| Becoming first level | Fighter training | Paladin training | Ranger training | Cleric training |
| Druid training | Magic-user training | Illusionist training | Thief training (Stage I) (Stage II) | Assassin training (Stage I) (Stage II) |
| Monk training (Stage I) (Stage II) | Final preparation | Character's starting money | Hit points | Exceptions and notes |
| Reaching first level rapidly | - | - | - | Other knowledge |
| Dragon 51 | - | - | - | Dragon |
Players have the bad habit of memorizing
the AD&D™ rule
books and quoting/paraphrasing them at
the drop of a hat.
There are many ways a DM can stop such
activity; however, few
of those methods are very solidly based
in reason or fairness.
But by employing the guidelines given
hereafter, it will become
possible for player and DM alike to know
exactly what a character
knows, is aware of, and is capable of
accomplishing right at
the start of the character’s adventuring
career — regardless of
what is known (from the books) by the
player who is playing the
role of that character.
Part of this article is composed of guidelines
for the play of
zero-level characters and “pre-first-level”
characters. These
ideas were developed, in part, through
the work of Mr. W. John
Wheeler in a campaign he ran in Chicago
in the summer of 1978.
In each profession, experience and training
are required before
a character can become 1st level. The
character must be
counseled for a period of months or perhaps
years before he can
go forth into the adventuring world as
an Acolyte, Aspirant,
Veteran, Gallant, Runner, Prestidigitator,
Rogue or Bravo.
In the subsections which follow, the required
training for each
profession is described, including the
length of time it takes to
receive proper instruction in a given
skill and the status of an
instructor who must be found to teach
the skill. “Courses” can
be taken all from the same instructor,
if that instructor is able to
provide all the tutelage needed and if
no other circumstances
intervene.
Instruction must be undertaken in the order
in which the
various “courses” are listed below. In
certain cases, training can
be taken in two areas at once when specified
in the descriptions;
otherwise, no training course can be started
while one preceding
it is still in progress or has not been
completed.
Below are class-by-class listings of training
courses necessary
for a student to develop the skills to
become a first-level
character. The “basic training” for each
class is given, followed
by a discussion of “final training” (optional)
which is undertaken
only after a character has achieved pre-first-level
status. Other
aspects of beginning a character, such
as starting money and
determination of hit points, are also
addressed. The article concludes
with a description of a shorter way to
simulate the extensive
training process, and a way to ascertain
“other knowledge”
a character might have.
Fighter training
Use of a single weapon (hand-held)
requires 4-9 (d6+3) weeks
to learn, and must be taught by a member
of any fighter class or
a cleric who is proficient in the use
of the particular weapon.
Use of armor and shield has the
same requirements for length
of time and instructor as use of a single
weapon (hand-held),
and may be undertaken at the same time
as that training. Again,
the instructor must be familiar/proficient
with the exact type of
implement(s) the student is learning to
use.
Use of a single weapon (hurled)
takes 6-17 (d12+5) weeks and
is taught by a member of a fighting class
(fighter, ranger,
paladin):
Use of a fired weapon such as a
bow, crossbow or sling
requires 6-17 months and must be taught
by a member of any
fighting class.
Result of training: Character can
use one hand-held weapon,
one hurled weapon, and one firing weapon
—each at a penalty
of -2 to hit because of non-proficiency.
Upon gaining 200 points of experience,
the character becomes
a Man/Woman at Arms (see discussion of
pre-first-level
characters hereafter) and the -2 penalty
is eliminated.
Paladin training
Fighter training for weapons and armor
is mandatory, and all
requirements/restrictions are the same
for a character intending
to become a first-level paladin.
The character must then lead a life of
devout withdrawal to
develop the attitudes and learn the principles
needed to pursue
paladinhood. This period of time will
be 1-4 years in duration,
and the instructor must be a paladin or
a cleric of lawful good
alignment. (Optionally, fighter training
and the special paladin
training may be taken at the same time.)
Result of training: Character has
weapon proficiency as a
fighter of equal stature (-2 to hit) until
gaining 300 experience
points, when the character becomes a Valiant
Man/Woman at
Arms and the penalty is eliminated.
