Apprenticeships

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It is clear that when a character begins a class, he begins with a period of training during which he adventures little, doing work for his mentor and learning the basics of the trade.  Most character classes start at level one if the character is just entering the game; cavaliers and paladins who are not of upper class birth must go through two zero levels prior to becoming real first-level knights-in-training.  Magic users also are given information concerning experience which must be gained during an apprenticeship.  This presumably is intended for those characters who would become characters of two classes by taking up magic training later in life.

This page is part of M. J. Young's Dungeons & Dragons Materials.

It thus becomes clear that any class which one may become must have a period of apprenticeship applicable to them for those characters who will change to them.  These rules define those apprenticeships in ways consistent with the rules laid down for cavalier classes and occidental mage classes.

In all cases, a character with 0xp has reached level 1.

ALCHEMIST:  Begins at level -2 Clerk with -2000xp.  Becomes level -1 on reaching -1000xp.  Reaches level 0 at -500xp.

ASSASSIN:  Begins at level 0 with -1000xp.

ATTORNEY:  A special case under the rules, must spend 3d8 months as an apprentice, then automatically advances.

BARBARIAN:  Begins at level 0 with -2000xp.  Note that it is not possible under normal circumstances to become a barbarian.

BARD:  Becomes a first level bard immediately upon acceptance by the druids.  The time spent as fighter and thief are the apprenticeship, and it is assumed that the bard character decided to make these preparations and took some preliminary training before this time.

BERSERKER:  Begins at level 0 with -1000xp.

BUSHI:  Begins at level 0 with -500xp.

CAVALIER:  Begins at level -1 (called 0H) with -1500xp, then moves to level 0 (called 0L) at -500xp.

CLERIC:  Begins at level 0 Novitiate with -1000xp.

DRUID:  Begins at level 0 with -1000xp.

FIGHTER:  Begins at level 0 with -500xp.

HOLY ORDER OF THE STARS:  Begins at level 0 with -1000xp.

ILLUSIONIST:  Begins at level -2 with -2000xp.  Becomes level -1 on reaching -1000xp.  Reaches level 0 at -500xp.

KENSAI:  Begins at level 0 with -1500xp.

KNIGHT OF SOLAMNIA:  Begins at level -1 (called 0H) with -1500xp, then moves to level 0 (called 0L) at -500xp.

MAGIC-USER:  Begins at level -2 with -2000xp.  Becomes level -1 on reaching -1000xp.  Reaches level 0 at -500xp.

MONK:  Begins at level 0 with -2000xp.  Note that it is not possible under normal circumstances to become a monk.

NINJA:  Begins at level 0 with -2000xp.  Note that it is not possible under normal circumstances to become a ninja.

ORIENTAL BARBARIAN:  Begins at level 0 with -2000xp.  Note that it is not possible under normal circumstances to become an oriental barbarian.

PALADIN:  Begins at level -1 (called 0H) with -1500xp, then moves to level 0 (called 0L) at -500xp.

PSIONICIST:  Begins at level -2 with -2000xp.  Becomes level -1 on reaching -1000xp.  Reaches level 0 at -500xp.

RANGER:  Begins at level 0 with -1000xp.

RUNECASTER:  Begins at level 0 with -1000xp.

SAMURAI:  Begins at level 0 with -1500xp.

SHUKENJA:  Begins at level 0 with -1000xp.

SOHEI:  Begins at level 0 with -1000xp.

THIEF:  Begins at level 0 with -1000xp.

THIEF-ACROBAT:  Begins at level 0 with -1000xp.  Note that thief-acrobats begin as thieves, and are treated as thieves during their apprenticeship.  The acrobat option (while it may be chosen by the player at character creation) is chosen by the character while training for level 6.

TINKER:  Begins at level -2 with -2000xp.  Becomes level -1 on reaching -1000xp.  Reaches level 0 at -500xp.  Note that it is not possible under normal circumstances to become a tinker.

WIZARD OF HIGH SORCERY:  Begins at level -2 with -2000xp.  Becomes level -1 on reaching -1000xp.  Reaches level 0 at -500xp.

WU JEN:  Begins at level -2 with -2000xp.  Becomes level -1 on reaching -1000xp.  Reaches level 0 at -500xp.

YAKUZA:  Begins at level 0 with -1000xp.

In cases in which it is not possible under normal circumstances to change to a particular class, the specifics of that class will define what must occur for the change to be made.  In most cases, this indicates that the character must be born into a certain sub-race, social class, or culture, or be trained to it from childhood.  The referee must determine what options exist (such as what effect a wish must have) for becoming this class after being another.

Since multiclassed characters who are not ninja cannot be human, and therefore cannot change classes, those situations do not apply.  Ninja who cease to be ninja have ninja executioners after them thereafter; however, it would be possible for a ninja to change his other class within these rules and the parameters of those classes permitted to ninja.

Note that such experience must be learned as an apprentice, using skills which are appropriate to the new class under the guidance and with the approval of the mentor.  Such experience is never more than half a share of regular party members if gained in a party adventure.  A fifteenth level fighter wishing to become a first level magic user can quickly and easily collect several thousand experience points by brutally killing monsters, but these would not be magic user points, and the character would actually gain nothing.  Furthermore, since very few class skills are truly gained during apprenticeships, the character will find it difficult to create a situation in which he as an apprentice goes out to gain experience in his new class.  In short, the referee will have an unusually high level of control of what actually constitutes experience during an apprenticeship.
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