The Secret Origin of D&D'S Classes: Assassins, Monks & Druids

Why were Assassins, Monks, and Druids included in the game? Who actually created these classes, and what inspired them? Find out the secret origins of these classes in my latest video!

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*TIMESTAMPS*
0:00 Introduction
1:17 The Assassin
13:45 The Monk
21:54 The Druid
29:29 Wrap-Up
31:05 Bonus Content: Drinking & Listening

*WATCH THE SECRETS OF BLACKMOOR*

*MORE DADDY ROLLED A 1*

*BLUE HEAVEN IPA BY TOPA TOPA*

*MONK'S MUSIC BY THE THELONIOUS MONK SEPTET*

[konatelassina]

This is a great series. I am super interested to find out more about the creation of psionics (1st Ed). Who made it? What was the inspiration for the names of the disciplines/Attack-Defense Modes, what did the creatures think of the mechanics (psionic combat is pretty crazy at the table), etc.

[russellharrell]

Hundreds of years before the dawn of history
Lived a strange race of people, the Druids
No one knows who they were or what they were doing

[cdfreester]

I played my first monk in D&D 1e in 1982-1983 through my senior year of high school. Over the years, I have come to think the Monk class was introduced to allow parties with paladins to have a thief-character along with them who was good and not a thief (i.e., evil). The paladin class was very restrictive in alignment (lawful good only) and could not hire or associate with less savory characters. The Monk basically had the same skill set as the Thief without the Pick Pockets ability. and monks had to be lawful, so lawful good with a paladin-containing party made sense as opposed to a thief who was recommended to be a non-good character (neutral or evil)

[PsyrenXY]

This is exactly the kind of D&D content i find most interesting

[geoffchurchill]

you can tell in 1e that Gygax really saw druids in an antagonistic way if you see their role in the Village of Hommlett, he has them siding wit the temple of elemental evil

[DMTalesTTRPG]

I love that there is so much of the game’s history we actually don’t know.

[ObatongoSensei]

Actually, in addition to the lame kit for clerics, monks were introduced in AD&D 2nd Edition, in the revision book Spells & Magic, along many other new classes.
It was a priest with weird spell spheres, a free specialization in martial arts like a fighter, no armor but a base AC that became better with levels, resistance to mind affecting spells and powers, and other useful things.
It wasn't bad. A lot of fun to play.

[thepaintedtrolls]

Just bought a copy of Elak of Atlantis, looking forward to reading it and seeing where some of these ideas come from. I always appreciate specific titles like that mentioned to read the same thing Gary and the others were inspired by. Three Hearts and Three Lions is the last one that I bought and read. A different video mentioned that book is where the idea of trolls regenerating and being weak to fire came from.

[jdkelley]

Thanks again for the great historical analysis. I appreciate the work that must go into making these videos. I enjoy the insight into the different Character Classes and their roles in the game. What a great way to spend a bit of time thinking about the OSR and how it remains relevant today.

[tubebobwil]

I had the opportunity to be a player in a light RPG (very roughly D&D) that Tim Kask ran at a local con a couple of years back. What an amazingly generous and accommodating guy. The session was super fun with Tim weaving crazy settings and scenarios around the silly things we submitted as prompts and the lunatic actions we were talking with our player characters.

[RuiSaltao]

Another great video. Keep 'em coming!

It's so much fun learning about the mishmash of references and influences, and the DIY spirit in these early days! It's a good reflection of what happens probably across all other types of art too. These were bright, creative, well-read people (knowledgeable about history and fantasy and so on), but ultimately were just nerd gamers like most of us. These rules were just their version that they hustled together. Just their version. And you could make one too!

[danielboggs]

There is fairly strong evidence that Arneson wrote the Assassin class in the "Special Interests" section of the FFC. The text contains a list of all the D&D classes that were published to date by the the summer of 1975 - except thief - (Fighting-Man, Cleric, Magic-User, Ranger, Paladin) plus 3 more (Assassin, Merchant, Sage). Merchant and Sage are definite Blackmoor classes and so it appears is Assassin. Arneson wrote the manuscript for Supp II in the summer of 1975 and It is quite likely Imho that the Special Interest Section was material included in the mss. that got cut by Kask or the previous editor Brian Blume (who added Monk to the mix). Notably of the three added classes, the sage and assassin were included in Supp II.

[ICountFrom]

(20:02) ... you are absolutely right, I recognize that page. That's the edition my relatives had. Never wanted to play the game with the youngster I was, but I was able to sneak the book and read it. Yes, thief feeling monk, no backstab, but instead everything else from the thief that seemed to matter. That's what I remember.

By the time I actually played anything it was second edition. Explains why there's nothing like what I remember in the complete second edition omnibus. Things change with time.

Course, these days a slow falling assassin with thief abilities would be something out of assassins creed... heh.

[thesonofdormammu]

Great video. I'm loving the history of the game that I dedicated so much of my time to in my youth.

[DMTalesTTRPG]

Just as a poke for subjecting me to that beer…

Matt Stairs’ home run still hasn’t landed.

Great video as always!

[YouTellemFrosk]

Great historical work, thanks. 1e remains my favourite it’s simple and feels right

[douglasaustin]

Another great video! I always learn something I didn’t know from your videos even after doing a ton of research myself. The connection to Top Secret for the Assassin class blew my mind! I love the deep dive into the origin of the Druids. I want to read those stories in Weird Takes you mentioned. Can’t wait for your video on Vancian Magic!

[BillWiltfong]

The Gor series is just great, highly recommended. Trying to find a copy can be tough, but it's worth it if you do.

[crouchback]

The Flying Monk sounds like a joke based on the Flying Nun rather than any kind of kung fu reference. The Flying Nun was a sitcom from the late 1960s - obscure now but people would have caught the reference in the 1970s.

[WK-]

I've yet to actually play D&D - I cut my teeth on CRPGs - but I find the real-world 'lore' of it (not to mention RPG design in general) fascinating. Thanks for your work and glad I found your channel.