Starting at the end of the training period,
the character can
detect evil at a range of 30’, with the
evil creature(s) allowed a
saving throw. The character receives a
+1 bonus on all saving
throws. When the figure becomes a Valiant
Man/Woman at
Arms, the ability to “lay on hands” becomes
effective, healing 1
hit point of damage per attempt. No other
paladin abilities are
acquired until the character becomes a
Gallant.
Ranger training
Fighter training for weapons and armor
is mandatory, and all
requirements/restrictions are the same
for a character intending
to become a first-level ranger.
Tracking must be taught by a ranger
or druid, and will consume
6-13 (d8+5) months of time.
Move silently in forests must be
learned from a ranger, druid
or thief. It will take 3-6 (d4+2) months
for the character to
master.
Anatomy of “giant class” figures
must be learned from a
ranger. The training will include instruction
in 2-5 (d4+1) different
giant types of the character’s choice.
It will take 6-9 (d4+5)
months.
Result of training: Character will
have weapon proficiency as
a fighter of equal stature (-2 to hit)
until gaining 275 experience
points, when the figure becomes a Tracking
Man at Arms and
the penalty is eliminated.
Starting at the end of the training period,
the character does 1
extra point of damage to one (character’s
choice) of the “giant
class” creatures learned about during
training. When the figure
becomes a Tracking Man at Arms, the 1
point of extra damage
can be done to all of the “giant class”
creatures learned about
during training. The Tracking Man at Arms
can track at a percentage
of success 2/3 that of a first-level ranger.
Cleric training
Use of a single weapon (hand-held)
takes 6-13 weeks and is
taught by a fighter or a cleric who is
proficient with the particular
weapon being learned.
Use of armor and shield also takes
6-13 weeks and must be
taught by a fighter or cleric. This training
may be taken at the
same time as weapon training.
Prayers and Order of Service for
the character’s deity must be
taught by a cleric of the same faith and
alignment. It will take
6-11 months to complete this instruction.
Reading holy documents and reading
scrolls of first-level
spells will take 4-9 months to learn and
must be taught by a
cleric of the same faith and alignment.
Study of the undead (skeletons
and zombies only) must be
learned from a cleric of the same alignment
as the character. It
will take 4-7 months to complete the study.
Basic knowledge of cleric spells
can be taught by any cleric,
and will take 4-7 months. This instruction
deals with general
information about a cleric’s spells, and
particular information
about the Cure Light Wounds spell.
Result of training: The character
will have a non-proficiency
penalty of -3 to hit with his weapon until
gaining 250 experience
points, at which time the penalty is reduced
to -1.
Upon completion of training, the character
can read a scroll
with a first-level spell on it 75% of
the time. He can pray for Cure
Light Wounds, but only 1-4 points of curing
will result. The
character can turn/command to service
a single skeleton or
zombie with the same chance of success
as a first-level cleric.
After the character earns his first 250
experience points, the
chance of reading a first-level spell
scroll becomes 85%. Cure
Light Wounds will cure 1-6 points of damage,
and one other
spell may be learned. Only one spell may
be carried at a time; if
the character is entitled to a bonus spell
because of high Wisdom,
this is not allowed until the character
attains first-level
status. The ability to turn skeletons
and zombies improves, so
that two may be turned/commanded to service
at one time.
Cleric weapon training is mandatory,
with the same requirements/
restrictions as for a cleric, for any
character intending to
become a first-level druid.
Plant identification takes 2-5
months to learn and must be
taught by a druid or ranger.
Animal identification also takes
2-5 months and must be
learned from a druid or ranger.
Prayers and Order of Service for
the character’s deity must be
taught by a druid, taking from 6-11 months
to learn.
Predicting weather (via the casting
of the Predict Weather
spell) must be taught by a druid, and
will take 3-6 months to
learn.
Study of one spell (aside from
Predict Weather) is taught by a
druid and takes the character 4-11 months.
Result of training: The character
uses his weapon at -3 to hit,
as a cleric, until gaining 200 experience
points, whereupon the
penalty is reduced to -1.
