ADVANCER Saving throw and attack tables - Part 2 of "Advancement"

As I mentioned in the first post on XP tables, in ADVANCER, I simplified character advancement, while trying to keep some of the idiosyncracies of AD&D. 

The general areas in advancement are:

• character rank (aka level) 
• attack bonuses 
• saving throws

Here are the principles that I had laid down initially when considering attack bonuses and saving throws. (Remember that ADVANCER uses ascending AC.) As you will see, not all of them made into the final results.

• Attack bonus and saving throw bonus increases by 2 every three levels (4th, 7th, 10th, 13th, 16th)
• Base attack bonus +0.
• Base saving throw is 16.
• Priestly and roguish classes get normal attack bonuses. (Cleric, Druid, Monk, Thief, Assassin) 
• Martial classes start wtih +2 attack bonus at 1st level. (Fighter, Paladin, Ranger)
• Arcane classes do not get any attack bonus until 7th level. (Mage, Illusionist)

Attack bonues

In the end, I decided that there was not need for tables. Simply:

• Martial classes and monsters get +1 attack bonus per rank to a maximum of +16.
  
• Priestly and roguish classes get a +2 attack bonus every three levels, starting at 4th, to a maximum of +10 at 16th rank.
  
• Arcane classes get a +2 attack bonus every three levels, but only starting at 7th rank, to a maximum of +8 at 16th rank. 

Notes:

• Martial classes get a +1 attack at 1st rank, which is different than AD&D, but it is easier to remember. 
• Priestly and roguish classes progress pretty much as per AD&D for clerics, thought clerics will miss out at an extra +1 at 19th rank. It is a faster progression than for AD&D thieves, but it reaches the same maximum. Thieves need all the help they can get. 
• Arcane casters no longer have a penalty of -1 at ranks 1-5 (as they do in AD&D). Their attack bonuses are marginally (+1) better at 16th rank and marginally worse (-1) at 21st rank and above. 
• We don't worry about +/-1. 

Saving throw tables

I decided that saving throws need tables, but I wanted some regularity. Also, because ADVANCER characters progress every three ranks, some regigging of the AD&D tables was in order.

I paid the most attention to the highest and lowest saving throw numbers for each category and added in regular step in between. Interestingly, perhaps because they shared a saving throw table in Greyhawk, arcane and roguish types have very similar saving throw progression---close enough that I thought they should be brought back together in ADVANCER.

The categories of "Spells" and "Rod, Staff or Wand" were collapsed into one because, lo and behold, in AD&D, the latter is always one lower than the former! We don't worry about +/-1.

In a separate post, I will explain the categories and bonuses applicable to saving throws, as I have tried to simplify those as well.

Arcane and Roguish Classes

Character rank	Poison, paralysis, death magic	Petrification, polymorphing	Breath weapons	Spells, magical devices, misc. magic
1-3	15	11	15	11
4-6	14	10	14	10
7-9	13	9	13	9
10-12	12	8	12	8
13-15	11	7	11	7
16+	10	6	10	6

Martial Classes, Unranked Characters and Monsters

• Monsters who cast spells save as a mage or cleric if better.

• Unintelligent monsters save as fighter of half rank, except saves vs. poison, death magic.

Character rank	Poison, paralysis, death magic	Petrification, polymorphing	Breath weapons	Spells, magical devices, misc. magic
Unranked	16	16	16	18
1-3	14	14	14	16
4-6	12	12	12	14
7-9	10	10	10	12
10-12	8	8	8	10
13-15	6	6	6	8
16+	4	4	4	6

Priestly classes

• Druids: +2 to saves vs. fire- and lightning-based attacks

Character rank	Poison, paralysis, death magic	Petrification, polymorphing	Breath weapons	Spells, magical devices, misc. magic
1-3	9	13	15	13
4-6	8	12	14	12
7-9	7	11	13	11
10-12	6	10	12	10
13-15	5	9	11	9
16+	4	8	10	8