A Primer for Advanced Dungeons and Dragons written by Axandreas Draman

	I have been a part of many D&D and AD&D campaigns in my day,
both on and off bbses, and there is a serious lack of good AD&D
primers, which is a shame, because AD&D isnÕt all that hard to learn,
if you have the right reference materials.  Well, here is m y attempt
to help people learn about AD&D (Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, a
product of the TSR company).
	First of all, you must become familiar with the concept of a
RPG, or Role Playing Game.  A RPG is a game in which you create an
alternate persona, or character.  This character IS NOT you.  You do
NOT have to create this character to be like you in real  life.  For
instance, if you are a short, over weight, male in your twenties, your
character in an RPG could be anything from a short, over weight male in
his twenties to a tall, gaunt female in her nineties to a middle
height, well built elf.  The possibi lities are endless, which is one
reason why RPGs tend to be popular.
	RPGs go on for a long time, and as such I donÕt personally
think of them as games, as there is no winner and no losers.  There are
only the characters, and you, and your Games Master.  The ŌgameĶ might
never end, in fact.
	An RPG is a chance to escape your every day life, in hopes for
one that is more interesting.  However, and this is a very important
concern, you MUST be careful to never allow your life in RPGs to
interfere with your everyday life.  Some people become to
 Ōat homeĶ in an RPG that they tend to live there all the time, and can
do some vicious things.  My mother knew personally of some people who
had ended up dead because they got too involved into RPGs.
	However, this is not meant to keep you from becoming involved
in RPGS.  It is only intended to keep you from becoming TOO involved in
them.  Just be sure that you keep your distance.  If you are careful,
RPGS can be a lot of fun.
	Enough of that.  LetÕs get into the good stuff.  AD&D is most
likely the most popular RPG of all time, and it isnÕt that hard to
learn.  The first thing that you need to learn is the play structure. 
In an AD&D game, there are several PCs, or Player Char acters, which
are controlled by people like you and the other players.  There is also
one DM, or Dungeon Master.  The DM is considered omnipotent within the
confines of the game.  Whatever the DM says, no matter how weird or
stupid, goes.  There are rules
 in AD&D, but when it comes to the DMÕs decisions, they are only
guidelines.   The DM is free to do whatever his or her heart desires.
	You might be thinking that this could lead to some unfair and
silly decisions, and, yes, it could.  However, if you take your time to
get a good and impartial DM, you wonÕt have that sort of problem.  Ask
around.  Ask whoÕs a good DM, and whoÕs a DM to s tay away from. 
Almost all players have some sort of opinion on that matter.
	Now that you have the play structure down, you have to learn
about characters.  A character is your persona within an AD&D campaign
(or game.  A campaign can last a long time, like months or years.), and
is composed of several statistics, such as:
			-Name
			-Race
			-Character Class
			-Physical statistics
			-Equipment carried these are not everything,
but they are important.  LetÕs take each one in order.

	NAME:  This can be anything you want, and is only important as
a reference point.  As I said before, there is no reason why you must
name your character what your every day name is.  In fact, that sort of
thing is something that can lead to you not being
 able to draw the line between real life and AD&D.

	RACE:  There are many different races in AD&D, just like in
real life.  However, unlike real life, there is only one race of
Humans.  In a standard AD&D campaign, the races include, but are not
limited to (a DM can create any race that he or she wants):
			-Human
			-Elves
			-Dwarves
			-Half-Elf
			-Halfling
			and, -Gnome Each race has its own advantages
and weaknesses, and are more for the personalization of your character
than for making one character better than any other.

	CHARACTER CLASS:  This statistic defines the basics behind your
characters drive and action, and defines how your character handles
battle.  The character classes are divided into several sections:
			-Warrior
			-Priest
			-Mage
			-Rogue Each section has two or three
sub-classes, from which you must choose your characterÕs class.  The
Warrior is a character which attacks with physical weapons, such as
swords and axes.  A Warrior can use any weapon, and wear any type of
armor.  This is a g reat advantage, because the other classes are
limited in their choices of armor and weaponry.  Within the hierarchy
of Warriors, there are three sub-classes: the Fighter, the Paladin, and
the Ranger.  A Fighter is just a normal fighter, with no other abil
ities.  However, they rise in levels quicker than the Paladin and the
Ranger, and they can specialize in one or more weapons, which allows
them to use them better than all other types of characters.  A Paladin
is a holy warrior, devoted to good (or evil i f they are a
Dark/Anti-Paladin) with their whole heart and soul.  They gain some
skill at casting priest spells at higher levels, and have some holy
powers, but they rise in levels slowly, and can only have a few magical
weapons.  The Ranger is a Robin Ho od type character, a forester.  He
or she has advanced abilities at tracking in the forest, and can
attract followers.  And, like Paladins, at high levels they gain some
skill at casting mage spells.  Still, they also rise in levels slowly,
and lose abili ties when wearing heavy armor.  The Warrior is the
easiest class of character for the beginning player to play.
	A Priest is a character devoted to their deity.  Generally,
they are on some sort of holy quest, such as the expansion of the
empire of their deity, or the recovery of some sort of holy relic. 
They can cast spells, mainly spells that are beneficial to s omeone,
but can also wield many weapons.  They can also wear any type of armor.
For this reason, they are considered by many to be the best type of
character, although at higher levels a mage can wield considerably more
power.  A Priest gains their spell s, unlike a mage, through prayer and
meditation, when his or her deity grants the spells to the Priest. 
They must spend a considerable amount of time each day praying for
spells.  And, any excess money or treasure is generally given to the
PriestÕs churc h.  The Priest, while more difficult to play than the
Warrior, is not quite as difficult to play as the Mage, but is very
difficult to play, like the Mage, without a PlayersÕ Handbook ready.
	The Mage is most likely the most powerful character class at
higher levels, although they rise in levels very slowly (half as
quickly as Warriors), cannot wear any armor of any type, and can only
wield a few weapons.  Mainly for these reasons, there are  rather few
high level Mages, because many die off at a low level.  IÕll not go
very much further into the abilities and detriments of a Mage, because
they are not really designed for new players to play easily, and are
almost impossible to play without a  PlayersÕ Handbook handy.
	The Rogue is a character class which, typically, feels that the
world owes them a living.  The typical Rogue is the thief sub-class,
stealing what they want from those who have it.  The Thief rises in
levels more quickly than any other class or sub-class , and become
relatively high level sooner than any other character class or
sub-class.  They have some special abilities, such as hiding in shadows
and walking silently, which improve as the character rises in levels. 
A thief can only use some weapons, w hich include:
			-Club
			-Dagger
			-Dart
			-Hand Crossbow
			-Knife
			-Lasso
			-Short Bow
			-Sling
			-Broad Sword
			-Long Sword
			-Short Sword
			and, -Staff A thief can also only wear some
types of armor, which include:
			-Leather
			-Studded Leather
			-Padded Leather
			and, -Elven Chain Mail This may seem like a lot
of restrictions, but if you think about it, there isnÕt really anything
not on the list that a thief, if being role played well, would need.  A
thief canÕt move stealthily wearing any armor not on the list, and
canÕt well hide any
 weapon that isnÕt on the list of weapons.  If you want to play a
character wielding a two-handed sword, and wearing plate mail armor,
then play a Warrior, not a thief.  But, a Warrior cannot move silently
and almost invisibly.  So, each have their advant ages and
disadvantages.

