Advanced Dungeons & Dragons
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ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS™ SPECIAL REFERENCE WORK PLAYERS HANDBOOK® A COMPILED VOLUME OF INFORMATION FOR PLAYERS OF ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, INCLUDING: CHARACTER RACES, CLASSES, AND LEVEL ABILITIES; SPELL TABLES AND DESCRIPTIONS; EQUIPMENT COSTS; WEAPONS DATA; AND INFORMATION ON ADVENTURING. by Gary Gygax Illustrations by David C. Sutherland III D. A. Trampier Cover by D. A. Trampier All characters in this book are fictitious. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the express written permission of Wizards of the Coast LLC. Published by Wizards of the Coast LLC. Dungeons & Dragons, Advanced Dungeons & Dragons, D&D, Player's Handbook, all other Wizards titles, Wizards of the Coast, and their respective logos are trademarks of Wizards of the Coast LLC in the USA and other countries. Hasbro SA, Represented by Hasbro Europe, Stockley Park, UB11 1AZ UK. All Wizards of the Coast characters and their distinctive likenesses are property of Wizards of the Coast LLC. PRINTED IN THE USA. ©2012 Wizards of the Coast LLC. ISBN: 978-0-7869-6243-3 620-A0241000-001-EN FOREWORD Players, players, and more players — that’s what comprises the D&D phenomenon. And phenomenal is what it is, as the audience for this, the granddaddy of all role-playing games, continues to expand. D&D players, happily, come in all shapes and sizes, and even a fair number of women are counted among those who regularly play the game — making DUNGEONS & DRAGONS somewhat special in this regard. This widespread appeal cuts across many boundaries of interest and background, which means that D&D players are marked by a wide range of diversity. In fact, one could easily use the analogy that there are as many types of D&D players as there are D&D monsters (after that, draw your own conclusions!). There are unquestionably fast players, slow players, clever players, foolish players, cautious players, reckless players, generous players, greedy players, friendly players, and obnoxious players. As diverse as this melange of enthusiasts is, they all seem to share one commonality: a real love for DUNGEONS & DRAGONS and a devotion that few other games can claim. This remarkable loyalty is a great factor in the game’s explosion of popularity, and DUNGEONS & DRAGONS has become a gaming cult, as avid D&Der’s have ceaselessly “spread the gospel”, enrolling new players in expanding groups which just seem to grow and grow. If you’re reading this, then you’re a D&D player — and this book is for you! This is the second release of the ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS series, and is designed to be a player’s book in every respect — giving you all the background you require on the game system, as well as the information you’ll need to go adventuring. Although this book does not stand alone in terms of supplying all information needed to undertake a campaign, it will complement the other two parts of the whole (the previously released MONSTER MANUAL and the upcoming DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE) to provide the entirety of what will be ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (along with a greatly expanded version of GODS, DEMI-GODS & HEROES which will follow). The sheer bulk of this book may seem considerable (and it is, of course), but there are many things not included. These things (such as the details of the combat tables, for instance) are those parts of the game that rightly fall outside the realm of player reference, and thus are included instead in the more voluminous DUNGEON MASTERS GUIDE. As the author points out, this bit of the “unknown” outside of the players’ normal reach will make the game much more interesting and challenging. ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS is a game that is demanding for players and Dungeon Masters alike, but the rewards in terms of enjoyment are vast. There is nothing quite like a successful D&D campaign, and its success is based upon the efforts of all participants. The Dungeon Master is pivotal, of course, but the players are just as important, for they are the primary actors and actresses in the fascinating drama which unfolds before them. For that reason, their outlook and their conduct will greatly affect the flavor and tempo of the campaign. Accordingly, they should do their best to further the success of the entire undertaking. This is often no more than a matter of simple etiquette, and following a few simple guidelines will suffice to make the game experience more fun for everyone concerned, to wit: 1) Be an organized player; have the necessary information on your character readily at hand and available to the Dungeon Master. 2) Cooperate with the Dungeon Master and respect his decisions; if you disagree, present your viewpoint with deference to his position as game moderator. Be prepared to accept his decision as final and remember that not everything in the game will always go your way! 3) Cooperate with the other players and respect their right to participate. Encourage new and novice players by making suggestions and allowing them to make decisions on courses of action rather than dictating their responses. 4) If you are unable to participate in an adventure, give the other players and the DM some concrete guidelines if your character is going to be included in the adventuring group; be prepared to accept the consequences, good or bad, in any case. 5) Get in the spirit of the game, and use your persona to play with a special personality all its own. Interact with the other player characters and non-player characters to give the game campaign a unique flavor and “life”. Above all, let yourself go, and enjoy! Enough of the preliminaries — let’s get on with the game! Let’s see now, where did I stash away all those material components? . Mike Carr TSR Games & Rules Editor 2 June 1978 2 CONTENTS THE GAME ............................................................................................................................................................................................ 7 CREATING THE PLAYER CHARACTER ...................................................................................................................................................... 8 CHARACTER ABILITIES ........................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Strength ........................................................................................................................................................................................... 9 Intelligence ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 10 Wisdom ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 11 Dexterity ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 11 Constitution .................................................................................................................................................................................... 12 Charisma ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 13 CHARACTER RACES ................................................................................................................................................................... ……..13 Dwarves ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 15 Elves .............................................................................................................................................................................................. 16 Gnomes ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Half-Elves....................................................................................................................................................................................... 16 Halflings ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 17 Half-Orcs ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Humans ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 17 Racial Preferences .......................................................................................................................................................................... 18 CHARACTER CLASSES ........................................................................................................................................................................