AD&D 2nd Edition House Rules: Removing multiclass restrictions and bumping humans up the food chain

Humans: generating XP for elves who hit them hard enough since 1974

My Saturday group is now rotating with me running D&D 5E (or 13th Age after the 5E scenario concludes) one week and my long time friend and host running AD&D 2nd edition for the first time in ages. It's been a lot of fun, but as I have been perusing my nice Premium edition AD&D 2nd edition books I was reminded of the key issues I always used to have with the game. Even more amusing than the rules with problems was the fact that --let's face it-- they were problems even back when 2nd edition released, enough so that the authors spent some time in the DMG or PHB explaining why the rules were there, with what amount in retrospect to some pretty amusing rationales.

The rules I refer to, of course, are multiclassing (and the even more restrictive dual-classing rules), level limits and the implicitly squishy nature of humans. If you're not an OSR fan or you are somehow under the age of 30 you might not be old enough to have jumped into the hobby at a time when multiclassing was a thing and the idea of a non-human paladin was anathema. Here's a summary of the rules that I have never particularly liked:

Racial Class Limits: Paladins as humans only; dwarves are never mages....stuff like this

Racial Level Caps: demihuman player races have hard level caps for most classes

Multiclassing: demihumans alone can multiclass

Dual-Classing: humans can only dual-class, and even then only if you are rolling exceedingly well for stats to begin with; almost statistically improbable you would ever see a dual-classed character in play without using a lot of trickery of cheating to get the numbers you want

All of the above were wiped out in 3rd edition and will never return. Going back to AD&D (either edition) requires either accepting these as given or hacking them off like the weird barnacles they are.

The 2E DMG provides optional rules for allowing various demihumans to advance past their level limits, but warns at length that being overly kind here will make humans obsolete....literally!....and turn the game into not just a story about elves, but the entire fantasy world. It's a weirdly amusing piece of logic because it implictly assumes that you can't or wouldn't be able to impose in-game restrictions (such as low birthrates) for species like elves who would then by default still find themselves at a disadvantage of the rabbit-like humans of fantasyland. But I suppose it's not worth arguing....this was a contention presented in the DMG in 1989, and its interesting because its clearly there to reinforce the design parameter set out by AD&D which survived to 2nd edition, and is not actually aimed at seriously considering all the implications of a fantasy world that is literally run by physical laws defined by the game rules as presented (cherry picking, if you will).

So what would be the harm in ditching these four limitations in AD&D 2E? As I see it, there are no real arguments that support the issue. You have the multiclass guidelines allowing any class combination you want, you know humanity's greatest threat is not elves unlimited but quick-breeding orcs and goblins, and as DM you can continue to enforce design limits on players like I used to.

I once had a methodology for player guidance that worked like this: I'd give the players 10 points to spend as a group on their racial options. Humans cost 1 point, dwarves, halflings, gnomes and half orcs cost 2 points and elves cost 3 points (elves were fabulously popular in the 90's, there is no contesting that nightmarish fact). 10 points was what could be spent among 6 players, typically. This meant that they could all play humans (6 points), but with 4 points left over up to four of them could upgrade to a demihuman choice. If the group wanted to be elf-heavy this meant that no more than 2 of them could be elves, meaning you could have 4 humans and 2 elves instead (total 10 points).

That method was how I kept my 2E games from being elf-heavy from 1990 to roughly 1994 when I stopped caring and let people play parties 100% comprised of entries from the Humanoids Handbook JUST BECAUSE.

Today, I'd do it like this:

Eliminate the Restrictions: No more class restrictions for any race. No more multiclass restrictions for any race. No more level restrictions either. Dual-Classing is allowed because if you meet the qualifications and want to, then more power to you.

Human Bonuses: Humans, however, should get some sort of compensation for being so awesomely human, though. As a result, humans can get a bonus proficiency slot, a +1 bonus to an attribute of their choice for being so awesomely human (but they still have to meet ability cap maximums) and, most importantly, I'd let humans multiclass. I know the DMG explains that humans are woefully short-lived creatures who can't absorb the lifetimes of discovery necessary to juggle two or more classes simultaneously, but alas for that logic the 2000's happened and now those arguments make no sense.

So, the advantages? Now you can build almost anything you like in AD&D 2E without restriction, which might not fly well for certain worlds and styles, but in settings like I run where my world of Chirak has seafaring dwarven hydromancers and minotaur ranger-wizards it should greatly facilitate the style of world that allows such madness.

Removing all those multiclassing restrictions as well as pumping up humans will go a long way toward providing an easier model of the actual weird fantasy that D&D always stemmed from....maybe not the Gygaxian way, but Appendix N will thank you.

