OSR Old school wizards, how do you play level 1?

[Lanefan]

Depends on how poor I am. hide, use my staff, whatever I can do. Once I have money a WarDog is my friend and I use a crossbow.

Crossbow didn't come on to the list of allowed Wizard weapons until 3e. Before that, using one would make you a risk to all around you.

 

[nevin]

yep dagger or staff then
been a long time since I played 1st or 2nd.

 

[nevin]

Agree on the money element. We play OSE, and a wizard can craft a magic item for 500gp and one week of time if it mimics a spell effect (i.e. a scroll). With gold for XP, its usually worth the time investment for a couple of scrolls to take along. You need 2,500 xp to get to level 2, so you'll likely have close to that in GP to spend as a first level magic-user.

Wardog, Hireling, etc. all solid options.

From 1st edition to OSE. leaving out 3rd, 4th and 5th, A war dog beats all other magic items for cost and utility. 25gp, 2d8 +1 I think and it fights as a 2hd monster or fighter get three of those to protect your wizard (for 75gp) till they are 4th level and you'll never regret the investment.

 

[Baron Opal II]

You’ve cast your single spell for the day and combat breaks out again. How do you spend your turns?

Throw darts / daggers. Having a decent dexterity you had similar odds as the fighter to hit and do some damage.
Provide light.
Keep watch.
Bind wounds.
Know things about magic.
Discuss plans and observations.
Poke things with a stick (staff).
Ask pertinent questions.
Throw rocks to attack, distract, investigate, sound out.
Pull the rope to close the door, open the door, activate the trap, deactivate the trap, get Smedley out of the trap (again).
Write things down since you're often the only literate character.
Draw maps and make notes since you have a book and it's going to take four more adventures (levels) to come close to filling it.
Remind people to look up. (People never look up...)
Feed people healing potions.
Help the ranger make healing potions (I'm an apprentice alchemist, just blanche the herbs, right?)
Help the thief with a scam (Where is my niece, have you seen her?)
Help the bard with a bigger scam (Make way for the ambassador!)
Help the cleric put a ghost to rest (Ring the bell three times when you say Abermelin? Got it! I minored in Ritualism at the guild.)
Pour your wineskin on the fighter to free them from the viscid globs, obscure color mold, strange phasing tentacle. (My favorite vintage! I weep.) (Or, vinegar; either water or an 8% strength solution of ethanol, acetic acid, or other substances)

Plus other stuff.

Oh, hell, yes - chief wardog wrangler. Best money you spend.

 

[Lanefan]

From 1st edition to OSE. leaving out 3rd, 4th and 5th, A war dog beats all other magic items for cost and utility. 25gp, 2d8 +1 I think and it fights as a 2hd monster or fighter get three of those to protect your wizard (for 75gp) till they are 4th level and you'll never regret the investment.

Which works fine until the players in-character start seeing the war dog as a pet (usually an almost-immediate development IME) rather than a tool, and thus don't want to expose it to any danger.....

I've seen characters die in order to save their pets.

 

[cbwjm]

Which works fine until the players in-character start seeing the war dog as a pet (usually an almost-immediate development IME) rather than a tool, and thus don't want to expose it to any danger.....

I've seen characters die in order to save their pets.

So much healing magic has been spent keeping one of my player's pets alive. People do dive into danger to save their pets IRL, not too surprising people do it in game as well.

 

[James Gasik]

I've also seen a few DM's take great pleasure in targeting player pets/mounts/familiars/companions/cohorts/hirelings/torchbearers...

 

[M.T. Black]

Oh, I like the wardog option

 

[Lanefan]

I've also seen a few DM's take great pleasure in targeting player pets/mounts/familiars/companions/cohorts/hirelings/torchbearers...

Can't speak to the rest but it's always bugged me in cinematic warfare of any kind that the archers or gunmen always seem to shoot at the riders rather than the mounts even though the mount is always a bigger target; never mind that if you take it down the rider goes down with it and may or may not get up again afterwards.

 

[Andvari]

Oh, I like the wardog option

Sounds like a poor man's battle cat.