Elven Level Titles

In for a penny in for a pound - as they say in my adopted country.

Halflings, dwarves and now I present my elves.

Level 1 - Elven Sprite
Level 2 - Elven Nymph
Level 3 - Scout
Level 4 - Treekeeper
Level 5 - Forester
Level 6 - Faerie
Level 7 - Seelie
Level 8 - Fae Hunter
Level 9 - Elven Lord


The general theme is one of a carefree flighty elf, taking on greater and greater responsibility.

Dwarven Level Titles

Following up from my last post here are some B/X Dwarven Level Titles.

Warhammer inspiration can't be denied.

Level 1 - Shield Bearer
Level 2 - Hammerer
Level 3 - Shortbeard
Level 4 - Stalwart
Level 5 - Master Dwarf
Level 6 - Shield Captain
Level 7 - Companion
Level 8 - Longbeard
Level 9 - Dwarven Lord


I wonder what Level Peter Jackson's dwarves are - very few longbeards from what we have seen.

Halfling Level Titles

I know I haven't been posting much recently - but I am reading from you all as much as always. Work pressure is high and actually word output / day is unchanged - just one I get paid for.

Anyway as some poor sop to you my loyal followers - who I am so really really pleased have allowed me to go up a level - check it out 80 followers - that makes me a Maven. Thank you one and all.

So, from my DM screen (see my Stuff in the links above and to the right) I wrote these level titles for B/X halflings. Basically because in B/X, apart from Level 8 Sheriff, they are all exactly the same as Fighter Level Titles except they have Halfling before the title eg Level 2 Halfling Warrior instead of Warrior.
This is very lame.

What I tried to do was capture the wander lust of halflings that gradually as the years go by, draws them back home to the 'Shire' (Trade Mark)

B/X Halfling Level Titles

Level 1 - Rambler
Level 2 - Tall Walker
Level 3 - Explorer
Level 4 - Tourist
Level 5 - Wanderer
Level 6 - Traipser
Level 7 - Homecomer
Level 8 - Sheriff


And if you wish to read Ark's Tale of the Halfling Gardener click on the image to see and read more about it:

And I just love this halfling from Kazuz (click image for more)!

Grudging respect for WOTC

I've been following this series by Rick Marshall of Oaths and Faiths.

It tells you a story of a group of gamers who made it big and were then able to rescue their most precious treasure, TSR,  from bankruptcy.

It's riveting reading. I think I even believe it.

Gary's source book on armor!

For many of you my discovery will be yawn, that's so last century.

But for an hour I felt like Indiana Jones, minus the physique, charm and rugged good looks. Okay, I felt like me, only excited.

While researching for another blog topic on armor and encumbrance I stumbled upon this paragraph in the DMG under Magic Armor.

I'll quote in full (DMG page 165)

"Note: If you are unfamiliar with medieval armor types, you might find Charles ffoulkes' ARMOUR AND WEAPONS (Oxford 1909) a short and useful text. The armor types I have selected are fitted into a game system. Here is what they subsume: LEATHER ARMOR is cuir bouli, consisting of coat, leggings, boots, and gauntlets. STUDDED LEATHER adds protective plates set in the leather and an extra layer of protection at shoulder area. RING MAIL is leather armor sewn with closely set iron rings. SCALE MAIL is a suit of leather armor set with small overlapping iron plates. CHAIN MAIL needs no explanation. BANDED MAIL is horizontal strips of articulated armor plates worn over a suit of chain mail. SPLINT MAIL is a coat of

vertical plates of armor sandwiched within the layers of the garment and worn over chain. PLATE MAIL is a set of pieces of plate (shoulder, breast, back, elbow, groin/hips legs) worn over chain mail. Plate armor is a late development and is not considered, i.e. the full suit of solid plate used c.1500 is not an armor type used, but the reader should be aware that this form of protection was lighter and more mobile than plate mail! It is also two or three times more costly . . ."

Did you notice armour spelt correctly, the only time in D&D history.

Sorry, distracted, that's not the discovery. The discovery was when I googled  Charles ffoulkes' ARMOUR AND WEAPONS (Oxford 1909) and found you can download a free pdf version thanks to microsoft.

That's the first time I've ever said that.

Anyway click here!

What a treasure trove. Have you ever thought that Gary's armor types don't match the other armor texts you have read, well here is his source and it's like holding an ancient D&D tome in your own hand.

Just start reading at the age of mail.

And you'll discover padded armor, leather, banded, scale, ringed, all there.

This picture shows many of the types.

Read this sentence, beginning page 16.

Figure 3 & 4 above:

"If it is intended to represent leather the trellice lines would

probably be  formed of thongs applied  on to the groundwork with metal studs riveted in the intervening spaces (Plate I)"

Is this the inspiration behind studded leather?

If that's not enough check out this image in the weapons section.

Recognise the style anyone?

I've added this post to Links to Wisdom if you lose it. A true Link to Wisdom, me thinks, from EGG himself.