Demihuman Clerics in B/X

Originally, I was intending to write something about weapon proficiencies; however, this came up on Ye Old G+ the other day, and I actually liked my stream o consciousness response, so I figured I'd turn it into a blog post. I'm an opportunist that way.

[or scatterbrained]

I've written before (in various locations) my reasons for enjoying the "race as class" rules of early edition Dungeons & Dragons. Here's the main one, from back in 2010, but I've left plenty of additional thoughts scattered throughout the blog since then (I especially liked this one on xenophobia). For the most part, I stand by what I've posted...I prefer not having non-human species function as human occupations. A dwarf is a dwarf, an elf is an elf, etc.

But what if you postulate a world of multiple deities, like the usual D&D default (or the Moorcock books D&D emulates). Let's say you agree with me that the various demihumans ARE alien, inhuman, sentient beings...but ones that were created by, and have their own worshipful devotion for, extra-dimensional divine beings? Shouldn't they have a clerical class? And shouldn't such characters be playable as player characters (as they have been since 1985 with the release of Unearthed Arcana?)?

[to be clear, there were demihuman clerics prior to the UA being published, but they were specifically closed to players, only being available as non-player characters. Half-elves and half-orcas, being "semi-humans," were an exception to this stricture]

In such a campaign setting I can certainly see the sense in having a "priestly caste" for such creatures,  but even allowing for their existence does NOT mean A) they need emulate in any way, shape, or form the cleric adventuring class, nor B) that they must be made available as player characters.

However, assuming you do want to make such a character available as PCs (adding a little spice to the boring 'same old same old'), I certainly wouldn't go the route of making them the same type of divine agents as human clerics. For one thing, doing so goes back to the problem of using species ("race") as a stand-in for ethnic/racial stereotype (because they're just humans with rubber masks...er...pointy ears). For another, it misses an opportunity to play up the alienness of the demihumans that comes with creating one's own strange, species-specific cult and practice of worship. Rather than considering such characters as a race + class, I'd take the tack of calling them by the same classification (dwarf, elf, or halfling), but one with an overlay of "priest" (similar to my previous beastmaster and barbarian overlays).

Here are some examples of how it might work:

Priest of the Forge God (dwarf overlay): character is expected to be first in battle, especially against goblins, their hated enemy. Add +1 to attack rolls versus goblins; may not use missile weapons (in addition to normal weapon restrictions for dwarves). Priests who reach 9th level (Master Smith) may not build strongholds; however, they gain the ability to create magical items as a wizard. At 11th level, the priest may establish a Forge Shrine and will attract D6 dwarf acolytes of levels 1-3 to aid in her work. All other abilities and restrictions (including maximum level and experience needed) are as per the dwarf class.

Making a mighty weapon.

Priest of the Song Eternal (elf overlay): wisdom replaces intelligence as the character's second prime requisite, and the character is restricted to Lawful or Neutral alignment. Spells learned are chosen from the clerical spell list instead of those of the magic-user, and the character uses (and creates) magic-items as a cleric, rather than as a magic-user. All other abilities and restrictions (including maximum level, attack and save tables, number of spells learned, etc.) are as per the standard elf class.

Capital-E Evil.

Priest of the Demon Queen (elf overlay): wisdom replaces intelligence as the character's second prime requisite, and the character is restricted to Chaotic alignment. Spells learned are chosen from the clerical spell list instead of those of the magic-user, and the character uses (and creates) magic-items as a cleric, rather than as a magic-user. Priests who reach 9th level (High Priest/Priestess) may build a dark fortress in an out-of-the-way location; usually some dark forest, swampy bog, or subterranean cave complex. Because of the priest's foul depredations, normal animals within 5 miles of the fortress will leave the area; upon completion of the fortress, they will be replaced by monsters and evil humanoids seeking to serve and worship the fey's evil patron. These creatures will offer aid and tribute in exchange for protection and leadership, and some may even become monstrous retainers of the high priest. All other abilities and restrictions (including maximum level, attack and save tables, number of spells learned, etc.) are as per the standard elf class.

[please note, spells for priests of the demon queen will generally be of the reversed variety as per the rules for chaotic clerics (page X11). Whimsical folks might consider altering some of the spells to a more "demonic" variety, like stones to spiders in place of the standard sticks to snakes]

Hello, Vicar!

