Stay Classy 1 - The OD&D (3LBB) Fighter

 

Well, I'm sure any old-school gamers like myself are well aware that Original D&D was a little... sparse... on the class descriptions, and also aware that this is a situation that stuck with the Fighter Class through at least AD&D and Basic. The first episode of this series will offer an examination of what we do have on the Fighter in original little brown books.

We are told on page 6 of Volume 1 - Men & Magic that, "There are three (3) main classes of characters." (I am inordinately amused by that emphasis on "three (3)!")

The first class listed and described is 'Fighting-Men,' (though in the very next paragraph, the word 'fighters' first appears, and will be used interchangeably with the official 'Fighting-Men' throughout the edition, as well as in Holmes, changing completely over to 'Fighter' in AD&D.

We are told that Fighting-Men include Elves (though they are also Magic-Users), Dwarves and... Halflings (the original through apparently 5th printings referred to them as Hobbits according to the Acaeum website).

The full class descriptions follows this - one paragraph taking up about one-fifth of the page. Fighters are allowed the use of all magical weaponry (which implies all weaponry as well), have (potentially) more hit points, and can, on reaching 9th level ("Lord") build a castle and rule over a 'barony.' However, Fighters are limited in non-weaponry magical item use, and do not gain spells. That's it - until you dig deeper into the book.

On the next page, the equally small descriptions of the non-human races begins with "Dwarves," where we are told that Dwarves are limited to only "the fighting class," and even then to level 6 ("Myrmidon.") Elves and Halflings, on the page after that, are limited to only 4th level (Hero), with Halflings also being limited to Fighters.

Page 10 starts discussing the Ability Scores and how to generate them, and lists Strength as the "Prime Requisite" of Fighters, the key ability for the Class. One thing notably absent compared to later editions is any minimum score to be a Fighter - in fact, it is noted that, while a score above 12 in one's Prime Requisite will grant a bonus on Experience earned, a score below 9 will grant a penalty. This is the same across the 3 classes. One could conceivably roll a character with a Strength of 5 and still opt to be a Fighter. Other than increasing (or decreasing) a Fighter's Experience, Strength has little mechanical effect in this version. No system is given for modifying carrying capacity, attack rolls or damage rolls by Strength. The description mentions that "Strength will also aid in opening traps and so on," but in Volume 3, forcing open doors is a flat roll of 1-2 on a 1d6, regardless of Strength.

Other Abilities of use to a Fighter would be Intelligence, for additional languages, Dexterity for potential bonus to hit with ranged attacks, Constitution for possible bonus hit points, and Charisma for hirelings. OD&D puts significant focus on hirelings, taking up the majority of pages 12 and 13.

There's one thing notable for Fighters in the Equipment list on page 14. Starting gold for each Class in these rules is 3d6 x 10, and Plate Mail (the best armor in this edition) costs 50 (and a Shield 10), so it is entirely possible for Fighters to start play with the best possible Armor Class without magical items (AC 2).

Pages 16-18 cover level advancement charts. Fighters start on the medium track, with Clerics advancing faster, and Magic-Users advancing slower. However, Magic-Users slowly gain speed, and by level 7, Fighters are the slowest advancement track, the best argument in the book for a high Strength as a Fighter. All Classes have a Hit Die of d6 in this version of the rules, but Fighters start at 1d6+1 versus just 1d6 for Clerics and Magic-Users. By level 10, Fighters have 10d6+1 hit points, Magic-Users 7d6, and Clerics 7d6+2.

Stats are given on these pages as well for using Chainmail combat, something which I still don't entirely understand, but page 19 describes the 'Alternative Combat System,' later and better known as THAC0. All characters start with THAC0 19, but with each advancement on this track, the target number drops by 2 or 3. Fighters advance along this track every 3 levels, Clerics every 4 and Magic-Users every 5.

Finally, page 20 gives us Saving Throws. These advance by level just as the THAC0, but there are some differences again. Fighters start with the middle Save value for 'Death Ray or Poison' and 'All Wands - Including Polymorph or Paralyzation,' They are tied with Clerics for the worst initial Save versus 'Stone,' and have the worst initial Save versus 'Staves and Spells.' However, Fighters start with the best Save versus 'Dragon Breath.' Dwarves and Halflings Save as if they were 4 levels higher, so they would start in the Fighter Level 4-6 bracket of Saves.

One additional item of note for Fighters, thinking back to the initial description saying 'all magical weaponry' is usable by Fighters, if we turn to page 23 in Volume 2 - Monsters & Treasure, we find the Magic Item determination random tables, where the initial roll gives a 40% chance total for Swords, Armor, or Miscellaneous Weapons.