Upon completion of training, the character
can only cast one
spell, Predict Weather, and its duration
is only one hour. The
character acquires no other druid abilities
at this time.
After gaining 200 experience points, the
character is allowed
to pray for one other spell (the one studied
during training), but
the character can only carry one spell
at a time, regardless of
any possible bonus for Wisdom (which does
not take effect yet).
Use of a single weapon (quarter staff or
hand-held dagger)
must be learned from any character proficient
with the weapon
who is not a magic-user. It takes 4-11
months.
The basic language of magic, including
the ability to learn the
spell Read Magic, must be taught by a
magic-user and will take
one year plus 2-24 months to learn.
Study of first-level spells will enable
the character (by using
Read Magic) to read and understand first-level
spells from
scrolls. The study must be instructed
by a magic-user and will
last for 3-12 (d10+2) months.
Study of magic items is general
instruction on the basic design
and customary uses of magic items. Specific
items are
rarely mentioned. The instruction must
be provided by a magicuser
and will be 5-24 (d20+4) months in duration.
Result of training: The Man/Woman
of Magic fights at -5 to hit
until gaining 350 points of experience,
at which time the nonproficiency
penalty drops to -2.
Upon completion of training, the character
can cast Read
Magic but no other spell. By the use of
Read Magic, the character
is 75% likely to be able to employ a spell
read from a scroll.
Note, however, that the character must
have Read Magic in his
head to use a scroll, even if he has cast
the same spell from a
scroll before.
After gaining 350 experience points, the
character becomes
able to learn one other spell, of an informational
or defensive
nature only. The character may now employ
magic items that
require the use of command words to operate,
but no single item
employed can have a value of more than
6,000 gp (Dungeon
Masters Guide, pp. 121-125).
Regardless of their value, no
wands, staves, rods, and “charged” items
of an attack nature can
be used. (For example, even if a Wand
of Lightning with just one
charge remaining would be valued at less
than 6,000 gp, its use
would still be prohibited to the character.)
Illusionist
training
Use of a single weapon (quarter
staff or hand-held dagger) is
mandatory as for a magic-user, with the
same requirements and
restrictions.
The basic language of magic, including
the ability to read and
write the language of illusionists, must
be taught by an illusionist
and will take one year plus 3-36 months.
This instruction is
entirely different from the “basic language”
instruction a magicuser
must undertake.
The ability to detect illusion
(as per the spell) is taught by an
illusionist and takes from 5-20 (64+4)
months.
The ability to cast one spell from
the following list of five must
be taught by an illusionist and will take
5-20 months. Instruction
will be given either for Audible Glamer,
Dancing Lights, Darkness,
Light, or Wall of Fog.
Instruction in magic items can
be taught by an illusionist or a
magic-user. It will take from 8-26 (2d10+6)
months to complete.
Training includes information on the fashioning
of illusionist
scrolls, rings, wands, staves, rods, and
some miscellaneous
magic items.
Result of training: The character
has a -5 to hit with his weapon,
as for a magic-user, until gaining 450
points of experience,
at which time the penalty drops to -2.
Upon completion of training, the character
is able to cast the
spell Detect lllusion and can use magical
rings of a defensive
nature.
After earning 450 experience points, the
character can learn
one other spell (the one studied during
training), and is able to
employ a Wand of Illusion with a 75% chance
of success.
Thief training,
Stage I
The profession of thief (and its subclass,
assassin) requires
training to be taken in two stages, because
the ability to learn
some skills depends on whether the character
has mastered
certain other skills first of all.
Use of a single weapon (hand-held, not
thrown) is the first
step in Stage I of training. This ability
must be taught by any
non-magic-user, and will take 8-17 (d10+7)
weeks to learn.
Five special thieving abilities are taught
in Stage I training.
They are listed in the order they must
be learned. All are taught
by a thief, and have a duration as indicated
in the listing:
Pick pockets,
3-14 (d12+2) months.
Open locks,
3-14 months.
Find/Remove traps,
3-12 (d10+2) months.
Move silently,
3-10 (d8+2) months.
Hide in shadows,
2-9 (d8+1) months.
