Google+ The Geeks Menagerie: June 2012

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

1st ed players hand book excerpt!





1st Edition PH Excerpts: Bard
Bart Carroll
In 1974, the world changed forever when Gary Gygax introduced the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game. The legacy of his innovative ideas and the extensive reach of his powerful influence can be seen in virtually every facet of gaming today.

To help honor his work and his memory, we've created limited-edition reprints of the original 1st Edition core rulebooks: the Monster Manual, Player's Handbook, and Dungeon Master's Guide. These premium versions of the original AD&D rulebooks have been lovingly reprinted with the original art and content, but feature an attractive new cover design commemorating this re-release.

Your purchase of this monumental book helps support the Gygax Memorial Fund—established to immortalize the "Father of Roleplaying Games" with a memorial statue in Lake Geneva, WI.

n this preview of the 1st Edition re-release of the Player’s Handbook, we venture into the appendixes of the book to rediscover the bard!


The Bard


As this character class subsumes the functions of two other classes, fighters and thieves, and tops them off with magical abilities, it is often not allowed by Dungeon Masters. Even though this presentation is greatly modified from the original bard character class, it is offered as supplemental to the system, and your DM will be the final arbiter as to the inclusion of bards in your campaign.

Bards begin play as fighters, and they must remain exclusively fighters until they have achieved at least the 5th level of experience. Anytime thereafter, and in any event prior to attaining the 8th level, they must change their class to that of thieves. Again, sometime between 5th and 9th level of ability, bards must leave off thieving and begin clerical studies as druids; but at this time they are actually bards and under druidical tutelage. Bards must fulfill the requirements in all the above classes before progressing to Bards Table I. They must always remain neutral, but can be chaotic, evil, good or lawful neutral if they wish.


This article was copied from the wizards of the coast page which can be found here. The following is a link to the Bard pdf provided by WOTC: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/files/excerpts/excerpt_ph1_bard.pdf

a portion of the proceeds will go to http://gygaxmemorialfund.com/

Saturday, June 9, 2012

More AD&D 2nd edition fun!

So much cool stuff coming up I can barely contain the excitement! Next weekend we continue with part two of the gnome illusionist and Cavalier adventure. I cant wait to get into the action again. On too the next project, I'm currently  re-tooling my old characters. Seven of them to be exact: (human)Cavalier, (Dwarf) Cleric/fighter, (Elven) mage, (elven) Ranger, (human) Bard, (Halfling) Thief, (human) paladin

I'm planning the adventure which will take the party along with a small army to reclaim the ancient city of Kar'thas. Details are still brewing in my head so i'll share details as we get closer to that game.