Priest of the Helpful Shepherd (halfling overlay): wisdom replaces strength as the character's second prime requisite, and the character is restricted to Lawful or Neutral alignment. The character has the exact same turning and spell abilities of a lawful cleric of equal level; however, the character is expected to abide by the weapon restrictions of both clerics and halflings. All other abilities and restrictions (including maximum level and experience needed to advance) are as per the halfling class.

FINAL NOTES: for all these overlays, level titles should be as per the cleric table given on page X5, save that the species type is added (for example: dwarf acolyte, halfling vicar, elf bishop). While priests of the Song Eternal have the same "name level" (Patriarch/Matriarch) as a 9th level cleric, this is not the case for the other sects (Dwarf Master Smith and Elf High Priest/Priestess). The level title for an 8th level halfling priest is Kahuna, not Sheriff.

Hmm...looking these over, I kind of like these. Might have to try them out the next time I run B/X...at least as NPCs.  
; )

The Barbaric Edge

All right, you guys finally broke me. You don't know how tempted I've been to break my self-imposed "blogging ban" this last week. Clerics! I want to write shit-tons about clerics! But I've held off and held off. I cannot, however, maintain silence in the face of a really, really good idea, even if I dislike its execution...especially when it fires my own pistons.

So it is with this latest post from John Slater over at Land of Nod regarding the "edge" displayed by the barbarian protagonists of Bob Howard (and emulated by pulp S&S writers everywhere). The idea that such rugged individuals, by dint of their hard lives and uncouth nature, are a cut above civilized folk is a standard fantasy trope...and one that begs for the modeling and re-modeling (or at least re-examination) of a "barbarian class" time and again. And again.

*Bleah* (that's the sound of me gagging)

I know I've taken a couple-three whacks at the idea over the years, though none of them have "stuck" in my own campaigns...though perhaps that's as much influenced by my personal bias (I like the standard B/X classes) and/or folks' aversion to the idea of playing some primitive malcontent stereotype. Regardless, having a barbarian "class" hasn't worked for me. It just comes down to a set of particular themed bonuses or abilities, and the CONCEPT of the character gets lost. This is why the barbarian class of 5E is so stupid. It's not about someone wanting to model a "barbarian;" it's about wanting a rage bonus in melee combat.

[yes, yes...for some of you it MIGHT be about playing a barbarian. Shouldn't it be a background than? Something to be added to ANY class...barbaric shamans, thieves, etc.? And just what background is a barbarian supposed to take, anyway? Aside from outlander, it would take a bit more effort to work with most of the other 5E backgrounds...but I digress]

The word "barbarian" comes from the Greeks, which they used for all those "uncivilized" Germanic tribes that lived north of their ancient empire. The word means "bearded guys" or hairy ones or something, but it's really a derogatory term for people who don't speak Greek. In other words, "I see you are talking, but all I hear is 'bar-bar-bar.'" Still, though, "beards." We see that today in Romance languages (barba means beard in Spanish, for example). It doesn't mean indigenous American, or spear-chucker, or "savage" (though these things can be inferred from the use of the term). It simply means, someone from outside our polite society.

Howard was a Texan and a bit of a misfit to boot, giving him real issues with regard to "polite society." This he communicated through his stories, both in the attitudes of his heroes and the circumstances in which they generally found themselves (strife and turmoil in the land caused by the decadent machinations of people in power). It's not surprising that a man who felt himself an outsider would write about outsider heroes, nor is it surprising that his characters would resonate with those seeking escapism from "real life" in the fantasy fiction of pulp stories. Anti-authority is a fine attitude to have, until and unless you need your streets paved, your police and firefighters to arrive in a timely fashion, or your post office and DOT office to be well-staffed and helpful.

But D&D is fun for the same reason: escapist fantasy (how often do PCs need a post office?). And PCs are fairly "outside normal society" by their acts and profession anyway, so it's fine and fair to indulge in a little fantasy barbarism of the Howardian staple...the hard dude (or dudette) that sneers at polite society, that solves problems in Gordian fashion, that has an aura of primal leadership (or animal magnetism). A type of character that has an edge, in other words...something gained by dint of their upbringing and uncivilized attitude. Here's how I'd implement it, mechanically, for B/X (or similar "basic" games):

1. To be from a barbarian tribe, you must be a human character, though you can be a cleric, fighter, or thief (magic-users, even those from barbaric backgrounds, have too broad a perspective to carry the disdain of barbarians...their arrogance is of the magician to the mundane and their "edge" is their spell-casting powers beyond that of mortal men). Your character must have a CON of 9+ to reflect the fantasy trope (in a sense, you are playing a new type of demihuman race).

