Where the good games are

As I write this, the past weekend was the WINTER FANTASY ™gaming convention.

It is over, and we’ve survived. WINTER FANTASY isn’t as hecticor crowded as the GENCON® game fair, so we can relax a bitmore, meet more people, and have more fun.

It was good meeting designers and editors from other gamecompanies and discussing trends in the gaming industry, but itwas also good sitting in the hotel bar (or better yet, Mader’s,down the street) with old friends and colleagues and just talk-ing shop.

Conventions are business, but they are also fun.I came out of WINTER FANTASY with a higher respect for the

people who run these things. TSR’s new convention coordina-tor, Dee Westman, was everywhere. I couldn’t round a cornerwithout seeing her talking to someone or running off on somemission. (We’re convinced now there was a clone spell in forcesomehow.) RPGA® Network coordinator Scott Douglas and hisstaff did yeoman service keeping things going so smoothlymost people thought the convention was running itself.

I saw large groups of people checking out the demos of thenewest card games and the old favorites as well.

The key attraction, though, was gaming. Straight gaming. Allday. Virtually around the clock. There were game tournamentsgalore, including the RPGA Networks popular LIVING CITY™ cam-paign. (For those of you who missed the interactive, RavensBluff is under siege. For more information, see the RPGANetwork News on page 46 of this magazine.)

One of the new things at WINTER FANTASY was the RPGANetworks LIVING DEATH™ campaign, which isbased on the fin de siècle RAVENLOFT®

slots of the two LIVING DEATH adventures; all the judges sched-uled to run them later really wanted to play them first. That’s avote of confidence for you.

These judges really impressed me. For those of you who’venever played a LIVING CITY, LIVING JUNGLE™, or LIVING DEATH game,you don’t know what you’re missing. The judges who run thesethings are the closest thing to a professional corps of DMs thatI can imagine. Many judges have been doing this for years, andsome go to gaming conventions solely for the purpose of run-ning games. They really enjoy it, they’re really good, and theyreally know the rules.

Now the Network drops into GENCON gear. Tournaments arebeing readied and judges are signing up.

If you like to game, you shouldn’t miss GENCON; but if youlike to game and also want to be able to sit back and breathea little, you should come to WINTER FANTASY next year, too.

You should also consider joining the Network. I’ve thoughtabout it myself for several months, but after seeing WINTER

FANTASY, I’m convinced. I just finally broke down and joined theRPGA Network.

Do you think I’m going to work all the time and miss outon the fun?

game setting of Masque of the RedDeath. It looked iffy for gettingenough judges for the first few

Publisher

TSR, Inc.Associate editorDave Gross

Associate PublisherBrian Thomsen

Associate editorMichelle Vuckovich

Editor-in-ChiefPierce Watters

SubscriptionsJanet L. Winters

E d i t o rAnthony J. Bryant

U.S. advertisingCindy Rick

U.K. correspondent/advertisingCarolyn Wildman

Printed in the USA

DRAGON #228 3

April 1996Volume XX, No. 11Issue #228

Real JunglesGregory DetwilerForget those Tarzan movies. Let us tell you aboutcampaigning in the real jungle.

Page 8

101 Uses for a Wet BlanketSpike Y. Jones

The humble woolen blanket can save yourPC’s life. You’ll never look at bed linens the same way.

Page 19

The Athalantan CampaignEd GreenwoodWhat were the Realms like when Elminster was young?Venture to the Kingdom of Athalantar to find out.

Page 26

All in the FamilyBryan Hudson

Give your PCs more depth and your gamemore motivation by making family ties bind.

Page 43

Greater Familiars of FaerûnJean RabeHere’s a solution for when your mage’sanimal companions become familiar.

Page 76

Venturing into the CityPaul F. Culotta

Sooner or later, you have to deal with a city-based campaign. It’s best to be ready.

Page 91

4 APRIL 1996

Final Quest: They deserved itRoger E. MooreTen really embarrassing ways to die.Page 15

The Dragon�s Worstiary:Golems

Anne BrownThey’re new...they’re terrifying...they’re

chocolate, chia, and plush golems!Page 38

Rogue�s Gallery:Gangsters of the UnderdarkKeith “Pinball” StrohmCan adventurers survive against these members ofthe real underworld? Only Sir Elliot of Kness knows.Page 52

3............The Wyrm's TurnFun with the Winter Fantasy™ gaming conven-tion and the RPGA® Network.

6....................................D-MailReaders' letters take on the Sage, odd monsters,and the future of Krynn.

46............ RPGA® Network NewsCoordinator Scott Douglas discusses Networkactivity and the siege of Ravens Bluff™.

49............................. Cons & ProsWe let you know where the conventions areand who's going to be there.

61............ Role-playing ReviewsRick Swan plays some wierd new games

70............................ForumLetters contain comments on the new Skills &Powers book and women in gaming.

84......................... Sage AdviceSkip Williams answers some very odd ques-tions. Yup...it's April, all right.

120................. The Current ClackAllen Varney reports on the industry.

Dungeon Mastery:The DM�s Quick Random

Campaign GeneratorSerge Stelmack

One d12 is all you need to create trulymemorable campaigns.

Page 67

Other Material

100 ....................................... DragonMirth102 ......... Knights of the Dinner Table104 ..............................................Floyd116 ......................................... TSR Previews

73 What�s so Funny? 73 ................................Yamara Map98 ..............................Gamer’s Guide

Ed StarkCan serious games be fun, too?

108 Mission fromKendermore Part Two(DRAGONLANCE®:Tales of the Fifth Age)Harold J. JohnsonThe remaining kender struggle on to Ogrebond. Willany of them succeed?

DRAGON#228 5

Flumph? What’s a flumph?Dear DRAGON® MAGAZINE:

Okay, I’ve been patient long enough.I’ve bought pretty much every monstersupplement that’s come along. What is aflumph? The CASTLE GREYHAWk® modulementions them several times. It’s justabout the only monster there youhaven’t reprinted. Just a short descrip-tion will do. Please tell me what a flumphis before I have to make up my own def-inition. (And that won’t be pretty.)

Rip Van WormerMidlan, Ml

You have impeccable timing. Look onpage 16 of this issue for a bit of backgroundon the rather pathetic flumph. (You musthave been skimming pages, because theflumph also appears on page 58 of theMONSTROUS COMPENDIUM™ Annual, VolumeTwo.)

Innovation:magic vs. technology

Dear DRAGON MAGAZINE:I must take issue with Skip Williams’

suggestion in the January 1996 “SageAdvice” (DRAGON MAGAZINE issue #225)regarding the unorthodox use of thefrisky chest spell to move a heavy butvaluable golden statue. There is simplyno reason why any Dungeon Mastershould object to this application of astandard spell.

The priest who created the frisky chest

Dragon® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is published monthly by TSR, Inc.,201 Sheridan Springs Road, Lake Geneva, WI 53147, United States ofAmerica. The postal address for all materials from the United States ofAmerica and Canada except subscription orders is: DRAGON® Magazine,201 Sheridan Springs Road, Lake Geneva, WI 53147. U.S.A.; telephone(414) 248-3625; fax (414) 248-0389. The postal address for materialsfrom Europe is: DRAGON MAGAZINE, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, CherryHinton, Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom; telephone: (0223) 212517(U.K.), 44-223-212517 (international); telex: 818761; fax (0223) 248066(U.K.), 414-223-238066 (international).

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spell may well have intended only to pro-tect his valuables, but that doesn’t meanthat is the only way the magic will work.I’m sure that when Alexander GrahamBell invented the telephone, he neveranticipated the fax machine, but his tele-phone plus a little ingenuity and techno-logical sophistication led to this advance.History has proven that scientific discov-eries rarely remain confined to the inten-tions of their discoverers. Similarly, magi-cal discoveries in the AD&D® game madeby wizards and priests will constantly beapplied in ways their inventors neverimagined. I imagine the wizard Tensernever expected his floating disc to be usedas a magical stretcher for a woundedcompanion or as a makeshift ferry acrossa trapped floor. Would Mr. Williams barthese uses, even if they did not violatethe parameters and limitations of thespell, since the “obvious” intended use ofthis spell is to transport valuables? Anunorthodox use of a spell is not neces-sarily an abuse.

As for a DM-imposed weight limit tothe frisky chest spell, I wonder how manyother spell descriptions will be alteredmid-game by flummoxed DMs. Playersdepend on certain spells functioning incertain ways, and if the DM places new,unanticipated restrictions upon these inthe heat of play, he will cause more dam-age to the game than misuse of a 2nd-level priest spell. If I had been the DM forthese enterprising players, I would havegranted them an experience point bonusfor using their ingenuity.

By making an unorthodox but totallylegal use of a low-level spell, the playerswere able to overcome difficulty andemerge victorious. Isn’t this what playersare supposed to do?

Any DM who attempts to thwart suchinnovation as Skip Williams suggests(“the statue’s movement should havebeen contrary to what the players wantedat every opportunity”) is doing his playersa grave disservice and giving the moraleof the group a serious injury to boot.When the players realize that the DM isusing his power to balk them, despite thefact that rules, logic, and game balance

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are on their side, they will become dis-gusted and disinterested.

Neil McGarryPhiladelphia, PA

We passed your letter on to Skip Williamsfor his response. It follows below.

“Magic is not technology, so the telephonemetaphor just doesn’t work. Read ChapterOne of DM™ OPTION: High-Level Cam-paigns for a more in-depth discussion of whytreating magic like technology is a bad idea.

“In any case, a technological device doeswhat it does because that’s what it must do.When you dial a telephone, the phone atyour friend’s house rings because that’s whatit must do. It makes no difference what theuser intends or what the circumstances are.Knowing what a telephone must do, anybright person can adapt the telephone to per-form all sorts of tricks. A message spell, onthe other hand, does what it does (transmit aspoken message from the spellcaster toanother creature) because that’s what it wascreated to do. A message spell can nevertransmit a picture or written missive, becauseall it does is transmit speech. It also will neverdeliver a message to a recording device,because it transmits messages only to crea-tures. Technology is adaptable, magic is notOne could create a spell that transmits writ-ten messages, but it wouldn’t be a messagespell and wouldn’t transmit spoken mes-sages.

"I have no problem with innovation. Ihave a big problem with spells used in amanner contrary to their functions. Usingfrisky chest to make your treasure followyou out of the dungeon is just as bad as usingpolymorph other to create an army ofancient gold dragons from the local rat pop-ulation. (I had a glib response to that one,too.) Anyway, if the party in question hadbeen exceptionally clever, they could havemade the frisky chest spell work prettymuch the way they intended; it just wouldhave taken a long time and left them vulner-able to attack while they tried to herd thestatue through the dungeon.

“The letter writer has missed the originalpoint, which I have revisited several timessince the frisky chest column: When playersstart exploring the gray areas of spell effects

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Submissions: All material published in DRAGON MAGAZINE becomes theexclusive property of the publisher, unless special arrangements to thecontrary are made prior to publication. DRAGON MAGAZINE welcomes unso-

6 APRIL 1996

so they can gain big advantages, or whenthey apply their brains to manipulating therules instead of thinking up clever ways fortheir characters to do things, the DM must besure that things just don’t work out quite theyway they expected. That’s not to say thatattempts to use spells in new ways should fail,oh no. Instead, the adventure should proceedin ways the players probably haven’t antici-pated."

Missing AL-QADIM monstersDear DRAGON MAGAZINE:

I am writing to you all the way fromAustralia to give credit to your fine mag-azine and to ask a favor. I have manybrilliant TSR campaign settings, includingFORGOTTEN REALMS, RAVENLOFT®, and nowBIRTHRIGHT™. The problem is with myfavorite setting – AL-QADIM®. Unfor-tunately, I started collecting AL-QADIM

material a little too late, and cannot getthe AL-QADIM MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM®Appendix here in Australia.

Would you be able to put some of themore important monsters – like ghuls –in the magazine?

Adam Hock24 Arnold St.

BlackwaterQLD 4717Australia

Sorry, we can’t rerun them here.Many of the AL-QADIM monsters were

reprinted in the MONSTROUS COMPENDIUMAnnual, Volumes One and Two. Your localgaming store should either have these onthe shelves or be able to order them. (Theghuls are in Volume Two.)

For the record, the game supplementsand expansions for AL-QADIM still exist, andyou can order them from distributors.

On the Cover

It's been a while since we'vehad the work of Jim Hollowaygrace the cover of this publication(although we've certainly kepthim busy enough with interiorillustration as we worked on therelaunch).

Jim is one of those workingartists who still paints for plea-sure, and he brought us thisunfinished piece several monthsago. It featured classic Hollowaycharacters in yet another humor-ous predicament. We recognizedi ts po ten t ia l fo r our Apr i l"humor" cover and signed it upon the spot. Jim finished it overthe winter, and we're certainlyp leased w i th the resu l ts .

Thanks, Jim, for this and for allyour efforts these past fewmonths.

How to contact usIf you have a comment, opinion, or

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In the United States and Canada, sendany mail to Letters to the Editor, Dragon®Magazine, 201 Sheridan Springs Road, LakeGeneva, WI 53147 USA. In Europe, sendmail to Letters, Dragon Magazine, TSR Ltd.,120 Church End, Cherry Hinton, CambridgeCB1 3LB, United Kingdom.

If you need or expect a personal reply,enclose an SASE (self-addressed, stampedenvelope) with your letter.

You can also send e-mail to:tsrmags@aol.com.

What aboutthe rest of Krynn?

Dear DRAGON MAGAZINE:As an avid DRAGONLANCE® reader, I

would like to say how wonderful it wasto see the transformation of Krynn inDragons of Summer Flame. It has given a

licited submissions of written material and artwork; however, no respon-sibility for such submissions can be assumed by the publisher in anyevent. Any submission accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped enve-lope of sufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published. Westrongly recommend that prospective authors write for our writers’ guide-lines before sending an article to us. In the United States and Canada,send a self-addressed, stamped envelope (9 ½” long preferred) to Writers’Guidelines, c/o DRAGON MAGAZINE, at the above address; include sufficientAmerican postage or international Reply Coupons (IRC) with the returnenvelope. In Europe, write to: Writers’ Guidelines, c/o DRAGON MAGAZINE,TSR Ltd., include sufficient International Reply Coupons with your SASE.

Advertising: For information an placing advertisements in DRAGONMAGAZINE, ask for our rate card. All ads are subject to approval by TSR,Inc. TSR reserves the right to reject any ad for any reason. In the United

new and wonderful life to the saga thathas kept me interested for years. I am,however, curious to know if TSR has anyplans to expand the setting with novelsor more game products dealing withlands other than Ansalon. It seems to methat the FIFTH AGE™ would present a mar-velous opportunity to do just that.

Trevor ClarkCanmore, Canada

We know that there are people curiousabout other parts of Krynn, but our plate’sgoing to be full just felling you what’s goingon on Ansalon after the Chaos War. But whoknows...?

Look at my game design?Dear DRAGON MAGAZINE:

I am writing to tell you how much Iappreciate your publication and to askyou to take a look at the role-playinggame I have created, and possibly sug-gest it to the TSR producers to make it aTSR product. I will send you a copy atyour request.

Matt WoadVashon, WA

If you want to convince us you’re a goodgame designer, perhaps the best way toprove yourself here is by writing a good arti-cle for DRAGON MAGAZINE or a good modulefor DUNGEON® Adventures.

States and Canada, contact: Advertising Coordinator, TSR, Inc., 201Sheridan Springs Road, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A. In Europe, contact:Advertising Coordinators, TSR Ltd.

Advertisers and/or agencies of advertisers agree to hold TSR, Inc.harmless from and against any loss or expense from any alleged wrong-doing that may arise out of the publication of such advertisements. TSR,Inc. has the right to reject or cancel any advertising contract for which theadvertiser and/or agency of advertiser fails to comply with the businessethics set forth in such contract.

DRAGON is a registered trademark of TSR, Inc. Registration applied forin the United Kingdom. All rights to the contents of this publication arereserved, and nothing may be reproduced from it in whole or in partwithout first obtaining permission in writing from the publisher. Materialpublished in Dragon® Magazine does not necessarily reflect the opinions

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® designates registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc ™ designatestrademark; owned by TSR, Inc. Most other product names are trade-marks owned by the companies publishing those products. Use of thename of any product without mention of trademark status should not beconstrued as a challenge to such status.

©1996 TSR, Inc All Rights Reserved All TSR characters, characternames, and the distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks ownedby TSR, Inc

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DRAGON #228 7

Move over, Tarzan; make room for a realistic jungle

like? If they don’t know, how can they realistically por-tray them, or adventure as true denizens of them?

Oddly enough, jungles have been studied for only a littlemore than a century. My main source of information is a bookby one pf the early scientists who worked in them for a longtime. Ivan Sanderson’s Book of Great Jungles was written by IvanT. Sanderson, a Scottish-born naturalist who spent over 30 yearsof his life studying the flora and fauna of the jungles in Africa,Asia, and Latin America.

The basic jungleOriginally, the word “jungle” wasn’t even meant to describe

jungles. The word came from djanghael, a Persian word for thebarren Iranian deserts, where scattered thorny plants were theonly vegetation. British officers who were stationed in Persiaspent a lot of time hunting there, and as they were transferredto new posts in the hilly Northwest Frontier, and then to truejungle country in India, Ceylon, and Burma, they carried theword with them to describe the local wilderness, graduallyshortening the spelling to “jungle.”

Living inside a jungle isn’t really as bad as it sounds,although almost no one does. Even in lands that have jungles,the overwhelming majority of the population lives outside thejungle. They may have settlements on the very fringes or out-skirts of the jungle proper, but they will not enter. This is true ofthe natives no matter where the jungle is.

Superstitions and mistaken beliefs about jungles are rife, andtrue jungle denizens often exploit them to keep outsiders away.Jungle inhabitants (Pygmies, for example) can and do make"evil spirit calls” at night around nearby settlements just to makesure that neighbors won’t feel like dropping in on them. Ingame terms, a party of outsiders approaching or entering a jun-gle should get similar “scare-away” treatment at the

by Gregory Detwilerillustrated by Tony DiTerlizzi

ow many players and DMs know what real jungles are Part of the reason for the bad reputation of jungles is the-combination of climate and choice of wardrobe of the earlyexplorers. Jungles are hot and humid, and the less clothing youwear, the better. Look at the old pictures of Stanley, Livingstone,and their compatriots in pith helmets, boots, trousers, etc.; thesemen were all perfectly miserable.

Jungle natives are generally happy and carefree types, butyou wouldn’t know it to read the account of some explorer ofthe “green hell.” If your party from some other AD&D® campaigncomes waltzing into Malatra (the LIVING JUNGLE™ setting of theRPGA® Network, introduced in POLYHEDRON® Newszine issue #102),Chult (from the FORGOTTEN REALMS® campaign), or some other jun-gle, clad in chain or plate mail, make sure they have a miserabletime of it, at least until they shed most – or all – of their pro-tection. It’ll even the odds against the locals. Remember:padded armor here may be even more uncomfortable.

Another reason many people fear jungles is the threat of dis-ease. Tropical diseases can be quite virulent, and West Africawas even officially labeled “the white man’s grave” for this rea-son; but disease is equally bad in the tropics no matter what theterrain is like.

Jungles are some of the healthiest places in the world. Junglesoil is even a natural antiseptic, and if one receives a cut on thefoot and walks around barefoot, the wound heals with aston-ishing speed. Sanderson describes an occasion when, on a tem-porary visit to civilization, he came down with a case of ath-lete’s foot so bad he could hardly walk, and had to be carriedback to the jungle on a stretcher. The very night he got back, histent was washed away by a cloudburst, and he had to go wad-ing around knee deep in the mud to rescue his possessions. Notonly was the mud soothing, but by noon the next day all thepain was gone, and the sores were beginning to heal. Four dayslater, there was no indication that there had ever been anythingwrong with his feet.

If your jungle character has healing skills, havehands of any natives. him use jungle soil to treat wounds. At least

Dragon #228 9

it’s a change from the standard “herballore” set of cures.

True swamps and lakes, like Malatra’sDokuba and Kumbo Swamps, Lake Koro,and the Sleepy Lake, are rare in jungles.What one might find are permanentlyflooded depressions in the ground, oftenquite large, that have trapped waterbecause the soil is so saturated it can’thold any more. Trunks of large trees mayemerge from the water all over the place(giving a swamp-like appearance) or justappear along the edges (creating a lake).

All jungles exist in the tropics, andthey are hit with heavy rains most, if notall, nights. The exuberant vegetation of ajungle requires a lot of rain (the mini-mum is 80” a year). Jungles usually get alot more, however. Many get from 400”to even 800” of rain per year. If oneinsists on bringing metal weapons,armor, and other metallic gear in, onemust stock up on oily rags or whatever isnecessary to keep the stuff from rusting.

Plant lifeThe trees in a jungle not only grow to

a great height, but they are even literallybound together by the vines that growon them. This combination producessome curious effects. If you were flyingor at a vantage point where you couldsee the tops of the trees, you would findyourself looking at a massive blanket ofa uniform dark green. No matter whatspecies of tree the leaves come from,they always have the same green hue.There are exceptions, of course, and insome seasons, the top of the junglecanopy can be quite colorful. The shim-mering of this blanket in the waves oftropical heat rising from the ground isgenerally the only movement to be seen.When the wind blows, a wave seems topass over the blanket, and even then, themass of foliage effectively muffles thesound of the wind. This tangled masssways in a strong wind (such as a gust ofwind spell), but that will be all, even dur-ing a hurricane.

The vines, or lianas, effectively turnthe bulk of the jungle’s plant life into asingle living entity that is almost impossi-ble to destroy or even cut up easily.Chopping down a tree in the jungleinvolves more than taking an axe to thetrunk; one must also shimmy up it with asharp knife and cut all the lianas bindingit to its neighbors. Otherwise, the treecontinues to stand in place. Even deadtrees can stand in place for years, heldfast by anchoring vines, their trunks

decaying and collapsing in chunks.

Characters who want a log to float down-river on must wait longer or work harderthan they’d like.

On one occasion in the Amazonbasin, an expedition trying to passthrough a flooded jungle discovered thattheir oars were useless because theykept striking submerged buttresses orother obstructions. The lianas, however,were so common and strong that theboat’s crew was able to simply reach upand pull their craft through the jungle.

Not even an earthquake makes animpact in the jungle, except on the veryedges (often on a river bank). Sandersondescribes his experience during an earth-quake in the jungles of Nicaragua inDecember of 1941. There was no wind,yet he and his wife Alma (a fellow scien-tist) heard a deep pulsing sound.Abruptly, everything was jolted straightup, with the trees shaken “like mop-heads.” Then the ground not onlybecame so fluid that they couldn’t standup, but it went up and down in wavesjust like those of the ocean. The treesand everything else were heaved 5’ inthe air by each wave, then sank backdown again. There were some 80 wavesthat passed under a nearby river in per-fect order and with no loss of speed,repeating the performance in the jungleon the opposite side. There was destruc-tion along the river bank, but in the jun-gle itself, no trees had fallen, no streamshad had their courses diverted orblocked, and there were no cracks in theground. Any high-level cleric who castsan earthquake spell in a jungle should – ifthe DM describes the scene correctly –have a sudden feeling of puniness andinadequacy.

Plant life in the jungle can grow toenormous size. Common temperate zoneflowers such as violets and daisies growto such an extent that they actuallydevelop woody trunks and effectivelybecome fragrant shade trees. Some ofthe vines grow as large around as aman’s thigh, and the tangled roots of thelargest trees can get to the height of reg-ular trees themselves.

Sanderson describes seeing trees40’-50’ in height, growing in the crotchof an even larger tree, nearly a hundredfeet off the ground. The trees are wide aswell as tall, with some branches so thickyou could park a jeep on them. He men-tions one 200’ tall tree in Belize that wasso thick it took 24 men standing withoutstretched arms to ring it thoroughly.

Other trees have buttress roots run-ning 50’ and more away from the trunk,

(another reason why earthquakes andthe like don’t have much of an impact inthe jungle). Those roots can be 2”-3”thick, up to 20” high, and are solid wood.For more weirdness, some trees have ahalf dozen slender “stilt roots” that lift thetrunk completely clear of the ground.

If a DM wants to put plant monsters inthe jungle, enlarged versions of real car-nivorous plants such as sundews, pitcherplants, and Venus fly-traps are obviouschoices. They can also throw an extrascare in an exploring party, which mayassume that someone is magicallyenlarging the local foliage.

After reading the above, you’re prob-ably thinking that the undergrowth inthe jungle must be absolutely impenetra-ble. Not so; the tall trees block out somuch of the light that small ground-based plants don’t have much of achance. The floor of a true jungle has lit-tle or no undergrowth, certainly far lessthan in a temperate forest.

This is great if you’re just passingthrough, but murder on a halfling tryingfor concealment. Most limbs start grow-ing out of the trunks at a point higherthan human hands can reach, so climb-ing for cover may also be out of thequestion. The undergrowth is all butimpenetrable on the edges of the jungle,especially when on a river bank, but thismass may be no more than 10’ deep.Still, it can take several hours to cutthrough. Few people penetrate the jun-gles because they struggle with this outerlayer for a while and then give up,assuming the entire jungle is like this.

In many ways, travel among thebranches can be safer and more conve-nient than on the ground. The branchesare so thick that one can climb and evenwalk along them. If there are no lianaslow enough to grip, however, PCs willhave a problem reaching even the low-est branches.

The vines themselves can be climbedand traveled along hand-over-hand, butone is unlikely to find a liana simplyhanging loose at one end for swingingconvenience à la Tarzan.

If a liana is dangling loose like that,then its probably dying and may also beloose at the other end. When a PC putshis full weight on it, the next thing hisplayer does may well be to argue withthe DM about falling damage.

Not all vines are smooth, and most ofthe trouble with jungle vegetation shouldconsist of the vines coming down andsmacking one in the face, raising welts,or even forming a natural noose around

10 APRIL 1996

one’s neck. Other vines have concealedthorns or spikes (some barbed) insidethem, and any would-be Tarzans canexpect to suffer 1d4 or 1d6 hp damageto their hands if they grab them. A fewspikes are even coated with anti-coagu-lants to keep your blood from clotting.On the other hand, vines store fluids inthem ranging from water to poison,including a good many natural glues andmedicines.

For a final bit of jungle color, considerthe ribbon vines, which are shaped justlike ribbons. One type is 2’ wide, but only¾” thick. How long do they get? Whoknows. In Surinam, members of theForestry Department came upon thebase of one and tried to follow it to thegrowing tip, but they gave up in disgustafter traveling hundreds of yards. If yourcharacters try the same thing, whoknows what they’ll find?

It should be obvious that in the junglethe spell charm plant can be just as big aparty-killer as fireball. If you can catch ahostile group, such as a war party ofHuroola amazons or lizard men, amongthe lianas, let ‘em have it! Remember theincreased size of jungle plants; the dam-age that animated plants cause in tem-perate campaigns should be magnifiedseveral times here.

Animal lifeLions do not inhabit true jungles,

despite what Hollywood would have youbelieve. Lions live on the grassy savan-nahs (plains) and are even colored for it.Those cats that do live in the jungle, likethe jaguar, tiger, and leopard, havestriped or spotted coats to provide cam-ouflage.

Elephants may push their waythrough jungles, and there may be occa-sional small herds of wild cattle, such asthe (possibly extinct) kouprey of south-east Asia, but in general, the jungle hasno herbivores larger than wild boars: for-est hogs in Africa, capybaras in LatinAmerica, and tapirs in both LatinAmerica and Asia. Asia also has thebabirusa, a piglike beast with upward-curving tusks that looks like it steppedout of either a MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM®book or a paleontology text. Most deerand antelope that live in the jungle arequite small, ranging in size from that of apoodle to half the size of a donkey.Exceptions include the bushbuck andbongo (a pair of African antelopes) aswell as the short-necked giraffe calledthe okapi. This last is quite rare, as arethe Javan and Sumatran rhinos that wan-

der in and out of Asian jungles, stickingnear the edges, especially the riverbanks.

Next to the “lions and tigers” idea,another misconception about jungles isthat they are crawling with snakes. Oddlyenough, snakes of all types are lessabundant in jungles than in most othertypes of terrain in the tropics, includingdeserts and bush country. This goes forreptiles in general. Adjust your encountertables accordingly. On the other hand,feel free to go overboard with amphib-ians such as frogs and toads. These crea-tures are superabundant in most jungles,and most are tree-climbers. Charactersclimbing a tree might find themselves lit-erally jumped by a swarm of small car-nivorous frogs that probably lived in apool of rainwater held in some hollowcrotch. Even insect pests like mosquitoesare somewhat less abundant in the jun-gle than elsewhere, and you might getalong quite well if you don’t shine a lightto attract them. If you do, consider your-selves warned.

If you have an old DUNGEON MASTER®Guide from the original edition of theAD&D game, you will find on page 47 asmall table entitled “Frequency ofEncounter Chance Time Checks,” whichshows whether to roll for outdoorencounters in certain types of terrain atparticular times of the day and night.Sanderson almost seems to have antici-pated this sort of thing, for he revealsthat the animals of the jungle all have aspecific schedule for finding food; notjust day or night, but at particular timesof the day and night. The following wasfound to be true of the animal life of alljungles, no matter what continent theywere on, and can thus be adapted to anygame system for a nice touch of realism.

The immediate predawn period ofhalf-light sees a great deal of activity; theearly risers among the day animals startto work while the late night creatures getin a final bit of hunting. Note that sincethe trees and their foliage block outmuch of the sunlight, nocturnal animalscan hunt on the ground for as long as anhour after sunrise. In the immediate post-dawn, the night animals go to bed whilemore day animals show up; the traffic isso great that postdawn is the favoritetime for native hunters in the jungle.Most of the ground-dwelling animals,incidentally, are nocturnal, so someonewandering around on the ground inbroad daylight won’t see much but a fewglimpses of squirrels, monkeys, and birdsin the trees.

As the day progresses, the animals –all of them – move about for a few hoursand then have a siesta a bit before noon.The amount of light seems to determinethe length of the siesta. On sunny days,the stillness (even birds and insects arequiet) lasts until dusk, while the animalsresume their activity much sooner oncloudy days. The evening animals andday beasts share the stage during thisperiod, which on sunny days, lasts from5:00 P.M. to an hour after sundown.Activity goes on in the early night, thenstops around 11:00 or 11:30, and thisnew cessation of activity lasts until about4:00 A.M. Again, native hunters know thisso well that they simply won’t bothergoing out during this time. Then activitystarts up again, and runs once more intothe predawn period.

Both moisture and darkness have aneffect on animal activity. Cloudy weather,as well as a steady rain, brings out all theanimals in swarms, and if you have to goslogging through the jungle under theseconditions, you can expect lots of animalencounters to add to your misery, espe-cially at night. Speaking of which, noctur-nal animals love dark nights, and thenights with the least activity are thoseclear nights that have plenty of moon-light. Since this also makes it easier totravel at night, PCs moving about at thistime have the twin advantages of goodvisibility and fewer chances of a hostileencounter.

DMs should note that animals are attheir most reckless from 4:00 A.M. todawn. It’s as if the day animals just get-ting up are still groggy while the nighthunters are rushing desperately about toget a final morsel. If any animals on yourencounter tables can react with eitherhostility or fear, or simply blunder intothe party, they are most likely to interactwith the PCs (as opposed to fleeing) dur-ing this time period. Sanderson relateshow, in Central America, he and his wifehad inadvertently pitched their tent on anatural migration route (see below), to berudely awakened in the morning by afamily of hog-sized tapirs that simplyblundered into the tent as if it weren’tthere. At no other time of the day ornight would any animal have done sucha thing. So, DMs rejoice! Your predilec-tion to hit the party at dawn – even byunintelligent animals – when they aresleepiest, now has scientific verification.

As mentioned above, jungles havedefinite travel paths and migrationroutes for their animal denizens, in thetreetops as well as on the ground. Pitch

DRAGON #228 11

your camp there, and you will get plentyof company, especially the small stuff:insects, rodents, monkeys, etc. Way backin DRAGON® Magazine issue #174, in myarticle “Defeating More with Less,” Ipointed out how much fun the DM canhave in harassing the party will small, 1hp animals such as monkeys and crows,particularly when they steal small butvaluable items such as gemstones andmagical rings. If your players don’t wiseup and have their characters shift theircampsite, hit them with a nonstop suc-cession of nuisance raids until they getthe message.

If a PC is on a pathway, he can expectan encounter of some sort every roundin a time period when the animals areabout. Of course, the majority of theseencounters will be with small animals,with no chance of combat.

Sanderson discovered that you canactually mingle with the animals on thepathways, sauntering up slowly andunobtrusively, neither rushing them norstanding still. Predators lie quietly in waitfor prey, so any creature that is motion-less is perceived as a potential threat,while one that is rushing is “obviously”attacking. But if one goes with the flow,moving slowly with and among the ani-mals, one can stay with them for as longas one likes without causing alarm.

This last phenomenon has adventurepotential. A scout out looking for preycan saunter into a herd of game animalsand drift with them on their daily route,leaving slashes on the trees or othersigns to show the follow-up hunterswhere to go. The hunters advance post-haste, and the attack is made. Of course,if you’re the scout, you have to accom-pany the animals all the time to pull thisoff, which means going everywhere theygo. If the animals cross a stream, youcross a stream. If they are pigs, or havethe same piglike habit of wallowing in amudhole along the way, you wallow in amudhole with them. And if human(including demihuman and humanoid)or animal predators are waiting upahead, you walk right into their ambushalong with the game animals. While theDM is slowing up the main party withhostile encounters, you won’t run shortof interesting things to do.

The savannahs will yield much betterhunting than the jungle proper. Gamediversity between the jungle and theSavannah is a case of quality vs. quantity.While it is true that tropical jungles havethe greatest variety of living things, eachindividual species comes in relatively

Sanderson cites the experiences ofBritish Lt. Col. F. Spencer Chapman,whose unit was driven into the jungles ofMalaysia when the Japanese invaded inWWII. For the next three years, helearned to live in the jungle while work-ing with local guerrillas. Of his originalunit, however, only the officers survived.Outsiders seem to have some problemwith dealing with jungles, with the lesseducated suffering more than their bet-ter educated brethren. All of the enlistedmen died of hardships (and psychoso-matic ills of some sort, the point seemsto be), while the noncoms lasted farlonger. The best-educated men, the regu-lar officers, were the only survivors.Chapman wrote about his experiences ina book entitled The Jungle Is Neutral.

The above is more useful to DMswhose parties enter the jungle from out-side, from more civilized campaigns. Onecan easily imagine first hirelings, andthen henchmen, wasting away anddying, often just giving up, in the gloomyjungle, while the intrepid PCs, who are

It’s not just a matter of native super-stition, either. Sanderson points out thatin the Pacific Theater during WWII, nei-ther the Americans nor the Japaneseentered jungles if they could help it,despite both coming from modern, civi-lized nations. (The Japanese enteredmore often, but large-scale jungle opera-tions in places like New Guinea and Indiainvariably turned into expensive disas-ters.) Troops literally preferred to bebombed and strafed in the open ratherthan enter the dreaded jungle.

