On Prestige Classes (An Opinionated and Very Long Post)

The Original Dwarven Defender

PARENTAL ADVISORY: The following can fairly be called an aggressive salvo in the 'Edition Wars'.

Recently on a thread in the Original D&D Discussion group, someone mentioned (with disdain) kits and prestige classes. Having been absent from the hobby for twenty-five years, I only had a vague idea of what prestige classes were. I figured they were like kits--specific and detailed variations on classes that (from an old school approach) were unnecessary and inadvisable for a number of reasons. I was right on the main. But quite frankly I had no idea of the extent of them. I figured 3e included a few extra classes like Thief-Acrobat, Cavalier, Super Duper Anti-Paladin, or whatever. But a quick check on Wikipedia showed that I was, well, naive on the matter. The entry specifies over 800 prestige classes, all described in official TSR or Wizards of the Coast publications.

I had no idea.

So we go from 3 (or 6) classes in original 0e to 11 in 1e, dipping down to 8 in 2e to 800+ in 3e. Now I know that's a slightly unfair way of counting things as each edition featured supplemental material that upped the overall total somewhat. There were, for example, over 300 kits in the so-called 2e 'splatbooks', which obviously laid the groundwork for the explosion of prestige classes in the next edition. But still.

For the fun of it, I thought I would spend a few minutes copying and pasting them all alphabetically. Keep in mind that according to Wikipedia, this includes only the entries from official TSR sources, and may not even be complete ('you can help by expanding it'). I dare all readers to scroll slowly and hold one's breath until the end:

Abjurant Champion

Aboleth Savant

Abolisher

Acolyte of the Ego

Acolyte of the Fist

Acolyte of the Skin

Aerial Avenger
Aeromancer

Agent Retriever

Aglarondan Griffonrider

Akodo Champion

Alchemist Savant

Alienist

Anarchic Initiate

Anarchromancer

Ancient Master

Anima Mage

Animal Lord

Anointed Knight

Apostle of Peace

Arachne

Arachnomancer

Arboreal Guardian

Arcane Archer

Arcane Devotee
Arcane Hierophant

Arcane Lord

Arcane Scholar of Candlekeep

Arcane Trickster

Arcanopath Monk

Archmage

Ardent Dilettante

Argent Fist

Argent Savant

Artist's Vengeance

Arvoreen's Keeper

Arvoreen's Warder

Ashworm Dragoon

Assassin

Astral Dancer

Atavist

Auspician

Avenging Executioner

Bane of Infidels

Barber

Battle Howler of Gruumsh

Battle Maiden

Battle Trickster

Battleguard of Tempus

Battlemage Warlord

Battlepriest of Cormyr

Battlerager

Battlesmith

Bayushi Deceiver

Bear Warrior

Beast Heart Adept

Beastmaster

Beholder Mage

Beloved of Valarian

Bereft

Berserk

Black Blood Cultist

Black Blood Hunter

Black Dog

Black Flame Zealot

Blackguard
Rock and Roll

Blade Bravo
Battle of Evermore
Stairway to Heaven

Blade Dancer

Blade of Orien

Bladesinger

Blessed of Gruumsh

Blighter

Blood Magus

Bloodclaw Master

Bloodhound

Bloodscaled Fury

Bloodsister

Bloodstorm Blade

Boge of Nomog-Geaya

Bonded Summoner

Bone Collector

Bone Knight

Bow Master

Bowman Charger

Branch Dancer

Brawler

Breachgnome

Brimstone Speaker

Cabinet Trickster

Cancer Mage

Candle Caster

Cataclysm Mage

Cavalier

Cave Stalker

Cavelord

Cavestalker

Celebrant of Sharess

Celestial Mystic

Cerebremancer

Cerebrex

Chameleon

Champion of Corellon Larethian

Champion of Gwynharwy

Chaotician

Charlatan

Child of Night

Chimeric Champion of Garl Glittergold

Church Inquisitor

Cipher Adept

Cloaked Dancer

Cloud Anchorite

Cognition Thief

Coiled Cabalist

Combat Medic

Combat Trapsmith

Companion of the Dead

Consecrated Harrier

Contemplative

Corrupt Avenger

Corsair

Cosmic Descryer

Council Mage of Cormyr

Court Herald

Cragtop Archer

Crimson Scourge

Crinti Shadow Marauder

Cryokineticist

Cultist of the Shattered Peak

Cyran Avenger

Cyre Scout

Daggerspell Mage

Daggerspell Shaper

Daidoji Bodyguard

Dancer of Sharess

Dark Lantern

Dark Scholar

Darkhunter

Darkmask

Darkrunner

Darkwater Knight

Darkwood Stalker

Dawncaller

Deadgrim

Death Delver

Deathstalker of Bhaal

Deathwarden Chanter

Deep Avenger

Deep Diviner

Deep Thrall

Deepstone Sentinel

Deepwarden

Deepwood Sniper

Defender of Sealtiel

Defiant

Demonbinder

Demonologist

Demonwrecker

Deneith Warden

Dervish

Devoted Defender

Diabolist

Diamond Dragon

Disciple of Ashardalon

Disciple of Asmodeus

Disciple of Baalzebul

Disciple of Dispater

Disciple of Mammon

Disciple of Mephistopheles

Disciple of the Eye

Disciple of the Word

Disciple of Thrym

Dispassionate Watcher of Chronepsis

Divine Agent

Divine Champion

Divine Crusader

Divine Disciple

Divine Emissary

Divine Oracle

Divine Prankster

Divine Seeker

Doomdreamer

Doomguard

Doomguide

Dracolexi

Dracolyte

Dragon Ascendant

Dragon Descendant

Dragon Devotee

Dragon Disciple

Dragon Lord

Dragon Mystic

Dragon Prophet

Dragon Rider

Dragon Samurai

Dragon Warrior

Dragonheart Mage

Dragonkith

Dragonmark Heir

Dragonrider

Dragonscribe

Dragonslayer

Dragonsong Lyricist

Dragonstalker

Dread Commando

Dread Fang of Lolth

Dread Pirate

Dread Witch

Dreadmaster

Driven Leader Warlord

Drow Judicator

Drunken Master

Duelist

Dungeon Delver

Dungeon Lord

Durrak'ash

Durthan

Dwarven Defender

Dwarven Thane

Dweomerkeeper

Eagle Knight

Earth Dreamer

Earthshaker

Ebon Saint

Ebonmar Infiltrator

Ectopic Adept

Effigy Master

Eldeen Ranger

Elder Druid

Eldritch Disciple

Eldritch Knight

Eldritch Master

Eldritch Theurge

Elemental Archon

Elemental Master

Elemental Savant

Elemental Scion of Zilargo

Elemental Warrior

Elocater

Elven High Mage

Emancipated Spawn

Emissary of Barachiel

Empowered

Enlightened Fist

Enlightened Spirit

Entropist

Entropomancer

Epic Infiltrator

Escalation Mage

Eternal Blade

Eunuch Warlock

Evangelist

Evereskan Tomb Guardian

Exalted Arcanist

Exemplar

Exorcist of the Silver Flame

Exotic Weapon Master

Extreme Explorer

Eye of Gruumsh

Eye of Horus-Re

Eye of Lolth

Faceless Ones

Fang of Lolth

Fang of Sseth

Fatemaker

Fatespinner

Fiend Binder

Fiend of Blasphemy

Fiend of Corruption

Fiend of Possession

Fiend Slayer

Fiend-Blooded

Fiendbinder

Fierce Grappler

Firestorm Berserker

Fist of Hextor

Fist of Raziel

Fist of the Forest

Fist of Zuoken

Flame Steward

Flayerspawn Psychic

Fleet Runner of Ehlonna

Fleshwarper

Flux Adept

Fochlucan Lyrist

Foe Hunter

Follower of the Skyserpent

Force Missile Mage

Forest Master

Forest Reeve

Forsaker

Fortune's Friend

Frenzied Berserker

Frost Mage

Frostrager

Gatecrasher

Gatekeeper Mystagogue

Geomancer

Geometer

Ghost Slayer

Ghost-Faced Killer

Ghostwalker

Giant-Killer

Gladiator

Gloomblade

Glorious Servitor

Gnome Artificer

Gnome Giant Killer

Gnome Giant-Slayer

