DM of the Rings

[tkdguy]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

Here are a few educated guesses:

 

Clerical magic: I think these were based more on sources other than fantasy books. Sticks to Snakes and Create Water seem to be based on the Book of Exodus (Aaron's staff turns into a snake; water springs from a rock after Moses hits it). In the New Testament, Jesus healed the sick and blind (Cure Disease and Cure Blindness spells) and brought Lazarus back to life (Raise Dead). I remember reading a story about St. Francis of Assisi convincing a wolf to stop killing villagers (Speak with Animals). People believe that clerics were modeled after the Hospitallers and Templars.

 

Also, thieves were not included in the first printings of D&D. The only classes available were fighting-men, magic-users, and clerics. Elves, dwarves, and hobbits were included as optional classes, but I'm not sure if they were in the earliest edition.

[BobGreenwade]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

The best one yet! Combines two of my favorite movies and one of the most common RPG/geek activities.

Yes, this chapter actually brought tears (of laughter) to my eyes....

[keithcurtis]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

Also' date=' thieves were not included in the first printings of D&D. The only classes available were fighting-men, magic-users, and clerics. Elves, dwarves, and hobbits were included as optional classes, but I'm not sure if they were in the earliest edition.[/quote']

 

Elves were a class, but I believe dwarves and hobbits were races and could be fighters.

 

Keith "I'll dig out my three brown books, if need be. They're still mint" Curtis

[Plex]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

Elves were a class, but I believe dwarves and hobbits were races and could be fighters.

 

Keith "I'll dig out my three brown books, if need be. They're still mint" Curtis

 

 

I believe that any race other than human was considered a class in the early version. (At least in the red and blue basic and expert sets I learned how to play the game.)

 

The halflings were the thief class, dwarves wwere fighters, and elves were magical.

 

Humans could be fighters, clerics, or mages.

 

But beyond that, this strip is erally funny. I've sent the link to all my players and now they are hooked. It is a shame that the strip fits so well for my own D&D campaign.

[Inu]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

I believe that any race other than human was considered a class in the early version. (At least in the red and blue basic and expert sets I learned how to play the game.)

 

The halflings were the thief class, dwarves wwere fighters, and elves were magical.

 

Humans could be fighters, clerics, or mages.

 

But beyond that, this strip is erally funny. I've sent the link to all my players and now they are hooked. It is a shame that the strip fits so well for my own D&D campaign.

In the red box 'Basic set' D&D, which was published after AD&D was, there were four human classes -- fighter, cleric, magic-user, thief. Each demi-human race was its own class. The red basic set covered levels 1-3, while the blue 'Expert set' covered... 4-14, I think. In that box, the demihuman classes picked up level limits. Later sets allowed them to progress in 'attack rank' rather than level (no spell progression for elves, no more hit points, but htey got to hit things better!). The D&D rules cyclopedia, a compilation of all the D&D colour-box sets, had an optional rule for allowing demihumans (and mystics, a class that cropped up in a supplement, I believe, though I don't know which one) to progress through to level 36, same as the others.

 

I'm currently running a game set in the D&D game world -- Mystara -- so I have a good handle on these things. ^_- The old white/brown box stuff, I'm not so solid on. I've gotten a look at a friend's, but never owned it myself. As I said, the red/blue/green/black/gold box sets were published after AD&D, as a training wheels kinda thing. They were closer to the original rules, but not precisely the same. I honestly can't remember whether demihumans were particular classes in the earliest versions,b ut they were certainly their own classes in the colourbox series.

[Manic Typist]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

Keith "I'll dig out my three brown books, if need be. They're still mint" Curtis

 

You know, these days, all the hip kids say "cherry." Especially if you have Steven Hawking in your library. (Or is it Stephen? Heck, I don't even know who that is.... ah, it is Stephen, according to Wikipedia).

[tkdguy]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

The original rules were kinda funky. IIRC, Elves could progress as fighters and magic-users, but could only play one class in each adventure. So if you chose you play your elf PC as a fighter, then you couldn't cast spells in that session.

 

Actually, if you own the Elves of Alfheim (GAZ 5) gazeteer, they have that setup after a fashion. After reaching level 10, an elf could choose to progress either as a fighter (using the attack ranks) OR as a magic-user (gaining more spells). nd Mystara was a fun setting.

