Female Character Classes (1976)

[Finarvyn]

Back in the Dragon #3 from October 1976 we can find an interesting article about women in gaming. In this article, Len Latofka suggested variant rules for female characters.
* Strength is d8+d6 instead of 3d6.
* Charisma is re-named "Beauty" and rolled as 2d10 instead of 3d6.
* Entirely new class tables for the cleric, fighting person, magic-user, and thief. These tables change level titles and XP needed.
* A variant spell list for magic-users contains lots of charm, seduction, and poison spells.
* High level wizards (witches) are listed as having 9th level spells, but none are given in the article. I suppose this means that the spells in the list are in addition to the regular spells, not a replacement list.

Anyone ever read this? Anyone actually use it?

An interesting thing to note is that "Fighting Capability" is still listed as one of the class stats, even though most of the other class articles of the era didn't bother to do so.

[Deleted]

Never read it. Never used it. Wouldn't try it. I think that some of the girls in my game group would have felt insulted to have a special "girls only" class just for them. Also, what's with the whole poison thing?

It's like the game intends all girls to play House of Borgia or something.

[Deleted]

I'm not sure why charisma would have to be changed to beauty. Just modify the die roll.

You could balance out the strength penalty through a DEX bonus.

[crimhthanthegreat]

Have read it, but never used it as it is written. As randolphcarter noted, just gave a strength penalty to a 3d6 roll and offset it with a bonus to dexterity and to charisma. We played it as strength for women was 3d6 -2 with a minimum of 3. Dexterity and charisma were both 3d6 +1 with a maximum of 18. But we dumped it when we started having kids play. (many 10 year old girls are stronger than many 10 year old boys so it was too much trouble to try to justify it based on it is true for adults)

[serendipity]

admin said:

Back in the Dragon #3 from October 1976 we can find an interesting article about women in gaming. In this article, Len Latofka suggested variant rules for female characters.
* Strength is d8+d6 instead of 3d6.
* Charisma is re-named "Beauty" and rolled as 2d10 instead of 3d6.
* Entirely new class tables for the cleric, fighting person, magic-user, and thief. These tables change level titles and XP needed.
* A variant spell list for magic-users contains lots of charm, seduction, and poison spells.
* High level wizards (witches) are listed as having 9th level spells, but none are given in the article. I suppose this means that the spells in the list are in addition to the regular spells, not a replacement list.

Anyone ever read this? Anyone actually use it?

I'm not sure how to spell it, but remember the last time you heard your cat throwing up? That sound.

[serendipity]

Okay, I should add that in writing that article, Len Latofka was probably trying to be extra thoughtful to women, creating their very own classes just for little ole them. He got it wrong, of course, but it's no worse than men buying for their womenfolk those negligees which look like something a hooker would wear. They mean well....

[ffilz]

I'm not sure how to spell it, but remember the last time you heard your cat throwing up? That sound.

Ack Thbbbt? (or something like that) :-)

Frank

[serendipity]

It was pointed out to me in casual conversation after our last gaming session that I ride both sides of the fence on this issue, which is probably true. Certainly, historical accuracy is important to me; when we were playing a game set in the twenties, I was unhappy with one of the PC nuns who went jogging every morning (among other things). I suppose in light of historical accuracy, women have been more apt to use poisons than guns or bludgeons, and they certainly are not--on a whole--as strong as men are on average. In addition, sociobiologically, women have been prized for beauty and charm whereas men have been prized for economic status (or ability to hunt well. ). Having said all that (and recognizing that it is still a gross generalization), I believe the gaming world doesn't have to be like that. We could try for accuracy regarding the way the world really is, but since we're making up this world anyway, why not try to level the playing field? For simulationists, there's still the challenge of being historically accurate if you are reproducing a real era in history in your game.

[crimhthanthegreat]

Hello serendipity, welcome!!

We only have women as players in our campaigns on those occasions when children, grand children (or great grand children) are playing since none of our wives have any interest at all. Since our campaigns worlds are unique and not trying to reproduce any particular place or time period the roles of women are not restricted in our primary starting places. While women adventurers are not common it is not considered unusual either. However, when we venture into other countries, the female characters may need to adopt a false persona of who there are while we are in the other country in order to avoid arrest.

[serendipity]

Crimhthan, in your group's worlds, are there also Amazonian countries where the male characters have to adopt false personas to avoid arrest? Just curious.

P.S. Sorry about the wives not being interested in gaming. Mixed marriages....

[crimhthanthegreat]

Yes, there are Amazonian countries and I have some non-human intelligent races that are female dominant that the player characters have to interact with at times.