As stated, people who live near thejungle will never enter it if they canavoid it. In Malatra, for example, theSavannah-dwelling Simbara tribe shouldstick to the wide open spaces, only enter-ing the jungle proper under the mostsevere necessity or provocation.

Few races of people actually live inour jungles, and those that do usuallydon’t have to share the environmentwith other peoples. Thus, most junglefolk tend to be cheerful and carefreetypes, due to both safety from tribal war-fare and their own lack of desire formaterial possessions that the jungle itselfcannot provide.

small numbers. (By contrast, plains andsavannahs have the largest numbers ofanimals.) The jungles have no vast herdsof tapirs or capybaras equivalent to thebison and zebra herds of North Americanplains and African savannahs.

People in the jungle

Weapons

both heroes and directly controlled bytheir players, soldier on. In a wartimeadventure, when the PCs’ unit and bothfriendly and enemy NPC-led units enter,Chapman’s experience should be repeat-ed. The lesser officers of a military unitare more likely to be fleshed out as full-scale NPCs than common soldiers are;now you have an excuse to stop thereand just let the “upper crust” be involvedin the role-playing encounters.

In the “Heros of Malatra” articleappearing in Polyhedron Newszine issue#102, where classes, proficiencies, equip-ment, etc. for the LIVING JUNGLE was listed,it is stated that for simplicity’s sake,weapons made of wood, bone, stone,etc. would be equal to that of steelweapons from all other AD&D gameworlds (the exact opposite approach tothe DARK SUN® world of Athas, wherewooden, stone, and bone weapons gettheir own individual modifiers). This isnot so far out as it sounds; certainly it isnot without precedent in human historyon Earth.

For plant materials, the Pygmies ofAfrica make their knives and other cut-ting tools of various hardwoods, whilethe Negritos of the Malay Peninsulamake theirs of bamboo. In both cases,the knives may be honed to literal razorsharpness. As regards stone weapons,Spanish conquistadores in Florida foundthat the flint-tipped arrows of theSeminole Indians could pierce their steelbreastplates, while for the first few blowsat least, the obsidian blades of the Aztecsword-club, the maquahuitl, were sharperthan their steel counterparts in Spanishhands. These latter weapons thus had abetter chance of cutting, with a glancingblow, the quilted armor of cottonpadding worn by the warriors of Mexico.Unless they are of high-quality steel, thecutting weapons of most AD&D cam-paigns may be less likely than the “localtalent” to cut through the soft armortypes of Malatra.

Ivan Sanderson made an interestingobservation on one factor of the superiorhunting abilities of native hunters armedwith native weapons, compared with thewhite visitors. The outsiders had gunsmade of metal, which in smelted formsimply does not exist in the wild. Thus,they have an alien odor that the animalsimmediately picked up on, and this odoris stronger when the gun has beencleaned with lubricant oils. Most out-siders from other AD&D campaigns won’t

12 APRIL 1996

Consider this reaction: Those overly-adventurous PCs have brought backstrange new weapons of unholy materi-als quite foreign to the jungle. They’re nogood in the hunt; it’s as if their ownershave a signal beacon on them, warningall game away. They do have increaseddeadliness in combat, but since you can’tget close enough to game animals to usethem for hunting, they’re really onlygood for killing fellow tribesmen.Obviously, therefore, such fiendishdevices are the work of evil spirits,designed specifically to spread humanmisery. If your PCs insist on keepingthem, they may find themselves facedwith a lynch mob or a tribal civil war,whose very existence will tend to rein-force the critics’ point. If this attitude pre-vails, the PCs may never be able to carryor use metallic weapons and armor inthe jungle.

All in all, the jungle is an excellentplace for adventuring, even when non-magical and nonmonstrous Nature is theonly enemy. A thorough understandingof the jungle, gained through carefulstudy of books like Sanderson’s, willenable you, the DM, to provide yourplayers with a campaign setting they willnever forget.

have guns, but they do have weaponsand armor of metal, and they have to useoils or other lubricants to keep theirequipment from rusting.

If you allow your player characters toget their hands on metal weapons, andquickly regret it, this gives you an excel-lent opportunity to force the PCs tochoose between their nifty new weaponsor tribal membership. If a PC goes hunt-ing with a metal weapon, or even if hemerely has a metal dagger as a self-defense backup while hunting withblowgun or bow, the animals shouldhave a much greater chance of detectingand avoiding him. Thus, metal weaponswill be at least as much a hindrance as ahelp in the wild, where virtually all theadventuring will take place. And if yourPC can’t catch his share of game, hewon’t be pulling his own weight in thetribe, thus endangering the entire com-munity.

Gregory W. Detwiler lives in Williams-burg, Pennsylvania. He has never lived in ajungle.

DRAGON #228 13

FINAL QUEST is not the title of any known product produced byTSR, Inc. This is, however, the last time that the dreaded

triangle graphic wiII be published. Maybe.

S ince the glory days long ago whenI first learned to play the AD&D®game, I’ve seen a lot of would-be

heroes (some of them mine) get bumpedoff in very peculiar and dramatic ways,like the luckless wizardess who wascaught by three beholder eyes at onceand was death-rayed, turned to stone,and disintegrated before the rest of theparty could even scream, “Shut the door!”But this is really a hero’s death, a leg-endary death, the kind of gosh-darn-it-allkind of thing you come to expect whenyou wander into an old ruined evil wiz-ard’s tower unannounced, which thisparty had just done.

And there was the paladin who wenton a solo adventure into the first level ofone DM’s dungeon, where he was imme-diately confronted by 10–100 stirges anda carrion crawler wearing a scarab ofinsanity, which caused the paladin to fallinto a 60’ pit trap full of spikes withgreen slime on the bottom. I am notmaking this up, though I wish I were. Noone held this disaster against the player,since we all knew he had been gamingwith a notorious killer DM who once hada red dragon breath fire a quarter of amile long and cause 500 hp damage(half with a saving throw). Still, we allsecretly thought the paladin’s playershould have had enough sense to gamewith someone else, so maybe it was atiny little bit his own fault.

No, what this article is about are thosereally embarrassing, boneheaded waysin which player characters croak, eventsthat live in gaming legends that youdon’t ever want to hear about againbecause it was your fighter who shouteda battle cry and jumped off the dock in

by Roger E. Moore

They deserved it

I regret to say that one of my charac-ters was part of a group of adventurersthat was completely destroyed by thetreasure they had gained during a dan-gerous adventure that everyone hadmanaged to survive. This was 15 yearsago, and the other players and I still talkabout it to this day. My centaur got thecursed spear of berserking, which resultedin his immediate demise at the hands ofthe rest of the party – nothing personal,of course. Another character drank a poi-soned potion, thinking it might be useful,and the wizard activated the brazier ofsleep smoke, which had the expected con-

10. Killed by the treasure after theadventure is over

Let’s do a countdown of the 10 worstpossible ways (in my humble opinion) inwhich your character could have hisblock knocked off. Conflicting views, solong as they are sensitive and insightful,may be sent to this magazine, but don’texpect me to read them.

full plate armor to swim out to the pirateship, which caused the pirates and theother PCs in your group to stop fightingand look over the side of the ship inastonishment at the dwindling trail of airbubbles your character left behind as hesank and drowned. It was yourlawful-good cleric who tried to summonZeus – who wasn’t even your cleric’sdeity – to cast a raise dead spell on adeceased party member – a lawful-evilassassin, at that – and who then tried tosummon Demogorgon to distract theangry Zeus, resulting in your cleric’sbeing turned into a cockroach andstepped on. It was your thief who – ah,but you get the point.

sequences. I do not remember how theother two members of the group died; Ithink one of them tried to attack the fireelemental while it was turning the wizardinto crunchy toast, or else he opened theflask of curses. No matter. We were savedfrom total humiliation only by the knowl-edge that everyone was killed by thetreasure, so we weren’t so inclined to tor-ment one another about it as we weresimply amazed by it.

9. Killed even before the adventurehas really started.

I am mortified once more to reportthat this happened to one of my charac-ters, a 1st-level wizard with two hitpoints, who was struck by the very firstgoblin arrow fired at the party not oneminute after we arrived at the old man-sion we were going to explore. Everyonethought this was quite amusing and theylaughed and laughed about it until theirown characters entered the mansion andran right into the lich. The DM thoughtthat part was pretty funny, and I confessthat I did, too.

8. Killed 14 times in succession byenraged fellow party members wholined up and used a rod of resurrec-tion on the victim so that each partymember could claim to have killedthe character, after the player hasattempted for the third time in a rowto slay the party for no particularreason.

In his favor, the player said his PC wasan anti-paladin and was supposed to dothings like this, but it was, after all, thethird time this player had brought in ananti-paladin and had tried to kill the

DRAGON #228 15

4. Killed by deliberately crashingone spacecraft into another space-

5. Killed as a result of killing a frog.I have to explain that the character

here was a 1st-level wizard who cast afind familiar spell and got a frog, which hedidn’t want. He killed the frog with amagic missile and promptly died from themagical backlash. The player failed toread the part in the find familiar spellabout the wizard taking damage if hisfamiliar is killed, so it can’t be said he wasrole-playing his wizard very well anyway.

I should add that the character inquestion here was a fearless halflingfighter wearing plate-mail armor, whichreduced his movement rate to a waddle.This halfling also insisted on yellinginsults at the giant at close range even asthe rest of the group was making a pan-icked retreat. The giant took care of theproblem in one melee round. The rest ofthe party later slew the hill giant withconcentrated missile fire, then went look-ing for the remains of the halfling. “Canwe raise him from the dead?” one playerasked. “He looks like a large can of toma-to paste that’s been run over by a tractortrailer,” I replied. “Forget it,” said thegroup, and left him there.

6. Killed after deliberately inter-rupting a hill giant who was takinga shower in a waterfall.

One of the halflings in the group useda sling to hit the correctly identified anti-paladin with a huge boulder polymor-phed into a pebble, which turned backinto a huge boulder again once it madecontact with the dispel magic field put outby the unlucky anti-paladin’s unholysword. “That’s okay,” said the player ofthe anti-paladin, “my guy’s got a ring ofregeneration on!" “That’s okay with us,too,” said the party leader, after learningfrom the Dungeon Master that thesquashed anti-paladin could not escapefrom beneath the boulder for at least10,000 years. He wasn’t dead, but ithardly mattered.

7. Killed at long range by enragedfellow party members who merelynoted that the approaching victimwas wearing black plate armor.

entire party. Following the above action,the other players asked the anti-paladin’splayer never to bring another one of hisanti-paladin characters to the gameagain as long as he lived, but he did,which led immediately to the next entry.

craft in the belief that a head-on col-lision at 40 kilometers per secondwould result only in minor injuries.

This wasn’t in the AD&D game, ofcourse, but I ran an SF game in which thisactually happened and felt I had toinclude it somewhere here. There’s notmuch you can say about this, except thatbasic physics should be made manda-tory in high school.

3. Killed after jumping into a 100’deep pit while trying to drink apotion of levitation that was forsome reason left attached to thecharacters belt.

This happened while a large and veryhigh-level character group was exploringthe infamous Tomb of Horrors (from thevenerable AD&D module of the samename). The character would have beenjust another statistic given the huge casu-alties inflicted on the group, what withthings like an 18th-level monk beingsquashed a millimeter thick by a jugger-naut and a 20th-level cleric being vapor-ized by a cursed crown, but the playerhad clearly said that his wizard wasgoing to jump first, then take the flaskfrom his belt, open it, and drink it. Herepeated this twice. “Well... okay,” saidthe DM – me – and that was that.

2. Killed by a flumph.I cannot, under any circumstances,

think of a more horribly embarrassingdeath than being killed by a monster thatwas elected by some gaming groups inthe early 1980s as the Most Stupid andUseless Fantasy Monster Ever Invented. Itwas, interestingly, the only lawful-goodmonster in the FIEND FOLIO® tome, and itwas the only critter that fit no ecology atall and had no reason to exist. Having aPC killed by one would have been amark of shame that no player could haveever erased, no matter how many tar-rasques his heroes killed later. (“Hey, areyou the guy whose wizard was killed bya flumph? Whoa, you must be mental!”)Luckily, few flumphs ever appeared tocause such humiliation because the DMswere too embarrassed to use them. lhave never heard of a death caused inthis manner, but I felt obligated toinclude this possibility simply for itsshock value.

I must say, in all fairness, that theflumph has been greatly improved in itslatest incarnation in the MONSTROUSCOMPENDIUM® Annual, Volume Two (nowavailable in your local game store, plugplug plug!). The picture of it on page 58

‘So, when I pushed the red button onthe artifact, it drained six points from

Many, many issues ago, a number ofletters and articles appeared in DRAGON®MAGAZINE listing some “famous lastwords” that characters might utter justbefore their characters get killed by theDungeon Master (e.g., “Well, forget you,I’m attacking. What’s Odin’s armorclass?”). Creating a new list of these tid-bits for this issue sounded like lots offun. After mulling the topic over, though,a nasty possibility occurred to me: Whatfamous last words might a characterutter just before he gets killed by every-one else in his party?

Famous last words

Then, too, I was the DM who sent onegroup of adventurers to an alternate uni-verse where the adventurers’ point mantripped and fell into Winnie the Pooh’sheffalump trap (“Piglet, look! I’ve caughtsomething!”), but alas, no one died hereeither, which would have been great,though the players did discuss someunpleasant aspects of my own demise invery serious tones. There is a moral here,I am sure. Perhaps I should take up golf.

This looks like something only apathologically degenerate DM woulddream up and use against an innocentparty, but in my own defense I will saythat though I did put a garlic-breadgolem in an adventure and tried veryhard but unsuccessfully to kill someonewith it, at least I was not the one whocreated the monster, which I found in anold collection of bad fantasy monstersfrom the late 1970s. Maybe it is just aswell that no characters were killed bythat garlic-bread golem, since the playerswere all in the U.S. Army, with access tothings like main battle tanks, and peoplecan take only so much humiliation.

1. Killed by a garlic-bread golem.

You know, come to think of it, theremight be one thing worse than having acharacter killed by a flumph, and that ishaving a character...

looks good, it has a reasonable place inan ecology, and if you think of flumphsas confused little aliens that a lost spell-jammer dumped out of its cargo hold,they even make sense. But I wouldnever, ever, want to have a characterkilled by one. I would be forced by crush-ing shame to turn in my Player’sHandbook and take up golf, and I hategolf.

16 APRIL 1996

everyone’s highest ability score butmine? What happens if I push it now?”

“But there’s no way you guys couldknow that my ninj– uh, my samurai poi-soned your other characters’ drinks!”

“This is pretty funny, but I just figuredout that the way the experience-pointsystem in the DMG works, my wizard isworth enough to bring everyone in theparty up at least one level. I’m glad we’reall friends here.”

“Look, I didn’t ask for a reincarnationspell, and I don’t want to be a bugbear! Iwant a second chance right now!”

“Here’s my barbarian. He’s seven feetthree inches tall, has smoldering blueeyes and jet-black hair, his muscles arelike steel cables, and his name isButtons.”

“About time you all showed up. Whatdid Strahd want to see you all about thattook so long?”

“Guys, look! I found Stormbringer in

character once who was Elminster’snephew, and he–”

I’m afraid that’s all the time we havefor this sensitive and insightful look at atragic problem – intra-party killing – thathas brought joy and laughter to so manygamers the world over. Thank you, andgood luck. I hear Zeus has been askingabout your cleric.

DRAGON® MAGAZINE and still does various,highly secret projects for TSR, Inc.

Roger E. Moore is a former editor of

“Man, this City of GREYHAWK® cam-paign bites. You people should dumpthis stupid world. It’s dead anyway. Let’s

“I’ll go ahead and put the ring on.Anything happen? Okay, I try jumpingoff a rock. Nothing? I toss a pebble atmyself. Nothing? I try walking over apuddle. Nothing? Okay, maybe its a ringof regeneration. You guys know how wecan test it and see if it is?”

“I’m the only one here who savedagainst the mind flayer’s mass domina-tion? Everyone else is its slave? Cool!”

“Oh, I killed the barmaid because Ineed just one more experience point tomake sixth level. Was she your fianceeor something?”

“I’m not sure I should be travelingwith you people. My holy sword says thateveryone in this group is an assassinexcept me".

Elric’s sword! And here’s the Wand ofOrcus! I’ve got ‘em both, and they’remine, all mine!”

the chest! I’ve got the Stormbringer! get a Realms campaign going. I had a

DRAGON #228 17

Forget your towel �do you know where your blanket is?

by Spike Y. Jones

A long with the all-important swords,scrolls, torches, and money-poucheson the average fantasy PC’s equip-

ment list, there are usually a few otheritems put there just to spend a few cop-pers and because they felt “proper.” Sadly,while these items appear on everyone’scharacter sheets, few gamers ever make use oftheir tallow candles, holy symbols (wooden),small mirrors, and sprigs of wolvesbane. Yetthese “extraneous” items can beamong the most versatile andimportant pieces of adventuringequipment, if only players

5. (Wet): As a makeshift weapon;wet it to add weight and swing on arope. Damage is minimal and sub-dual only, but if it’s all you’ve got...

6. (Wet): As part of a trap; wateradds some weight and while it won’tbe as effective as a net, it can ham-

per something long enough for you to get close andthump it.

7. (Dry): Work a bunch of threads loose to use askindling for a fire.

8. (Dry): As “firewood” after #7.9. (Dry): To make smoke signals. Of course, for the

would realize how to utilizethem.

Case in point: manyyears ago in myAD&D® campaign,Malshazzit the Mage(although “theApprentice” wouldhave been more accu-rate) was traveling alone,on foot, through densewilderness, when heencountered a ravenous giantbeetle. Realizing that his onespell, affect normal fires, would beof little use in this situation, andthat his pair of daggers were nomatch for the beetle, he cast about foranother weapon. Then the player (MikeSinardi) noticed the blanket on his charactersheet.

Bravely (or foolishly, depending on who nar-rates the story), Malshazzit dived at the beetle and,with an exceptionally lucky roll, wrapped the clotharound the beetle’s head, blinding it long enough for himto work his way around to the beetle’s back where hecould then plunge his daggers into the beetle’s vitals, killing

signals to be properlyunderstood, a code hasto be worked out inadvance; but, even if one

isn’t, smoke signals provideunambiguous signs of

where you are in case you’relost and need to help rescuers

find you. And they might scare away peo-ple who interpret them as evidence of a

stronger fighting force than one miser-able mage alone in the woods.

10. (Dry): As a thread-sourcefor tying fishing lures, marking

paths through labyrinths, etc.11. (Dry): To hide things. Dark blan-

kets work best in the woods or at night,while light ones are best in the desert.

12. (Dry): As a fake ghost. White blanketswork best, but it’ll take more than just a sin-gle sheet flapping in the breeze to scare a

hardened orcish hunting party; better practiceyour spooky noises as well.

13. (Dry): As spell material components or substitutes;check the Players’ Handbook. There must be some.

14. (Wet): Depending on the material, it may stink when wet,so it could be used to attract or repel creatures with sensitive

noses. Some careful experimentation will reveal which.an opponent that I, as DM, had expected him to run away from.There must be, I said to him then, over a hundred uses for a sim-

15. (Dry): As the world’s worst pipeweed. Give it to a “friend,”

ple blanket. The following are the rest:or use it to drive away smell-sensitive people or creatures.

2. (Dry): As a simple disguise, such as a makeshift robe or,16. (Dry): As the key component of a kite. The blanket had

with a hole cut in it, a poncho.better be thin, or the winds strong, for this one.

3. (Dry): As a complex disguise involving cutting, sewing,17. (Dry): As emergency bandages and tourniquets. Best used

dying or staining (think The Great Escape).for tying clean bandages to the wound, as they are highly

4. (Dry): As padding for use under a disguiseunlikely to be sterile, especially if already used.

to create the illusion of pregnancy, obesity, or18. (Wet or Dry [depending on personal pref-

muscularity depending on the distribution oferences]): As a strangling cord. This works bestwith thin blankets.

material. 19. (Wet): For towel-snapping. The victim’s

DRAGON #228 19

skin must be exposed if this is going tocause even minimal subdual damage,but even if not, it still makes an interest-ing noise and can be a shock.

20. (Wet): As a subdual club. Try tyinga handful of iron spikes inside to give itsome heft.

21. (Dry): For concealing secret mes-sages. You can do this by insertingscraps of cloth (better than paper, as thetexture will be correct) into a lining, ifthere is one. It’s more likely to be pre-pared well in advance by weaving acoded message into it during its manu-facture, with or without the knowledgeof the bearer.

22. (Wet): As a seed bed to grow grasson. What you want the grass for is yourconcern, but see #13 and #15.

23. (Wet): As temporary protection forrunning through walls of fire and the like.

24. (Dry): As a throw rug. Primarilyappropriate indoors, but a blanket canbe used in the wilderness as a welcomemat in front of a tent, or as a rug inside.If an enemy steps on your “rug,” you canturn it into a weapon by pulling it outfrom under him.

25. (Wet): It’ll conduct a shocking graspso that the caster doesn’t have to touchthe behemoth in the suit of plate mail.Either lay it on the ground to be steppedon, casting the spell from nearby con-cealment, or use it as a wet whip, castingthe spell just before. The damage isreduced by 1 point either way, and theblanket may be singed in the process(see #15 for discussion of the smell).

26. (Dry): To wrap clanking metal bitsto muffle the sounds they’d make duringa stealthy approach or retreat.

27. (Dry): To chop up and feed to acow; they can digest just about anything.

28. (Dry): Combine it with a staff, anempty scabbard and some other oddpieces to make a scarecrow.

29. (Dry): To make imposing shadows,with the afore-mentioned staves, etc. togive it a framework and to move itaround menacingly.

30. (Wet or Dry): For putting out fires.31. (Dry): As a makeshift canvas for

anything from a sign or shield blazon toa fine painting. Unfortunately, thewarmer and fuzzier the blanket is, themore difficult it will be to paint on.

32. (Wet – with oil, not water); Asmakeshift sailcloth. As with #31, heavierblankets don’t necessarily make bettersails. Oiling is necessary to make alighter blanket airtight.

33. (Wet): As an abrasive scrubbingmaterial. (Some of the blankets I’ve had

47. (Dry): As a cape to wave at charg-ing bulls. Despite centuries of traditionand misconception, it’s not the color of amatador’s cape that enrages the bull, butits movement. Thus, any color blanket

45. (Dry): Folded repeatedly to form apillow which can be used as a silencerfor a gun. Of course, this isn’t much usein standard fantasy campaigns (althoughyou could use it to muffle screams), andsee prior comments about the smell ofburning blankets.

45. (Dry): Folded repeatedly to form apillow for sleeping on.

44. (Dry): Wrapped around hands (orother body parts) to prevent rope-burns,or as “armor” before breaking a windowwith your fist.

43. (Dry): To cover nettles, barbedwire, or other pointy or scratchy impedi-ments. Multiple blankets (or alternating apair of blankets) can make a pathway.(Also useful at picnics; if the picnic runslong, the blanket can be converted toother uses, such as #35, #45, and #101.)

42. (Dry): As a flag. A white blanketcan be used to surrender or to call for aparley, or it can be painted or stitched toapproximate a real flag. Darker blanketscan be made into pirate colors withwhite paint or stitchery. A plain brown orgrey blanket-flag may just foster confu-sion, or could accidentally be reminis-cent of an ogrish battle-banner.

41. (Dry): As a summer grass-slidingtoboggan.

40. (Wet): In a particularly cold cli-mate, mold it into shape and let it freezeto form a makeshift toboggan.

39. (Dry): To keep that stolen horsewarm at night in the wilderness.

38. (Dry): As a makeshift saddle on astolen horse.

37. (Dry): For instant accessorizing!Unlike using it for a disguise, this can beused to enhance ones appearance, notto cover it up.

36. (Dry): As rope. If only a singleblanket is available, it’ll have to be ashort one, unless the blanket is cut intostrips, which can reduce its strength dan-gerously.

35. (Dry): As the main component of asmall tent or lean-to. It may not keep therain out well, but snow, hail, and windwill be warded off somewhat.

34. (Dry): As a polishing cloth. (Someof the blankets I’ve used have been a tri-fle softer.) You want to look your bestwhen you’re presented to the king, evenif its only the king of the goblins.

to use have been about as scratchy assteel wool and almost as tough.)

will work, as long as the user remembersto stand aside and let the bull passthrough the blanket, not through hisown midsection.

48. (Wet): In conjunction with someplaster of Paris (or maybe just mud orclay if there’s no Paris in your fantasycampaign world) it can be used to wrapand protect fragile dinosaur fossils (orother fragile items such as pottery ifdinosaurs are living creatures instead offossils in the campaign world),

49. (Dry): As a decorative wall-hang-ing (patterned blankets are best), possi-bly concealing a secret door, a safe, apeephole, a trap, or some other surprise.

50. (Dry): As a surface to displayportable wares on. Very convenientsince the “table” can be easily folded intoa carrying sack for those same wares.

51. (Dry): To provide some discretionwhen enjoying a private moment withan attractive royal ward.

52. (Dry): Hung over a clothes-line itcan form a room divider.

53. (Dry): As a unique fortune-tellingimplement. The adept (or charlatan)could learn to read omens in the foldsformed when it is thrown to the ground.

54. (Dry): As a gag for a talkative pris-oner. If you’re not worried about otherpeople hearing the prisoner’s cries butyou are worried about the possibility ofdoing him some harm, you can cut offstrips to use for ear-plugs.

55. (Dry): Filled with gunpowder andvarious pointy things, with a strip cut offand soaked in a gunpowder solutionbefore being dried to form a wick, itcould be used as a relatively weak bomb.In a modern-era setting, if the pointythings are all ordinary household items,the bomb may even be able to passthrough an airport x-ray machine with-out any questions being asked.

56. (Dry): As the raw material for anyitem of clothing if a little scratchiness (ora floral print in a modern-era campaign)isn’t going to cause too much discomfort.

57. (Dry): To cover the eyes of horseswhen you don’t want them alarmed ordistracted by something they may see infront or beside them.

58. (Dry): As a fake flying carpet forsale to a gullible novice adventurer (hehad better be gullible, because even amage with a levitation spell will havetrouble explaining away the blanketsplain, threadbare, and definitely non-magical appearance).

59. (Dry): As the primary materialcomponent in the manufacture of a realflying carpet. Unfortunately, a poor qual-

20 APRIL 1996

ity blanket will make a poor quality fly-ing carpet.

60. (Dry): As a makeshift stretcher,either by holding the corners or by cut-ting holes along the edges and insertingsturdy poles in them. (The stronger theblanket, the better.)

61. (Wet): As cooling headgear in thedesert. You’ll have to keep re-wetting itas the water evaporates, but remembernot to wet it immediately before sunset,as you’ll want it dry and warm for thosecold desert nights.

62. (Dry or Wet): As a source of quickcash. (Use this article as proof that it’shighly versatile and worth every copperpiece you’re demanding.)

63. (Dry): Roll it around a broken limbto partially immobilize the injury, or rollit up and then tie the limb to it as a tem-porary splint.

64. (Dry): Folded and tied, it can serveas a sling for that broken arm.

65. (Dry): To immobilize an entire per-son. The easiest way is to use it as ropeto tie his hands and feet together, butblanket-knots are notoriously insecure. Ifthe victim is small (such as a baby or agnome) you can use it as a swaddlingcloth, bundling the victim up as tightly asa parcel ready to be mailed.

66. (Wet [although Dry is always pos-sible if you’re not too concerned aboutstarting a fire]): To conceal a lit lantern(or candle, but again there’s that fire haz-ard). Folding the blanket a couple oftimes will allow a thin blanket to work aswell as a thick one, and lifting and low-ering the blanket repeatedly can turn thelantern into a signalling device.

67. (Dry [although not when you’redone with it]): As a towel to dry yourselfoff after a swim or to sop up spilledwater, oil, or blood.

68. (Wet): Cut into strips and tied to apole as a mop.

69. (Dry): With people holding itaround the edge, to throw a personstanding in its center upward. Althoughnormally only seen used this way as anentertainment for children (or Frankieand Anette in bad 1950s beach movies),it could also be used to throw a halfingover a wall.

70. (Dry): Rolled up to smuggle somehidden treasure like an Egyptian princessor some really good salami (with resultsdepending a good deal on the size andthickness of the blanket).

71. (Dry): As a pot-holder or (if wet) asan oven mitt.

72. (Dry): As a method of transmittingdiseases like smallpox to a the indige-

86. (Dry): As quilting material to turnone blanket into another blanket. Thismay sound like a waste of time, but youmake the quilt out of the multiple rem-nants of blankets you’ve nearlydestroyed for all of the other uses.

87. (Dry): Tie the corners together tomake a bag to hold things in (thicker

79. (Dry): As a burial shroud.80. (Dry): As a curtain or door.81. (Dry): To turn a properly-arranged

pile of boxes or bricks into a chair,couch, or bed. Multiple blankets areneeded if you want the furniture to becomfortable, but if you’re just using it toconceal stuff from casual inspection, youjust need enough to give the furniture aless “angular” appearance.

82. (Dry [but not for long]): As diapers.83. (Dry): As writing “paper.” (You’ll

want a fine-weave blanket and thick,non-running ink for this.

84. (Dry): As a relatively clean surfaceto perform surgery or deliver a baby on.

85. (Dry): As the covering over a pittrap. It won’t be very convincing in thewilderness or in a rock-hewn dungeon,but in a house (over a trap door) or withnumerous cushions and rugs in a tent(over a jar of acid or snakes buried in thesand), it has a chance of blending intothe surroundings.

78. (Dry): As a source of all-purposerags.

74. (Dry): As improvised clothing foruse after swallowing a growth potion(the size of the blanket and the modestyof the user determining what items ofclothing are improvised).

75. (Dry): To make toys for children. Alittle cutting and sewing, some coloredthread and a few buttons or some paintcan quickly turn a blanket into a (some-what plain) stuffed animal or rag doll.

76. (Dry): As a portable checkers/chess set. If the blanket already has acheckered pattern all that has to be doneis to cut out and label the pieces.

77. (Dry): Either suspended on a frameor stiffened with shellac, to make light-weight, movable, Japanese-style wallpanels.

nous population of a region your coun-try is attempting to expand into.

73. (Dry): As an entertainment device.If the blanket is white you can set up alamp in front of it and make shadow-animals on it, and if it’s white and thin,you can put the lamp behind it and puton a shadow-puppet play. (A plain, whiteblanket will make a good screen for aslide or movie projector in a modern-eracampaign.)

ones are better for struggling things withclaws).

88. (Dry): As an apron (if kept wet, athick blanket can be used in lieu ofleather for a blacksmith’s apron).

89. (Dry): As a dust or sand filter in adesert wind-storm.

90. (Dry): As a pasta strainer, or to fil-ter some of the grit out of muddy water.

91. (Wet): As a water-lifting device.Lower the blanket (either by a corner oron a rope, depending on the distance tothe water) into a deep well or from aledge overhanging a stream, and thenraise the water-logged “bucket” for use.

92. (Wet): As a counterweight on athrown rope, to take it over a wall, forinstance.

93. (Dry): Cut-up and painted, orstrung along with berries and popcorn asfestive decorations.

94. (Dry): As a dust-cover or drop-clothto prevent nice things or delicate alchem-ical equipment getting messed up.

95. (Dry): As packing material, eithershredded or whole, for boxes and bagsfull of delicate loot.

96. (Wet): As a fish-catching device;either braid threads to make a fishingline (hook not included), or cut a fewsmall water-escapement holes in it andstretch it across a stream as a net.

97. (Dry): As the source of lots of littlecloth strips, useable to tie bags (madefrom the same blanket, naturally) closed,to make ribbons, to tie weapons andtools to a belt, or as bootlaces.

98. (Dry): As a soft and warm liner fora pair of boots. Especially useful forpadding a pair of over-sized hand-me-downs until you can grow into them.

99. (Dry and threadbare [which yourblanket may well be after all you’vedone to it so far]): Hung up as mosquito-netting.

100. (Dry): As a source of fibers toreinforce mud bricks, as something tostick plaster, stucco, or concrete on whenrepairing a major hole in a wall, or as atexture mat to make interesting patternson the plaster, stucco or concrete.

101. (Dry): I’d almost forgotten thisone: as something to sleep on or under!

Spike Y. Jones is a long-time contributorto DRAGON® MAGAZINE.

With thanks to Mike Sinardi, my wife,the ladies at the bingo hall, and the

folks in the Alarums & Excursions APA.

22 APRIL 1996

by Ed Greenwoodillustrated by Fred Fields

At the time of Elminster’s birth, Athalantar, theRealm of the Stag, was a fascinating, dangerousplace to live. King Uthgrael, a famous warriorknown as “The Stag King,” defeated neighboringelves and virtually exterminated local trolls andhobgoblins to expand an essentially leaderlessriverbank farming land into a prosperous realm.He made his best battle-comrades feudal knightswith their own holdings across the realm. Undertheir ready swords and vigilance Athalantarbecame one of the most successful farmingregions north of Calimshan. The plentiful and reli-able Athalantan exports of all manner of food-

Much of what is today open land or scrubwilderland between The Sea of Fallen Stars andthe Sword Coast was dense forest, and the powerof humans was much less. Monsters, elves, anddwarves were far more plentiful, and the survivalof the kingdoms of men (who alone among theraces tried to clear the land and farm, rather thanlive in and with the forest, or burrow beneath itignoring all above) was by no means certain.

In the 1120 or so years since the eventsdescribed in Elminster: The Making of a Mage, thekingdom of Athalantar has completely vanished.Only the elves (and a few confused human leg-ends, mainly told in Secomber) remember it. TheAthalantan folk are lost and scattered; somebecame the Tree Ghost Uthgardt barbarian tribeof the Sword Coast North, and others settled inwhat became Tethyr and along the Sword Coastwhere Baldur’s Gate now stands.

For Realms fans who’ve not seen the novel, it’sset largely in the backwater land of Athalantar(whose capital, Hastarl, stood on the site of thepresent-day settlement of Secomber) after the fallof Netheril, but before Coronal Eltargrim openedCormanthor to all races and the golden days ofMyth Drannor began.

ince the publication of the novel Elminster:The Making of a A Mage, many Realmgamers have asked for some game infor-

mation about Athalantar and Faerûn around it.So here are a few “background bones” fromwhich an interested Dungeon Master can build acampaign.

26 APRIL 1996

Role-playing in the FORGOTTEN REALMS®of the young Elminster

Cauln: A sour, suspicious, and secretive man, Cauln turned tomagecraft when very young. Born in 191 DR, he proved to be anatural at wielding magic and grew rapidly in

Elthaun: Born in 190 DR, Elthaun was a soft-spoken, two-facedmaster manipulator who had to flee the realm for his life in 219DR. Belaur’s mages found and slew him in a city in Calimshanlater that year.

Belaur was the most warlike and best-trained of the princes,and his father’s favorite. Unlike Uthgrael, he had a hot temper, acruel streak, and a lack of wisdom, and he was easily manipu-lated by others. Born in 189 DR, he proclaimed himself king in218 DR and reigned until 240 DR.

