That's not a typo, this free game is available here:
https://scruffygrognard.wordpress.com/2010/02/02/add-3rd-edition/
I fashioned some physical copies sight-unseen because very recently the idiots at WotC decided that everything prior to 5E's inception was not "canon". And while things not being canon isn't important to an RPG in any way, shape, or form, I decided the only thing any person should decide when people are attempting to diminish them: Fuck 'em. As the king of the OSR I decree that WotC D&D editions are no longer canon. End of story, there will be no follow up questions, excepting those by me that I will also answer.
So, what's the current canon/legit/official edition of D&D then? The answer is AD&D3E (I mean, duh. That's what this post is about).
So Chris Perkins (no, not that one, a useful Chris Perkins) designed what looks like an official follow up to AD&D2E, utilizing a AD&D1E aesthetic. In short: It's pretty damn good.
All the 2E core races are present, as well as two optional elf subraces and the half-orc. All the 2E core classes are also present along with the Assassin, Barbarian, and Monk (The Psionicist is hiding in an appendix). The ability scores use the B/X bonus schema but nods are made toward 2E as well.
Magic is divided up into 4 subcategories: Arcane, Divine, Druid, and Bard. Bards are a cleric subclass, which makes more sense than being a Thief subclass. Both Multi-classing and dual-classing (called split classing) exist. This all makes good sense and is def borrowed from other games (non-canon D&D 3E mostly), but while Paladins and Rangers eventually get spells they mooch off of Cleric and Druid lists, respectively.
There are very few race/class restrictions and they have unified the XP tables (mostly to make multi-classing easier). Ascending AC also is a given, a lot of good choices were made as to what was kept Saving throws are simply ripped whole cloth out of Castles & Crusades, making the entire game somewhat look like it started as a Castles & Crusades houserule document.
There is some 5E DNA here: damage types, cantrips, a few other shades here and there. But nothing seriously stupid from that edition carries over.
The AD&D3 Dungeon Master Guide reads like a best of The DMG and includes several fun additions: six class variants including the Eldritch Knight (which really is an alternate class that's a fighter/magic-user hybrid). There's also several additional dark races to add in if you want.
The AD&D3 Monstrous Manual began life as the AD&D2 Monstrous Manual, that being the best monster manual of any D&D edition ever (or ever will be). As it aims for the aesthetic of 1E it falls down a peg, but it's still got most of the great content of the 2E Monstrous Manual.
At the end of the day, this game deserves it's title of AD&D3E, and honestly I would like to see a Planescape supplement/update done by this guy/team.
