D&D 1E Whatever happened to the 1E Iconics?

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I found myself wondering whatever happened to the likes of Aggro the Axe, Barjin, Blastum, Gutboy Barrelhouse, and the like. Have they popped up anywhere since?

 

[Voadam]

Not that I am aware of but there are some great iconic names in pregens in a lot of 1e adventures.

For example in D1-2 you have Fonkin Hoddypeak:

In A1 you have:

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

I was always a fan of Beek Gwenders of Croodle.

 

[GreyLord]

Not that I am aware of but there are some great iconic names in pregens in a lot of 1e adventures.

For example in D1-2 you have Fonkin Hoddypeak:
View attachment 383698

In A1 you have:

View attachment 383699

And this is how you know they used the UA way of creating character stats (even for the non-human races, which isn't according to the rules in UA). Just LOOK at those ability scores!

When was the last time you saw a character with THREE 18's rolled in 1e or even 2e???? (or even BECMI???)

Either that, or (and this is also plausible) they had a Monty Haul DM and 50% of those hauls were wishes with which they used to increase their ability scores!

 

[Mannahnin]

And this is how you know they used the UA way of creating character stats (even for the non-human races, which isn't according to the rules in UA). Just LOOK at those ability scores!

When was the last time you saw a character with THREE 18's rolled in 1e or even 2e???? (or even BECMI???)

Either that, or (and this is also plausible) they had a Monty Haul DM and 50% of those hauls were wishes with which they used to increase their ability scores!

The Descent Into the Depths of the Earth compilation of D1 and D2 he's screenshot from there is from 1981, four years prior to UA.

I think these pregens are meant to be representative of high level characters benefitting from a combination of A) generous rolling schemes and B) wishes and random magic effects increasing ability scores.

Gary's rules from the AD&D DMG making it take an absurd number of wishes to get high ability scores strongly imply that such effects were incredibly common in '70s play.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

The Descent Into the Depths of the Earth compilation of D1 and D2 he's screenshot from there is from 1981, four years prior to UA.

I think it was expected to be a combination of A) generous rolling schemes and B) wishes and random magic effects increasing ability scores.

Gary's rules from the AD&D DMG making it take an absurd number of wishes to get high ability scores strongly imply that such effects were incredibly common in '70s play.

Or maybe people just rolled higher back then?

I mean, Brad always was able to roll a 17 for charisma. He rolled at home, but he always showed up at the table with his completely fairly rolled Paladin with a 17 charisma.

The only reasonable conclusion to draw is that dice worked differently back then!

 

[Sacrosanct]

And this is how you know they used the UA way of creating character stats (even for the non-human races, which isn't according to the rules in UA). Just LOOK at those ability scores!

When was the last time you saw a character with THREE 18's rolled in 1e or even 2e???? (or even BECMI???)

Either that, or (and this is also plausible) they had a Monty Haul DM and 50% of those hauls were wishes with which they used to increase their ability scores!

Also keep in mind those tournament modules/adventures meant for conventions typically had inflated stats. In fact, last time I played in Tim Kask's game at Gary Con, the NPCs all had pretty high stats. I think it was a way to have players have better success during a one-off where you're playing with strangers in a limited time frame. Only Jim Ward seemed to enjoy killing off the PCs

I do think they increased stats via magical items (the various manuals, magical pools, etc), and to be honest, I think they fudged the numbers up a bit when they came out with things like Rogues Gallery.

 

[Voadam]

Classic 1e, Fonkin Hoddypeaks is a 1e fighter magic user with splint mail +2 and a -4 AC. Also important to note he has 2 winsekins.

Interesting that seven out of the nine potential party members are elves or half elves with a bunch of non-PH gray elves and even a PC elven cleric. Good theming for the drow series specific set up. Kind of goes against the typical D&D humanocentrism though.

The stats are explanable in that elves are just better.

 

[Snarf Zagyg]

The stats are explanable in that elves are just better.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

Gleep Wurp the Eyebiter appeared in multiple places throughout the editions. Heck, I used him as an NPC when I ran a 1e Greyhawk campaign right before 5e came out.

Emirikol the Chaotic also appears in the wonderful DCC RPG module, Emirikol Was Framed.