Belaur: The physically powerful eldest son, this bellowingbully seized power after Uthgrael’s death by doing the bidding ofmages he befriended; they became known as “the magelords”and ruled Athalantar until defeated by Myrjala and Elminster,who slew Belaur (in 240 DR) and crowned Helm Stoneblade kingof Athalantar.

History records that the battle-skilled Stag King and the quiet,cultured Queen of the Hunt loved each other deeply. Wed in188 DR, they had seven sons, known to history as the “warringprinces of Athalantar.” Listed in order of birth, these were:

King Uthgrael Aumar (b. ? – d. 216 DR) married SyndrelHornweather (b. ? – d. 196 DR) who seems to have been half-elven, or at least to have had elven blood.

The Lineage of Elminster

It’s probably best for campaign balance if Elminster himselfremains yet unborn, hidden away, or protected by Mystra (thistakes player tactics away from “Let’s slay or control Elminster”and keeps them bent on what characters in such a settingwould really be concerned with), but the politics of Athalantarare best grasped by a look at the royal bloodlines of the realm.

After his death, his sons warred over the Stag Throne, tear-ing the realm apart in the process; many capable and valiantknights of Athalantar wet its fields with their blood. The eldestson, Belaur, hired many wizards to win this struggle for him,and the plan worked too well – he soon found himself on thethrone, but a virtual prisoner of the magelords of Athalantar.

The wizards’ feuds and the ongoing intrigues of the survivingprinces of the realm make Athalantar an ideal place for AD&D®play: it is a place of tense intrigues, and it is a time for adven-turers.

stuffs enriched the realm, and it seemed destined for a rise togreatness – until Uthgrael died.

and slain in 217 DR by a Calishite wizard, Rhanghaun ofAlmraiven, who had been hired by his brother Elthaun.

Elthryn: This prince was a calm, peaceful, just man, one whowas happier among farmers than courtiers. Born in 192 DR, hewas always a sensitive, caring person who showed no taste forthe intrigues and ambition of his brothers. When Elthryn retiredto the outlying village of Heldon, Uthgrael gave him the LionSword, a long sword with magical powers that had never leftthe king’s hand until then. Some saw this act as the king’sappointing Elthryn true heir to the Stag Throne.

In Heldon, Elthryn married a forester’s daughter, AmrythaleGoldsheaf, in 210 DR. They had one son, Elminster, born in 212DR. Both parents were slain in the destruction of Heldon underthe breath of the draco-steed ridden by the archmage Undarlwhen he first appeared in Athalantar in 224 DR to make a namefor himself.

The Lion Sword’s powers were broken (as was the blade itself)by the dragonfire, but most sages agree that it could absorblightning-spells (and probably some other magics) directed at itswielder.

0thglas: This brother, born in 193 DR, was fat, jolly, and food-loving from his earliest days. A glutton and poisoner, he useddeadly wine and food additives to thin the ranks of theAthalantan court, advancing his own supporters. When Belaur’smages made it clear they knew what he was up to, and threat-ened to have him arrested and put to death for it, Othglas turnedto worship of Malar for protection, moving to outlying Dalniir (in219 DR) and joining the Huntsmen there. The magelords turnedhim into a boar during a hunt, and he was slain by his own menin 220 DR.

Felodar: From his birth in 194 DR, this brother was restless inAthalantar, and had no love for the realm or his family. He sawwealth as a way of acquiring power that had nothing to do withthe Aumar name, and he became obsessed with amassingwealth. Leaving the realm in 214 DR, he established a base inCalimshan. Once there, he fostered trade between Calimshanand Athalantar, and between the Realm of the Stag and every-where else, pleasing his father very much. Uthgrael would havebeen less enthusiastic had he known that Felodar was enrich-ing himself by trading in slaves, contraband, and dark magic.

Ultimately, Felodar achieved much power in Calimshanthrough intrigues and the efforts of his hired gang of thieves,agents, killers, and mages, and sent mages to Athalantar to takecontrol of the realm for him. Dubbed “the night mages” because

they hid by day and worked in the hours ofdarkness, they struggled against Belaur’spower – but he was baited into spell-battle

DRAGON #228 27

magelords but were ultimately unsuc-cessful.

Although Felodar remained a threatto Belaur’s rule for most of the time theeldest prince sat the Stag Throne, he diedof poison administered by a localCalishite rival late in the year 239 DR,

though his death did not become knownin Athalantar until 241 DR.

Nrymm: The youngest prince ofAthalantar was timid and frail. Born in195 DR, he was raised by women of thecourt after the queen’s death, and he“disappeared” in 220 DR. Magelordrecords indicate that he was turned intoan otyugh by the magelords, then keptin the middens of Athalgard, the royalcastle in Hastarl, so they had anotherblood heir of Uthgrael in their power,should anything happen to Belaur.

There is one other “prince” ofAthalantar mentioned in histories andballads who was not of Aumar blood.The only war-leader Belaur could trustonce the magelords were firmly in con-trol was the mercenary Gartos, andBelaur made him a prince of the realmso he outranked minor magelords andcould carry out Belaur’s will without hin-drance or petty harassments. He wasslain in Narthil in 234 DR.

Nrymm was slain in otyugh form in238 DR by one of Felodar’s mages, in asuccessful attempt to draw one of themagelords into a trap under the castle,so he could be slain alone.

Sorcerers of Athalantar

Shandrath: Widely known acrossFaerûn as the “Wyrmhumbler” for themany dragons he slew or magicallytamed in his youth, Shandrath was themost powerful wizard to dwell in theRealm of the Stag.

A quick glance at the warring princesmakes it clear their intrigues could fuel anexciting campaign in the farming realmof Athalantar even without the mage-lords. When one adds the jostling, ambi-tious mages who came to Athalantar toseize power they could not hope to winin older, more civilized lands, things canbecome relentlessly menacing. Here arejust a few of the wizards prominent inAthalantar in those days:

He came to Athalantar only in the twi-light of his days, and folk there usuallyreferred to him as “Old Shandrath.” Over70 years of age when Uthgrael died,Shandrath was a short, stooped, crippledman whose twisted body was supportedby a knobbly stick. He stumped around inconstant pain, preferring the solitude of

Orthalar: This mage from distantCalimport was known as “Orthalar of theWinds” because of his mastery of magicthat hurled wind as a weapon. Even moreparanoid than Nathgarl, Orthalar alwayscloaked himself in contingency magicsand multiple teleport escape spells. Such

Nathgarl: A close-mouthed, careful,all-seeing wizard of Unther, apprentice toMaulygh. Always looking over his shoul-der for treachery, his passion was layingspell-traps anywhere and everywhere.He was slain by senior magelords soonafter Maulygh’s death, who suspectedhim of somehow causing his master’sfall... perhaps only the first step in elimi-nating them all.

Maulygh: This cruel man was drivenby ambition. A master wizard of Unther,he joined the magelords (perhapsintending to betray them), but perishedat the hands of the Magister at a dinnerin Hastarl in 229 DR.

Here are the most mighty of“Felodar’s Sendings,” the wizards sentinto Athalantar by Prince Felodar; theyeither perished at the hands of Belaur’smagelords or joined their ranks.

The Night Mages

Theskyn was stout, short-tempered,and gray-bearded, with a long, hookednose covered with warts (a likenessremembered in sayings like, “ByTheskyn’s warts!”). He disliked magicalitems and is said to have hidden awayscores of them, all over the realm, to“hew down cowardly reliance on thestored magical might of others.”

Wyrm Tower to the company of others.He cared about the stability of Athalantarand regarded Elthryn as the best of a badlot. Unbeknownst to the fourth prince,Shandrath watched over him in Heldon.The Wyrm-humbler used his scrying-glass and spells to learn what he could ofthe plans of the other princes, then sentforth spells to thwart them.

Belaur’s mages regarded him as theirmost formidable foe, and tried to keeptheir deeds and true power largely hid-den until they could strike at him – in amassed spell-attack on Wyrm Tower in222 DR. The attack shattered the Towerand destroyed Shandrath, leaving theunwitting Elthryn vulnerable.

Theskyn: The court mage ofAthalantar was an old friend and trustedservant of the Stag King. He tutored Caulnand many magelings sent to Hastarl bythe outlying knights of the realm. He diedsoon after Uthgrael in 217 DR, poisoned byBelaur’s agents.

precautions helped him survive at leastthree concerted magelord attempts toslay him. In the end, he lured fivemagelords to their doom, trapping themin the cellars of his house in Hastarl, butvery likely perished with them. Nothingwas heard of him after 240 DR.

The magelords of AthalantarThe main villains in the lives of

Athalantan folk, these hated and fearedtyrants were invited into Athalantar byBelaur, to help him seize the throne. Allthe best histories more or less echo thewritings of Urdan of Launtok on theeldest prince of Athalantar: “He ruled bymeans of his magelords, cruel outlanderswho in the end came to rule him.”

Although there were 30 to 40 minormagelings or apprentices in the lesserranks of the magelords at all timesbetween about 219 DR to 240 DR, the indi-viduals named hereafter were all wizardsof at least 12th level. Those who survivedto 240 DR were without exception 16thlevel or greater. They are listed in roughorder of descending importance.

Undarl: Known as the “Dragonrider”for his preferred mode of battle, Undarlrose to become the self-styled Mage Royaland the real ruler of the kingdom. No oneknew where he was born. He was a lateaddition to the magelords, arriving ondragonback and destroying Heldon (andPrince Elthryn) to “prove himself.” His trueform (a yuan-ti) was revealed in his battlewith Elminster... but this was only thebody he possessed on Toril. He was actu-ally a Malaugrym or Shadowmaster (ofwhom more is told in the Shadow of theAvatar trilogy).

Ubriien Orlyn: The first Mage Royalof Athalantar, this cruel and quick-wittedman dominated Neldryn and all of theother mages Belaur recruited. He took toscouting the lands around Athalantar indisguise, to learn their strengths andweaknesses – and what magic could bestolen from them. He was slain when, inthe shape of an elven ruler, he tried tocast a spell on an alert dwarven Axelordat a feast; the other magelords neverlearned his fate.

Neldryn Hawklyn: A haughty, thinman who hailed from the lands thatbecame Chessenta, he was the leader ofBelaur’s original recruits, and after themysterious disappearance of Ubriien,became the most powerful magelord,the mage royal of Athalantar. He died atthe hands of the Magister when hedared to summon Mystra’s Servant to adinner in Hastarl, in 229 DR. He overcon-

28 APRIL 1996

fidently intended to use a Netheresemagical item, the Crystal Chain of Binding(a transparent metal or glass chain thatflies under the mental direction of a con-trolling being and prevents all use ofmagic by any being imprisoned in itscoils), to defeat the Magister and take hisplace. Undarl moved swiftly to seize day-to-day command of the magelords afterHawklyn’s death, also taking his title ofMage Royal.

Ithboltar: “The Old One” was an earlytutor of Neldryn Hawklyn and followedhis pupil to Athalantar at Neldryn’srequest. By far the most magically capa-ble of the magelords, lthboltar tutoredalmost all of the ambitious wizards whojoined their ranks. He preferred to keepbehind the scenes and was careful togain magical holds over all the mages hetrained, and to make himself theirrefuge, counselor, and rescuer.

When he first became aware ofElminster and Myrjala, lthboltar sawthem as a way of humbling and cullingthe out-of-control, increasingly recklessand arrogant younger magelords.Ultimately – and too late – perceivingthe true danger they posed, lthboltarforcibly summoned all surviving nearbymage-lords of power to battle them. Inthe clash that followed (in 240 DR),Athalgard was shattered and all of themagelords except Undarl perished.

Ildryn Thallin: A sly, oily magelord,adept at manipulation, avoiding foes,and verbal diplomacy. It was said inHastarl that “Ildryn listens at every doorin Athalantar and knows whenevercoins change hands – and for what.” Heperished in the spell-battle in Athalgard.Contingencies he’d set to follow hisdeath wreaked much havoc around SarnTorel, where his tower stood.

Hulzimmer Atharn: This studious,quiet mage dwelt in the “backlands” ofnorthern Athalantar. He specialized inmagic that transformed men into mon-sters, or at least gained for mages a sem-blance of beast-powers. Many folk who’dcommitted crimes or merely displeased amagelord were given into his hands foruse in his magical experiments; the luckyones survived for years in stable beast-shapes.

Hulzimmer tried to befriend the elvesof the High Forest to learn their secretsof taking dragonshape. He was rebuffedand turned to futile attempts to worminformation on dragon-mastery fromShandrath.

Hulzimmer became obsessed withdefeating the Wyrmhumbler and wrest-

Malanthor Drymm: A proud andcruel mage of Calimshan, Malanthor wasmuch given to the use of perfumes (andsneers), and his forked black beard andlong waxed moustaches were much inevidence at the best parties in Hastarl,where he fascinated the ladies as theepitome of culture and sophistication.Too lazy to do much to advance his mas-tery of magic, he indulged in “buildingcontacts” for the magelords among nobleand wealthy citizens of Hastarl. Heinevitably found his way into their feuds,intrigues, and bechambers. Summoned

Taraj Hurlymm: An expert in theways of beasts, Taraj hailed from farMurghom and was an avid, cruel hunter.To indulge his love of taking beast-shapeand stalking men and women as if theywere prey, he took over governance ofoutlying Dalniir for the magelords – andwas eventually slain on a hunt byElminster and Myrjala, in 240 DR.

Kadeln Olothstar: This magelordloved battle and brawling; the armsmenof the realm hated him for the cruel goad-ing he gave them. Fancying himself thewar-leader of Athalantar, he spent histime driving the troops into the landsaround – including repeated forays intothe High Forest – to eliminate all the out-laws, rebels, and strong neighbors hecould, ostensibly for the good of therealm (but really to keep the armsmentoo busy for any thought of revolt, and toentertain himself). Many armsmen werewhipped, tortured, or slain on his orders.Kadeln set himself up as their judge andtrainer. His fellow magelords, uninterest-ed in policing sweaty sword-swingers, lethim have his way.

In the end, his love of war killed him;he came to the aid of his fellow magelordTaraj Hurlymm in 240 DR and was slain inbattle against Elminster and Myrjala.

Seldinor Stormcloak: A tall, impres-sive-looking, charismatic magelord withan eye for the ladies, Seldinor took him-self across the realm on consort-gather-ing vacations whenever he grew restless,but he spent the rest of his days workingon his magic. He was interested ingolems and the handling of otherenchanted creatures created or aug-mented by magic. Elminster and Myrjalacaused his death in 240 DR.

ing his powers from him. He made manyovertures to his fellow magelords aboutattacking Wyrm Tower. In the end, fear-ing Shandrath’s power in their midst, hisfellow magelords agreed, but Hulzimmerperished in the destruction of WyrmTower, in 222 DR.

to battle by lthboltar in 240 DR, he died inthe collapse of the Old One’s tower inAthalgard.

Alarashan Tlor: This careful, self-con-trolled wizard was careful to be helpfulto his fellow magelords but also to stayunassumingly in the background, avoid-ing controversies. “Tlor the Faceless”Seldinor dubbed him, not realizing (aslthboltar did) that Alarashan was await-ing his chance to come to power whenstronger colleagues fell in the teeth oftheir own intrigues. Always planning fora day that never came, Alarashan likedto keep track of the names, skills, andactivities of mercenaries and adventur-ers operating in or near Athalantar.Forcibly summoned by Ithboltar, he per-ished in the spell-battle in Athalgard, in240 DR.

Janath Rendaer: One of the originalmages hired by Belaur, the pranksome,sarcastic Janath was the only magelordto befriend any of the Athalantanknights or armsmen, who saw in him agruff fellow cynic just trying to stay alivein the midst of “a nest of spell-hurlingvipers.” He perished in the assault onWyrm Tower in 222 DR.

Belargh Thulin: This minor magelordwas an unambitious, lazy, cruel sensual-ist who devoted his time to romancingall women who came within range of hiseye (and his magical compulsions) inrural Ambletrees. Belargh was notablefor his collection of gems and othervaluables taken from ladies – and thecache of Netherese magical items hebrought with him to Athalantar from anearlier adventuring career (a cache neverfound after his death, and rumored yetto lie beyond an invisible door that float-ed in midair somewhere in Ambletrees).He was slain by Elminster (while El wasin female form) in 234 DR.

Briost Elthauryn: This calculating,quick-thinking mage was one of themost dangerous magelords, known forhis quick-witted cunning and clevertraps. He liked to travel Athalantar andthe lands around as an envoy for themagelords, and he was a favorite oflthboltar (who saw him as the bestchoice to replace the drunken wastrelBelaur as Mage-King of Athalantar. Heperished in the spell-battle in Athalgardin 240 DR.

Nasarn the Hooded: The oldest andmost experienced of the magelords afterIthboltar, Nasarn came to Athalantardesiring peace and stability. The Old Onegave him the task of watching themagelords for treachery against the

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Magic of the day

The most talked-about – and possiblythe most deadly – mage of the time wasllhundyl “The Mad Mage.” This cruel sor-cerer-tyrant was cast out from Calimshanafter he dealt openly with fell creatures

The Magister, Mystra’s mortal repre-sentative, was the mightiest wizard in allFaerûn – but the position could be lost ina moment to the smiting spells of any-one ambitious enough to want the titleand duties. Wizardry was generally moreadvanced in Calimshan and what aretoday known as “the Old Empires” thanin the North, and the epitome of south-ern magecraft was the Sorcerer Supremeof all Calimshan (at the Time of themagelords, the seldom-seen planar mys-tic Eltehaun of Calimport).

Human sorcery in Faerûn was almostas advanced then as now – though thestrong power of elven spells and thecomparatively recent fall of Netherilmade most folk think they were in adark age of paltry spells and waninghuman learning and power. Many of thespells known in those days have sincebeen lost (interestingly, Elminster atteststhat some of them are in use in present-day Oerth and can be found in theGREYHAWk® Adventures sourcebook).

Chantlarn lyrmerr: This capable,often-amused magelord kept carefully tohimself, amassing magical items andplanning the day when he’d overthrowthe other magelords and seize the king-dom for his own. That day never came.He was forcibly summoned to the spell-battle (in 240 DR ) in Ithboltar’s tower inAthalgard, he was slain there.

Eth Junster: This young magelordwas known as “Stoneclaw” because heslew an umber hulk with his spells whenyoung, then created a spell that gavehim the same stone-rending claws it hadboasted. A wizard with a great naturalaptitude for magic, Eth devised manyspells in his brief life. He was slain by“Elmara” (Elminster) at Narthil in 234 DR.

On several occasions, overconfidentmagelords tried to take advantage of thesecluded locales where he liked to teachto destroy him and seize his magic. Heslew all of them, transforming their bod-ies into stone statues and putting themin a walled garden in his country housenear Jander. His fate is not recorded buthe was not seen in the kingdom ofAthalantar after 240 DR.

Mage Royal, by pretending to be the OldOne’s rival (and an alternative tutor forambitious magelings).

Myrjala “Darkeyes” was herselffamous in the lands around theDelimbiyr as a fey, beautiful, mysteriouswanderer who meddled in the doings ofrulers whenever she saw fit. She wasunwelcome in many halls and courtsand revered in many crofts and uplandhuts, for the unexpected aid she ren-dered to those in need. Her sigil wasthree linked silver circles on a navy-bluefield, curving in an arc with one end-cir-cle to the upper right and the other atthe bottom left. When she wanted totravel unseen, she took bird- or beast-shape, or assumed the guise of the maleherald Huntinghorn, envoy of Tavaray,whose crossed-trumpets badge wasknown across the North – by folk whowould have spit or hurried to snatch upa weapon or warning-horn had theyknown who lurked inside that shape.

from other planes once too often for thelikings of the Calishite satraps – particu-larly after they discovered that most ofIlhundyl’s arrangements concerned theirown destruction). The Mad Mage ruledThe Calishar (the lands north ofCalimshan, now much of Tethyr) from hisCastle of Sorcery, until Myrjala slew himwhile rescuing Elminster.

The Kingdom of the Stag was defined

Foresters hunted for game, foughtelves and beasts of the woods along thenorthern edges of the realm, and protect-ed woodcutters who cut whatever timberwas needed, slowly expanding the realmby hewing away at the edges of the HighForest. Where necessary (as in the bandit-haunted Horn Hills and Wyrm Waste tothe west and northwest), the foresterswere aided by patrols of armsmen, whohad strong fortresses at Heldreth’s Hornin the west and Floodmeet in the east.Within the ring of protection thus pro-vided, the hard-working farmers ofAthalantar worked the heart of therealm, ensuring prosperity for all.

The princes and wizards we’ve seenthus far were the most prominent folk inAthalantar; the knights and armsmen ofthe kingdom largely followed them(cleaving to support one or another inever-shifting factions) or fled the realmaltogether, while the wealthy merchantsin Hastarl kept their heads down, con-cerned themselves with trade, and lostany power or influence in the realm thatthey might formerly have had.

A glance at Athalantar

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by two rivers. Delimbiyr, The RiverShining, then as today the main route oftrade and travel between the SwordCoast and Delimbiyr Vale (known thenas “Fallen Netheril” or the “PharrenUplands” after a now-vanished elvenland), formed the southern boundary ofthe realm.

The realm’s capital (and only) city wasas crowded and filthy as cities every-where, and its folk saw themselves aswithin reach of the sophistication ofwealthy Elembar (which was seen as theheight of human wealth and splendoroutside of the decadent, somewhat mis-trusted Calimshan). Athalantar boastedlarge towns at Sarn Torel and Launtok,and lesser towns at Semper, Blenth, andUlstone. The rest of the realm was abeautiful, pastoral landscape: “too goodfor grasping wizards,” as one local bal-lad, “The Rising of Helm,” puts it.

The wealthiest farmers and mer-chants became Athalantar’s nobility –such families as Bracetyr, Clorth,Dalamber, Endril, Glarmeir, Ommer,Prender, and Trumpettower boasted sev-eral country estates as well as manyrented farms, as well as “high houses”(actually walled compounds aroundminiature palaces) in Hastarl.

A minstrel described the governanceof Athalantar thus: “The magelords ruleopenly, issuing decrees as if they were allkings. The only entertainment we haveis watching them try to outwit eachother. I don’t go back often. It’s not asafe land for any who speak openlyagainst the magelords – and thatincludes minstrels whose clever balladsmay not be to the liking of any passingwizards or armsman. Athalantar doesn’tsee any visiting wizards, now, either...unless one has the power to defeat allthe magelords, why go there? If anymage of power comes to Athalantar, themagelords’d doubtless see it as a threatto their rule – and all rise up togetheragainst him!”

The minstrel was correct; anyone inAthalantar – and the lands immediatelyaround it, including Narthil, the HornHills, and the Tabath Hills to the east –who showed any evidence of owning amagical item (except for the king andnobles), and anyone at all who cast awizard spell was given the choice of join-ing the magelords or suffering immedi-

The Unicorn Run wound downthrough the heart of the realm from theHigh Forest, draining and watering theverdant farmlands until it joined theDelimibyr at Hastarl.

Worship of Lathander, Helm, Sune,

It’s also unsurprising that worship ofChauntea was the dominant faith in theland. Veneration of Malar, Silvanus, andTyche (in those days, the Luck Goddesshad not yet split into Beshaba andTymora) was also strong. The magelordstook worship of Mystra as their exclusiveright, closing the Hastarl temple (and alloutlying shrines) of the Holy Lady ofMysteries. (Then, as now, Mystra mani-fested to the faithful as an eerie blueglow, or appeared as two eyes floating inflame, or as a tall, shapely woman withdark eyes, hair, and robes.)

As might be expected, the magelordsdidn’t appreciate unexpected and unin-vited clergy of any faith showing up inAthalantar (and there were guardposts atHastarl’s docks and on the roads to pre-vent undesirables from entering therealm), but seldom had to act againstanyone except clergy of Mystra; no oneelse came to Athalantar except by pre-arrangement, and such arrangementswere few.

Faiths in Athalantar

As Undarl told a junior magelord: “I’dnot expect a magelord to waste magicon bothering his fellows just for idlechatter; a report should come only ifsomething serious is amiss... if theintruding mage should prove to be a spyfor another realm, for instance, or theleader of an invading army.”

Moreover, their selfish interests led toa loose command structure; althoughgate-guards watched over the roads andminor magelords accompanied armsmenofficers as “watchhounds,” they didn’tbother to report much to their superiors– by order. The magelords didn’t want tobe disturbed by the daily business ofadministering a realm.

Yet the magelords were not all-pow-erful. They were few and self-interested,and as the innkeeper Broarn describedthem: “The magelords have this land bythe throat and don’t mean to shift theirgrip. Yet for all their airs, they couldn’thold an apprenticeship at some places inthe southlands.”

ate death. (As a swordcaptain of onegate guard told Elmar, as his men pre-pared to attack her: “Mages who do notserve our king are not welcome here.“)Induction into the ranks of themagelords involved a thorough mind-reading and verbal interrogation, andanyone with other loyalties or ties to anyoutlaw or enemy of the realm was slainforthwith.

and Tyr was also well represented inAthalantar, and there were local shrinesto older, now forgotten gods, to Tempus,and to all of the nature deities.

Full priests of the Wargod held the title“the Sword of Tempus,” and rankingpriests of Lady Luck were addressed as“the Hand of Tyche.” In similar fashion,priests of Helm were “the Shield of Helm”and priests of Tyr “were the Eye andHand of Tyr.” Clergy of Silvanus (regard-less of rank) were referred to as “ForestFathers,” and clergy of Malar were“Huntmasters” (in both case, regardless ofthe gender of the priest). Priests andpriestesses of Lathander were known as“Lights of Lathander,” but Sune was rep-resented only by priestesses, “CrimsonLadies” to the general public, and “HighLady” to each other.

The magelords deeply distrusted theclergy, and tried to hire or place spies inevery temple. Apprentice magelingsaspiring to advancement in the ranks ofthe magelords had to do many tiresomehours of magically spying on priests whowere, by and large, engaged in nothingdangerous to the Stag Throne or to theruling wizards. It’s not surprising that theonly avid magelord scrying was thewatch set on the pleasure-loving priest-esses of Sune, whose rituals attracted thewealthy, the noble, and the curious.

The passing yearsSome relevant dates spanning the

Time of the magelords follow:212 DR, Year of the Awakening Magic:

Elminster, son of Prince Elthryn andAmrythale Goldsheaf, is born in Heldon.

216 DR, Year of the Battle Horns: Theknown Northlands erupt in battle asmany orc bands vie for supremacy;countless thousands of goblinkin perish.

In Athalantar, King Uthgrael Aumardies; his sons, the “Warring princes ofAthalantar,” begin open battle battle forthe throne.

218 DR, Year of the Dancing Lights:Will O’ wisps are seen in profusion allover Faerûn in this year; some sagesbelieve this marks an invasion of thestrange beings, perhaps through a gateunwittingly opened by a human sorcerer,from another plane.

In Athalantar, Prince Belaur proclaimshimself king and takes the Stag Throne,organizing the armsmen of the realmunder the command of his hired wizards.(The term “magelords” dates from thistime, when Belaur named them all lordsof the realm, to give them clear authorityover everyone save himself.)

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224 DR, Year of the Flaming Forests:In the winter that opens this year, manyforest fires rage across the Northlands.An orc chieftan, Gluthtor, emerges victo-rious at the battle of Bloodrivers (at thesite of present-day Yartar) and spendsthe year uniting the orcs under his com-mand.

The wizard Undarl comes to Athalan-tar; he and his dragon destroy the villageof Heldon (and Elminster’s parents).

225 DR, Year of the Shattered Skulls:Gluthtor’s great orc horde is turned backby the elves in the Sword Coast lands, atthe cost of much of their strength, in thebattles of Five Falcons (east of The StoneBridge) and Hungry Arrows (southeast ofpresent-day Everlund). The rise ofarchery among the orcs is said to datefrom these slaughters, wherein the sur-viving orcs saw a few thousand elvenarchers slay hundreds of thousands ofgoblinkin.

226 DR, Year of the Empty Turret:Despite the lack of major wars, diseaseand widespread lawlessness take manyfighting-men to their graves all overFaerûn this year.

227 DR, Year of the Raised Banner:Three small realms are founded in thisyear. They are the halfling realm ofMeiritin in what is now eastern Amn; thehuman realm of Shavinar north of pre-sent-day Baldur’s Gate; and Tathtar atthe western end of the Vilhon Reach. Allhave since vanished.

228 DR, Year of the Loremasters:Several sages publish important historiesof human magical achievements in thesummer of this year, winning wide-spread fame. Today, only one of theseworks survives (The Trail Of Wonder, byAumtevel Dlarryn; the only known sur-viving copy is now kept in the innerrooms of Candlekeep), and only two ofthe writers are remembered: the sageAumtevel Dlarryn of Elembar, and HighScribe Blaeruityn of Ankhapur, a priest ofOghma. Blaeruityn, a giant of a manwho stood nine feet tall, is said to havedevised the first “speaking book,” where-in voices could be heard reading thewords aloud as the pages are turned (thespells for doing so died with him). Atleast two such books were in the courtlibrary in the castle of Athalgard, some-time in the five years that followed... butwhat became of them is not known.

At this time, Elminster is an outlaw inthe Horn Hills, on the borders ofAthalantar.

229 DR, Year of the Black Flame: Acabal of wizards calling themselves “The

Dalagar “Longwalker” becomes kingof Andlath (a vanished realm that flour-ished on what is now The Shining Plains),and begins construction of a trade-roadlinking the Sword Coast lands with theVilhon Reach; many folk say it’s aninsane undertaking whose building willrequire “a thousand thousand years”even without the attacks by elves,dwarves, and everything else that are

230 DR, Year of the Wailing Dryads :Crowded, rapidly-growing human realmsall over Faerûn have run out of room.Trees are felled all over the human-heldlands of Faerûn this year, and manyroads begun, cutting into the heart ofonce-impassable woodlands.

Black Flame” forms in Unther anddestroys several armies sent by localrulers to slay them. Over the 20 summersthat follow, they develop many impor-tant magics, but dwindle in numbers,destroyed by rivals, or lost in travels toother planes. They leave behind manypowerful spells that later form much ofthe arsenal of the Red Wizards of Thay.

During this year, Elminster, using thename Eladar the Dark, is active as a thiefin Hastarl, capital of Athalantar.

231 DR, Year of the Mist Dragon: Agigantic dragon of this rare speciesappears in the lands around The Sea ofFallen Stars in the spring of this year,challenging and slaying any dragon itcan find. By winter, it has amassed ahuge treasure... and the first of severalhundred fruitless adventurer-forays setsforth from Calimport in search of whatbards came to call The Shining Hoard ofthe Great Dragon. (For some 60 yearsthe mist dragon slays adventurers. Afterthat, no trace of it or its hoard can befound.)

sure to come. (Those attacks did come,and Andlath was to endure a decade ofbitter war, but through the heart of thestrife the road pushed on and stretchedcomplete from Athkatla to Ormath ineight seasons.)

232 DR, Year of the Leaping Centaur:In Andlath, centaur herds break free ofhuman slavery in Andlath, shatteringthat realm into small, besieged territoriesand outposts.

Dalagar spends much of the year inhis saddle, fighting 40 battles or more,but the road-building goes on.

233 DR, Year of Much Ale: A rich bar-

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ley harvest this year makes beer plentifuland good in the lands around The Sea ofFallen Stars.

As a member of the Brave Bladesadventuring band, “Elmara” (Elminster) isbusy exploring old ruins, dungeons, andsubterranean holds in the lands northand west of Athalantar.

234 DR, Year of Bloodflowers: A red-leafed wildflower, called the “blood-flower” for its hue and prevalence onopen plains that often become battle-fields, seems to grow everywhere thisyear – and in the spring, an alchemist inCalimshan discovers a magical use for itspetals, enabling wizards to heal woundswith a salve made from it that they canrub on before battle, and then activate atany time with a single word. (In thedecade that follows, the bloodflower isharvested so thoroughly that it disap-pears from Faerûn. There are, of course,rumors of its survival in the deepest jun-gles of Chult and Mhair).

235 DR, Year of Drawn Knives:Intrigue, wars of succession, and assassi-nations are rife all across Faerûn; it is atime of defiance, violence, and shorttempers. Elmara (Elminster) is studyingand adventuring with the sorceressMyrjala.

236 DR, Year of the Plague Clouds: Amage in Mulhorand devises a spell thatcreates clouds of poisonous gas that lastseveral days, so if local weather cooper-ates, the clouds can drift down to workagainst foes – or anyone else in theirpath. The wizard is slain by fearful neigh-bors and rival wizards, but not beforesomeone steals at least one of the spellsinvolved.

Elmara continues to study and adven-ture with Myrjala, traveling widely inFaerûn.

237 DR, Year of the DisappearingDragons: Ansryn Tehvyae, a crazedhermit-mage who dwells in Tsharoon (aland since swallowed by the QuoyaDesert) develops a spell that teleportsunwitting and unwilling dragons fromplace to place, from afar. He uses it tohurl dragons into close proximity – andusually subsequent combat with fearfuldefenders – above the strongholds andcroplands of those he dislikes and fears,which is just about everyone in theEastern Realms. There is much tumult inthose lands until the end of the year,when Tehvyae is identified by the wisest,most furious surviving dragons, anddestroyed. The fate of his spell isunknown.

Elmara’s magic grows to outstrip

The world around AthalantarAt the time of the magelords, much of

what has since become known as theSavage Frontier is wilderland – vastforests little seen by men that stretch forunknown, unexplore distances, and arerapidly swallowing up the “hauntedruins” of Netheril. The Moonsea and

261 DR, Year of Soaring Stars: Elvenand human mages of Faerûn devisespells needed to sail the skies in thisyear, and new skyships are seen inFaerûn – the first such craft outside ofHalruaa since the fall of Netheril.Cormanthor is renamed Myth Drannor,and opened to all “good” races. ItsMythal, a powerful, permanent protec-tive magical field, is “laid” (cast) by manymages working together, Elminsteramong them.

240 DR, Year of The Chosen: Elminsterachieves his destiny and shatters the ruleof the magelords, slaying King Beluar. Elthen crowns the outlaw knight HelmStoneblade king of Athalantar. Myrjalareveals herself as the goddess Mystra;Elminster becomes one of Mystra’sChosen and is sent to Cormanthor.

Elminster and Myrjala work together,building their powers for a plannedassault on Athalantar.

239 DR, Year of the WanderingLeucrotta: A sudden increase in thenumbers of leucrotta drives many ofthese nasty creatures to roam across theNorth, each seeking its own territory.Much fear, widespread rumors (of vari-ous rulers being disguised leucrotta andsuchlike), and bloodshed results.

238 DR, Year of Many Mushrooms:Damp, cloudy weather and widespreadrotting diseases promote wild growth ofmushrooms all across northern Faerûn.There are tales of sinister “walking mush-rooms” and fads for wild mushroom pie,mushroom wine, mushroom-laced beer– and much trade in barrels of friedmushrooms packed in salted gravy.

Elminster goes mage-hunting acrossFaerûn, trying to defeat evil mages andgain their powers. He travels to TheCalishar to seek llhundyl the Mad Mage,who rules much of the region with hiscruel magics. Myrjala rescues Elminsterby destroying llhundyl with spellfire andreveals her love for the youngest Aumarprince. They decide to dwell and worktogether.

