AD&D / 5E Rules Comparison Thread:

Since I am also now running a D&D 5th Edition Game, I thought I would put up this thread to compare the Rules to one another.  I will post the comparisons as I come across using a rule in 5E in the game I am running.

5E Surprise Roll Checks:   Make a Dexterity (Stealth) check for the goblins, rolling once for all of them.  Open the  goblin 's  Character Journal  and select the tab to view its character sheet. Under Skills, click on the d20 icon beside the Stealth skill to roll it.  Compare the result to the characters’ passive Wisdom (Perception) scores. Any character whose score is lower than the goblins’ check result is surprised and loses his or her turn during the first round of combat (see “Surprise” in the Starter Set rulebook).  =============== AD&D: Surprise: The term surprise is basically self-explanatory. A surprised party is caught unawares or unprepared. In such circumstances the non-surprised (or lesssurprised) party has an immediate advantage which is reflected in the granting of 1 or more segments of initiative, during which the active (non-or less surprised) party can take actions 4. A. through H., wholly or partially depending on several modifying factors. The surprise segment is 6 seconds. Avoiding, parleying, awaiting the action of the surprised, missile discharge, and setting of weapons (typically spears or spearing types of pole arms) are possible. Most spells cannot be cast in a single segment, although first level magic-user/illusionist spells are usually but 1 segment long, as are some other spells, and these spells are possible to use in a surprise segment. Other, longer casting time spells can only be begun in the first segment of surprise. Similarly, the distance separating the parties may be too great to close during a single segment, even by charging, and melee striking or grappling might not be possible. However, during the surprise segment or segments, the surprised party is unable to react in any way, so the latter actions might be possible. Surprise is determined by rolling a six-sided die for each party concerned, modifying the result by using the most favorable member of the party concerned, i.e. a ranger, surprised only on a roll of 1, will represent the whole of a group of other character types. Note, however, the effect of dexterity as detailed below. The same holds for mixed types of monsters. If surprise is indicated for both parties concerned, the party which has lesser surprise subtracts its result from the result of the greater to find the number of segments the latter are inactive. Nonetheless, it is possible for both parties to be surprised equally — with surprise thus having no effect. Surprise is usually expressed as a 2 in 6 chance for all parties concerned, i.e. a six-sided die is rolled with a 1 or 2 indicating surprise. Some monsters are more capable of surprising foes than the normal 2 in 6 probability, and some cannot be surprised as easily, so they have a reduced probability — 1 in 6, 1 in 8, etc. Each 1 of surprise equals 1 segment (six seconds) of time lost to the surprised party, and during the lost time the surprising party can freely act to escape or attack or whatever. If both parties are surprised, then the effect is negated or reduced: Surprise Dice Difference Lost Segments 0 0 1 (2-1, 3-2, etc.) 1 2 (3-1, 4-2, etc.) 2 3 (4-1, 5-2, etc.)

Death Saves and Zero Hit Points: 5th Edition: Falling Unconscious If damage reduces you to 0 hit points and fails to kill you, you fall unconscious (see appendix A). This unconsciousness ends if you regain any hit points. Unconsciousness, Death Saving Throws, Stabilizing: Whenever you start your turn with 0 hit points, you must make a special saving throw, called a death saving throw, to determine whether you creep closer to death or hang onto life. Unlike other saving throws, this one isn’t tied to any ability score. You are in the hands of fate now, aided only by spells and features that improve your chances of succeeding on a saving throw. Roll a d20. If the roll is 10 or higher, you succeed. Otherwise, you fail. A success or failure has no effect by itself. On your third success, you become stable (see below). On your third failure, you die. The successes and failures don’t need to be consecutive; keep track of both until you collect three of a kind. The number of both is reset to zero when you regain any hit points or become stable. Rolling 1 or 20. When you make a death saving throw and roll a 1 on the d20, it counts as two failures. If you roll a 20 on the d20, you regain 1 hit point. Damage at 0 Hit Points. If you take any damage while you have 0 hit points, you suffer a death saving throw failure. If the damage is from a critical hit, you suffer two failures instead. If the damage equals or exceeds your hit point maximum, you suffer instant death. Stabilizing a Creature The best way to save a creature with 0 hit points is to heal it. If healing is unavailable, the creature can at least be stabilized so that it isn’t killed by a failed death saving throw. You can use your action to administer first aid to an unconscious creature and attempt to stabilize it, which requires a successful DC 10 Wisdom (Medicine) check. A stable creature doesn’t make death saving throws, even though it has 0 hit points, but it does remain unconscious. The creature stops being stable, and must start making death saving throws again, if it takes any damage. A stable creature that isn’t healed regains 1 hit point after 1d4 hours. ========== In AD&D: Zero Hit Points: When any creature is brought to 0 hit points (optionally as low as –3 hit points if from the same blow which brought the total to 0), it is unconscious. In each of the next succeeding rounds 1 additional (negative) point will be lost until –10 is reached and the creature dies. Such loss and death are caused from bleeding, shock, convulsions, non-respiration, and similar causes. It ceases immediately on any round a friendly creature administers aid to the unconscious one. Aid consists of binding wounds, starting respiration, administering a draught (spirits, healing potion, etc.), or otherwise doing whatever is necessary to restore life. Any character brought to 0 (or fewer) hit points and then revived will remain in a coma for 1-6 turns. Thereafter, he or she must rest for a full week, minimum. He or she will be incapable of any activity other than that necessary to move slowly to a place of rest and eat and sleep when there. The character cannot attack, defend, cast spells, use magic devices, carry burdens, run, study, research, or do anything else. This is true even if cure spells and/or healing potions are given to him or her, although if a heal spell is bestowed the prohibition no longer applies. If any creature reaches a state of –6 or greater negative points before being revived, this could indicate scarring or the loss of some member, if you so choose. For example, a character struck by a fireball and then treated when at –9 might have horrible scar tissue on exposed areas of flesh — hands, arms, neck, face. You would typically roll a wisdom check or a Healing/first aid non-weapon proficiency skill check to try to stop the bleeding. If you fail the victim loses 1 hit point the next round 

