B/X Overlays - Revisiting the Beastmaster

Tim Brannan had some nice things to say about The Complete B/X Adventurer the other day, specifically with regard to the beastmaster class it contains. Rereading the entry (it's been awhile since I've had reason to skim through the book myself) I found myself a bit disappointed at the way I chose to handle the concept, specifically the whole call/befriend/master mechanic (not to mention the learned languages...a throwback to the original inspiration found in Stephan Sechi's Compleat Adventurer book). It makes for a wordy class entry which is quite un-B/X, in my opinion.

The version of the class found in Five Ancient Kingdoms (an optional Hero subclass presented towards the end of Book 3) is a lot simpler, and much closer to what I wanted to model: a knock-off of the cult classic film, The Beastmaster. It's a movie that I find enjoyable to this day for all its sword & sorcery sensibilities. The class found in TCBXA is a bit too much of an homage to the Tarzan/Sheena feral-child-raised-to-be-lord-of-the-forest archetype. Which, when you think about it, doesn't make a whole helluva' lot of sense for a dungeon delving game. Those types are homebodies (protecting The Wild), not restless wanderers in search of adventure.

In considering rewriting the class (for my own amusement...I have no plans to alter TCBXA or issue a "2nd edition"), I hit upon a slightly different idea from doing the "one-more-new-class-for-B/X" thang: Class Overlays. Figured I'd share the idea with y'all.

A class overlay isn't a new class; instead, it's a set of conditions added to an existing class. Subclasses are a bit like this (at least, they were in the original D&D supplements). However, while a subclass is a set of conditions applied to a specific class (for example, ranger as a subclass of fighter), a class overlay is a set of conditions that can be applied to ANY class.

Dig it?

For example, a beastmaster is simply an individual who has a supernatural affinity with animals. There are many examples that don't resemble Marc Singer's oiled body: Radagast the Brown, St. Francis of Assisi, Dr. Doolittle, Voldemort, Mowgli, those kids from A Game of Thrones, Marko from Wizards & Warriors, some of MZB's Darkover characters (I know there are others I'm forgetting at the moment). These individual "beast masters" have a wide range of skills and attributes, and few of them are cut from the rough-and-tumble Tarzan mold. So rather than try to create a single class that encompasses the wide range of disparate examples, we just create a conditional class overlay that adjusts the existing character class.

"He senses danger, m'lord. Also, he wants a carrot."

[BTW: for my money, I'd probably only apply class overlays to HUMAN character classes in B/X; i.e. fighters, clerics, magic-users, and thieves. But if you want your dwarf to ride a giant mole or whatever, feel free to knock yourself out]

Below I've written up the conditions for the Beastmaster overlay. Other overlays I'd strongly consider for B/X would include Summoner (think pulp-style sorcerer), Witchhunter, Bard, and half-blood types (like Ogre/Giant or Elf). Yes, I am aware that most of these were classes I wrote-up for The Complete B/X Adventurer...I think they'd all work excellently in a variety of styles.

BEASTMASTER OVERLAY

"Beastmaster" is an overlay that can be applied to any human character class. Beastmasters have a natural affinity for, and deep rapport with animals, though this is limited to the vertebrate classes of mammals and birds (lower lifeforms...reptiles, amphibians, fish, insects, etc...are too primitive and/or alien for the human mind to touch). Communication with giant or prehistoric animals (smilodons, mammoths, cave bears, etc.) is possible; it is up to the DM to determine if a beast master's powers apply to magical or mythical animals (like a pegasus or griffon).

Beastmasters automatically understand, and are understood, by the animals in question. It is not necessary for the beastmaster to speak like an animal (hooting and howling); the animal simply understands what the beastmaster is saying. Beastmasters are thus able to interact with any animal encountered (normal reaction rolls apply, modified as necessary by charisma and circumstance). Beastmasters suffer a -2 reaction penalty when attempting to communicate with prehistoric animals.

A beastmaster may proposition an animal to join the character as a retainer/follower. The animal may not have more hit dice than the beastmaster (note: all B/X characters are limited to a maximum of nine hit dice). Animal followers count against the beast master's normal number of retainers, as determined by charisma. Animals whose hit dice exceed the beastmaster may still be friendly and offer temporary aid, as determined by a positive reaction roll.