Goldeye

Goliath Liberator

Gray Guard

Gray Hand Enforcer

Gray Sage

Gray Parsley, Rosemary and Thyme

Great Rift Deep Defender

Great Rift Skyguard

Green Star Adept

Green Whisperer

Guardian Paramount

Guild Thief

Guild Wizard of Waterdeep

Halfling Outrider

Halruaan Elder

Halruaan Magehound

Hammer of Moradin

Hand of the Adama

Hand of the Winged Masters

Harmonium Peacekeeper

Harper Agent

Harper Mage

Harper Paragon

Harper Priest

Harper Scout

Hathran

Havoc Mage

Haztaratain

Heartfire Fanner

Heartseeker

Heartwarder

Heir of Siberys

Hellbreaker

Hellfire Warlock

Hellreaver

Henshin Mystic

Hexer

Hida Defender

Hidecarved Dragon

Hierophant

High Elemental Binder

High Proselytizer

Highland Stalker

Hoardstealer

Holt Warden

Holy Liberator

Holy Scourge

Holy Slayer

Hordebreaker

Horizon Walker

Horned Harbinger

Hospitaler

Hulking Hurler

Hunter of the Dead

Iaijutsu Master

Icesinger

Illithid Body Tamer

Illithid Savant

Illithid Slayer

Illithidkin

Illumine Soul

Imaskari Vengeance Taker

Impure Prince

Incandescent Champion

Incantatrix

Incantifier

Incarnum Blade

Initiate of Pistis Sophia

Initiate of the Draconic Mysteries

Initiate of the Sevenfold Veil

Inquisitor

Inquisitor of the Drowning Goddess

Insidious Corruptor

Invisible Blade

Iron Mind

Ironsoul Forgemaster

Itinerant Warder of Yondalla

Jade Phoenix Mage

Jaguar Knight

Jaunter

Jester

Jobber

Jordain Vizier

Justicar

Justice Hammer of Moradin

Justice of Weald and Woe

Justiciar of Taiia

Justiciar of Tyr

Kabuki Warrior

Keeper of the Cerulean Sign

Kensai

King/Queen of the Wild

Kinslayer

Kishi Charger

Knight of the Blue Moon

Knight of the Chalice

Knight of the Chase

Knight of the Crown

Knight of the Flying Hunt

Knight of the Iron Glacier

Knight of the Lily

Knight of the Middle Circle

Knight of the Raven

Knight of the Rose

Knight of the Sacred Seal

Knight of the Scale

Knight of the Skull

Knight of the Sword

Knight of the Thorn

Knight of the Weave

Knight Phantom

Knight Protector

Knight Protector of the Great Kingdom

Knight-Errant of Silverymoon
Landforged Walker

Lasher

Legacy Champion

Legendary Captain

Legendary Dreadnought

Legendary Leader

Legendary Tactician

Leviathan Hunter

Lifedrinker

Lightbearer

Lion of Talisid

Lord of Tides

Loredelver

Loremaster

Luckstealer

Luiren Marchwarden

Lyric Thaumaturge

Maester

Mage of the Arcane Order

Mage-Killer

Magelord

Magic Filcher

Magical Trickster

Maho-Bujin

Maho-Tsukai

Maiden of Pain

Malconvoker

Mamluk

Mantis Mercenary

Maquar Crusader

Martyred Champion of Ilmater

Mask of Johydee

Master Alchemist

Master Astrologer

Master Inquisitive

Master Inquisitive

Master of Chains

Master of Flies

Master of Many Forms

Master Of Masks

Master of Nine

Master of Shadow

Master of Shrouds

Master of the East Wind

Master of the North Wind

Master of the Secret Sound

Master of the South Wind

Master of the Unseen Hand

Master of the West Wind

Master of the Yuirwood

Master of Vipers

Master Samurai

Master Siege Engineer

Master Specialist

Master Thrower

Master Transmogrifist

Medani Prophet

Memory Smith

Menacing Brute

Merchant Prince

Metal Master

Metamind

Mighty Contender of Kord

Mind Mage

Mindbender

Mindspy

Mirumoto Niten Master

Mole
Naked Mole Rat

Monk of the Enabled Hand

Monk of the Long Death

Moon Drover of Cormyr

Moonsea Sentinel

Moonspeaker

Moonstar Agent

Morninglord of Lathander

Mortal Hunter

Moto Avenger

Mountebank

Mystic Keeper of Corellon Larethian

Mystic Theurge

Mystic Wanderer

Mythic Exemplar

Naga Overlord

Nar Demonbinder

Nature’s Warrior

Necrocarnate

Nentyar Hunter

Netherese Arcanist

Neverwinter Nine

Night Mask Deathbringer

Night of the Pearl

Nightcloak

Nightmare Spinner

Nightshade

Nightsong Enforcer

Nightsong Infiltrator

Ninja of the Crescent Moon

Ninja Spy

Noble Adventurer

Noctumancer

Nosomatic Chirurgeon

Occult Slayer

Ocular Adept

Olin Gisir

Ollam

Omatu Master

Oozemaster

Oppressor

Orc Blademaster

Orc Scout

Orc Warlord

Ordained Champion

Order of the Bow Initiate

Ordinator

Osteomancer

Outcast Champion

Outlaw of the Crimson Road

Pact-Bound Adept

Pale Master

Paragnostic Apostle

Paragnostic Initiate

Peerless Archer

Peregrine Runner

Perfect Wight

Perfected One

Pious Templar

Planar Champion

Planar Shepherd

Planeshifter

Platinum Knight

Poison Fist

Poisoner

Prairie Runner

Primal Rager

Primal Scholar

Prime Underdark Guide

Primeval

Prophet of Erathaol

Psi-hunter

Psibond Agent

Psion Uncarnate

Psionic Fist

Purebreath Devotee

Purifier of the Hallowed Doctrine

Purple Dragon Knight

Pyrokineticist

Quori Mindhunter

Quori Nightmare
Knock Knock?

Radiant Servant of Pelor

Rage Mage

Rainbow Servant

Ranger Knight of Furyondy
Who's There?

Ranger of the Night’s Watch

Raumathari Battlemage

Ravager

Reachrunner
Ordinator

Reaper's Child

Reaping Mauler

Recaster

Red Avenger
Ordinator Who?

Red Dragon Disciple

Red Wizard

Red Wizard of Thay

Reforged
Your Pizza's Here. Aren't You The Guy That Ordinated It?

