Warlock influenced Chivalry & Sorcery

A new thread on Dragonsfoot asking about Chevalier led to a reply linking a 2013 post on the Castelli & Chimere blog that I vaguely remember. Chevalier is the original, unpublished version of Chivalry & Sorcery that is an original D&D variant rather than a stand-alone game. The story goes that Ed Simbalist and Wilf Backhaus brought this manuscript to Gen Con with the idea of selling it to TSR, but ended up instead selling it to FGU, where it was published with further revision as Chivalry & Sorcery in 1977. A very limited reprint of the Chevalier manuscript was made by the authors in 1999, from which a few scans are shown on the C&C blog, including the "Forward" shown above, the title of which reproduces the font and mispelling found in Men & Magic (Vol 1 of OD&D).

What I didn't notice previously was the role of Warlock - the 1975 OD&D variant from Caltech - in the development of Chevalier. I've written previously about Warlock and its influence on Holmes Basic; for a general overview see the post "WARLOCK or how to play D&D without playing D&D?" and for other articles mentioning it click the Warlock label at the bottom of this post.

Ed Simbalist writes not only that "Warlock gave further ideas. And Petal Throne presented the concept of an integrated world" but also that "CHEVALIER is not intended to be a replacement for Dungeons and Dragons. Indeed, to play CHEVALIER, one requries at least the three D&D volumes and the Greyhawk Supplement. The other supplements make playing even more complete. If one throws in Warlock for good measure, the picture becomes complete. However, CHEVALIER changed a good many of the rules and, and the prospective player is forewarned to read very, very carefully."

The Introduction to the original Warlock made a similar statement that it is "not intended to replace D&D, nor is it intended in any way to interfere with it". Both games went on to develop their own complete systems, with C&S in 1977 and the Complete Warlock books in 1978-1980.

Furthermore, I can see some specific influences of Warlock in the scans posted on the posted scans in that blog article.

The Elf advancement table is formatted similarly to the one in Warlock and the Fatigue dice are pretty close to the Hit Dice for Elves in the original 1975 Warlock rules.

The M-U spell list includes not just spells from OD&D but also ones original to Warlock.
From the portion shown:
1st level: Match, Silence (as a 1st level spell), Sound Amplification, Telescope
2nd level: Awaken (one of the Holmes A&E stories has this on a scroll), Create Sound, Detect Experience [Group], Detect Evil/Good (as separate 2nd level spells), Freeze Water, Hallucination, Measure Distance, Measure Volume

3rd level: Ball Lightning, Cone Cold, Continual Darkness, Dark Cone, Detect Clairvoyance, Detect Clairaudience, Detect Teleport, Heat Cone, Illusion I, Light Beam

I don't have the 1st edition of Chivalry & Sorcery for further comparison, but I imagine much of this was changed by the time it saw print in 1977. Even so, it's clear that Warlock provided a template for Simbalist and Backhaus in assembling their own D&D variant, an important step in developing the game that eventually led to C&S.

See also: 

WARLOCK or how to play D&D without playing D&D? (Overview of Warlock)

How the Warlock rules may have influenced Holmes Basic, Part 1 and Part 2

Part 16 of the Holmes manuscript series

TSR's Response to Warlock

The Warlock OD&D Spell Point System

Warlock Influenced Chivalry & Sorcery

Return of the Fantasy Trip

Per Steve Jackson:

"At the beginning of my career, long before GURPS, I created a roleplaying game called The Fantasy Trip. For decades, the rights have been held by Metagaming, a publisher which is no longer in operation. I'm very pleased to announce that I have regained the eight TFT releases that I wrote myself: Melee, Wizard, Death Test, Death Test 2, Advanced Melee, Advanced Wizard, In the Labyrinth, and Tollenkar's Lair.

This is just an initial announcement, to invite you to celebrate with me a day that has been a long time coming!

I have no idea yet about release schedules. I will probably have to answer most questions with "I don't know yet" - but feel free to use the button below to go to the forum discussion of this post, and try me . . . or just share memories of the game!" (links added by myself)

In his 1981 book Fantasy Role-Playing Games, J. Eric Holmes reviewed the first two releases of this system, Melee and Wizard (pictured above), writing that the combat rules, "may be too slow for some players, but they have an air of authenticity which is lacking in the simpler combat systems" (pg 114).