Beginning at 4th level, a beastmaster may use a type of animal clairvoyance, limited to any animal retainer possessed. The beastmaster may utilize all the animal's senses, directing the creature telepathically, at a range of one mile per level of experience. There is no limit to the number of times an animal may be possessed and utilized in this way, but only one animal may be used at a time, and the beastmaster may take no other action when so engaged.

Conditions: a beastmaster loses all abilities when wearing armor of any kind ("scent of man") or carrying any type bow, crossbow, or sling ("the hunter's weapons"). Spell-casters may not learn or use magic that inflicts damage at range, nor any spell that manifests fire or lightning. Animal retainers will temporarily leave the beastmaster if the character uses forbidden equipment, and must test Loyalty (as per page B21) to see if they permanently leave the beast master's service.

DMs may OPTIONALLY choose to include cold-blooded beastmasters, whose powers only function on reptiles, amphibians, and fish/sharks. All conditions apply but, in addition, spell-casters may use neither cold nor water magic.

Just can't get enough, can you?

Back to the Caves of Chaos (Part III)

[continued from here]

In addition to feasting the PCs like heroes (which they were), and giving the party the promised sack of gold, the merchant's wife presented the adventurers with an additional gift...a magical dagger of exquisite manufacture, able to wound even enchanted creatures.

[yes, it was only a +1 dagger, but that didn't mean the players didn't want it...after all, if all weapons do D6 damage, that's going to be a tasty weapon.

By the way, early on in the session, Steve-o asked if he received some sort of bonus due to his equipment being made out of "the finest elvish steel." Besides breaking us all up, it became a bit of a running joke. "Is the goblin knife any good?" "Well, it's not forged from elvish steel..." Despite elvish steel not actually COUNTING for anything, it became a bit of a mark of PRESTIGE for those who owned it. And in a way, I think this made Steve even happy about having the least equipment of any other player...sure he had only chain mail, sword & dagger...but it was all made of ELVISH STEEL]

The party was unanimous in allowing Lando to take possession of the knife, since he was already using knife and buckler as his armament of choice (and, perhaps, because they were afraid Jaochim would simply throw it away if given to him). The merchant was willing to purchase the silver armband for a fair price, and the party split the profit three-ways. After that, the party was ready to go shopping.

At the blacksmith: "I have a really, um, large friend...do you have any armor that would fit someone that's like 7'6"? That chain tunic...can you 'let it out' a bit? My friend is really big..."

At the trader: "What's the biggest shield you've got? 15 gold pieces?! What's smaller? Okay...I'll take the door with the arm strap."

The trader was the real gouger of the bunch. The party was determined to purchase arms and equipment for the new men-at-arms, Gene and Bud. G&B had promised their services for a year, free-of-charge, if only the party would supply them with gear. But the Keep's trader, being "the only game in town," so-to-speak was determined to milk as much of the party's newfound wealth as possible with 50%+ price hikes.

It felt like I was running the playbook according to Hackmaster's advice to Dungeon Masters.

; )

They did get Gene and Bud outfitted, and while they weren't able to find any armor that would fit the gnoll...oh, yeah, I forgot to mention the gnoll's name was Witherdrool...they did pick up a large shield for the creature. Witherdrool was most pleased.

"Thank you, master," the monster hissed when he was presented with the shield.

Back to the Caves of Chaos...and once again back into the goblin caves. This time the party decided to break their own rule: "We're going to go RIGHT this time." The party decided that heading left and going back to the hobgoblin caves was unacceptable...the hobs were "too tough," and had put up too hard a fight. They figured the right-hand passage (where Thundarr and Caindong had met their doom) might prove to have easier critters worth fighting.

Maybe.

Although the party went right, they took the first left-hand passage that presented itself. A turn and a turn brought them to a familiar dead end...old blood stains spattered the walls and knotty piece of wood - a two-handed war club - lay discarded against the wall. The party was undeterred, however, and retraced their path back to the main passage.