Renegade Mastermaker

Replacement Killer

Revenant Blade

Righteous Zealot

Rimefire Witch

Risen Martyr

Ronin

Royal Explorer

Royal Scout of Cormyr

Ruathar

Ruby Knight Vindicator

Runecaster

Runecaster

Runescarred Berserker

Runesmith

Sacred Exorcist

Sacred Fist

Sacred Warder of Bahamut

Sanctified Mind

Sanctified One

Sand Shaper

Sapphire Hierarch

Scaled Horror

Scar Enforcer

Scarlet Corsair

Scion of Dantalion

Scion of Tem-Et-Nu

Scorpion Heritor

Scorpion Wraith

Scourge Maiden

Scout Warlord

Sea Mother Whip

Sea Witch

Seeker of the Misty Isle

Seeker of the Song

Sentinel of Bharrai

Serene Guard

Serpent Slayer

Shaaryan Hunter

Shadar Sentinel

Shade Hunter

Shadow Adept

Shadow Apostle

Shadow Hunter

Shadow Scout

Shadow Sentinel

Shadow Sun Ninja

Shadow Thief of Amn

Shadowbane Inquisitor

Shadowbane Stalker

Shadowblade

Shadowcraft Mage

Shadowcrafter

Shadowdancer

Shadowmind

Shadowsmith

Shadowspy

Shadowstriker

Shaper of Form

Shapeshifter

Shark Cultist

Shen

Shiba Protector

Shifter

Shining Blade of Heironeous

Shintao Monk

Shoal Servant

Shou Disciple

Silver Key

Silver Pyromancer

Silverhair Knight

Silverstar

Silverstar

Singer of Concordance

Singh Rager

Siren

Skullclan Hunter

Skylord

Skypledged

Slaad Brooder

Slayer

Slayer of Domiel

Slime Lord

Snake Servant

Solar Channeler

Soldier of Light

Son of Mercy

Soul Eater

Soulbow

Soulcaster

Soulguard

Soulknife

Soulreaver

Sovereign Speaker

Spell Sovereign

Spellcarved Soldier

Spelldancer

Spellfire Channeler

Spellfire Hierophant

Spellguard of Silverymoon

Spellsinger

Spellsword

Spellwarp Sniper

Sphere Minion

Spinemeld Warrior

Spirit Speaker

Spur Lord

Spymaster

Squire of Legend

Stalker of Karash

Stalwart Warden

Steel Legionnaire

Stoneblessed

Stonedeath Assassin

Stoneface

Stonelord

Stonespeaker Guardian

Storm Disciple

Storm Sentry

Stormcaster

Stormlord

Stormsinger

Stormtalon

Streetfighter

Strifeleader

Sublime Chord

Suel Arcanamach

Sun Soul Monk

Sunmaster

Survivor

Swanmay

Swift Wing

Swiss Burger with Bacon

Sword Dancer

Sword of Righteousness

Sworn Slayer

Sybil

Tactical Soldier

Tainted Scholar

Talon of Tiamat

Talontar Blightlord

Tamer of Beasts

Tattooed Monk

Techsmith

Telflammar Shadowlord

Tempest

Templar

Temple Raider of Olidammara

Tenebrous Apostate

Thayan Gladiator

Thayan Knight

Thayan Slaver

The Athar

The Cipher

The Darkwood Stalker

The Duelist

The Flesheater

The Glaive of Azharadian

The Green Hunter

The Infused

The Mourner

The Mystic

The Sensate

The Sinker

The Tainted

The Taker

The Xaositect

Thief of Life

Thief-Acrobat

Thrall of Baphomet

Thrall of Dagon

Thrall of Demogorgon

Thrall of Fraz-Urb'luu

Thrall of Graz'zt

Thrall of Juiblex

Thrall of Kostchtchie

Thrall of Malcanthet

Thrall of Orcus

Thrall of Pazuzu

Thrall of Zuggtomy

Thrallherd

Thunder Guide

Tiger Mask

Topaz Guardian

Totem Rager

Totemic Demonslayer

Trapsmith

Tree-Friend

Triadic Knight

Tribal Protector

Troubadour of Stars

True Necromancer

Truth Seeker

Twisted Lord
Twisted Sister

Ultimate Magus

Umbral Disciple

Unbound Scroll

Uncanny Trickster

Unholy Ravager

Unholy Ravager of Tiamat

Union Sentinel

Unseen Seer

Ur-Priest

Urban Savant

Urban Soul

Vadilis Beastkeeper

Vassal of Bahamut

Vengeance Knight

Vengeance Sworn

Verdant Lord

Vermin Keeper

Vermin Lord

Vigilant Sentinel of Aerenal

Vigilante

Virtuoso

Visionary Seeker

Void Disciple

Waker of the Beast

Walker in the Waste

War Chanter

War Hulk

War Mind

War Weaver

War Wizard of Cormyr

Warchief

Warforged Juggernaut

Warmaster

Warpriest

Warrior of Darkness

Warrior Skald

Warshaper

Warsling Sniper

Watch Detective

Wavekeeper

Waverider

Waveservant

Wayfarer Guide

Weapon Master

Wearer of Purple

Weightless Foot

Weretouched Master

Whisperknife

Whitehorn

Wild Mage

Wild Plains Outrider

Wild Scout

Wild Soul

Wildrunner

Windrider

Windsinger

Windwalker

Windwright Captain

Winterhaunt of Iborighu

Witch Hunter

Witch Slayer

Witchborn Binder

Wizard of High Sorcery

Wonderworker

World Guardian

Worldspeaker

Wormhunter

Wyrm Wizard

Yakuza

Yathchol Webrider

Yathrinshee

Yuan-Ti Cultist

Zerth Cenobite

Zhentarim Skymage

Zhentarim Spy

Okay, so I added a few lines just to see if anyone was paying attention. But 99% of the above is 100% accurate.

What are we to say of them all?

Well, first, especially when listed on, well, a list like this, it's amazing, to be frank, just how plain dumb many of them sound:

Knight-Errant of Silverymoon?
Purple Dragon Knight?
Silverhair Knight?

And those are just the knights.

Second, of the remainder it's notable how sinister so many of them are:

Dark Scholar

Death Delver

Deathstalker of Bhaal
Demonologist
Diabolist

Disciple of Baalzebul

And those are just the D's.

(I can't believe Spalding's even bringing that up. It's only a game. Twelve year old's know that--though clearly Spalding doesn't. He's probably, you know, one of those moral police people or something, in favor of censorship.)

I'm not in favor of censorship actually. But in honesty, if I were (please note the if), forget about D.H. Lawrence, Nietzsche and The Anarchist's Cookbook. I'd settle for banning prestige classes and be done with it. Would Congress go for that?

But seriously, the silly and sinister aside. The whole idea of prestige classes is just cracked from a design point of view. As an example, take Dwarven Defender--one of the more 'normal' options. Here's part of the description from the Hypertext D20 SRD:

When he adopts a defensive stance, a defender gains phenomenal strength and durability, but he cannot move from the spot he is defending. He gains +2 to Strength, +4 to Constitution, a +2 resistance bonus on all saves, and a +4 dodge bonus to AC. The increase in Constitution increases the defender’s hit points by 2 points per level, but these hit points go away at the end of the defensive stance when the Constitution score drops back 4 points. These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are. While in a defensive stance, a defender cannot use skills or abilities that would require him to shift his position. A defensive stance lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character’s (newly improved) Constitution modifier. A defender may end his defensive stance voluntarily prior to this limit. At the end of the defensive stance, the defender is winded and takes a -2 penalty to Strength for the duration of that encounter. A defender can only use his defensive stance a certain number of times per day as determined by his level (see Table: The Dwarven Defender). Using the defensive stance takes no time itself, but a defender can only do so during his action. When he adopts a defensive stance, a defender gains phenomenal strength and durability, but he cannot move from the spot he is defending. He gains +2 to Strength, +4 to Constitution, a +2 resistance bonus on all saves, and a +4 dodge bonus to AC. The increase in Constitution increases the defender’s hit points by 2 points per level, but these hit points go away at the end of the defensive stance when the Constitution score drops back 4 points. These extra hit points are not lost first the way temporary hit points are. While in a defensive stance, a defender cannot use skills or abilities that would require him to shift his position. A defensive stance lasts for a number of rounds equal to 3 + the character’s (newly improved) Constitution modifier. A defender may end his defensive stance voluntarily prior to this limit. At the end of the defensive stance, the defender is winded and takes a -2 penalty to Strength for the duration of that encounter. A defender can only use his defensive stance a certain number of times per day as determined by his level (see Table: The Dwarven Defender). Using the defensive stance takes no time itself, but a defender can only do so during his action.

Hmm. Interesting. Okay, here's my alternative suggestion. You want to be a Dwarven Defender? Okay, just be a Dwarven Defender. Act like one. Stand there on the stairs as the Orcs are coming up them and hit them with your axe, one by one. Make notches somewhere to record your kills. When your axe becomes ineffective (at on average about 30 Orcs or so), throw it away and grab a spare. And so on.

