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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mad Mac" data-source="post: 3760975" data-attributes="member: 27873">I wouldn't say the 1st edition fighter was a normal human. He may not have had any special abilities, but he was far, far, stronger than most of his later edition counterparts once he reached mid to high levels. A well equipped 1E Fighter was almost invincible in melee past level 10 or so, as I recall, simply because there were no really strong melee monsters past that point. Demons? Ancient Red Dragons? Giants? Pfft.   I mean, sure, he didn't have any special attacks like "Raining Badger Assault" or "Eviscerating Groin Gash", but he was still a guy who was capable of mushing a huge dragon into paste in a couple of rounds. Nothing normal about that. And he was still about the weakest class, with high-level Wizards being demi-gods, and every other class except Thief having some level of magical ability.   So I'm going to say 1st edition was just as fantastical, but in a more abstract sort of way. I'll conceed that the level of abstraction might have made it easier for some people to imagine their fighter was crushing massive monsters in a very realistic and mundane sort of way, though. I know that wasn't true for me--when I was a kid, I was letting my imagination run wild.</blockquote>