Result of Stage I training: The
character has a non-proficiency
penalty of -3 to hit with his hand-held
weapon, and can perform
any of the five thieving abilities listed
above at one-half the
chance of success of a first-level thief.
Upon gaining 300 points of experience,
the character’s nonproficiency
penalty for a hand-held weapon is eliminated,
and
the prospective thief then proceeds to
Stage II training.
Thief training,
Stage II
The next stage of thief training begins
with instruction in three
other thieving abilities. Training must
be undertaken in the
order given in the listing below. All
abilities are taught by a thief,
and lengths of time are indicated:
Back stabbing, 3-8 (d6+2) months.
Climb walls, 4-11 (d8+3) months.
Listen at doors, 4-9 (d6+3) months.
Use of a single weapon which can
be thrown or fired is the last
step in thief training. This weapon can
be either a dagger, dart,
or sling. Instruction can be provided
by a thief or a fighter who is
skilled with the particular weapon, and
it will take 6-17 (d12+5)
months to learn.
Result of Stage II training: The
character can employ a
thrown/fired weapon (the one learned in
training) at -3 to hit.
The last three thieving abilities are
performed at one-half the
chance for success of a first-level thief,
just as the abilities
learned in Stage I. A successful back
stab will do an extra 2
points of damage (not double damage, as
with a first-level thief),
but the attack is stilt made at +4 to
hit.
Assassin training,
Stage I
Training as a thief (Stages I and
II) must be completed first
and foremost by any character desiring
to become a first-level
assassin. All requirements and restrictions
are the same as for a
thief, except that the assassin may receive
instruction from
either an assassin or a thief in all cases
where a thief is designated
as the instructor.
Basic anatomy of characters/creatures
(in order to learn their
vital spots) must be learned from an assassin,
and will take 8-27
(d20+7) months to master.
Basic disguise techniques must
be taught by an assassin, and
will take 4-11 (d8+3) months.
Result of Stage I training: The
character has a non-proficiency
penalty of -3 to hit with his weapons
(one hand-held, one
thrown/fired), just as for a thief of
equal status. Aspiring assassins
can perform thieving abilities at one-fourth
the chance of
success of a first-level thief.
Upon earning 400 points of experience,
the character must
undergo Stage Il training.
Assassin training,
Stage II
Use of one weapon of the character’s
choice is taught by a
fighter or an assassin and will take the
character 6-13 (d8+5)
weeks. The character will be sharpening
his skills with the weapons
already learned at this time as well.
Result of Stage II training: Upon
completion of training, the
character will use the newly learned weapon
at -3 to hit, but the
non-proficiency penalty for his first
two weapons (learned during
thief training) is eliminated. Thieving
skills are still performed
at one-fourth the chance of success of
a first-level thief.
The character also acquires the ability
to assassinate a
human-shaped (not necessarily human-sized)
figure, at onehalf
the chance of success of a first-level
assassin. He must
perform such an assassination to be further
considered for
status as a Bravo (Apprentice).
Monk training; Stage
I
Training for a monk, like that for a thief
or assassin, is conducted
in two stages. As with the assassin, Stage
II consists of
only one area of instruction, which may
only be undertaken after
the character has finished Stage I and
earned the requisite
number of experience points.
The art of meditation and mental discipline
must be learned
from a monk of the same alignment as the
character. It will take
9-18 (3d4+6) months to master.
Hand-to-hand combat can be taught
by any monk (not necessarily
of the same alignment). It will take one
year plus 1-12
months to learn.
Use of a single weapon (hand-held)
can be learned from a
monk or an assassin over a period of 9-14
(d6+8) weeks.
Thieving abilities usable by monks
(specified below) can be
taught by a monk, assassin or thief and
will take 20-38 (2d10+18)
months to learn. The skills are Open Locks,
Find/Remove Traps,
Move Silently, Hide in Shadows, Hear Noises
and Climb Walls.
Dodging thrown and fired missiles
must be taught by a monk,
and can be learned in 7-14 (d8+6) months.
Result of Stage I training: The
character can inflict 1-2 points
of damage in hand-to-hand combat. There
is no “to hit” penalty
when using a weapon, as with other professions.
