D&D 2E On AD&D 2E

[Voadam]

Early D&D has some weird stuff going on with elves and gods. For one thing, elves can't be raised, only reincarnated or resurrected. I believe this is because elves don't have souls, but instead have spirits (whatever the difference is supposed to be). So in that view, it makes sense that it'd be harder for elves to have connections to their gods, and that doing so would require more dedication than the dabbling of a multi-class character.

But note that elves and humans can't multiclass cleric but half-elves are the masters of clerical multiclassing.

If elvish blood/nature makes it harder to connect to gods as a cleric then the half-elf multi class situation is particularly weird. Also that 1e NPC elven clerics can be higher level than half-elven PC or NPC ones.

In the 1e PH it is mostly a PC human thing with half humans (elf and orc, both spirit things) being able to as well. Other demihumans cannot be PC clerics. This reflects Oe where clerics could only be men, MUs could be men or elves, and all PCs could be fighting men.

Once you have the 1e UA/2e PH PC demihuman options the elven restriction on cleric multiclassing stands out as weird.

 

[Staffan]

But not that elves and humans can't multiclass cleric but half-elves are the masters of clerical multiclassing.

If elvish blood/nature makes it harder to connect to gods as a cleric then the half-elf multi class situation is particularly weird. Also that 1e NPC elven clerics can be higher level than half-elven PC or NPC ones.

It's fairly easy to no-prize. While the half-elf shares some of the elf's biology, they are entirely an ensouled creature which makes it relatively easy for them to connect with the gods. This combined with the elf's ability to pursue multiple disciplines at once allows half-elves to multi-class as clerics.

 

[James Gasik]

Of course, this all gets thrown for a loop once you get into Mythos priests, many of whom can multiclass, even in normally illegal combinations. Erevan Ilesere has no issue with allowing any subrace of Elf to be a mythos priest/thief, for example.

 

[deganawida]

Few weeks ago, traded in a bunch of unused RPG books, from 4E and 5E to random OSR systems that I looked at and had decided weren't for me, to Noble Knight. Took the credit option.

Today, my copy of the AD&D 2nd Edition Player's Handbook is due in IIRC, it's a 4th printing, but in VG condition according to the listing.

It's going to be a real pleasure cracking that open again after 25 years. I should not have gotten rid of my originals, but, well, youth.

 

[GreyLord]

Couldn't resist

View attachment 289500

Well, it's hard to beat perfection afterall...

 

[deganawida]

Haven’t seen this posted, so figured I’d do it:

 

[R_J_K75]

Haven’t seen this posted, so figured I’d do it:

Is that really 6-1/2 hours?

 

[Mannahnin]

Is that really 6-1/2 hours?

If it's like the OD&D one I've been working through, the broadcast is indeed that long, but there are a few breaks.

They start out with a historical/panel discussion about the edition and its design (for the first 90-120 min, maybe), then take a lunch break, and a couple of times during the play session they take short breaks as well.

Since the videos were shot & broadcast live, they kept the recording going, so the actual watchable material is a bit shorter. Someone's almost certainly put the timestamps in the comments so you can skip over the breaks.

 

[R_J_K75]

If it's like the OD&D one I've been working through, the broadcast is indeed that long, but there are a few breaks.

They start out with a historical/panel discussion about the edition and its design, then take a lunch break, and a couple of times during the play session they take short breaks as well.

Since the videos were shot & broadcast live, they kept the recording going, so the actual watchable material is a bit shorter. Someone's almost certainly put the timestamps in the comments so you can skip over the breaks.

That sounds really cool. I'd like to see it when its all done, edited and I can sit down and watch it all at once. I'm either all in or my attention span wanes into the ether. Seems like it would be akin to the Beatles Anthology, the boxed set, not the one that was aired on TV in 94-95 ICR. I want to say that boxed set is 12-16 hours but worth the time. Seeing as the Beatles were only a band for 8-10 years and D&D has been around for 50, I'd say there are probably more than enough people still alive from the beginning to fill plenty of hours of a documentary

 

[Mannahnin]

That sounds really cool. I'd like to see it when its all done, edited and I can sit down and watch it all at once. I'm either all in or my attention span wanes into the ether. Seems like it would be akin to the Beatles Anthology, the boxed set, not the one that was aired on TV in 94-95 ICR. I want to say that boxed set is 12-16 hours but worth the time. Seeing as the Beatles were only a band for 8-10 years and D&D has been around for 50, I'd say there are probably more than enough people still alive from the beginning to fill plenty of hours of a documentary

It's basically a solid hour and a half to two hour roundtable discussion on the edition led by an expert (Jon Peterson, for OE, and it looks like lead designer Zeb Cook for 2E), then a break, then an Actual Play session. I don't think they're going to edit these down.

I've been working through the OD&D one on my commutes for the past few days.