The Class Name "Fighting-Man" and Dune...

Dungeons and Dragons originally used the term "Fighting-man" for the adventuring warrior character class. In later editions it was changed to "Fighter," presumably in order to resolve the matter of female characters who were "Fighting-Men."

I've seen a lot of scorn heaped upon the term Fighting-Man, which is usually roundly mocked and snickered at. I'm presuming those who denigrate the term are unfamiliar with the source literature...

I'm sure many of us internet-OSR types have made the same pilgrimage, but a few years ago I made a point of reading as many books from the AD&D DMG "Appendix N" as I could get my hands on. This was greatly facilitated by an excellent local bookstore, Pulp Fiction Books, which I highly recommend.

In this literature the term "fighting-man" is used almost universally to designate soldiers, warriors, mercenaries, etc. "He had the cold eyes and savage scars that marked him as an experienced fighting-man," "We have fifty fighting-men available Lord Tyrant, with ten-score arrived on the morrow!"

Frank Herbert's Dune uses the term "Fighting-Man"...

Some say the appellation Fighting-Man is clunky, and crude. I say it's a rough word for a rough job. And honestly, I've always found the name "Fighter" to be kind of stupid, and far more dumb-sounding than Fighting-Man whenever I thought about it. I preferred "Warrior."

I presume the clunky issue was the reasoning for changing "Magic-User" to "Mage" and than "Wizard." I used to be down with Mage, nowadays I'm all about calling them "Sorcerers." A much more cool name that is far more evocative of the source literature that influences my campaign.

Some, rightfully so, point out the issue of female characters. It seems obvious to me, in my old age, that using the name "Fighting-Woman," or even "Amazon," "Valkyrie," "Shield Maiden," "Sword Bride," "Knightrix" or whatever else seems appropriate and acceptable to the player and DM. This strikes me as the sort of thing that, if he was questioned about, it would get the late Mr. Gygax to tut-tut about how the rules were never meant to be followed to the letter and so forth.

So when I started my old-school AD&D campaign, Fighters became Fighting-Men and Magic-Users were relabeled Sorcerers. And I love it. However, if someone prefers to use the term Fighter instead due to concerns about gender bias and so forth, I can understand and sympathize with their position.

Chapter 11, Part 3: "The Mighty Hunter..."

Buzz Brazelhach - Rowdy, Hearty and Lusty Australian Adventurer
Corporal Radar O' Reiley - Earth Man Rocketship-Soldier, Former Crewmate of Moon Martin
Dickie Dee - Bone Man Intoxicant Addict and Sorcerer
Jedediah - 1850s' Nevada Alien Abductee, Cousin of Thibodeaux
Kalervo - Cactoid
Monster Monagin - Earth Man Fightin' Sailor
Moon Martin - Grating Earth Man Psychic, Former Crewmate of Radar O'Reiley
Nigel Nightbringer - British Man-at-Arms
Rodan the Scrounger - Zermish (Green) Man Fighting-Man and Scavenger
Thibodeaux - 1850s' Nevada Alien Abductee, Cousin of Jedediah
Xarnagan Vrokk - Haasht Man Fighting-Sage
and Vrroomish - Tikalg Man Dandy and Adventurer

Part I Here, Part II Here, Part IV Here.

The dim viridian glow of a few chemical torches scattered about the cavern illuminate the tableaux of Buzz Brazelhach loudly abusing Moon Martin with word and boot as the psychic wakes. The others rush and restrain Buzz, aside from Dickie Dee who begins fiercely interrogating the Earth Man Mind Wizard.

Moon Martin grovels and wheedles as his belongings are searched. As well as the bulky laser rifle and an automatic, he also possesses two revolvers and a suit of advanced metal armor that is folded up and stored in his baggage. The suit of advanced metal armor is given to the cactus-warrior. Composed of thin, light plates of high molecular density alloys over a body suit of flexible alloy mesh, it protects as well as a plate-and-mail harness without slowing or unduly encumbering the wearer.

Dickie Dee continues questioning and bargaining with Moon Martin, who negotiates with a grating, whining voice. Somehow he ends up only parting with the armor, and the party goes back to their respective bedding.

Several days pass as the companions travel through the rugged Bornite Mountains. Fortunately thay have already traveled this route twice and now know the lay of the land well enough to avoid hazards and avoid getting lost. Finally they descend from the mountains to the Rust Desert, in the vicinity of the Bronze Dome of the Desert. As the party travels southwards on their ornith steeds, a strange animals is spotted ahead.