Myrjala’s; they decide to part, andElminster reveals his true gender to histeacher.

Dragonreach lands are a mystery;human settlement on the north and westsides of The Sea of Fallen Stars hasn’t yetreached north of the Vilhon Reach.

The High Forest wraps aroundAthalantar, and elves still dwell in itsgreen depths, on the banks of theUnicorn Run. As the innkeeper Broarntells Elminster, their superior magic failsbefore persistent human attacks timeand again because they won’t unite intoarmies: “Elves have little taste for warand spend much of their time feudingwith each other. Most of them are also...we would call it idle. They trouble them-selves more about having a good time,and less about doing things. Human wiz-ards know less, but are always trying tofind old spells or create new ones; wheremost elven mages smile, say that theyalready know all they need to – or ifthey’re fair arrogant, lord, say they knoweverything there is to know – and donothing.”

Yet even in decline, the Fair Folk awemost Athalantans, and their presencediscourages casual woodcutting and for-ays into the woods. As Broarn puts it: “Ifyou must hide from the magelords, goup the Unicorn Run, deep into The HighForest. They fear the Fair Folk will riseagainst them there, with strong spells,and they’re right on that. The elves fearto lose more land to the axes ofAthalantar and will fight, now, for everytree. If you need to hide only from arms-men, Wyrm Wood right behind us herewill do. They fear dragons. The magesknow better; they slew the last dragonsome 20 winters gone, but can’t get ussimple folk to believe that.”

Such folk beliefs are complicated bythe fact that a rare few of the moonelves of Sharrven (the name elves use forthat part of the High Forest south of theStar Mounts) have mastered magic thatallows them to take on dragonshapewhen need be. They are the reason themagelords did so much dragonhuntingin Athalantar once their grip on therealm was secure.

The far more haughty sun elvesinhabit the western reaches of the HighForest, well north of Athalantar – therealm of Siluvanede. Its sigil is a silvergriffon, and folk of all races venture toLothen of the Silver Spires, at the south-western-most point of the realm, to askaudience of the Aeltagarr, the kindly seerand sorceress of the realm (whose magicis said to rival that of the Magister him-self). The Highlord of Siluvanede hasmade it coldly clear to all that visitors of

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They’ve made a good start on thatalready. Human wealth, power, andteeming multitudes are still in the south-lands, in climes described by the garru-lous Broarn as follows: ‘Aye, the landsdown there have always been rich, andcrowded – fair crawling with folk. Thegreatest realm is Calimshan; the placethose dusky-skinned merchants withtheir heads wrapped, who come here allbundled up in furs in spring and fall,come from. There’s a huge lawless land

The Axelords (hold rulers) of thedwarves are determined to stay on goodterms with the humans. They know thepower of the demi-humans is waning,and the “pushy, hasty” humans willsomeday swarm over all.

Dwarves from Westdelve, the mostwesterly hold in that realm, are oftenseen on the River Shining, poling theirtrade-barges up and down. They buymuch food from human traders and sellfinely carved stone coffers and caskets,gems, the ruby-red wine popularlyknown as dragonsblood, and the sweet,sparkling lime-hued vintage called“moonbubble wine,” which humannewlyweds are wont to toast each otherwith – a wine few humans know ismade from fermented fungi touched bymoonlight at the bottom of deep shafts!

Then, as today, rivalries between elfand dwarf were strong. During the Timeof the Magelords, the Stout Folk werestill strong, with holds scattered acrossthe North and the proud realm ofAmmarindar due east of Athalantar (inwhat are today known as the GreypeakMountains).

The elves craft and sell exquisite gob-lets and bottles of blown glass (of rain-bow, blue-green, or amber-to-gold hues),extremely expensive finery (a bridalgown cost one Athalantan noble a thou-sand pieces of gold), and two vintages:the emerald-green, chilled mint wineserved in a hundred taverns and housesall over the human lands, and the farrarer moondrop – a sparkling, smoky-flavored clear liqueur reputed to havehealing properties. The finest elvenwares come from Shantel Othreier (adeep forest that once stood where TheGreen Fields are today).

Most humans only have contact withthe friendly, widely-trading elves ofArdeep (a realm marked today by thevastly-shrunken, almost deserted Ardeep-forest).

any sort – even elves of “lesser” races –aren’t welcome anywhere else in hisrealm.

What is today called The Sea of

South of Calimshan, the Tashalar(then “Tashtan” or the Cities of the Sea-breeze) produced purple-and-emeraldwoven fabrics for trade that outshoneeven the fine silks of Calimshan. Itswares, however, were about all mostfolk of Athalantar knew about thisfabled region. Northern folk believed(correctly) that beholders ruled overmany small realms east of Calimshan –each beholder treating all who dwelt orcame into its territory as its slaves.

north of Calimshan, all forests and rivers,where their nobles always go to huntgame – or went, that is. An archmage sethimself up there and now rules most ofit. The Calishar, it used to be called. Iknow not if he’s renamed it, as he seemsbent on changing all else. The MadMage they call him, because he chaseshis whims so fiercely and doesn’t careabout what he destroys in the doing;Ilhundyl’s his name. Since he claimed theland, all the folk as didn’t want to befrogs and falcons and who knows whatelse have moved on – north, most ofthem, because all the land in Calimshanis held by someone, and I hear theykeep slaves.”

Travel down the Delimbiyr was aneasy task of steerage, but going upriverwas a long, arduous polebarge journey.

The Delimbiyr followed almost thesame course as it does today, linkingthese rich places to the interior: theelven realm of Ardeep and the mostprosperous and sophisticated humanholding in the North, Elembar, whichflanked Ardeep on the east, stretchingnorth from the River Shining almost tothe site of present-day Ironford.

Some vessels did make the journey,however. They called at the rich city ofTavaray (which is now entirely sunkenbeneath the vast, noisome Lizard Marsh)and the tiny seacoast realms of Uthtower(covered by the present-day Mere ofDead Men) and Yarlith (which lay some-what south of where Neverwinter isnow; a land of skilled woodcarvers,hardy shepherds, and – of necessity –tireless orc-slayers).

Swords was then simply the Great Sea.The pirate-infested and storm-wrackedcoast north of Calimshan kept tradingships few, though the southlands werealready running short of large timbersand plentiful game, and casting eyes tothe “unspoiled” north.

DRAGON #228 35

The mouth of the river wasn’t marshlandas it is today, but a scattering of now-van-ished bare islets of which the only onewhose name survives is Mystra’s Dance(because it held what folk believed wasthe very first Altar of Mystra).

Even before the magelords rose toopen power in Athalantar, they’d set “theGreat Fires” west of the Kingdom of theStag, to “drive the elves out of all theselands and take them for men, but menhuddled in ever-more-crowded cities andtowns along the Delimbiyr, and summerby summer the forest crept back toreclaim the hills. Soon the elves – morebitter, and swifter with their arrows thanthey’d once been – would return.” Thewood they destroyed had been knownas Halangorn Forest, and it separatedElembar from the Horn Hills (always aland of monsters, outlaws, and misfits).

At the eastern end of HalangornForest, on the north bank of theDelimbiyr, stood Morlin Castle, whosehuman lord held the titles Baron ofSteeping Falls and Lord Protector of theSword Hills – territories that lay on thesouth bank of the river. It was a cross-roads of sorts for traders on the river.

North of Elembar was a band ofsparsely-settled steadings and walled vil-lages that were often raided by orcs,bugbears, hobgoblins, and similar mon-sters. The band stretched from the west-ern fringes of Siluvanede northwest toeastern Yarlith. Known as the Mlembrynlands, this territory boasted only onetown of any size – Baerlith, at its westernend – and was home to many tough,independent folk whose love of freedommade them unwelcome in more orderlyrealms.

The southeastern boundary of theMlemblyn lands was Ladyhouse Falls, siteof a temple to Mystra, where a now-van-ished tributary of the Dessarin tumbledwestwards to join the Long North River.

South and west of there, the northernedge of the Horn Hills were marked by aline of hills known as the Watchers ofthe North. Immediately south of themwas Ong Wood – and unbeknown tomost folk, a secluded vale at the westernend of the Watchers held the legendaryFloating Tower, home and later tomb ofthe mighty archwizard Ondil of the ManySpells. Once guarded by liveried griffonswho drove intruders away, it was foundthe Bright Blades adventuring band(when Elminster – as Elmara – was theirmage). The tower’s name came from thefact that mighty magics held it up, float-ing unsupported high above the ground,

after its lower floors had collapsed,Tales say Ondil had withdrawn into

this spell-guarded tower even beforeNetheril’s rise to greatness, to craft manynew and powerful spells. He was report-edly so mighty in magic that he was ableto hide his tower from all Netheresemages. Older tales said Ondil had been asorcerer of Thaeravel, the land of magesfrom which Netheril sprang (believed tolie – then as now – under the sands ofAnauroch).

And how did the folk of these realmsview Athalantar? Most termed it a back-water land where “the boar-huntingprinces of the Stag” lorded it over thick-witted farmers.

In the words of an elven Highlord,Athalantar is a “land of simple farmersand boar-hunting swordswingers, whoseyoung king has had the sense to gatherin a few landless hedge-wizards toadvise him. They’ve neither the magicalskill nor the want to work destroyingmagic.”

Into this little-known land was bornthe greatest wizard the Realms has everknown. Your own adventurers can stepinto the same tense times that reared

Elminster, with hostile wizards allaround, monsters roaming the lands indeadly profusion, and the fabled richesof ruined Netheril waiting upriver.

It is a simpler time, with frontiers to bepushed back and unknown territory toexplored. A time when swords matteredmore, and coins less. A time for heroes.

Why not try an Athalantan campaign?

Ed Greenwood is the creator of theFORGOTTEN REALMS campaign and the authorof Elminster: The Making of a Mage,among other novels set in the Realms.

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DRAGON #228 37

Golems arepotent symbols ofjust what high-powered magics cando. They are at onceterrifying and awe-inspiring.

Sometimes thepowerful mages andpriests who createthese monstrositiestry their hands atmaking somethingdifferent, and a newclass of golemscomes into being.

Sometimes, indisgust, they throwaway their notes.

Unfortunately,these notes aresometimes found.

Witness the chiagolem, chocolategolem, and thehorrid plush golem.

by Anne Brownillustrated by Dan Burr

38 APRIL 1996

Chocolate GolemCLIMATE/TERRAIN:FREQUENCY:ORGANIZATION:ACTIVITY CYCLE:DIET:INTELLIGENCE:TREASURE:ALIGNMENT:

AnyRareSolitaryAnyNilNon- (0)SpecialNeutral

NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: 10MOVEMENT: 6HIT DICE: 6 or 1THAC0: 15 or NilNO. OF ATTACKS: 2 or 0DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d4/1d4SPECIAL ATTACKS: Breath weaponSPECIAL DEFENSES: NilMAGIC RESISTANCE: NilSIZE: L (7’ tall)MORALE: Fearless (19)XP VALUE: 650 or 0

A chocolate golem is a sight never to be forgotten. Storiesdescribe chocolate golems of every size and shape, includinggiant rabbits, chicks, dragons, reindeer, scarecrows, humans,humanoids, vampires, and other fantastic creatures.

Two types are known: hollow and solid. Bittersweet, milk, oreven white or flavored chocolate may be used in construction.The hollow chocolate golem requires at least 500 Ibs. of thefinest quality chocolate. The chocolate may be poured into aspecially created mold or may be sculpted and the middle hol-lowed out. Making the solid chocolate golem requires at least a1,000 lb. block of fine chocolate. The golem is then sculptedfrom the single block.

Either golem may be embellished with edible paints, frosting,or small candies.

Combat: The deluxe chocolate golem (6 HD) typically servessimilar purposes as other golems – as sentry or guard. They aresometimes used as security for large parties thrown by kingsand other royalty. They appear to be nothing more than edibleroom decorations but can be ordered to attack. Thus, thegolems offer a more innocuous presence than armed guards.

The deluxe golem attacks with both fists for 1d4 hp damageeach. Approximately 25% of deluxe golems also have a breathweapon of sorts. Such golems are filled with fruit-flavoredliqueur, whipped cream, peanut butter, or marshmallow. Thegolem can spew forth one gallon of filling every three roundsuntil its supply (typically 1d6 +6 gallons of filling) is exhausted.

A golem’s THAC0 is 10 for purposes of spraying filling and itcan hit one victim. The golem’s spray causes no damage(although golems filled with chunky peanut butter cause 1 hpdamage) but blinds a victim for 1d4 rounds. There is no savingthrow.

The lesser chocolate golems (1 HD), often called “partygolems,” are typically commissioned at great expense for chil-dren’s parties by royalty. The party golems are capable of noth-ing more than walking, sitting, or standing. They never attack.

Party golems are always hollow and are filled with small trin-

Anyone wishing to purchase a chocolate golem can expectto pay a minimum of 700 gp for a hollow golem, 1,000 gp fora solid golem, and 1,200 gp for a filled golem. The wizard’slabor costs and additional 2,000–3,000 gp.

As part of their enchantment, chocolate golems are stable attemperatures up to 125°F. Enduring any temperature beyondthat causes them to lose 1 hp per turn. When a golem loses 50%of its hit points from melting (whether magical or mundane), it isaffected as if by a slow spell.

A wizard of at least 14th level must cast fabricate, geas, andlimited wish following the construction of the chocolate figureand extensive preparatory rituals.

A priest of at least 11th level can create a chocolate golemthrough extensive ritual, preparation of the chocolate figure, anduse of the following spells: purify food & drink, prayer, commune,and animate object.

Ecology: Like all golems, the chocolate golem is a manufac-tured creature and has no place in nature. They are created onlythrough magical means.

Any heat-based or fire spells function fully against a choco-late golem, but with a dangerous side effect. The blast of heatinstantly causes a spray of hot melted chocolate in a 15’ radius.Any creatures within this area suffer 1 hp damage per die ofdamage caused by the spell. Thus, a golem struck by a six-diefireball causes 6 hp damage to all creatures within 15’.

Chocolate golems exhibit varied reactions to spell effects.Electricity affects them normally. Hold, paralysis, and sleep spellshave no effect. Cold-based spells improve a chocolate golem’sArmor Class by 2 (making them AC 8) for 1d4 rounds.Cumulative cold-based spells have no additional effect.

kets and candies. Children make a game of whacking the golemwith a stick or pole until it shatters, spilling its treasure andshards of chocolate for partygoers to scoop up.

DRAGON #228 39

Chia Golem

CLIMATE/TERRAIN:FREQUENCY:ORGANIZATION:ACTIVITY CYCLE:DIET:INTELLIGENCE:TREASURE:ALIGNMENT:

AnyRareSolitaryAnySoil, water, compostNon- (0)NilNeutral

NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: 4MOVEMENT: 6HIT DICE: 8THAC0: 13NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2d4/2d4SPECIAL ATTACKS: NilSPECIAL DEFENSES: NilMAGIC RESISTANCE: NilSIZE: L (6’–8’ tall)MORALE: Fearless (19)XP VALUE: 1,400

Chia golems span the full range from beautiful, elegant topiarycreations to hideous, diseased, overgrown plantings. On royalestates, one might detect chia golems in the form of giant rab-bits, mice, lions, camels, dragons, or even uniformed armedguards. Near an abandoned wizard’s tower or in the courtyardsof evil temples, chia golems may be present in the form of vam-pires, werebeasts, minotaurs, various giants, insects, or otherhorrid creatures.

A chia golem is a terra cotta or other baked stone sculpturethat serves as a surface for plant growth. The chia golem is typ-ically soaked in water and spread with seeds to await sprout-ing. They have a truly bizarre appearance until the plants havefully matured.

Chia golems may be planted with nearly any type of seeds,such as grass, resulting in a thick green coat; a creeping flow-ering plant such as phlox or alyssum, resulting in a fluffy pastelmat; a poisonous plant such as poison ivy or oxalis; or a vineplant such as morning glory, ivy, or grape (vines may causedamage in melee; see Combat). A combination of plants maybe used to achieve a particular aesthetic effect.

No one has ever been known to have created a chia golemfor himself; all known examples have been received as gifts.

Chia golems typically range in size from 6’–8’. Smallergolems are somehow unable to maintain the enchantments.

The creation of a chia golem begins with a sculpture in theform of the desired creature. The sculpture requires at least1,000 Ibs. of material. The material must be porous when it ishard to allow for rooting and water seepage; thus, a golemcould not be sculpted of granite, but it could be sculpted oflimestone or of clay and then baked.

Combat: Chia golems act primarily as sentries. They may bestationed in a particular place to stand guard or they may beordered to creep slowly around the perimeter of an estate tokeep watch. Their lack of intelligence and capability for imper-ceptibly slow movement makes them ideal for this type ofwatch duty.

A chia golem attacks with both fists for 2d4 hp damageeach. If the golem is planted with a vine whose tendrils mightslap at an opponent, +1 hp is added to each fist strike. If thecreator of the golem chose to plant it with a thorny or other-wise noxious plant, other bonuses may be assessed as well.

Chia golems are immune to sleep, hold, and paralysis spells.Cold-based and heat-based spells may wither the foliage of achia golem but cause normal damage. Spells such as entangle,warp wood, and plant growth have no effect. Hold plant and anti-plant shell work on chia golems as per the spell descriptions.Transmute rock to mud destroys a chia golem, but the plants willlive in the resulting mud as long as conditions are right.

Habitat/Society: Chia golems may be planted with perennialplants and kept outdoors year round or, if planted with moretender plants, may be moved indoors with the onset of coldweather. Chia golems may also live indoors year round.

The golems, which are hollow, must contain a small amountof soil at all times, and they must be watered according to therequirements of the particular plant. A quantity of compostmust also be added to the golem about once per month.

Ecology: Like all golems, the chia golem is a manufacturedcreature and has no place in nature. They are created onlythrough magical means.

A priest of at least 11th level can create a chia golemthrough extensive ritual, preparation of the terra cotta figure,and use of the following spells: plant growth, prayer, commune,and animate object.

A wizard of at least 14th level must cast fabricate, geas, charmplants, and limited wish following the construction of the bakedclay figure and extensive preparatory rituals.

A druid of at least 14th level may create a chia golem usinganimate rock and plant growth and a month-long process of fer-tility and other rituals that must culminate on the eve of thewinter solstice.

40 APRIL 1996

Plush GolemCLIMATE/TERRAIN:FREQUENCY:ORGANIZATION:ACTIVITY CYCLE:DIET:INTELLIGENCE:TREASURE:ALIGNMENT:

AnyRareSolitaryAnyN i lNon- (0)NoneNeutral

NO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: 10MOVEMENT: 9HIT DICE: 5THAC0: 15NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d2/1d2SPECIAL ATTACKS: NilSPECIAL DEFENSES: SurpriseMAGIC RESISTANCE: NilSIZE: L (6’ tall)MORALE: Fearless (19)XP VALUE: 650

Combat: Plush golems never attack individuals under 16 yearsof age. They attack only when provoked or when the childrenof the household are threatened. They gain the element of sur-prise, since most adults never suspect the possibility of the crea-ture’s animation. Although they are weak in combat, they oftenprovide enough distraction for a child to escape a dangeroussituation.

Also of note are plush golems in the form of a small stripedtiger. These are far more rare than the purple dinosaurs.Children who receive the tigers as gifts suddenly seem to findthemselves in more trouble with their parents than normal, findthat no amount of cleaning will keep their bedrooms neat, andthat they have trouble concentrating on schoolwork.

Of particular note are plush golems in the form of a largepurple-and-green dinosaur. For some unknown reason, thesehave been seen in great numbers in recent years, and have anaffect of aversion and fear in individuals over 12 years of age.Upon viewing such a creature, persons over 12 must roll a sav-ing throw vs. paralyzation or be struck dumb for 2 rounds.

Plush golems are every parents nightmare. They are typicallygiven as gifts to young children, usually by obnoxious aunts oruncles. Plush golems seem like ordinary stuffed animals at first,but eventually reveal their animated state of being to the chil-dren who own them. As the children treat their toy animalsmore and more like live creatures, the parents’ frustrationincreases as the child insists that the toy be allowed to eat atthe dinner table, go along on outings, and take part in otherfamily activities to the nuisance of everyone.

Plush golems are finely crafted stuffed animals and may bemade of velvet, cotton, or wool. They are usually stuffed withcotton batting, but are sometimes partly filled with dried beans.They may be created in realistic colors to represent a real bear,panda, lion, or tiger, or they may be fabricated into fantasticcreatures such as pink elephants, purple rabbits, or lime greenmonkeys.

A priest of at least 11th level can create a plush golemthrough extensive ritual, preparation of the stuffed figure, anduse of the following spells: prayer, commune, and animate object.

A wizard of at least 14th level must cast fabricate, geas, andIimited wish following the construction of the stuffed figure andextensive preparatory rituals.

Ecology: Like all golems, the plush golem is a manufacturedcreature and has no place in nature. They are created onlythrough magical means.

These creatures are immune to sleep, hold, paralysis, and cold-based spells. They are immune to heat-based spells but suffernormal damage from fire-based spells. Plush golems suffer onlyhalf damage from bludgeoning weapons. They instinctivelyreact to the commands of the children who receive them asgifts.

DRAGON #228 41

42 APRIL 1996

Bringing the adventurescloser to home

wouldn’t do for a jewel

It is an idea that spans

the PCs whoadventure in it.

back centuries–

by Bryan Hudsonillustrated by Scott Rosema

I t happens to every party, eventually. They’ve done it all:answered the summons of kings, heard the cries of fair maid-ens, stumbled onto ancient ruins, and listened to the pleas of

frightened townspeople; they’ve beaten the ogre hoard, foiledthe thieves’ guild, and stopped the plot against the throne;they’ve accumulated all the wealth they need and all the mag-ical items they want. They’re worn out, and, frankly, the nexttime they hear a maiden calling, they might just let the dragonhave a decent meal.

The DM knows this. He sits in front of his books, wonderinghow to motivate the party to action. He realizes that his player’senthusiasm just wasn’t there last week, as they tried to protectyet another noble from assassination. He’s flipping throughbooks, magazines, anything for an idea, when Mom walks in.

“Take out the trash,” she says. It is not a tone to be arguedwith.

And it’s as he’s hauling plastic sacks full of empty cartons andlast weeks meat loaf to the curb that he grumbles to himself,“She’s darn lucky I’m her son, or there’s no way she’d be able toorder me around. I’d never haul trash for some stranger. Notwithout a paycheck, or a thousand gold piece bounty...”

Suddenly, inspiration!His player’s characters aren’t nobodies, created from nothing

just to fight evil. They must have a past, and somewhere in thatpast there must be a family. And who’s to say that family won’trun into their adventurous relative sometime during his or hercareer? And who’s to say they might not need some help?

Excited, the DM picks up the phone.“Hi, Bob? Tell me a little about Malon the Merciful...”

The family can be a great motivating factor in real life. It canalso be used quite successfully in the AD&D® game, or any otherRPG, to get players and characters to stretch their necks out, togo that extra mile, to do that one crazy stunt that they probably

the epic story ofa warrior saving hisand can still betoday’s most popular

or treasure. It can alsogive another dimension

of believability to the DM’scampaign world, as well as

to the characters thatpopulate it and

Beowulf centers onfather’s kinsmen –

recognized in some ofliterature. Take, for exam-

Finally, using the family is a great way to make your gaminggroup feel more connected to their characters, the campaign,and the world in which it all takes place. Simply have them sitdown and write a paragraph or so about their characters’ back-grounds: parents, siblings, homelands, or whatever else theycan come up with. The DM can even help in this process, offer-ing up ideal homelands and other world-pertinent informationto the players. Now, most players have at least some idea ofcharacter background already; its one of the keys to role-playing a PC’s personality (and anything that encourages role-playing is good, right?). Having players write down their char-acter histories not only solidifies the past into tangible form butalso confers a number of advantages: it supplies the DM withideas for potential future plot lines; it gives players some “cre-ative power” in the campaign (they just eat this up); and itallows players to become familiar with their characters’ families.If the DM simply takes it upon himself to create a character’s lin-eage, typical PC reactions will most likely run along the lines of,“Malon’s cousin who?” This way, player reaction will be some-thing more like, “Oh, wow! Cousin Rothgar! We used to playtogether as kids on Uncle Brenuar’s farm, out in the HillLands...” Essentially, it can help players gain some familiaritywith a campaign world they may know little about.

There are a number of ways in which the family can beworked into an adventure, each one rife with possibilities. Someof the easiest (and most enjoyable) are listed below.

ple, the Majere twins, Raistlin and Caramon, from theDRAGONLANCE® novels. Two brothers – one physically strong, onemagically so – spawned an entire trilogy of novels based ontheir relationship with each other and the challenge one ofthem faces when he must seek out, and possibly kill, his errantsibling. The conflict made each character what he was; neitherwould have been as interesting, or as real, without the presenceof the other, and the twins would not be two of the most pop-ular characters in fantasy literature today. From the same seriesone can also find Sturm Brightblade, a knight errant whosefather is the most important thing in his life and the motivatingfactor for nearly everything he does. Again, the character isdefined by his ties with his family; it gives him substance andbelievability. It can do the same in your campaign.

And using the family is convenient, if nothing else. When theDM is in desperate need of ideas, the players and their charac-ters can provide a plethora of interesting – and often viable –plot lines. Bringing relatives into your campaign can also be use-ful if you’ve been having troubles with Monty Haul and want toslow down treasure accumulation among your players. Lets faceit – no true Chaotic Good warrior is going to ask for rewardmoney from his favorite uncle or the cousin he loved like abrother when the two were children.

DRAGON #228 43

Also known as “My Brother’s Keeper,”this scenario begins with a brother or sis-

“Because Alderblossom Wine is his weak-ness; there’s no way he’ll be able to resist it.Now shush, and keep your head down. Ithink l hear a horse approaching."

“But the blokes been robbin’ rich menand tax collectors; why would he risk hittin’a wagon full of wine?”

"Are you sure this is the right caravan?”Eddinna looked down from her place

between the casks and smiled. “Of course I’msure, Garek. l was practically raised by Kam;l know his tastes like the back of my ownhand. "

Sibling rivalry

Obviously, this method is fairlystraightforward. In its simplest form, itmerely brings spice to an otherwise nor-mal adventure, or adds a minor spin to apre-published module. Don’t let suchsimplicity fool you, however; it canchange a player’s attitude about anadventure immensely. Most PCs will bemore willing to fight the dragon if,instead of an anonymous maiden, it’stheir dear old mother calling for help.

This first is perhaps the simplest wayto bring family into the campaign. It canbegin with a PC going home, whetherhaving been called there or just visitingbetween adventures, or with the suddenappearance of said family at hisdoorstep. However it happens, it soonbecomes evident that his family has aproblem and that they need a warrior (ormage, or thief, or priest) to help solve it.Professional help was much too expen-sive, so they decide to ask their adven-turing cousin, Garek the Great, to takecare of things – for free, of course. The“problem” can be just about anything.Perhaps an uncle has gone missing, andthe PCs must track him down; perhapsthe family estate is being plagued bybothersome undead, or worse; perhapslocal trouble threatens the family home;or, perhaps, just about anything. Thepossibilities are limited only by the DM’simagination.

He shouldn’t be out here. Jeosep was acleric, not a fighter; he’d barely hefted a macebefore, let alone been in combat with anunruly owlbear. But the farm was his home,the sheep were all his family had left, and aslong as anything threatened them, he’d be inthe field, night after night, ready to defend it.So let the beaked horror beware.

Family matters ter (or other relation) of a PC causingtrouble for a town or city, or perhapseven an entire kingdom; the exact typeof trouble could be, as with “FamilyMatters” above, anything the DM wishes,so long as it is severe enough to get thelocal authorities desperate for help.Normal means of stopping the rogueprove to be useless, and so, havingnowhere else to turn, they call in the“expert” on their problem: the PC.

DMs will find this scenario opens up anumber of character-developing possibil-ities. First, the PCs will probably want tofind a way to stop their errant siblingwithout killing him; after all, he is family.It’s usually about this time that the play-ers regret having ignored those net andbola weapon proficiencies (and warriorswith empty slots decide to scoop themup). It can also give the PC something ofan upper hand in tracking down the sib-ling. If a PC’s history sheet says that herbrother Angar always enjoyed the sea,then the DM might want to give the sib-ling a hideout on the waterfront, or a dis-guise as a sailor or captain. Then, if thePC is quick enough, she might decide tocheck out the sibling’s favorite stompinggrounds, “just in case.”

This scenario also opens up a numberof future plot lines to the DM. Perhapsthe “evil” sibling isn’t truly evil but apawn under the control of some higherpower; in this case, a second adventurecould be centered on tracking down andstopping this power. Or perhaps the sib-ling works out of desperation or greatneed and, in the end, convinces the PCto join him in his cause.

This plot can also be used against thePCs in campaigns where a Chaotic Evil PCis causing problems for the DM and/orthe campaign. In this situation, it is thesibling who is called in by the localauthorities to track down and stop themischievous PC (and his companions, ifthey are a party to it). Or perhaps an evilbaron wishes to stop the band of do-gooder PCs from roaming around hiskingdom and cheering up the townspeo-ple, and so calls in the wicked (but knowl-edgeable) sibling to take care of things.

Opposing sidesWhen he and his companions had been

captured by the thieves guild, Malon hadn’tbeen concerned. When he’d been capturedonce again after an unsuccessful jail break,he’d been only slightly worried. Even whenhe’d been dragged to the torture chamberhe’d steeled himself ready for any pain theycould deal out. But now, looking into that

“F–Father...?”

grizzled, oh-so familiar face, and at theknurled hands holding the horsewhip socomfortably, Malon was suddenly very, veryafraid. For he knew those hands and thatwhip. He’d felt them in action before, in hisyouth, and the memories were far frompleasant.

Extremely similar to “Sibling Rivalry”above, this little trick isn’t sprung on theplayers until the end of the adventure,after they’ve battled their way throughthe monster hordes and into the deepestdepths of the Mad Wizard’s dungeons.They pick the lock and disarm the trapon the final door in their path, slay theguards, and burst through... only tohave one of the characters suddenlyshout, “Oh-my-gosh, Vall! You’re the MadWizard!?” Obviously, this can throw a PCfor a loop. It can also cause some intra-party conflict (not always a bad thing),when the rest of the team decides that,hey, they’ve fought this far, and they’rebeing paid to bring in his head. Theydon’t care who the Mad Wizard is; theaxe is coming out.

Family feudPwyll Backstabber skulked through the

alleyway, his back against the wall. Ahead ofhim, oblivious, was his target: EddinnaPinesprig, sister of the witch who’d robbedhim of his only treasure and humiliated himbefore an entire tavern of drunken warriors.Well, she’d soon regret it They all would. Forkilling her would be much too easy; she’dnot suffer the way Pwyll had. But to elimi-nate those she loved, one by one, that was adifferent matter, entirely...

This scenario typically begins with anunsuccessful attempt on the PC’s life (andthe escape or death of the attacker). Thenext night, another assault is made, andthe next night another; this continuesuntil the PC realizes that someone is outto get her, and she decides to find outwhy. Throughout the ensuing adventure,the PC finds that it is not only she who isbeing stalked; someone (or a group ofsomeones) has called out a vendettaagainst the PC’s entire family... and rela-tives are being picked off one by one. Itcould be a blood war between families,or the revenge of a thieves guild cheatedby a relative, or even the erratic actionsof a madman obsessed with destroyingwhat he sees as “a great evil in theworld.” Whatever the reason, it sets theparty up for a whole series of adventures.The first could be a search for clues in anattempt to find the reasons behind the

44 APRIL 1996

killings, while dodging a wave of assas-sins out for PC blood. In the second (andbeyond), the party could attempt to savethe PC’s family while stopping the men-ace, peacefully or otherwise.

The amount of spice that such an NPClends to a campaign can be enormous.First, he’s comic relief – the “lighter side”of more serious adventures. He’s the onewho leaps out boldly to face the dragon,only to soil his shorts and run when hefinally catches sight of the beast; he’s the

This scenario can be the most fun forthe DM, and the most frustrating for thePCs. It is not an adventure, so to speak,but the inclusion of an NPC into theparty: a young relative of one of the PCswho wants nothing more than to be likehis (or her) older relative. So, as soon ashe reaches the proper age, he gets him-self a sword and a cheap suit of leatherarmor, and sets out to train under thetutelage of his kinsman and idol, the PC– whether the PC likes it or not.

“Uh, guys,” Malon mumbled apologeti-cally, “I’ve got to go after him..."

"Avast, foul varlets, and beware! Kip theDisemboweler comes to bring your doom!”

“Kip !”

“Come on! I’ve heard your stories. Letsdive into the middle of them and really givethem a ‘once over.’” The boy pulled hissmall, dented sword from its sheath andstepped to the forefront.

"Kip �

“What?” piped up Kip, the newest – andyoungest – member of the party. “Runaway? I most certainly will not! I won’t standfor it. And neither will Malon. Will you,uncle?”

“Everybody down!” hissed Eddinna, div-ing behind a rock. The rest of the party fol-

lowed suit. In the distance, the clanking ofbugbear armor could be heard approaching.“That’s a whole army out there; I suggest webacktrack and wait for them to pass.”

The teen idol

For a different slant on this scenario,the PC could receive word that her familymembers are being murdered. When shegoes to investigate (and possibly avenge)the murders, she finds that the culprit isan enemy of hers, an evil NPC from oneof the PCs’ earlier adventures; angry atthe foiling of some evil plot, he’s decidedto get revenge in the worst way possible.At its best, this particular scenario canwreck havoc with a PC’s guilty con-science. (“He’s killing them because ofme!”) and sense of honor (“This time, Imust stop him for good!”).

one who tries to open the locked door...not with lockpicks, but with his head. Hecan also be quite a headache, throwingin an extra bit of challenge when the PCsare having too easy a time: he’s the onewho bravely charges the enemy whenthe rest of the party tries to hide, or theone who accidentally drops and shattersthe one vial of potion that would havepeacefully stopped a rampaging crea-ture. Or simply getting in the way – try-ing to read over the mage’s shoulder asthe mage studies his spells, or doing hisbest to help the warrior with his armorbut succeeding only in making the oper-ation take twice as long.

Not to say that such a character is allpain and suffering for the PCs. Most peo-ple have at least some redeeming quali-ties, and the NPC should be no different.Perhaps he is a trained leatherworker ormetalsmith and agrees to fix the PC’sarmor for free. Or maybe he’s a trainedhealer, or even just a good cook; any-thing to make him useful to havearound. Even a person skilled in mend-ing tarps or making tunics can be of usesometime.

Despite any usefulness, the playerscould quickly begin to dislike such acharacter, not to mention the DM behindit, so the “Teen Idol” scenario should beused in a campaign only after carefulforethought. In fact, in some campaignsthe best thing to do is to introduce thecharacter not as an NPC but as a PCunder the control of another player, per-haps one who has just joined the group,or an extremely good role-player.

New players are an especially goodchoice because they can be naturallybrash or daft anyways, without toomany cues from the DM. The charactercan then develop as the player does;he’d become smarter, quicker, better,and, eventually, a valuable party mem-ber (and imagine the pride that will swellin your PC’s chests as they fill the roles ofteachers).

