by Zenopus
This list attempts to document all of the differences between the first and final printings of the blue cover Holmes Basic Set rulebook.
Lizard Logo, F-116-R code = 1st edition, 1st print = referred to as "1st print" or "1st" in this list.
Wizard Logo, 2001 code, 3rd Edition, December 1979 = 3rd edition = referred to as "3rd edition" or "3rd".
Page numbers are listed 1st print / 3rd edition (e.g., pg 34/35). The pagination for the two prints is the same until the MONSTERS LIST (pg 22/22), where changes eventually lead to the 3rd being 1 page ahead.
Throughout the 3rd edition "halfling" replaces "hobbit" (except page 17 as noted below).
FRONT COVER
1st: Code F-116-R; DUNGEONS & DRAGONS* logo with *T.M. Reg. App. For.; Lizard Logo, TSR GAMES
3rd: Code 2001; DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® logo; Wizard Logo, TSR GAMES
TITLE PAGE (pg 1/1)
1st: "©1974, 1977 TACTICAL STUDIES RULES"
3rd: "©1974, 1977, 1978 TACTICAL STUDIES RULES, 3rd EDITION, DECEMBER 1979" with Random House distribution notice.
PREFACE (pg 2/2): No changes to text, but the 3rd edition uses a smaller font.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1st: 57 entries. LANGUAGES listed as page 8, though actually on page 9.
3rd: 58 entries. LANGUAGES correctly listed as page 9. New entry for ENCUMBERANCE, page 9.
INTRODUCTION (pg 5/5)
1st: "rolling special polyhedral 20-sided dice which come with this game."
3rd: "rolling special polyhedral dice included with the game."
DWARVES (pg 6/6)
1st: "They are the only ones who can wield the +3 Magic War Hammer (described later)."
3rd: Entire sentence deleted.
NON-PLAYER CHARACTERS (pg 8/8)
1st: "Only the lowest level of character types can be hired…"
3rd: "Generally, only the lowest level of character types can be hired…"
CHARACTER ALIGNMENT (pg 8/8)
1st: original alignment diagram
3rd: new alignment diagram. LG: Lammasu→Unicorn; CG: [blank]→Elf; LE: Beholder→Gargoyle, Blue Dragon→Spectre; CE: Demon→Chimera; N: Ape→[deleted], Cockatrice→[deleted].
LANGUAGES (pg 9/9)
3rd adds: "Any languages should be selected before the character begins play".
ENCUMBERANCE (pg 9/9)
1st: Last item is "1 – 10' pole (right hand)"
3rd: Deletes 10' pole, last item is now "1 lantern, filled with oil (left hand)"
WANDERING MONSTER TABLE (pg 10/10)
Extensively rewritten in 3rd. Notable deletions: all human NPC classes removed from TABLES. Notable additions to 3rd: Giant Ticks, Displacer Beasts, Dopplegangers, Grey Ooze, Blink Dogs added at various levels. See original for full comparison.
In Dragon #52, Holmes writes, "The first Basic Set rulebook contained some irritating typographical errors. Someone at TSR rewrote the wandering monster table and put in a number of creatures that were not in my list of monster descriptions. But most of the errors were corrected for the second printing." (pg 18).
EXPERIENCE POINTS FOR MONSTERS OVERCOME (pg 11/11)
1st: The table is missing Hit Dice 2+1 entries for "Value" and "Bonus for Special Abilities".
3rd: Adds 25 and 10, respectively.
CLERICS (pg 11/11)
1st: Level table lists "1" and "2" for number of spells at 2nd & 3rd level.
3rd: Lists "1 first level spell" and "2 first level spells".
EXPLANATION OF THIEF'S ABILITIES (pg 12/12)
1st: Table has 6 columns; missing "Climb Sheer Surfaces".
3rd: Table has 7 columns; includes "Climb Sheer Surfaces" and adds note on backstab bonus (+4 to hit, double damage).