And here it is about Short Rest & Long Rest in D&D 5E and the AD&D Comparison: Short Rest A short rest is a period of downtime, at least 1 hour long, during which a character does nothing more strenuous than eating, drinking, reading, and tending to wounds. A character can spend one or more Hit Dice at the end of a short rest, up to the character’s maximum number of Hit Dice, which is equal to the character’s level. For each Hit Die spent in this way, the player rolls the die and adds the character’s Constitution modifier to it. The character regains hit points equal to the total (minimum of 0). The player can decide to spend an additional Hit Die after each roll. A character regains some spent Hit Dice upon finishing a long rest, as explained below. Long Rest A long rest is a period of extended downtime, at least 8 hours long, during which a character sleeps for at least 6 hours and performs no more than 2 hours of light activity, such as reading, talking, eating, or standing watch. If the rest is interrupted by a period of strenuous activity— at least 1 hour of walking, fighting, casting spells, or similar adventuring activity—the characters must begin the rest again to gain any benefit from it. At the end of a long rest, a character regains all lost hit points. The character also regains spent Hit Dice, up to a number of dice equal to half of the character’s total number of them (minimum of one die). For example, if a character has eight Hit Dice, he or she can regain four spent Hit Dice upon finishing a long rest. A character can’t benefit from more than one long rest in a 24-hour period, and a character must have at least 1 hit point at the start of the rest to gain its benefits. ========== AD&D Resting: Recovery of Hit Points: When a character loses hit points in combat or to some other attack form (other than being drained of life energy levels), there are a number of different means by which such points can be restored. Clerics and paladins are able to restore such losses by means of spells or innate abilities. Magical devices such as potions operate much the same way, and a ring of regeneration will cause automatic healing and revitalization in general of its wearer. Commonly it is necessary to resort to the passage of time, however, to restore many characters to full hit point strength. For game purposes it is absolutely necessary that the character rest in order to recuperate, i.e. any combat, spell using, or similar activity does not constitute rest, so no hit points can be regained. For each day of rest a character will regain 1 hit point, up to and including 7 days. However a character with a penalty for poor constitution must deduct weekly the penalty score from his or her days of healing, i.e., a –2 for a person means that 5 hit points healing per week is maximum, and the first two days of rest will restore no hit points. After the first week of continuous rest, characters with a bonus for high constitution add the bonus score to the number of hit points they recover due to resting, i.e., the second week of rest will restore 11 (7 + 4) hit points to a fighter character with an 18 constitution. Regardless of the number of hit points a character has, 4 weeks of continuous rest will restore any character to full strength.

ok, I am also running a 5th edition game and to show a comparison of awarded Experience Points for fighting 3 Skeletons in the crypt room of the Redbrand's hideout in "Lost Mines of Phandelver", here we go: Redbrand Hideout: For defeating 3 Skeletons (150 XP per Adventurer; 900 XP awarded for 3 Skeletons) For Comparision: 1st Ed: [base value = 10] + [1 XP per HP * 13 HPs = 13] + [Special ability bonus XP=0] + [Exceptional Ability Bonus XP=0] = 23 Total XP for each skeleton, divided by 6 adventurers = 69/6 = 11.5 XP each ; 2nd Ed: 65 XP for each skeleton: Divided by 6 adventurers = 195/6 = 32.5 XP each The 65 XP for 2E was based on a method of not using gold for XP.

Also I might point out 5th has a method where you don't us XP at all Milestone where the DM merely tells the players they leveled up after different Milestones rather than slowly earning XP.

Opps! I misread the info for that crypt encounter! It should be 150 / 6 characters as each skeleton has a value of 50 XP each in 5E. So each adventurer gets 25 XP for defeating them. " Awarding Experience Points Divide  150 XP  equally among the characters if the party defeats the skeletons." Because of the way 5E also awards XP for reaching an encounter and completing it, I guess I got confused a bit.

It's actually a lot easier to just run the milestone system I think.