The legacyGarek stared at the letter he’d found at

the bottom of his fathers chest. The name,the symbol; none of it made any sense. Yet itwas his fathers writing...

“Don’t worry, kid, ” said Malon from behind him, laying a comforting hand on hisshoulder, “We’ll figure it out. So yer dad kepta few things from ya. It’s no big deal. It hap-pens. Jeosep said the symbol looked familiar,which means this ‘secret” society can’t betoo secret, and I’m sure that with a little goldwe’ll be able to track down this “Talin” fella

The above list is not all inclusive. It ismerely a jumping off point, a quick startfor DMs who want to bring anotherdimension to their campaigns, and forplayers who want to add another level totheir characters. The suggested plots arepurposely generalized so as to fit in withanything the DM can envision, or any-thing the players can suggest. Used prop-erly, the family can – and will – bringnew life into your game, and whoknows? Your players may never ask forreward money again.

I’ve found that this plot line tends toget some of the strongest reaction fromplayers. Most will like the idea of hiddenpasts of which their PC was unaware;some won’t like the idea of the DMmessing with their preconceived back-grounds. Either way, players tend to pro-ject the feeling into their characters, androle-play them as characters who areeither intrigued at this mysterious twist intheir life or angry at their family for hid-ing the secret for so long. In both cases,they will approach the adventure withrenewed vigor.

This thread begins with an unexpectedmessage for a PC: a parent has died, thefamily is in mourning, and could the PCplease come back home and claim whathis parent has left for him? When the PCreturns home (hopefully with faithfulparty members in tow), he finds some-thing unexpected. Be it a letter, or a map,or a mysterious dagger, something leftbehind by the deceased puts the PC (andhis friends) on the trail of some hiddenpart of the parent’s life, and of what turnsout to be a mysterious legacy that affectsthe PC, too. How it affects the PC can be –as has been the running theme – justabout anything. There could even be evi-dence that it was for this secret for whichthe parent died... or was murdered. Or, insome instances, the legacy – whatever itmay be – could come to seek out the PCeven as the PC is searching for it.

Garek nodded, but kept silent. Okay? Notreally. Garek might not even be who hethought he was... or what he thought hewas, if this mention of elves meant anything.

in no time. Okay?”

Bryan Hudson is a student at CentralMichigan University in Mount Pleasant,Michigan. He also writes comic books. This ishis first appearance in DRAGON® MAGAZINE.

DRAGON #228 4 5

The RPGA® Network is the world’slargest game club, with over 9,500members around the world. Networkmembers often meet through gamingactivities at conventions and throughforming their own clubs either in theircommunities or on-line.

Network members receive thePOLYHEDRON® Newszine monthly. Thenewszine helps keep membersinformed, with articles both frommembers and from well-known indus-try authors. In addition, the Networksanctions member-written tourna-ments at local conventions and gameshops, and tournaments in Call ofCthulhu*, Shadowrun*, Star Wars*, theAD&D® game, and many other popular game systems.

For more information about any ofthe Network’s programs, write to:RPGA Network, 201 Sheridan SpringsRd., Lake Geneva, WI 53147, or send e-mail to: rpgahq@aol.com.

In the month of April, a unique role-playing event will involve almost 1,500AD&D® game fanatics, all playingthrough the same adventures almost

by Scott Douglas

simultaneously across the continent. Thisyear’s “Weekend in RAVENS BLUFF™” con-vention will be held at 12 separatevenues from San Francisco to Orlando,from Honolulu to Toronto. You are cor-dially invited to participate.

Here’s a great opportunity for you todiscover the fun of the RPGA® Network,particularly the Networks most successfulprogram: RAVENS BLUFF, the LIVING CITY™.And all you need to do to get involved isto contact one of the site coordinators(listed below) or me, either through e-mailor snail-mail.

The participants in this “hands acrossAmerica” sort of event will be runningtheir own player characters through fiveseparate, member-written scenarios. Youcan choose to play one, two, or all five,even if you’ve never played in the LIVINGCITY campaign before.

The city of RAVENS BLUFF especiallyneeds adventurers right now: it is cur-

RAVENS BLUFF veterans will be standingby to help you create your character. Ibriefly summarized the character genera-tion process in January’s DRAGON®MAGAZINE (issue #225). Character sheetsand creation guidelines will also be avail-able.

rently under siege. Humanoid bandsswept down from the Earthfast moun-tains in recent weeks, devastating hold-ings in the eastern plains and fightingtheir way right up to the city gates. Thecity’s religious knights, led by the highpriest of Tempus, broke up the attack in abrilliant sally.

Nearby Procampur offered troops toshore up battered defenses, but anuntimely landslide closed ElvenbloodPass, completely blocking the land routeon the High Trail from Procampur.Sarbreenar itself has been the scene ofhumanoid raids of late, leading many tobelieve that a cunning intelligence liesbehind the situation.

If you’ve the mettle to join the embat-tled adventurer community of RAVENS

BLUFF, here’s your chance. Contact yourlocal event coordinator today!

Scott Douglas is the RPGA® NetworkCoordinator, making him the head DungeonMaster for the LIVING City, the world’s largestshared-world campaign.

*indicates a product produced by a companyother than TSR, Inc.

Join over 3,500 players in the largest continuing AD&D ® game adventure in the FORGOTTEN REALMS®, the LIVING CITY�A Weekend in RAVENS BLUFF� 2

Five Rounds of First-Run LIVING CITY� Events coming to you in 1996 at the following conventions and locations:

April 13-14: April 20-21: April 27-28: A Weekend in Ravens Bluff 2A Weekend in Ravens Bluff 2 Ville-Con A Weekend in Ravens Bluff 2 Honolulu, HIGriffith, IN Maryville, MO Columbia, SC Eric KlineRandall Lemon Sam Frazier II Neal Wilhite P.O. Box 90182P.O. Box 9332 611 North Buchanan #A 7645 Garners Fair Rd #1009-F Honolulu, HI 96835

Highland, IN 46322 Maryville, MO 64468 Columbia, SC 29209 A Weekend in Ravens Bluff 2A Weekend in Ravens Bluff 2 Con-Troll A Weekend in Ravens Bluff 2 Orlando, FLSan Francisco, CA Houston, TX Norman, OK Bob FarnsworthChris McGuigan Terry Hawkins Craig Petillo 419 Elkwood Ct

2010 Hillside Dr 4734 Warm Springs 1544 NW 46th St Orlando, FL 32825Burlingame, CA 94010 Houston, TX 77035 Oklahoma, OK 73118 A Weekend in Ravens Bluff 2CapCon A Weekend in Ravens Bluff 2 A Weekend in Ravens Bluff 2 Fort Dix, NJColumbus, OH Denver, CO London, Ont Don WeatherbeePatrick Connolly Keith Ritchart Gregg Peevers 86A Dafrack Drive2509 Deming Ave 1024 Sagebrush Way 222 The Esplanade #431 Lake Hiawatha, NJ 07034Columbus, OH 43202 Louisville, CO 80027 Toronto, Ontario M5A 4M8

46 APRIL 1996

48 APRIL 1996

Convention CalendarPolicies

Games Only Emporium, 230 S.8th St., Lemoyne, PA 17043.

Kettering GameConvention XIVApril 19–20 OH

Charles I. Lathrem, Sr.,Center, Kettering. Events:role-playing, card, board,and miniatures games. Otheractivities: an auction andtournaments. Registration:$3. Bob Von Gruenigen, 804Willowdale Ave., Kettering,OH 45429.

Northeast WarsApril 19–21 VT

Radisson Hotel, Burlington.Special guests: Brian Nystuland Tim Olson. Events: role-playing, card, board, andminiatures games. Otheractivities: tournaments. Regis-tration: $10/day or $25/week-end. Quarterstaff Games, 152Church Street, Burlington, VT05401.

Pittsburgh ComiconApril 19–21 PA

Expomart, Monroeville.Guests: Stan Lee, Ed Beard,Jr., and Timothy Bradstreet.Events: role-playing and cardgames. Registration: $8/day,$20/weekend. Write to:Comics World, 1002 Grahm

This column is a service to our read-ers worldwide. Anyone may place afree listing for a game conventionhere, but the following guidelinemust be observed.

In order to ensure that all conven-tion listings contain accurate andtimely information, all materialshould be either typed double-spacedor printed legibly on standard manu-script paper. The contents of each listing must be short and succinct,

April board, and miniatures games.

The information given in the listingOther activities: a masquer-

must include the following, in this East Coast Hobby Show ade ball and a dinner.order: ‘96 Registration: $11/weekend, or1. Convention title and dates held March 30–April 1 PE2. Site and location

$5/day. Write to: Kelly Loucks,

3. Guests of honor (if applicable)Fort Washington Expo 47 East St., Apt. #2, Oneonta,

4. Special events offeredCenter, Philadelphia. Write NY 13820.

5. Registration fees or attendance to: East Coast Hobby Show,requirements, and, 4400 N. Federal Highway, Op Con

6. Address(es) where additional information and confirmation can be

Suite 210. Boca Raton, FL April 13 IL

obtained.33431. Oak Park and River Forest

Convention flyers, newsletters, and High School, Oak Park.other mass-mailed announcements Conquest ‘96 Events: role-playing, card,will not be considered for use in this April 5–8column; we prefer to see a cover letter

board, and miniature games.

with the announcement as well. NoMelbourne University High Other activities: tourna-

call-in listings are accepted. UnlessSchool, Melbourne. Events: ments. Registration: $4 pre-

stated otherwise, all dollar values role-playing, card, board, and registered, $6 on site. Ms.given for U.S. and Canadian conven- miniatures games. Other Pricel, c/o Oak Park andions are in U.S. currency. activities: demos and dealers.

WARNING: We are not respon-River Forest HS, 201 N.

sible for incorrect information sent toConquest, 40 Glenlyon Rd., Scoville, Oak Park, IL 60302,

uS by convention staff members, Brunswick, Victoria 3056, or e-mail: schwerin@mcs.net.Please check your convention listing Australia, or e-mail: puche@carefully! Our wide circulation ariel.uce.unimelb.edu.au. Eucon 1ensures that over a quarter of a mil-ion readers worldwide see each

April 13–14 OR

issue. Accurate information is yourMinicon M31 Holiday Inn, Eugene.

responsibility. April 5–7 MN Events: role-playing, card,Copy deadlines are the first Radisson Hotel South, board, and miniatures games.

Monday of each month, four monthsprior to the on sale date of an issue.

Bloomington. Events: role- Registration: varies. Write to:

Thus, the copy deadline for theplaying, card, board, and Eucon 1, P.O. Box 11594,

December issue is the first Monday of miniatures games. Other activ- Eugene, OR 97440, or e-mail:September. Announcements for North ities: dealers, a masquerade, eucongame@aol.com.American and Pacific conventions and an art show. Minicon 31,must be mailed to: ConventionCalendar, DRaGOn® MAGAZINE, 201

P.O. Box 8297 Lake Street Organized Kahn-Fusion

Sheridan Springs Rd., Lake Geneva WIStation, Minneapolis, MN XVIII

13147, U.S.A. Announcements for 55408. April 13–14 PAEurope must be posted an additional American Legion Postmonth before the deadline to: OeontaconConvention Calendar, DRAGON

#751, Enola. Events: role-play-

Magazine, TSR Limited, 120 ChurchApril 12–14 NY ing and card games. Other

End, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB1 Morris Complex, SUNY activities: dealers and a minia- Ave., Windber, PA 15963.3LB, United Kingdom. College at Oneonta, Oneonta. tures painting contest.

If a convention listing must be Events: role-playing, card, Registration: varies. M. Foner’schanged because the convention hasbeen cancelled, the dates havechanged, or incorrect information has Australian conventionbeen printed, please contact us Canadian convention Important:

immediately. Most questions or European convention Dragon Magazine does not publish the numbers for conventions. Be cer-

changes should be directed to thetain that any address you send us is complete and correct.

magazine editors at TSR, Inc., (414) * indicates a product produced by a com- To ensure that your convention listing makes it into our files, enclose a self-addressed stamped postcard with your first convention notice; we will return the

248-3625 (U.S.A.). Questions orpany other than TSR, Inc. Most product

card to show that it was received. You also might send a second notice one weekchanges concerning European con-

names are trademarks owned by the com-panies publishing those products. The useof the name of any product wthout men-

after mailing the first. Mail your listing as early as possible, and always keep usinformed of any changes. Please do not send convention notices by fax, as thisventions should be directed to TSR

Limited, (0223) 212517 (U.K.).tion of its trademark status should not beconstrued as a challenge to such status method has not proven reliable.

DRAGON #228 49

Please Name Our Con’96April 20–21 Ml

St. Clair County CommunityCollege, Port Huron. Events:role-playing, card, board, andminiatures games. Other activ-ities: dealers and a raffle.PNOC, 204 Huron Ave., PortHuron, MI 48060.

Madison Games ConApril 20–21 WI

Downtown Arts andActivities Center, Madison.Events: role-playing, card,board, and miniatures games.Other activities: an auctionand a RPGA® Network tourna-ment.Pegasus Games, 341 State St.,Madison, WI 53703.

Chaoticon VApril 20–21 WI

University Union at theUniversity of Wisconsin,Green Bay. Events: role-play-ing, card, board, and minia-tures games. Registration:$5/day or $7/weekend.Chaoticon, Gamer’s Club,UWGB Student Org Office,2420 Nicolet Drive, GreenBay, WI 54311.

Eye of the BasiliskApril 20 ID

Basque Center, Boise.Events: role-playing, card,board, and miniatures games.Other activities: auction andtournaments. Registration: $5preregistered, $8 on site. TheGame-Masters Guild, P.0. Box8823, Boise, ID 83706, or e-mail: wmb@rowena.idbsu.edu.

Moncon IApril 20 NJ

Monmouth UniversityStudent Center, West LongBranch. Events: role-playing,card, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities: tour-naments and dealers.Registration: $5. Moncon I, c/oMonmouth University GamePlayers Club, MonmouthUniversity Student Services,Box 15, West Long Branch, NJ07764, or e-mail: s0114216@Hawkmail.monmouth.edu.

O-Con ‘96April 21–23 NY

Morris Convention Center,Oneonta. Events: role-play-ing, card, board, and minia-tures games. Other activities:workshops, demos, contests,and dealers. Registration: $10preregistered, $12 on site.Buran Doyon, 5 ValleyviewSt., Oneonta NY, 13820, or e-mail: doyoir96@snyoneva.cc.oneonta.edu.

Wizard’s Challenge XIVApril 26–28

Travelodge Hotel, Regina,Saskatchewan. Guests: SkipWilliams and Sam Chupp.Events: role-playing, card,board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities: deal-ers, films, and a banquet.Registration: $20 Can. KenMcGovern, c/o Wizard’sChallenge Society Inc., 2101Broad St., Regina, SK, CanadaS4P 1Y6.

Conline XXIApril 27–28

Held on the GEnieNetwork in the TSR OnlineRoundtable. Featuring LIVINGCITYTM, LIVING JUNGLE�, ANDLIVING DEATH� tournaments. E-mail: the.minstrel@genie.com.

Noahcon ‘96April 27–28 OH

Aqua Marine Resort, AvonLake. Events: role-playing,card, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities: tour-naments, demos, a miniaturespainting contest, and an auc-tion. Registration: $3/day.Matrix Games 8 Diversions,5384 East Lake Road,Sheffield Lake, OH 44054.

ConjurationMay 3–5 OK

Holiday Inn South, BrokenArrow. Events: role-playing,card, board, and miniaturesgames. Patricia Conner, 1825E. 16th, Tulsa, OK 74104.

Mage Con North 2May 3–5 SD

Guests: Margaret Weis.Events: role-playing, card,

Fantasy Fair 6May 12

Cresset Exhibition Centre,Peterborough, Cambridge-shire. Events: role-playing,card, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities: deal-ers and films. Bruce King, 1The Hallerds, Eaton Socon,St. Neots, Cambridgeshire,PE19 3QW, U.K.

Roc of AgesMay 10–12 NC

Sheradon Airport Plaza,Charlotte. Guests: JamesDoohan, Gunnar Hansen,Barbara Leigh, Doug Bradley,and Allan Handelman. Events:role-playing, card, board, andminiatures games. Otheractivities:, tournaments, anauction, films, and an artshow. Registration: $15 pre-registered, $25 on site. Writeto: GOTH, 105 HoneywoodCt., Kissimmee, FL 34743

At-Last-a-Con 2May 4–5 MO

Knights of Columbus Hall,Ferguson. Events: role-play-ing, card, board, and minia-tures games. Other activities:a raffle and a painting con-test. Registration: $6 preregis-tered, $10 on site. SAGA, P.O.Box 297, St. Ann, MO 63074.

Lehicon 6May 3–5 PA

Day’s Inn ConferenceCenter, Allentown. Events:role-playing, card, board, andminiatures games. Otheractivities: demonstrations,dealers, art and miniaturescontests, food drive, andblood drive. Registration: $20preregistered, $25 on site.Write to: Lehicon 6, P.O. Box556, Horsham, PA 19044.

board, and miniatures games.Other activities: dealers, andcostume, art, and paintingcontests. Write to: Mage ConNorth, P.O. Box 84828, SiouxFalls, SD 57118-4828 or e-mail: con@aol.com.

SagaMay 17–20

Mama’s Two in Sussex,New Brunswick. Events: role-playing, card, board, andminiatures games. Saga, P.O.Box 695, Sussex, NB, CanadaEOE 1 PO.

Eclipse ‘96May 24–26 MO

Holiday Inn Convention

SciFi Dreamin’May 24–26 PA

Lycoming College Campus,Williamsport. Guests: MichaelO’Hare, Tom Woodruff, Dr.Richard Erikson, Louise Kleba,and lnge Heyer. SciFiDreamin’, 1738 E. Third St.#197, Williamsport, PA 17701,or visit the web site at: http://www.hway.net/dreamin.

GamexMay 24–27 CA

LA Airport WyndhamHotel, Los Angeles. Events:role-playing, card, board, andminiatures games. Other activ-ities: a flea market, an auction,and dealers. Registration: $25preregistered, $30 on site.Write to: Strategicon, 333 N.San Fernando Blvd., Burbank,CA 91502.

3 Rivers Game FestMay 24–27 PA

Pittsburgh GreentreeMarriott Hotel, Pittsburgh.Guests: Peter Bromley, DaveFrank, and John Bohrer.Events: role-playing, card,board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities: Anauction and tournaments.Registration: $19.95 preregis-tered. Andon Unlimited, 3

Center in Columbia. Guests:Tom Dowd, Tony Diterlizzi,Zeb Cook, and Lester Smith.Events: role-playing, card,board, and miniatures games.Other activities: tournaments,dealers, anime, and a murdermystery. Registration: $18 pre-registered, $20 on site. Eclipse‘96, 27 N. 10th St., Columbia,MO 65201.

Continued on page 59

50 APRIL 1996

by Keith “Pinball” Strohmillustrated by the Brothers Filbach

B eyond the bitter house rivalries of the drow, beyondthe alien machinations of the illithid, beyond thepower hungry plans of duergar and svirfneblin, dwells

a society so secret that most inhabitants of the Underdark areignorant of its existence. Based as it is on greed and the unjustuse of power, this society swells in number every day. Itsadherents, known as gangsters, have long since abandonedsuch concepts as racial loyalty, preferring to organize them-selves into artificial units, called “families.” Each family con-tains an authoritative head, known as a Patriarch orMatriarch, and may count representatives ofevery Underdark race among its members.

Here are the true powers of Underdarkculture. These gangsters and their “fami-lies” control many facets of life below the

surface, including trade, politics, and entertainment. Many“families” deal in “fixed” drider races, illegal drinking estab-lishments, and the White Market (trade with disreputable sur-face dwelling merchants); no vice is left unexplored as thesegangsters extend their influence throughout the caverns ofthe Underdark.

Until now, the only information on this hidden culturecame from whispered tavern conversations and fancifulbard’s tales. Thanks, however, to the incredible scholarshipand research of one of Toril’s preeminent sages, one Gerald of

Riveyra, reliable information on individual gang-sters is now available. The following informa-tion is taken directly from the Forthright Bandof Investigators’ secret file, Waterdeep’s MostWanted.

52 APRIL 1996

STRENGTH:DEXTERITY:CONSTITUTION:INTELLIGENCE:WISDOM:CHARISMA:AC:THAC0:MOVE:HIT POINTS:ALIGNMENT:SPECIAL ATTACKS:

SPECIAL DEFENSES:

MAGIC RESISTANCE:SIZE:

131710978117/20 (with Crossbow)635LECast blindness, blur, and changeself +2 to hit with stundart/Squeaky voice attack.Only surprised on a 1/+2 saveversus poison/+3 save vs. allother attacks/60% undetectablewhen still40%2' 9"

Special Abilities/Bonuses: 120’ infravision. Gnomish abilityto detect underground features (as in the Player’s Handbook).Thieving abilities: as a 7th-level thief (but Read Languages at0%).

Squeaky possesses a high pitched and physically gratingvoice. Anyone who listens to him for more than three roundsmust make a Wisdom check to resist the temptation to smackhim. This effect continues to build until Squeaky shuts up.Those who listen to the svirfneblin for more than a turn mustmake a saving throw vs. spell or go insane for 1–7 days.

Weapon Proficiencies: Crossbow, dagger, anddart.

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Begging, intimida-tion, and voice mimicry (poorly).

Physical Appearance: Squeaky is short (even for asvirfneblin) and wears oversized leather armor. Hishair is wild and, like his face, usually covered ingrime. His skin is dark gray, a color reflected in hiseyes. He is never without his human-sized crossbow, agift from his contacts in the “open air” market.

ant sound of Squeaky’s cackle reached the caravan’s guard.Squeaky was brought before the caravan master, whoexplained that the “goods” the gnome had attempted to stealactually belonged to a rather large “business consortium.”Much groveling followed in which Squeaky protested his inno-cence and apologized for his theft all in the same breath.

It wasn’t long before the caravan master, in an attempt toshut Squeaky up, offered him a job. Thus, Squeaky entered theranks of the gangsters of the Underdark. Squeaky currentlyworks as a “transaction facilitator” (a fence) for the variousgangster families.

Equipment: Squeaky always wear his suit of oversizedleather armor, as it makes him feel somewhat taller. In addition,he is never seen without “Da Crusha,” his human-sized cross-bow. He always shoots it before entering melee.

Magical Items: Squeaky usually carries a dagger +2 in awrist sheath. In addition, he wears a magical copper piecearound his neck. This magical item hums any time a lawenforcement agent passes within 60’.

Role-playing Notes: Squeaky is simply an undersized bully.Years of abuse at the hands of larger svirfneblin and othercreatures have fueled an intense desire for revenge. Now, as arepresentative of a powerful “business consortium,” he feelsthat he can command the respect of others. After all, no onewould dare lay a hand on a “family” member, would they?Thus, the gnome has concentrated on practicing the arts ofintimidation (for which he is woefully inadequate).

Background: Squeaky hails from a small community ofsvirfneblin in the Underdark. Unlike most of svirfneblin society,his village was largely matriarchal. His diminutive stature andgender made him the butt of every prank. Dejected, the youngSqueaky left his village and wandered the Underdark, sur-viving through small-time thievery.

One day, he stumbled upon a gem-laden cara-van. He crept up to the caravan and began to fill hispockets, but sadly his gnomish nature surfaced witha vengeance. The young thief cackled wildly as hisdreams of wealth came closer to reality. The highly

DRAGON #228 53

It is quite common for the gnome to pick fights and mouthoff to those he considers beneath him in an attempt to throwhis “weight” around.

When in a situation that looks like it might erupt in vio-lence, Squeaky always threatens to send his mother out tofight his opponent. His fellow gangsters find this trait amusing,

especially when Squeaky gets the tar beat out of him as aresult of his silly posturing.

Favorite Quotes: “How you figure we gonna do dis, boss?”and “My mom, she ain’t no lightweight; two foah, one fowty;she’s a galeb duhr wid legs!”

Vikhrumn

C o l l Standard Beholder Hit Man

SIZE:

ALIGNMENT:

STRENGTH:DEXTERITY:CONSTITUTION:INTELLIGENCE:WISDOM:CHARISMA:AC:THAC0:MOVE:HIT POINTS

SPECIAL ATTACKS:SPECIAL DEFENSES:MAGIC RESISTANCE:

M (5’ in diameter)

Eye powersAnti-magic rayNil

UnknownUnknownUnknown16740/2/79FI 3 (B)55LE

using his disintegrate eye power.

his accepted nickname.

Equipment: Except for his trenchcoat and hat, Coll does notcarry any useful equipment. He prefers to “rub out” his targets

Magical Items: Coll does not carry any magical items; how-ever, his cigars can be extremely noxious. Anyone exposed toColl’s “stinkers” for more than two rounds must make a saving

throw vs. poison or begin helplessly retching, incapacitat-ed for 1–4 turns.

him. Dutch introduced Coll into the glitzy hidden society thatexists in the Underdark. Coll soon found his place amongDutch’s friends and became a valued member of the Under-dark gangsters. Currently, these gangsters use Coll as hiredmuscle. Occasionally, the beholder undertakes “hits” for hisfriends. His fee for these contracts is a mere 100 – hence

absolute paranoia for all things alien. In fact, Coll began toidentify with other species, often confusing himself as a mem-

ber of those species. Sadly, the ruling Hive Mother had nochoice but to exile the demented Vikhrum.

The lonely beholder wandered the caverns of the Under-dark until an illithid “businessman” named Dutch befriended

rival city changed Coll’s life. Though he survived, thehead wound caused the beholder to suffer from a rare

form of mania. Coll no longer shared his species’

often said that he was the “apple” of his Hive Mother’s eyes.Then, a fierce blow to the head during an attack against a

Physical Appearance: Coll is an average-sized and particu-larly ugly beholder. His skin is gray and “pebbly.” A long scarruns diagonally from the top of his body (near an eyestalk),across his central eye, and down to his underside. Coll claimsthat he received this scar in battle with an aboleth, but this hasneve been confirmed. Whatever its source, the scar gives Colla more frightening aspect. This has given him one nicknamehe despises: people who call him “Scarhead” to his face tend todisappear. When in public, Coll wears an oversized fedora andlevitates a long tan trenchcoat underneath him to simulate atorso. Coll also enjoys smoking rather fat (and stinky) cigars;he always has one hanging from his toothy maw.

Background: Vikhrum Coll was once a productive memberof one of the largest beholder cities in the Underdark. It was

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Gambling, intimidation, andtrailing.

Special Abilities/Bonuses: Coll has all of the abilities of astandard beholder.

Weapon Proficiencies: None.

5 4 APRIL 1996

dark, Coll believes himself to be inconspicuous when trailing atarget. While stalking, Coll “wears” his long trenchcoat andfedora, secure in the belief that no one can distinguish himfrom the many other inhabitants of gangster society. In fact, ifsomeone were to point out his difference, Coll wouldadamantly refuse to believe it. The beholder has been knownto kill anyone who presses this point.

Favorite Quote: “Duhh, ya want I should take care’a him,boss?”

Role-playing Notes: In addition to his physical repulsive-ness, Coll’s peculiar form of mania forces him to adopt thepoor manners of every dreg in Underdark society. Coll is crude,sloppy, crass, arrogant, and just plain socially offensive. Veryfew of his gangster buddies actively seek out his company,though all respect (or fear) Coll too much to offend him by ask-ing him to leave.

Another interesting aspect of Coll’s mania manifests itselfwhen he is pursuing a “contract.” Despite the fact that he isquite different from the other humanoid races of the Under-

Brikhalna

Ipprszhen lllithid Businessman

STRENGTH:DEXTERITY:CONSTITUTION:INTELLIGENCE:

WISDOM:CHARISMA:AC:THAC0:MOVE:HIT POINTS:ALIGNMENT:SPECIAL ATTACKS:SPECIAL DEFENSES:MAGIC RESISTANCE:SIZE:

I29131814165111240NMind blast/Tentacle attackMagical Powers90%M (6’ 3”)

Background: Long ago, Dutch rejected the domineeringways of his kind. The pursuit of absolute domination of theUnderdark no longer held as much fascination for the peculiarillithid. Instead, he preferred the risks inherent in businesstransactions and gambling. So it was that the young Vikhalna

Physical Appearance: Dutch is a sophisticated businessmanwho likes to dress the part. He always wears formal robes orjackets and a top hat. Furthermore, he has trained his tenta-cles to hang in such a way as to resemble rather elegant mous-taches. Dutch is rarely seen without a glass of his own home-brewed ale clutched in his hand.

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Brewing, etiquette, and gam-bling.

Weapon Proficiencies: Dutch sees himself as a cultured,urbane businessman and will never wield something so crudeas a physical weapon in combat.

Special Abilities: Dutch possesses all of the abilities of a typ-ical illithid. He can project a mind blast in a 60’ long cone, anduse his tentacles to devour the brain of a stunned victim. Inaddition, Dutch can use the following powers once per roundas a 7th-level mage: suggestion, charm person, charm monster,ESP, levitate, astral projection, and plane shift.

left his people and began moving among the common racesof the Underdark. Soon, Dutch was drawn in to the seedyworld of gambling. After losing several fortunes playing thenumbers, the illithid finally struck it rich by fixing drider races.Soon, the savvy businessman had just about every rich gam-bler owing him money and favors.

Eventually, Dutch settled down and became part owner ofGehirn Cibus, an extremely popular restaurant in the Under-dark. Gradually, Dutch expanded this business to include asecret club or “Think Easy” for his companions. This club wasconnected to Gehirn Cibus by a secret cavern and soonbecame the most hopping “joint” in all of the Underdark – par-tially due to Dutch’s extremely potent UnderDark Ales, whichhe serves with great frequency. Because Dutch’s clientele oftenfind themselves facing off across the business tables, the illithidhas worked hard to make his Think Easy a completely neutral

DRAGON #228 55

territory, untouched by “family” rivalry or personal vendettas. Ahighly trained group of hidden drow assassins guarantees thatthe patrons of Dutch’s club enjoy a peaceful evening.

Equipment: Dutch possesses only the finest clothes manu-factured by the best tailors of the Underdark. He also enjoysfine cigars (Haba na’Kyubazs) and always have a few on handto distribute to his friends.

Magical Items: Dutch has a jug of alchemy hidden in thebrewing room of the Gehirn Cibus. He uses it to brew the finestales in the entire Underdark.

Favorite Quote: “It’s nothing personal, just business.”

Role-playing Notes: Dutch believes himself to be the mostcultured member of his race and rigorously follows the socialconventions of the “upper class.” Although he sees himself asinherently greater than his gangster patrons, he respects theirmoney and their physical power. Dutch seems to have a strongfriendship with the much feared drow matriarch Felyndiira,though the two can always be seen arguing quite heatedlywhenever they appear in public together.

Felyndiira

Shi'narrvha12th-level mage/drow matriarch

STRENGTH:DEXTERITY:CONSTITUTION:INTELLIGENCE:WISDOM:CHARISMA:AC:THAC0:MOVE:HIT POINTS:ALIGNMENT:SPECIAL ATTACKS:SPECIAL DEFENSES:

1416151813140171246CESpells/Drow natural abilitiesOnly surprised on a 1. Save vs.spells at +274%4’ 7”

MAGIC RESISTANCE:SIZE:

Background: Felyndiira grew up as the eldest daughter ofHouse Catanzaro, a powerful drow family. As the heir appar-ent to her House’s fortune, Felyndiira had every advantage indrow society. Her natural curiosity and penchant for controlled her to study magic with the greatest mages of Menzo-berranzzan. Young and idealistic, Felyndiira believed that she

Physical Appearance: Felyndiira is a stunningly attractivedrow elf, though other members of her race find her coldlybeautiful. She has delicate features that are set in what seemsto be a permanent frown. As the head of a Noble House,Felyndiira normally dresses quite lavishly; she can usually beseen wearing expensive robes and finely cut silk.

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Ancient history, etiquette,herbalism, reading/writing, religion, and spellcraft.

Weapon Proficiencies: Dagger, dart, sling, and staff.

Special Abilities/Bonuses: 120’ infravision. Can use the fol-lowing spells once per day: dancing lights, faerie fire, darkness,levitate, know alignment, and detect magic.

could singlehandedly change the face of drow society. Withher at the helm, drow culture would take great leaps forward.Unfortunately, the capricious and totally self-absorbed natureof her race constantly thwarted her plans and completelydestroyed her youthful idealism.

Convinced that her people are a scourge to all that is noblein the Underdark, Felyn seized control of her House and begana secret campaign to eradicate the drow. Using the fortunes ather command, the powerful mage adopted the name “MadMoney” and quickly rose to the top of gangster society. Nowshe uses the power and prestige of the Catanzaro “family” tofoster distrust between all of the other gangster families. Hereventual hope is that she can spark a giant gang war that willeradicate most of the drow.

56 APRIL 1996

Equipment: Felyndiira usually carries her drow dagger in awrist sheath. In addition, the leader of House Catanzaro hasdeveloped a fondness for hats of all kinds.

Magical Items: Though she has access to almost any kindof magical items, Mad Money usually carries the following:bracers of defense AC 2, a ring of spell turning, a wand of fireballs,and a staff of the magi. In addition, the drow wears a powerfulring of wishes in her navel.

Role-playing Notes: Because her high ideals have beenshattered by the shortcomings of other drow, Mad Moneyrefuses to trust anyone else but herself. In addition, she is high-

ly misanthropic and believes that everyone she meets is self-ish, strange, and out to get her. As a precaution, Mad Moneynever sits with her back to any living creature and usuallyattacks (either verbally or physically) anyone who enters herpersonal “space.” Recently, she polymorphed several wolver-ines into drow form. She constantly keeps this “WolverineSecurity Shield” around her. Many business associates andwould-be suitors have fallen beneath the ferocity of MadMoney’s defenses.

Favorite Quote: “Is it important? No? Good – now goaway!”

Gray'shivnarien

Taliain 11 th-level drow bard

STRENGTH: 16DEXTERITY: 18CONSTITUTION: 15INTELLIGENCE: 15WISDOM: 14CHARISMA: 17AC: 0THAC0: 15MOVE: 12HIT POINTS: 63ALIGNMENT: CNSPECIAL ATTACK: Spells/Drow abilitiesSPECIAL DEFENSES: Only surprised on a 1. Save vs.

spells at +2

Physical Appearance: The Fiddler is an extremely attractivedrow elf who practically oozes charisma. Although she is quite

wealthy, the fiddler’s unstable mental condition causes her todress haphazardly. She can usually be seen wearing a mis-matched collection of leathers, robes, and tunics. In addition,

the Fiddler practically covers her face with thick paints.

Weapon Proficiencies: Crossbow, short bow, short sword,and dagger.

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Artistic ability, dancing,singing, tightrope walking, and local history.

MAGIC RESISTANCE: 72%SIZE: 4’ 7”

Special Abilities: The Fiddler possesses all of the abilities ofan 11th-level bard. In addition, she has 120’ infravision andcan use the following spells once per day: dancing lights, faeriefire, darkness, levitate, know alignment, and detect magic.