The next chamber was a nest of goblins...half-a-dozen guardsmen were caught off guard as the adventurers charged in weapons swinging. Two goblins fell immediately before the adventurers' blades, although Reed went down beneath a thrust spear, and the goblins broke and ran. Two fled through the opposite exit, and Joachim wasted no time in sending Witherdrool after them. "Go get 'em!"

"Yes, master..."

The final two goblins turned to what appeared to be a stone wall ("A secret door!" shouted the players) and started pounding on it, yelling "Invaders! Invaders!" The adventurers stepped forward and cut them down from behind, Joachim and Lando dealing the death blows.

"Well, that was easy..."

A grinding noise announced the opening of the "secret door" (really a boulder that had been pushed across an opening of the cave). The adventurers braced for anything, but otherwise took no action as they waited in anticipation of what was about to push through the newly-opened cave mouth.

An f'ing ogre.

Joachim, bloodied sword in hand was directly in front of the creature. "Can I try to talk to it?" Do you know ogre? "No." Checking Reaction, I rolled a 3...the ogre was in no mood to talk. "F*** it...we attack."

Only the witch-hunter was able to find the ogre with his enchanted dagger. With a roar the ogre lashed out, pulverizing rib and organ and knocking him across the chamber in a heap. I handed over Gene and Bud to AB for control (oh, forgot to mention earlier: Lara the elf abandoned the party after they had failed to give her a share of the treasure from their last expedition. "Well it's not like she did anything anyway...").

The elf cut into the behemoth with his fine elvish steel...and the ogre bought down his club, crushing the life from the elf. AB handed Steve-O the use of "Bud."

I know I haven't mentioned Hensvik in awhile but the dwarf was involved the entire time...he just completely failed to hit anything at all. About the 3rd round of combat, though, he was able to land a telling blow on the ogre...and draw the ire of the monster...WHAM!

Hensvik was not felled by the blow...but the creature's follow-up back-hand in the next round claimed his life.

Meanwhile Gene and Bud were laying into the creature desperately...Gene was the next one to fall, mangled and bloody. Alone, out-gunned, but not un-manned, Bud managed to deliver one more stab to the ogre for 1 point of damage...enough to drop the monster, finally.

Does it count as a TPK, if there's still an NPC man-at-arms left?

***EDIT: Just realized that this IS my post #666. I suppose it's fitting that it details the "Beast" that got the party's "Number!"***

Barbarians & Fighters (yeah, this again)

AKA Making Your Game More Fiddly
AKA The Great Hit Point Debate


Boy, I sure do blog a lot about barbarians for a guy who (historically speaking) hasn’t liked ‘em, hasn’t used ‘em, and haven’t played ‘em. I am sorry for grinding the same axe AGAIN but I keep going back and forth on the subject in my head. And now that I’m working on my book, I once again find myself looking at the subject and flipping back into the category of “barbarians need their own class.”

Ugh! The problem really is a two-fold one.

Problema Numero Uno: Give the fighters their due.

Fighters in B/X play have a limited number of advantages. They can use any weapon and armor. They use D8s for hit dice. Their attack chance and saves progress faster than other classes. They go to level 36. At high levels, they may make multiple attacks.

Barbarians (who would also be human and so should ALSO go to level 36 for the sake of design consistency) have historically owned the abilities of fighters PLUS possessed other additional advantages. This was balanced out by giving fighters additional abilities (weapon specialization in AD&D, bonus feats in D20) or by making pre requisite restrictions and slower advancement (AD&D only).

Now requisite restriction and slow advancement is a 0 incentive to play a fighter over a barbarian. Leaving aside the fact that many people aren’t running long term campaigns anyway (one-shots and pre-gens for limited sessions has been all I’ve seen), at the higher levels, the rate of advancement tends to even out anyway. And pre-reqs can always be fudged (“just roll until you’ve got ability scores you want to play”).

As for ADDING special abilities to the fighter: no. Flat no. A fighter fights…those are his abilities and advantages. I’m not going to institute a whole class or feat or weapon proficiency system into B/X JUST SO THE FIGHTER DOESN’T SUCK IN COMPARISON TO THE BARBARIAN. That’s f’ing ridiculous. Jesus!

Anyway that’s #1.

Problema Numero Dos: Friggin’ Howard and Leiber.

