OP: DON'T use characters you actually care about.
Remember: The ToH is an intelligence test. If you enter it, YOU FAILED.
Ganryu wrote: Snorb wrote: Just keep in mind that the very first playthrough ever of Tomb of Horrors, NOBODY DIED.
That's right. The very first time Gygax ever ran this meatgrinder for his pals on a Friday night, it was a flawless victory on their part.
How is that even possible?
Did they do the sheep strategy? The way I heard it, they drove a bunch of orc prisoners in front of them. Ethically iffy, but effective.
(Plus, they knew where Gygax liked to put secret doors. Like at the bottom of pit traps...)
Lennies make excellent trapfinders when you use enough of them.
chbgraphicarts wrote: (there were no "Save or Die" traps in the original TOH, they were just "Die", because no Saves existed in 1st Edition 1st Edition AD&D had saving throws. Looking at page 79 of my old DM Guide, the categories are Paralyzation, Poison, or Death Magic; Petrification or Polymorph; Rod, Staff, or Wand; Breath Weapon; and Spell. No modifiers for abilities, just class and level.
Smallfoot wrote: chbgraphicarts wrote: (there were no "Save or Die" traps in the original TOH, they were just "Die", because no Saves existed in 1st Edition 1st Edition AD&D had saving throws. Looking at page 79 of my old DM Guide, the categories are Paralyzation, Poison, or Death Magic; Petrification or Polymorph; Rod, Staff, or Wand; Breath Weapon; and Spell. No modifiers for abilities, just class and level. Only really for Attacks, not for traps, though.
I'm more than certain that a number of DMs DID end up using the Saves vs traps as well, but the default seemed to be that Traps weren't quite Attacks, as evidenced by the shear number of "you trigger it, you die" instances in TOH.
I've read through that module more times than I can remember, and there is NO mention at all of saves in there, thus the likelihood of Gygax not intending players to make Saves on unattended things like Traps.
The traps are "it depends" in 1e. Some traps (specifically poisoned traps) used Poison saving throws if you triggered the trap, or [appropriate saving throw here] against the various magical symbol/rune/glyph 'traps'.
TOH was explicit in how to run the nastiest traps. Good times.
chbgraphicarts wrote: Smallfoot wrote: chbgraphicarts wrote: (there were no "Save or Die" traps in the original TOH, they were just "Die", because no Saves existed in 1st Edition 1st Edition AD&D had saving throws. Looking at page 79 of my old DM Guide, the categories are Paralyzation, Poison, or Death Magic; Petrification or Polymorph; Rod, Staff, or Wand; Breath Weapon; and Spell. No modifiers for abilities, just class and level. Only really for Attacks, not for traps, though.
I'm more than certain that a number of DMs DID end up using the Saves vs traps as well, but the default seemed to be that Traps weren't quite Attacks, as evidenced by the shear number of "you trigger it, you die" instances in TOH.
I've read through that module more times than I can remember, and there is NO mention at all of saves in there, thus the likelihood of Gygax not intending players to make Saves on unattended things like Traps. The saves were different.
You would save vs. Poison or Magic
Unless the magic had a particular quality, like if it came from a monster's Breath, it was save vs. Breath Weapon, if the magic would just kill you rather than inflict damage, it was save vs. Death. If the magic came from a Rod, Staff, or Wand, you'd have a different save for that, and if it was magic that would turn you to Stone, save vs. Petrification. All these were different saves and appeared to be independent of the other.
There wasn't "save vs traps." And generally, if you failed your save vs. Poison, you'd just die.
You save vs poison a lot in ToH.
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