It looks like a smaller, skinny camel, but with a sinuous, elongated snout like that of an elephants if reduced in scale. The creature seems oblivious to the apprehensive party but Dickie Dee rides ahead and fires of a round of gamma radiation blasts with his new raygun. The beams of invisible radiation miss, understandably so when the Bone Man's complete lack of experience or training with energy weapons is considered. The creature raises it's snout, which weaves like a cobra and seems to be pointed at Dickie Dee.

The party makes a wide detour around the animal, which is apparently slower than the orniths, but after circumnavigating it Dickie Dee calls a halt before he and Moon Martin draw their energy guns and begin firing at the approaching creature.

While Dickie's invisible blasts seems to keep missing, Moon Martin is completely inept with his bulky laser rifle and shatters rust and rocks into lava.

As the rest of the party, including Moon Martin retreat, the creature's trunk continue to train on the Bone Man Sorcerer as it trots forward. Suddenly a small section of flank flashes green before dissolving a flank, Dickie Dee finally strikes with a grazing blast.

As the creature whinnies and flees in the opposite direction the Bone Man's next shot drives a swath of green light through it's body before the glowing section dissolves into a circular hole full of blood, innards and ash.

The party soon arrives at Jakay where Dickie Dee takes leave in order to conclude some secretive business, although he takes his old friend Monster Monagin and his new acquaintance Jedediah in order to have fighting-men with him.

They go to the Bronze Engine where Vrroomish talks with the proprietor briefly before they are informed that their lodging, food and beverages are on the house as long as they need, courtesy of the grateful Vrroomish who joins the party in a night of carousing. As the companions dine on massive slabs of grilled stegosaur, imbibe liquor, smoke green cigars and puff on water pipes, they also count their haul from their sundry adventures in the past considerable span of time. As it turns out, they have quite a haul of crystals, gems and coin to divide amongst themselves!

Chapter 11, Part 2: "Vengeance Upon the Bird-Things!"

Albino Bird-Thing illustration by Lester/B. Portly

Dickie Dee - Bone Man Intoxicant Addict and Sorcerer
Jedediah - 1850s' Nevada Alien Abductee, Cousin of Thibodeaux
Kalervo - Cactoid
Nigel Nightbringer - British Man-at-Arms
Thibodeaux - 1850s' Nevada Alien Abductee, Cousin of Jedediah
Xarnagan Vrokk - Haasht Man Fighting-Sage

Part I Here, Part III Here, Part IV Here.

The party secures their ornith mounts behind the ridge and wait for nightfall before descending the steep path to the ledge of the bird-things. They make their way to the tunnel entrances without any sign of the albino avian humanoids, and in hushed tones decide to proceed down the nearest tunnel with eyes wide open and weapons drawn.

The flickering green light of a chemical torch reveals three of the bird-men lurking within the tunnel. With cawing cries that sound like "Doom! Doom!" they charge the party with their cruel hand-talons upraised.

The fighting men in the front line hold fast and trade blow for blow with the foul beings; however those in the back rank, whom are outside the tunnel on the ledge, see two other similarly-sized groups erupt from tunnels further down the ledge and come hopping and cawing towards them.

Dickie Dee calmly tells the party to hold the line and Nigel Nightbreaker readies his halberd for a charge before he is engulfed by one of the small flocks of bird-things. The fighting-men (and one cactoid) in the tunnel strike down two of their foes leaving only a sole bird-man to engage them, although they bear many bloody wounds.

As talons shred flesh and steel strikes feathers Dickie Dee calmly chants an incantation and all but one of the remaining bird-things fall into a deep slumber. As the remaining feathered foe is dispatched and others dash about the ledge slitting bird-throats and crushing bird-skulls, two more manlike forms are spotted descending the trail to the ledge.

As the party again raises their weapons and prepares to kill, the starlight reveals the features of Rodan the Scrounger with a strange Earth Man who is wearing spectacles and a red leather jacket, has blond hair cut in an awkward bowl cut, and bears a bulky laser rifle slung on his back and a Colt Model 1911 automatic pistol on his hip.

Rodan explains that he roused himself out of his gin binge and resolved to aid the party with the recovery of their fallen comrades, enlisting the aid of the strange Earth Man, Moon Martin, a psychic whom he met in the Bronze Engine tavern in Jakay. In a whining, grating, nasal voice Moon Martin introduces himself and tries to sell an Earth Man revolver he has inside his jacket.

