June, after all, has traditionally been my month to celebrate all things Basic-era D&D, and this is a perfect choice.
Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia (1991)
Edited by Aaron Allston and based on the work of Frank Mentzer, Dave Arneson, and Gary Gygax.
There’s something magical about the Dungeons & Dragons Rules Cyclopedia. It’s not just a book, it’s a time capsule. Released in 1991, this single volume condensed the sprawling BECM, Basic/Expert/Companion/Master (excluding Immortals, which I'll address later) sets into one massive, 300+ page tome. When the standard was established and continues to be three-volume sets for AD&D/D&D, the Rules Cyclopedia broke the mold, providing everything in one book.
I have already gone on record stating that I didn't pick this up at the time, despite my initial interest in it. I was heavy into AD&D, and as a broke college student, and my drinking spending money was limited.
One Book to Rule Them All
Sort of. The Rules Cyclopedia was certainly an ambitious project. Take the well-loved BECMI pentalogy and try to rearrange it into a cohesive whole. By this point, we had already had the Original D&D game, which was reorganized into the Holmes Basic game, which was in turn re-edited into the B/X Moldvay/Cook/Marsh books, and then finally those gave rise to the Mentzer BECMI. There was a lot of play and a lot of history here to try to gather together. The DNA of all of those works is still visible here.
If you are familiar with Basic D&D in its many forms (Basic, B/X, BECMI) you have four basic human classes: Cleric, Fighter, Magic-user, and Thief, and the three demi-human races (races was still used here, so let's stick with that) Dwarf, Elf, and Halfling. Human classes go to an impressive 36 levels. Demi-humans have level limits, but still have ways to improve with experience. There are a LOT of things characters can do in these 36 levels, too. Neutral Clerics can become Druids, Lawful Fighters can become Paladins, and there is more. Magic-users at 36th level get 81 total spell levels. There is a lot more like this. There is also a Mystic class, sorta like the D&D Monk.
I also still feel that BECMI and the RC have some of the best high-level play advice in D&D. In truth, there is a lot of great "D&D" advice here that is great for any D&D edition, but obviously the best translation is to AD&D 1st ed. Some of this advice does exist in different wording in the DMG. But without all the High Gygaxian. And better organized.
The trick here is, of course, not how the rules are the same, but how they are different. A great example is how dragons are handled. There are small, large, and huge sizes for starters. Something we would not see in AD&D until 2nd edition. Plus all sorts of Gemstone dragons which include the rulers of Dragons, Diamond, Pearl, and Opal. (An aside. What if the Dragons were divided like this: Pearl = Chaotic, Opal = Neutral, Diamond =Lawful, Bahamut = Good, Tiamat = Evil?)
Lots of fun monsters here and despite the lack of art (or maybe because of) there is a lot of intersting entries. The entry on Monster spellcasters is uniquely BECMI/RC and something I wish I had adapted more back in my AD&D games.
The D&D planes are covered, similar to the AD&D planes. But only the inner planes are covered.
Some of the best bits are cover the D&D Game World, Mystara, and the Known World. Here we see a departure from BECMI, where the game world was called Urt and was a living world. The map from the Expert Set is back for the Known World, which we learn on later maps is just a small section of the world. AND the Known World is Hollow, which was a revelation to me when I first read it. I rather love it.
Appendix 2 covers conversions to and from AD&D, which is rather fun.
The character sheets are rather plain, to be honest.
Immortals
I call this one out specifically, because it is one of the main differences between the Basic and Advanced games. In the D&D Rules Cyclopedia, Immortals are discussed, but specific Immortals are rarely mentioned. Ka, Odin, and Atzanteotl, are mentioned by name and have appeared in other BECMI products over the years. The conversion notes for D&D to AD&D 2nd Ed in the Cyclopedia gives us this little tidbit:
The Immortals of the D&D system and the deities of the AD&D system should not be converted between the game systems.
