D&D General I'm a Fighter, not a Lover: Why the 1e Fighter was so Awesome

[Snarf Zagyg]

Disclaimers: This is the stuff you ignore before getting your blood all angered up and arguing in the comments!
-I am discussing the 1e PHB Fighter.
-I am NOT discussing the OD&D Fighting Man.
-I am NOT discussing the 2e Fighter, optional rules in Dragon Magazine, or weapon specialization introduced in UA. Although weapon specialization did help fighters.

@Snarf Zagyg - your disclaimer list is missing one key point: are you talking about the pre-UA 1e Fighter or the post-UA 1e Fighter?

Weapon specialization in UA made a pretty big difference between the two. Pre-UA the Fighter was great. Post-UA the Fighter was, at low levels, a bit broken.

¯\(ツ)/¯

 

[TiQuinn]

One of the things that Snarf noted but seems slightly under-acknowledged in these responses (understandably for non-1e folks) is the degree to which early editions use magic items to increase PC power rather then stats (which of course can/are often be increased by items as well). Stats matter in 1E, but not as much as they do in later editions (saving throws for example aren't entirely stat based and there aren't usually stat based skills for example).

A second factor here is the degree that items (or their lack) increases the weaknesses of non-fighter classes. By mid level many monsters do quite large amounts of damage and hit normal ACs (7-4 say) rather often - meaning that only a fighter (or maybe a cleric) in magic armor with a lot of HP can really stand against monster attack for more then a round or two. The survivability of MU's likely goes down compared to threats as they level while Fighters may go up or at least stays the same (of course MUs become far more dangerous offensively) ... What this ultimately means is that party cooperation is encouraged in higher level play because PCs become more and more specialized.

Again - magic items emphasize these distinctions and are a core part of AD&D (especially AD&D) advancement. This itself becomes more interesting as items are one of the most frequently and easily added pieces of content for adventure designers and referees...

This, to me, is the reason to go back to 1e and 2e. The magic items are the key to customizing your character, they are the way you improve them, and the only way you’re going to find magic items is by adventuring deeper into that dungeon. What will you get? Who knows? You arguably could have to bargain with another player about who’s going to get the Flame Tongue long sword which could go onto basically define your fighter for the rest of the game!

From 3e on, this particular feel in the game gets lost. The magic items are present, but your class abilities and feats start to chip away or sometimes completely eliminate the need for magic items.

Edit: And when i say go back, I’m not suggesting that’s what should be done in a next edition of the game. I’m saying for a completely different feel of the game, going back and playing those versions is worthwhile, as long as you understand why it’s different from 3e, 4e, 5e, etc

 

[J-H]

I implemented the "HP growth stops at 10" in my Baldur's Gate II game (alongside a LOT of magic item availability). I've been very happy with it. Only the martials and rogue are over 100hp at level 17.

The one fight where an enemy wizard opened with Meteor Swarm did involve the Cleric going down in round 1, but the Cleric was always the one to drop first anyway due to lack of damage mitigation options.

I think it's helpful that a Fireball or Chain Lightning casting are still a real threat at high levels. With the normal unlimited growth, I've had 15th-level parties shrug off a Fireball. I'm running another 20th level game right now where some 20th level characters are just "getting low" after a Fireball, Firestorm, and 2 Chain Lightnings plus some other stuff.