Post by doc on Nov 30, 2007 23:25:54 GMT -6
Okay, I'm posting this mostly because I get a lot of jeers from the younger gamers I know when I bring up the fact that originally demi-humans were seriously restricted in how high they could advance. One of my players can't imagine his wood elf swordsman (he plays several, but they are all the same character) being halted at fourth level, while another cannot imagine not being able to play his trusty dwarven cleric under ODD rules. Now personally I kinda like the level restrictions for demi-humans, and here's why they actually make sense:
1. D&D, as originally presented, was a definitely humanocentric game. Humans were expected to be the big movers and shakers of the world, just as in all of the classic mythology and folklore that Gygax and his mates had grown up on, including 99% of what was considered standard in fantasy fiction at the time. Non-humans were meant for flavor and atmosphere, so with time it was expected that a successful human adventurer would surpass them to become legends in the game.
2. In OD&D, it was very difficult for humans to have more than a single class. You needed high stats to switch classes, and had to make sometimes radical character changes. Demi-humans, on the other hand, could be more than a single class even at low level with little or no difficulty. Thus, the level restrictions were a way of balancing out a demi-human's potential plethora of abilities.
3. A dwarf might reach 8th level as a figher if he was REALLY strong, and en elf had an outside chance of making it to 9th as a magic user if he had a serious brain, while humans could rocket past these level restrictions with time. What most people fail to realize today, though, is that Back in the Day (or BitD) 9th level was considered HIGH LEVEL! This was the level that characters were supposed to start to think about ending their wandering ways and becoming involved in their culture as a baron, arcane instructor, leader of a congregation, etc. Now, though, 9th level is just a stepping stone to reaching 18th level and getting the GOOD spells. It is assumed by many players that everything before level 11 or 12 is just "practice" for the Big Time. I blame the practice of many recent DMs of letting their characters START OUT at level 4-5 for this jaded attitude.
And while I am at it, let me just take a second to talk about the fact that only humans can be clerics (another point of derision for more modern players). The way I always saw it, while all races might honor their individual gods, only humans actually had organized religion. Thus, only amongst humanity could there be found the idea of a man of god protecting the members of his religion from corruption and harm with the Holy Word and a stout mace.
Okay, I'm done ranting for the night.
(Dang kids! Get offa my lawn!)
Doc
1. D&D, as originally presented, was a definitely humanocentric game. Humans were expected to be the big movers and shakers of the world, just as in all of the classic mythology and folklore that Gygax and his mates had grown up on, including 99% of what was considered standard in fantasy fiction at the time. Non-humans were meant for flavor and atmosphere, so with time it was expected that a successful human adventurer would surpass them to become legends in the game.
2. In OD&D, it was very difficult for humans to have more than a single class. You needed high stats to switch classes, and had to make sometimes radical character changes. Demi-humans, on the other hand, could be more than a single class even at low level with little or no difficulty. Thus, the level restrictions were a way of balancing out a demi-human's potential plethora of abilities.
3. A dwarf might reach 8th level as a figher if he was REALLY strong, and en elf had an outside chance of making it to 9th as a magic user if he had a serious brain, while humans could rocket past these level restrictions with time. What most people fail to realize today, though, is that Back in the Day (or BitD) 9th level was considered HIGH LEVEL! This was the level that characters were supposed to start to think about ending their wandering ways and becoming involved in their culture as a baron, arcane instructor, leader of a congregation, etc. Now, though, 9th level is just a stepping stone to reaching 18th level and getting the GOOD spells. It is assumed by many players that everything before level 11 or 12 is just "practice" for the Big Time. I blame the practice of many recent DMs of letting their characters START OUT at level 4-5 for this jaded attitude.
And while I am at it, let me just take a second to talk about the fact that only humans can be clerics (another point of derision for more modern players). The way I always saw it, while all races might honor their individual gods, only humans actually had organized religion. Thus, only amongst humanity could there be found the idea of a man of god protecting the members of his religion from corruption and harm with the Holy Word and a stout mace.
Okay, I'm done ranting for the night.
(Dang kids! Get offa my lawn!)
Doc