Holmes further notes that, "I have used the "roll less than your dexterity (strength)" system in the practice game earlier in this book". This refers to the sample RPG system that Holmes provides in the book to show how the games work, along with an adventure for it, the Dungeon of Arzaz. While Melee used the 3d6 roll for combat, Holmes instead uses it for a system of "feats" - i.e., "feats of strength", "feats of dexterity" etc, that is more like an ability score check of later D&D. (Holmes uses a Chainmail-like 2d6 roll for combat)

You can read more about "Holmes' Other Game" in a thread from 2009 on ODD74. 

I've also written before about the appearance of the 3d6-roll-under-stat check in early D&D, which actually predates Melee as an isolated mechanic, but not as a generalized system.

As to myself, I've never owned or read Melee, Wizard or the Fantasy Trip, so I will be looking forward to any reissues of the original material that Steve Jackson puts out. Per his post here, a Kickstarter for a reissue of Melee may be the first project.

The Warlock OD&D Spell Point System

From Warlock (1975), pages 6-7

It wasn't long after D&D was released in 1974 that fans began tinkering with the rules. One of the earliest published variants was Warlock, which appeared in the the Spartan Gaming Journal in August 1975. Holmes used this system in the games he ran with his sons prior to editing the Basic Set, and I've written about the possible influence of these rules on Holmes Basic. In Dragon #52, Holmes wrote that he tried to convince Gygax to include a spell point system in Basic D&D. As we know from the lack of these rules in D&D, Gary was not persuaded.

When Warlock was published the only available D&D books were the original set and the Greyhawk supplement, both of which it references. Now that these first two publications are available again as pdfs, it is a good time to go back and take a look at this spell point system that Holmes was a fan of. The presentation in Warlock is a bit scattershot, like the OD&D rules themselves, so I've tried to re-organize it here.

Above I've quoted a bit of Warlock's theory behind using spell points: M-U spells have two qualities, complexity (level) and effort required (spell points). Thus each spell is additionally assigned a spell point usage cost. 

The basic formula:
Spell Points (SP) per day = Level + Hit Points  + Int modifier 

Int modifier:
16+ : +1 point per HD
13-15: +1/2 point per HD
9-12: none
6-8: -1
4-5: -2
3: -3

Note that the HD system in Warlock is similar to the original d6-based HD system, with a M-U only getting a full d6 HD every other level. So HD here is not the same as Level.

Note also that Warlock uses the original OD&D Con modifier to HP (Con > 15 = +1 HP/HD, Con < 6 = -1 HP/HD), so a high Con only gives a small bonus to spell points.

Example (from pg 6): 
A 5th level M-U (3d6 HD) with 9 HP with an average Int gets 14 SP 

5 + 9 + 0 = 14

"Life-Saving Margin": A M-U can exceed their SP only to safe their own life. The extra margin is the same as the character's "Death Level", which is the number of HP between unconsciousness and death (i.e., the "death's door" rule in later systems). 

The calculation for the "Death Level" is explained in the section on combat (pg 29) and uses a complex formula: .03 x HP x CON score. The example given is a 10 HP character with 15 CON, yielding a 4.5 HP "Death Level" (.03 x 10 x 15), meaning the character can go to -4.5 HP before dying.  

Spell points get the same margin as Death Level, but when M-Us go below it they suffer the following consequences in lieu of dying: unconsciousness for d6 turns, movement slowed by one step, and loss of all other casting for the day (i.e., since they have no spell points left).
 
Memorization rules: This system is not "free casting". Despite having spell points, a M-U can still only cast based on what spells are known and memorized. At lower levels, the memorization tables are the same as OD&D; e.g. a 1st level MU can memorize one 1st level spell/day; a 3rd level M-U can memorize two 1st level and one 2nd level spells. Higher levels have some changes and go all the way up to level 40 (!).

Warlock does not include the "% chance to know" table from Greyhawk, but does suggest limiting available spells: "In beginning a series of games it is worthwhile to limit the spells available to magic-users. This gives them incentive for finding the lairs of hostile magic-users (in order find books of spells) or researching new spells" (pg 8).

