Page Contents:
Once you’ve rolled up your ability scores, the next step is to choose a character “class.” There are three character classes: Fighting-man, Cleric, and Magic-user. Your Referee may also have invented other character classes, or may be allowing optional character classes from some other fantasy game. After choosing your character class, make sure to write down your experience point (XP) bonus. It’s based on your Wisdom (possible +5%), your Charisma (possible +5%), and the Prime Attribute for the character class you choose (possible +5%), with a total possible +15%.
Clerics are armoured priests who serve Law/Good or Chaos/Evil. Most Clerics have a patron deity or serve a particular religion. Feel free to make up the details, if your Referee doesn’t use a particular mythology for the campaign you’re playing in. Regardless of the details, you are a champion of your faith and moral alignment. You might be a sinister witch-hunter, an exorcist of demons, or a shining knight of the faith. Because most of a Cleric’s abilities are oriented toward healing and protecting, Clerics tend to play a support role during combat, backing up the front line, but able to stand shoulder to shoulder with the party’s Fighting-men if need be—at least for a while. As a Cleric grows in power and reputation, he might establish a stronghold for his faith: a fortified monastery, a soaring cathedral in the wilderness, or whatever strikes him as the best way to protect and serve his flock of acolytes and peasant followers.
Spell Casting: Clerics cast divine spells from a specific list, as per the Cleric Advancement table. Clerics of specific gods might have entirely different sets of spells as designed by the Referee. Each day, the Cleric prays for a certain set of spells, choosing any spells from the standard list. Once a spell is cast, it cannot be cast again until the next day, unless the Cleric can prepare the spell more than once.
Banishing Undead: Clerics can “Turn” (SeeTurning Undead, Page21.) the undead, making them flee from the Cleric’s holiness (or, in the case of an evil Cleric, bringing them to heel as servants and minions).
Religious Stronghold (9th level): At ninth level, a Cleric character may establish a stronghold and attract a body of loyal (or perhaps even fanatic) men-at-arms who will swear fealty to him.
| Spells | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Experience | Hit Dice | Saving Throw | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 14 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2 | 1,500 | 2 | 13 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3 | 3,500 | 3 | 12 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4 | 6,500 | 4 | 11 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 5 | 14,000 | 5 | 10 | 2 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| 6 | 30,000 | 6 | 9 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – | – |
| 7 | 60,000 | 7 | 8 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 1 | – | – |
| 8 | 110,000 | 8 | 7 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 | – | – |
| 9 | 165,000 | 9 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 2 | – | – |
| 10 | 225,000 | +2 hp | 5 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | – | – |
| 11 | 290,000 | +4 hp | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | – | – |
| 12 | 360,000 | +6 hp | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | – |
| 13 | 430,000 | +8 hp | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 1 | – |
| 14 | 500,000 | +10 hp | 4 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | – |
| 15 | 570,000 | +12 hp | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 2 | – |
| 16 | 640,000 | +14 hp | 4 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | – |
| 17 | 710,000 | +16 hp | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 1 |
| 18 | 780,000 | +18 hp | 4 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 1 |
| 19 | 850,000 | +20 hp | 4 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 4 | 2 |
| 20 | 920,000 | +22 hp | 4 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
| 21+ | +70,000 | +2 hp/level | 4 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 2 |
You are a warrior, trained in battle and in the use of armour and weapons. Perhaps you are a ferocious Viking raider, a roaming samurai, or a medieval knight. Whatever type of Fighting-man you choose to play, you will probably end up on the front lines of your adventuring party, going toe-to-toe with dragons, goblins, and evil cultists, hacking your way through them and taking the brunt of their attacks. The Fighting-man character is best equipped of all the character classes to dish out damage and absorb it, too. Clerics heal, and Magic-users cast spells, but the down-and-dirty hack and slash work is up to you. You’re going to serve as the party’s sword and shield, protecting the weaker party members and taking down the enemies before you. Perhaps one day they will tell legends of your battle prowess, and followers will flock to your castle stronghold where you revel in your fame, riches, and newly earned nobility. Fail, of course, and you’ll die, just another forgotten warrior in a dangerous world.
