Sources and influences on the development of Dungeons & Dragons

Sources and influences on the development of Dungeons & Dragons include fantasy fiction, mythology, and wargaming rules among others.

The immediate predecessor of Dungeons & Dragons was a set of medieval miniature rules written by Jeff Perren. These were expanded by Gary Gygax, whose additions included a fantasy supplement, before the game was published as Chainmail. Dave Arneson used Chainmail to run games where players controlled a single character instead of an army, an inovation that inspired D&D.

Many Dungeons & Dragons elements also appear in hobbies of the mid- to late twentieth century (though these elements also existed previously). Character-based role playing, for example, can be seen in historical reenactment and improvisational theatre. Game-world simulations were well-developed in wargaming. Fantasy milieus specifically designed for gaming could be seen in Glorantha's board games among others. Ultimately, however, Dungeons & Dragons represents a unique blending of these elements.

The theme of D&D was influenced by mythology, pulp fiction, and contemporary fantasy authors of the 1960s and 1970s. The presence of halflings, elves, dwarves, half-elves, orcs, dragons and the like often draw comparisons to the work of J.R.R. Tolkien. Gygax maintains that he was influenced very little by The Lord of the Rings (although the owners of that work's copyright forced the name change of hobbit to halfling), stating that he included these elements as a marketing move to draw on the popularity of the work

Other influences include the works of Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs, A. Merritt, H.P. Lovecraft, Fritz Leiber, L. Sprague de Camp, Fletcher Pratt, Roger Zelazny, and Michael Moorcock. Monsters, spells, and magic items used in the game have been inspired by hundreds of individual works ranging from A. E. van Vogt's "The Destroyer" (the Displacer Beast), Lewis Carroll's "Jabberwocky" (Vorpal sword) to the Book of Genesis (the clerical spell "Blade Barrier" was inspired by the "flaming sword which turned every way" at the gates of Eden).

One of the games designers, Gary Gygax, has specifically listed influences including Robert E. Howard, L. Sprague de Camp, and Fletcher Pratt, Fritz Leiber, Poul Anderson, A. Merritt, and H. P. Lovecraft. Less significant influences were Roger Zelazny, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Michael Moorcock, Philip José Farmer. A number of elements were drawn from the fantasy work of J. R. R. Tolkien, although Gary Gygax claims the influence is primarily superficial.

Barbarian
The barbarian appeared as a class in AD&D's Unearthed Arcana. The class was heavily inspired by Howard's Conan, whose adventures were a major source of inspiration for the game. As Conan was often deeply suspicious of magic, this barbarian was limited in its ability to use magical items until higher levels. This class was a great leaper and an able climber, like Conan. The D&D 3.5 version retains some similarities, but eliminated the disdain for magic. A less psychotic version of a berserker's fury was incorporated as the rage ability (previously, berserkers had been NPCs or monsters) for barbarians. The new barbarian remains close to its archetypal founder, however, possessing a trap sense and uncanny dodge abilities similar to Conan's keen eye for trouble.

Bard
The bard, appearing originally in AD&D, was inspired by stories of the Celtic bard, a musician and keeper of ritual lore, related to the druidic tradition. The original bard was a dual-classed fighter/thief/druid. Later editions diverged from this inspiration, making the bard a sort of scoundrel, minstrel, and enchanter with a knowledge of legends.

Cleric
The cleric is largely inspired by folklore of the medieval cleric of Templar. Like the Templars described in White's The Once and Future King, clerics in D&D were forbidden edged weapons by religious vows. Their spellcasting abilities parallel the miracles of saints, but bear little resemblance to the folklore of the fighting priest. AD&D 2nd edition introduced the concept of specialty priests, of which the druid is an example, who had different spell capabilities and different weapon choices. Clerics, in 3.5, are drawn to maces and staves primarily by a lack of proficiency with martial weapons, and to a lesser degree by a deity's favored weapon. The warhammer, typically presented as a small sledge, rather than the historical pick-like weapon, is another iconic cleric weapon, wielded by dwarven clerics in 3.5, with more than passing resemblances to the hammer of Thor.

Druid
Although inspired by lore of Celtic priests in pre-Roman times, druids in Dungeons & Dragons bear little resemblance to their historical counterparts. A druid, in D&D, is a divine caster who reveres nature. They possess special supernatural powers, and do not wear metal armor.

Monk
The monk is based on the Asian martial arts tradition, particularly wuxia and appearances of kung fu, karate, and ninjitsu in the later part of the 20th century in the US. Many of their abilities are those ascribed to sifus and Zen masters.

Paladin
The paladin, named for Charlemagne's pious champions, is inspired by legends of chivalry and piety, particularly those of the European Renaissance. Primarily inspirations seem to be Galahad from the Arthurian saga, the same Templars that inspired the cleric class, and warrior-saints such as Joan of Arc and the fables of Saint George.

Ranger
Largely inspired by the character of Aragorn in The Lord of the Rings. Notably, in 1st edition AD&D the Ranger class was exceptionally proficient with crystal balls, a trait derived from Aragorn's ancestral right to the palantíri. Later versions of the class diverged radically from it's origins, reimagining the class as a Druidic-themed warrior with a mystical connection to nature and animal empathy abilities.

Rogue
Although the plucky rogue, thief or trickster character is a staple of human legends, the D&D rogue and his ancestors a special debt to Bilbo Baggins, the hobbit burglar, and The Grey Mouser, Fritz Leiber's swashbuckling rogue. Especially, the "thieves guilds" of Dungeons and Dragons seem to have been inspired by the organized crime of Leiber's Lankhmar.

