DCC, 3.5E, and B/X Numbers

When I first got DCC, I assumed the game was "tuned" around OSR and B/X numbers regarding attack bonuses and hit points. The game is more tuned around 3.5E-style numbers, hit points, and attack bonuses. I use the fire giants of three games to compare values with:

• DCC Attack Bonus: +22
• OSE Attack Bonus: +10
• 3.5E Attack Bonus: +20

The attack bonuses, minus multi-attacks, are comparable. They are baseline double B/X.

• DCC average hp: 80
• OSE average hp: 51
• 3.5E average hp: 142

D&D 3.5E hit points are around double what DCC gives. Compared to B/X, OSE has about 1.5 times the hit points.

• DCC attack damage: 4d10+10, 32 average
• OSE attack damage: 5d6, 18 average
• 3.5E attack damage: 3d6+15 (3 attacks), 26 average, 78 maximum total (52 realistic)

The 3.5E damage maximum is deceptive since it assumes that last +10 attack hits, so it is closer to 52 for two attacks. So DCC is in the middle, with 1.5 times less and more for OSE and 3.5E.

• DCC AC: 17
• OSE AC: 15
• 3.5E AC: 23

AC values are closer to B/X on the low levels, but ancient dragons in 3.5E and DCC are around AC 40. AC is too high in 3.5E by about five points for DCC.

Don't enter this realm if you are afraid of math!

So if you convert from OSE, double the attack bonus, multiply attack damage, and hit points by 1.5 times. AC is about the same. If converting down from 3.5E, use the same attack bonus, halve the hit points, reduce damage by 1.5 times, and AC is about 70% at the lower levels, and for boss monsters, they are about equal to 3.5E.

Low-end 3.5E monsters are okay with DCC. A 3.5E orc is AC 13, +4 attack, and 2d4+4 damage. An OSE orc is AC 13, +0 attack, and 1d6 damage. A DCC orc is AC 11 (you could armor them up, too), +1 attack, and 1d8+1 damage.

This is why I like the first edition and B/X games like OSE. Even AD&D 2nd Edition started increasing monster hit points, but nothing beats the original game's flat numbers and lower modifiers. Every version of Wizards D&D has been on a hit-point inflation track for the last 25 years.

DCC is a 3.5E game since the dragon AC numbers can scale up to 40, and the hit point and damage numbers are higher than OSE. If you are converting from 3.5E to DCC, use a 50% hp, -5 AC, half-damage attacks, and if monsters have multiple attacks, dice chain them down from the d20. DCC being aligned with 3.5E makes sense since Goodman Games published so many 3.5E modules.

DCC can replace all of my third-edition games since it is essentially a replacement game that is more old-school focused and isn't as structurally broken as D&D 3.5E. I enjoy DCC more than I do 3.5E, but I still have my 3.5E books out, while 4E and 5E sit in the garage. Having my 3.5E books out means I can play them apart or together as an option, and the DCC and 3.5E combo gives me the best of Gonzo and Wizards D&D on my shelf, and the games work together well.