Nevermind the imitators (including James Silke’s literary version of Frazetta’s Death Dealer). Robert Howard and Fritz Leiber created two extremely noteworthy “barbarians;” each one exceptionally worthy of “adventurer status” in any D&D game. Hell, they’re practically the archetype adventurers.

Conan and Fafhrd

While both Conan and Fafhrd have the trademarks of standard fighting men, they share several abilities that are NOT standard to the D&D fighter class.

- Heightened senses, generally attributed to a non-civilized upbringing
- Climbing ability (again learned in the wilds) that translates directly to action unobtainable by lesser men…Mouser can match Fafhrd but he is, after all, the archetypal thief
- An ability to track and sense direction in the wilderness
- An ability to move faster and/or with more stealth than “civilized men”

Other abilities…such as their robust stamina, great strength, and catlike reflexes I attribute to normal ability scores and character advancement. Obviously these guys have a high Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution, as well as a good number of hit points and several levels of fighting ability. These things don’t have to be modeled in a barbarian class, per se. They’re already modeled in the game (Howard and Leiber just “rolled up” exceptional characters). But the other abilities are new and would appear to need modeling.

That’s problem #2.

See the conflict? The “heroic barbarian” archetype of literature requires a few “extras” that distinguish it from the typical human fighting man. However, stacking those “extras” on top of a fighter’s ability fails to give the fighter his due…it upstages him, over-shadows him. Why would anyone want a fighter when they could play a badass barbarian instead?

So it comes to this…basically, I am working on my 3rd (4th? Maybe…) attempt at creating a B/X Barbarian. Maybe I should leave well enough alone, but so far I’ve been un-satisfied with the results of…well, with all my prior attempts to date. Here’s what I’m considering:

A) Barbarians are a Class (i.e. classification) of humans…like fighters, clerics, and thieves. As an ambitious, adaptable human, barbarians may reach 36th level (so no, no knock-offs of the dwarf or halfling class).

B) Barbarians have the same ability scores (Strength, Intelligence, Constitution) as any other adventuring class and there are no pre-set restrictions (for example, barbarians don’t have to be illiterate unless they have a low Intelligence…like any other class). Like all B/X classes, they have one or two Prime Requisites; they also have minimal requirements to choose the class (probably Constitution 9). You can have scrawny, malnourished barbarians or fat and clumsy barbarians.

C) Barbarians are NOT fighters: they have some additional abilities not available to the standard fighting man.

D) Barbarians are NOT fighters (redux); fighters fight and are the best at it over the long haul.


For the most part this early stab (or maybe I should say “axe swing”) at the class was…well, it was okay. The problem I have with it is over the long haul the barbarian’s hit points (D6 up to level 9, +3 hps per level after Name level) far outstrip any other class, including the fighter.

Recall my perspective on hit points? An abstract measure of how much DAMAGE a character can absorb…not just physical punishment, but combat prowess, endurance, luck, and canny fighting ability?

It appears to me that fighters and monsters (including, yes, the beastmaster) should own this category. At least over time.

But at low levels? Well, the young barbarian is a fairly fit and robust specimen of human, able to give any low-level fighter a run for his (or her) money. At the higher levels, yes, the fighter has “seen it all” and the canny vet knows the best way to spit the charging bull before he himself feels the axe bite. But that’s in the future…when the barbarian’s harsh lifestyle starts catching up with him (the savage life is nothing if not short and brutish).

Here’s what I’m thinking:

Barbarians roll D10 for hit dice up to 9th level, and then add +1 hit point per level thereafter. All other things being comparable, the barbarian will have better hit points than any other class up to level 17, equaled by fighters at 18, and surpassed by fighters at 19. Master thieves will equal their hit point average at level 36 (only) and clerics and magic-users will never come close.

Heck, it’s even reminiscent of AD&D and D20…where barbarian hit dice are one class up from fighters (D8 to D10, though, as opposed to D10 to D12). The difference is that HERE the pure fighter will grow to out-class the brute over the long haul.

Damn that arthritis from sleeping outdoors!

