AD&D 1E Questions
Dear Gary,
Please help me find inner peace.
I love 1st Edition AD&D to death, but there were two rules in the game that annoyed the hell out of me and, as a result, I did not abide by them. Here are the rules:
1) Level limits for demihumans
2) Restrictions on picking up multiple classes (or stopping your progression in a class/classes). In other words, if you started an elf fighter/wizard from 1st level, then you were stuck with an elf fighter/wizard forever! You weren't "officially" allowed to add another class, or discontinue, say, your fighter class and pursue wizardry only. [Not to mention the fact that humans could not pick up multiple classes (except they could dual-class if they had extraordinary attributes; but only once in their life).]
I want to return to the good ol'days very soon and run a retrospective 1E AD&D campaign but I want to stay as *true* to the original rules as possible. Now, I know your decision to have the two rules above was for "game balance", but I'd like to hear from you how I could possibly describe the restrictions "in game".
Using the elf fighter/wizard as an example: If the player is a 4th-level fighter/4th-level wizard, but (in game) his character wants to join the clergy of an elven god and become a cleric, I can't just say: "No, the rules don't allow you to do that." I have to give an "in game" explanation.
As to the level restrictions on demihumans, you might say: "Demihumans just lose all drive for adventure after they've had but the merest taste of it". This doesn't rub well with me, though, because they don't get very far before they're restricted. Top levels are, perhaps, 10th. To get to 10th level doesn't take very long. It is just a drop in the river of time.
Alternatively, Gary, you could tell me that roleplaying games were in their early conception back then and your decision to put these arbitrary restrictions in place to serve game balance (but not resolving in-game believability) was a mistake.
Either response should put me on the road to finding inner peace.
Thankyou.