Back row fighters and front row thieves for 1e/2e

The conventional role for fighters is to spend most of the time in melee combat with the biggest opponent and the conventional role for thieves is to hang back and maybe do some missile combat or try to get a backstab.  It does not need to be this way.  (Rogue THAC0 is better than Priest THAC0 to start with but slowly fades and is definitely worse than Priest THAC0 after 9th level)

Back row fighter:  A back row fighter hangs back in combat using missile weapons to his (or her) advantage.  Such a fighter has a high dexterity (for a missile weapon bonus), is a specialist and is probably an elf to take advantage of long bow sheaf arrow damage.  (Other races such as a Halfling with a sling are also possible).  A high strength is always good for a fighter.  This backrow fighter may be further augmented with a kit such as the archer kit from the Complete Book of Elves.  The point blank range rules (for specialists) should not be overlooked should the backrow fighter find himself (herself) in close proximity to hostile forces.  Another option would be to have a staff-sling specialist.  The ROF is 5/2.  The weapon would get a strength bonus to damage.  With sling bullets doing 2-5 plus strength bonus, the damage from 5 attacks every 2 rounds would start to add up fairly quickly.  While the backrow fighter is providing a withering fire from his longbow or sling...

Front row thief:  Front row thieves are also useful as scouts in that the thief can be checking for traps in the lead and not instantly be in dire peril if monsters jump out.  A front row thief needs a high strength, dexterity, and constitution.  Dwarves are good candidates due to the giant class bonus.  If kits are used, one of the more brawling-intensive kits that gets to use any weapon should be selected.  Per the Complete Fighters Handbook (PHBR1) the character could take two-weapon style, and long sword proficiency.  This would let the character dual wield two long swords with a -0/-2 to his attacks (instead of -2/-4).  If the character was an elf he would receive a bonus to using the long sword that would make the attack +1/-1

There a lots of possibilities for atypical characters in 1e/2e.  More ideas in another post.

Barbarians! (in AD&D)

 

Today’s post looks at player character barbarians in first and second edition AD&D.

Unearthed Arcana:  A powerful class, barbarians are able to have a good AC without wearing much armor, they have high hit points and a fast movement rate.  This comes with a high experience point requirement of 6,000 xp to get to 2nd level.  Barbarians detest magic and often try to destroy magic items.  They are unable to associate with magic-users until 6th level.  It is unclear what this means in terms of a party of characters.  It would seem to mean that it would be difficult for a first level barbarian and first level wizard to work together.

Oriental Adventures:  A slightly toned-down version of the UA barbarians.  These barbarians have very similar special abilities and restrictions with only a few adjustments.  These barbarians also dislike wizards (wu jen).  Instead of the armor class bonus, they have the potential to gain 20 hp per level.  This is balanced somewhat by a reluctance to use magic items generally.  They also have wilderness stealth and climbing abilities (like the UA barbarians).  From the text, it is not clear why a barbarian character would have left home to venture closer to civilization or go adventuring.  The steppe barbarians are in the Hordelands of the Forgotten Realms.

Neither 1e barbarian is able to have weapon specialization.

Complete Fighters:  The second edition barbarian kit takes all of the 1e barbarian details and changes it to a fighter with equipment restrictions/requirements to start the game.  (Something that 1e barbarians have but the restrictions are a bit different).  The only benefit/hindrance that barbarians get is that their reaction modifier is extreme.  People who will be nice to the barbarian will be really nice and people who will be hostile to the barbarian will be really hostile.  However, 2e barbarians are allowed weapon specialization.

