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.

"Killer" Dungeons. Advice for Players (part 1)

A "killer" dungeon is one that is written with the goal in mind of being difficult for characters to survive.  Characters that make bad decisions or do not cooperate well, are particularly vulnerable to such dungeons.  Killer dungeons are often a combination of powerful monsters, dangerous obstacles and deadly traps.  Killer dungeons can be published or unpublished.  Better killer dungeons reward good decision-makers and do not rely too heavily on the "save or die" saving throw rules from earlier editions of Dungeons and Dragons.

How to survive (win) a "killer" dungeon:

• If the dungeon does not have a time limit, take your time and move cautiously
• If there is no time limit, resting after every fight if possible to make sure that your group is at full strength, can be very useful
• If there is a time limit, move quickly and decisively
• Beware of dead ends
• A little paranoia goes a long way
• 85% of the encounters are logical.  15% are surprises that even the best-prepared party will have trouble with
• As long as you pay attention and think clearly, logical encounters will not be extra difficult. 
• High locations (particularly those without safety railings) and water locations are inherently dangerous
• Teamwork is important.  Characters should work together well and protect each other.
• Have a strategy for retreating that can be employed when most characters are still standing.  Most of the party is in big trouble in a disorganized retreat
• Having pre-determined strategies to use for particular kinds of battles can help with coordination and teamwork
• Scrolls with restorative spells and healing potions are a must
• Although First Edition modules in particular have a reputation for being the sort where everything in sight is to be killed, most intelligent monsters are willing to parley or are open to bribery in exchange for temporary safe passage.  Sometimes paying off the bridge troll is the smart move rather than using up your strength and spells on a non-essential opponent.

More advice in a subsequent post...

Complete Priests Handbook (PHBR3) by Aaron Allston 1990.

Review: The first part describes creating mythologies and priesthoods, very useful in a role-playing intensive setting, less useful if it is less important to the campaign.  The CPHB does a good job of providing templates and questions to answer that help shape the mythology of a campaign.  Then the book provides 60+ sample priesthoods that could easily be dropped into a campaign.  These priesthoods all have special benefits and special hindrances that set them apart from basic clerics.  There is room for improvement and adjustment with these sample priesthoods but they are definitely very easy to use “off-the-shelf” with no modifications.

Several kits are included such as Amazon, outlaw, and noble priest.  The focus of the kits is on the social background of the character and how others may react to him or her.  This type of kit might be very useful to a campaign and it might not.  Also included for novice players are role-playing personality suggestions.  This is probably helpful in terms of giving novice players some ideas how to role-play.  Experienced players are told to skip the section on personalities.

One major contribution of PHBR3 to second edition rules is a proper war hammer.  The maul which costs only 5 gp and does 2-8/1-10.  (This compares with the 2 gp war hammer which does 2-5/1-4).  A maul is a two-handed weapon and is considered a polearm. 

Conclusion: 4 out 5 stars.  Good but not great.  Highly recommended for players with 2^nd edition priests.

Party composition (in tackle football terms) in early versions of D&D/AD&D

PARTY OF SIX

 

I've always maintained that a party needs:

 

2 bookend tackles (a football term)  These are 300 pound gorillas whose job it is to keep the QB (magic-user) from getting killed.  One should be a dwarf and one should be a fighter (or paladin or ranger).  Name of Conan is optional

 

1 tight end (cleric)

1 running back/wide receiver (thief)

 

These position titles reflect the potential for some blocking (ie fighting monsters in the front row) as well as the use of some specialized skills.

 

2 QBs these should be magic users.

Generally quarterbacks don't block and stay in the back and use special skills.

Not a perfect analogy but I like the front row/back row analogy that it brings to mind in terms of a football formation and a dungeon-crawling formation.

Alternate combination:

 

2 Tackles (fighters)

2 Tight ends (clerics)

1 Running back/wide receiver (thief)

1 QB (wizard)

 

Sub-classes are ok for a particular role 

 

Cooperation is important.

 

PARTY OF FOUR

 

For a party of 4 (again talking about Dungeons and Dragons (BECMI, BX, 1e, 2e)

 

I think the ideal party has

 

1 of each of the 4 main types.  Although the cleric and the thief will need to be ready to handle "front row" duties if necessary.

Tinker gnomes in Krynn

Today’s post looks at Tinker Gnomes in first and second edition.  Another either really popular or really despised idea from D&D is that of the Tinker Gnomes.  In Krynn, gnomes are hapless inventors who make inventions that are large, impractical, and seldom work.  They feature prominently in the Chronicles Trilogy.  (Highly recommended reading).  In Taladas there are not one but two gnomish cultures set closely in the Tinker Gnome mold.  The hardcover Dragonlance Adventures provides rules for adventuring in Krynn and includes the Tinker Gnomes as a character class.  It includes about 5 pages of rules and charts for constructing inventions.  Most inventions are probably only going to work about 20% of the time and generally have destructive misfires about 80% of the time.  Tinkers have a rapid experience table very similar to the rogue table.  Tinkers get better at inventing as they get higher in levels.  High level tinkers are necessary to build devices that actually stand a reasonable chance of working.  They gain lots of non-weapon proficiencies but have a -5 penalty to them.

They are fun and more so if you have read the Chronicles Trilogy.  Having a Tinker Gnome with the party would probably be fairly amusing yet hazardous.

Taladas (which uses 2nd edition rules including the reduction of power from barbarians) keeps the Tinker gnomes from 1st edition (the rules are not reprinted in Taladas so you need Dragonlance Adventures to run Tinker gnomes).

However when the Tales of the Lance boxed set was produced (1992) Tinker gnomes lost their inventive rules.  5+ pages became less than a page explaining that Tinker gnome inventions do not work.  However, new equipment for Tinker gnomes included several different types of grenades and an arquebus-type firearm.  These inventions are in direct conflict with what was published in Dragonlance Adventures explaining that gnomes are not good chemists.  (It also conflicts with Tales of the Lance which includes a similar statement).  I think the Tales of the Lance decision was a bad one regarding Tinker gnomes.  In defense of Tales of the Lance, these changes make it easier to play tinkers as characters, they are going to be back row gunners.

Tinker gnomes (First edition or Taladas) are throwbacks to an era when role-playing had equal consideration with character class strengths.  A player choosing a tinker is choosing him for the fun story opportunities and role-playing challenge, not for the opportunity to be the most powerful character.  Since tinkers only start with 1 weapon proficiency (although they gain another one at 3rd) it probably makes the most sense for them to have a sling or a crossbow to start with.  Dragonlance Adventures is unclear what tinkers fight or save as.  Generally they are back row non-combatants.  Playing a tinker properly would be quite a challenge.

In conclusion, Tinker gnomes are a lot of fun and part of what make Dragonlance unique.  If you feel that your characters are getting dull and that you spend too much time min/maxing them, playing a tinker in a Dragonlance campaign might be the solution to get you thinking about role-playing again.

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.

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.