Switching Classes

Intro

    A player switching the class of a long-running character can make for an interesting moment in your campaign. Why would the character suddenly change their entire skillset? For the player, it is usually because they got bored of playing their old class, or they're creating a complex build. In-game, it can create an interesting narrative moment. It can be interesting to consider what would motivate a character to make such a drastic change, and mechanically it can lead to some interesting subsystems.

    The typical way for a character to gain a new class in OSR games is through dual classing. This system works fine when switching between very different classes, like a thief to a magic-user, or a magic-user to a cleric, but it's a bit awkward when switching between classes of the same type, largely because it starts the character over at first level. A fighter who dual classes to become a paladin or ranger will have to relearn the same fighting skills they already know from being a baseline fighter. This always seemed a bit awkward to me, especially regarding paladins. 

    Paladins become fighters when they break their oaths and regain them if they perform some sort of redemptive quest for their diety. This means that the only real difference between a fighter and a paladin is the approval of their god. So shouldn't a fighter who fits the requirements be able to become a paladin of equivalent power by completing a similar redemptive quest? I think that there should be a system of switching between classes of the same archetype for this sort of situation. The following is my attempt to write one.

Class Switching Rules

    All old school D&D classes fit vaguely into one of four archetypes relating to the core classes, often referred to as warriors, priests, mages, and rogues. Members of these archetypes are variants of fighters, clerics, magic-users, and thieves respectively. As an example, here are the classes from Advanced Fantasy OSE split into the different class archetypes:

Warrior: Barbarian, Fighter, Knight, Paladin, Ranger

Priest: Cleric, Druid, Bard

Mage: Illusionist, Magic-User

Rogue: Acrobat, Assassin, Thief

    Within this system of swapping classes, each PC is able to switch between classes of the same archetype as long as they perform some sort of task; the exact details of which vary depending on the class. A fighter becoming a paladin might need to prove themselves with a holy quest, while a thief hoping to become an acrobat would have to find a master to teach them. The character does not maintain their previous level but does have the same amount of experience. That means a newly minted paladin may be a lower level than they were as a fighter. Should race-as-class be used, demi-humans are not able to switch between classes.

    Some classes do not quite fit into the typical class types. Monks for example primarily function as warriors, are priests within the game world, and usually have thieves skills like a rogue. In those cases, I would allow the player to switch classes to the core class of any of those types, fighter, cleric, or thief, but none of the subclasses like ranger, druid, or assassin. The referee may also consider them too different from any other class for the skills to transfer over and use dual classing instead.

    This rule of class switching would work well for players who have grown bored with their original class but don't want to retire their character. Many first-time players start as fighters or thieves while learning the rules of the game, but want something more complex once they have gotten used to the system. Class switching would allow them to branch out while staying in their comfort zone and not having to start over from the beginning. It can also be used in dramatic points in your campaign. A fighter may perform a heroic task for a diety and receive paladin powers as a response, or train with a master hunter and become a ranger. Such things can easily lead to interesting campaigns.

Conclusion

   This is just a general house rule. I tried to format it in a way that makes sense. I think I mostly succeeded in this, though I fear it rambles on a bit. I was inspired a bit by how BECMI deals with paladins and druids, by allowing 9th level characters to choose them as subclasses. I like the BECMI system a lot, though I get that a lot of players like being able to start as their preferred class. Feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments, I'd be happy to read them.

A Case for Lawful (and/or Good) Assassins

    I find that the assassin class often gets a bad rap, and this is largely due to their alignment limitation. The requirement for members of the class to be evil is meant to limit its somewhat overpowered assassination ability. Paladins and rangers also had to deal with alignment restrictions, but most D&D adventures revolve around good parties, so they felt less out of place. Assassins on the other hand were often the fish out of the water, not fitting into most parties. In this way, the limit worked at its intended purpose, as the assassin was rarely played for these reasons

    I started thinking about the assassin's alignment limitation recently upon reading the Old School Essentials Advanced Fantasy Player's Tome from Necrotic Gnome. The version of assassin presented in this book is limited from being lawful, a fairly big limit considering that OSE, like most B/X derived games, only includes the Law-Chaos alignment axis. This limit is in many ways the logical adaptation of the one from AD&D, as lawful and chaotic are largely synonymous with good and evil in how they are defined by OSE, but it struck me as odd because I felt that an assassin could definitely be lawful in nature.