In terms of placing barbarians, Unearthed Arcana provides suggestions for several cultures in Greyhawk who have lots of barbarians (Tiger Nomads, Frost Barbarians, etc).  Oriental Adventures provides locations for Kara-Tur barbarians.  Krynn is probably another place where barbarians work well.  Minotaurs, Kagonesti (wild elves), Gully Dwarves, and Hill Dwarves can all be barbarians just to name some of the races/cultures.  In contrast Taladas does not have barbarians but has several barbarian-like kits available depending on the culture.  The special abilities of many of these kits are about as good as the 2e Complete Fighters barbarian kit.  The Forgotten Realms Cyclopedia of the Realms (from the 1987 boxed set) lists several locations where barbarian cultures are found (1e).  The Forgotten Realms Adventures hardcover book gracefully transitions Faerun barbarians from 1e to 2e. 

In conclusion, playing a campaign with a first edition barbarian would be a challenge but an interesting one that would probably be well worth the effort for the players and dungeon master.

Rogue builds (kits) for 2e

Rogues/thieves have it tougher in later editions in that their skills are less unique and less important.  In first and second edition, they are the only class with find remove traps and open locks skills.  (Bards and rangers have lesser versions of the remaining thief skills- rangers get hide in shadows and move silently, bards get hear noise, climb walls, read languages, and pick pockets).  In first edition, assassins are less skilled than thieves, and bards have a few thief levels before becoming bards.  Thief-acrobats of Unearthed Arcana have many tumbling skills including a form of evasion that is like the 3e version.

While open locks and find remove traps have obvious uses and are necessary skills for the completion of many “old school modules”, what use are rogues?

The kits in the Complete Thief’s Handbook (PHBR2) provides several templates for rogues.

The kits may be categorized as follows

Providing only role-playing or background information (may still get a few bonuses to certain actions):  Acrobat, Adventurer, Beggar, Buccaneer, Fence, Investigator, Smuggler, Spy, Troubleshooter

Specializing in certain thief skills: Burglar, Cutpurse, Scout (wilderness only)

Greater combat focus (providing combat bonuses):  Assassin, Bandit, Bounty Hunter, Swashbuckler, Thug

These kits do not provide huge “power-ups”.  Several of them have no special benefits or hindrances, some only have slight modifiers to the thief special abilities (pick pockets, etc)

As a side note, the role of thieves in BECMI or the Moldvay/Cook D&D rules is slightly different because thieves are much weaker getting only a d4 per level for hit dice.  They have armor restrictions but can use any weapon.  The BECMI rules also allow the equivalent of weapon specialization for any class.  (BECMI weapon mastery is not identical to 1e/2e weapon specialization).  Also the backstab multiplier never increases.  It remains at double damage.

In conclusion the 2e thief kits in PHBR2 offer several different builds for thieves centered around thief abilities and role-playing/campaign storyline with a much lesser focus on a thief’s role as a “back row” combatant in a standard dungeon-crawling melee.

More discussion about kits in Dungeons and Dragons

What kit type is most common?  I think that the best answer is Scout.  There are at least 10 different scout kits.  (Thief, Dwarf, Humanoid, Ranger, Elf, Gnome (and Halfling), Ninja, Spelljammer, Taladas, Barbarian).  These kits are not all called scout per se but they have basically a stealth, learn about the enemy function coupled with being quick, light-fighters.  (As opposed to being heavy-infantry)

 

The next most common kit type is the hunter (8).  There are 3 bounty hunters (paid hunters) and 5 hunters that stalk monsters for other motivations.  Hunting/stalking kits are found in Thief, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, Ranger, Humanoid, Paladin, and Ninja handbooks.

Surprisingly rangers are poorly represented in both of these kit types.  Most of the ranger kit types are in the wilderness defender category or the annoying animal companion category.  Where you might expect multiple scout or hunter kits, there are only 1 each for ranger. 

There are 8 “Savage” kits.  (Barbarian, Humanoid, Druid, Fighter, Priest, Ranger, Wizard, Taladas).  Savages being primitive and tribal rather than the medieval archetype for their respective class.

There are 3 bandit kits and 2 outlaw kits for a total of 5.

