First Edition Advanced Dungeons & Dragons™ Character Creation

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Non-proficency Penalties
  The standard combat tables given to the DM cover the probability that a character of any specific class (sometimes modified by race) will be able to hit an opponent using a weapon with which he is already familiar, or "proficient".  However, at times characters are forced to fight with whatever weapon is at hand, and suffer a penalty for this.  The amount of the penalty is dependent on the class--those who are trained to general weapon combat suffer lower penalties for unfamiliar weapons, while those for whom such combat is quite foreign to their training take severe reductions in their chance to hit.  Many referees will include this number on the character sheet, or at least on the DM's spreadsheets or character information cards.

  Also listed here is the information concerning the number of weapons a character can use at the start and the rate at which new ones are acquired, and the number of non-weapon proficiencies and rate of acquisition.  These are here primarily because they appear in together on the character sheets I use (my own design).

  Italicized classes and those marked with an asterisk (*) have explanatory notes at the bottom.  Many classes have restrictions or requirements as to how proficiencies may or must be spent; see the individual classes for this information.  Non-proficiency penalties for Dragonlance and Viking classes have been extrapolated from comparable occidental (standard) classes, as such information was not given in the Krynn and Viking rulebooks.

  Under MyWorld rules, multiclassed characters (including Ninja) gain the total number of proficiencies for all combined classes.  Under book rules, any multiclassed character using a weapon in which he is not proficient takes the worst non-proficiency penalty of any class held.

Class
Non-proficiency
Penalty
Number of
Weapons
Rate of
Acquisition
Next
Level
Number of
Non-weapons
Rate of
Acquisition
Next
Level
Alchemist
-5
1
1/6
7
7
1/3
4
Assassin
-2
3
1/4
5
2
1/4
5
Attorney
-5
1
1/6
7
3
1/3
4
Barbarian
-1
6
1/2
3
3
1/2
3
Bard
-2
+1
1/4
5
+1
1/4
5
Berserker
-2
2
1/3
4
3
1/3
4
Bushi
-2
10
1/2
3
*
    
Cavalier
-3
3
1/2
3
2
1/2
3
Cleric
-3
2
1/4
5
3
1/4
5
Druid
-4
2
1/5
6
3
1/5
6
Fighter
-2
4
1/3
4
2
1/3
4
Holy Order of the Stars
-3
3
1/3
4
4
2/3
4
Illusionist
-5
1
1/6
7
3
1/3
4
Kensai
-3
5
1/2
3
*
    
Knight of Solamnia
-3
3
1/2
3
2
1/2
3
Magic-user
-5
1
1/6
7
3
1/3
4
Monk
-3
10
1/2
3
*
1/2
3
Ninja
-4
2
1/3
4
*
    
Oriental Barbarian
-2
9
1/2
3
*
    
Paladin
-3
3
1/2
3
2
1/2
3
Psionicist
-4
2
1/5
5
3
1/3
3
Ranger
-2
3
1/3
4
2
1/3
4
Runecaster
-3
2
1/4
5
3
1/4
5
Samurai
-2
6
1/1
2
*
    
Shukenja
-4
8
1/2
3
*
    
Sohei
-2
4
1/3
4
*
    
Thief
-3
2
1/4
5
3
1/4
5
Thief-Acrobat
-3
2
1/4
5
3
1/4
5
Tinker
-4
1
1/2
3
5
3/2
3
Wizard of High Sorcery
-5
1
1/5
6
3
2/5
6
Wu Jen
-5
6
1/2
3
*
    
Yakuza
-3
4
1/2
3
*
  

*Oriental characters do not distinguish weapon from non-weapon proficiencies, other than the Monk, who does not distinguish them at creation but does so through advancement.  Also, for several Oriental classes, the number shown is not the number given in the book, but that necessary to cover all the skills included in the class description.

Alchemists have an extended list of required non-weapon proficiencies; this list is different for the oriental variant.

Bards begin with proficiencies from their fighter and thief experiences; the numbers given represent those acquired upon reaching first level as a bard, and are in addition to those already gained.

Cavaliers begin with three weapons if they start at level one; those who start as 0H (Horseman) have only one weapon, and gain another at 0L and a third at level 1.

Illusionists, by book rules, gain two non-weapon proficiencies every six levels.  MyWorld rules accelerate this to one every three levels (the same rate overall, but it brings one proficiency of every two forward).  This is more natural, and reduces the penalty of being a magic-using class.  It appears that the original rule was devised to keep non-weapon slots tied to weapons, a notion which was abandoned later.

Kensai have a flexible number of initial proficiencies, depending on their dedication.  Under MyWorld rules, a Kensai to a martial-arts only weapon may have a weapon-oriented style, and a kensai to a weapon-oriented style may have a martial-arts only weapon intrinsic in their dedication; this entails two proficiency slots.  Those not combining a martial-arts only weapon with a weapon-oriented style use only one slot for their dedication.  Either way, the character has three additional proficiency slots, for a total of either four or five.

Magic-users, by book rules, gain two non-weapon proficiencies every six levels.  MyWorld rules accelerate this to one every three levels (the same rate overall, but it brings one proficiency of every two forward).  This is more natural, and reduces the penalty of being a magic-using class.  It appears that the original rule was devised to keep non-weapon slots tied to weapons, a notion which was abandoned later.

Paladins begin with three weapons if they start at level one; those who start as 0H (Horseman) have only one weapon, and gain another at 0L and a third at level 1.

Psionicists are a second edition class, and are treated slightly differently.  Although it is said that they gain a proficiency after a specified number of levels, for simplicity this is counted from level 0, not level 1, so that the level numbers at which proficiencies are gained will be multiples of the number of levels stated.  Thus these do not follow the pattern of the other classes.

Yakuza proficiency information has been extrapolated based on similar classes; it was overlooked in the original book rules.

Return to Step 24:  Referee Additions
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