The party, however, has more pressing concerns, and resumes a defensive formation before plunging into the tunnels of the bird-men (examination of the bodies by Xarnagan the Sage reveals that they are actually bird-women and bird-children, a fact which does not bother the callous adventurers). They soon find the center of the lair...a large cavern littered with clean-pecked bones. By the scattered weapons, remaining armor, and shreds of clothing the fallen party members are identified.

As Buzz Brazelhatch, the Australian lout and pleasure seeker, had assumed the position of party leader, the decision is made to attempt to resurrect him first. Rodan applies the Eye of Bestowing Life to the corpse and Buzz is immediately whole, hearty and hale. Next Monster Monagin, recognizable by his body-suit of tough, flexible mesh armor, and Corporal Radar O'Reiley are raised.

Radar O'Reiley is amazed to be alive and even more amazed when he realizes that his metal nose, a prosthesis to replace the one eaten by savage baboons, is missing and that he has a normal, fleshy nose instead. One of the benefits of being rebuilt from scraps of decaying matter by the Eye of Bestowing Life! Radar recognizes Moon Martin as a fellow crewman from the Scout Rocket Alpha, which crashed on Algol after a disastrous expedition in which he lost his nose.

The party debates bringing Kal-Mor the Hyperborean Assassin back to the living, but both his vicious racist attitudes towards Earth Men and his stupidity in fleeing into the unexplored tunnel to be ripped apart by bird-women & -children tips the scales and his remains are left to further rot after being looted of valuables.

As the party debates who should have Kal-Mor's Ring of Protection, Moon Martin interjects. With his eyes radiating some strange mesmerizing power he explains that the party would be best served by him possessing the ring. Buzz and Dickie Dee are inexplicably swayed and present Moon Martin with the magic ring.

Dickie Dee then states that the party should also raise Vrroomish the Tikalg Adventuring Dandy and Hobab the Mountain Guide and Party Scapegoat. Cries of outrage burst from the party when raising Hobab is suggested, and Dickie sees the logic in their arguments. However, even with the remaining charges in the Eye of Bestowing Life dwindling, the companions recall Vrroomish's gallant last stand while the party was fleeing, and the downy, gray Tikalg Man is brought back to the living.

Vrroomish opens his eyes and makes a sardonic comment about this unexpected turn of events before his eyes light on Buzz Brazelhatch. With a cry of joy he jumps to his feet and rushes to embrace Buzz before thanking the party for restoring him to life. He does make a pithy comment when it is revealed that Thragg the Skyman has his needler-pistol, but takes it in stride.

Meanwhile Rodan the Scrounger is searching the chamber and makes a satisfied grunt when he finds a glimmering bronze battle axe next to a pile of rubbery bones....the magic axe of the Vat-Men! Xarnagan is able to identify it with his sagely lore and reveals that it possesses two valience shells...a worthy find! As Radar O' Reiley is skilled with axe-fighting he is presenting with the trophy.

The party decides to make camp in the bird-thing cavern for the night. As Buzz is about to fall asleep he realizes his folly in letting Moon Martin have Kal-Mor's magic ring. In a rage he throws off his blanket and storms over to the psychic Earth Man, rousing him with several swift kicks to the ribs...

Should Players Know Their Character's Saving Throws?

One subject that has popped up while discussing the Planet Algol Character Sheet (that new campaign participant Lester is designing) is the subject of saving throws.

In the past, when a player has been using an actual D&D character sheet instead of a piece of paper, the question of "What are my saving throws?" has come up when they get to the appropriate section.

My response, "You don't know your saving throws." My reasoning being: they are listed in the Dungeon Master's Guide for a reason. Not knowing them helps keep "the Wizard of Oz behind the curtain"; and it keeps the players from playing the probability game with their actions.

In 3.5 and especially 4E I had had it with the probability calculations, especially in 4E where you basically have to track numbers in order to have a chance of succeeding. (Note that as a 3.5/4E player I was a terrible abuser of meta-game calculating probabilities.)

Same goes with the "To Hit/THACO" sections of the character sheet "You don't need to know, just tell me what you roll.."

Part of this approach on my end is to make the world more chaotic and mysterious and to hide the mathematical workings of the game from the players. Knowledge of the numbers can contaminate your choice of actions, one example being that as a DM I don't like knowing a player character's current Hit Point total. I find myself pulling my punches knowing that a beloved character is almost dead. Although that is a weakness on my end, with my current "let the dice fall where they may and may the lucky and smart survive" philosophy, I don't want to know your current hit point total. It's a nice reversal of roles when the DM is the one surprised when a character dies!

