D&D General 2nd edition player handbook class examples.

[Shades of Eternity]

One of the things I love about the 2nd edition PHB is the use of examples from myth and fiction for each class.

So I'm asking.

Does it hold up in later editions, and whom would you add as a paragon of each class?

 

[Stormonu]

The one thing that annoys me looking back at the 2E books is it is too "grounded" and worries too much about real history. That goes for the examples individuals for each class. While some are from literature, its what I would call "mundane" fantasy (Tales of King Arthur, Song of Roland, Cattle Raid of Cooley, etc.) I feel they should have batted for the stars - mention the likes of characters from fantasy novels such as Elric, Fafner & Grey Mouser, Gandalf - even their own book characters like Drizzt, Tanis, etc.

 

[Micah Sweet]

The one thing that annoys me looking back at the 2E books is it is too "grounded" and worries too much about real history. That goes for the examples individuals for each class. While some are from literature, its what I would call "mundane" fantasy (Tales of King Arthur, Song of Roland, Cattle Raid of Cooley, etc.) I feel they should have batted for the stars - mention the likes of characters from fantasy novels such as Elric, Fafner & Grey Mouser, Gandalf - even their own book characters like Drizzt, Tanis, etc.

That is exactly one of the things I loved about 2e: it tried to be grounded and to worry about real history, except where they explicitly didn't. My entire worldbuilding (and DMing, really) is based on that same idea.

Now, if it was appropriate to the class under discussion they absolutely could have thrown around more characters from literature. And of course there's a lot more of that to use now.

 

[TiQuinn]

The one thing that annoys me looking back at the 2E books is it is too "grounded" and worries too much about real history. That goes for the examples individuals for each class. While some are from literature, its what I would call "mundane" fantasy (Tales of King Arthur, Song of Roland, Cattle Raid of Cooley, etc.) I feel they should have batted for the stars - mention the likes of characters from fantasy novels such as Elric, Fafner & Grey Mouser, Gandalf - even their own book characters like Drizzt, Tanis, etc.

Agreed. I also think 2e was the least capable at providing players a PC that represented those characters it named.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Agreed. I also think 2e was the least capable at providing players a character that represented those characters it named.

By definition it was more capable than 1e, as it was basically 1e with more stuff (at least that is how I've always seen it).

 

[TiQuinn]

By definition it was more capable than 1e, as it was basically 1e with more stuff (at least that is how I've always seen it).

As far as I recall, 1e didn’t name drop Arthur, Conan, Aragorn or Robin Hood as class examples.

 

[Micah Sweet]

As far as I recall, 1e didn’t name drop Arthur, Conan, Aragorn or Robin Hood as class examples.

Sure (except in Deities & Demigods for Arthur), but you said 2e was the least capable. I maintain 1e was less capable.

 

[Minigiant]

Later editions have a higher level of fantasy than 2e on the PC side.

Thats why in 2e and most 2e clones, classes taper off hard after level 10.

Even the examples in the class description would barely have double digit levels in 3e, 4e, or 5e. Or be so powerful that they'd be outside the books upper level bound.

 

[Micah Sweet]

Later editions have a higher level of fantasy than 2e on the PC side.

Thats why in 2e and most 2e clones, classes taper off hard after level 10.

Even the examples in the class description would barely have double digit levels in 3e, 4e, or 5e. Or be so powerful that they'd be outside the books upper level bound.

I feel a lot of characters from literature would be best represented as "name" level or less in games that work that way.

 

[bloodtide]

Back in 3.5E, Complete Scoundrel had a page of real and fictional scoundrels.

It gets hard in say 5E to compare the characters to other fiction.