Spell Point Cost for Individual Spells for Levels 1-3:
Warlock adds many spells to each level, but I've only listed the LBB & Greyhawk spells. Warlock mentions that they have only included some of the Greyhawk spells; others have their level changed. Obviously, this system was first worked out for the original spells and the new Greyhawk spells provided some complications.

Level 1
OD&D Vol 1 original list:
Detect Magic  1
Hold Portal  3
Read Magic  1
Read Languages  1
Protection/Evil  3
Light  3
Charm Person  4
Sleep  3

Greyhawk additions:
Shield  -- (not included)
Magic Missile 4 +1/missile (changed to Level 2)
Ventriloquism  2

Level 2
OD&D Vol 1 original list:
Detect Invisible  2
Levitate  4 + 1/turn
Phantasmal Forces  4
Locate Object  4
Invisibility  4
Wizard Lock  6
Detect Evil  1
ESP  2 + 1/turn
Continual Light  5
Knock  4

Greyhawk additions:
Darkness, 5' r.  3 + 1/turn
Strength  7 (changed to level 4)
Web  5 (changed to level 3)
Mirror Image  5 + 1/turn (changed to level 3)
Magic Mouth  3 +1 /turn (changed to level 3)
Pyrotechnics  5

Level 3
OD&D Vol 1 original list:
Fly  5 + 1/turn
Hold Person  5
Dispell Magic  5
Clairvoyance  3 + 1/turn
Clairaudience  3 + 1/turn
Fire Ball  6
Lightning Bolt  5
Protection/Evil 10' r.  4
Invisibility 10' r.  5
Infravision  4
Slow Spell  5
Haste Spell  5
Protection/Normal Missiles  4
Water Breathing  4 +1/turn

Greyhawk additions:
Explosive Runes -- (not included)
Rope Trick  6 +1/turn
Suggestion -- (not included)
Monster Summoning I -- (not included)

Analysis/Examples:

M-U Level/HD/Average HP/Average SP (not including any bonuses for Int/Con)
1/ 1d6/ 3.5 / 4.5
2/ 1d6+2/ 5.5/ 7.5
3/ 2d6/ 7/ 10
4/ 2d6+2/ 9/ 13
5/ 3d6/ 10.5/ 15.5
6/ 3d6+2/ 12.5/ 18.5
7/ 4d6/ 14/ 21
8/ 4d6+2/ 16/ 24
9/ 5d6/ 17.5/ 26.5
10/ 5d6+2/ 19.5/ 28.5   

A 1st level M-U will have an average of 3-4 HP, and thus 4-5 spell points (SP), with a potential max of up to 9 spell points (1 for Level + 6 for HP + 1 for high Con + 1 for high Int). A single 1st level spell can be memorized. An average MU will be able to cast only one of the more powerful 1st level spells (Sleep, Charm Person), but an above average MU with more points may be able to cast one of these spells twice. Detect/Read Spells that only cost one point may be cast multiple times if chosen as the memorized spell.

A 3rd level M-U will have an average of 7 HP, and thus 10 SP with a potential max of 19 SP (3 for Level + 12 HP + 2 for high Con + 2 for high Int). Two 1st level and one 2nd level spell can be memorized. Magic Missile is a 2nd level spell in these rules with a cost of 4 +1/missile. An average M-U can cast Magic Missile and produce 1-5 missiles for 5-9 SP. An above average M-U with 18 SP could (among other options) cast Magic Missile three times with two missiles per casting for a total of 18 SP. 

OSR implications: 
Since this system layers on top of the existing memorization rules, it should be adaptable as an option for most OSR systems. It will be most easily used with systems similar to the original D&D rules (Swords & Wizardry Whitebox; Delving Deeper). Modification of the spell point formula/costs may be necessary for systems using a d4 HD and/or with higher HP and Int modifiers. A drawback is that it makes a M-U's power level much more dependent on HP rolls and Con bonuses.

The complications during play will be tracking spell points and remembering the varying spell point cost for each spell. Players should be able to write down this number next to the spell on their sheet and use it to keep track of their spell points when casting. Being able to cast additional spells will provide motivation for this extra work. It will be more of a pain for DMs because they will need to look up and track this for every NPC M-U.

