CHARACTER CLASSES (Descriptions, Functions, Levels)

Character class refers to the profession of the player character. The
approach you wish to take to the game, how you believe you can most
successfully meet the challenges which it poses, and which role you desire
to play are dictated by character class (or multi-class).

Clerics principally
function as supportive, although they have some offensive spell power
and are able to use armor and weapons effectively. Druids are a sub-class
of cleric who operate much as do other clerics, but they are less able in
combat and more effective in wilderness situations.

Fighters generally
seek to engage in hand-to-hand combat, for they have more hit points and
better weaponry in general than do other classes. Paladins are fighters <UA: revise>
who are lawful good (see ALIGNMENT). At higher levels they gain limited
clerical powers as well. Rangers are another sub-class of fighter. They are
quite powerful in combat, and ot upper levels gain druidic and magic spell
usage of a limited sort.

Magic-users cannot expect to do well in hand-to-hand
combat, but they have a great number of magic spells of offensive,
defensive, and informational nature. They use magic almost exclusively to
solve problems posed by the game. Illusionists are a sub-class of magic-user,
and they are different primarily because of the kinds of spells they
use.

Thieves use cunning, nimbleness, and stealth. Assassins, a sub-class of
thief, are quiet killers of evil nature.

Monks are aesthetic disciples of
bodily training and combat with bare hands.

Each class is detailed fully in
succeeding paragraphs. It is up to you to select what class you desire your
character to be. Selection must be modified by abilities generated and
possibly by the race of your character.

The following tables will enable you to determine the major differences
between character classes at a glance. Specific comparisons must be done
in {light} of the detailed info given in the sections which discuss the
individual classes in question. Note that non-human and semi-human race
characters who are multi-classed are typically bound by the limitations of
the thief class only. That is, a fighterlmagic-user can benefit from both
armor, weaponry and spells; a fighter/thief is limited by the constraints of
the thief class.

Q. Are the anti-paladin, anti-ranger,
samurai and houri character classes
officially part of the AD&D game?
A. No. Although many new character
classes have been published over the
years, very few have made it to
official status.  The ranger, for example,
began as an article in 1 of
the very early issues of Strategic
Review (a precursor of DRAGON
magazine), and was incorporated
into the official AD&D Game when
the Players Handbook was published.
    Other than the barbarian (in #2 of
IMAGINE magazine), the thief -acrobat
(#6), and the cavalier (#11)
there have been no official character
classes since the Players Handbook
was published.  This has not stopped
the flood of unofficial material, much
of which has been quite interesting.
Many players find that the classes in
the Players Handbook do not serve
the needs of their own campaign,
which might, for example, feature a
very powerful evil religion, of which
anti-paladins might be a part.
    However, many of the character
classes are attempts to produce
super-powerful characters, allowing
some players to unbalance The Game
-- the ninja (an assassin variant
based upon the medieval Japanese
spies and Killers) was particularly
easy to exploit in this manner.
    There are 2 other points to note
in connection with unofficial character
classes.  Firstly, many DMs may
not allow such characters into their
campaigns because they do not know
the roolz governing those characters
-- every DM knows how a fighter
'works', but how many know the
details of the merchant or the toady?
Secondly, while they may not be
completely suitable for PCs,
unofficial classes make interesting
NPCs for parties to encounter.
<update, OA: the samurai is an official class>
(Imagine #14)

Q. If a character with a STR of 10
finds a girdle of giant strength, can
he become a ranger, which
has a minimum STR requirement
of 13?
A. No.  Character class prerequisites
apply to the unaugumented permannent
abilities of a character.  Abilities
that are boosted above the required
minimum only while items such as
gauntlets, rings and girdles are in the
character's possession do not count;
the augumentation is temporary, lasting
only as long as the item is worn.
Of course, for characters who read
manuals & tomes -- or use wishes
-- to increase their abilities permanently,
these restrictions do not apply
when they enter a new class (see
PHB p33), as their natural abilities
have been improved for good, without
the temporary aid of artificial
devices which withdraw their benefits
when no longer worn etc.
    A similar point should also be
made about the D&D Game -- it is the
character's unaugumented abilities
that count when determining if a
class is a good choice for that
character, so players cannot claim
their brand new character just
happened to inherit daddy's girdle of
giant strength.
(Imagine #26)

