence (Table 4) or Wisdom (Table 5).
Sphere of influence – any of sixteen categories of clerical spells to which a priest may have major access (he can eventually learn them all) or minor access (he can learn only the lower level spells). The relevant sphere of influence is shown as the first item in the list of characteristics in the priest spell.
Str – abbreviation for Strength (q.v.).
Strength (abbr. Str) – an ability score representing a character’s muscle power, endurance, and stamina.
Surprise roll – the roll of a ten-sided die by the Dungeon Master to determine if a character or group takes another by surprise. Successful surprise (a roll of 1, 2, or 3) cancels the roll for initiative on the first round of combat.
System shock – a percentage chance that character survives major magical effects, such as being petrified. Based on Constitution, it is shown in Table 3.
THAC0 – an acronym for “To Hit Armor Class 0,” the number that a character needs to roll in order to successfully hit a target with AC 0.
To-hit roll – another name for attack roll (q.v.).
Turn – in game time, approximately 10 minutes; used especially in figuring how long various magic spells may last. In combat, a turn consists of 10 rounds.
Turn undead – a magical ability of a cleric or paladin to turn away an undead creature, such as a skeleton or a vampire.
V – abbreviation for verbal component (q.v.).
Verbal component – specific words or sounds that must be uttered while casting a spell.
Weapon speed – an initiative modifier used in combat that accounts for the time required to get back into position to reuse a weapon.
Wis – abbreviation for Wisdom (q.v.).
Wisdom (abbr. Wis) – an ability score representing a composite of a character’s intuition, judgement, common sense, and will power.
XP – abbreviation for experience points (q.v.).