20 Backgrounds for OD&D

An Archer from CHAINMAIL

Here are some Backgrounds for human characters in OD&D or Holmes Basic. The idea is inspired by the same concept in 5E and the DCC RPG, although I haven't looked at those closely, having just skimmed Basic 5E a few times, and played in a DCC RPG funnel once.

These particular backgrounds are mostly drawn from the types of Men found in the Monster Descriptions in OD&D Vol 2 (also used by Holmes in the manuscript for Basic), and the Specialists found in Vol 3, pg 22. A few others are sourced from other places in the OD&D rules to make a list of 20 for random rolling. The idea is that since these are mentioned in the books they are the most likely backgrounds for OD&D characters. This is analogous to Wayne Rossi's take on the implied setting of the OD&D rulebooks, and could be used together with that.

I'll eventually post these as a single-sheet reference table (Update: a downloadable one-page pdf can be found here), but for easier reading here they are as a list. Note these are limited to human characters since demi-humans already get their own bonuses at first level. These backgrounds can also be used for NPCs. Note that these backgrounds may be used with any character class, for example you could have a Berserker Magic-User or Smith turned Thief, etc. It's up to the player to come up with a reason why the character took up a character class.

BACKGROUNDS for HUMAN CHARACTERS
Roll d20 for one in lieu of the standard roll for starting gold
Each background also gets a +2 Reaction Roll with others of the same background

1.  Alchemist

Ability: Beginner's Alchemy (make a Healing Potion in 1 week for 125 GP) 

Equipment: 1 Healing Potion, Mortar & Pestle

Starting Gold: 2d6 x 10

Note: Per OD&D Vol 3, an Alchemist can duplicate a potion from a formula "at a cost of one-half the potion's value" (pg 22). In OD&D Vol 1, the cost for a wizard to make a Healing Potion is given as 250 GP + 1 week (pg 7).

2. Amazon

Ability: Invoke Goddess (re-roll one die per day, but only if wearing bronze)

Equipment: Bronze Armor & Shield (AC 3), Bronze Sword, Long Bow, 2 Flasks Greek Fire (treat as Oil, with +1 damage) 

Starting Gold: 1d6 x 10

Note: This background is inspired by the picture of the Amazon in OD&D Vol 1, with details from the Amazons in J. Eric Holmes' novel, Maze of Peril

3. Animal Trainer 

Abilities: Animal Handling (+4 Reaction Roll for normal animals) 

Equipment: Mule, Guard Dog (1 HD, AC 7, 1d6 bite) 

Starting Gold: 2d6 x 10

4. Archer

Abilities: Rapid Fire (Fire arrows twice per round if not moving or in melee) 

Equipment: Long Bow, Quiver, 15 arrows, 5 silver arrows 

Starting Gold: 2d6 x 10

Note: Their Ability comes from the Chainmail rules for "Archers"

5. Bandit (or Brigand, if chaotic)

Abilities: Evasion (Flee combat without being hit, but only if wearing leather armor)

Equipment: Cloak, Leather Armor, Shield, Short Bow, Quiver, 20 arrows, Treasure Map (ruin)

Starting Gold: 2d6 x 10

6. Barkeep 

Abilities: Ear for Listening (Knows 2d6 local rumors)

Equipment: Fine Spirits (50 GP value, +2 Reaction Roll if a shot is offered, 10 shots total)

Starting Gold: 2d6 x 10

Note: This background is inspired by the section on Rumors in OD&D Vol 3, pg 23

7. Berserker          

Abilities: Rage (+2 to attack & AC 7 if no armor, will not flee/surrender), +1 hp at 1st level)

Equipment: Bearskin Cloak, Tooth-bitten Shield        

Starting Gold: 1d6 x 10

8. Buccaneer (or Pirate, if chaotic, or Sailor)

Abilities: Swimming (-20% chance of drowning), Ship-craft, Rope Use

Equipment: Cutlass, Spyglass, Treasure Map (island), Pet Monkey (1 hp), 50’ Rope with Grappling Hook           