Background: Gray’shivnarien was once the most talentedbard in all of the Underdark and her compositions wereknown by drow and duergar alike. Unfortunately, she found

herself the target of an illithid hit man hired by a jealousbard of the notorious Montrony “family.” Although

Gray’shivnarien escaped with her life, the illithid’smind blast destroyed her sanity. Now she wanders

around the Underdark as the Fiddler, an enig-matic (and unstable) figure almost totallyengrossed in her music.

Sources report that the Fiddler has been takenin by House Catanzaro and trained as a hit man.

DRAGON #228 57

Gangster society is already abuzz with rumors of her prowessand more than one “family” member has been heard to say,Be careful, or the Fiddler’s gonna play for you.”

Equipment: The Fiddler always carries around her trade-mark fiddle. This instrument, however, has been deviouslyaltered. Whenever she wishes, the Fiddler can shoot poison-coated darts out of this instrument while she plays. Victimsmust save vs. poison at –2 or slowly die.

Magical Items: Unconfirmed rumors report that the Fiddlercarries her instrument in a magical case. On command, thiscase can shoot 1d4 magic missiles at any given target. Favorite Quote: “Okay, tough guy, it’s time to face the

music.”

Role-playing Notes: The Fiddler is quite mad and wandersin her own mysterious reality filled with the echoes of franticmusic. She usually ignores anyone who attempts to engageher in conversation unless the person is one of her intendedtargets. Though Gray’shivnarien once detested violence, hernew persona seems to revel in it as a counterpoint to somewild melody that only she can hear. The Fiddler prefers to getto know her “hit” before striking and usually asks her victim torequest a song before killing him. This can be quite discon-certing to the general public when she looks for requests whenshe plays at Dutch’s “Think Easy.”

0f Kness 14th-level paladin

1715151314181712111LGCast spellsImmune to disease; cure disease,circle of protection, heal 28 hp/day.N i l6 ’ 3 ”

MAGIC RESISTANCE:SIZE:

STRENGTH:DEXTERITY:CONSTITUTION:INTELLIGENCE:WISDOM:CHARISMA:AC:THAC0:MOVE:HIT POINTs:ALIGNMENT:SPECIAL ATTACKS:SPECIAL DEFENSES:

Special Abilities/Bonuses: Sir Elliot has all of the abilities ofa 14th-level Paladin.

Weapon Proficiencies: Crossbow (specialization), dagger,longsword (specialization), quarterstaff, and long bow.

Nonweapon Proficiencies: Fire-building, land-based riding,herbalism, information gathering, trailing, and religion.

Physical Appearance: Elliot is a tall, muscular human withstrongly chiseled features. He wears a long trenchcoat and hatwhen out investigating illegal activity. In addition, the holyfighter has his coat of arms displayed on a small device whichhe wears on his coat. This badge shows Elliot’s family crest aswell as his connection to the Forthright Band of Investigators.Elliot’s brow is usually furrrowed in concentration as heattempts to piece together the clues which will allow him toput an end to gangster activity.

Background: Sir Elliot of Kness was once a “marshall,” adevoted follower of Juris, god of law and prudence. One day,he and his companion, Thurgood, stumbled upon a businesstransaction between some drow merchants and surface-dwelling thieves. Although Elliot managed to capture most ofthe miscreants involved, Thurgood was slain. Ever since thatday, Sir Elliot has devoted his life to busting up the organiza-tions that traffic with the hated drow elves. Several years ago,

58 APRIL 1996

his investigations led him to discover the existence of a wholegangster society centered in the Underdark. He reported thisinformation to Jayed Garhoov’r, master of the Forthright Bandof Investigators, a small order of paladins totally devoted to theeradication of everything that offends Juris. As an agent of thatbody, Elliot has singlemindedly pursued the luminaries of gang-ster society. He has recently set his sights on busting up HouseCatanzaro, an influential drow family reputedly financing sev-eral gangster organizations.

Equipment: Sir Elliot is concerned only with the captureand extermination of all gangsters. To this end, he carriesaround a variety of equipment that will enable him to succeedin this quest.

Role-playing Notes: The death of Thurgood has had a pro-found effect on Sir Elliot. In fact, the paladin’s desire forrevenge against those he deems responsible borders on themaniacal. It is not uncommon for Elliot to “bend” many of thelaws in which he believes to catch a gangster. In his mind, theoverall good accomplished by breaking up a gangster organi-zation justifies any action undertaken in the pursuit of thisgoal.

Favorite Quotes: “There’s a new law in town... me!” and“Okay, creep, you’re coming with me!”

Magical Items: Sir Elliot always wears a suit of chainmail +3and a ring of clairaudience. In addition, his favorite weapon isPeacekeeper, a crossbow of speed +2.

ConsContinued from page 50

Dragon Con 1996June 20–23 GA

Atlanta Hilton andTowers, Westin PeachtreePlaza Hotel, and the AtlantaCivic Center in Atlanta.Guests: Kevin J. Anderson,William Gibson, James

JuneCon GamesJune 15-16 FL

Camberly Inn Hotel,Tampa. Events: role-playingcard, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities: deal-ers, a charity raffle, and tour-naments. Registration:$10/day, $18/weekend. ConGames, 2 Water Track Radial,Ocala, FL 34472 or e-mail:necconrep@aol.com.

Twin Con ‘96May 25–27 MN

Events: role-playing, card,board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities:RPGA Network events, deal-ers, and demos. Write to: JeffHammerlund, 107 WestChicago St., Algonquin, IL60102.

Rivers Game Fest, P.O. Box1740, Renton, WA 98057,

O’Barr, R.A. Salvatore, LarryElmore, and Bruce Sterling.Events: role-playing, card,board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities: deal-ers, films, anime, tourna-ments, an auction, and work-shops. Registration: $50 pre-registered. Dragon Con, P.O.Box 47696, Atlanta, GA30362, or e-mail: drag-oncon@dragoncon.org, orcheck out the web site:http://www.dscga.com\~dragoncon.

ManaFestJune 21�23 CA

Cathedral Hill Hotel, SanFrancisco. Events: over 25 dif-ferent Magic: the Gathering*tournaments and other trad-ing card tournaments. Regis-tration: $20 preregistered,$30 thereafter. Mana-Fest,Khalsa Brain Games, P.O. Box170436, San Francisco, CA94117, or check the web site:h t t p : / / w w w . i b a r . c o m /manafest.

Michicon ‘96June 28–30 MI

Van Dyke Park Hotel andConference Center, Warren.Events: role-playing, card,

board, and miniatures games.Other activities: dealers andan auction. Registration: $18preregistered, $20 on site.Metro Detroit Gamers, P.O.Box 656, Wyandotte, Ml

48192 or e-mail: dolphin2@oeonlinecom.

* indicates a product produced bya company other than TSR, Inc.

"Out"

DRAGON #228 59

Marcel van der Merwe ofJohannesburg, South Africa, laments thesorry state of role-playing in his homecountry. “The simple fact is that there areno gaming companies in South Africa.With the advent of more mass mediacoverage, things are changing, but notvery rapidly.” Still, Marcel remains opti-

DRAGON® MAGAZINE issue #224, I won-dered why Wizards of the Coast (publish-ers of the world-conquering Magic: TheGathering* game) opted for such an odd-ball as their first foray into role-playing.Everway designer Jonathan Tweet writesfrom Renton, Washington: “Why did Itake the out-of-mainstream approach forWotC’s first original RPG? Because Iwanted to be able to reach new people.There are games for beginners out there,but they’re primarily for kids. There areimaginative, fantasy-loving people outthere who don’t play RPGs because theydon’t find the current stock of gamesattractive. We needed to do a game thatwas different from what was already outthere.” Makes sense. Unfortunately,WotC has since dropped Everway. Let’shope it finds a new home soon.

What say we open the old mail bag?Reviewing the Everway* game in

mistic. “I see role-playing games as oneof the few truly creative pursuits. I thinkthat people like us owe a lot to role-play-ing games and designers. Not only dothey allow us to dream, but they alsogive us the gift of sharing our dreamswith others.” Couldn’t have put it bettermyself.

Brian Smith of Farmersville, Texas,wants to know if game reviewers “needany special permits.” No, but you’re notthe first to suggest that reviewers shouldbe licensed.

From Cherry Hill, New Jersey, JohnLazoswki asks about a long list of prod-ucts, including the Call of Cthulhu*,GURPS*, and Star Fleet Battles* games;are they worth his hard earned money?Yep. All three are first-rate and worthevery cent. As it happens, we’ll be look-ing at another product on John’s list,Harn World, right here, next month.

Finally, Jeremy (or Jerry – I can’t quitemake out the signature) from Chicago,Illinois, wants help identifying a role-playing game that he thinks came out inthe late ’70s or early ’80s. “All I remem-ber is that it was in a box, and there wasa flying tiger or some kind of flying caton the cover. The characters gained spe-

cial magic powers whenever theyswapped heads. Weird, no?” Weird, yes.And I have no idea what you’re talkingabout. If this rings a bell with anyone,drop me a line, and I’ll pass it along.Meanwhile, here are some weirdos ofmore recent vintage for your considera-tion.

Throwing Stones*game

Seven six-sided characterdice, one six-sided monster die, one six-sided standard die, rules sheet, pack-aged in plastic tube

Gamesmiths, Inc. $10Design: Jeff SiadekGraphic design: Jason Siadek

Throwing StonesFantasyThrowing Stonessupplement

96-page softcover bookGamesmiths, Inc. $10Design: Jeff SiadekDevelopment: Jeff Siadek and Jason

SiadekEditing: Lauren MandlIllustrations: Stephen K. Ratter with

Wendell RigginsCover: Melissa Benson

Approximate number of role-playinggames published to date: 1,069,417.Approximate number of methods forresolving actions in role-playing games:

DRAGON #228 61

two. Method number one, introduced inthe DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game andadopted by about 99.9% of the RPGs thatcame after, involves the comparison ofdie-rolls to numerical attribute ratings.The second, pioneered by products likethe Amber* and Everway games, replacesdie-rolls with intuition and educatedguesses. Now, at long last, ThrowingStones brings us method number three,and it’s as unusual as it is ingenious.

Did I say ingenious? Revolutionary ismore like it. Instead of representing char-acters with ability scores, ThrowingStones represents them with customizeddice. Instead of pips, the dice bear bizarreglyphs like lightning bolts and four-leafclovers. And virtually every aspect of thegame, from picking locks to castingspells to smacking bad guys across theroom, relies not on comparing die-rollsto ability scores, but on tallying those lit-tle bolts and clovers. And, no, ThrowingStones isn’t a clone of the DRAGON DICE™game. DRAGON DICE is a war game.Throwing Stones is a role-playing game– call it D&D® in a tube.

Or, more accurately, call it a playercharacter in a tube. Each ThrowingStones set includes enough six-siders toget a single PC up and running (meaningthat every player needs a tube of hisown). The player builds a beginningcharacter by choosing four of the sevencharacter dice, each of which corre-sponds to a specific archetype. Everytube contains a different assortment.One of my sets, for instance, has twoRanger dice, two Druid dice, oneThaumaturge, one Thief, one Monk, andone Gladiator. Another has a Ranger,Monk, Amazon, Thief, Fool, Assassin,and Barbarian. A Throwing Stones char-acter, then, combines traits from a vari-ety of archetypes; depending on mychoice of dice, I might end up with aDruid-Ranger, or a Thief-Monk-Gladiator-Thaumaturge. No combination is forbid-den. Off-the-wall combinations are notonly allowed but inevitable.

The masterfully designed dice containa remarkable amount of information.Each face is a particular color, corre-sponding to a particular attribute – redfor Strength, gold for Intelligence, silverfor Agility. The largest glyph on a faceindicates a particular skill or specialeffect – an 11-pointed star denotes apropensity for going berserk, a tree indi-cates an affinity for nature. Smallerglyphs – tiny crosses, teeny swords –represent ability modifiers. To computehis attribute levels, the player totals the

Combat would be about as thrilling asa coin-flipping tournament were it notfor the host of clever tactical options.Chief among them is the mulligan,Throwing Stones speak for a re-roll.After the attacker assesses damage, thedefender may mulligan a number of theattacker’s damage dice equal to thedefender’s armor value. Holding a shieldenables the defender to mulligan anyone of his defensive dice. Choosing theDodge option from the Action Chartallows the defender to mulligan all of hisdefensive dice. A player who declares aFocus, which can applied to any Actionin any round, may mulligan as many

Combat can be resolved without a ref-eree. At the beginning of a round, eachopponent makes a selection from theAction Chart, such as Strike, Knockdown,or Dodge. The opponents roll their char-acters, then compare the results to therequirements of their selected Actions;for a successful Strike, the attacker’s sil-ver faces and teeny sword glyphs needto exceed those of the defender. Todetermine damage, the attacker rolls hischaracter again and counts the red facesand the number of teeny swords on one,two, or three faces (the bigger theweapon, the more faces he counts); thistotal is subtracted from the defender’sDurability. When damage exceedsDurability, the character dies.

Action resolution couldn’t be easier.The player rolls his, er, character, talliesthe applicable color-faces, modifies theresult by the relevant glyphs, then com-pares the result to a success level deter-mined by the referee. Attempting tostand, for example, requires Agility (silverfaces) and Balance (a glyph that lookslike a man with his arms outstretched). Ifthe total of the relevant faces and glyphsequals or exceeds the difficulty roll, theattempt succeeds and the characterstands up.

relevant colors on his four character dice;eight red faces equals Strength 8.Durability (read: hit points) equals hisStrength level plus the total number ofdice that make up the character (in theadvanced game, a character can ex-change experience points for additionaldice). His mana, the mystical energyneeded to cast spells, is equal to hisIntelligence plus the number of diceshowing a magic glyph. A beginning PCalso receives a number of gold piecesequal to his Ability multiplied by hisIntelligence; gold may be spent onweapons, armor, and various acces-sories.

dice as he likes; his opponent, however,may also mulligan any number of defen-sive dice. If he’s had his fill of mulligans,a character with one free hand and someMana to spend can attempt to cast spellsby consulting the Magic Chart and hop-ing the necessary glyphs appear on hisnext toss; divination allows him to throwhis dice before he chooses an Action,lightning bolt inflicts 1d6 points of dam-age unless the target rolls up someBalance glyphs. Conjure monster usesthe special monster die to simulate acreature of the player’s choice, such as acyclops or a cobra; the creature attacksas directed until the conjurer’s Manaexpires. Other inventive rules coverunarmed combat (utilizing fist-shapedglyphs), blindness (suffered by characterswho get dirt thrown in their eyes), andcowardice (if you concede a duel, youmay be banned from the arena for life).

Throwing Stones has its share ofshortfalls. For starters, the characters feelless like people than collections of modi-fiers. Supposedly, you can invent person-al histories for your PCs based on thedice that define them, but I defy anyoneto come up with a plausible backgroundfor a Thief-Monk-Gladiator-Thaumaturge.The character dice also limit your choiceof archetypes; if you want to play aNinja, you’re screwed unless your tubehappens to include a couple of Ninjadice. Many of the glyphs, such as Natureand Charisma, are all but useless. Andthe single page of rules, included in thetube is fraught with ambiguity; I think Iunderstand how to cast all the spells andoperate the monster dice, but I wouldn’tbet the farm on it.

The Throwing Stones Fantasy supple-ment, essentially a set of expansionrules, builds on the fundamentals pre-sented in the tube and clears up some ofthe mud. It clarifies the combat mechan-ics, explains the fine points of charactercreation, and offers some interestingvariants, including a pretty good solitairesystem. New spells include weapon wilt,wind storm, and psychic maze. Amongthe new magic items are the bloodhoundblade, anti-magic amulet, and – myfavorite – love potato. The rest of thebook, however, fails to live up topromise of the love potato, depicting anuninspired game world called Chaotia.Populated by the usual assortment ofelves and dragons, sliced into drearysubdivisions like Amazonia and FaerieForest, it’s a setting so blah that Iwouldn’t be surprised if its rainbowswere black and white.

62 APRIL 1996

Evaluation: Throwing Stones worksbetter as a two-player duel than a multi-player RPG. For that reason, I’d suggestinvesting in two of the tubes; if you’vegot an extra ten bucks, invest in a thirdtube instead of the book. (The moretubes you acquire, the more options youhave for characters.) If the $20 entry feeseems high, consider that’s about whatyou’d spend on a couple of collectiblecard decks, and I’d be surprised if youdidn’t find Throwing Stones more funthan the latest Magic: The Gatheringclone. With its spotty rules and underde-veloped setting, Throwing Stones meritsonly four pips. But what the heck – let’sgive it five. Revolutionaries deserveencouragement.

(Information: Gamesmiths, Inc., POBox 2133. El Segundo, CA 90245.)

Chronomancer

Cover: Alan Pollack

96-page softcover bookTSR, Inc. $13Design: Loren ColemanEditing and development: Matt ForbeckIllustrations: Thomas Baxa, Adrian

Bourne, Terry Dykstra, Jim Holloway, andMark Nelson

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® gamesupplement

For a game designer, no topic inducesmore migraines than time travel, as itdemands answers to a lot of thornyquestions. How, for example, do we getfrom era to era? Are historical eventsrigid or malleable? Can we meet our-selves? In this thought-provoking AD&D®

2. Time itself is an independent realm.It’s called Temporal Prime, “an infiniteexpanse of black space with an infinitenumber of time streams flowing throughit.” The time streams resemble immenseclusters of pale silver cords suspended ina gray mist-smoke. Each cord, whichstands for a separate realty, is made ofcountless silver threads, the threads rep-resent the life lines of the residents whooccupy that particular reality. The physi-cal appearance of a life line indicates itshistorical significance; kings generatethick bright lines, peasants generateshort dull ones. Bundles of life lines,known as event tangles, indicate histori-cal turning points, such as political assas-sinations or great wars. Visitors experi-ence the realm as an eerie jungle ofcables and webs buffeted by wind-likecurrents. Perception and movement aresubjective, as are all physical laws; visi-tors “conceive” their own gravity.

expansion, Loren Coleman bases hisanswers on two intriguing concepts:

1. The time traveler is a unique arche-type. He’s called a chronomancer, a wiz-ard from an elite school of magic whosespecial training enables him to manipu-late the elements of time. Requirementsare rigid and demanding. Candidatesmust have a minimum Intelligence of 17and Wisdom of 16, must be of good orneutral alignment, and must be human,elf, or half-elf. Further, they’re forbiddenfrom wearing armor, and they advancein level more slowly than normal wiz-ards. On the plus side, they acquire anextra spell per level, and at 5th levelbecome immune to the effects of slowand haste. The character kits don’tamount to much – though well-con-ceived, the Guide, Historian, and Seer suf-fer from underdeveloped benefits anddisadvantages – but the terrific spellsmake up for them. The menu includessuch enticing selections as timereaver (thetarget is sent backward or forward intime, up to five years per the caster’slevel) and Articus’s devolutionary warrior(the target gains Strength and losesIntelligence; his fingernails and teethsharpen into weapons). Mysterious,guarded, and cerebral, the chrono-mancer is an appealing creation; think ofhim as the eggheaded cousin of thenecromancer, only without all the deadstuff.

So can history be changed? Only a lit-tle. Life lines will writhe and shift toaccommodate minor alterations, but themomentum of destiny prevents radicalchanges. Can you meet yourself? Nope.

That’d require two life lines for the sameperson, and destiny allows only one percustomer. Those who insist on violatingthese rules may trigger timestorms,which not only spew paradoxes all overthe place, but might attract the attentionof a temporal police force called theGuardians.

There’s more – much more – but youget the idea. Coleman’s analysis of tem-poral theory is fascinating, erudite, andconvincing. But novice role-players mayfind it confusing, even intimidating. Forinstance, Coleman insists that TemporalPrime is a pseudoreality, not a plane ofexistence. But after reading the booktwice, I’m still not sure of the difference.Nor did I understand temporal move-ment, although I know I’ll need a calcu-lator if I intend to try it (if my Wisdom is16, I multiply my normal movement rateby a cross-stream objective distancemodifier of 1.75). Further, pseudorealityhas a lot of nitpicky effects on spells;solid fog obscures vision to four feetinstead of the standard two feet, flamestrike inflicts (1d8 –1) 6 hp damageinstead of 6d8. What exactly is “linearexistence”? And what’s with this: “Manyfeatures of Temporal Prime have notbeen discussed in detail or at all ... theirexplanations are best withheld untillater.” The sound you hear is me beatingmy head against the wall.

Evaluation: If you want to incorporatetime travel into your campaign, youhave three options:

1. Do what I do and invent your ownrules. I use a variant of the time poolspell from TSR’s Tome of Magic book thatallows priests to create portals to othereras. And, to be honest, I’ll probably keepusing it – Chronomancer requires morebrain power than I’m willing to expend.So how do I explain the nuances of tem-poral theory? I don’t. How do I handleparadoxes? I ignore them. (Pretty clever,eh?)

2. Use a supplement for anothergame, and adapt it to AD&D. My favorite:GURPS Time Travel. The quirky TimeLords* game is also good (information:Blacksburg Tactical Research Center,1925 Airy Circle, Richmond, VA 23233.)

3. Use the Chronomancer system.Veteran AD&D game players who havemore ambition than me will undoubted-ly find this the most satisfying option. Butbe prepared – you’re going to havesome homework.

DRAGON #228 63

Guardians* game60-card starter deck,

14-card booster packFPG Inc.$9 (starter deck), $2.79 (booster

pack)

Editing: Darren BoyceArt direction: Keith ParkinsonIllustrations: Brom, Don Maitz, Keith

Parkinson, Mike Ploog, and JamesWarhola.

Oh boy, I thought, the day Guardiansshowed up in the mail box. Another...yawn... collectible card game. A quickflip through the rulebook, and I wasrather sure I had it figured out. Monsters,spells, terrain, duels – it was Magic: TheGathering, Junior. I shelved it.

Design: Keith Parkinson and LukePeterschmidt

A week later, mynephew is nosingthrough my game collec-tion and comes acrossGuardians. Says he’s afan. He thumbs throughthe decks. “Wanna tradefor some of your Beercards?”

Beer cards?So I took another look.I’m glad I did. Turns

out, Guardians is animpressive little weirdo.Even if the game itselfwere lame – and as ithappens, it plays pretty

Guardians consists of three-phaseturns. In the Deployment Phase, playersdraw enough replacements from theirdecks to make 12-card hands, then placeup to three Shields and 30 Vitality Points-worth of Creatures in their Strongholds.

Each player needs a deck of at least55 cards, including one Guardian (asuper-powered entity that doubles as theplayer’s alter ego), three Strongholds, anda variable number of Terrains, Shields,Magic Items, Spells, Bribes (the Beer andBabe cards), and Creatures. The playingfield consists of a line of three Strongholdspaces in front of each player, totaling sixStrongholds in all; Strongholds containarmies of Creatures, which in turn areprotected by Shields. Opposite eachStronghold is an empty Disputed Landspace, which will be filled with Terraincards as the game progresses. Victorygoes to the first player to control the sixDisputed Land spaces, destroy fiveenemy Shields, or send the opposingGuardian to the cemetery.

well – it’d be worth the nine bucks for adeck just to drool over the art. The lushcolors, photographic detail, and outra-geous subject matter make this the mostvisually appealing set since the BLOOD

WARS™ game. I’d be hard-pressed toname my favorite cards, but here are fewnominees: Crook End Snoot (a grinningpixie with a foot-long nose), HumungusFungus (a combination of an octopusand a tree root), and Floyd the Flying Pig(a baggy-eyed porker with lips that begto be kissed). And in what may be themost blatant display of sexism the indus-try’s ever seen, the deck also includes ahealthy number of Babes, scantily-cladtraffic-stoppers guaranteed to steamyour glasses and raise your mother’seyebrows. If designer Keith Parkinsonever gets slapped by a feminist, it’s notlike he didn’t have it coming.

Evaluation: Guardians is not withoutits problems. For a premise this goofy –Floyd the Flying Pig? – it’s way too com-plicated, what with all the off-colorbonuses, area of effect attacks, and drawmodifiers. The rulebook could’ve usedanother draft and more examples. Ifyour opponent begins with strongerCreatures than yours, good luck trying towin. And the awkward four-player gameis more work than fun. Still, the plussesoutweigh the minuses, making it a mustfor collectible card freaks with an eye forgood art. Let me know if you get anyextra Beer cards.

(Information: FPG Inc., 2539Washington Rd., Bldg. 1000, Pittsburgh,PA 15241.)

The combat system, the game’s bestfeature, employs several ingenioustwists. If an opponent has Creaturesremaining in his combat hand after theinitial attack, he can make a secondaryattack with his leftovers. A Creaturecapable of Channeling can benefit froma temporary Vitality boost if the ownerdiscards a Power Stone. And someCreatures can be dispelled with Beer andBabes; nothing makes an Ice Ogre runfor cover like a Super Model.

At the end of this phase, a player musthave no more than seven cards in hishand; extras must be discarded.

Next comes the Movement andCombat Phase, the heart of Guardians.Creatures deployed in Strongholds with-out Shields must stay where they are.Otherwise, a stack of Shield-protectedCreatures can move up to two DisputedLand spaces. Combat ensues when twoShield stacks occupy the same Land.Players remove their Creatures from theirShields; the Creatures comprise theircombat hands. Each opponent flopsdown a Creature, one at a time. TheCreature with the highest Vitality score,which may be modified by Spells andMagic Items, wins the round; defeatedCreatures go to the dead pile. When allof the Creatures have been played, theVitality points of the survivors are tallied;whichever side has the most points winsthe Land. The loser must retreat to anunoccupied space. If the loser can’tretreat, his Shield is destroyed.

In the final phase, Terrain Settlement,the victor places a Terrain card on thejust-conquered Land to indicate control.If it contains an enemy Terrain, heremoves it and replaces it with one of hisown.

64 APRIL 1996

Steve Jackson has been riding highon the Illuminati: New World Order* cardgame for quite a while now. But despiteits title, GURPS IOU has nothing to dowith cards. Nor, for that matter, does ithave much to do with the GURPSllluminati supplement of a few yearsback, IOU looks like a setting for theGURPS role-playing game – and indeed,it has its share of game stats and adven-ture hooks – but the anything-goes,logic-down-the-dumper approach makesit virtually unplayable, at least by anyonewho takes their games even semi-seri-ously. So what is it? Basically, IOU is aglorified joke book, a drop of MontyPython mixed with a bucket of ThreeStooges. Located at a “scenic dimension-al nexus with convenient access tonumerous world and time gates,” theuniversity is home to a lunatic collectionof aliens, mages, and cartoon monstrosi-ties. Most of the book parodies a typicalcampus catalog, describing classes(Combat Uses for Toxic Wastes, Uses ofScientific Notation in Hospital Bills), staffmembers (Dr. What, George the Janitor)and student organizations (Society forUnimaginative Anachronism, Democratsfor Cthulhu). Maybe you consider your-self too sophisticated for silly stuff likethis. But you’ve gotta admit – Democratsfor Cthulhu, that’s pretty good.

Fantasy Earth* game, by Michael C.Zody. Zody Games, $15. Fantasy Earth:the Book of Magic, by Michael C. Zody.Zody Games, $15.

If I were a small press publisher, Idon’t think I’d attempt a fantasy RPG,fearing the inevitable comparisons toAD&D. Michael Zody forged ahead any-way, with surprisingly credible results.Like the RPGs of the Jurassic Era, FantasyEarth has no game world or campaignsetting; it’s 120-plus pages of pure rules.Players construct characters by assigning10-sided-die rolls to a list of 26 attributes,such as Strength, Perception, andAppearance. Class options includeWarrior, Sorcerer, Cleric, and Burglar.Skills – Acrobatics, Boat Building, andabout 120 others – derive from theattribute scores. To resolve the use of askill, the player rolls a die, adds the num-ber to the relevant skill rating, then com-pares the result to a success level set bythe referee; if the result equals or

Elizabeth McCoy and Walter Milliken.Steve Jackson Games, $18.

Short and sweetGURPS IOU: Illuminati University, by

What distinguishes the Elric* gamefrom every other fantasy RPG is itsdoom-laden atmosphere; despair practi-cally drips off its world-weary heroes. Sowhen I pick up an Elric supplement, Iexpect a little gloom. Unknown Eastexplores the ravaged nations of theMenastree continent, presenting the his-tory, landmarks, and citizenry in lavishdetail. But despite some nice touches – acompelling treatise on eastern religion, astrong selection of adventure hooks – itlacks the grit that made previous supple-

The Unknown East, by LawrenceWhitaker. Chaosium, Inc., $17.

Are your Cyberpunk* game characterslooking for work? They can stop looking.Neo-Tribes describes a loose network ofmotorcycle jockeys who cruise the wildsof 20th Century America in search offood, funds, and fist fights; they’realways in the market for a few goodsociopaths. If you want something a bitmore profitable, consider EdgerunnersInc., a futuristic temp agency specializingin black marketeering, smuggling, andother enterprises of dubious legality.Though both organizations boast formi-dable reputations and noteworthy per-sonnel – detailed at length in theseentertaining sourcebooks – I prefer theTribes; they wear cooler clothes.

Neo Tribes: the Nonmds of NorthAmerica, by Ross Winn and Eric Oppen,with Dan Longoria, Angelina Acevedo,Tristan Heydt, Gilbert Milner, MarianRosensriel, Janice Sellars, MarkSchumann, Chris Williams, and BenjaminWright. R. Talsorian Games, $12.Edgerunners Inc., by Andrew M. Borelli,Michael G. Nelson, and Scott Taylor, withDerek Quintanar and Benjamin Wright.R. Talsorian Games, $12.

(Information: Zody Games, OneKendall Sq. #178, PO Box 9171,Cambridge, MA 02139.

exceeds the success level, the action suc-ceeds. The number-heavy but manage-able combat system emphasizes maneu-ver and hit locations (wounds can besuperficial, minor, major, severe, orextreme). A thick supplement, the Bookof Magic, details a simple spell-castingsystem and hundreds of spells. I don’timagine many folks will be abandoningtheir AD&D PIayer’s Handbooks forFantasy Earth. But if you’re a supporterof the small press, or if you’re looking fora set of ready-made rules to graft onto ahomemade setting, you could do worsethan this.

ments like Melnibone and Sorcerers ofPan Tang so memorable. ThoughLawrence Whitaker does an admirablejob, he was saddled with a tough assign-ment Even Michael Moorcock, author ofthe original Elric novels, couldn’t findmuch of interest in the East.

The Gothic Earth Gazetteer, by WilliamW. Conners. TSR, Inc., $10.

This guidebook to the people andevents of Gothic Earth (introduced in theMasque of the Red Death boxed set, part ofthe AD&D game’s RAVENLOFT® setting) ishardly indispensable but it’s still fun.You’ll find an account of Sir JohnFranklin’s ill-fated arctic expedition, thehistory of spiritualism, and biographiesof such luminaries as Susan B. Anthony,Mark Twain, and Calamity Jane. Best ofall, the book comes packaged with a gor-geous poster-sized 10-year calendar thatbegs to be hung on the wall – just incase the 19th Century ever rolls aroundagain.

Mecha Press magazine, edited byMarc-Alexandre Vezina. lanus Publica-tions, Inc., $6 (single issue), $36 (six-issuesubscription).

Fans of the Battletech*, Macross II*,and Robotech* games will think they’vedied and gone to giant robot heavenwhen they get a gander at this classyperiodical, published by the same folksresponsible for the Heavy Gear Fighter*card game. Recent features include anoverview of the Battletech TV series,some model-making tips, and a livelyreview section covering everything fromcomic books to metal miniatures. Withits breezy text and striking graphics, it’slike a Playboy magazine for rivet-heads –I mean that as a compliment.

(Information: lanus Publications, Inc.,5000 Iberville, #332, Montreal, Quebec,Canada H2H 2S6.)

Rick Swan is the author of The CompleteGuide to Role-Playing Games (St. Martin’sPress). You can write to him at 2620 30thStreet, Des Moines, IA 50310. Enclose a self-addressed envelope if you'd like a reply.

* indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarksowned by the companies publishing those products. Theuse of the name of any product without mention of itstrademark status should not be construed us a challengeto such status.

DRAGON #228 65

The DM's Quick Campaign Random Generator

when beginning a new fantasycampaign, it is critical to decide

exactly how your epic willunfold. By discerning the allies, enemies,and ultimate objective of the PCs beforethe story begins, the wise game mastercan design adventures that provide theirplayers with a definite sense of progressand achievement.

Such decisions are hard to make andcan prove overly taxing to the fragilenerves of the DM. The choices you makewhen first plotting the campaign canaffect months of gaming.

It was for the express purpose of aid-ing the struggling and overworked DMsof the world that I devised the RandomCampaign Generator.

By rolling on the tables below and fill-ing in the blanks in the chart one by one,dozens of fascinating campaign ideascan be generated in minutes. All youneed is a d12.

Have fun.

by Serge Stelmack

Table 11. brave2. not-so-brave3. the henchmen of4. skulking5. arrogant, stuck-up6. murderous7. dyslexic8. cute, fuzzy9. annoying10. argumentative11. mercenary12. corporate

T a b l e 21. adventurers2. pilgrims3. Mr. Big(s)4. thieves5. elves6. fighters7. wizards8. animals9. halfings10. dwarves11. clerics12. lawyers

Table 31. the ruler of the land2. the head of the church3. the dubious leader of the thieves’

guild4. some guy they met in a bar5. a really nice dragon6. a really gorgeous half-elf7. their drunken parents8. the king of the gypsies9. a mysterious stranger10. Mr. Big11. the frog prince12. a loan shark

DRAGON #228 67

Table 41. recover2. find3. destroy4. defeat5. purchase6. get rid of7. paint a portrait of8. conduct tests on9. make material components out of10. deliver a singing telegram to11. kiss up to12. rescue

Table 51. the king’s daughter2. an evil wizard3. a marauding monster4. a mystical sword5. a magical amulet6. a dragon’s blood sample7 an ancient magical tome8. a lost city9. a colossal space hamster10. Mr. Big’s ex-wife, Peggy11. a magical bucket of lard12. a wealthy relative T a b l e 8

Table 61. a vicious tribe of orcs

2. a treacherous band of assassins3. highly irritating minstrels4. a lecherous innkeeper5. nasty old women6. traveling salesmen7. ghosts8. a swarm of locusts9. heavily armed mercenaries10. Mr. Big’s evil twin, Skippy11. misleading road signs12. rioting kobolds

Table 71. really ugly trolls2. exceptionally dangerous butterflies3. the possession of one of their group4. greedy slave traders5. performers from a traveling circus6. an evil lord7. a nearsighted cyclops8. a plague of rabid ferrets9. poor weather conditions10. an asteroid impact11. vengeful wombats12. a merciless vampire

12. tragic indifference

9. mass confusion10. ingenious creativity11. wacky fun

2. skillful negotiation3. begging and pleading4. shameful exhibitionism5. amazing heroism6. great personal sacrifice7. pathetic whining8. masterful bribery

Table 91. epic battle

1. a voluptuous dwarven courtesan outto steal their brains

2. very cross seagulls

8. a huge labyrinth filled with traps9. chia golems (see page 39)10. venomous parakeets11. a coven of diabolical warlocks12. a killer rabbit

following them6. a gigantic trout7. head lice

sense of humor4. a gang of unpleasant robbers5. a friendly dog that just won’t stop

3. a master thief with a demented

7. another crummy job8. all the baked clams they can eat9. a pet giant panda10. a sack of gold11. knighthood12. the grudging acknowledgment of

their employer

5. a collection of attractive sea shells6. a set of seriously flawed magical

weapons

3. a paid vacation4. an offer of marriage from their

employer

1. fame and fortune2. sincere thanks and a letter of

reference

Table 10

Serge Stelmack lives in Vancouver, BritishColumbia. This is his first appearance inDRAGON® MAGAZINE.