The character
receives a saving throw at -3 from thrown/fired
missiles that he
sees coming. The character is subject
to magical attacks that do
half damage if a saving throw is made
(unlike a first-level monk,
who takes no damage if a successful save
is made against such
attacks). After gaining 200 points of
experience, the character
proceeds to Stage II.
Monk training, Stage
II
The effects of magic upon the body
must be learned from a
monk, and will take 5-12 months to accomplish.
Result of Stage II training: When
this instruction is complete,
the character will take only three-quarters
damage from a spell if
the saving throw is made. This becomes
half damage when the
character becomes a first-level Novice.
Under this system, characters go through
2 stages of development
before they obtain full 1st-level abilities.
After earning
the number of XP specified for his profession
under the initial training schedule given
above, the character
has pre-1st-level status. A certain amount
of additional training
is then required to be taken before or
during the time when the
character gains enough experience points
to qualify for status
as a full-fledged 1st-level character.
The following list summarizes level titles
and XP
ranges for the levels of status leading
up to first level. The
first title and figure given is for an
absolute novice, the second
for a pre-first-level character. The additional
training required is
described, followed by the length of time
required for its completion
and the type of instructor necessary.
When a character completes all the required
training and
reaches the upper limit of XP specified
for his
profession, the character’s experience-point
total is again set at
0, and the character can begin to function
as a 1st-level
character in his chosen profession, under
the guidelines given
in the Players Handbook, pp. 20-32.
Fighter: Recruit (0-200), Man at
arms (201-500). Training: Use
of one more weapon; 5-10 (d6+4) weeks;
fighter.
Paladin: Devout recruit (0-300),
Valiant man at arms (301-600).
Training: First, laying on hands to produce
2 points of healing;
5-8 weeks; paladin. Next, final withdrawal
from society (to be
able to acquire all paladin bonuses);
6 months; paladin.
Ranger: Woodland recruit (0-275),
Tracking man at arms
(276-500). Training: Final woodland instruction,
including complete
fitness program to gain second hit die;
5-8 months; ranger.
Cleric: Altar person (0-250), Deacon
(251-500). Training: Final
tutelage to gain full use of Wisdom bonus
(if applicable) and
knowledge of 1-4 other spells; 7-18 weeks;
cleric of identical
alignment.
Druid: Hopeful (0-200), Pre-Aspirant
(201-400). Training: Final
tutelage to gain improved defense vs.
fire and lightning plus
knowledge of 1-4 spells; 7-14 weeks; druid.
Magic-user: Man of Magic (0-350),
Apprentice (351-675).
Training: Removal of non-proficiency penalty
for one weapon,
plus full magic-user abilities and knowledge
of 2 spells (one of
which may be an attack spell); 9-28 (d20+8)
weeks; magic-user.
Illusionist: Sleight of hand Artist
(0-450), Keen Eye (451-800).
Training: Removal of non-proficiency penalty
for one weapon,
plus full illusionist abilities and knowledge
of 2 spells; 13-32
(d20+12) weeks; illusionist.
Thief: Pickpocket (0-300), Lock
Picker (301-650). Training:
Full first-level thief abilities plus
knowledge of the Thieves’ Cant;
7-14 months; thief of identical alignment.
Assassin: Quarter Thief (0-400),
Bungler (401-800). Training:
Full first-level assassin abilities (perform
thief functions at half
the success of a first-level thief), basic
knowledge of poison;
2-20 (d8+d12) months; assassin of identical
alignment.
Monk: Child (0-200), Grasshopper
(201-450). Training: Exposure
to the rite of hand-to-hand (not lethal)
combat against a
Novice of the brotherhood, indoctrination
into the brotherhood
of the monastery, and a seven-day fast;
6-13 months plus 1
week; monks at any monastery of the same
alignment.
Characters’
starting money
Following is an expanded version of the
specifications on
starting money in the PH. Subclasses
are allowed
for individually, and distinctions are
made between first
level characters and those still in training.
