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Message: <blockquote data-quote="MerricB" data-source="post: 5665079" data-attributes="member: 3586">In original D&D - and I'm assuming you're talking about the original release here, not the Basic D&D line - all non-human races advance at the same rate as humans. However, they also have a number of special abilities that humans don't have, so they are limited in level as a drawback. It should be noted that this level limit was raised during every further iteration of the game that Gary Gygax worked on - in AD&D, then in Unearthed Arcana. (And it was raised further in 2e!) The idea behind it was that the balance was over the period of a campaign, which - for D&D - primarily was from 1st to 8th level. Or thereabouts. So, Dwarves being unable to progress past 6th level (as a fighter) wasn't too much of a problem - especially once you factored in their bonuses on saves, find dungeon features (traps), and suchlike.(Hobbits/Halflings weren't quite in the game as a serious choice, admittedly. Once Supplement I was introduced and the thief class made its debut, they became a lot better).The Elf was rather unusual: they could act as either a Fighter or Magic-User for each session, using all the abilities of one or the other profession, and keeping separate XP totals and levels for both classes. Well, that's how it read, anyway. OD&D is rather unclear on the matter.By the time AD&D came along, the Elf could now (properly) multiclass and have the XP shared equally between the two and use both functions at once.In the Basic line of products, the Dwarf changed to have a top limit of 8th level, but a slightly slower advancement (to make up for their advantages). The Elf gained the ability to use both fighter and magic-user abilities at the same time, but had a punishing XP table (and a maximum level of 10). Eventually, the Companion set of rules gave the demihuman "faux" advancement abilities...Cheers!</blockquote>

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