Dungeons and Dragons in all its forms and editions requires you to create one or more characters to play the game. The process by which this has been done has changed over the years, gradually increasing in complexity edition by edition. In this blog article today I would like to focus on how it changed during the first twenty-five years of the game's life.
Character Creation - The Basic Steps
I would start with the method used by Original D&D & Classic D&D to show how streamlined the process to create a character originally was:
- Roll Ability Scores
- Select Class
- Adjust Ability Scores (optional)
- Roll Hit Points and Select Starting Spell(s) (if class permits spells at 1st level)
- Select Alignment
- Roll Starting Gold
- Buy Equipment
- Name Character
- Roll Ability Scores
- Select Race and Sex
- Select Class
- Roll Hit Points and Select Starting Spell(s) (if class permits spells at 1st level)
- Select Alignment
- Roll Starting Gold
- Buy Equipment
- Select Weapon Proficiencies
- Select Non-weapon Proficiencies (Optional)
- Name Character, Determine Height & Starting Age
The old school method character creation was simple and, if the rules were followed strictly, largely governed by the dice rolls. The first step in creating a character was to roll for ability scores. Each of the six ability scores (Strength, Intelligence, Wisdom, Dexterity, Constitution, Charisma) had a range of 3-18 and required a roll of three six-sided dice. One thing which has remained mostly consistent throughout the editions is that there are only a few dice rolls needed to create a character.
In Original or Classic D&D the only method prescribed by any edition of the core rulebooks, basic and introductory sets, (Original, Holmes, Moldvay, Mentzer, Allston, Denning/Brown, Stewart) is to roll 3d6 for each ability score. This method tends to generate fairly average characters with few bonuses or penalties. Each ability score has a 48.14% chance of being in the 9-12 range, signifying no ability bonus or penalty. To offset this somewhat rigid formula, the rules permitted the chosen class's prime requisite to be increased, usually by subtracting two points from other ability scores. Until Moldvay Basic the ability scores did little more than affect the experience bonus/penalty from the prime requisite. Moldvay and his successors added more bonuses to ability scores but did not discuss alternative methods to generate ability scores.
AD&D recognized that the basic method tended to make characters a bit too weak for a game of heroic epic fantasy and both editions offered multiple methods to boost the generated ability scores without giving 18s across the board. One of the more common methods, and one which became the standard method by 3rd Edition, was "roll 4d6 and drop lowest, assign as desired". This method gives a 48.77% chance of any particular ability score being in the 13-18 range as opposed to a 25.92% chance using the 3d6 method. Another method, roll 3d6 twelve times and keep the highest six rolls, doubles the chances of any ability score being above 12.
Race and Class Selection
D&D uses a race as class mechanic, so Dwarves, Elves and Halflings require 9s in an ability score or two but classes otherwise do not have ability score minimums. The 9-12 range permits a character to be of almost any race in AD&D, Human, Gnome, Elf, Halfling, Dwarf, Half-Elf and Half-Orc (1st), but note Dwarves, Halflings and Half-Orcs (1st) require constitution scores above 9s. With alternate ways of generating ability scores other than "roll 3d6 in order" and being able to assign to taste, you should be able to pick any AD&D race.
In D&D the human classes, Fighter, Magic-User, Cleric and Thief do not have ability score minimums but if the prime requisite is low for that class, that may present difficulties for advancement. AD&D races often add bonuses and penalties to ability cores and may have maximums scores per race below or above 18.
1st Edition AD&D has limitations on strength for both race and sex, so the need to select the sex of the character is implied early in the character creation process. Female characters have lower maximum strength limits compared to male characters. The character's sex is also necessary for determining their height and weight. 2nd Edition AD&D eliminated the relative maximum strength limits for female characters, so sex is only important from a character creation mechanical standpoint for determining height and weight. Races in AD&D have minimum and maximums for other ability scores.
Ability scores have a greater influence on character class choices in AD&D. The basic classes, Fighter, Magic-User/Mage, Cleric and Thief are available to anyone with a 9 in that class's prime requisite. AD&D Subclasses and special classes: Paladins, Rangers, Illusionists/Specialist Mages (1st PHB for Illusionists 2nd PHB for seven other specialties), Assassins (1st PHB), Monks (1st PHB), Cavalier (1st Unearthed Arcana), Barbarian (ditto) and Thief-Acrobat (ditto) and Bards (2nd PHB) have higher ability score minimums. Some subclasses (Paladin) have requirements that are difficult to obtain with any ability generation method given in the books. There were optional Psionic and Bard classes in 1st Edition but the former was extremely difficult to qualify for and the latter was not a 1st level character.