Starting Gold: 3d6 x 10

9. Caveman           

Abilities: Tough (+1 HD at 1st level, but will not wear any armor), Hunting, Illiterate         

Equipment: Furs, Club or Stone Axe & Spear, Hide Sack with Meat & Fruit          

Starting Gold: None

10. Engineer          

Abilities: Eye for Construction (detect dungeon traps as a dwarf & secret doors as an elf) Equipment: Lantern, Steel Mirror, Chalk Stick, Level, Measuring Stick (6’, ruled)          

Starting Gold: 3d6 x 10

11. Flyer      

Abilities: Aerial Combat Training, Tumbling (-1 point per die falling damage)

Equipment: Potion of Flying, Leather Armor, 5 Javelins       

Starting Gold: 2d6 x 10

Note: This background is inspired by the relatively long section on Aerial Combat in OD&D, Vol 3, pgs 25-28

12. Gemcutter 

Abilities: Appraise (gems & jewelry), Cut Gems (Increase value of a gem 10%, 4 in 6)            Equipment: Magnifying Lens, Diamond Dust (50 GP value, use 10 GP to cut gem)        

Starting Gold: 2d6 x 10

Note: This background is inspired by the gems and jewelry found in the OD&D Vol 2 Treasure Tables. Jeweler-Gemcutter also appeared later as a Specialist in the 1E DMG.

13. Man-At-Arms     

Abilities: Years of Guard Duty (surprised only on 1 in 6)     

Equipment: Chain mail, Shield, Sword, Dagger, Light Crossbow, 30 Quarrels in Case          

Starting Gold: 2d6 x 10

14. Merman            

Abilities: Breath Underwater, Leathery Skin (AC7, +1 hp at lvl 1), -1 to attack rolls on land

Equipment: Trident, 20 Darts         

Starting Gold: 1d6 x 10

Note: In OD&D, it unstated whether Merman have fish tails, or are just humans that live underwater. If using the former, this character can be of half normal human and have legs.

15. Nomad (or Dervish)

Abilities: Surprise Outdoors (1-4 in 6, if wearing only leather), Archery while Riding             

Equipment: Light Horse, Lance, Horse Bow, Leather Armor   

Starting Gold: 1d6 x 10

16. Orcish   

Abilities: Brawling (+1 on attack rolls if not in full daylight, 1d6 damage without weapon)  

Equipment: Leather Armor, Shield, Hand Axe           

Starting Gold: 1d6 x 10

Note: This is basically a Half-Orc, and is inspired by the Orc men-at-arms available in Vol 3 of OD&D (pg 23) and the Orcs listed as Neutral in Vol 1 of OD&D.

17. Pilgrim  

Abilities: Traveling (Add 1 hex to daily movement)             

Equipment: Sturdy Staff, Holy Relic (Turns Undead as 3rd Level Cleric 2d6 times)        

Starting Gold: 2d6 x 10

Note: Pilgrims were added to the other types of Men in the 1E Monster Manual

18. Sage      

Abilities: Identify Magic Item (Takes 1 week and uses 100 gp of material components)       Equipment: Reference Books, Blank Vellum Book, Ink & Quill 

Starting Gold: 3d6 x 10

19. Smith (or Armorer)

Abilities: Fire-tough (-1 point per dice fire damage), Forging (Weapons/armor at 1/2 cost) 

Equipment:  Chainmail, Shield, Hammer, Tongs, 12 Iron Spikes, Crowbar 

Starting Gold: 2d6 x 10

20. Spy       

Abilities: Double Talk (+2 on reaction rolls), Disguise, Languages (Double normal number)

Equipment: 2 Daggers (1 hidden in boot)     

Starting Gold: 2d6 x 10

The early history of 3d6 stat checks

My regular game group uses roll-under 3d6 (or 4d6 or 5d6) stat checks for a variety of actions. As a player, I find it fun to roll a handful of dice on occasion. I also noticed that Holmes used 3d6 stat checks in the introductory RPG found he presents in his 1981 RPG. He calls them as "feats of strength", etc and uses them in lieu of saving throws.

