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Original D&D: What Classes & Rules Would You Use?

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Author Topic: Original D&D: What Classes & Rules Would You Use?  (Read 4452 times)
evernevermore
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« Reply #15 on: September 17, 2008, 08:55:40 am »

Anyone have suggestions on handling a newbie play I know will want to be a ninja or a thief? I'm planning on running a Little Brown Book game that may grow into a campaign and Im just not familiar enough with the LBB and the supplements to have a good feel for this. I'm leaning towards asking what method he wants to use to steal or be sneaky and then nudge him towards that class (if its purely due to being sneaky he'd be a fighting man, magic makes him a magic user, the help of a god or power makes him a cleric).
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randalls
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« Reply #16 on: September 19, 2008, 12:00:38 pm »

I haven't decided whether or not Ranger should be available to humans or an elven class. Any opinions?

The "archetype" for Rangers certainly was available to humans. However, if you aren't running a Middle earth campaign I would say whatever fits your campaign world best.
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randalls
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« Reply #17 on: September 19, 2008, 02:49:48 pm »

I'm leaning towards asking what method he wants to use to steal or be sneaky and then nudge him towards that class (if its purely due to being sneaky he'd be a fighting man, magic makes him a magic user, the help of a god or power makes him a cleric).

I don't see why this would not work. Anyone can try to steal stuff/backstab/etc. in 3LBB OD&D. While the "classic" idea of a thief is a fighter in light armor, I can easily imagine a magic-user as a thief (as that might be the easiest way to acquire magic items and spell books.  A cleric is a bit harder, but there are bound to be deities that favor theft as a way of life or perhaps as a way of getting even with other deities.
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DrBadLogic
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« Reply #18 on: September 20, 2008, 05:24:02 am »

I don't see why this would not work. Anyone can try to steal stuff/backstab/etc. in 3LBB OD&D. While the "classic" idea of a thief is a fighter in light armor, I can easily imagine a magic-user as a thief (as that might be the easiest way to acquire magic items and spell books.

I'm fuzzy on what spells are available in the original d&d, but some of the spells from AD&D at least were quite useful for various shenanigans.  (I have a fond memory of using Ventriloquism to impersonate a deity, and on another occasion to make it appear that another character was taking full responsibility for making a young dragon ill).
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randalls
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« Reply #19 on: September 20, 2008, 09:47:39 am »

(I have a fond memory of using Ventriloquism to impersonate a deity, and on another occasion to make it appear that another character was taking full responsibility for making a young dragon ill).

Ventriloquism first appeared in Greyhawk (OD&D Supplement 1). So it and similar spells would not be in the 3LBB, but they could easily be added in.
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evernevermore
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« Reply #20 on: September 22, 2008, 10:33:00 am »

I would think spells are the easiest things to add to LBB D&D, provided you keep the powerlevel the same, as in restricting them. For me the worst offenders are a non issue as I plan on capping the levels at about 10 and I beleive that restricts the spells enough that I need only worry about whether the spells fit in.

Actually my biggest complaint with LBB so far is how clumsy the charts for combat are - and thats more an editing issue then anything, though I think Im going to just simplify them down to Thac0 progressions instead.
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randalls
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« Reply #21 on: September 22, 2008, 12:30:16 pm »

I would think spells are the easiest things to add to LBB D&D, provided you keep the powerlevel the same, as in restricting them.

Agreed, spells are easy to add to OD&D.

Quote
Actually my biggest complaint with LBB so far is how clumsy the charts for combat are - and thats more an editing issue then anything, though I think Im going to just simplify them down to Thac0 progressions instead.

You might take a look at the options in the Swords and Wizardry retro-clone. The formated edition isn't ready yet, but a doc file of the rules can be downloaded from the Swords and Wizardry web site. One of the options is the now fairly standard Ascending Armor Class and D20 roll system. This makes purists cry, but things like this were done in the 1970s.  Heck, for a while I used combat table where AC went up and rolls were made on d100 and no one then said that wasn't real D&D. Smiley
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