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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Mannahnin" data-source="post: 9113480" data-attributes="member: 7026594">(*Caveat here: Halfling is the "secret Ranger" class in B/X and generally a better frontliner than an Elf, due to having the same HD and armor, faster advancement, greater resilience to poison, and better AC against large foes).Pretty much these. Although M-Us being able to use staves is not always guaranteed, depending on what version you're playing, and them having reach is a house rule outside of later editions. I like it as a house rule, though.Keep alert for danger, hold the torch or lantern, throw daggers, drag bodies, throw flaming oil or holy water, or give orders to the hirelings. Once you've got a little cash, you should usually hire your own bodyguard Fighter, if you can.If you're playing Holmes Basic you can also make scrolls at low level, a great rule which sadly didn't become core again until 3E, but some DMs of other old school versions are open to as a house rule. Some will also make scrolls available for sale in town from a local M-U. For example, in L1 The Secret of Bone Hill, the base town has Pelltar the Sorcerer, who keeps three apprentices employed scribing scrolls which are available for sale to adventurers.But in an old-school game, especially at 1st and 2nd level when NO ONE has a lot of HP, in theory combat shouldn't be taking up a ton of the session. And there should be a decent percentage of fights that are functionally resolved in single round by Sleep, Turning, or one side or the other running away after a casualty or two (playing old school without Morale is always a bad move, IMO). So even just hanging back and holding the torch shouldn't be that big a deal because it's not that much time spent chilling out.Players playing M-Us get to spend as much time as everyone else solving puzzles and exploring, negotiating with NPCs and the occasional monster who you get a good Reaction Roll with. More, typically, if you're playing OD&D or the Basic line with those language rules, because you get an extra language for every point of Intelligence over 10, so if you've got a decent score there you and any demihumans are likely to be the party linguists.One thing I also noticed in an OD&D game I played in for more than a year is that M-Us have access to a surprising number of magic items which Thieves, Fighters, and Clerics can't normally use. As long as your DM is giving out a decent number of items those should pretty rapidly give you more options. And of course spell scrolls help too.Elf didn't become a class until 1981, for the record.But your strategy isn't a bad one.  The downside to multi-classing, or to playing an Elf in B/X or BECM, is how long it takes you to get a second and third HD.  I had a really successful OSE Advanced Half-Elf character in an online shared world game who got into at least two or three fights where he would have died if he had been a full Elf, because he would have been a level lower and had fewer HP.</blockquote>

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