Separating Class and Race in Classic D&D
by ParzivalAt the risk of repeating myself, I am a staunch supporter of Race as Class, and not really a fan of the expanded classes that arose in the Gazetteers. But my approach to everything is thematic over mechanic, and thus I offer the following thoughts on an “if you must” basis.
Halflings: Can be Thieves BUT that really only amounts to choosing two Thief skills in the place of two General Skills (from the GAZ and RC). The Halfling class is otherwise unchanged. Halflings being resistant to magic, I simply don’t allow them to be magic-users or clerics; to me the idea misses the point of the thematic source. If you want a short cleric, create a short cleric.
NOW, with that out of the way, behold, the Rutwyr (Dwarf Thief) and the Elf Rogue:
In the annals of all their histories, among the demi-human races certain behaviors and attitudes are extremely rare, and often looked upon with condemnation, or as gross aberrations from nature or purpose. Often outcasts or even pariahs, these individuals drift into human societies, typically finding their place there among the low and criminal, or at least as outsiders eyed with suspicion.
Dwarves: Among the dwarf kin there is a term— rutwyr— which roughly translates to “empty hand.” It is the greatest insult among all of dwarf kind, and has multiple uses in dwarf language, including “lazy,” “utterly irresponsible,” “self-centered,” “parasite” and, lowest of all, “thief.” In dwarf law the term literally does mean “thief”— though it can be applied to someone who fails to engage in labor by his own choice, expecting the clan to provide for him without any productive effort on his part. In some ways it is the equivalent of the human word “bum,” but even worse. Dwarves see this behavior as without excuse, and a rutwyr is expelled from his clan without mercy— “If he will not make a way with work, he will have no way among us.”
THE RUTWYR (Dwarf Thief): Most rutwyrs are indeed effectively members of the Thief class. As such, they gain some (but not all) Thief abilities, while sacrificing certain Dwarf abilities.
The following requirements apply:
A Rutwyr is Neutral or Chaotic. He cannot be Lawful (although see Redemption, below).
A Rutwyr (Dwarf Thief) may not have a strength higher than 9 (they have no history of hard work), or a wisdom above 8. Among other classes and races the Dwarf Thief may have a Charisma of any number— but with dwarves who are not rutwyr, their Charisma is always treated as 3. No dwarf will listen to or aid a rutwyr without exceptional proof of dire need. Rutwyr gain no experience point bonus of any kind for any stat. (You wanna be lazy, you’re gonna have to work for it!)
Like all dwarves, Rutwyr possess infravision, exceptional saving throws, and the ability to detect sloping passages and large stone traps. However, as the lazy souls they are, they have little effective knowledge of stone construction, and can only determine the age of such things on a 1 in 6 chance.
As Thieves, rutwyr may use the Thief skills of Finding/Removing Traps (small traps), Picking Pockets, Opening Locks, Hiding in Shadows, Moving Silently, and Hearing Noise. They may Backstab the same as a normal Thief. However, they do not gain the Climb Walls ability at all— Dwarven hands and bodies are simply not suitable for this skill— and the beard gets in the way! (And, even being rutwyr, they will not shave it, having no desire to be mistaken for a Halfling.) And they never, ever, ever gain the ability to use magic scrolls or magic items restricted to magic-users; they are dwarves, and magic simply will not spring from their hands.
The Rutwyr progresses as a Thief, not a dwarf, rising to 10th level and no higher. Their Hit Dice is 1d6 (they are still dwarves!) and they can use any armor and a shield in combat, though none of their thieving skills will be available to them unless they wear either normal clothing or at most leather armor without a shield. They may use any weapon of size Medium or smaller— but nothing larger, even traditional dwarf weapons.
REDEMPTION: A Rutwyr may petition to be restored to the dwarf community, the single act of redemption being proof of a great craftwork— some worthy item made solely by the Rutwyr’s own hands, without the aid of anyone. This system is foolproof— no dwarf will knowingly aid a Rutwyr, and any dwarven craftmaster can spot the work of the non-dwarf without so much as a blink; and each dwarf has his own “fingerprint” of style and craftsmanship, unique from all others, at least before the eyes of another dwarf. It is impossible for a dwarf to disguise his work as that of someone else, or claim that another’s work is his own.
The redemption item need not be a work of metal or stone or gems— clothing, leather goods, woodwork, etc., are all acceptable; as long as it is well made and reasonably durable, the item serves as proof that the Rutwyr has ceased to be the same, and has discovered the Truth of Work, and he will be welcomed back into dwarven society without question. The “years of emptiness,” as they are called, are forgiven and forgotten. A dwarf, after all, is a dwarf.
A redeemed Rutwyr does not lose his Thief Skills, but will be loathe to ever use them. From the point of his redemption on, he progresses in level as a normal Dwarf would— though his hit dice does not ever change, and his combat level is treated as equivalent to a Thief. Although very, very rare, there are former Rutwyrs who have returned to Dwarven society, and eventually even achieved status as heroes— though never for their “years of emptiness.” A Rutwyr could save the world, but if this occurs during the “years of emptiness,” Dwarven society will never recognize it nor praise it, even if the Rutwyr is redeemed.