They were really set on the whole Immortals ≠ Gods thing. But this works for me since it is possible and even desirable for characters to become immortals.
The most interesting parts cover the PCs' acquisition of immortality. We would see this again in D&D 4e, though in a different form, the idea is the same.
Summary
I have not covered this book in detail and certainly not in the detail that it deserves. This is a masterpiece really.
Larina Nix for D&D Rules Cyclopedia
Larina got her start as a witch in Glantri (the Country) and wanted to move to Glantri City to attend the city's magic school. Of course, this was before I picked up the Glantri Gazetteer. Who knows what I would have done with her had I bought that Gazetteer back then?
For this I am going to use my "The Witch." While not exactly for the Rule Cyclopedia nor BECMI, but for "Basic-era games" going to level 36. It does work for this and honestly the book was created largely based on Larina as my major play-test character.
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| "Larina" by Jeff Dee |
36th Level Witch, Classical Tradition
Human Female
Strength: 10 (+0)
Intelligence: 18 (+3)
Wisdom: 18 (+3)
Dexterity: 12 (+0)
Constitution: 12 (+0)
Charisma: 18 (+3) * (+15% XP)
Death Ray or Poison: 2
Magic Wands: 2
Paralysis or Turn to Stone: 2
Dragon Breath: 2
Rod, Staff, or Spell: 2
THAC0: 6
Movement: 120 (40)
Occult Powers
1st level: Familiar ("Cotton Ball" Flying Cat)
Herb Use
7th level: Temporary Magic
13th level: Permanent Magic
19th level: Witch's Blessing
25th level: Ability Bonus
31st level: Timeless Body
Spells
Cantrips: Black Flame, Chill, Dancing Lights, Inflict Minor Wounds, Object Reading, Quick Sleeping
First Level: Bewitch I, Black Fire, Burning Hands, Charm Person, Endure Elements, Fey Sight, Glamour, Read Languages, Concentration (Ritual)
Second Level: Alter Self, Candle of the Wise, Enhance Familiar, Ghost Touch, Hold Person, Produce Flame, Scare, Suggestion, Calling the Quarters (Ritual)
Third Level: Bestow Curse, Bewitch III, Clairvoyance, Danse Macabre, Dispel Magic, Fly, Scry, Tongues, Imbue Witch Ball (Ritual)
Fourth Level: Analyze Magic, Arcane Eye, Divination, Ethereal Projection, Intangible Cloak of Shadows, Mirror Talk, Phantom Lacerations, Spiritual Dagger, Drawing the Moon (Ritual)
Fifth Level: Bewitch V, Blade Dance, Death Curse, Dream, Endless Sleep, Eternal Charm Person, Hold Person, Primal Scream, Telekinesis
Sixth Level: Anti-magic Shell, Death Blade, Eye Bite, Find the Path, Greater Scry, Mass Agony, Mirror Walk, True Seeing, Legend Lore (Ritual)
Seventh Level: Ball of Sunshine, Breath of the Goddess, Death Aura, Etherealness, Greater Arcane Eye, Insanity, Wave of Mutilation, Widdershins Dance, Vision (Ritual)
Eighth Level: Astral Projection, Bewitch VIII, Damming Stare, Discern Location, Mystic Barrier, Prophesy, Wail of the Banshee, Descent of the Goddess (Ritual), Protection of the Goddess (Ritual)
Immortal Sphere: Energy
This is a good build. This is Larina right before her ascension to Immortality. If I review Wrath of the Immortals, then that is where I will go next.
Who Should Play This Game?
Honestly, anyone who has ever played AD&D or played any version of D&D after this should give this a try. The rules are different enough to be a new experience and familiar enough to make it easy to get into. The Race-as-Class will feel odd to most other veterans of D&D, but it is such an important piece of D&D history that everyone should try out.
The newer Print on Demand version is reasonably priced and easier to read than the previous versions, but it makes for a great choice for people who do not want to pay eBay prices for it.
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