Saga of an AD&D character

[Ed the Coastie]

A couple of weeks ago, I had the opportunity to play in an "old-school" AD&D game that used the AD&D 1e rules. Much to the annoyance of most of the players, PCs were pretty limited to using the AD&D (1e) Players Handbook and player's section of Unearthed Arcana. The DM was running The Sinister Secret of Saltmarsh (one of my favorite modules), and all PCs were 1st level.

So I created a magic-user.

I always get a kick out of people who claim that a 1st-level magic-user is "a Sleep spell on legs". What they take into account is that at first level, a magic-user is just as skilled with his weapon of choice as a fighter is with his...he is just limited by lack of armor/shield and lower hit points. So when I create a magic-user, I tend to forgo the usual staff-and-robes-and-pointy hat routine and create someone who looks more like a knife-fighter. Most DMs of 1e games allow the Dagger weapon proficiency to cover both melee and missile forms, so a bandolier of throwing daggers is a must...and, unlike a Magic Missile spell, gives multiple shots and is reusable. An Armor spell usually suffices for defense, since a visit to the local alchemist/apothecary generally allows for an alchemical substitute for the Sleep spell in grenade form.

With this strategy in mind, I created my magic-user and equipped him appropriately. It was a very successful game from my perspective, and not only did my character survive and make 2nd level, but the DM has invited me to continue playing the character the next time I am in town.

[Irish Wolf]

For that matter, the staff isn't that bad a deal - a magic-user can, after all, also take Quarterstaff as his weapon of choice, and that deals as much damage as a shortsword (something most DMs don't realize until after you break an orc skull or two...).

[Parody]

Yeah, back in the day I spent many a gaming session as a young mage bashing bad guys with a stick, poking them with daggers, or throwing rocks at them with a sling. (Free ammo!)

Good times, good times. :)

[combatmedic]

Dogs! I found that playing a low level mage, a couple of war dogs were a good investment. They can and will take down kobolds and goblins. Chomp.

[Hemlock]

Many players also forget that elves are automatically proficient with bows (even in 1st edition) ... so that elven mage can stand at the back of the party and pepper the enemy with arrows ... and do the same damage as a fighter.

It's fun to watch the others players face when your 'useless' mage starts dropping goblins and orcs with a single arrow each.

[Anaraxes]

a couple of war dogs were a good investment

Once one of my friends and fellow gamers, an otherwise educated and intelligent person, was perusing the Monster Manual. He turned to me and asked "what's a thog"? I shook my head in puzzlement, and he said, "well, they have war thogs, which are presumably thogs trained for war, so what's a regular thog?" I had no idea what he was talking about until I looked over his shoulder at the entry for "warthog".

So be careful with those ward ogs.

[Sydney]

Originally Posted by Hemlock

Many players also forget that elves are automatically proficient with bows (even in 1st edition) ... so that elven mage can stand at the back of the party and pepper the enemy with arrows ... and do the same damage as a fighter.

It's fun to watch the others players face when your 'useless' mage starts dropping goblins and orcs with a single arrow each.

That's not quite true. In both 1e and 2e, elves merely gain a +1 to use bows of all kinds (excluding crossbows) and long sword and short sword. Additionally, the non-proficient magic-user gains a -5 penalty for lack of proficiency in the above mentioned bows and swords. It's not until 3e that elves gain full proficiency in said weaponry.

[roguebfl]

Originally Posted by Ed the Coastie

What they take into account is that at first level, a magic-user is just as skilled with his weapon of choice as a fighter is with his.

Um while I not look at the numbers in years, that assent only took THAC0 into account, 1e hand an annoying secondary factor, the weapon's modifiers vs. AC.

at least 2e made it into a more consistent and optional rule.

[trooper6]

I was in an AD&D1e game back in the day when my spell book got destroyed. (the party of 1st level PCs wanted to attack a sleeping dragon...I said that was a really bad idea, but the Lawful-Good fighter said that he had to) We all ended up running away but in the process our stuff got burned, including my spell book. Which meat I was a 1st Level Magic User with no way to renew my spells.

And since you only got xp if you actually got the killing blow, I ended up saying at 1st Level while my party members got up to 3rd. So what did I end up doing? Realizing the Grappling rules were really broken by being based on AC. So I was able to grapple and pin the biggest bruisers and slit their throats. It annoyed the fighters that I all of a sudden was more effective than they were in combat.

[Hemlock]

Originally Posted by trooper6

I was in an AD&D1e game back in the day when my spell book got destroyed. (the party of 1st level PCs wanted to attack a sleeping dragon...I said that was a really bad idea, but the Lawful-Good fighter said that he had to) We all ended up running away but in the process our stuff got burned, including my spell book. Which meat I was a 1st Level Magic User with no way to renew my spells.

And since you only got xp if you actually got the killing blow, I ended up saying at 1st Level while my party members got up to 3rd. So what did I end up doing? Realizing the Grappling rules were really broken by being based on AC. So I was able to grapple and pin the biggest bruisers and slit their throats. It annoyed the fighters that I all of a sudden was more effective than they were in combat.

We always played that the party go equal lots of XP. Add up the total for monsters defeated (not necessarily killed, just 'defeated') and divide among the characters present.

It eventually did annoy the party fighter, because he was always the 'meat sheild' who would take a beating while the other characters stood behind him and snickered at him ... or planned to backstab him and take the loot and his stuff. Why should he risk his neck to protect the thief and wizard only to have them get equal share ... and then take the fighter's share too, when they off him ?

I played with a very cut-throat group ... and didn't play with them for long. They were jerks.