68 APRIL 1996

Forum welcomes your comments andopinions on role-playing games.

In the United States and Canada, sendany correspondence to Forum, DRAGON®MAGAZINE, 201 Sheridan Springs Road,lake Geneva, WI 53147 U.S.A. In Europe,send mail to Forum, DRAGON MAGAZINE,TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton,Cambridge CB1 3LB, U.K. You can also sende-mail to tsrmags@aoLcom.

We ask that all material be neatly typedor handwritten. You must give us your fullname and mailing address if you expectyour letter to be printed (we will not considera letter sent anonymously), but we will with-hold your name if you ask us to do so, andwill not print your full address unless yourequest it.

I have been playing the AD&D® gamesince 1977. Most of my experience isas a DM, but I haul out the character

sheets at conventions or when given achance.

I feel the PLAYER’S OpTION™: Skills &Powers book, while in most ways anexcellent release, does have a seriousproblem – namely, the Muscle subability.The major problem with this ability isthat fighters (and presumably fighter sub-classes, such as rangers and paladins)may raise the Muscle subability as highas 20. A Muscle score of 20 is excessiveand unwarranted. Such high subabilityscores can later damage the campaignas cumulative effects take their toll.

Consider the standard AD&D rules: acharacter with a Strength of 18(00)(extremely rare in well-run campaigns)has +3 to hit and +6 to damage. My play-ers and I have typically used Method Vfor character ability generation. Whilethis gives a good chance for an 18Strength score (with players placing 18swhere they want), the percentile rolls usu-ally fall within the 01–50 range, givingthe character a +1/+3 bonus. I have seenan honest “00” result once in nearly 20

years of gaming. Thus, +1/+3 are usuallythe highest Strength bonuses with whicha DM must contend, excepting the rarestof circumstances, Now consider the Skills& Powers rules: a fighter with even a 16Strength (and how many fighters possessa Strength score lower than 15?) can shiftthe figures to 14 stamina and 18 Muscle,then immediately roll the percentile dice!A player with a 16 Strength is nowassured of at least +1/+3 bonuses for-merly reserved for those with 18 scores.

It gets worse, however, for a 20Muscle score is now reachable for thosewith natural 18s, and no percentile rollsare required to get the +3/+8 bonus!Before Skills & Powers, a player with an 18Strength needed a fantastic percentile rollto get a +2/+5, but now a +3/+8 may beselected with no chance of failure!Consider that a vampire has a Strength(Muscle) score of 18(76), according to theMonstrous Manual™ tome. Vampires havea +2/+4 attack bonus and can punch for5–10 hp damage. It seems a trifle ridicu-lous for a party to have one or morefighters with a Strength greater than thatof the average vampire. If you’ve seenany vampire movies, you know what I’mtalking about here.

Good DMs know that girdles of giantstrength can upset game balance easily,yet now fighters can start as if wearing agirdle of hill or stone giant strength at 1stlevel! If a +3/+8 bonus doesn’t seem bad,consider the cumulative effects as thefighter learns how to use his weapons. A1st-level fighter with weapon specializa-tion can now possess a +4/+10 beforethe game begins! That means a longsword damage roll of “1" still gives a min-imum of 11 hp damage, enough to K.O.the typical humanoid opponent easily. Ifthis fighter acquires a fighting style spe-cialization, he could gain a +5/+10 oreven a +4/+11 bonus. An elf or half-elfcould add a further +1 to hit with a swordif desired, bringing the 1st-level fighter to a+6/+10 bonus! Just wait until this charac-ter gains weapon mastery at 5th leveland gains +7/+11 or +8/+11 if elven!

I wouldn’t let this character near amagical sword.

As the system stands, there isn’t aneasy answer to this problem. Consideringthe decreased Stamina to be an equalizersimply isn’t good enough, as Staminaaffects only encumbrance (which mostDMs ignore) and but two warrior non-weapon proficiencies. Perhaps a goodDM can balance this super-fighter withstrong opponents, but the weaker partymembers will be exposed to greater dan-

ger. Why punish the AC 10 wizard orStrength 13 thief just because the partyfighter is a killing machine? If the leader-type creatures (or creatures with weaponspecialization) target the muscular fight-ers and weaker creatures fight the rest ofthe party, the fighters will defeat strongercreatures and gain inordinate amounts ofexperience compared to their peers.

Rather than try to remedy this prob-lem with bad band-aids later, it is betterto fix the problem before it begins. I rec-ommend treating the Muscle andStamina percentile divisions as wholenumbers; thus, a character with 17Strength can adjust to gain a 15 Staminaand maximum (18/01) Muscle.Characters rolling a natural 18 Strengthcould adjust as above, or simply take 18in both sub-abilities and roll percentiledice to see what they receive. This keepsthe 18(00) score the rarity it used to be,allows lower Strength fighters to increasetheir hitting potential, and prevents play-er character giants from being created.

As a DM, I am not stingy with magicalitem distribution, and I don’t believe inkeeping characters at a disadvantage. Ihave, however, noticed that low-levelcharacters with Armor Classes of –1 orgreater, or +7 damage bonuses and thelike, can turn game balance upside-down, removing the challenge for allconcerned. The players will be twice asproud of their characters if they occa-sionally need good rolls and all damageis dealt fairly.

Rick Maffei474 Hunter Road

Ridgewood, NJ 07450–5516

I’ve read many articles and lettersfrom readers who are concerned withthe changing face of TSR’s products asthe company tries to get back to theroots of role-playing games. There arecomplaints of too many rules, notenough rules, inappropriate rules, incom-plete rules... but the bottom line is andalways was, there are no rules!

The game has been around for near-ly three decades, and like the enthusias-tic groups of kids all over the world whofirst sat around a table, pencil and paperin hand, it has grown, like they, to anintelligent, outgoing body, larger than itspast self, yet still full of new ideas.

Anyone who has been involved in theprocess, whether as a DM or PC for yearsor weeks, and who can still find it anenjoyable outlet in this age of electronic

Continued on page 87

70 APRIL 1996

Humor in �serious" role-playing games

by Ed Stark

hat do you do when you can’t stop the wizard fromlaughing? Well, not just the wizard, of course. Thefighter, the thief, the space ranger, even the mutant

biker might burst into giggles at any moment, in the middle ofyour serious adventure. I’ve been in a situation – and I’m suremost of you experienced gamers have too – where somethinghappened in the most serious of adventures that cracked upevery player around the table. Something is said wrong, orsomeone makes a joke, or something in the adventure juststrikes everyone as amusing at the same time – it happens.How, as a gamemaster or a good role-player, do you handle itand keep the game moving along?

Another fine mess...Perhaps an example is in order. A year or so ago, I became

involved in a Call of Cthuhlu* campaign that may not havebeen the height of seriousness in gaming, but it certainlyranked in the top 10. It was a horror game, not one of thosesilly slasher-type, blow-up-as-many-monsters-as-you-can-before-you-die things. There were times when one or more ofthe players actually cried out in surprise when we thought we’dfound what was lurking behind the next door. We really gotcaught up in the Lovecraftian horror of the game and playedour roles to the hilt.

But something happened. It was during a typical investiga-tion of a typical haunted house (and, for those of you who’veplayed Call of Cthuhlu, you know there is no such thing as a“typical” anything). My investigating team and I probed thehouse with all care and alacrity, hoping to get out before night-fall with some valuable information.

But things didn’t go well. (Okay, so they never do).As a result, we ended up staying in the house until dusk. We

managed to get out just as the sun was setting, and we made itto our car. Feeling pleased with herself, the owner of the car gotinto the driver’s seat and turned the ignition.

Nothing happened. We were sitting in front of a hauntedhouse, miles away from anywhere, and our car wouldn’t start.

Naturally, one of the investigators proposed simply stayingoutside the house until dawn. Another upped the ante (in trueinvestigator fashion) and declared that we might as well con-tinue our investigations, since we couldn’t leave anyway, and itwas looking like rain.

That, I’m sure, is what should have happened. Thegamemaster planned on it, and most of us expected it. But theowner of the car said differently.

A little background: During our last adventure, the investiga-tor/driver’s car had been destroyed in anattempt to rid the world of a nasty horror. Idon’t remember what happened in the pre-ceding adventure, but it resulted in us being

carless as well. This was at least the third car the woman hadgone through in as many months, and she was kind ofannoyed that it might end up getting trashed yet again (Ithought this was a logical conclusion, since that’s the waythings did seem to be going.)

She resolved to push her car out of the driveway and downalongside the road (which was about a half a mile away). Therest of us were unsympathetic. We wanted to get on with ourdeaths... er, lives... and investigate the house some more beforeit was completely dark. Besides, it was starting to pour.

Fine, she said. If we wouldn’t help her, she’d do it herself.Injured from a previous battle with a rabid raccoon (whichsounds funny now but wasn’t so much, then), she opened thedoor and steered the car while pushing it herself along themuddy driveway. The rest of us stood on the dry porch andwatched.

That’s when it really happened.In the course of making a Strength check, she failed – criti-

cally – and the gamemaster ruled she had fallen under thewheels of one of the back tires and it rolled over her leg. Shetook a few points of damage, and we all snickered a little as shepulled herself out of the mud and tried again.

And it happened again.And again.Now, this might not seem uproariously funny but, believe me,

after the days and nights our characters had experienced, to seeone of our number vainly trying to push her car downhill in therain and mud – and fail, time and time again, to keep from get-ting run over by her own vehicle – cracked us up. Soon, every-one in the room (including the unlucky player) was laughing.We’d completely blown the mood the gamemaster had so care-fully crafted, and we were making gags and jokes even as ourmerciless investigators finally broke down and helped our driverout of the mud.

This might not seem like a critical occurrence, but it was. Forseveral hours, the gamemaster had been working to get us tothis point in the adventure. He wanted us edgy and nervous aswe entered the house, not laughing and light-hearted. He cer-tainly hadn’t planned on this situation.

But he went with it. Instead of ominous shadows and creakyfloorboards, he greeted us with a warm, musty smell and a fire-place with wood stacked beside it. As we built a fire to dry off,his ghosts and horrors left us alone, we got rather cheery and.comfortable. And then the horrors came.

I won’t go into any more details, but I think that turned out tobe one of the most horrific experiences my investigator

ever had, and one of the most entertainingevenings of gaming I’ve ever played. All of us,veteran players, were drawn in by the humor ofthe situation and nobody was looking for the

DRAGON #228 73

horrors that followed. As a result, we wentfrom secure and comfortable to horrifiedand screaming in a matter of moments.Shock value re-ignited the scenario, andsoon we were fighting for our lives andour sanity.

The banana peel gagThe “banana peel gag” (BPG) is a joke

that’s funny because no one was expect-ing it. Slipping on a banana peel andfalling isn’t really funny – watchingsomeone doing it when you expect it isn’tall that funny either. But, when it happensin a serious situation where no one at allsees it coming, it can crack you up.

Every campaign has its share of BPGs.It’s funny, and everybody laughs, butmost gamemasters don’t know how tomake efficient use of it. Some let it injuretheir night of gaming or the campaign ingeneral. “This is a serious game,” theycry. “Stop making jokes!” Incidentalhumor is the bane of their existence.

Relax. The words “serious” and“game” shouldn’t be lumped together soeasily. Everyone’s out to have fun. A fewBPGs shouldn’t spoil that – they shouldenhance the situation.

I use the occasional BPG as a transi-tion. If a fighter slips and falls down thestairs in a dungeon, everyone gets alaugh as this plate-armored, backpack-carrying, 18/00 Strength clod get to landon his ear. As they’re all chuckling, Ithrow a monster at them, at the fighter,or at everyone. Soon they’re up to theirears in trouble. Why? Because theyweren’t expecting it.

Humor as a distraction works very,very well. If the wizard states afterwards“Hey, I was looking behind us! Theycouldn’t have surprised us!” you politelyinform her that, no, she was fighting toget a bird’s eye view of the warrior as hispack exploded outward, scattering gearand weapons all along the staircase.

You don’t want to make your BPGstoo commonplace. This can happenwhen you’ve got would-be humorists inthe party who try to force these things tohappen. You know the type. Every time aguy rolls a failure on the dice (whetheryou have critical failures or fumbles inyour campaign or not), he chimes in witha humorous effect he thinks should hap-pen. You might want to take him up onit sometimes, but not always.

The BPG as a running gagAnother anecdote (short one this time,

I promise). In a MERP* game I was run-ning a few years back, one of the hobbits

in the party could not resist firing his bowinto melee. His accuracy was deadly and,even with the heavy penalties for shoot-ing into combat, he seldom missed.

Except when the ranger was involved.No matter what, the hobbit would hit

the ranger accidentally with a stray shot.Now, for those of you familiar with theMERP system, you know any shot can benasty. Fortunately, the ranger usually gotoff relatively unscathed. But it became arunning gag.

This set up an interesting dynamicbetween the two characters. Normallyfriends, when they got into combat, theranger would not check his foes asclosely as he would that hobbit. He per-formed outrageous maneuvers to getout of the hobbit’s line of fire, and thehobbit, perversely, always maneuveredhim back into position. And, true toform, at least one of every two shots thehobbit took hit the ranger.

Now most players (and characters)would get really annoyed by this. But, forsome reason, the ranger took it in stride.(No pun intended!) He seemed to think itwas a challenge to survive the best hisfoes could throw at him and the worst hisfriends could deal him.

So, as a gamemaster, I tried to“weight” the situations so that the hobbitwould either be able or unable to shootat the ranger’s foe. I would also “weight”(okay, cheat) to keep the arrows awayfrom the ranger when I thought it appro-priate. We still had the running gag, butit was under control.

And every so oftenWhen you’ve mastered the BPG and

the running gag, you might want to injecta little planned humor into your ultra-serious campaign. In fact, I recommend it.One of the most dangerous things a play-er, gamemaster, or gaming group can dois take their hobby too seriously. Youdon’t want to spoil a serious campaignwith too many running gags or BPGs, butyou need them to spice it up. Humoroussituations are part of life. They should bepart of your game as well.

So you can, as a gamemaster or aplayer, build in some “serious humor” inyour serious campaign.

For the gamemasterYou have more control over the tone

of your game. If you discourage humor,or if you promote it, the players follow.Try to react to their moods and keepthings consistent (until you want to zapthem, that is).

Now, this could come in the form of afunny incident (like a planned BPG), oran encounter with a strange or humor-ous NPC, or it might actually be an entireadventure – depending on what youthink your campaign needs.

And that’s the important thing. If yourcampaign seems to be getting stale (yourStar Wars* (characters just keep destroy-ing bigger and better Death Stars, forexample), or your players seem to be get-ting too involved in their characters (theparty’s cleric dies and everyone has avery serious wake), shake things up witha light-hearted, nobody-is-in-danger, funadventure. Even the most serious writerslike to pen the occasional humorousstory (even if they never show it to any-one); as the gamemaster, you should tryto work to lighten up your ultra-seriousgame occasionally. Otherwise, you endup being the group at the conventionthat everyone avoids because they are“way too into it.”

Try not to take things too seriouslywhen role-playing your character. Yourbounty hunter might be the toughesthombre this side of the Rio Grande, but hedoesn’t have to gun down everybodywho snickers in his presence – and hecan throw people off by cracking theoccasional joke, then scowling when peo-ple laugh.

Develop a few personality quirks. Mostgames these days encourage that any-way. Role-play them well most of thetime, but go to the extreme once in awhile. For example, if your serious ship’spilot is considered a “hotshot,” most of thetime he’s going to succeed spectacularlyat what he does in his starfighter – but,when he fails, he should fail big – or atleast act as though he did. Make jokesabout being the only pilot in the Allianceto shoot down two dozen enemy craft butnever be able to land one successfullyyourself. (You know who I’m talkingabout, don’t you?) Pointing a few quips atyourself might get everyone else on a roll.If not, a few friendly jibes between com-rades (or the occasional practical joke,played with the help of the game master)might get send the right message.

Ed Stark Iabors in the game mines of TSR,Inc. He is a game designer and editor.

* indicates a product produced by a companyother than TSR, Inc.

As a player

74 APRIL 1996

76 DRAGON 1996

by Jean Rabeillustrated by Terry Dykstra

ar below Waterdeep, where the labyrinths ofUndermountain twist and spiral ever downward, treasure

waits. One band of adventurers, braving the dangeroustunnels, came back battered and shaken – recovering only abook before escaping with their lives. But such a treasure it was– an ancient snakeskin-bound spellbook written in elvish.Among the enchantments inside were spells to attract powerfulfamiliars. These creatures, which bind themselves to the wizardswho cast the spells, imbue their mentors with wondrous abilities.

Find Companion(Conjuration/Summoning)Third LevelRange: 1 mile/levelComponents: V, SDuration: SpecialCasting Time: Eight hoursArea of Effect: One creatureSaving Throw: None

This enchantment is similar to the first level spell find famil-iar; however, it brings to the caster an animal companion withenhanced abilities. The creature attracted benefits a wizard byconveying its sensory powers to its master, conversing withhim, and serving as a guard, scout, or spy. A wizard can haveonly one animal companion at a time, though he also can havea normal familiar drawn by the first level spell.

The animal companion enters into a magical bond with thewizard and will no longer age at the rate a similar normal ani-mal would. The animal lives as long as its wizardmentor–unless it is killed earlier by spells, phys-ical attacks, or neglect. In addition, like a

familiar, the animal companion gains the saving throws of itswizard-mentor. The wizard gains an empathic link with the ani-mal and can issue it mental commands at a distance of up to10 miles.

Because it is enhanced through the casting of the find com-panion spell, such an animal usually has more hit dice and abetter Armor Class than a creature like it would normally pos-sess. Its hit points are improved also. In addition to rolling hitpoints based on the animal’s hit dice, a number of hit points areadded equal to the caster’s level – to a maximum of 20. Forexample, a 7th-level wizard with a badger companion wouldadd 7 hit points to the creature’s total. A 9th-level wizard wouldadd 9.

Wizards can call upon these creatures to perform varioustasks and missions and can rely upon their innate magical abil-ities. Smarter than a natural creature, companions easily cancarry out basic orders and can understand when their mastersare in danger. All animal companions initially have a Neutralalignment. Through association with the wizard, however, thecompanion assumes the same alignment as its master.

If the companion is separated from its wizard mentor by morethan 50 miles, the wizard loses one hit point a day until he dies(at which time the companion also dies) or until the companionreturns to within the 50-mile radius. These improved familiarsgain the saving throws of their wizard-masters.

If the companion is killed, the wizard must successfully rollan immediate system shock check or lose two levels of experi-ence. If the check is successful, the wizard loses one level ofexperience.

Companions vary in power and abilities, andthe type of companion gained is random. Roll

1d20 and consult the following chart:

DRAGON #228 77

1 Raccoon 11 Monkey2 Badger 12 Snake3 Winged serpent 13 Stag4 Rat 14 Otter5 Spider 15 Fox6 Iguana 16 Wolf7 Talking owl 17 Horse8 Falcon 18 Cooshee9 Vulture 19 Brown bear

10 Bat 20 Cheetah

Badger: HD 2+1; AC 3; THAC0 19;#AT 3; Dmg l–3/1–3/1–4; MV 9, burrow6; SZ S

A sturdy burrowing animal with thickhair, a badger is a loyal and fierce com-panion. A wizard who has this animal asa companion develops a patch of whitehair at the top of his head, just as a bad-ger has a patch of white hair on the topof its head. Some wizards cover up thispatch so others will not learn about thepresence of a badger companion.

A badger companion, once a day, canadd 15 bonus hit points to its wizard-master and confer to its master an AC of3. The Armor Class benefit does notapply if the wizard already has an AC of3 or better. This is done at the wizard’srequest or if the badger senses its masteris in serious danger. The added hit pointsand Armor Class remain for six turns(one hour). The badger does not lose anyof its hit points, nor does its Armor Classworsen in the process.

Bat: HD 1+2; AC 7; THAC0 20; #AT 1;DMG 1–3; MV 1; FI 24 (B); SZ T

A bat companion is small and has awingspan of 6”–1’. Bats come in shadesof gray, brown, and black, and their wiz-ard companions’ hair quickly matchesthe hue of the bats’ leathery wings. A batcompanion is loathe to be about duringthe day – unless in an underground set-ting. During the daylight, its movementrate is cut in half. At night, because of itssonar, it has the equivalent of infravisionto 120’ and can ignore the effects of fogand magical darkness. Once an evening,it allows its wizard-master to fly with amovement rate of 12 (B), and to trans-form himself into a bat with a flying rateof 24 (B). These abilities last for 1d6 +2turns (30 to 80 minutes).

Brown bear: HD 5+5; AC 5; THAC015; #AT 3; Dmg 1–6/1–6/1–8; SA hug;MV 12; S L

An aggressive hunter that stands 9’tall, a bear companion gifts its masterwith the hunting proficiency at a score of18. This companion animal has suchkeen senses that three times a day hecan detect illusions within a 30’ radius.This information can be readily passed toits wizard-master. A wizard with this com-panion grows long, thick, shaggy hair.

Cheetah: HD 4; AC 4; THAC0 16; #AT3; Dmg 1–3/1–3/1–8; SA rear claws 1–3

each; SD surprised only on a 1; MV 15,sprint 45; SZ M

A sand-colored cat that stands4’–4½’ tall, the cheetah is a skilledhunter that can naturally camouflageitself. It is surprised only on a 1. Unlessspringing to the attack, it has a 90%chance to go unseen in woodland set-tings, an 80% chance in farmlands orplains, and a 70% chance in shadowybuildings or underground areas. Thecheetah possesses the following non-weapon proficiencies: hunting (15), track-ing (16), and survival (16). When its wiz-ard-master is within 30’ of it in an out-door setting, the effect is as if the wizardwas wearing a cloak of elvenkind. Further,while the wizard is within 10’ of the cat,he is surprised only on a 1. The wizardcompanion develops cat’s-eyes.

Cooshee: HD 4+3; AC: 4; THAC0 16;#AT 3; Dmg 1–4/1–4/2–8; MV 15, sprint45; SZ M

Recognized as an elven dog, thecooshee only barks to warn its wizard-master of danger. A cooshee companioncan puss without truce at will, as per the1st level priest spell, and allows its wiz-ard to do the same once a day. In addi-tion, the dog has infravision to 90’ candetect secret or concealed doors on a1–2 on a six-sided die, can move silentlyin any woodland setting, and has thetracking nonweapon proficiency at ascore of 18. A cooshee companion has avery magical nature, and once a day itcan identify wizards within a 60’ radius.A wizard who has this animal for a com-panion has brown patches on his back.

Falcon: HD 2; AC 4; THAC0 19; #AT 3;Dmg 1–3/1–3/1–3; MV 1, fly 36 (B); SZ S

Small, maneuverable birds of prey,falcons form fast bonds with their mas-ters. Like the falcon, the wizard gains ataste for raw meat and periodically hasan urge to hunt for his dinner. A falconcompanion, once a day, allows its mas-ter to cast a 1st, 2nd, or 3rd level spellthrough it. For example, a wizard with afalcon flying high overhead could cast amagic missile or a web at a foe that wouldotherwise be out of the wizard’s range.

Fox: HD 2; AC 6; THAC0 19; #AT 1;Dmg 1–6; MV 15; SZ S

A member of the dog family, foxesare noted for their bushy tails and largeerect ears. A wizard who gains a foxcompanion also gains a slight point tohis ears, making others suspect thatthere is a hint of elvish blood in his lin-

78 APRIL 1996

eage. Elves gain an even more pro-nounced point to their ears. Especiallyclever and quick, foxes bestow improvedmovement, so that the wizard has amaximum normal movement rate of 15.

Three times a day a fox companion isable to dimension door into trees andbushes, similar to the way a dryad candimension door into an oak tree. The foxcan stay in a tree or bush as long as it orits wizard-master desires. Once a day thefox can confer one of its dimension dooruses to its master. However, the wizardcan stay inside a tree for only up to eighthours. At the end of that time, the wizardfinds himself expelled from the tree.

Horse: HD 4+4; AC 6; THAC0 16; #AT2; Dmg 1–8/1–8; MV 15, gallop 30; SZ L

A companion horse is large and mus-cular, an impressive mount that istremendously loyal to its master. It cantravel long distances without tiring, andit can fend for itself, feeding on plantsand grasses – even locating food for itsmaster, if necessary.

Twice a day, at its master’s request, acompanion horse can determine howmany spells remain in a designated wiz-ard’s memory. However, it cannot deter-mine the levels or kinds of spells. A wiz-ard with this companion comes to favorapples, oats, and sugar.

Iguana: HD 2; AC 6; THAC0 19; #AT 1;Dmg 1–4; MV 9, climb 6; SZ S

A large herbivorous green lizard witha dorsal crest, an iguana companion per-haps best serves as a guard for its wizardmaster or his home and treasures. A wiz-ard who attracts this animal through thefind companion spell quickly loses anappetite for meat. Like his iguana com-panion, the wizard now prefers fruits andvegetables.

Once a day, an iguana can be com-manded to guard an object or individual.If the object or individual is threatened,the iguana changes form to defend itscharge. It retains this new form for 3d4turns (30 minutes to two hours): HD 6; AC0; THAC0 13; #AT 1; Dmg 4–16; MV 18,climb 12; S M. In addition, once a day theiguana can cast a strength spell upon itsmaster. The spell grants the wizard 1d4additional points of Strength, which lastssix turns (one hour).

Monkey: HD 2+1; AC 7; THAC0 19;#AT 1; Dmg 1–3; MV 9, climb 9; SZ S

A small primate with a long tail, amonkey is fiercely loyal to its master. Thewizard with this companion prefers to

eat fruits, nuts, and the occasional insect.The wizard gains the ability to climbtrees at 90% and to climb walls at 50%.

Twice a day, the monkey can callupon an innate jump ability, as per thespell, with each session lasting 10 roundsand allowing him to travel much fartherthan would normally be possible. Alsotwice a day, the monkey grants to itsmaster the ability to speak with mon-keys, as per the speak with animals spell.Each use of this ability lasts 1 turn.

Otter: HD 2; AC 4; THAC0 19; #AT 1;Dmg 1–3; MV 12, swim 18; SZ S

Having webbed and clawed feet anddark brown fur, an otter companion is afast and agile swimmer that gifts its mas-ter with the swimming proficiency at ascore of 18 and a swimming movementrate of 12. A wizard with such a compan-ion has no desire to eat red meat. Heprefers fish above all other foods – rawor cooked – and goes out of his way todine on freshwater fish.

Twice a day, an otter companion canbreathe water as if it were air for up tofour hours at a time. If it desires, or if thewizard requests it, the otter can bestowone of those water-breathing uses uponits master.

Raccoon: HD 2; AC 8; THAC0 19; #AT1; Dmg 1–4; MV 9, swim 9; SZ S

A small, flesh-eating mammal with abushy, ringed tail, the raccoon bestowson its wizard master a 40% chance toclimb walls and an 80% chance to climbtrees. Like his animal friend, the wizardprefers to eat meat – and only eats veg-etables or fruit when there is no meatavailable. The raccoon is a timid animaland only ventures into dangerous terrainwhen commanded.

Raccoons see well in darkness, andonce a day – at its master’s request – itcan grant the wizard infravision to 60’.This ability lasts 1d4 hours. If its masteralready possesses infravision, the rac-coon increases its master’s infravisionrange by 25% during this time.

Rat: HD 2; AC 6; THAC0 19; #AT 1;Dmg 1–3; MV 15, swim 6; SZ T

A small gnawing mammal with white,brown, or black fur, a rat serves as anexcellent spy. A wizard with this creatureas his animal companion quickly learnsthat his hair matches the color of hiscompanion rat.

Once a day, the rat can assume gaseousform for one hour. If the rat does notassume gaseous form at all during the

course of a day, it can instead confer uponits master the ability to turn gaseous. Thisrequest must be made by the wizard.

Snake: HD 3+1; AC 5; THAC0 18; #AT2; Dmg 1–3 (bite)/1–3 (constrict); MV 9;SZ S

A 5’–6’ long constrictor, the snakecauses its wizard-master’s tongue to thinslightly and to fork. The wizard gains apermanent +2 bonus to saving throwsvs. snake poison.

Twice a day, the snake can transformitself into a wooden staff. Each transfor-mation lasts up to two hours. If used as aweapon, the staff inflicts 1d6 hp dam-age. The staff has the snake’s ArmorClass and can withstand the snake’s hitpoints in damage before it – and thesnake – are destroyed. Once a day thewizard can meld form with the snake,though not while it is a staff. During themeld, the snake assumes the wizard’s hitpoints and movement rate. The wizardcannot cast spells while melded with thesnake. The meld lasts 1d4 +4 turns(50–80 minutes), with the wizard beingable to break the meld earlier.

Spider: HD 1; AC 7; THAC0 20; #AT 1;Dmg 1–2; MV 12, web 9; SZ T

The smallest of animal companions,the spider is roughly 2”–3” across.Attracting this creature through the findcompanion spell causes the wizard’s eyesto become black and glossy. Those look-ing closely at him see the faint outline ofa spider in the center of his pupils. A spi-der is small enough to slip into mostplaces unseen, acting as an excellentinformation-gatherer for its master.

Three times a day the spider can con-fer upon the wizard the spider climbingability, as per the spell. The duration ofeach use is 1–3 turns (10–30 minutes),and the wizard must communicate hisdesire for the ability. In addition, the wiz-ard gains a +2 to his saving throws if aweb spell is cast in his vicinity.

Stag: HD 4+2; AC 6; THAC0 17; #AT1; Dmg1–8; MV24; SZ M

As tall as a horse, though lackingsome of the bulk, the stag is an elegant-looking companion. It can be used as amount by an unarmored wizard-master.Three times a day, at its master’s request,a stag can determine the alignment of adesignated individual who is within 60yards. The wizard with this companiongrows twin nubs on the top of his head,roughly where antlers would be on astag’s head.

DRAGON #228 79

Talking owl: HD 3+2; AC 2; THAC018; #AT 1; Dmg 1–4/1–4/1–2; MV 1 fly36 (B); SZ S

A diminutive bird of prey with a largehead and a small hooked bill, the owlcan fly at any time of the day, though itis clear the bird prefers to be about in theevenings. Its master soon feels more atease when the sun sets, and he acquiresa taste for small rodents. A talking owlspeaks the language of its master, plussix additional tongues.

The bird can detect good at will sixtimes a day. However, if it forgoes any ofthe uses of that ability in a day, it cantransfer them to its wizard-companion.For example, if a talking owl decided notto use its detect good ability during thecourse of a day, it could grant its mastersix uses of the detect good spell. The owlis immune to the following spells: causefear, charm person, command, friends, hyp-notism, forget, hold person, ray of enfeeble-ment, scare, and fear.

1–4 hp damage the first round and 2–8hp damage the following two rounds,save vs. poison for half damage. Threetimes a day the serpent can use a breathweapon, which consists of a cloud ofdancing sparks 10’ in diameter. All thosewithin the cloud suffer 2–16 hp damage,save for one-half, and the sparks igniteexposed flammable materials. The ser-pents are especially vulnerable to fire-based attacks, suffering a –2 savingthrow. If they fail their saving throwagainst a fire attack, its wings are inciner-ated. The serpents cannot use theirbreath weapon while wingless. The ser-pents are immune to all electrical attacks,and they are able to regenerate theirwings in 1–3 days. If they tuck theirwings in close to their bodies they canspider climb at will. Once per day the ser-pent can transfer its breath weapon to itsmaster. The wizard with this companionmust spend 100 gp a month on specialfruits and nuts for the winged serpent.After a few months in the company ofthis creature, the wizard’s diet starts tomirror the serpent’s.

Vulture: HD 2+1; AC 5; THAC0 19; Colorful snakes with hues of green,#AT 1; Dmg 1-4; MV 3, fly 27 (E); SZ M blue, purple, yellow, and orange, these

Scavengers with bodies roughly 2’ companions are 8’–10’ long and havelong and wingspans of up to 7’, vultures wingspans of 10’–15’. The bite of a

winged serpent is venomous, inflicting Dmg 2–5; MV 38; SZ Sare far from the most attractive of animalWolf: HD 4; AC 6; THAC0 17; #AT 1;

companions. They have greasy-lookingblue and black feathers over their bodies,save for their heads, which are bald andpink-skinned. A wizard with such a com-panion also is bald. Because vultureshave a knack for finding dead creatures,three times a day they can detectundead: within a 120’ radius. They sufferonly half-damage from physical attacksof undead creatures, and they ignore thefollowing effects caused by undeadaging, level draining, fear, mummy rot,and paralyzation. A vulture bestows uponits companion the ability to ignore oneaging or one level-draining attack perday. For example, a wizard with a vulturecompanion would ignore the first attackfrom a vampire that would normallycause a loss of two experience levels.However, a second attack by the undeadwould result in the level drain.

Winged serpent: HD 4+4; AC 5;THAC0 15; #AT 1; Dmg 14; MV 12, fly 18(B); SZ L

80 APRIL 1996

Standing between 3’–4’ high at theshoulder, this companion confers uponits wizard-master a permanent +1 bonusto saving throws vs. charm attacks. Thewolf also enjoys this benefit. In addition,twice a day the animal can turn itself intoa worg with these statistics: HD 5; AC 5;THAC0 16; #AT 1; Dmg 2–8; MV 18; SZ M(4’–7’). The form lasts 2d4 turns.

When in the presence of its wolf com-panion, the wizard is able to speak withwolves, as a speak with animal spell. Awizard with a wolf companion becomesalmost exclusively a meat eater.

Find Minion(Conjuration/Summoning)Sixth LevelRange: 1 mile/levelComponents: V, SDuration: SpecialCasting Time: 12 hoursArea of Effect: One creatureSaving Throw: None

This enchantment is similar to the firstlevel spell find familiar and the third levelspell find companion; however it brings tothe caster a minion with powerful abili-ties. The creature attracted benefits a wiz-ard by conveying its sensory powers toits master, conversing with him, and serv-ing as a guard, scout, or spy. A wizard canhave only one minion at a time, thoughhe also can have a normal familiardrawn by the 1st-level spell and a com-panion drawn by the third level spell. Theminion enters into a magical bond withthe wizard and no longer ages at the ratea similar normal animal would. The ani-mal will live as long as the wizard unlessit is killed earlier by spells, physicalattacks, or neglect. In addition, like afamiliar or companion, the minion gainsthe saving throws of its wizard-mentor.The wizard gains an empathic link withthe minion and can issue it mental com-mands at a distance of up to 30 miles. Inaddition to rolling hit points based on aminion’s hit dice, a number of hit pointsare added based on the wizard’s level, toa maximum of 20 bonus hit points. Forexample, a 12th-level wizard with an owl-bear minion would add 12 hit points tothe creature’s total. A 16th-level wizardwould add 16.