[having said all THAT, I am thinking of upping the Beastmaster hit point bonus from +2 to +3 per level after 9th. Why? Well, remember that the beastmaster uses D8 hit dice just like any other B/X monster…I don’t really want to up the hit dice type. On the same hand, Tarzan-ish beastmasters don’t wear armor…the hit points, representing his (or her) innate toughness and grace in combat is the beastmaster’s MAIN DEFENSE…and they are hand-to-hand combatants for the most part (Prime Requisite: Strength). Unlike a barbarian, I don’t think there’s any chance of a beastmaster out-classing a high level fighter, given the latter’s superior defenses and multiple attacks…in the end the beastmaster is, for all practical purposes, another humanoid monster to be put down by the fighter’s axe and blade]

B/X Beastmaster

This new character class is based on the Stephan Michael Sechi fantasy RPG supplement, The Compleat Adventurer. See these previous posts for more info.

BEASTMASTER

Level.....Title.....Experience Points.....Hit Dice

1.....Wildling.....0.....1D8

2.....Savage.....2200.....2D8

3.....Gangrel.....4400.....3D8

4.....Feral Hero.....8800.....4D8

5.....Beast Heart.....17,000.....5D8

6.....Wild Brother/Sister.....34,000.....6D8

7.....Wild Guardian.....68,000.....7D8

8.....Wild Champion.....130,000.....8D8

9.....Wild Lord.....260,000.....9D8

10.....10th level Wild Lord.....390,000.....9D8+2*

11.....11th level Wild Lord.....520,000.....9D8+4*

12.....12th level Wild Lord.....650,000.....9D8+6*

13.....13th level Wild Lord.....780,000.....9D8+8*

14.....14th level Wild Lord.....910,000.....9D8+10*

*Constitution bonuses no longer apply.

Beastmasters are individuals with a special affinity with the natural world and beasts in particular, and all have the ability to communicate, influence, and even control many types of animal. Some beastmasters acquire these abilities by chance, being lost or abandoned in the wilds and learning the ways of the natural world. Many, however, are trained by another beastmaster, for it is the way of these individuals to pass their lore down to their offspring, father to son and mother to daughter.

The Prime Requisite of beastmasters is Strength, something nature knows and respects. Beastmasters with a 13-15 in Strength gain a +5% bonus to earned experience; those with a Strength of 16+ gain a +10% bonus. Characters must have a minimum score of 9 in both Constitution and Charisma to be a beastmaster.

RESTRICTIONS: Beastmasters use eight-sided dice (d8) to determine their hit points. Beastmasters shun the trappings of civilization and will not wear man-made armor, nor use shields. Similarly, they will only use the most primitive of weapons: spears, clubs, daggers, and short bows; any such item is assumed to have been manufactured by the beastmaster himself. When rolling for starting gold, a beastmaster character multiplies the roll of 3D6 by 5, not by 10. Beastmasters may achieve a maximum of 36th level of experience. They use the Monster Attacks matrix for combat as a creature of their same hit dice (for example, an 11th level character attacks as a 9+ hit dice monster). The use the same saving throw table as clerics. Beastmasters may use any magic item not restricted to a specific class.

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Beastmasters have exceptional senses and are only surprised on a roll of a "1," not a 1-2. They hear noise like a thief of the same level. In the outdoors ONLY, beastmasters can move silently or hide in cover (equivalent of "shadows") as a thief of the same level. Beastmasters that manufacture their own weapons have a +1 to hit and damage with their weapons (though the weapons are not "magical"). They can also manufacture armor from the skins and hides of slain animals; the armor class of these pelts is the same as the original animal -1 (for example, hide armor from a grizzly bear would be AC 7, one point worse than a grizzly's natural AC). All hide armors are considered to be the same bulk as leather armor (movement rate of 90'). When foraging in the wild (see page X51 of the Expert set), Beastmasters can locate food with a 4 in 6 chance instead of a 1 in 6, and beastmasters have the ability to identify and interpret any animal tracks they find. On land, beastmasters are only ever lost on a roll of "1" in any terrain type (the normal chance of getting lost applies at sea).