	PHYSICAL STATISTICS:  These are the basic statistics of your
character, and include such things as age and height and weight. 
However, when someone refers to the statistics of your character, they
are commonly referring to six major statistics:
			-Strength (STR)
			-Dexterity (DEX)
			-Constitution (CON)
			-Intelligence (INT)
			-Wisdom (WIS)
			-Charisma (CHA) I will discuss each statistic
by itself, paraphrasing from what it says in the PlayersÕ Handbook.
	Strength:  Strength measures a characterÕs muscle, endurance,
and stamina.
	Dexterity:  Dexterity encompasses several physical attributes
including hand-eye coordination, agility, reaction speed, reflexes, and
balance.
	Constitution:  A characterÕs Constitution score encompasses his
physique, fitness, health, and physical resistance to hardship, injury
and disease.
	Intelligence:  Intelligence represents a characterÕs memory,
reasoning, and learning ability, including areas outside those measured
by the written word.
	Wisdom:  Wisdom describes a composite of the characterÕs
enlightenment, judgment, guile, willpower, common sense, and intuition.
	Charisma:  The Charisma score measures a characterÕs
persuasiveness, personal magnetism, and ability to lead.  It is not a
reflection of physical attractiveness, although attractiveness
certainly plays a role.
	These six statistics commonly go from 3-18, 3 being worst and
18 being the maximum a standard human can reach.  Typically, any score
from 9-11 is considered ŌaverageĶ, but if your character has lower
scores, this is no reason to abandon the character.  C haracter scores
are decided once, when the character is created.  They are created
randomly, using standard 6 sided dice.
	There are many times that random numbers must be rolled in the
game of AD&D.  They are almost always referred to in terms of a number
such as Ō1d6Ķ.  The 1 means that you roll once.  The 6 means that you
roll a 6 sided die.  The ŌdĶ doesnÕt really mean a nything, except for
ŌdieĶ, but it would defeat the purpose to just say Ō16Ķ.  Thus you
would pronounce Ō1d6Ķ as ŌOne dee sixĶ or ŌOne die six.Ķ  There are
several dies that are used often, which are:
			-4 sided
			-6 sided
			-8 sided
			-10 sided
			-12 sided
			-20 sided You will typically want two ten sided
dice, because that is how you roll for percentages.  Normally, however,
in any circumstance calling for rolling anything other than a 6 sided
die, your DM will roll for you.

	EQUIPMENT CARRIED:  This is just as it sounds, what your
character possesses.  Normally they own one or more weapons, their
armor, and some common items.  They might also own some magical items,
but that is decided by the DM.

	Now that you have a rough idea of how making characters works,
we can start on the principles of how running battles works in AD&D. 
ItÕs not really all that difficult, as long as you have a competent DM.
In fact, there is little that you actually need  to know.
	Each round, each character and each opponent each get one
action.  They can attack someone or something, drink a magical potion,
run away, open a door, or whatever the DM will allow.  ThatÕs basically
all there is to it.  WasnÕt that easy?  Of course, th ere IS more to
is, but youÕll get the hang of it once things get going.
	Well, now youÕre ready to play a fun filled game of AD&D.  I
still suggest that if you are truly interested in playing AD&D that you
pick up a copy of the Advanced Dungeons and Dragons 2nd Edition
PlayersÕ Handbook at a bookstore or gaming shop, along wi th a set of
gaming dice.  Hope you have fun!

This was written by Axandreas. I can be reached at &TOTSE as Axandreas,
or on the following Networks: VirtualNET: 9@5101 WWIVNET:    9@5069
IceNET:     9@5069 FidoNET:    Axandreas@1:-1/-1  (NOTE: IÕve never
tried this one) InterNET:   Axandreas@pil.UUCP