GameBanshee Forums

Ok, I have played Fallout 1 & 2. Thats about it. Oh, I played Hero Quest when i was younger. Simple rules... But then, in BG2 there was AD&D rules, I thought: OK, what the **** is AD&D? I dont undertand a bit of it. thac0, saving throwes meens squat to me. I dont understand it at all.
But hey, that doenst stop me from playing this superb game. I really love it. Baybe even more if I understands the rules of it...

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Odin - The Norse God

AD&D combat is actually pretty simple. The manual explains a little about it, but doesn't really do the system justice though. So I'll elaborate a little.

THAC0 means "To Hit At Armor Class 0". Take a look at your character's or your party NPCs THAC0s. The smaller the number, the more effective they are at non-spell combat. Typically, fighters will have the lowest THAC0s followed by thieves and bards, then clerics / druids, and lastly the spellcaster sorcerors / mages.

So how does it work? Well, you really need to know the enemy you're fighting. Why? Because the enemy you're fighting has something called armor class. Again, the smaller the number the better. So let's pretend we have an enemy with an armor class of 0. Now let's pretend our fighter has a THAC0 of 10. Combat in AD&D revolves around a 20 sided die (dice is plural). It's kind of like gambling, only simpler. In order to hit your enemy, your fighter with a THAC0 of 10 needs to roll a 10 or higher in order to hit this particular enemy. So there is really a 55% chance of doing so. Not bad.

However, as the AC improves (by going lower, think of golf) the chances of connecting go down as long as your THAC0 is the same. So if your fighter still has 10 as a THAC0 and the armor class of your enemy drops to -1, you now have to roll an 11 or higher. 50%. -2 AC = 45%. -3 AC = 40%. Keep in mind that no matter what, a roll of 20 ALWAYS hits and gets bonus damage and a roll of 1 ALWAYS misses, with a time to recover penalty.

There are a few more exceptions to these rules. Certain weapons or proficiences will allow critical hits on a roll of 19 and 20. So no matter what the AC of the enemy you are fighting is, you'll always have a 10% chance of hitting.

That covers combat, unfortunately, I am not as well versed at saving throws. My understanding is that it again involves a die, i'm just not sure how it works. I think the level of spell caster you're up against modifies the roll you have to make to save vs. a spell they fire at you. Be careful of the spells that do not require a saving throw such as imprisonment or power word: kill, they can knock you out in one hit if you're not careful.

[This message has been edited by Gluteus Maximus (edited 11-04-2000).]

Let me see if I have understood this. If
I have a AC 10, my enemy AC 3, I only need to get above 7? (that doesnt makes sense, 3 is better than 10). With the saving-throws, the higher number I have the better? And the lower in armor class?

And do I really need to pay atention to this, or can I just play and not worry?

Does the level of your caracter have thing to say, or is it just the armor and the things you ware that makes a differece?


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Odin - The Norse God

It is not your AC - enemy's AC but your thca0 - enemy's AC
If your thca0 is 10 and your enemy has an AC of 3 you need (10-3) 7 or higher on 20 to hit him.
When a weapon says +x to thca0 you had that number to your roll. Things that count when determining your thca0 are your base thca0/strenght mod (melee) or dexterity mod (ranged)/bonus (weapon/class/spell) if any

As for the level vs AC. Some characters like monk I think get AC bonus as they advance in level. Things that counts when determining your AC are dexterity modifier/things you wear/bonuses (class/spell) if any.

Hope that helps

[This message has been edited by HighWatcher Zubie (edited 11-05-2000).]

Sorry to be such a ****. but i have still not understood it.
The lover tach0 you have the better, the higher tach0 the enemy have the better, and the same goes for AC. am i right?

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Odin - The Norse God

No, lower is better in every case. Enemies of higher levels will have LOWER THAC0s and LOWER ACs. Which means they'll be harder to hit and they'll be more likely to hit you. Which come to think of, is not such a good thing unless you have a beefy character . It's really all about math. You can even make a simple chart. Take your character's THAC0. Say it is 5:

To hit an enemy with an AC of -10 you would need to roll a 15 or higher on a 20 sided dice to connect in other words, a 30% chance of doing so on every swing. Melee damage done is based upon the weapon you are using + any enchantments on the weapon (like +3 damage) + your strength bonus. Everything is based on die or dice rolls, so it is pretty random. So here's the chart:

Enemy's AC: -10 Your THAC0: 5 = chance to hit = 30%
Enemy's AC: -9 Your THAC0: 5 = chance to hit = 35%
Enemy's AC: -8 Your THAC0: 5 = chance to hit = 40%
Enemy's AC: -7 Your THAC0: 5 = chance to hit = 45%
Enemy's AC: -6 Your THAC0: 5 = chance to hit = 50%

So you can see, as AC gets higher, the easier it is to hit. That's why you want your frontline fighters to have the lowest ACs AND the lowest THAC0s so that they can dish out the punishment and take little in return.

Ok, what i ment was:
I got low tach0 = good
Enemy got low tach0 = bad (for me)
I got high AC = good
Enemy got high AC = bad (for me)

This is right?
If so, then I have understood.

Thanks guys for helping me out.



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Odin - The Norse God