CLERICAL ABILITIES (pg 12/12)
1st: "When a cleric of the first three level confronts one or more undead…"
3rd: "When a cleric confronts one or more of the undead…"
MONSTER SAVING THROWS (pg 14/14)
1st: "The undead are unaffected by poison (except zombies who are poisoned by salt)…"
3rd: "The undead are unaffected by poison…"
FIRST LEVEL MAGIC-USER SPELLS – ENLARGEMENT (pg 14/14)
3rd adds: "(example: a 6' man would become 9' tall)."
SECOND LEVEL MAGIC-USER SPELLS – LEVITATE (pg 16/16)
1st: "Range: 20 feet X level of spell caster in 10's of feet"
3rd: "Range: 20 feet X level of spell caster"
CLERICAL SPELLS (pg 17/17)
3rd adds: "Second level spells are not available to clerics of below fourth level, and are included for use with non-player characters and scrolls."
FIRST LEVEL CLERICAL SPELLS – Cure Light Wounds (pg 17/17)
1st and 3rd: "including elves, dwarves and hobbits." Note: "hobbits" remains in the 3rd edition.
EVIL CLERIC SPELLS (pg 18/18)
Protection from Good is missing from the list in both prints. Uncorrected omission.
COMBAT MELEE (pg 19/19)
1st: Includes paragraph explaining how to read a 20-sided die (0-9 vs 10-20). Monster Combat Table centered below two paragraphs per column.
3rd: Deletes the die paragraph; moves Monster Combat Table to top of page.
MONSTERS (pg 22/22)
3rd expands introductory text, adding explanations of Attacks and Damage fields, and changes the treasure reference from "included in the game" to "available from TSR or your retailer."
MONSTER LIST – BANDIT TO ZOMBIE (pgs 22-33 / pgs 22-34)
3rd adds before Bandit: "Monsters' hit dice are 8-sided"
3rd: Most monster stats in double column layout (exceptions: Bandit, Horse).
3rd deletes: Art (Gray Ooze, Purple Worm), Giant entry extra text about sacks, Nixie entry, Werewolf cross-reference.
3rd adds: Art (Harpies, Hydra, Manticore, Skeleton); new monster entries (Fire Beetle, Giant Ant, Giant Centipede, Giant Rats, Gnoll, Shrieker, Spiders, Troglodyte); expanded Horse attacks/damage; expanded Mummy entry.
BASE TREASURE VALUES (pg 33/34)
1st: Lists coin conversion rates in two different formats.
3rd: Simplifies to: 50 CP = 10 SP = 2 EP = 1 GP = 1/5 PP. Adds sentence about coin size/weight.
Potions List (pg 35/36)
1st "6 Speed" → 3rd "6 Haste" (consistent with descriptions).
Rings – Protection +1 (pg 37/38)
3rd rewrites to clarify it adds +1 to armor class and all saving throws.
DUNGEON MASTERING AS A FINE ART (pg 38/39)
3rd replaces reference to included Dungeon Geomorphs with note they are "available from TSR or your retailer" and mentions B1 module.
ILLUSTRATION OF SAMPLE FLOOR PLAN
3rd adds "START" text and North compass to map.
SAMPLE DUNGEON (pgs 40-44 / pgs 41-45)
Room J, giant spider: 1st 6 HD (31 hp), 1-8 damage, poison -1 on save → 3rd 4+1 HD (21 hp), 2-8 damage, poisonous.
Room L, giant crab: 3rd adds "doing 2-12 points of damage per hit."
USING THE DICE (pg 45/46)
3rd adds 10-sided die to list; rewrites the "generate 1-20" paragraph to explain generating 1-24 with d12+d6 instead; adds new final paragraph on abbreviated notation.
Following USING THE DICE, the two printings differ significantly in back matter: 1st has a Product List on pages 45-46 (with prices, Lizard Logo & TSR address), then REFERENCE TABLE on 47-48. 3rd has ABOUT THE EDITOR and GenCon ad on page 46, REFERENCE TABLE on 47-48, and the Product List on the back cover (no prices).