    The Morag Tong from Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind comes to mind. They are a group of assassins who are officially sanctioned and endorsed by the government of Morrowind. Should the proper paperwork be produced one could hire a member of the group to kill anyone they want. This is largely allowed in order to regulate the violence between the ruling houses of the region and to stop them from entering into open conflict with each other. This serves to maintain order and prevent the established society of Morrowind from collapsing into chaos. In this way, the Morag Tong is a lawful organization. They follow the law and work to uphold society and order, and which fits snuggly into the definition of lawful.

    One could also argue that the Morag Tong, or an organization like it, is morally good. If we take good to mean working for the benefit of others then the Morag Tong could certainly count. They are preventing the mass bloodshed that would surely take place if the factions of Morrowind went to war. But one could also argue that murder is not a valid means to an end, or that the people of Morrowind would be better off if the ruling houses wiped each other out. These arguments are certainly valid and come from the problem of using terms as abstract and subjective as 'good' and 'evil'. My point is merely to say that an organization of legal assassins could be considered good. Therefore, despite how sacrilegious it might seem, one could argue the existence of lawful good assassins.

    Now, this is a very specific edge case and obviously most hitmen would be considered evil or chaotic by any metric. The same Elder Scrolls series that spawned the Morag Tong also features the Dark Brotherhood, an assassins' guild that is definitely chaotic evil in nature. But it is worth considering these edge cases when discussing all-encompassing rules like alignment restrictions. I would propose that assassin's potential alignment should be limited by whatever assassin's guild they are affiliated with. A member of a lawful assassins' guild like the Morag Tong would have to be lawful, while a member of a chaotic evil guild like the Dark brotherhood would have to be chaotic and/or evil. This would limit the alignment of an assassin without excluding lawful guilds like the Morag Tong. One could also maintain a different alignment as an independent assassin, but it could result in conflict with guilds.

Thanks for reading all of this, I'd be interested in reading other people's takes in the comments. I think this could lead to an interesting discussion of the alignment system, the assassin class, and their place in D&D.

Monk for Old-School Essentials

Given that Gavin Norman left the Monk out of Old-School Essential's Advanced Fantasy supplement, probably a wise decision, I felt like it could be a fun experiment to do my own take on a B/X monk. I decided to mostly base it on the Mystic, the BECMI incarnation of the monk, as I've always felt it is the best version of the class. I tried to include most of the typical monk abilities while keeping it consistent with the format and design philosophy of Old School Essentials. I tried to balance the high power level of the class with strict RP requirements. I have the class here in both text and pdf form. This is my first attempt at making a homebrew class, so any advice in the comments would be much appreciated.

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Monk

Requirements: Minimum WIS 15, minimum DEX 9

Primary requisite: WIS

Hit Dice: 1d6

Maximum Level: 14

Armor: None

Weapons: Any

Languages: Alignment, Common

Monks are warrior priests who are trained in secluded monasteries, learning ancient martial arts. As monks progress so does their ability to defend themselves with neither weapons nor armor. Mastering the art of self-control, monks' mindfulness allows them to perform supernatural feats.

Alignment: All monks take an oath to either be an agent of justice or a neutral observer before beginning their training at a monastery. Because of this, a monk may be Lawful or Neutral, but never chaotic.

Combat: Monks are trained to fight without needing extra protection, so they are not able to wear armor or use shields. They may use all weapons, but they will likely find their bare hands more useful. Monks' armor class and unarmed damage gradually increase as they level up, but they do not gain a damage bonus from STR.

Restrictions: The orders to which monks belong all require an oath of poverty. This means that all monks must donate 75% of all treasure earned at the soonest opportunity. In addition, they must cast aside the trappings of wealth; They may not wear luxurious clothing or eat fancy foods. They also may not lie or perform any chaotic actions. If they do so they will be stripped of their title and lose access to their class abilities. The former monk becomes a fighter of their current level unless the referee allows them to go on a quest of atonement.

After Reaching 9th Level: A monk is considered a master, and is able to build or establish a stronghold in the form of a secluded monastery. This will be a place for meditation and training more monks. Should the monk be in good standing with their old monastery then they will pay half the cost of construction. They may also take a leadership role in a pre-established monastery if that is preferred.