The beastmaster's main ability is his rapport with animals and ability to communicate with the same. There are 12 different animal languages a beastmaster can learn (the player and DM may invent others as necessary); they are:

• Avian (the language of birds, bats, and flying creatures)
• Canine (the language of dogs, wolves, coyotes, etc.)
• Elephantine (the language of elephants and their kin)
• Feline (the language of cats, lions, tigers, etc.)
• Mustelid (the language of weasels, badgers, wolverines, ferrets, etc.)
• Piscean (the language of fish, whales, and creatures of the sea)
• Rodent (the language of rats, squirrels, mice, etc. as well as rabbits)
• Saurian (the language of lizards and amphibians)
• Simian (the language of the apes, monkeys, and ape-like creatures)
• Ungulate (the language "toed" or hooved herbivores, including camel, deer, cattle, giraffe, horses, pigs, rhinos, goats, hippos, etc.)
• Ursine (the language of bears and their prehistoric kin)
• Optional: Ancient Beast (the language of dragons and mythical beasts)

The beastmaster character knows two languages at 1st level; he or she may also spend bonus languages from a high Intelligence score to know additional languages. For every two levels of experience beastmasters gain, they may learn an additional language (so +1 language at levels 3rd, 5th, 7th, etc.). If the Ancient Beast language is allowed, it is suggested that it be restricted to characters of at least Name (9th) level and higher.

Being able to communicate with animals can be useful in and of itself, and beastmasters always gain a +1 to reaction rolls when communicating with animals (in addition to their normal Charisma bonus). The ability to speak an animal's language also gives the beastmaster the ability to use three different abilities: Call, Befriend, and Master.

Calling an animal can only be done outdoors, and the DM must determine if a particular type of animal is present. By crying out in the animal's language, the beastmaster can summon any desired (and present) animal within a 1 mile radius. The hit dice of the animal summoned cannot exceed 2x the level of the beastmaster; multiple animals of the same type may be summoned as long as they do not exceed this hit dice limit. The animal will arrive in 1D10 rounds. Intelligent or magical beasts may resist the call with a save versus spells.

Befriending an animal requires the beastmaster to actually speak with the creature in person. The creature (or creatures) cannot have hit dice exceeding 2x the beastmaster's level. Make a standard reaction roll (including the beastmaster's +1 bonus and any Charisma bonus). On a successful roll (9+) the animal will agree to serve the beastmaster for 24 hours, acting to the best of its ability. An animal with hit dice less than or equal to the beastmaster may be automatically befriended without a reaction roll.

Mastering is making a beast the equivalent of a permanent retainer. The beastmaster must be able to speak with the creature and the beast cannot have total hit dice greater than the beastmaster's level. Make a standard Retainer Reaction check (see page B21 of the Basic set) adding the beastmaster's +1 bonus and Charisma modifier (if any). If successful, the beast becomes a permanent and loyal retainer of the character. The total number of mastered animals a beastmaster can possess is determined by his or her Charisma score; a mastered animal can be released from service and will remain friendly, but can never again be mastered by that particular beastmaster.

Beastmasters never have normal hirelings or retainers and never build strongholds. A beastmaster that reaches 9th level (Wild Lord) may claim a particular stretch of wilderness as his domain that he guards and protects. This can be a forest, a mountain, an island or any area that he can travel the length of in a single day and night. All beasts within this protectorate know and respect the beastmaster and the Wild Lord may automatically befriend any animal in the area (no roll) whose hit dice do not exceed 2x his or her level.

A Barbarian Alternative

Of course, I realize AFTER posting my barbarian rant I realized I had already posted my own B/X version of the barbarian. Obviously, Blogging & Beer don’t always mix.

Well, in defense of my reverse stance on barbarians, I will say that PREVIOUSLY I was caught up “in the moment” when everyone was high on Pat’s excellent B/X Sword & Sorcery mix. However, even in B/X there’s very little reason to have a barbarian “class.” For reasons already cited, I feel that “barbaric” is a descriptive term that is easily applied to any of the original archetypal classes, and a barbaric fighter makes a fine “barbarian.”

That being said, the REAL REASON for my barbarian rant was as prelude to THIS post wherein I give an alternative class that, while perhaps non-archetypal, doesn’t seem to fit anywhere else.

The Beastmaster.

Now I’m sure plenty of you are rolling your eyes and recalling Marc Singer’s bronzed perfection and vapid/obtuse face from the 1982 film, but give me a moment or two to make my case.

