Author's blurb:
What is Monsters and Ruins? Simply put, it's my take on the world's most popular fantasy role playing game, trying to combine the feel of 1st and 3rd editions while removing as much of the really fiddly stuff as possible.
It's not so much a complete game, as a replacement player's guide. Monsters, magic items, treasure, and so forth are not included (as yet), but those follow standard old school forms, so using an older GM's guide or any old school monster book works, as do adventures.
So why is this better than just using old school rules?
• Ascending Armor Class, Attack Bonus, and Saving Throws
• 3 Saving Throws: Fortitude (replacing Poison, Death Magic, & Paralyzation), Reflex (replacing Breath and
Petrification, and Willpower (replacing Spells and Wands)
• Skills based on Saving Throws and with variable difficulty similar to 3rd edition.
• Skills for everyone
• Talents & Feats replicating class powers
• Hit Dice stopping around 10th level (sometimes 9th, sometimes 11th)
• Lots of character classes, including restoring many of the original classes like the Ranger, Assassin, and the
Illusionist along with a 3rd edition style Bard as well as 2nd edition classes like the Hunter (essentially a 2nd edition
Ranger) and Necromancer.
• Unified XP tables and 1e style multiclassing (no racial restrictions or level limits)
• Magic item creation is rare, but theoretically doable by anyone, not just spellcasters