Once a stronghold is established, the monk will attract followers (1d6 X 10 monks of level 1-2). These followers will remain completely devoted to the monk as long as they receive training, never checking morale. The monk may not hire any further troops for their stronghold.

Reach 10th Level and Above: Few monks reach 10th level, those that do are considered grandmasters. There can only be a single grandmaster at any given level per continent. When a monk has enough experience to reach 10th level, they must challenge an existing 10th level monk. The character only advances to 10th level if the other grandmaster is defeated. Such challenges take any form that is agreed by both parties, including combat (which need not be fatal). This process is the same for each level above 10. Each grandmaster has a title determined by the referee.

Monk Level Progression

LEVEL	XP	HD	THAC0	MV	Unarmed Damage	AC	Special Abilities
1	0	1d6	19[0]	120’	1d4	9[10]	Awareness
2	2,500	2d6	19[0]	130’	1d4+1	8[11]
3	5,000	3d6	19[0]	130’	1d6	7[12]	Heal Self
4	8,500	4d6	17[+2]	140’	1d6+1	6[13]
5	17,000	5d6	17[+2]	140’	1d8	5[14]	Slowfall
6	34,000	6d6	17[+2]	150’	2d4	4[15]
7	65,000	7d6	14[+5]	150’	2d4+1	3[16]	Resistant Mind
8	125,000	8d6	14[+5]	160’	1d10	2[17]
9	245,000	9d6	14[+5]	160’	1d10+1	1[18]	Speak With Plants and Animals
10	365,000	9d6+2*	12[+7]	170’	1d12	0[19]	Slow Pulse
11	485,000**	9d6+4*	12[+7]	180’	2d8	-1[20]	Mind Block
12	650,000**	9d6+6*	12[+7]	190’	2d8+1	-2[21]	Immunity to Disease and Poison
13	800,000**	9d6+8	10[+9]	200’	2d10	-3[22]	Slowed Aging
14	950,000**	9d6+10	10[+9]	210’	2d12	-4[23]	Death Touch

*Modifiers from CON no longer apply

**Cannot level up until grandmaster of greater level is defeated

Monk Saving Throw Progression

Level	Death/ Poison	Wands	Paralysis/ Petrify	Breath Attacks	Spells/Rods/ Staves
1-3	12	13	14	15	14
4-6	10	11	12	13	12
7-9	8	9	10	10	10
10-12	6	7	8	8	8
13-14	4	5	6	5	6

Monk Abilities

These abilities are granted to the monk through their mastery of self. Though the nature of these abilities varies greatly, they are all acquired through level progression as indicated on the level progression table.

MV: Monks’ movement speed increases as they level up, as indicated on the table.

Unarmed Damage: Monks are experts in hand-to-hand fighting, as such the amount of damage they can deal while unarmed increases as they level. This damage only takes effect if they are fighting with their bare hands, and they gain no damage bonus from STR.

Armor Class: As a monk progresses through the levels their natural armor class increases.

Awareness: Monks are only surprised on a roll of 1. This may mean that a monk is able to act in the surprise round while their companions are surprised.

Heal Self: Starting at 3rd level, a monk is able to restore a number of their own hit points equal to their level once per day. This takes one combat round.

Slowfall: At 5th level monks fall at half speed and do not take fall damage from falls under 50'.

Resistant Mind: Upon reaching 7th level monks have a 50% of resisting any spell or effect meant to control or read the monks the mind, such as Charm Person or ESP. Should they fail to resist, the spell or effect will function as normal.

Speak with Plants and Animals: At 9th level monks are able to communicate with both plants and animals. This includes normal plants and animals as well as their monstrous or giant equivalents.

Slow Pulse: At 10th level monks are able to slow their pulse once per day, making them immune to all damage for a number of rounds equal to their level, though once the ability is over they will take all of the damage that they had previously avoided. They are also undetectable to magic while the ability is active.

Mind Block: Upon reaching 11h level monks are immune to any spell which effects the mind, such as Charm Person or ESP.

Slowed Aging: Starting at 12th level, monks age at half the normal rate for their species, extending their lifespan.

Immunity to Disease and Poison: At 13th level monks become immune to diseases and poisons of all kinds

Death Touch: At 14th Level monks learn the most deadly technique of all, the death touch. This ability can be used once a week, and kills the target instantly.