 

I don't own the original rule books, but a friend does. I only got the Basic and Expert books edited by Moldvay and Cook, and the later versions revised by Mentzer. I envy you, Keith.

 

And while lurking on Dragonsfoot, I found a link to an index of rulebooks.

[keithcurtis]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

The original rules were kinda funky. IIRC' date=' Elves could progress as fighters and magic-users, but could only play one class in each adventure. So if you chose you play your elf PC as a fighter, then you couldn't cast spells in that session.[/quote']

 

I just broke them out and looked. This is true, though the class is called Fighting Man. Hobbits can be 4th level Fighting Men, and Dwarves are limited to 6th. No problems with munchkinism, here.

 

Keith "Loves all the Barsoom creatures in the encounter tables--Lookout Frodo--a banth!" Curtis

[tkdguy]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

Thanks for the info. You know, I actually would have used a banth in a Middle Earth campaign, since I hadn't read Burrough's series then.

[keithcurtis]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

Thanks for the info. You know' date=' I actually would have used a banth in a Middle Earth campaign, since I hadn't read Burrough's series then.[/quote']

All stories are improved by the sudden appearance of a banth.

 

Keith "Chapter 7 needs a little more action..." Curtis

[tkdguy]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

I'd like to try out an older version of Classic D&D. I know one person who has some of the old books (before the red book), but he wasn't interested in doing an old-style game at the time. I have't heard from him lately, but I doubt he's changed his mind.

[Susano]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

All stories are improved by the sudden appearance of a banth.

 

Or near-naked native princesses.

 

Uhm... just sayin', y'know?

[tkdguy]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

Or near-naked native princesses.

 

Uhm... just sayin', y'know?

Who fight like Xena?

[assault]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

Who fight like Xena?

 

Sadly not. While Martian princesses will sometimes fight, they aren't particularly good at it. In that sense they are more decorative than functional.

 

But they are smoking hot, or, as John Carter phrased it - "incomparable".

[keithcurtis]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

For a guy with a general IQ of six outside of anything not related to cutting large things into smaller things with a piece of metal, John Carter could occasionally come up with an awesome turn of phrase.

 

"I understand your words, Dotar Sojat," she replied, "but you I do not understand. You are a queer mixture of child and man, of brute and noble. I only wish that I might read your heart."

 

"Look down at your feet, Dejah Thoris; it lies there now where it has lain since that other night at Korad, and where it will ever lie beating alone for you until death stills it forever."

 

Keith "Man if could talk like that, I would be swimming in chicks" Curtis

[Lucius]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

For a guy with a general IQ of six outside of anything not related to cutting large things into smaller things with a piece of metal, John Carter could occasionally come up with an awesome turn of phrase.

 

 

 

Keith "Man if could talk like that, I would be swimming in chicks" Curtis

 

Drowning, rather.

 

Lucius Alexander

 

House of the Palindromedary

[mangahunterd]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

I can't see them no matter what browser... how sad..

[BobGreenwade]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

Sadly not. While Martian princesses will sometimes fight, they aren't particularly good at it. In that sense they are more decorative than functional.

 

But they are smoking hot, or, as John Carter phrased it - "incomparable".

In that sense, their decorative value is functional.

[tkdguy]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

Warriors of Mars game

[tkdguy]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

And oh yeah, back to the topic:

 

How about using this variant of LOTR?

[keithcurtis]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

Warriors of Mars game

Awesome. That explains a lot.

FWIW, this one one of my earliest games, and I think the one I actually first tried to run adventures in.

 

 

Keith "Wish I had had the TSR book, way back when" Curtis

[BobGreenwade]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

Just wanted to bump this up so it doesn't get lost or forgotten.

 

It's really fun stuff.

[Lucius]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

"Sure, it can be bad when you realize that one of your players has been zoning out during crucial moments. But, the real horror sets in when the players who have been paying attention try to explain, and their perception of your gameworld is so different from your intention that you almost don’t recognize it as your own."

 

Lucius Alexander

 

Palindromedary Crossing: Both ways

[BobGreenwade]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

Bump.

[L. Marcus]

Re: DM of the Rings

 

Bmup?