Why must all of this be done for you (and then described in the most needlessly complicated and excruciatingly boring way possible)? Is it because your imagination (you are a twelve year old) isn't good enough? Do you need the experts at Wizards of the Coast to help you on that?

Give me a break.

...

THE PARENTAL ADVISORY IS NOW OVER. GO BACK TO YOUR STATIONS. Whatever your group wants to do is okay as long as your group wants to do it. Kumbaya, my Lord, and all that. If you want to build a Breachgnome, go for it!

OSR Art Friday: The Magic Mouth

This is the first of a series that will appear every Friday.

By "OSR Art" I mean artwork of the original or classic games--including of course Dungeons & Dragons--as well as that featured in more contemporary efforts such as Swords & Wizardry, Lamentations of the Flame Princess and others.

These games are or were better partly because of their art. A game is not merely defined by the abstract mechanic of the rules. For an entire game to aspire to be art in the more general sense (which, in my view, every game should, even in the smallest or most humble of ways) the physical product must also be attractive. And the art inside the game should be inspiring, evocative, thought-provoking and memorable.

Yes, it should try to more than being a tacky rip-off of a video game screenshot.

As Dungeons & Dragons devolved, beginning with 2e and picking up steam downhill with 3e, 4e and now 5e, the quality of the art devolved with it. I actually think the cause and effect works both ways. If you know that on every other page your text is going to be paired with blaring CGI-like color images of "Tieflings" or "Dragonborn" your design ideas and prose may very well sink to match that.

The illustration above is for me the most iconic interior drawing of any of the classic books. If it doesn't encapsulate the wonder and mystery of the dungeon, what could? Note that like most of the best classic pieces, it's not about combat, and it features relatively "normal" looking figures (if Hobbits and/or Dwarves can be considered normal)--not pumped-up Rambo types.

I like the way the light sources--the torches and magic sword--are emphasized, and the fact that it takes place on a stairway--going down.

The drawing appears on page 108 of the original 1978 Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Players Handbook and is by David Trampier, one of the leading artists of the first years of TSR.

For those of you who haven't seen it (probably not very many), enjoy! For those of you who have seen it, here's a bittersweet reminder of what once was.

Should All Weapons Do 1d6 Damage? Revisited

Almost three years ago I asked that question. I gave a short answer nine months ago, but I'd like to go into a bit more detail in this post. Here are the possible arguments. The answer, given the sum of them, is a qualified Yes.

1. Should all weapons do 1d6 damage?  Why not?  Combat is abstract.

This is not a good argument. Indeed, I find this kind of argument to be quite annoying. OD&D is a game. Therefore, combat must be abstract. Logically, there are an infinite number of possible combat mechanisms that will all be abstract, at least to some degree. So, the question is which abstract mechanism to choose. Thus, when defending one abstract mechanism against another abstract mechanism, it's obviously not enough to simply declare that it's abstract.

2. In a certain sense all weapons do the same damage in the end.  Being fatally stabbed by a dagger is just as bad as being fatally stabbed by a two-handed sword.

This is half right. It works if there is some other mechanism for differentiating the effectiveness of weapons. Thus, the damage might in the end be the same, but there may be different chances (perhaps based on a variety of other contingent factors) for two different weapons to end up actually inflicting damage. If you're stabbed hard in your Adam's apple by a fountain pen, you'll be just as dead as if your entire head was lopped off with an axe. But there is a reason why men marched into battle with axes (or swords or spears or pikes, etc. etc.) instead of fountain pens.

3. It’s simpler.

Also half right.  Simplicity is not always better. But it often is. On the other side, complexity can enhance the fun of decision making, can make the play of the game more interesting and can enhance the illusion of realism. But it can also detract from each of the above things. One of the main considerations of good game design--perhaps even the main consideration--is correctly judging which side of the scale is heavier in each relevant situation.

Simpler can be better

In this case, in my view, simplicity wins, partly for the reasons given in 4, below:

4. Rolling different kinds of dice (as well as different numbers of dice) for each weapon distracts from the “ballet of combat”.  Having all weapons do 1d6 focuses attention on the combat not on the dice.

This is wholly and precisely right. You don't want a boring "conga line". You do want tactics, maneuvering and in a word, thinking. Of course, having a good referee and good players is crucial. But it also helps if you rid the situations of as many additional distractions as possible.

5. Having some weapons do more than 1d6 damage introduces an annoying sort of inflation into the game.  If, for example, the damage done by a two-handed sword is increased from 1d6 in Men & Magic to 3d6 damage in Greyhawk (at least against large creatures), then to be fair (or rather, in the interests of realism or consistency), many of those large creatures must have their damage increased as well.

This also is precisely right, and the empirical part of it is borne out by the history. I guess the counter-argument is that all things being equal, inflation is supposed to be neutral. If everyone has an average of 100 hit points and all weapons do an average of 20 points of damage, then in theory that shouldn't really be any better or worse than if everyone has 10 hit points and does an average of 2 point of damage. But of course, having more points is worse. Large numbers of hit points amount to, again, just another distraction. The more hit points everyone has the more the emphasis is on, well, hit points, as opposed to the combat itself. Or, to the extent that hit points should matter, the less they do, if that makes sense. Perhaps there's a parallel with the more runs vs. less runs argument in baseball. People like it when their team gets a run (obviously), so (the argument goes) why not increase the number of runs for everybody? There's a reoccurring tendency to do this in baseball, with curmudgeons like me always saying "you think you're making it more exciting, but in fact you're making it less exciting."

6. Having all weapons do 1d6 damage introduces more diversity in the choice of weapons.  From the point of view of fantasy role-playing, this is a good thing.  If weapons do different amounts of damage, players will gravitate to only a few of them--those that do the most damage.  That’s a bad thing.

