Magic-users and the quarterstaff

[Blood axe]

I switched to variable damage by class instead of variable damage by weapon, and allow everyone to wield whatever they want.

Does it vary with missiles/melee?

[tumblingdice]

From p. 16 of the player's book of the D&D Master Rules:

"The DM may, if desired, widen the number of weapons permitted to magic-users to include the following: blowgun, net, whip, and staff. However, many campaigns function perfectly well with magic-users restricted to dagger only."

Of course, I'm not sure how many of us bothered with the Master Rules (26th-36th level characters, anyone?), but it is there in writing.

[elf23]

Gandalf & Saruman just wouldnt seem the same.

I dunno, as someone else said, I never envisioned the wizards in Lord of the Rings engaging in staff combat until the films came out.

Isnt 1E , dagger, dart, staff? On another note, never understood the dart thing.

Yep. This is what I mean by me having been AD&Dised... I'd forgotten that the rule allowing MUs to use a staff in combat was only in AD&D, not in basic.

Agreed that darts are weird. They are totally the weapon of choice for a 1st level MU in AD&D, I think. How does one explain that!?

[elf23]

I switched to variable damage by class instead of variable damage by weapon, and allow everyone to wield whatever they want.

Yeah I think I'd be inclined to go this way too, if I wanted to house rule the matter.

[Blood axe]

I agree, i didnt like the Gandalf vs Saruman fight scene.

In Thieves World, there is a MU that uses a sword. He doesnt get respect as a spellcaster, because if he was good, he wouldnt need a sword.

[elf23]

In Thieves World, there is a MU that uses a sword. He doesnt get respect as a spellcaster, because if he was good, he wouldnt need a sword.

Haha, nice

[Black Wyvern]

I switched to variable damage by class instead of variable damage by weapon, and allow everyone to wield whatever they want.

Does it vary with missiles/melee?

I tinkered with a similar rule where each class had an assigned dice for light, one handed, two handed and device missile weapons. Everyone could use whatever weapon they wanted but a two handed weapon for a dwarf was the same damage die as a one handed weapon. Elves did more damage with missile weapons. I think this rule, whatever variant is used makes the arch-type classes more universal.

[greyarea]

Interesting rule, Black Wyvern. How did it work in your campaign? What did the players think of it?

[Dyson Logos]

I switched to variable damage by class instead of variable damage by weapon, and allow everyone to wield whatever they want.

Does it vary with missiles/melee?

Weapons come in three categories - light, standard and heavy

Light Weapons (-1 die step) are daggers, short swords, short bows, slings, clubs
Standard Weapons (standard damage) are axes, swords, long bows, light crossbows
Heavy Weapons (+1 die step) are two-handed axes and swords, heavy crossbows

Primary Combat Classes (Fighter, Ranger, Paladin, Knight, Barbarian, Smasher, Tree-Hurler, Orc, Dwarf, Noble, etc) deal 1d8 base damage

Semi-Combat & Small Classes (Thief, Cleric, Assassin, Goblin, Halfling, Acrobat, Bard, Merchant Prince, etc) deal 1d6 base damage

Non-Combat Classes (Magic-User, Demonologist, Enchanter, Peasant, Very Little Anthropomorphic Mice, etc) deal 1d4 base damage

Dice Steps work as follows 1d4/1d6/1d8/1d10

So a fighter with a two-handed weapon deals 1d10, a magic user with most weapons deals 1d4 (unless he's wielding a polearm for 1d6), and a thief with a sword deals 1d6.

[greyarea]

The dice steps remind me of DCC