Druids were added as a class to Classic D&D in the Mentzer Companion Set, but a Cleric can only become one at 9th Level. Fighters also had the option to become Paladins at 9th Level. The Monk was added in the Rules Cyclopedia as the "Mystic" but left out of subsequent introductory versions of the game.
Once the class is chosen, then the hit die for that class is rolled and the ability score experience point earned bonus or penalty, if any, is determined. Spell casters can select or have their initial spells assigned to them. Fighters, Paladins and Rangers roll for Exceptional Strength in AD&D. Thief abilities percentages are copied down with any racial adjustments applied. Alignment is selected here as certain classes have restrictions on the alignment they can choose.
In AD&D non-human player characters can choose to multi-class, such as a Fighter/Cleric, a Magic-User/Thief or a Fighter/Magic-User/Thief. Humans can dual class by having high ability scores for two classes, but this is something which requires at least a level of experience gained in the first class, so at character creation this can only be planned for a later time. Non-human characters have limits in the classes they can select (Paladins are exclusive to humans for example) and usually have a maximum level they can obtain in a class (Elves max out Magic-User at level 11). Human characters can advance to any level which balances them against the extra abilities the other races receive at the start.
By this point, in terms of choices in terms of character creation the player had very few to make. Picking the class and adjusting the ability scores in D&D and picking the race and class in AD&D were the only choices (two) you had to make.
Equipment Selection and Adjustments
Finally the starting gold is rolled, which in D&D is the same for every character and for AD&D is dependent on character class. With that starting gold the character can purchase his or her provisions, weapons and armor. The equipped weapons damage and the armor and shield's affect on armor class is noted. Original D&D and Holmes Basic D&D had all weapons do the same amount of damage, but AD&D has two damage options depending on the size of the enemy hit. Moldvay Basic and its successors gave an option for variable weapon damage which would be the standard going forward for Classic D&D.
When the equipment has been finalized, encumbrance is calculated and a movement rate is determined. Individual character qualities like the to hit roll table or THAC0, saving throws, race and class special abilities should be noted by this point. At this point the D&D character is complete and the AD&D character is almost done. The AD&D Dungeon Master will determine the character's height and starting and maximum age. The D&D Rules Cyclopedia had an option of giving a character's height and weight but not age. The D&D Haunt monster still robbed characters of life but a rule was added directly to its description to describe the effect of the aging touch.
Spell Selection
If you picked a class that could cast spells at first level, the question arises how do you choose your spells and how many could you choose. The answer varies a little from edition to edition, basically the Dungeon Master decides whether the player gets to choose and how many spells they can have when starting out. Some editions of D&D explicitly state that one or two spells should be given to start.
In D&D only Magic Users and Elves could cast spells at first level and in AD&D only Magic Users/Mages get first level spells. In any edition of D&D or AD&D, Clerics, Druids and any other class or subclass which could use those spells could select from any spell available for the levels of spells they could cast up to the maximum number they could cast per day. For Magic-Users/Mages and other classes or subclasses which can cast those spells, the player has to learn a new spell before they could cast it. With only one exception (AD&D 2nd Specialist Wizards), any spell casting class which can cast spells at 1st level can only cast one spell per day.
Weapon Proficiencies
AD&D 1st Edition requires a character to choose the weapons he or she will be proficient in to avoid a penalty with each class having a different number of starting weapons and penalties to choose from. AD&D 2nd Edition makes this an optional rule.
In AD&D 2nd Edition, Fighters (and not Paladins or Rangers) may use a second proficiency slot (they get four at 1st level) for Weapon Specialization in a particular weapon. This was added in Unearthed Arcana for 1st Edition and applied to both Fighters and Rangers.