Note that a first-level
magic-user’s “starting money” also includes
a book of 4 spells
— but a magic-user of pre-first-level
or lower status does not
have such a book. All amounts are in gold
pieces.
| - | Absolute novice | Pre-First Level | First level |
| Cleric | 10-60 | 20-120 | 30-180 |
| Druid | 8-48 | 16-96 | 24-144 |
| Fighter | 15-60 (15d4) | 30-120 (3d4 x 10) | 50-200 |
| Paladin | 10-40 | 20-80 | 40-160 |
| Ranger | 12-48 (12d4) | 24-96 (24d4) | 45-180 |
| Magic-user | 4-16 | 8-32 | 20-80 |
| Illusionist | 6-36 | 8-48 (8d6) | 20-100 |
| Thief | 1-20 | 2-40 | 20-120 |
| Assassin | 3-18 | 7-42 (7d6) | 20-160 |
| Monk | 1-6 | 2-12 | 5-20 |
Hit points
First-level characters in my world have
the maximum number
of hit points possible for their class
(a procedure which is approved
by E. Gary Gygax). Fighters always start
with 10 hit
points, clerics 8, thieves 6, and so on.
To this number is added
(or subtracted) a Constitution bonus (or
penalty), if applicable.
However, characters in training to become
pre-first-level and
then first-level characters must roll
the appropriate die to determine
their hit points while they possess this
status. If such a
character “lucks out” and rolls the highest
possible number, no
change is made in that character’s hit-point
total until he/she
reaches second level. A Constitution bonus
or penalty, if applicable,
is applied immediately after the initial
hit-point roll.
Once a character achieves pre-first-level
status, he/she may
roll again for hit points — this time
with a guarantee that the
result will be at least one-half of the
maximum (5 for a fighter, 4
for a cleric, etc.). Again, the result
is adjusted for Constitution, if
necessary, after the number is determined.
If the first roll for hit points was higher
than the second roll and
both numbers are at least half of the
maximum, the result of the
first roll is retained as the new hit-point
number.
Example: A fellow decides he wants to become
a fighter.
Starting as (in effect) a zero-level character
with zero hit points,
he takes the appropriate basic training.
Now he rolls d10 to see
how many hit points he will have as he
embarks on a career as a
Recruit, and he rolls a dismal 2. If he
lives to become a Man at
Arms, he again rolls d10 for hit points.
This time if he rolls 5 or
above, he will receive that result as
his new base figure for hit
points, and if he rolls 1-4, he will still
receive 5 hit points since
that is half of the maximum and he is
assured of at least that
many. If his first roll had been (for
instance) a 7 and his second
roll was not that high, the first roll
would still be in effect.
Exceptions
and notes: No Man at Arms can ever have more
than 7 hit points unless he is in training
to become a Veteran —in
other words, he must be a possible hireling,
henchman, or a
player character to warrant having more
than that maximum.
The run-of-the-mill regular soldier will
have either 1-6 or 4-7 hit
points, depending on whether the figure
from the Monster Manual
(for “normal
men”) or the Dungeon Masters Guide (Mercenary
Soldier, page 30) is used.
Rangers roll 1d8 for their initial hit-point
roll. After a character
becomes a Tracking Man at Arms, a roll
of 1d4 is added to the
first figure, with a guarantee of at least
6 hit points at this stage
(not including possible Constitution bonus).
Once a ranger
becomes first level, he uses 1d8+8 for
hit points.
Monks roll 1d4 for their initial hit-point
roll. After a character
becomes a Grasshopper, another roll of
1d4 is added, with a
guarantee of at least 5 points (exclusive
of Constitution bonus).
When a monk becomes first level, he uses
8 as his base number
for hit points (before Constitution bonus).
Reaching first
level rapidly
DMs and players who wish to role-play
their way through the
procedures described above can be sure
of developing an appreciation
for how much time and effort is involved
in becoming
a first-level adventurer. But the procedure
will not be too much
fun if the players don’t really enjoy
nitty-gritty game play. There
is a faster way to simulate the same process
of development and
maturity in a character and still be able
to advance that character
to first level in a single afternoon or
evening of play.