Wizard
Wizards memorize their spells, then forget them when cast in the fashion of magicians from Jack Vance's Dying Earth series of novels.

Dwarves
Dwarves come from Scandinavian and Teutonic mythology with some inspiration from from The Lord of the Rings, although modified in translation. Tolkien's dwarves were already less sorcerous and fey than their legendary Anglo-Saxon forebears. D&D dwarves derive their greed, stubbornness, and martial character essentially from the company of dwarves who hire Bilbo in The Hobbit to serve as an "expert treasure hunter."

Elves
Elves in Dungeons & Dragons derive mainly from the works of Tolkien, with their long lives, affinity for wild places, ancient magic, grace, benevolence, dreamless sleep, and humanoid appearance. However, they also seem to draw inspiration from the sorcerous elves of Poul Anderson, although their are less capricious and sociopathic. They also serve as an ancient civilized race, similar to the Melniboneans or Vadhagh of Michael Moorcock. Like Tolkien's elves, the Second Edition of Dungeons & Dragons had elves who did not die of old age, instead they migrated to another land, parelling Tolkien's elves leaving for the Undying Land. Gary Gygax claims D&D elves draw very little from Tolkien.

Halflings
Halflings are strongly inspired by Tolkien's hobbits. There were renamed after a lawsuit regarding the trademarked name. Halflings is also a word Tolkien used for hobbits, but it is not trademarked. Recent versions have incorporated some elements of the Dragonlance series' kender, as well as colorful stereotypes of Gypsies.

Centaur
The centaur comes from Greek mythology.

Chimera
The chimera comes from Greek mythology. The original could spit or glance with lightning or poison. The D&D version, having a dragon head, could breath fire. The third edition version could have the head of any chromatic dragon; a blue dragon chimera would spit lightning, like a classic chimera.

Djinn
The djinn comes from Arabic folklore. In D&D it is a type of genie.

Dryad
A dryad is a demigod in Greek myth, a type of goddess or nymph associated with nature.

Efreet
The efreet, a type of genie in D&D, comes from Arabic folklore. They live in a City of Brass.

Ettin
An ettin is a species of giant in English and Irish folklore.

Goblin
Goblins appear in Tolkien's The Hobbit, whereas the same creatures are usually referred to as orcs in The Lord of the Rings.

Golem
The word golem comes from Jewish folklore, and refers to a man of clay, named Joseph, created by a community as a protector.

Hobgoblin
In legend, a hobgoblin is a type of sprite or brownie. In D&D, it is a larger, particularly violent variety of goblin. Tolkien had used the term 'hobgoblin' for a large sort of goblin in The Hobbit, but later realized that in folklore hobgoblins were actually the smaller sort.

Medusa
The medusa is named after a creature in Greek mythology with the same appearance and powers.

Mind Flayer
Mind flayers are original to D&D, but owe a great deal of inspiration to the eldritch creatures of H. P. Lovecraft's stories. They were inspired by the cover of Brian Lumley's novel The Burrowers Beneath.

Minotaur
The minotaur appears as a unique creature in Greek mythology.

Nymph
Nymphs come from Greek myth, in which they exhibit their blinding beauty.

Orc
Orcs come from Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings where they are described as bestial, brutal, and evil humanoids. The term orc, before Tolkien, meant a monster, possibly an ogre, but usually referred to a type of sea monster.

Simurgh
The simurgh is a creature of Persian myth.

Treant
Treants are based on Ents from Tolkien's work. They were renamed after a lawsuit from the Tolkien estate that prompted many other changes.

Troll
Trolls come from Northern European folklore. The D&D version was inspired by a regenerating troll that appear in Poul Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions. Additionally, the novel Stormbringer has been cited as an influence.

Vampire
Although vampires appear in ancient Greek and medieval myth, D&D vampires owe their ancestry to Hollywood renditions of Dracula. Silver is a weakness of cinematic vampires.

Wight
The wight is a deadly undead creature inspired by the barrow-wights in LOTR. It also bears a strong resemblance to Hollywood flesh-eating zombies.

Wraith
Wraith is a type of ghost; in Tolkien's LOTR the Ring-Wraiths are shadowy minions of Sauron.

Wyvern
The wyvern appears as a heraldic figure.

Ioun Stones
Ioun stones come from the Dying Earth tales of Jack Vance, with little alteration.

Three Bladed Sword
This oddity from Unearthed Arcana seems to have come from the film The Sword and the Sorcerer.

Elven Chain
This unusually light chainmail armor made of mithril is only given as a gift by elves. It bears a strong resemblance to the armor given to Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit and later given to Frodo Baggins in The Fellowship of the Ring.

Elven Cloak
These magical cloaks grant the wearer exceptional concealment ability, similar to the cloaks given by Galadriel to the fellowship in The Fellowship of the Ring.

Alignment
D&D alignment draws from several sources. The Law-Chaos axis comes from the stories of Michael Moorcock, particularly his Eternal Champion stories, and is echoed in other sources. Alternatively the Law-Chaos axis may be derived from the novel Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson.

AD&D added the Good-Evil axis, emulating Christian dualistic ideas and harkening back to the central moral struggle of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

Mithral
A lightweight, shiny metal inspired by Tolkien's mithril.

Prismatic Spray
The prismatic spray comes from Vance's "Mazarian the Magician", which features the Excellent Prismatic Spray.