In all cases, if a Rutwyr pursues redemption, it is assumed the PC has made an alignment change to Lawful. He may not adventure as a Thief or a Dwarf until his redemption is accepted; should he do so, none of the treasure or combat involved will grant him experience points. These points are simply lost, and cannot be recovered by any means. The moment a player declares his PC will seek this redemption determines the point at which experience points ceased to be earned.
A dwarf may not pursue any other human class— their are no dwarf mystics or dwarf druids— the very idea! You might as well call a dwarf a gnome!
A Rutwyr may not also be Dwarf Cleric, though perhaps might pursue that life upon Redemption, at the DM’s discretion.
XP chart— no opinion. I’d say just use the same one for a Dwarf Cleric in GAZ6. I don’t get all fussed about XP; I don’t think the “balance” issues mean all that much in the long run, save for magic-users.
Elves—
I just can’t get into the concept of an Elf thief. They live for over a millennia— anything they want they can get just by waiting a few decades (yawn) when the stupid human who has it kicks over from old age, disease, or accident. Chaotic Elves, however, might reasonably treat such a class as a temporary lark, so we’ll try it.
ELF ROGUE (Elf Thief): Chaotic Elves can be Rogues, similar to the Thief class, but somewhat different. They gain certain abilities as a result, but other penalties apply.
Requirements: Strength must be 11 or less. Intelligence must be 14 or less. Wisdom must be 9 or less. Dexterity must be 12 or higher. Must be Chaotic (even if they seek the greater good or are just happy-go-lucky).
Elvish Rogues retain all the special abilities of the Elf, while gaining all the abilities of the Thief. However, they use the Thief Hit Dice, fight as a Thief on the combat charts, and may not perform Thief Skills while wearing anything greater than Leather Armor (except for magical scale or chain mail, but not banded or plate)— though they can wear greater armor and use any weapon an Elf may use, as well as a shield.
They may retain the spell-casting abilities of the Elf class, but cannot cast spells while wearing anything greater than Leather Armor (again, except for magical scale or chain mail).
As such, they retain the scroll and item abilities of the Elf. However, they advance in spell casting as 2 levels below their current level, although they begin as the equivalent of a 1st level Elf; they simply do not advance in spells available until reaching 4th level, where they gain the spell abilities of a 2nd level Elf, and progress accordingly. They have only two spells in their spell book at 1st level— Read Magic and one other spell from the GAZ 5 The Elves of Alfheim Elf spell list; this spell cannot be a direct attack spell or a direct defensive spell. Elf Rogues never gain the ability to research new spells; they must rely solely on receiving spells from a mentor or through adventuring finds.
Elf Rogues are thus still quite powerful compared to a Human Thief, but may only advance to 9th level as a Rogue, after which they can advance as a standard Elf, though still under the spell level penalty and the Thief Hit Dice. Note that they may indeed pursue the Elf Lord or Elf Wizard progressions of GAZ 5, but max at 15th level as either, and must continue to follow the spell level restrictions. They do, however, “switch” over to the Elf combat levels upon reaching 10th level or the equivalent— though their Hit Dice never changes, and remains as the Thief class.
In general, Elven society frowns on the Elf Rogue. They are not to be found in Alfheim at all (at least known to the population— a clever Elf Rogue might return to learn the roles of Elf Lord or Elf Wizard, but would be very foolish to engage in thievery at this stage…). Similarly, the various smaller woodland elf realms do not have Elf Rogues either.
They are entirely a phenomena of elves found within human cultures, primarily the large cities, and are generally thought to be a corruption of the elvish spirit. Note that like Thieves, an Elf Rogue must deal with human Thieves’ Guilds in the same manner as a human Thief. The Elf Rogue doesn’t get a free pass for having pointy ears!
Though looked askance upon by the greater elf community, an Elf Rogue might find himself contacted in secret by Elven leaders for missions of espionage or other great sensitivity— elves retain a certain sense of practicality.
XP track follows that of the standard Elf— again, no need to reinvent the wheel. The HD penalty and the slowed spell track make up the difference.
An Elf Cleric is an Elf with access to the spell list of Alfheim (GAZ 5). Often they are on the path to become Treekeepers. Otherwise, this class is meaningless among Elves, who considered each elf to be personally connected to the god of the Elves. An Elf who acquires the various “cleric-like” spells of the Alfheim elves could be considered an “Elf Cleric” by other races. The elves who dwell within the forest realms, however, would find the concept puzzling. Wanderers (that is, former Elf adventurers) would understand what others meant by the term, but wouldn’t see much purpose in explaining the idea to his fellows. “He asks if she is a child of Ilsandul,” would be the words given to an elf of the woodlands, to which the woodland elf would reply, “Yes—” though unsure about why the question would need to be asked. But humans are very strange beings.