OD&D/Basic D&D question

[jester47]

Does the Basic set with the sutherland art have races and classes separate?

 

[diaglo]

Does the Basic set with the sutherland art have races and classes separate?

2edD&D and 3edD&D both by Holmes has race and class separate. dwarves can be fighting men. elves can be fighting men or magic users for the adventure. halflings can be fighting men. humans can be clerics, fighting men or magic users, but only 1 of those classes.

 

[Remathilis]

Not exactly sure...

As Dialgo pointed out D&D1974 had 4 races, 3 classes. (and then expanded)
The basic/expert/masters -> Rules Cyclopedia line (aka Mystara) had race-as-classes for demihumans.
AD&D had race/class sepeate (all incarnations, 1st-3.5th)

You might be able to verify here: http://www.acaeum.com/ddindexes/setpages/basic.html

I think they used race-as-class in the version you're talking about

 

[francisca]

Kinda sorta.

Here is what the descrition of Fighting Men says:

Fighting Men — any human character can be a fighting man and all halflings and dwarves are members of the fighter class, unless they opt to be thieves. Elves are a combination of fighting man and magic-user, as described later.

Further:

Elves progress in level as both fighting men and magic-users, but since each game nets them experience in both categories equally, they progress more slowly than other characters.

So, Dwarves and Halflings have a choice of Fighting Man or Thief, and Elves are AD&D styled multiclass Fighter/MUs, which is different than the combined elf class in the Moldvay and later editions of Basic D&D, albeit subtly different.

--happens to be at home for lunch and looked it up spikey

 

[RFisher]

Yeah, I looked at a Holmes book not long ago trying to find the answer to that question myself. What I decided: If you're looking for the origin of race-classes in Holmes, you'll find it. If you're looking to find that race & class were separate, you'll find that too. (O_O)

 

[Delta]

I gotta say "no". Dwarves, elves, and halflings each have a fixed class.

So, Dwarves and Halflings have a choice of Fighting Man or Thief, and Elves are AD&D styled multiclass Fighter/MUs, which is different than the combined elf class in the Moldvay and later editions of Basic D&D, albeit subtly different.

But what I think you missed was at the end of the "Thieves" description:

There are special rules for halflings, dwarves and elves who wish to be thieves -- these are given in ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS.

So, demi-human thieves have to use a different ruleset (AD&D), and are not supported in this rulebook. There are a lot of references like that, "if you want to do this get AD&D", etc.