Establish Stronghold (9th): At ninth level, a Fighting-man may establish a stronghold and attract a body of loyal men-at-arms who will swear fealty to him. Most likely, the protection of a castle will attract villagers, and the Fighting-man will become a feudal Lord or even a Baron.
Multiple Attacks: Against creatures with less than one full hit die, a Fighting-man makes one attack per level each round.
| Level | Experience | Hit Dice | Saving Throw |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 16 |
| 2 | 2,000 | 2 | 15 |
| 3 | 4,000 | 3 | 14 |
| 4 | 8,000 | 4 | 13 |
| 5 | 16,000 | 5 | 12 |
| 6 | 32,000 | 6 | 11 |
| 7 | 64,000 | 7 | 10 |
| 8 | 128,000 | 8 | 9 |
| 9 | 256,000 | 9 | 8 |
| 10 | 350,000 | +3 hp | 7 |
| 11 | 450,000 | +6 hp | 6 |
| 12 | 550,000 | +9 hp | 6 |
| 13 | 650,000 | +12 hp | 6 |
| 14 | 750,000 | +15 hp | 6 |
| 15 | 850,000 | +18 hp | 6 |
| 16 | 950,000 | +21 hp | 6 |
| 17 | 1,050,000 | +24 hp | 6 |
| 18 | 1,150,000 | +27 hp | 6 |
| 19 | 1,250,000 | +30 hp | 6 |
| 20 | 1,350,000 | +33 hp | 6 |
| 21+ | +100,000 | +3 hp/level | 6 |
The Magic-user is a mysterious figure, a student of arcane powers and spell casting. Usually cloaked in robes woven with mystical symbols, Magic-users can be devastating opponents. However, they are usually physically weaker than other adventuring classes, and are untrained in the use of armour and weapons. As Magic-users progress in level, they generally become the most powerful of the character classes. Perhaps one day, though, you will rise to such heights of power that you can build a mystically protected tower for your researches, create fabulous magic items, and scribe new formulae for hitherto unknown spells. Such arch-mages can sway the politics of kingdoms, and command respect and fear across the realms.
Magic-users gain a minimum of one hit point per level.
Spell Casting: Unlike the Cleric, a Magic-user owns a book of spells, which does not necessarily include all of the spells on the standard lists. Reading from the book, the Magic-user presses his chosen spell formulae into his mind, “preparing” these spells. Once a prepared spell is cast, it disappears from the Magic-user’s ability to cast (until it is prepared again). It is possible to prepare a spell multiple times using the available “slots” in the Magic-user’s memory/capability. If the Magic-user finds scrolls of spells while adventuring, he can copy them into his spell book.
Wizard’s Tower (11th): At 11th level, a Magic-user gains the title of “wizard,” and can build a stronghold for himself to house his libraries and laboratories. He will attract a mixed bag of mercenaries, strange servants (some with odd abilities and deformities), and even a few monsters, perhaps. This motley crew will swear fealty to him and serve him with whatever loyalty he can inspire in them.
| Spells | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level | Experience | Hit Dice | Saving Throw | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 15 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 2 | 2,500 | 2 | 14 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 3 | 5,000 | 3 | 13 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 4 | 10,000 | 4 | 12 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 5 | 20,000 | 5 | 11 | 4 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 6 | 40,000 | 6 | 10 | 4 | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – |
| 7 | 65,000 | 7 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 8 | 95,000 | 8 | 8 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | – | – | – | – | – |
| 9 | 135,000 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 1 | – | – | – | – |
| 10 | 190,000 | +1 hp | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 2 | – | – | – | – |
| 11 | 285,000 | +2 hp | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 | – | – | – | – |
| 12 | 385,000 | +3 hp | 5 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 | – | – | – |
| 13 | 515,000 | +4 hp | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | – | – | – |
| 14 | 645,000 | +5 hp | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 1 | – | – |
| 15 | 775,000 | +6 hp | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 4 | 4 | 2 | – | – |
| 16 | 905,000 | +7 hp | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 1 | – |
| 17 | 1,035,000 | +8 hp | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 2 | – |
| 18 | 1,165,000 | +9 hp | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 |
| 19 | 1,295,000 | +10 hp | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| 20 | 1,425,000 | +11 hp | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| 21+ | +130,000 | +1 hp/level | 5 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 |