LIST APPENDIX A: REFERENCES TO MONSTERS NOT DESCRIBED IN THE MONSTER LIST
Introduction: "a charismatic male defeated by a witch will not be turned into a frog…" (pg 5/5). Note: Page 7 indicates that witches will be a player character class in AD&D.
Additional Character Classes: "a centaur, a lawful werebear, and a Japanese Samurai fighting man" (pg 7/7)
Magic Spells: "…conjuring a water elemental (5th level) requires a pinch of sand" (pg 13/13)
Monster Saving Throws: "demons, balrogs and dragons may be highly resistant to certain kinds of magic" (pg 14/14)
Charm Person spell affects: "sprites, pixies, nixies, kobolds, goblins, orcs, hobgoblins and gnolls" (pg 14/14)
Hold Portal spell: "a strong anti-magical creature like a Balrog will shatter it" (pg 14/14)
Protection from Evil spell: "This spell hedges the conjurer round with a magic circle to keep out attacks from enchanted monsters such as elementals, invisible stalkers, demons, etc" (pg 15/15)
Audible Glamer spell: "A lion roaring would require a fourth level casting, but the sound of a giant snake…" (pg 15/15)
Combat Melee: "Thus a small fast creature, like a vampire bat…" (pg 19/19)
Poisoned Weapons: "the poisoned sting of a giant scorpion" (pg 19/19)
Monsters: "No attempt has been made to include the demons or gods or goddesses from the GODS, DEMI-GODS & HEROES Supplement" (pg 22/22)
Nixie: "travel in the water with 10-100 large fierce fish" (pg 30; 1st only)
Pixie: "All are friendly with elves and fairies" (pg 31/31)
DUNGEON MASTERING: "a trip apt to be punctuated by attacks by brigands" (pg 40/41)
SAMPLE DUNGEON (abbreviated stats): Room L: phosphorescent fungus; giant crab / Room M: large octopus / Room S: giant snake / Room S2: ape
LIST APPENDIX B: REFERENCES TO WEAPONS NOT FOUND ON THE EQUIPMENT LIST
Clerics: "mace or the quarter staff" (pg 6/6)
Poisoned Weapons: "a curare tipped blowgun dart" (pg 19/19)
Missile Fire: Table includes Horse Bow (Short Composite Bow), Sling Stone and Javelin (pg 20/20)
Nixie entry: "they carry javelins" (pg 30; 1st only)
LIST APPENDIX C: REFERENCES TO HIGHER LEVEL PLAY
Introduction: Constitution will influence "being paralyzed or killed and raised from the dead" (pg 5/5)
Fighters: "After they reach the fourth level of experience they also increase their ability to get hits…" (pg 6/6)
Thieves: "Thieves above the 3rd level of experience can read magic scrolls and books and 80% of languages so that treasure maps, etc are easy for them" (pg 6/6)
Numbers of Characters: "A seventh level cleric can raise the dead, if you can find one!" (pg 8/8)
Experience Points: "There is no theoretical limit to the number of levels a character may progress (15th level fighting man, 14th level wizard, etc.) but only the first three levels are covered in this book" (pg 11/11)
Clerical Abilities: "higher level clerics can dispel" [the undead] (pg 12/12)
Magic Missile spell: "Higher level magic-users fire more than one missile" (pg 15/15)
Darkness spell: "(Dispel magic is a third level spell)" (pg 15/15)
Wizard Lock spell: "can be passed through without a spell by any magic-user three levels higher than the one who placed the spell" (pg 16/16)
Combat Melee Table: "For characters over 3rd level consult table in AD&D" (pg 18/18)
Bandits: can be accompanied by 4th-6th level fighter, 10th-11th level MU, or 8th level Cleric (pg 22/22)
Djinni: "Very great magic-users and exceptionally wise clerics are rumored to be able to command or capture djinni" (pg 24/24)
Ring of Contrariness: "cannot be removed without a remove curse spell (third level clerical spell)" (pg 37/38)
Sample Dungeon: The thaumaturgist is 4th level, and "If magic is thrown at him his saving throw is better than that of magic-users of the third level, add +1 to his saving throw score" (pg 42/43)