2. Your "barbarian" begins with the following restrictions: you receive one-half the normal starting gold at first level (roll 3D6x10 as normal, but divide the amount by two). Your character speaks your own language (as "Human Dialect," see page B13) fluently, but can speak only broken, accented common (the "civilized" tongue). You begin with no other languages known, regardless of INT.

3. When dealing with civilized individuals of authority (gate guards, tax collectors, nobles, etc.) your character receives a -2 penalty to reaction rolls unless the person in question speaks your character's native language.

4. If your character has an INT of 13+ you may choose to learn a new language (up to your maximum additional languages known) every time you earn a new level of experience. Learning a language implies fluency and capacity for writing as well. Common may be chosen as a language. Being able to speak fluently in a person's language removes the reaction penalty above.

5. Your character gains the following bonuses as his/her "barbaric edge:" +1 to melee attack rolls, +3 hit points, +1 save versus mind control magic, +1 bonus to hear noise, +1 bonus to detect traps, +1 bonus to retainers' morale score.

6. Success and soft-living will gradually remove your character's edge; every time you go up in level, remove one of your edge bonuses (your choice of which is lost). By the time most barbarians reach 7th level, they are thoroughly "civilized."

7. A player may stave off the eroding effects of civilization by disdaining its decadent trappings. This includes taking following actions:

• Never sleeping indoors unless the weather is bad (and even then, preferring a hard, bare floor to a cushy bed and soft pillows).
• Eschewing wealth; discarding 90% of all monetary treasure (giving it away, blowing it in taverns/brothels, etc.), and never retaining more than can be carried on one's person and/or horse. Equipment purchased must be of the most practical type: no fancy clothes, decorative armor, etc. Most fantasy barbarians (either sex) never bother wearing pants.
• Maintain a healthy respect and distance for enchantments; never possessing more magic items than the character has hit dice (so maximum of nine at levels 9+).
• Display nothing but contempt for the decadence of civilized folks: sneer at their pointless politics, their indulgent foods, their polite manners. Character should be forthright and blunt in interactions and avoid slyness and dishonesty. 
• Your character's word is his/her bond. Never break an oath.

This issue provides a good model
in the erosion of "barbaric virtue."

So long as the character abides by these restrictions, her barbaric edge is only lost every two levels gained (so at 3rd level, 5th level, 7th, etc.). No spartan lifestyle can completely halt the erosion of one's edge!

[if a character "falls off the barbarian wagon," she may jump back on upon reaching a new level of experience...i.e. after losing one edge at the standard rate...by reconsidering her decadent life and "getting back to her roots" (vowing to follow all strictures). However, only one such attempt at "atonement" is allowed...if the character succumbs to the temptations of civilized life a second time, there's no third chance!]

All right...we now return to our self-imposed silence. Shhhh...
: )

B/X Overlays - Revisiting the Beastmaster

Tim Brannan had some nice things to say about The Complete B/X Adventurer the other day, specifically with regard to the beastmaster class it contains. Rereading the entry (it's been awhile since I've had reason to skim through the book myself) I found myself a bit disappointed at the way I chose to handle the concept, specifically the whole call/befriend/master mechanic (not to mention the learned languages...a throwback to the original inspiration found in Stephan Sechi's Compleat Adventurer book). It makes for a wordy class entry which is quite un-B/X, in my opinion.

The version of the class found in Five Ancient Kingdoms (an optional Hero subclass presented towards the end of Book 3) is a lot simpler, and much closer to what I wanted to model: a knock-off of the cult classic film, The Beastmaster. It's a movie that I find enjoyable to this day for all its sword & sorcery sensibilities. The class found in TCBXA is a bit too much of an homage to the Tarzan/Sheena feral-child-raised-to-be-lord-of-the-forest archetype. Which, when you think about it, doesn't make a whole helluva' lot of sense for a dungeon delving game. Those types are homebodies (protecting The Wild), not restless wanderers in search of adventure.