Half right. You could construct a rules algorithm that balanced extra damage against other considerations with negative effects, but in practice this is rarely done. Why it's only rarely done is an interesting question that I don't really have an answer to.

7. Having all weapons do 1d6 damage allows you to come up with other reasons (more fun and more realistic) to choose some weapons over others—some weapons you can charge with, others might be better at piercing armor, etc.  This is healthy.

Three-quarters right, although in practice such rules can become fussy and irritatingly discontinuous.

8. It’s a feature of the original game.  How could Gygax and Holmes have been wrong?

Half right (!). This argument carries some weight with me, among other things because OD&D circa 1974 had already undergone extensive play testing for years with really good referees and players. They had to have been on to something.

A diversity of weapons-Jim Roslof from Keep on the Borderlands

So on balance I'm on the side of all weapons generally doing only 1d6 of damage. But I admit that the case is not cut and dried. You can have a perfectly acceptable old school experience with variable weapon damage. My goal is to persuade people to at least try uniform 1d6 damage--the message being that it can work.

For Seven Voyages of Zylarthen I adopted uniform (or almost uniform--see 3, below) 1d6 weapon damage. But I differentiated weapons in eight or nine other ways:

1. Each weapon has a different To Hit progression for the eight possible armor classes, which among other things allows for meaningful differentiation in terms of effectiveness against different kinds of armor (or hide, natural plating, etc.). Swords are good against no armor or light armor. Maces and blunt weapons are good against heavy armor, etc. And of course certain weapons are pretty good on average. Certain weapons are not, etc.

2. Each weapon has a weapon class, for the most part based on weapon size and length. Higher weapon class weapons are more effective on the first turn of melee. Lower weapon class weapons are more effective on the second and subsequent turns.

3. Some weapons have either a penalty of -1 or a bonus of +1 on damage inflicted against large creatures. This is one minor exception to all weapons doing 1d6 damage. But it makes intuitive sense. Against a large creature you want a weapon with good, so to speak, penetration power.

4. Some weapons break more than others (for simplicity's sake, this is almost entirely based on cost, but I think cost generally tracks breakability).

5. Cost. This is a factor at low levels, enhanced a bit due to the weapon break rules.

6. Weapons have different space requirements. Whether the referee decides to rigidly enforce this is of course up to her.

7. Whether or not the weapon is wielded with one-hand or two (thus allowing or not, the use of a shield or off-hand weapon). A few weapons--the sword and spear--can be wielded with either one hand or two.

8. Encumbrance. If you want to carry a battle axe (which in Zylarthen is pretty large), then you're going to move slower and sacrifice potentially carrying other weapons or useful items of equipment.

9. Other miscellaneous special considerations for certain weapons--"staves shall be splintered", fighting with an offhand axe or dagger, breaking wooden hafted weapons with large swords, etc.

10. Finally, whatever weapon is used, there is always the option of decreasing one's To Hit chances by 5 (out of 20) but adding an extra die of damage. Theoretically, you could add multiple dice by sacrificing 10, 15 or more To Hit numbers. In my view this potentially adds an interesting decision--you can "go for it" if your back is to the wall, etc. It also on average speeds up combat at high levels. (If your base To Hit is 10 or less, it's to your advantage to add sacrifice "To Hits" for damage, at least in terms of expected damage value). This is of course also a semi-exception to the "all weapons do 1d6 damage" rule.

I feel that the above may make Zylarthen's weapon and combat system seem overly complicated. But in practice I do not think it is. Many of the rules are optional. And in the more basic cases I tried to "bake things in" to a few simple tables as opposed to forcing players and referees to add or subtract eighty-five separate bonuses or penalties.

I'm interested in other opinions, especially from those who have played in or refereed campaigns under both systems.

The Setting of Seven Voyages of Zylarthen

A "colorized" version of the full-page Batten drawing in Vol. 1, p. 27

First, a digression:

In the Foreword to Seven Voyages of Zylarthen I called the game a "re-imagining" of the original edition of Dungeons & Dragons.

I want to first explain what I didn't mean by that. It's not OD&D updated with more modern rules or supplemented with my own house rules (though it does undeniably contain some of those). Nor is it a precise clone intended to mimic, say, the rules mechanics of the three little brown books or some other early edition of the game (that wouldn't really be a re-imagining). Nor is it an attempt to place the game in an alternative or more specific campaign setting.

In denying those approaches I don't mean to be critical of them. Indeed, part of why I ultimately rejected them is because they had all been done and done well before. And of course, the current existence of a diversity of great OSR efforts now coincides with the republication by Wizards of the Coast of most of the original rules sets--either in "deluxe" hard copy editions or PDFs.

So I decided to look at things from the inside out, so to speak. It's now forty years since the original "woodgrain box" became available, and we now have a great deal of hindsight. New school people would say we have learned how to do things better. Old school people would say we have learned how trying to do things better can often lead (unintentionally) to doing things worse. For my part, instead of identifying what was wrong with the original game, I wanted to identify what was right about it, and then, so to speak, double down (or even triple down!) on what was right about it in a way that, without the benefit of any hindsight, the original game didn't and of course couldn't do.

I admit that in the process I did want to fix a few things. As much as I love the three little brown books, there are a few rules or parts of them that are odd or perhaps even broken. But the idea was not to jettison those things, but rather to make them work, if possible by harnessing the numerous design principles of the original game that did work.

Caveats and comments before proceeding further:

1. It might be objected that in replacing Clerics with Thieves, I did indeed jettison one of the fundamental parts of the original  game. I don't see it quite that way, but the "no-Clerics" thing is best left for another post.

2. What I think works (or doesn't work) is informed very much by an old school perspective. So, for example, I like random non-naturalistic tables. I think they work. Indeed I think they they work in a big way. So I included more of them. As an example of how I used them to fix what was to me a somewhat broken mechanic--the issue of languages--what languages characters or monsters might speak was given a determination mechanism that parallels the OD&D Treasure Table with its various lettered "Treasure Types".