Last year I asked on OD&D Discussion about the origin of this type of check. B/X instead  presented a roll-under d20 stat check as a standard option. One poster told me the 3d6 roll was used in The Fantasy Trip. Holmes' book has a section on this RPG, which I hadn't looked at in a long time, which describes this exact type of check in Melee, the predecessor of TFT from 1977: "If a die roll is made for a hit (and this means rolling three dice and getting less than your dexterity score)" (pg 114). Furthermore Holmes writes: "I have used the "roll less than your dexterity (strength)" system in the practice game earlier in this book". Tracing influences doesn't get much easier than an explicit statement like that!

But what about roll-under 3d6 stat checks in D&D itself? In the OD&D thread, another poster pointed to the module "The Halls of Beoll-Dur" in Dragon #41, Sept 1980:

"... there is an original procedure for saving throws which is used in some locations... roll 3, 4 or 5d6 (the number of dice varies) and subtract one point from the dice roll for every two levels of experience the character has attained. Compare the resulting number to a specified ability (this also varies), and if the adjusted dice roll is less than the character's score for the ability in question, the saving throw is considered made."

The subtracting levels of experience from the roll is an interesting variation and makes the rolls improve by level like ordinary saving throws. However, most groups that use stat checks seem to use them in addition to saving throws and do not improve them by level.

The Dragon #41 reference was the earliest for D&D that I knew of until yesterday when Wayne pointed out that the module B1 In Search of the Unknown by Mike Carr has at least one 3d6 check. I looked at the original version, for Holmes Basic, and found one in the infamous Room of Pools. It's a 3d6 Con check vs the effects of wine, with a failed roll indicating intoxication for a number of hours equal to the difference between the result and the Con score. This is just one of a mish-mash of ability score influenced actions in B1, like much of D&D at the time, so the general utility of a 3d6 isn't at all apparent there. But it's interesting to see it appear in an actual Holmes Basic product.

This is now the earliest 3d6 check I've found in a D&D product, thought I wouldn't be surprised if one shows up earlier, such as in the zine Alarums & Excursions.

* * *

Update: I remembered reading on Dragonsfoot about a few 3d6 stat checks in the Player's Handbook. This book came out in 1978 several months before B1. As with the B1, they are very situation specific:

Dig spell:
"Any creature at the edge (1') of such a pit uses its dexterity score as a saving throw to avoid falling into the hole, with a score equal to or less than dexterity meaning that a fall was avoided" (pg 76).  

Phantasmal Killer spell:
"Note that the saving throw against this spell is not standard. The subject must roll three six-sided dice (3d6) and score a sum equal to or less than its intelligence ability score in order to disbelieve the apparition. The dice score is modified as follows..."

Update #2: Another one I remembered reading about on Cyclopeatron. The Underworld Oracle #1 (UK zine) from 1977 describes a 3d6 Int check versus an Apparition:

"Therefore, even if the victim is aware that this vision cannot physically damage him, the suggestion is so strong that he is forced to roll 3 x 6 die. A result which totals under the victim's intelligence, means that he is free of the creature's suggestion..." 

Update #3: I just found the original description of Phantasmal Killer in the OD&D Illusionist class write-up by Peter Aronson in Strategic Review #4, Winter 1975 (transcribed here), and it also contains the 3d6 roll-under Int check. So this now the earliest one I've found, beating even Melee.

"The subject may try to disbelieve it, to do so he must roll his intelligence or less on three 6-sided dice" (followed by a number of situational modifiers)

Centaurs and Samurai and Werebears, Oh My

Werebear by Dave Trampier from the original Monster Manual (1977)

Tolkien Week continues...

In yesterday's Balrog post, I quoted a memorable line from page 7 of the Blue Book:
"Thus, an expedition might include, in addition to the four basic classes and races (human, elven, dwarven, hobbitish), a centaur, a lawful werebear, and a Japanese Samurai fighting man" (pg 7).

As I noted, here the example of a Balrog PC has been changed to a centaur, werebear and Samurai. The most likely inspiration for "lawful werebear" in this list is Beorn from the Hobbit. Beorn travels with Bilbo and Gandalf twice, once to the edge of Mirkwood, and once on the return trip from the Lonely Mountain, a member of the "party". Thus, even though the reference to the Balrog has been changed the example retains a Tolkien influence. I consider this one of the Tolkien allusions added to the Blue Book by Dr. Holmes (there a few, which I will discuss further in another post).