D&D originally did not have weapon proficiencies, if a character can use a weapon, he will not incur a penalty. The Mentzer Master Set Rules added Weapon Mastery, which optionally limited humans to a choice of certain familiar weapons initially with a minor penalty for using an unfamiliar weapon. Weapon Mastery was available to all classes although it was suggested (and stated in the Rules Cyclopedia) that fighters should receive more choices. No weapon could be mastered above Basic level at 1st Level.
Nonweapon Proficiencies
Non-weapon Proficiencies were not included in the original D&D or AD&D rules, they were fairly quiet on what your character could do that was not directly related to his class. Could your character work a forge, bake bread or cut stone? How about training an animal, growing a crop, crafting a bow or tanning hides?
1st Edition AD&D had a table for non-professional or secondary skills, with a character being able to have one or two secondary skills. The later AD&D 1st Edition Rulebooks Oriental Adventures, The Dungeoneer's Survival Guide and the Wilderness Survival Guide expanded on the concept of nonweapon proficiencies for those who had access to those books. 2nd Edition AD&D had the 1st Edition table but had an more in-depth options for Nonweapon Proficiencies. Certain nonweapon proficiencies were available only to certain class types and some were available to all.
Classic D&D did not have rules for nonweapon proficiencies even in the Mentzer box sets. They began creeping in with the Gazetteer series of sourcebooks but were only officially added to the system with the Rules Cyclopedia (and not the introductory sets which followed) In that book they are referred to as "General Skills" and characters can pick from four plus their Intelligence modifier.
Class Kits
2nd Edition from 1989 may have started out looking very similar to 1st Edition in terms of game mechanics and character creation, but it quickly began giving players more options to distinguish their characters. This answered the complaint that one fighter could do the exact same things as another fighter and so on and was only distinguished by ability scores, HP, level, wealth and equipment (and spells for Magic Users). The Player's Handbook Rules Supplement series (15 in all), also known as The Complete [insert class or race] Handbooks introduced class kits for every main character class and race. It should be noted that the 2nd Edition's Players Handbook foreshadowed this with its options given for Priests of a Specific Mythoi.
A class kit usually involved a benefit and a drawback. For example, the Gladiator Kit from the Complete Fighter's Handbook gained an extra Weapon Specialization over the stock Fighter which he could choose from a restricted list of weapons. As a drawback, the Gladiator's fame makes it more difficult for him to travel incognito and he will be subject to aggressive efforts to make him perform in the arena. The Mystic Kit for Wizards is one which allows the usage of a special power, chosen at first level (feign death, spirit form, levitate self) but the Mystic must mediate for the same two hours every day or have his spell casting level reduced until he can meditate again. Some class kits, like the Amazon, had Fighter, Mage and Cleric variants with similar bonuses and drawbacks. As the Complete Handbook series progressed the class kits tended to become more elaborate in terms of powers.
The Complete Handbooks also brought back 1st Edition classes, often in the form of kits left out of 2nd Edition's Players Handbook. Assassin is a Thief Kit as is the Acrobat, Cavaliers are found among the Fighter Kits and Barbarians get a whole book devoted to them. Monks are described in the Priest Book but look to the Fighter Book for their abilities. The ability to play as a Half-Orc was restored with The Complete Book of Humanoids along with many, many other monster races (no dragonkin here).
Players Options
The class kits and other suggestions in the Complete Handbook series began to become rather unwieldy as the years progressed. Dungeon Masters had to either own the book describing the kit or be persuaded to incorporate a player's chosen kit into his or her campaign. Other supplementary material was spread out over a vast number of books and products. In 1995 the whole AD&D line was revamped, dropping "2nd Edition" and instituting textual and formatting revisions to the Players Handbook and Dungeon Masters Guide. Unfortunately the game and the company behind it was falling on hard times.
The result of the mandate to "spice things up" were the three Players Option Rulebooks (Skills & Powers, Combat & Tactics and Spells & Magic) and the Dungeon Master Option: High-Level Campaigns have often been referred to as AD&D 2.5 Edition. One goal of these books was consolidation, many of the class kits found in the Complete Handbook series were reproduced or expanded upon in Skills & Powers. However, they restated and expanded the rules to such an extent that they could be seen almost to have replaced the Players Handbook. The changes brought to character creation by the Players Option series require their own blog entry. Suffice to say the Player Options were not particularly popular and would be abandoned when the long-awaited 3e was released in 2000.
No comments:
Post a Comment