Yes, I too have seen the (TBS Beloved) film about a hundred times on television, and Singer makes me wince a way Schwarzenegger never did (at least in the original Conan the Barbarian). But the story is pure fantasy…there’s no “real world” equivalent of the places or cultures in the film and the thing could easily be translated as a straight D&D adventure (with about as much “story” as usually comes from such adventures; i.e. not much), including the “dungeon setting” (temple) that the title character has to navigate towards the end of the movie.

Characters that communicate with beasts and birds…and who use those alliances to overcome obstacles…are nothing new in fantasy literature or film. Tarzan is, of course, the ultimate “beast master” character, and Sheena: Queen of the Jungle is his female counterpart. But other characters with animal buddies can act as inspirations for a beast master character from Kipling’s Mowgli to James Silk’s version of Frazetta’s Death Dealer.

Would Disney’s Cinderella or Snow White be considered beast masters? Quite possibly…and it doesn’t get much more fairy tale than that.

Unlike the barbarian, there’s really no archetypal equivalent of the beastmaster in D&D as written. Hmm, I may need to elaborate a bit so you folks know exactly where I’m coming from.

BY CONTRAST:

The “barbarian” ALREADY has an archetype in D&D. It is called The Fighter. Not true, say some, the barbarian class of AD&D provides better hit points, freebie bonuses, class restrictions, and a number of “skills,” none of which are possessed by the fighter class. HOWEVER:

- Inflating hit dice or additional ability bonuses are not a “change of archetype.” They’re simply “grade inflation.” If you want every barbarian to have a huge number of hit points & cat-like grace say “your fighter needs a DEX and CON of 13+ (or 16+) to be considered a barbarian.”

- Class restrictions are artificial impositions that can be placed on any character class by any player. The DM can say, “To be considered a true ‘barbarian,’ you may not wear armor heavier than X.” Alternatively, the DM could say, “To be considered a true ‘barbarian,’ you may not start with more than X gold at 1^st level.”

- Skills? Skills?! This is D&D, not D20! Characters have ability scores, and per B/X, ANY character can try to climb a rough, rock wall with an ability check. If you want to climb a sheer surface, play a thief. It’s not like there are giant sheets of marble for ‘barbarians’ to practice on “in the wild.” Don’t be ridiculous.

[by the way, the same thing goes double for the Cavalier class. There is already a cavalier archetype in D&D. It is called The Fighter. Write your OWN “Code,” folks!]

That being said, there’s NO equivalent of the beast master, despite the character’s presence in fantasy fiction. Yes, a high level cleric can “speak with animals”…but a beast master is NOT a cleric. They’re usually scantily armored (hello, Marc Singer!). They don’t have any truck with the undead. They don’t “pray” or “worship” (most appear to be fairly animistic if anything). Often, they use edged weapons (knives and spears). They aren’t granted other spells by a deity.

But really it IS the communication with animals that truly sets the beast master apart from other characters. The beast master doesn’t cast study or cast spells; hell, they can get by being illiterate pretty easily. But the ability to speak with animals AT WILL, and be listened to and gain the trust and friendship of animals…now that really is a special attribute of the beast master “class” that is unavailable to any other class.

So now we really come down to it: what the hell got me thinking about the beast master in the first place? Well, the Compleat Adventurer, of course. Of all the character classes in the book it is, interestingly enough, the beastmaster class that I’ve always remembered (its presence and its accompanying illustration) all these years. While we never had a “beast master” back in our old campaign, this is the kind of character that WOULD HAVE fit right in with the house-ruled weirdness we did have!

Not that I’m totally satisfied with the beastmaster class as written in the CA. It’s a little too convoluted and “record-keepy” for my taste; though it would be about on par with your standard AD&D character class (no more than, say, the assassin or monk). But AD&D, while definitely my “first love” in RPGs, is a game I’m no longer interested in playing, and so I’ll have to do some condensing and tightening to make it fit for my preferred B/X play.

Hmmm…level titles will be tricky. I don’t want to get stuck with terms like “man-cub” or “monkey boy.” I suppose I should read Burroughs to get some more flattering ideas for a beastmaster character class.

; )