In considering rewriting the class (for my own amusement...I have no plans to alter TCBXA or issue a "2nd edition"), I hit upon a slightly different idea from doing the "one-more-new-class-for-B/X" thang: Class Overlays. Figured I'd share the idea with y'all.

A class overlay isn't a new class; instead, it's a set of conditions added to an existing class. Subclasses are a bit like this (at least, they were in the original D&D supplements). However, while a subclass is a set of conditions applied to a specific class (for example, ranger as a subclass of fighter), a class overlay is a set of conditions that can be applied to ANY class.

Dig it?

For example, a beastmaster is simply an individual who has a supernatural affinity with animals. There are many examples that don't resemble Marc Singer's oiled body: Radagast the Brown, St. Francis of Assisi, Dr. Doolittle, Voldemort, Mowgli, those kids from A Game of Thrones, Marko from Wizards & Warriors, some of MZB's Darkover characters (I know there are others I'm forgetting at the moment). These individual "beast masters" have a wide range of skills and attributes, and few of them are cut from the rough-and-tumble Tarzan mold. So rather than try to create a single class that encompasses the wide range of disparate examples, we just create a conditional class overlay that adjusts the existing character class.

"He senses danger, m'lord. Also, he wants a carrot."

[BTW: for my money, I'd probably only apply class overlays to HUMAN character classes in B/X; i.e. fighters, clerics, magic-users, and thieves. But if you want your dwarf to ride a giant mole or whatever, feel free to knock yourself out]

Below I've written up the conditions for the Beastmaster overlay. Other overlays I'd strongly consider for B/X would include Summoner (think pulp-style sorcerer), Witchhunter, Bard, and half-blood types (like Ogre/Giant or Elf). Yes, I am aware that most of these were classes I wrote-up for The Complete B/X Adventurer...I think they'd all work excellently in a variety of styles.

BEASTMASTER OVERLAY

"Beastmaster" is an overlay that can be applied to any human character class. Beastmasters have a natural affinity for, and deep rapport with animals, though this is limited to the vertebrate classes of mammals and birds (lower lifeforms...reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, etc...are too primitive and/or alien for the human mind to touch). Communication with giant or prehistoric animals (smilodons, mammoths, cave bears, etc.) is possible; it is up to the DM to determine if a beast master's powers apply to magical or mythical animals (like a pegasus or griffon).

Beastmasters automatically understand, and are understood, by the animals in question. It is not necessary for the beastmaster to speak like an animal (hooting and howling); the animal simply understands what the beastmaster is saying. Beastmasters are thus able to interact with any animal encountered (normal reaction rolls apply, modified as necessary by charisma and circumstance). Beastmasters suffer a -2 reaction penalty when attempting to communicate with prehistoric animals.

A beastmaster may proposition an animal to join the character as a retainer/follower. The animal may not have more hit dice than the beastmaster (note: all B/X characters are limited to a maximum of nine hit dice). Animal followers count against the beast master's normal number of retainers, as determined by charisma. Animals whose hit dice exceed the beastmaster may still be friendly and offer temporary aid, as determined by a positive reaction roll.

Beginning at 4th level, a beastmaster may use a type of animal clairvoyance, limited to any animal retainer possessed. The beastmaster may utilize all the animal's senses, directing the creature telepathically, at a range of one mile per level of experience. There is no limit to the number of times an animal may be possessed and utilized in this way, but only one animal may be used at a time, and the beastmaster may take no other action when so engaged.

Conditions: a beastmaster loses all abilities when wearing armor of any kind ("scent of man") or carrying any type bow, crossbow, or sling ("the hunter's weapons"). Spell-casters may not learn or use magic that inflicts damage at range, nor any spell that manifests fire or lightning. Animal retainers will temporarily leave the beastmaster if the character uses forbidden equipment, and must test Loyalty (as per page B21) to see if they permanently leave the beast master's service.

DMs may OPTIONALLY choose to include cold-blooded beastmasters, whose powers only function on reptiles, amphibians, and fish/sharks. All conditions apply but, in addition, spell-casters may use neither cold nor water magic.

Just can't get enough, can you?