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Originally Posted by Simon Atavax  1. The "one spell a day" thing about 1st and 2nd level magic-users has always bugged me about AD&D 1e (and for that matter, 2e). I just don't like the idea that the magic user has his one, lonely little spell which, once casted, renders him a weak, fleshy target until the following day. I remember that, as kids, we beefed up magic-users through a very nifty in-game process: the young 1st level apprentice was given a healthy heaping of scrolls and wands from his mentor as a "parting gift". "Use them wisely, and you may survive," he was told. Does anyone have any thoughts on this issue? |
I think it's a good idea, although I would make it only a scroll of 3 or 4 spells. A wand of Magic missiles with only a few charges on it isn't a bad idea either. Low level Magic Users are meant to be challenging to play, so that when you actually survive you get a real feeling of accomplishment. Also, it wouldn't hurt to suggest the Magic User hires himself a man-at-arms as a bodyguard. Remember, hirelings and henchmen are a vital part of 1st Edition play, and the rules assume that PCs will employ them.
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Originally Posted by Simon Atavax 3. I can't envision how an assassin can work as a PC class. I remember reading an article David 'Zeb' Cook wrote in DRAGON to the same effect, that assassins, by their very nature, were counter-productive to the concept of a heroic, unified party. Does anyone have experience in making the evil assassin class workable within a party? |
I've made Assassins work in a party before. First of all, 1st Edition does not assume that the PCs are heroes - they are
adventurers, primarily motivated by a desire for wealth and adventure. Only the Paladin class assumes that the PC is inherently heroic.
One way to make the Assassin work is make him a secret agent type, not a killer for hire. Sort of a medieval James Bond. In the past, I've used the idea that the Assassin character was employed by a vigilante-like secret society. Sure the Assassin's still a bad guy, but what he fights is usually far worse. Another idea, one that features in my current campaign, is that the Assassin's Guild winds up actually pursuing and punishing murderers, in the name of maintaining its own criminal monopoly. So you have a gang of killers that spend much of their time solving murders, in order to send the message that nobody gets killed without Guild permission!
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