I don't know of any references by Dr. Holmes to a werebear in his other writings (campaign descriptions or stories). In the Monster List, werebears have the alignment "neutral/chaotic good", but this is a change from OD&D Vol 2, which has werebears as "Law/Neutral". The use of "lawful" without a good or evil appears to be a residual reference to the 3-point alignment system of OD&D. 

A few years later White Dwarf #17 (Feb 1980) ran an article titled "My Life As a Werebear" that includes rules for werebear character classes & several other monsters. 

Samurai as a fighter subclass first appeared in DRAGON #3 (Oct 1976), prior to the Holmes Basic set.

Centaurs are found in OD&D, Vol 2 (pg 4 & 14) but missing from the Monster List in the Blue Book.  Dr. Holmes mentions a centaur PC in his personal campaign in his 1980 Psychology Today article "Confessions of a Dungeon Master", and a centaur also appears as a minor character his novel Maze of Peril (1986). 

In an article in Dragon in 1981, Dr. Holmes also mentioned that he allowed players any type of character they wished, and in his 1981 book on FRPGs he wrote that: 

"Most game systems rather rigidly specify what kinds of characters players may assume, but the majority of referees are lenient. If a player particularly wants to be an unusual or inhuman character, many referees will let him. It's not unusual to encounter player characters that are werewolves, Vulcans, samurai, centaurs or whatever. Fantasy role playing is, after all, an exercise in imagination".

Update: see this follow-up post.

Balrog PCs gone missing

Mock-up of a OD&D Balrog PC character sheet

Yesterday I discussed the sources for the two references to Balrogs in the Blue Book. For the second day of Tolkien week, I'll discuss another instance where Holmes did not retain a reference to Balrogs.

OD&D, Vol 1, Men & Magic, originally mentioned Balrogs under "Other Character Types":

"There is no reason that players cannot be allowed to play as virtually anything, provided they begin relatively weak and work up to the top, i.e., a player wishing to be a Balrog would have to begin as let us say, a "young" one and progress upwards in the usual manner, steps being predetermined by the campaign referee" (pg 8).

And there was actually a Balrog PC in Gygax's Greyhawk campaign, though I'm not sure if this was before or after Men & Magic was first published. In the OD&D Discussion forums, Mike Mornard (Gronan of Simmerya) told us:   

Interestingly, I played a Balrog in Greyhawk. Yes, THE Greyhawk. Of course, I started as a 1 HD, very weak Balrog. THAT is the problem, and why Gary later changed his mind; there is virtually constant pressure from the player of an unusual character to power up her or his character, and only a referee of the judgement, skill, and determination of Gary, Rob, and Dave can juggle this without totally unbalancing the game.

According to a post on Tome of Treasures (from the work of forum member harami), the reference to Balrog PCs persisted through the 5th printing of the OD&D set (~Spring 1976), finally being changed for the sixth printing (~late 1977) to replace "Balrog" with "Dragon". The other references to Balrogs (as well as Hobbits and other Tolkien references) were also removed from the 6th printing of  OD&D.

The first printing of Holmes (~early Fall 1977), was made prior to these changes and retained many of the original Tolkien references in OD&D, such as using "hobbits" instead of "halflings". Holmes, however, changed the sentence from page 8 of Men & Magic to read:

"At the Dungeon Master's discretion a character can be anything his or her player wants him to be. Characters must always start out inexperienced and relatively weak and build on their expedition. Thus, an expedition might include, in addition to the four basic classes and races (human, elven, dwarven, hobbitish), a centaur, a lawful werebear, and a Japanese Samurai fighting man" (pg 7).

Thus, while Holmes retained several other references to Balrogs in the Blue Book, here he chose to replace the example of a Balrog PC with a centaur, werebear and Samurai, presumably because these are less extreme variants for a beginning DM to handle. The revised sentence is well remembered due to the evocative imagery of these non-standard types in conjunction with the wide distribution of the Basic Set. The idea of a Balrog PC might be more widely remembered if Holmes had retained the original example.