Basically, the simplified system will present
each character
with from 2-5 encounters to advance from
absolute novice to
pre-first level, and 2-5 more encounters
to advance from prefirst
level to true player-character status.
The character must
engage in each encounter as a lone figure
— and there is no
possibility of revival if an aspiring
character is killed during any
of these preliminary encounters. (High
Priests do not raise zero-level
figures unless they happen to be nobility.)
Each encounter should be quite simple and
should involve a
very low-level creature or creatures.
There should be a chance
to gain treasure, but the chance (and
the amount of treasure)
will be small, and obtaining a magic item
from one of these
encounters would be virtually impossible.
This simplified method not only advances
the character but
also provides precise information on what
the character has
directly experienced. It can further be
determined what objects
or events the character might have seen
or heard about, thus
drawing a more finished picture of exactly
what a prospective
player character knows and is aware of.
“Opponents” in a preliminary encounter
need not be hostile;
experience is also gained from associating
with friendly or neutral
creatures and knowing when not to fight.
Figures met in a preliminary encounter
should be 30% likely to
have 1-20 assorted coins (but never any
platinum pieces), and a
character who can get treasure away from
an encountered creature
is entitled to keep it (in addition to
the roll for starting
money which is made if the character advances
to first level).
There is only a 5% chance that an encountered
creature or
character will have even a simple magic
item — and an aspiring
character is not liable to be eager about
running into such an
encounter, because the magic item will
most probably be used
against the character. The magic item
will be a potion 70% of the
time. It will never be a ring, wand, staff
or rod. It will never be a
piece of armor better than +1 or a weapon
better than +1 to hit. It
will never be a miscellaneous magic item
valued at more than
3,000 gp or a magic weapon or piece of
magic armor valued at
more than 3,250 gp. Magic weapons encountered
in this manner
will never have a variable bonus or an
ego/intelligence. If one
encounter is experienced involving a magic
item, there is only a
1% chance of a second such encounter before
the character
achieves first-level status, and no chance
at all for three such
encounters during this time.
To prepare for the preliminaries, the DM
should make a list of
low-level encounters with appropriate
treasure (if any). Then
have the player roll d4 and add 1 for
the number of encounters
the character will undergo as an absolute
novice. If the character
lives through all of those encounters,
another roll of d4+1 will
yield the number of encounters awaiting
the character at prefirst
level. If the character gets through those
incidents alive, he
becomes a first-level character and is
returned to zero experience
points.
Following is a sample encounter chart drawn
up for this
purpose:
| Roll | Encounter |
| 1 | 1 orc, AC5, 4 hp, long sword, 3 sp |
| 2 | 2 kobolds, AC6, 2 & 3 hp, short swords, short bows |
| 3 | 1 gnoll, AC5, 11 hp, long sword, 11 gp |
| 4 | 2 giant centipedes, AC9, 1 hp each, save
vs.
poison at -4 |
| 5 | 1 Veteran of like alignment, AC4, 7 hp,
long sword,
8gp |
| 6 | 1 Acolyte of opposite alignment, AC8,
5 hp, mace,
Command, Cause Light Wounds, Scroll of Light |
| 7 | 1 Prestidigitator (m-u) of similar alignment,
AC10,
4 hp, dagger, Charm Person, 3 sp |
| 8 | 1 goblin, AC6, 5 hp, halberd |
| 9 | 1 wild dog, AC7, 5 hp (1+1 hd), bite for 1-4 |
| 10 | 2 jackals, AC7, 2 & 3 hp (1/2 hd), bite for 1-2 |
| 11 | 3 giant rats, AC7, 1, 2 & 3 hp (1/2
hd), bite for 1-3
plus 5% chance of disease, 7 gp |
| 12 | 2 skeletons, AC7, 3 & 4 hp (1 hd),
1 attack for 1-6,
immunities as per Monster Manual, short sword +1 |
| 13 | 1 large spider, AC8, 5 hp (1+1 hd), 1
attack for 1 pt.
damage, save vs. poison at +1 or take 2-5 |
| 14 | 1 Aspirant, AC9, 7 hp, quarter staff,
Faerie Fire,
Shillelagh, 4 gp, 7 sp |
| 15 | 1 troglodyte, AC5, 11 hp (2 hd), 3 att.