CHARACTER CLASSES TABLE I: HIT DICE, SPELL ABILITY, AND CLASS LEVEL LIMIT

Class of Character	Hit Die Type	Maximum Number of Hit Dice	Spell Ability	Class Level Limit
CAVALIER	d101	10	no	none
Paladin	d101	9	yes2	none
CLERIC	d8	9	yes	none
Druid	d8	14	yes	23 (Hierophant of the Cabal)
FIGHTER	d10	9	no	no
Barbarian	d12	8	no	no
Ranger	d83	10 ( +1)3	yes4	none
MAGIC-USER	d4	11	yes	none
Illusionist	d4	10	yes	none
THIEF	d6	10	no5	none
Acrobat	d6	12	no	none
Assassin	d6	15	no5	15 (Grandfather of Assassins)
MONK	d46	17 ( +1)6	no	17 (Grand Master of Flowers)
BARD	d6	10	yes	23 (Master Bard 23rd)

CHARACTER CLASSES TABLE II: ARMOR AND WEAPONS PERMITTED

Class of Character	Armor	Shield	Weapons	Oil	Poison
CAVALIER	any1	any	any1	no2	only if evil
Paladin	any1	any	any1	no2	never
CLERIC	any	any	club, flail, hammer, mace, staff, lasso, sap, <sling: A0.65>, staff sling	yes	only if evil
Druid	leather or padded	wooden	aklys, club, dagger, dart, garrot, hammer, lasso, sap, sling, scimitar, spear, staff, staff sling, sword (khopesh), whip	yes	DM's option
FIGHTER	any	any	any *	yes	DM's option
Barbarian	any3	any	any	yes	DM's option
Ranger	any	any	any	yes	DM's option
MAGIC-USER	none	none	caltrop, dagger, dart, knife, sling, staff	yes	DM's option
Illusionist	none	none	caltrop, dagger, dart, knife, sling, staff	yes	DM's option
THIEF	leather, studded leather, padded, or elfin chain4	none	bow (short), caltrop, club, crossbow (hand), dagger, dart, garrot, knife, sap, sling, sword (broad), sword (falchion), sword (long), sword (short)	yes	DM's option
Acrobat	as thief	none	as thief, plus lass and staff	yes	DM's option
Assassin	as thief	none	any	yes	yes
MONK	none	none	aklys, atlatl, axe (hand), bo stick, caltrop, club, crossbow (any), dagger, garrot, javelin, jo stick, knife, lasso, pole arm (any), sap, spear, staff, sword (falchion)	no	DM's option
BARD	leather, studded leather, padded, ring mail, elfin chain, or magical chain mail	none	club, dagger, dart, garrot, javelin, knife, lasso, sap, scimitar, sling, spear, staff, sword (bastard), sword (broad), sword (falchion), sword (long), sword (short)	yes	only if evil

* (You may, at your option, allow fighters to opt to learn various artillery engines in lieu of normal hand weapons.)
<above note was take from siege weapons section of the DMG>

1: A cavalier or a paladin will not wear leather, padded, or studded leather armor, because such garb is considered beneath the character's station. Similarly,
a cavalier or paladin will not USE pole arms, missile weapons, or other types of arms that are associated with the lower social classes. <Knights of Solamnia may be exempt from this>
See the description of the cavalier class hereafter for particulars.

2: The USE of oil in personal combat is unacceptable to the cavalier and the paladin, but such characters may use oil in siege warfare.

3: A barbarian may use any sort of armor, but does not gain the full benefit of the dexterity bonus of the class if the armor worn is of the bulky or
fairly bulky category.

4: A thief attired in anything other than leather armor must take adjustments to his or her chances of success in performing certain
thieving functions. See Thieves Table II hereafter.

ADQ: The Players Handbook specifically
states that a thief may use a club, dagger,
dart, sling, or a sword. Why can't a thief
use a bow?
ADA: It is all a matter of game balance.
Logically, a DM can say that a thief's
training takes place in towns where a
bow on one's back is not as useful as a
dagger in one's hand when going into dark
alleys and the like.
(Polyhedron #14)

Q. Some classes have minimum abiliity
scores such as the ranger who must
have a STR of 13, INT of 13,
WIS of 14 and a CON of 14.
What happens when a score
drops below the minimum, as occurs
to CON after a number of
deaths and resurrections, or STR
if hit in combat by a shadow??
A. The character does not cease to be a
member of a particular class (either
temporarily or permanently) because
his ability scores no longer reach the
minima required. The minima apply
only at the time a character is
created, not to his or her continued
functioning.
(Imagine #3)

Cavalier +
Paladin +
Cleric +
Druid +
Fighter +
Barbarian +
Ranger +
Magic-User +
Illusionist +
Thief +
Assassin +
Monk +
Bard +
Samurai +
Shukenja +
Sohei +
Bushi +
Kensai +
Oriental Barbarian +
Wu Jen +
Ninja +
Yakuza +
Good Priest +
Neutral Priest +
Evil Priest +
Knight of the Crown +
Knight of the Sword +
Knight of the Rose +
White Magician +
Red Magician +
Black Magician +
Tinker +