3. Do I think Zylarthen is better than the original game? Well, in part or in some ways I like certain things better. That's true almost by definition, as there would have been no point in writing it otherwise. But overall I'm not so egotistical (or stupid or silly) as to say that it's a better game. Of course it's not. The original edition of Dungeons & Dragons must remain the unchallenged King of all such games  More importantly, if there is anything in Zylarthen that is good, it is good derivatively--good precisely because of what Gygax and Arneson originally created. 

Now, to turn finally to the subject of the post--the setting of the game. In the Foreword I identified what I took to be one of the wisest aspects of the original Dungeons & Dragons:

It invoked many sources—King Arthur, the Crusades, Middle-earth, the Arabian Nights, pulp fantasy, fairy tales, even science fiction. Its breadth of tone was a virtue, offering to the players a multiplicity of delights.

Spell Casters in Men & Magic--European, Indian and Egyptian (?)

The game explicitly claimed to be "medieval". But of course it wasn't. Critics might say that Gygax and Arneson threw in everything but the kitchen sink into the setting. Some are annoyed by that. And indeed one direction taken by contemporary OSR efforts as well as of course by the progression of the various official editions and expansions, is to try to place things in a more "consistent" or "authentic" setting. So, for example, we have seen 16th Century, quasi-historical Middle-Ages and Middle-Eastern themed efforts, each selecting one or two strands of the original and expanding on it, while jettisoning or reducing in importance the other strands. Again, I'm not being critical of those attempts. There is a place for them. And again, one of the reasons I chose not to go down that path is because, paradoxically perhaps, there wasn't that much room to be original. So many things had already been done and done well.

Most importantly, however, if I were to "re-imagine" the original game in a way that took account of all of its strengths, I couldn't go down that path.

Interestingly, that's not how I originally thought of things. Indeed, I only came to that view fairly late in the game. But I was lucky I did. My writing of Zylarthen, or the game that would become Zylarthen, meandered for perhaps two years before that insight made it suddenly take off.

"...16th Century, quasi-historical Middle-Ages and Middle-Eastern themed efforts…"

I chose those examples because they express the actual evolution of the setting for my own game. First it was More Things in Heaven and Earth, with an Elizabethan or late Tudor setting. It had a pseudo-Catholic tinge, so I suppose it would have been somewhat different. But creating an entire OD&D neo-clone around it would have been, well, boring (though I still reserve the right to put it into a short Zylarthen supplement).

Then, in considering art for the game I came across the wonderful children's illustrations that Howard Pyle did for Otto of the Silver Hand, Robin Hood and other works. The drawings were fun but also sort of dark and gritty. For a short period, I thought of titling the game Coat of Mail.

A wonderful illustration by Howard Pyle-not used in Zylarthen

Finally, after much of Zylarthen had been written and the final title (with its obvious allusion to Sinbad) had been chosen, I thought of making the game more explicitly Middle-Eastern. So, for example, many of the weapons on the list were given Persian names such as "Tabarzin" for battle-axe. Again, luckily, I soon realized that this would have been a mistake.

For the final effort, rather than emphasizing one of the strands at the expense of the others, I decided to add to all of them!

This is I think most apparent in the "new"* monsters: King Arthur, the Crusades and actual history get a nod with the addition of Vikings and Turcopoles. Middle-Earth is referenced with the re-introduction of True Wraiths. Classical myth and history is represented by the named Titans (and Titanesses) as well as barbarians and soldier types (including Amazons) based on Classical, Byzantine and early Persian categories. The Arabian Nights flavor is represented in the title and much (though not all by any means) of the art. The Witch is based on the standard fairy-tale version. Burroughs' Martians make an appearance in force, and most of the "alternate" (for legal reasons) monster takes are science fictional entities.

*Of course, none of the "new" monsters were truly new, but appeared in one form or another in either the three little brown books or early official supplementary materials.

I suppose one could reasonably say that the overall setting of Zylarthen might be slightly more middle-eastern or at least "southern" than that of the three little brown books, though I'm not sure I'd agree even with that. Again, I think the inclusion of "medieval" in the subtitle of the first edition of Dungeons & Dragons throws people off.

In Zylarthen, proper names for places and persons, and explicit history were generally avoided, with a few exceptions. Earth, Mars, Jupiter and the Sun are named. "The Ancient Wars between Law and Chaos", apparently instigated by a trouble-maker named Mendax (aka The Liberator) is described. And there are a few Christian references, something as a Christian I felt important to include in what was after all a game set in an otherwise very Pagan world. But in my view none of these are essentially determinative of any particular time and place.

Finally, in regards to setting, I should mention the artwork of Zylarthen. There are close to a hundred pieces, all by the same artist--the turn of the century illustrator John Dickson Batten. I said elsewhere that once I had chosen the works of Batten, the art actually began to inform the setting and even the writing. Batten's works appeared in children's fairy-tale books. But appropriately enough they were also from a diversity of sources--English, Celtic, general European, Middle-Eastern and Indian. In my humble view, the art was not merely the best art I could find for free, but was in fact precisely right for what I was trying to do. I couldn't have paid for anything better. To the extent that Zylarthen as a visual or physical product succeeds it does so due to Batten. But equally importantly, to the extent the setting and tone are interesting or attractive is also I think due to Batten. Indeed, he deserves an entire post, and will get one soon.

Coolest Looking RPG Product: Dungeons & Dragons Original Boxed Set

What could be cooler than the 1st printing of the 1st edition of well, the first RPG product?

The 5th printing of the 1st edition of the first RPG product.

Why?

First, let's go back a step. In my view, the original edition of Dungeons & Dragons is the best RPG product ever, both in terms of content and physical production. I know that might earn a sneer from some-especially regarding the physical production. The booklets were printed entirely in black and white with the minor exception of the red, green and blue titles. The interior font was primitive and much of the art was amateurish (or so it has been claimed).

