Level 0: Apprenticeships

As mentioned in my previous post, level 0 characters can be a lot of fun. Since a level 1 character starts with 0 XP, a level 0 character does not “level up” to level 1 by gaining XP, but rather by achieving a narrative milestone of some description. One such milestone could be the completion of an apprenticeship. In this post, I am going to consider apprenticeships for human characters leading to the standard four classes in Basic D&D. But first…

Levelling Up to Level 1

When your level 0 character attains level 1, the character immediately gains the full benefits of their chosen character class. This potentially includes a new hit die to replace their racial hit die. Roll the new hit die and apply Consitution modifier as normal. If the result is more than your character’s maximum hit points at level 0, then the result becomes the character’s new maximum hit points. If the result is less, then your character keeps the same hit point maximum as they had at level 0.

Human Apprenticeships

Humans can be clerics, fighters, magic-users, or thieves. A level 0 human character gains their first level of a character class once they complete an apprenticeship. Apprenticeships generally last several years of in-game time – thus most apprentice characters will be several years in to their apprenticeship at the time play begins. All of the apprentices given below are level 0 humans, but they have an additional ability reflecting their in-progress training as compared to other level 0 humans. All apprentices have the same weapon and armour proficiencies as level 1 characters of the same class.

Apprentice Clerics

Apprentice clerics assist fully-fledged clerics of their orders. Generally, they serve and learn from one high-level cleric of their order who has retired from active adventuring. The high-level cleric tends a temple or major holy place, and has pastoral duties to a congregation of worshippers. The apprentice cleric assists the high-level cleric during ceremonies of worship and other religious rituals. In some orders, apprentice clerics also perform menial tasks like cleaning the temple, or mundane but important religious tasks, like distributing alms to the poor. In addition to performing these duties, the apprentice cleric studies in the temple’s scriptorium, learning from the sacred texts. When the apprentice cleric masters the teachings of their religion (which typically takes 7 years), the high-level cleric recommends that the apprentice be ordained as a fully-fledged cleric of the order. The order may impose some sort of exam, trial, or test of faith before a hierophant of the order ordains the apprentice as a cleric.

Apprenticeship Ability

Apprentice clerics may cast spells from clerical scrolls just like level 1 clerics. This is the only way they can cast spells.

Apprentice Fighters

Apprentice fighters can take many forms, and most fighter “apprenticeships” are not formalised arrangements. Knights train their squires to become knights – and this is the most formal sort of apprenticeship for a fighter. The institution of knighthood and the training a squire undergoes is really a matter for its own article (and in many OSR games, its own character class as distinct from the typical fighter). Less formalised and prolonged than squire training is the on-the-job training in soldiering a conscript receives on the march. An apprentice fighter receives training in arms and armour, but is not yet “blooded” to any significant extent. A squire typically serves a knight for seven years before being knighted themselves, completing their apprenticeships. A common soldier’s training is much shorter, and their “apprenticeship” could be considered to consist of the whole period from the start of their basic training up until their first battle.

Apprenticeship Ability

An apprentice fighter can wield any weapon, use shields, and wear any armour, just like level 1 fighters.

Apprentice Magic-Users

Magic-Users must study the arcane arts for years, and never really finish their “training” in that they are always studying and learning throughout their careers. The point at which they cease to be defined as an apprentice is the point when they stop depending on their master to teach them new spells and techniques, and develop the ability to learn for themselves. This can take a decade or more. An apprentice serves a high-level magic-user who has retired from active adventuring, their master. The master passes on their magical lore to their apprentice in miserly drips and drabs over that time, while the apprentice assists their master in the laboratory and library, helping their master perform unspeakable experiments in sorcery. More than a few apprentice magic-users have had their apprenticeships brought to an early end through spellcraft experiment gone wrong! Apprentice magic-users also perform the mundane and menial tasks about their master’s abode which cannot (or have not) been eliminated through the use of magical cantrips for the purpose. 

Apprenticeship Ability

Apprentice magic-users can cast spells from scrolls prepared by their master. If they use this ability to cast the spell read magic from a scroll written by their master on a scroll written by another magic-user (or elf), then they can cast spells from that scroll too. Apprentice magic-users cannot create scrolls themselves.

Apprentice Thieves

Thieves Guilds in major cities employ large numbers of apprentice thieves, who learn their craft performing petty crimes. Apprentice thieves start young, and Guilds have up to a dozen apprentice thieves for every master thief in residence. The attrition rate is horrific, since apprentice thieves are easily apprehended while their skills are still in the formative stage. Nevertheless, there are always plenty of apprentice thieves about, since every major city has enough desperate young people without better options available to them. Thief apprenticeships vary in length considerably, since some apprentices pick up the trade faster than others, and since the apprentice themselves decides when to leave the relative safety of the Guild to seek their fortune. An apprentice thief may serve as little as eighteen months as an apprentice before striking out on their own, or up to five years or more.

Apprenticeship Ability

Apprentice thieves select any two thief skills from the list of skills for a level 1 thief. They have those two skills at the same level as a level 1 thief. This skill selection should represent the sort of petty crime the apprentice thief specialises in (e.g. pick pocket, cat burglar, etc).

Apprentice Starting Gold

Human apprentices start with 3d6 x 5 gold pieces.

Demihuman Apprenticeships

Demihuman characters may also serve apprenticeships while they are level 0, much like human characters. However, since these level 0 characters already have racial special abilities (e.g. infravision), they do not have any other apprenticeship abilities. Since demihumans are longer lived than humans, demihuman apprenticeships are generally of a longer duration. Elven apprenticeships in particular may last for decades!