So any of you that are old-school DMs, players, or just have an opinion on the subject: should players know their character's saving throws, THAC0, etc.?

Chapter 11, Part 1: "Arcothere!"

Dickie Dee - Bone Man Intoxicant Addict and Sorcerer
Jedediah - 1850s' Nevada Alien Abductee, Cousin of Thibodeaux
Kalervo - Cactoid
Nigel Nightbringer - British Man-at-Arms
Ter'lec - Dhazzhi Man Sorcerer
Thibodeaux - 1850s' Nevada Alien Abductee, Cousin of Jedediah
Xarnagan Vrokk - Haasht Man Fighting-Sage

Part II Here, Part III Here, Part IV Here.

While the two Zermishmen, Rodan the Scrounger and Thragg the Skyman, go on a deep gin binge in the lounge of the Bronze Engine, the other survivors of the disastrous expedition into the Forbidden Mist Valley debate their next move in the guest quarters of the Tower of Turquoise and Copper.

Xarnagan pushes for a expedition to the deposit of Prismatic Ore the party previously discovered in the Prismatic Waste in order to mine the rare, valuable element and sell it. He produces a chest packed full of mining tools and supplies and a manifest of it's contents, claiming he has everything needed for a simple mining expedition.

Dickie Dee instead argues that they should return to the pastel chalk cliffs to the tunnels of the bird-men and recover the remains of their slaughtered companions for resurrection with Rodan the Scrounger's Eye of Bestowing Life. When it is pointed out that Rodan is far too sodden with gin to participate in such an effort Dickie counters that all they need are scraps of their companions bodies for the Eye to work it's sorcery.

The party resolves to make some attempt to recover the remains (and lost magic items) from the Bornite Mountains, and head to the bazaar where Dickie Dee promptly buys the sole item of note: a large, tubular, finned gold-and-coppery orichalcum Gamma Radiation Beam Pistol with a large aperture and already loaded with a radiation crystal, an artifact of the Ancients that costs a tidy sum of gold credits.

They also recruit more adventurer's for their expedition: Ter'lec, a Dhazzi Man Sorcerer in star-patterned robe and conical hat, with a mellow disposition; two Earth Man cousins, Jedediah and Thibodeaux from 1850s Utah before they were abducted by aliens; and a reunion with their lost British Beefeater companion, Nigel Nightbringer, who was separated from the party and presumed lost in the Forbidden Mist Valley weeks ago.

They party sets out and retraces their path through the Rust Desert and the Bornite Mountains. They make good time on their ornith steeds, although they have to dismount once they start climbing the mountains, and make camp near the summit of a peak.

In the middle of the Night the two Sorcerers, Dickie Dee and Ter'lec, examine the variety of intoxicants on display, the Bone Man's private stash. While they contemplate some dabbling, they hear bellowing and look up to see an arcothere (massive prehistoric short-faced bear) charging their camp. The two sorcerers begin to shout at and kick their sleeping companions, who rouse to see the bear swipe the Dhazzhi Man Sorcerer with one claw while crushing his skull with it's massive short jaws.

The party quickly slay the beast, but the Dhazzhi Man is dead. Dickie Dee grabs Ter'lec's spellbook before the body is stripped of valuables and covered with a pile of rocks. Several days later, in the evening, the party peers over the ridge that looms over the pastel chalk cliffs of the bird-things.

I Don't Know How to Even Pronounce It But It Looks Amazing...

I stumbled across this at The Grand Tapestry. I love the lurid, nuclear yellow of the cover stock. I love the line-art and find it much more "believable" than 90% of the fantasy art I see. I love the binding method...so raw & d.i.y.!

Lester, the newest player in my campaign and a very talented artist, took it upon himself to design a Planet Algol character sheet, below is the first draft of the front:

...Deep-One Lysorcersy...

How to Completely Mismanage an Old-School Property

Let's say you have the rights to a beloved old-school rpg property. Say it's one that was hugely influential, and (albeit illegally) one of the first "third-party" D&D properties.

Lots of folks involved with old school D&D love this property, and use whatever material they can find from the seventies publications in their games. Recently, old school D&D has a huge rise in profile in the gaming community and there is a flood a new old school products for use with the older editions and their simulacra.

Why not release the beloved, old school property as an 800-page completely new rpg (presumably largely incompatible with old-school D&D) instead of compiling and cleaning up the exiting D&D-compatible material that people have been using for three decades and still use today and publishing it as a product for that community.

Also, I hate the logo.