The Basic/Expert D&D Project II: Multiclassing

The main gripe I have always had with Basic and Expert D&D was the confusion between class and race. Strictly speaking, the game is mechanically offering a set of specific choices that aren't actually out of line with AD&D, by simply limiting each race to one class: an elf is a fighter/mage, while the dwarf and halfling are both fighters, essentially, with a mix of racial features (dwarven saves, halfling sneakiness) that make them distinctly their own thing.

I realized that one could borrow the AD&D multiclassing rules easily enough and apply them to B/X D&D without much fuss. Under this approach you could have such combinations as a dwarven thief or a halfling cleric, so long as the class met all the minimum requirements for all prerequisites. This approach breaks down with the elf, however.

Of the three racial classes, the elf is the one that is hardest to multiclass with because the core book elf is already a fighter/mage with a significant XP penalty to advancement. You could do it, sure...but then you have effectively a triple-classed character. You also would need to decide if you can half an elf/mage or an elf/fighter combo as well. Such a combination would be of great benefit to a elf/mage (doubling magic casting, effectively) and of minimal gain for an elf/fighter (allowing some modest extra hit points and maybe slightly better attack tables). Hardly seems worth offering.

So in the spirit of allowing such combos in any B/X D&D game I might run I have worked out the following B/X multiclass houesrules:

Available Options: Elves may be multiclass elf/clerics or elf/thieves. If an elf wants to be something more distinct, then see the variant racial class option that follows below.

Halfings can multiclass as halfling thieves, halfling clerics and halfling mages.

Dwarves can be multiclassed dwarven mages (at DM's discretion), dwarven thieves and dwarven clerics.

Multiclass Rules: The multiclassed character conslidates both classes as follows:

Experience Gain: Either add the XP requirement for each level together, or track each separately; all XP gained is divided equally between the two in the latter case.

Hit Dice Per Level: Formula when you gain a level is to roll the HD of each class, add CON, then divide by two (round up). So a Dwarven Thief rolls 1D8+1D4+Con Modifier, divides by two, rounds up.

Weapons and Armor Allowed: You get the most restrictive armor but the most liberal weapon proficiency. So a Dwarven thief is limited to his thief armor limits but has acsess to his dwarven weapon skills.

Magic does not Stack or Mix: You can't be an elf mage because elves are already mages, essentially. But an elf cleric is permitted since it's two different kinds of magic, and must be tracked separately (i.e. you can't cast magic user spells with cleric slots).

Humans and Multiclassing: for purist campaigns, this is a big No. You could hijack dual-classing rules for that if you want. For impure modern day postmodernist D&D with a retro origin you could easily allow humans to do the same. The key issue of course would be that humans can only multiclass with nonracial classes (fighter, cleric, thief and magic user).

Elven Variant Racial Classes: This option lets you play an elf straight-up, but by substituting some class features for others, you can create an elf with no magic who is a better thief, fighter or cleric. This is advantageous in that it allows you to play an elf who sacrifices some traits for the benefit of quicker XP advancement. These variant racial classes are as follows:

Elven Variant Classes

Elven Spell Thief

The elven spell thief sacrifices his or her fighting abilities in exchange for a thief’s skills as well as weapon and armor limitations. An elven spell thief has intelligence and dexterity as prime requisites, substituting dexterity for strength.

Spellthief Traits: Hit dice is D4, weapon and armor choices are same as thief, class abilities are the same as a thief (including backstab) and advance at the same rate. The spellthief advances as an elf for XP purposes and is still capped at level 10. Spellthieves gain magic as normal elves do.

Elven Rake

The elven rake is a figher/thief variant with no magical ability. This elf loses spell casting but gains thief abilities and is still a good fighter. Substitute dexterity for intelligence as a prime requisite.

Elven Rake Traits: Lose all spell casting abilities, but gain the thief abilities, including back stab. You retain the elven armor and weapon abilities, and also retain a D6 for hit dice. They may advance to 10^th level as per the elf advancement chart.

Elven Priest

The elven priest is a holy caster, usually of some nature god, giving up a magic user’s advancement in magic for a clerical pursuit instead. Substitute wisdom for intelligence as a prime requisite.

Elven Priest Traits: Hit Dice remains D6, and the elf loses all magic-user traits, instead advancing precisely as a cleric would (so refer to clerical advancement for gaining spells instead of the normal advancement for an elf). Elven priests may gain turn undead, but if so they must adopt the weapon and armor limits of a cleric and lose the elven armor and weapon restrictions instead. If you opt for weapon and armor freedom in lieu of turn undead then you are considered an elven war priest.