There are 4 pirate kits.  (Thief, Fighter, Spelljammer, and Al-Qadim)

There are 4 swashbuckler kits.  2 if the literal title swashbuckler is required (thief, fighter and plus two more if the swashbuckler is considered an acrobatic fighter with a hint of derring-do. (Elven, Bard)

It is interesting to see what kits are there multiples of across different classes.  Some of the kits seem to have more of a role-playing background thought to them.  Other seem to be considering what tactical role the character will play in the party.

There is a rough parity between the fighter-thief and priest-wizard kits.  (The paired handbooks roughly mirror each other but not exact copies).  After that the kits vary widely in terms of the kits that appear in a given supplement.

 

Kits vary widely in their "power-up" nature.  Kits published in 1989 have few power-ups.  Later kits are more prone to power-ups without much of a negative trade-off.  Although it is still possible to find balanced kits in later “Complete Handbooks”.  For example the peasant wizard who is poor and must remain poor.  The benefit is that he can get free shelter from his fellow peasants.  Not a huge “power-up”.  As literally written, the only magic item that peasant wizards can possess are magic weapons because weapons are the only thing exempted from the poverty requirement.  In contrast the Complete Ranger’s Handbook features Greenwood rangers who after 4th level (and other levels) get several special abilities by being part ranger/part plant including the ability and 10th level to grow an extra arm.  The arm is temporary but can be regrown.  Obviously as a fighter/front row character this is a significant ability.  The only meaningful hindrance for a Greenwood ranger is vulnerability to fire.  Both kits were designed by the same author (Rick Swan).

The Taladas boxed set does a good job of illustrating how kits were supposed to work.  Given that Taladas was written by “Zeb” Cook, principle author of the 2nd Edition rules, this is not surprising.  The main function of the Taladas kits is to provide color for the different cultural areas and explain that color in game terms.

The Taladas kits will be discussed in a future post.

A look at wizard kits from The Complete Wizard's Handbook

 

The kits discussed here are from The Complete Wizards Handbook (PHBR4) by Rick Swan.  Published in 1990

The kits in the CWH are a good starting point but probably would need modification before being included in a campaign.

Acamedician:  Reaction bonus to dealing with sages and scholars, age-based bonus to intelligence and wisdom checks.  Slight penalty to first attack against each new opponent.  Interesting background for role playing but is never going to be chosen by power gamers.  (The nerd-wizard kit)

Amazon Sorceress:  Receives gender-based reactions (good and bad).  Able to use some classical amazon weapons and proficiencies.  Unable to use two schools of magic.

Anagakok:  From an extreme heat or extreme cold culture.  Able to survive well in home conditions (artic or blazing hot desert/jungle).  Starts with little money and gets reaction penalties.

Militant Wizard:  Able to use some fighter weapons.  Access to fighter non-weapon proficiencies.  Limited spells.

Mystic:  Probably one of the kits most seriously in need of a rewrite.  Limited spells.  Gets 3 powerful once per week abilities at first level and no new abilities after that.  Must meditate daily as hindrance.

Patrician:  A rich wizard but must spend lavishly including buying a horse to start the game.  Also gets a reaction bonus from nobility.  Slightly limited spells.

Peasant Wizard:  A poor wizard who must stay poor.  Not sure that makes sense. 

Savage Wizard:  More of a tribal wizard who is skilled with magical talismans.  Interesting idea but I am not sure that it scales properly.

Witch:  A more powerful kit with several special abilities.  Given the varied meanings of the word witch, this is probably a more controversial kit, or at least a kit with a potential for controversy.

Wu Jen:  A transplant from the first edition Oriental Adventures.  Probably with all Oriental Adventures classes, you would be better playing with the Oriental Adventures rules.

Conclusion: Lots of good ideas to start with but probably most of these kits need some modification to balance their special abilities and hindrances in relation to each other.  If this is not done, several of the kits are almost unplayable because they are too weak relative to other kits.

The Complete Wizard’s Handbook will be reviewed further in a future post.