![]() ![]() This change eliminated the need for THAC0. Characters and monsters now have an attack bonus, which is added to a d20 roll and compared to the target's armor class to determine a hit. An alternative is to pre-calculate and record the attack rolls necessary for ACs from 9 to -5.ĭungeons & Dragons third edition (2000) changed to a more intuitive ascending armor class system, where a higher armor class is better. The THAC0 system was supplied as an option in the D&D Rules Cyclopedia (1991), p.8-9, where it is recommended "for experienced players who don't have trouble juggling numbers". These rules are described in Player's Handbook (2e) (1989), p.89 and Player's Handbook (2e revised) (1995), p.119. In Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 2nd edition, THAC0 replaced the to-hit charts as the primary method to determine a hit. THAC0 appeared in the Master Rules (BECMI) (1985), and would continue to appear in the Dungeons & Dragons "basic" product line which was published coterminously with Advanced Dungeons & Dragons. THAC0 began appearing in Dragon Magazine in Dragon #92 (Dec 1984), with Jon Mattson's adventure module The Sword of Justice. The RPGA module series for the D&D Basic game, beginning with Tracy and Laura Hickman's RPGA1 Rahasia (RPGA1) (1983), also used THAC0, as did UK2 The Sentinel (1983). The use of THAC0 would continue through the R-series. It saw use in Frank Mentzer's RPGA adventure R-1 To the Aid of Falx (1982), where it is written THACO (using the letter O rather than the numeral 0). ![]() The abbreviation THAC0 began to gain traction in published adventure modules beginning in 1982, particular in RPGA tournament modules. However, the lookup tables on page 75 were the standard method of monster statistics, and the exact term "THAC0" was not used by AD&D 1st edition's core rulebooks. 0", which for convenience gave the roll required for the monster to hit AC 0 in addition to the monster's hit dice. This listed each monster's attack capability under a column called "To Hit A.C. ![]() Early use of THAC0 Īn early use of THAC0 appeared in the Dungeon Masters Guide (1e) (1979), p.197-215, Appendix E: Alphabetical Recapitulation of Monsters. THAC0 eventually leaked out into published books, though Kask could not recall which writer originally invented THAC0, or who first used it in a sourcebook. ![]() In 2017, former TSR employee Tim Kask described THAC0 as originally created as an in-house design tool to calculate average hit chances. A goal of tournament adventure module design at this time was to standardize the D&D game experience to allow fair play of competetive modules. In 2020, Jeff Grubb described THAC0 as an invention of the convention tournament scene, used to convey information to DMs. Similar tables for player characters and monsters appeared in the AD&D Dungeon Masters Guide (1e) (1979), p.74-75 and the various Basic/Expert rules sets. hit dice, a concept roughly equivalent to character level. A separate chart on page 20 determined monster to-hit values based on their "dice", i.e. In the original D&D rulebook Men & Magic (1974), p.190, a chart was provided to determine the roll needed to hit, based on the attacker's level and the target's armor class. In 2020, former TSR employee Jeff Grubb favored the pronunciation "thay-ko". In a YouTube video in 2017, former TSR employee Tim Kask preferred the pronunciation "thay-ko". THAC0 is variously prounounced "thack-oh" or "thay-ko". Against an opponent with AC6, he hits on a roll between 8 and 20 (14 − 6 = 8). įor example, a character with a THAC0 of 14 must roll between 14 and 20 on a d20 to hit an opponent with AC 0. The target's armor class is subtracted from the attacker's THAC0 when determining a hit. In practice, most opponents do not have an armor class of zero. Against an opponent with an armor class of zero, you must roll equal to or above your own THAC0 on a twenty-sided die in order to score a hit. Prior to the publication of D&D 3rd edition in the year 2000, Dungeons & Dragons used a descending armor class scale, where a lower armor class meant that the character was harder to hit.Įach player character and monster has a statistic known as THAC0, which is calculated based on their level or hit dice. ![]()
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