But I like the look of it. I prefer the simple, clear and non-distracting font and layout. The tasteful line drawings of characters and monsters stimulate the imagination as opposed to mimicking a screenshot from the latest video game. Interestingly, in the three original edition booklets, despite the important place combat plays in the game, there is only one obvious illustration of an actual combat scene (it's a drawing of a Lycanthrope about to hurl someone to his doom). Contrast this with the myriad full color spreads of battle in, say, any of the 4th edition books, where each scene, with its desperate or angry facial expressions, poised weapons, jaws, claws and so on, appears to be capturing THE MOST EXCITING POSSIBLE MOMENT, again as if trying to qualify for a best screenshot contest. Here are two examples:

1974:

Wait, haven't I seen those two somewhere before…

2008:

It's so EXCITING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now, I know that many would prefer the modern style. Indeed, almost by definition it would seem that the majority of current RPG purchasers prefer it. I don't. But enough said about that.

To return to the original edition, in actuality there aren't that many differences in content or production between the seven plus printings from 1974 to 1979. The excellent Acaeum breaks down what differences there are. The first three printings featured a wood colored box with a picture of a mounted warrior on a rearing horse (also originally present on the cover of Men & Magic). This was replaced in the 4th printing with a white box featuring a Wizard firing a wand at a group of goblins (or could he indeed be striking with some kind of magic sword?).  

Apparently, the first four printings used a relatively hard to read type setting. The 5th printing switched to a more friendly Helvetica font. The 6th printing kept the more readable font while excising or renaming for legal reasons most of the Tolkien elements-Hobbits, Ents, Balrogs and so on.

So I would go for the 5th printing-a readable font without the Tolkien excising-the version available, as far as I can gather, for most of 1976.

It sold for $10.00, or about $45.00 in inflation adjusted currency.

For that you got the box, three booklets, a stapled set of "Reference Sheets" and probably a one page set of errata. Curious and enterprising players might by that time already have purchased one or more of the supplements, or have gotten their hands on the small but growing number of newsletters and accessory products from Judges Guild or Tactical Studies Rules itself.

Or they were starting to buy and paint lead figures.

Not a bad way to while away the waning months of the Ford Administration.

(Later Edit: it's now clear to me that the heading picture is of the 6th printing, not the 5th. It's got that little star thing that says "Original Collectors Edition.)

Favorite Published Adventure: A4 In the Dungeons of the Slavelords

The neat thing about this adventure, or so it seemed to me at the time, was starting the players off waking up in a sandy cave, presumably deep in some underground maze, where they had nothing but loincloths--no weapons, armor, equipment, precious magic items or memorized spells. Also, it was pitch dark. There were things scuttling about that would scuttle even faster during the earthquake tremors that would go off at increasing frequency. Did I mention that it was pitch dark?

To get out, they had to be smart about things they found--bones they could use as clubs, tar for improvised torches, etc.--but also needed to put up with a certain, so to speak, grossness level--making friends with fungus people via a disgusting spore ritual, climbing a bridge made of dead giant ant husks, and so on. 

I purchased the module along with the others in the Slavelords series, shortly after it came out. It seemed incredibly cool to me and I couldn't wait until my players were powerful enough to try it. I had to wait a year or so, as I remember.

Looking back, this "tournament" module violated a number of "old school" tenets, or at least it did the way I used it. First off, I had to "railroad" my players into the predicament--indeed more than railroad them, I had to throw a set of antagonist at them that they obviously couldn't defeat or run away from. They actually made a good run at winning against, I think, an 8th level party, so I had to make use of the deus ex machina of sleep gas. As I remember it, one of the players threw me a look as if to say, "That's so obviously unfair. What's your game, anyway?" He found out when he woke up in the dark wearing nothing but a loincloth.

Secondly, the module instructed the DM to make the players think the cavern or (as they would later discover) island would blow up at any time. But of course, if one had railroaded them into the thing in the first place, imposing a volcanic TPK on characters the players had been playing for over a year of real time would have been mean. So that was also sort of fake.

Nevertheless, it was still amazingly fun.

When the party emerged from the caverns onto the beach of the volcanic lake, their patron, Rellian, the 18th level Wizard, was there to meet them with all of their "lost" equipment and magic items. Triumphant, they flew out on the back of a tame Red Dragon, watching the world explode far below...

Most Recent RPG Purchase: Hideouts & Hoodlums

Actually, I first bought Hideouts & Hoodlums over two years ago. It comprised three small booklets that correspond to the three little brown books of OD&D-Men and Supermen, Mobsters and Trophies and The Underworld and Metropolis Adventures. However, two weeks ago I purchased a heap of accessories to the game-an adventure module-Sons of the Feathered Serpent-the first three supplements-National, All-American and Better Quality-and the first fifteen issues of the associated newsletter/magazine-The Trophy Case.

It's a brilliant effort that tracks the mechanics, tone and aesthetics of OD&D but adapts it to the era of Golden Age Comics, circa the late 1930's.

The author, Scott Casper, has en encyclopedic knowledge of the material and an obvious love for the genre that comes across on every page. And the OD&D/Swords & Wizardry based rules fit the subject matter surprisingly well, arguably creating a more satisfying, authentic and playable rules set than any of the myriad of other superhero offerings-classic or contemporary. At the very least, anyone familiar with OD&D can pretty much grasp the rules within an hour or so.

Casper writes 90% of the material for Great Scott! games, though he does have a few other collaborators, among them, Steve Lopez of this RPG and comics blog.

All in all it's a formidable set of material. The Trophy Case has roughly tracked the timing and output of Tactical Studies Rules' 1975-76 The Strategic Review, with articles on the game, scholarly seeming but fun essays on Golden Age Comics topics, and various other related odds and ends.

And all the materials-currently available in PDF form-are cheap at the price, which speaks to its affordability not its quality.

A full review of Hideouts & Hoodlums will be forthcoming. Stay tuned, as I assume they might have said in 1939 (although no doubt Casper could correct me on that). Until then, I highly recommend it.