[1e and OD&D] How did you handle Druids and Armor? Clerics and Edge Weapons?

lowkey13 · Jun 25, 2019

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Enevhar Aldarion · Jun 25, 2019

Side note, I do not get the hate for Unearthed Arcana, as that book made 1st Ed AD&D so much better. I discovered the game in 82-83, and had very little time with a real gaming group before UA was published, but every group I played 1E with used UA as a standard book to choose options from.

As for the actual questions, even back then, the groups I gamed with used the "specific overrules general" concept when it came to rules and restrictions. So as long as nothing newer contradicted the core rules, the core rules were applied. If something for a setting was published that allowed an edged weapon to a specific type of cleric, that they got to use it in that particular combination. I won't even go into the specifics of homebrew worlds, since that is not what this question is about.

Instead of the oil question, you could use the multi-class question. Can a multi-classed fighter/cleric use a sword? But it has been so long since I have even looked at 1E that this might be a non-question and was allowed by the rules or if this was interpreted differently by different groups. I just don't remember for sure any more. lol

Edit: by the way, why did this end up in the General Discussion forum and not in the D&D forum?

lowkey13 · Jun 25, 2019

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Tony Vargas · Jun 25, 2019

Enevhar Aldarion said:
Side note, I do not get the hate for Unearthed Arcana, as that book made 1st Ed AD&D so much better.

… no, I do enough reactive edition warring as it is … it was a long time ago, I barely remember …
… yeah, that's my story.

you could use the multi-class question. Can a multi-classed fighter/cleric use a sword? But it has been so long since I have even looked at 1E that this might be a non-question and was allowed by the rules or if this was interpreted differently by different groups. I just don't remember for sure any more. lol

/Everything/ was interpreted differently in different groups back in the day.

IMHO/PX, the more old-school interpretation was that anything not on your class list was proscribed. So not just MUs didn't know how to use armor, but /couldn't/. By 3e, it had gone to the other extreme, that classes just gave you proficiency, so if you got proficiency somewhere else, you were fine.

Of course, there were exceptions in both cases - wizards not using swords even in 1e was just lack of proficiency, elven wizards used swords all the time; and even in 3e, wearing armor as a wizard, even when proficient, had issues, though he could work around them.

But, in general, the classic game felt more like hard limits, to me.

Dannyalcatraz · Jun 25, 2019

1. Could Druids wear metallic armor? If they did, what happened?

2. Could Clerics wield edged weapons? If they did, what happened?

3. Could Monks use flaming oil? If they did, what happened?

1) they could wear it, but none of their Druidic powers would function.

2) clerics could use the weapons favored by their gods. Otherwise, blunt stuff only.

3) no recollection. I’m the only one who ever played a monk, and that was a loooooong time ago.

Sacrosanct · Jun 26, 2019

Enevhar Aldarion said:
Side note, I do not get the hate for Unearthed Arcana, as that book made 1st Ed AD&D so much better. I discovered the game in 82-83, and had very little time with a real gaming group before UA was published, but every group I played 1E with used UA as a standard book to choose options from.

As for the actual questions, even back then, the groups I gamed with used the "specific overrules general" concept when it came to rules and restrictions. So as long as nothing newer contradicted the core rules, the core rules were applied. If something for a setting was published that allowed an edged weapon to a specific type of cleric, that they got to use it in that particular combination. I won't even go into the specifics of homebrew worlds, since that is not what this question is about.

Instead of the oil question, you could use the multi-class question. Can a multi-classed fighter/cleric use a sword? But it has been so long since I have even looked at 1E that this might be a non-question and was allowed by the rules or if this was interpreted differently by different groups. I just don't remember for sure any more. lol

Edit: by the way, why did this end up in the General Discussion forum and not in the D&D forum?

The reason for the UA hate is because it was game breaking. The new ability score generation method pretty much guaranteed 18s in two if not three of your key stats. Contrast that to every other PC that was lucky to have one 16, and it created a huge disparity. Then you had the barbarian and cavalier classes that also brought in huge balance issues.

UA had some neat things, but it brought a lot of angst as well. Especially if every player didn’t also use those rules. We had to ban the stat generation method right away and any new player who showed up with a PC made and UA under their arm caused much eye rolling and side glances.

lowkey13 · Jun 26, 2019

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lowkey13 · Jun 26, 2019

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lowkey13 · Jun 26, 2019

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Sacrosanct · Jun 26, 2019

When I said we rolled our eyes when someone came up with UA under their arm, I suppose it would be more accurate to say they walked up with the COVER under their arm. Usually the journey from their house to school or my house resulted in a paper trial of lost pages.

“Guys! Look at my Uber PC!”
“Um..how did you get four 18s?”
“Right here in this new method!”
“Where?”
(Rifles through loose sheets, looking for that section to no avail.)
“I swear it was RIGHT there!”
“Mmmhmmm...sure. Reroll your stats using the methods in the DMG.”