(1-3/1-3/2-5),
Potion of Gaseous Form |
| 16 | 1 zombie, AC8, 7 hp (2 hd), 1 attack for
1-8, immunities
as per Monster Manual |
| 17 | 1 Gallant, AC2, 12 hp, long sword, 3 gp |
| 18 | 1 Elf first-level magic-user/thief of
same alignment,
AC8, 5 hp, 1 attack w/dagger, Write plus spell book containing Write, Read Magic, Shield, Shocking Grasp, 2 gp |
| 19 | 1 Half-orc Veteran of chaotic neutral
alignment,
AC4, 9 hp, flail |
| 20 | 1 Sixth-level cleric, AC4, 25 hp, flail,
Cure Light
Wounds (x2), Light, Command, Hold Person, Silence, Know Alignment, Glyph of Warding, 15 sp. (Obviously, the character should not try to fight this guy!) |
Other knowledge
To give a character the opportunity to
“know” things besides
those which he/she has directly experienced,
the DM can devise
a table to determine what a character
has witnessed (but not
been directly involved in) or knowledge
the character has obtained
through hearsay. This might include witnessing
or hearing
about a melee involving a certain type
of creature, witnessing
or hearing about the casting of a spell
or the use of a magic
item, and other significant events the
DM might wish to include.
When a character’s “other knowledge” is
determined in a
general way, the DM should fill in details,
recounting the particulars
of the incident or object that are known
by the character,
and these facts become the basis for ruling
on what a character
knows and doesn’t know as the game progresses.
A roll of d8
would yield the number of different subjects
or events known
about, and subsequent rolls on the “other
knowledge” table
would attach specifics to each thing known.
There is always a
10% chance that any piece of information
“known” will be entirely
wrong, and an additional 15% chance that
the “facts” of the
matter will have been exaggerated. by
the teller or by the character’s
mind.
Following is a table of suggested “other
knowledge” items.
The subject matter of each entry in the
table is drawn from a
particular table in the DMG, either
a random
monster encounter table, a random dungeon
generation table, a
random treasure determination table, or
some other similar entry
in the book.
| Roll | Source of knowledge |
| 1 | Table V. I., page 171 |
| 2 | Table V. J., page 171 |
| 3 | Table VII, page 172 |
| 4 | Tables VIII, C., page 172 |
| 5 | Monster Level I table, page 175 |
| 6 | Table I, page 176 |
| 7 | Table II, page 176 |
| 8 | Table III, page 176 |
| 9 | Table IV; page 176 |
| 10 | Monster Level II table, page 177 |
| 11 | Monster Level III table, page 177 |
| 12 | Monster Level IV table, page 177 |
| 13 | Uninhabited/Wilderness table, pages 184-185 |
| 14 | Table III.A., page 121 |
| 15 | Table III.C., page 122 |
| 16 | Table III.D., page 122 |
| 17 | Table III.E.,
pages 122-124
(20% chance for each sub-table, III.E. 1 through III.E. 5) <(01-20: III.E.1., 21-40: III.E.2., 41-60: III.E.3., 61-80: III.E.4., 81-00: III.E.5)> |
| 18 | Table III.G., page 124 |
| 19 | Table III.H., page 125 |
| 20 | Table II, page 17 |
To allow for the chance of some really fantastic bits of knowledge,
a table like this one can be extended to 24 entries and a
special die-rolling procedure performed. To generate a number
from 1-24, roll d12 and any other die. If the other die result is in
the lower half of the range of numbers possible with that die, the
d12 result is read as the number itself. If the other die result is
in
the upper half of the range of that die, read the d12 result as the
number rolled plus 12.
| Roll | Source of knowledge |
| 21 | Table III.E. (Special), page 124 |
| 22 | Ethereal Encounter table, page 181 |
| 23 | Monster Level V or Level
VI table (50% chance of each),
pages 177-178 |
| 24 | Monster Level VII or Level
VIII table (50%) chance of
each), page 178 |