Wizards can call upon these creaturesto perform various tasks and missionsand can rely upon their special abilities.Minions easily carry out basic orders andunderstand when their masters are indanger. If the minion is separated fromthe wizard by more than 100 miles, the

wizard loses one hit point a day until thewizard dies (at which time the minionalso dies) or until the minion returns towithin the 100-mile radius. If the minionis killed, the wizard must successfully rollan immediate system shock check orloose two points of Intelligence. If thecheck is successful, the wizard loses onepoint of Intelligence. Minions vary inpower and abilities, and those attractedby the spell are determined randomly.More information on each minion can befound in the Monstrous MANUAL™ tome.Roll 1d12 and consult the following table.

1 Owl bear2 Elven Cat3 Blink Dog4 Umberhulk5 Unicorn6 Pseudodragon7 Displacer Beast8 Peryton9 Pegasus

10 Dragonne11 Hippogriff12 Griffon

Blink Dog: HD 4; AC 5; THAC0 17;#AT 1; Dmg 1–6; MV 12; SZ M

A blink dog minion looks like a stockymutt or mongrel, making their kind diffi-cult to distinguish or recognize as special.A wizard with this minion has unkempt,shaggy hair. Blink dogs have their owncomplex language of barks and yelps,which their masters can understand.These creatures have an innate ability toblink, with no possibility of ending upinside something solid. Roughly 75% ofthe time they are able to attack targetsfrom the rear because of this ability.Twice a day, a blink dog minion grants toits wizard master the ability to blink, asper the spell for six rounds.

Displacer Beast: HD 6; AC 4; THAC015; #AT 2; Dmg 2–8/2–8; MV 15; SZ L

Looking like a puma with two tenta-cles, a displacer beast minion causes itsmaster to have jet-black hair. This crea-ture retains its lawful evil alignment, nomatter the alignment of its master – whoit faithfully serves. Such a minion can:displace itself, allowing it to appearabout 3’ from its actual location; makeall saving throws as if it were a 12th-levelfighter; cause attacking opponents tosuffer a –2 penalty. A displacer beastgrants to lawful neutral and lawful evilwizard-masters the ability to displacethemselves 1’–2’ from where they areactually standing for up to one hour a

day. This ability acts effectively as a cloakof displacement, which is listed in theDUNGEON MASTER® Guide.

Dragonne: HD 9; AC 6 flying, 2ground; THAC0 11; #AT; Dmg 1–8/1–8/3–18; MV 15, fly 9 (E); SZ M

A dragonne companion resembles alion with long, feathery eyebrows andlarge, webbed wings. A wizard-masteralso gains overlong, feathery eyebrows.Three times a day this minion can emit aterrible roar that causes weakness increatures within 120’ of it unless theymake a successful saving throw vs. para-lyzation. Any creature within 30’ of theroar is deafened for 2–12 rounds, and allthose hearing the roar suffer –1 onattack rolls. A dragonne’s master isimmune to the effects of the roar. Adragonne minion is more powerful thanits brethren. While they can fly for 1–3turns at a time, the minion can fly for2–8 turns.

Elven Cat: HD 3+6; AC 4; THAC0 17;#AT 3; Dmg 1–2/1–2/1–3; MV 18, swim9; SZ T

Looking like a normal house cat,often with gray or brown fur and blackstripes, these minions have their ownlanguage and also understand the elvishtongue. Unlike other cats, they lovewater, and they are frequently foundswimming or playing in streams andpuddles when not performing a task ormission These minions are surprisedonly on a 1; impose a –5 to opponents’surprise roll; enjoy a 99.9% chance tomove silently and a 90% chance to hidein wilderness areas; and can leap 20’with ease. Further, they have limited ESP,can use enlarge and trip once a day, andcan employ reduce and tree twice a day–at the 9th level of ability. Enlarge doublesthe minion’s Hit Dice and damage; treeallows it to assume the shape of a treelimb. Once a day, they confer to theirmaster the ability to use the enlarge ortree spell. This does not count against awizard’s spell allotment, though it pre-vents the minion from using the chosenability that day. A wizard with an elvencat as a minion develops a taste forswimming and playing in the water.

Griffon: HD 7; AC 3; THAC0 13; #AT3; Dmg 1–4/1–4/2–16; MV 12, fly 30 (C,D mounted); SZ L

Ferocious avians that look like themeld of a lion and a giant eagle, theseminions, which can serve as mounts, areprized and powerful. A wizard with this

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minion either has his hair turn a goldenbrown, or his skin (50% chance foreither.) Further, a wizard feels compelledto provide the minion at least one horse,Pony or donkey each week. Inexchange, the griffon grants its wizard-master the ability to once a week controlhorses, as per the animal control potion.The wizard can influence the emotionsand drives of 1d4+4 horses for 1d4+4turns (10 to 80 minutes).

Hippogriff: HD 3+3; AC 5; THAC0 17;#AT 3; Dmg 1–6/1–6/1–10; MV 18, fly36 (C, D mounted); SZ L

This monstrous hybrid of an eagleand a horse is one of the more prizedminions. It will readily lay down its lifefor its wizard-master. Because of thebond established, the wizard cannot eatuntil he is certain his hippogriff is sated–even if that means offering the animalhis food. Once a day it can change itsform to that of a light riding horse, ashape it can hold for 3d6 turns (30 min-utes to three hours), and twice a day itcan assume the form of a regular-sizedeagle, a shape it can hold for 2d4 turns(20–80 minutes). The hippogriff gifts thewizard with the ability to speak withhorses and to speak with eagles eachonce a day, as per the speak with animalsspell.

Owlbear: HD 5+2; AC 5; THAC0 15;#AT 3; Dmg 1–6/1–6/2–12; SA hug; MV12; SZ L

Appearing as a cross between a giantowl and a bear, these minions weigh inexcess of 1,000 pounds and are oftenaggressive and vicious. A minion owl-bear will not fight to the death unless itis commanded to do so by its wizard-master or unless its master is in seriousdanger. Though these minions preferheavily-wooded forests, they usually stayat their masters’ sides – no matter wherehe travels. Unlike other owlbears, theseminions do not lay eggs. However, liketheir brethren, they hibernate in the win-ter – provided they and their wizard-masters live in lands that have such cli-mates. A wizard with this minion devel-ops a small crest of yellow-brown hair atthe top of his head, mirroring the owl-bear’s crest. A minion owl bear possess-es one special ability: once a day, for2d4+4 turns (one to two hours), it canassume the form of a giant owl or abrown bear. It retains its normal hitpoints and Armor Class during the trans-formation.

Pegasus: HD 4; AC 6; THAC0 17; #AT3; Dmg 1–8/1–8/1–3; MV 24, fly 48 (C,D mounted); SZ L

A formidable winged steed, a minionPegasus can be found in hues of white,gray, tan, and dark brown. Such a minioncan understand most human commontongues. A Pegasus remains chaoticgood, and over the course of a fewmonths; its wizard-master’s alignmentchanges to chaotic good. A Pegasus min-ion can attack an opponent with its rearhooves, inflicting 2–12 hp damage; divefrom 50’ or higher at +2 to attack, withits front hooves inflicting double damage;and detect evil and detect good in a 60-yard range at will. The Pegasus’ wizard-master is granted the ability to cast detectevil and detect good each once a day. Awizard with a Pegasus minion is only ableto eat fruit, grass, and other plants.

Peryton: HD 4; AC 7; THAC0 17; #AT1; Dmg 4–16; MV 12, fly 21 (C); SZ M

A peryton minion looks like a giantdark green eagle with a blue-black stag’shead, obsidian antlers, and red-orangeeyes. Typically an evil creature, this min-ion’s alignment quickly changes tomatch that of its wizard-master. In return,its master’s eyes become orange-red.Such a minion gains +2 on all attackrolls, is immune to nonmagical weapons,and can plunge from several hundredfeet at a target for an additional +2attack bonus. A wizard with a perytonminion gains an immunity to nonmagi-cal weapons once a day for 1d6 turns(10 minutes to one hour).

Pseudodragon: HD 2; AC 2; THAC0 19;#AT 1; Dmg 1–3; SA poison sting; MV 6,fly 24 (B); SZ T

Resembling a miniature red dragon, apseudodragon minion is +4 on attackrolls. Its poison is quite potent – all thosewho fail a saving throw against it fall intoa state of catalepsy that lasts 1–6 days.The creature’s chameleon-like powerenables it to blend with a forest back-ground, giving it an 80% chance to beeffectively invisible. A pseudodragon hasinfravision to 60’, can see invisible crea-tures and objects, and has a 35% magicresistance.

Once a day, a pseudodragon minionwill grant to its wizard master infravisionof 60’ for 3d4 turns (30 minutes to twohours) and the ability to see invisibleobjects and creatures for 1d4 turns(10–40 minutes). These abilities are grant-ed when the wizard requests them. A wiz-ard with this minion will grow a circular

band of red scales about his wrists orankles (50% chance for either location).

Umberhulk: HD 8+8; AC 2; THAC0 11;#AT 3; Dmg 3–12/3–12/1–10; MV 6, bur-row 1–6; SZ L

An umberhulk retains its chaotic evilalignment, even though it will obey itswizard-master, who can be of any align-ment. Wizards with these minions haveeyes that look like blackened circles. Apowerful subterranean creature, theumberhulk prefers to remain in darkconfines, where it has a greater chanceto surprise opponents. Like other umber-hulks, a minion can easily bite throughhide or bone, cause opponents under-ground or in dark chambers to suffer a–5 penalty to surprise rolls; burrow; digthrough stone; cause cave-ins; andcause confusion per the spell – if a victimlooks into its eyes. This minion hasinfravision to 90’ and grants an evilly-aligned wizard-master the same infravi-sion ability. If the wizard is evil and is anelf or half-elf, his infravision range isincreased to 180’.

Unicorn: HD 4+4; AC 2; THAC0 15;#AT 3; Dmg 1–6/1–6/1–12; MV 2; SZ L

A unicorn minion retains its chaoticgood alignment, no matter the align-ment of its wizard-master and will unerr-ingly serve a master of any alignment.Such minions can sense an enemy up to240 yards away, cause opponents to suf-fer –6 on their surprise rolls, gain a +2bonus to hit, charge an opponent with itshorn for 3–36 points of damage, andteleport themselves and their wizard-master once a day up to 360 yardsaway. These minions can never becharmed or held by spells, they areimmune to death spells, and they makesaving throws as if they were 11th levelwizards. A unicorn minion will gift to agoodly-aligned wizard-master a perma-nent immunity to charm person or holdperson spells – the choice is the wizard’sBecause of the wizard’s close ties to itsminion, his hair becomes stark white,matching the hair color of the unicorn.

Jean Rabe is the author of several TSRnovels and is hard at work on her next one –the first DRAGONLANCE: THE FIFTH AGE™ novel.She lives in Wisconsin.

82 APRIL 1996

by Skip Williams

If you have any questions on thegames produced by TSR, Inc., “SageAdvice” will answer them. In the UnitedStates and Canada, write to: Sage Advice,DRAGON® MAGAZINE, 201 Sheridan SpringsRoad, Lake Geneva, WI 53147, USA. InEurope, write to: Sage Advice, DRAGONMAGAZINE, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End,Cherry Hinton, Cambridge, CB1 3LB,United Kingdom. You can also send yourquestions via e-mail to tsrsage@aol.com.We regret that personal replies areimpossible. SASEs are being returnedwith a copy of our writer’s guidelines.

This month, the Sage takes a longlook at spells for the AD&D® game and,in honor of April Fool’s Day, considerssome questions that are just a tad odd.

If a wizard uses a shape change spellto turn into a dragon, can he pick whatage category of dragon he turns into? Ifnot, what age is the dragon? This isimportant, because a dragon’s age cate-gory determines what spell-like abili-ties it has and how much damage itsbreath weapon inflicts.

Because shape change is a 9th-levelspell that costs 5,000 gp to cast, I’minclined to be generous. Let the casterstate the approximate size of dragonhe’s changing into, then check that sizeagainst the age table in the MONSTROUSMANUAL™ tome for the type of dragon thecharacter has chosen. It’s helpful to havethe caster state the dragon’s bodylength; you can calculate the creature’stail length separately if the need arises.For example, a wizard who changes intoa red dragon with a body 100’ long, he’dbecome a mature adult (because matureadult red dragons have body lengthsranging from 99’ to 118’). The dragon’stail length would be about 90’ (near thelower end of the range). The wizardwould gain the dragon’s Armor Class of–6 and the dragon’s movement abilities:flight at speed of 30 (C) walking at speedof 9 and the ability to make jumps up to

No they can’t. The shell keeps out anyliving creature that is wholly or partiallycomposed of animal matter. Creatureswholly composed of plant matter or min-erals (or some combination of plant andmineral) ignore antianimal shells. Undeadare unaffected (because they are notalive) as are all creatures with a purelyextraplanar origin. For example, tanar’ri,

Can humans and demihumans enteran antianimal shell?

No. Areas of effect for spells, spell-likeabilities, breath weapons, gaze attacks,or similar abilities don’t change when acreature’s size changes. Though a gazeattack that actually requires an enemy tomeet a creature’s gaze (as opposed tomerely being looked at) might be;human-sized creatures, for example,probably won’t look into the eyes of amedusa that has been reduced to aheight of two inches.

If a creature with a breath weapon issubjected to a reduce spell, is the size ofthe breath weapon affected?

Note that a character using the muchweaker polymorph self spell can’t changeinto a form any larger than a hippopota-mus, which would limit the character tothe form of a hatchling red dragon, andthe caster would get no extra abilitiesbeyond normal flight.

The wizard does not get the dragon’sbreath weapon, spell-like abilities(including the ability to detect invisiblecreatures), or fear aura because thesepowers depend on a dragon’s innatemagical nature and superior intellect (ifthe DM is feeling particularly ungener-ous, he can disallow the fire immunity aswell). The wizard does not gain the drag-on’s magic resistance either, because ashape change spell never bestows magicresistance.

30 yards. The wizard also gains a matureadult red dragon’s physical attacks,immunity to fire, and infravision.

though basically “animal” aren’t affectedbecause they aren’t from the PrimeMaterial Plane.

Note that humans and demihumans(and tanar’ri) aren’t considered “animals”for game purposes (see next question).

The description of the 5th-levelpriest spell animal growth says the spellis particularly useful when used in con-junction with charm person spells. Canthis spell be used on humans and demi-humans? Can the caster use it on him-self?

Actually, the description says the spellis useful in conjunction with a charm per-son or mammal spell, which affects bothpeople and mammalian animals. Animalgrowth affects only animals; that is nat-ural quadrupeds, insects, arachnids,avians, fish, and reptiles. As a generalrule, animals fit into one of the afore-mentioned categories, have racial intelli-gence ratings of low (7) or worse, andhave no magical powers. Humans, demi-humans, and humanoids are composedof animal matter (see previous question),but they are not animals for the purpos-es of this spell or most other spells anditems that affect only animals, such asspeak with animals or the ring of mammalcontrol. Note that exceptional animalswith high Intelligence scores are still ani-mals, and that exceptional humans,demihumans, and humanoids with lowIntelligence scores are not.

When a character uses a protectionfrom magic scroll, do his own spells andmagical items continue functioning?Can the globe of protection the scrollprovides be removed with a dispelmagic spell? What happens whenanother character enters the globe withmagical items and spells running?

The best the caster can do is knowwhich direction the thoughts are comingfrom (left, right, ahead, behind, up,down, or some combination of these). Ifthe caster spends one round studying anarea containing hidden creatures, he cantell about how many there are, just as ifhe could see them, but he still doesn’tknow exactly where they are.

An ESP spell allows ‘the caster todetect the surface thoughts of creatureswithin the area of effect. Does this allowthe caster to pinpoint the locations ofcreatures he cannot see due to size,invisibility, concealment, or whatever?

The scroll creates a globe of anti-magic that negates all magical effects –

84 APRIL 1996

including the scroll-user’s own spells andmagical items – for as long as theyremain within the globe. A magical itemor portable spell effect carried into theglobe from outside ceases functioningthe instant it enters the globe, but beginsworking again the instant it leaves (pro-vided its duration hasn’t expired). Theglobe is impervious to dispel magic spells.

Is there anything that can remove ananti-magic shell other than the minutechance that a Mordenkainens disjunc-tion provides?

A wish or limited wish spell can negatethe shell; remember that these two spellsage the caster (and don’t forget the sys-tem shock roll). A 10th-level dispel effect(see the DM™ Option: High-Level Cam-paigns book, Chapter Six) destroys theshell if successful.

The description for the meteor swarmspell says any creature in the straight-line path of the missiles receives the fulleffect of the spell without a savingthrow. If the caster lines up two or moretargets, do either of them get a savingthrow? Where do the missiles detonate?Do they go off when they strike the firsttarget or do they detonate at the rangethe caster chooses?

If more then one target lies in a mis-sile’s path, they all suffer the full effectswith no saving throw. The missiles deto-nate at the range the caster specifies, nomatter how many targets they encounteralong the way, unless they encounter asolid barrier that blocks them. In the lat-ter case, missiles detonate at the barrierin the pattern the caster has specified.Note that each missile follows a pathfrom the caster to its place in the deto-nation pattern, so each missile follows aunique path.

How do you apply the range listingsfor the various monster summoningspells? Do the creatures summonedhave to be within range of the spell? Orcan the caster make the creaturesappear anywhere within the spell’srange? If not, where do they appear? Ifso, when does the caster choose thespot where the summoned creaturesappear?

The range applies to where the mon-ster appears in relation to the pointwhere the caster was standing when hecasts the spell. The caster must choose apoint where the summoned monster ormonsters will appear at the time of cast-ing, some adjustments will be necessary

when the monsters appear because thecaster doesn’t know exactly how manycreatures he’ll get. For example, a wizardstanding in the middle of a corridor 20’wide and 110’ long casts monster sum-moning I and chooses a spot straightahead and 25’ away, which is well with-in the spell’s area of effect (a 30-yardradius). The spell summons five orcs.One orc appears exactly 25’ from thecaster. The remaining four must appearin the same general vicinity, but the cast-er can freely choose what formationthey’re standing in, so long as there isspace available. He can’t have them allstanding in the same 5’-square area,because they won’t all fit, but he couldhave them standing single file along thecorridor or in a double row across thecorridor. In any case, the orcs mustappear next to each other, the castercan’t string them out along the entirecorridor, even though the whole corridorlies within the area of effect.

A rod of alertness senses creatureshostile to the rod wielder within a 120’radius. Does the rod indicate where thehostile creatures are if the wielder can-not otherwise detect them?

First, note that the rod detects hostilecreatures only when planted in theground and commanded to do so. Acharacter can’t carry the rod aroundusing it as an early warning system.When the rod gives the alarm, it gives noindication of where the creature (or crea-tures) it has detected is.

The sixth or indigo layer of a pris-matic sphere or prismatic wall spell stopsmagical spells. What happens to anyspell effects operating on a creaturewhen it steps through the layer? Also,what, exactly, does the final “force field”layer keep out?

No spell effect can pass through theindigo layer if cast so that its area ofeffect overlaps the sphere or wall or ifthe sphere or wall blocks a straight linebetween the spell caster and the targetpoint; however, a spell cast on a creatureis unaffected if the creature passesthough the layer. Note that spells withmobile areas of effect that extendbeyond the recipient stop at the sixthlayer. Such spells either collapse if forcedagainst the barrier (as is the case withprotection from evil 10’ radius) or simplykeep the recipient from passing throughthe layer (as is the case with Ottiluke’sresilient sphere).

The seventh or violet layer stops

everything except creatures who makesuccessful saving throws vs. spell whenthey contact the layer. Such creaturesand their equipment pass right through.Creatures who fail the saving through goto another plane. Objects propelled orthrust at the layer are deflected – if thewielder doesn’t go with the object theobject doesn’t go through the layer.

The description for the 4th-levelpriest spell spell immunity says it cannotaffect a creature already magically pro-tected by a potion, protective spell, ring,or other device. Does this mean a char-acter could remove his protective magi-cal items, cast or receive a spell immu-nity spell, then put his protective itemsback on and get the benefits of both thespell and the items? What happens ifthe character casts or receives the spellimmunity spell first, then casts orreceives other protective spells.

Spell immunity doesn’t work when therecipient also enjoys magical protectionfrom another source, no matter whenthe other source of protection takeseffect. If the spell recipient is alreadymagically protected, spell immunity hasno effect. If spell immunity already is inplace and the recipient receives anotherprotective spell, he can choose whichprotection will affect him. If he choosesthe additional spell, the spell immunity iscompletely negated, even if the newspell has a shorter duration than the spellimmunity. If he chooses the spell immu-nity, the new spell remains inactive untilthe spell immunity expires or is dispelled.If the new protection spell’s durationexpires before the spell immunity expires,the recipient can get no benefit from it.

Just how do you go about decidingwhich questions go into this columnanyway? If I e-mail you a question, willI get a personal reply?

I begin selecting questions by readingall my monthly mail. I tend to discardany question I can’t read or that I’veanswered recently. Once I’ve sortedeverything once, I take a close look atwhat I’ve got left. I look for questionsfrom people who have put somethought into their subjects before drop-ping me a line and for questions whoseanswers will help me make the wholegame a little clearer for everyone whoreads the column. If I have a theme inmind, I look for questions that fit thetheme. If you want to improve thechances of getting a question into print,follow these guidelines:

DRAGON #228 85

Type your question or print it clearlyin ink or send in a clear, clean computerprintout. If I can’t read a question, itdoesn’t get answered.

Get to the point. I really don’t need toread your life story, or the histories of allthe characters who were in play whenyour question came up.

Before sending your question, get outyour books and look – hard – for theanswers.

If you’re e-mailing a question, men-tion what you’re asking about in the sub-ject line of the message. Subject linesthat read “a question for the Sage” aren’thelpful. In any case, the “Sage” doesn’tsend personal replies – not even if youmail your question and send an SASE.

During a recent adventure, I decidedthat my wizard would cast a magic jarspell and then posses himself. My char-acter carried around the gem from thespell and used it to kill a medusa and acouple of beholders. My DM had a prob-lem with this, so I just told him to readthe spell description. He did, and heagreed that according to the wording Ihad not cheated or anything, but healso asked me to find out if that was amisuse of the spell. So what do youthink?

I think your DM overlooked the line inthe spell description that says the spellends when the caster returns to his ownbody, which is exactly what your charac-ter did when he “possessed himself.” (Ifyou’re curious, it’s the last line of the sev-enth paragraph.) I think its also occa-sionally okay for DMs to say, “No, youcan’t do that!” And then go on with thegame.

Are there any modules introducingdragon werebeasts?

No, and there probably never will bebecause lycanthropy only affectshumanoid creatures (see the MONSTROUSMANUAL™ tome, page 230).

A friend of mine had an elf characterwho became pregnant. After only fivemonths of game time went by, he want-ed to play the character again. He said itwas okay, because elves are only preg-nant for two months before havingtheir babies. Did he lie?

Whether your friend lied is a questionfor philosophers. Let’s just say that heprobably made up his “rule” on elvengestation on the spot so you’d let himplay his character. There is no hard andfast rule about gestation periods for

player character races in the AD&Dgame. Everybody pretty much agreesthat humans gestate for about ninemonths. Most other human-size racesshould have similar gestation periods, orperhaps a little longer to account fortheir longer lives. One campaign I knowabout held that the gestation periods forelves was about seven and a half years,which is a bit too long if you ask me.

The description for a bag of devour-ing says the bag is a lure for an extra-dimensional monster and that the bagis one of the creature’s feeding orifices.Can this creature be killed? If so, canyou retrieve items from it? What are itsstatistics?

Yes, the creature can be found andkilled, but only if the DM wants to takethe time to create statistics for the crea-ture and to design an adventure thatmight enable a party to track it down.Without such a special effort on theDM’s part, the creature is out of reach. Inany case, the creature digests everythingit swallows and the best any group ofwould-be monster slayers can hope toretrieve would be a few random itemsfrom the critter’s most recent snacks.

If a polymorphed female dragonmates with a human male and remainshuman during the pregnancy, will theoffspring be human or a dragon/humanhybrid such as. the draconians of theDRAGONLANCE® world? If the dragonchanges back to dragon form, what sortof creature will emerge if the dragonlays an egg?

The MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM® AnnualVolume Two includes an entry for halfdragons, but these are the results ofunions between demihuman females(elf, dwarf, or gnome) and male gold, sil-ver, or bronze dragons in demihumanform. A union between a male human ordemihuman and a dragon in human ordemihuman form produces no offspring.

Note that draconians are not cross-breeds at all, but creatures created fromgood dragon eggs corrupted by evilmagic.

There seem to be some sloppy gapsin the current DUNGEON MASTER® Guide.When TSR gets around to doing a thirdedition, I hope it contains more stan-dardized rules for dealing with dailyoccurrences. For example, I give you thefollowing scenario, which I encounteredthe last time I ran a game:

A party of adventurers kills a dragon

in a hall dominated by an ancient dwar-ven throne carved entirely out of onegiant emerald. Behind the throne is amagical elven airboat lying on its side.While the party druid goes to investi-gate the ship, the berserker gets goodand drunk. While the druid searches theship’s hold the berserker finds a largekeg of gunpowder and places it underthe throne. Then he lays a trail of oilfrom the keg to the hall entrance. Theberserker gets no response when heshouts to the druid, so he drops his torchand plugs his ears. Meanwhile, the druidemerges from the hold to see what theberserker wanted. Boom! Now, assum-ing that the throne fails its saving throwand the boat lies between the druid andthe throne, what is the chance that thedruid blows up, too? What are thechances that the entire party is killed byemerald shrapnel? If the druid survivesthe blast and the shrapnel, what are thechances the boat lands on her? Howmuch damage does a medium sizedeleven airboat do? Does the berserkerget an extra experience points forinventing rocketry?

Yeah boy, you’ve found a big hole inthe rules all right. People go aroundblowing up furniture-sized emeralds withkegs of gunpowder all the time; this situ-ation must have happened in campaignshere in the Lake Geneva area three orfour times last week alone. Even as youread this, teams of designers are fever-ishly at work perfecting shrapnel rules forall types of gemstones, not just emeralds.

Are you wondering just when thesegreat new rules will be available to thegeneral public? If you are, stop, becauseno such rules are being written.

I’ll start my real answer to this ques-tion by noting that slaying dragons andrecovering throne-sized emeralds are noteveryday events in well-run campaigns.Such things happen in great campaigns,but only as major events that cap aseries of epic adventures. When PCs canbump off the game’s biggest, baddestmonsters and haul home tons of lootafter every session the campaign is wellon its way to being a memory (and prob-ably not a fond one).

Likewise, it’s incumbent on the DM toput a little thought into encounters. Ifyou place a keg of gunpowder in a trea-sure hoard, you darn well should decidewhat’s likely to happen if the PCs blow itup long before the game starts. You can’tpredict everything players will have theircharacters do, but continual improvisa-tion kills a campaign.

86 APRIL 1996

So, before you decided your encoun-ter was ready to play you should havedecided how much damage potentialthat keg of power had. For brevity’s sake,let’s say your keg held 100 charges ofpowder (a pouch holds a maxim of 18,see DMG, page 238). That gives thewhole keg of damage potential of 200points and a blast radius of 15’ (also frompage 238 of the DMG). Knowing that,your next step is reconsidering whetherto let that much destructive power intoyour game. You also should considerwhat the dragon would do with the pow-der; dragons aren’t stupid, you know (itwasn’t a red dragon, was it?). Now con-sider the conditions in the dungeon. Isthe place fairly dry? (Wet gunpowder justdoesn’t blow up.)

Lets assume the power was dry andyour players really are silly enough to letthe berserker waste it and put anotherparty member in jeopardy at the sametime. Now 200 points is a lot of damage,but gunpowder provides more push thansmash, so the throne might break if itfails an item saving throw, but it’s justnot going to shatter. At worst, it’s justgoing to hop a bit into the air and crackin half when it lands. Characters outsidethe 15’ blast radius suffer no damage,which probably includes the druid if theboat’s deck points away from the throne.Nor is the blast going be powerfulenough to lift a boat large enough tohave a hold so big that a character hasto climb inside and search for awhile tofind out what’s inside. In any case theboat’s bulk is going to absorb the blastand shield the druid.

And, no, the berserker shouldn’t getany extra experience from this little bit ofsilliness.

Skip Williams is a game designer and edi-tor at TSR. lf you have any questions on TSRgaming products for the Sage, you can writeto him at the address at the head of this col-umn. We regret that personal replies areimpossible.

ForumContinued from page 70video games, should consider themselvesblessed. I’ll admit that I miss some of theold aspects of the game, but that’s thebeauty of the system as a whole: take amonster from a children’s novel, borrowa plot from an epic movie, combine, dis-sect, revolutionize, reverse – nobodycares, as long as you don’t try to publishyour polished plagiarism. Above all, havefun. Think back to the first time you ranor played in an adventure. Weren’t thoselow-level modules always the best? Yourcharacters had nothing and wantedeverything, and now you reminisce withfriends about favorite battles andpredicaments. For those of you still outthere who haven’t lost their appetite forthe greatest game of all time, try pickingup The Book of Weird, Being A MostDesirable Lexicon of the Fantastical, WhereinKings and Dragons, Trolls and Vampires, ToSay Nothing of Elves and Gnomes, Queens,Knaves, and Were-wolves Are MadeManifest, and Many, Many FurtherRevelations of the Mystical Order of ThingsAre Brought To Light by Barbara NindeByfield. If this book can’t spice up yourworld, give up gaming and find a goodSega cartridge.

Roy MacEachernWinnipeg, Canada

Has any one else noticed a tendenceytoward utopian political correctness infantasy literature and fantasy gaming?

Sure, we still have the nasty monstersout there, but the forces of evil seem tobe always non-human. There aren’tmany seriously threatening human vil-lains anymore. What’s more, increasinglygames seem to be trying to set peasantsup as modern middle-class farmers andthe nobility seem to be little more thancorporate officers ruling with the assentof the “Board.” Save for the BIRTHRIGHT™setting, there seems to be no concept of“Divine Right of Kings” in the game. Allthe absolute monarchs are evil, and it’simpossible to be a “good” or “kind” ruler ifyou’re an absolute one.

How many of the gamers have seri-ously studied history or base their gameson historical models? Not fantasy Vikings;l mean real Norse or Anglo-Saxons, realByzantines, and real Angevin Empire?

I’d like to play with some people whogame in a world I can believe.

Adam ColePensacola, FL

I am writing in response to Jason G.Ward’s letter from issue #224. I must saythat Jason is nothing more than a sexistwho can’t admit to it. He may be rightabout there being things that interest onegender but not the other, but role-playingisn’t one of them. In fact, I have yet tofind a single female who hasn’texpressed some interest in role-playinggames once she knew what they wereabout. There are definitely not enoughfemale players out there, but not by anyfault of their own. Male players haveseen to it that no enough females everhave the chance to become interested inplaying. Another thing: great role-playersare not at all, in my experience (and inthe experience of my friends) mostlymale. As a matter of fact, as near as I cantell, it’s the poor female player and thefemale with no interest at all in role-play-ing that are actually the rare commodity.

I know I probably didn’t make a dentin Jason’s position on the matter, but Ijust wanted to note that at least somemen don’t think like he does. Oh, and aquick P.S.: If they don’t come, the hobbycan do nothing but suffer.

Michael GarciaRingwood, NJ

As far back as I can remember,gamers have been plagued by playerswith the die-nudging ailment.

This is a disease that gives players atendancy to reroll or tip dice if they getan undesirable roll. Some examples:

1) The special-area roller (“Hey, I onlycount rolls on top of my character sheet,not on the table top!”) who will immedi-ately forget his rule if he rolls a 20 in thekitchen sink.

2) The early roller, the guy who sitsand rolls his dice 20 minutes before thecombat round, saving only the best rollsso when the DM calls for initiatives, hesays “I’ve already got mine!”

3) The downright cheater, the guywho doesn’t even try to have style butinstead just keeps rerolling bad rolls untilsomeone stops him.

I have seen the future of gaming, andit is the pop-o-matic bubble.

Imagine multifaceted and colored dicesealed in clear plastic popping chambers.This might lead to new gaming phrasessuch as, “Pop your initiative,” “Pop ‘em,” or“Man, I really popped the #%@$ out ofthat goblin!”

Tim GraySalisbury, MD

DRAGON #228 87

DRAGON #228 8 9

90 APRIL 1996

Forget the wilderness . . . find adventure in town

by Paul F. Culottaillustrated by R.K. Post

Sooner or later, the adventurers in your campaign will visita large city. Frankly, this is inevitable. Where, other than ametropolis with all its businesses and services, are charac-

ters going to unload all their accumulated treasure? Where elsemight they go to take a break from orc war parties and owlbearsthat wander the wilderness? Face it, the heroes will want to visitthe city because there are so many things to do and see. Roguecharacters in particular will always want the opportunity to headinto town because it is there that they usually find the greatestopportunities for playing their roles.

When they go through the gates, your skills as a DungeonMaster will probably be strained much more than when they areconfronting the monsters and villains of Underdark or theSavage North. This article addresses the issues and problemsthat will most likely confront the DM, while running a city gam-ing session or adventure. It also suggests some solutions.

First, a disclaimer. While all cities are different to some degree,some cities in world-specific campaigns are very different, andhave unique considerations. Sigil in the PLANESCAPE® setting hasits own sets of factions and places which you had better knowthe dark of, cutter! Likewise, you had better not be caught by atemplar reading or writing in the city-state of Tyr in the DARK SUN®campaign. And woe unto you if you are seen even possessing aweapon in the RAVENLOFT® domain of Falkovnia.

This article can not hope to address all of those peculiarities.Instead it is oriented on a “generic” AD&D® game medieval stylecity that can be found in most home campaigns, the FORGOTTEN

REALMS®, MYSTARA®, and GREYHAWK® campaigns. Some

MoodUp front, the DM must realize that when adventuring heroes

come to the city, the mood of the game often changes dramati-cally. lnstead of being huddled around campfires watching forwandering giants or wandering around the Underdark lookingfor brain-hungry illithids or guarded dwarven artifacts, theheroes have reached “civilization.” They are in a place inhabitedby their own kind (well... usually). This place is generally pro-tected from the wilds by walls and a strong military and police-type force. There are many establishments within that provide awide variety of diversions, places to cash in treasure, and jointsto have a good time. It is also a good location to pick up a newmission, establish contacts, get level advancement training, buyanimals, equipment, supplies, and services, have magical itemsidentified, and do many, many other things that normally are noteasy (or possible) to do in the wilderness. In short, it is a place torelax, take care of some housekeeping, and perhaps go adven-turing.

The DM must remain sensitive to the fact that characters mayhave a different agendas when they come to the city. SirThornwood, paladin of the Order of Storm, may want to checkin with the local grandmaster of his order and arrange to havehis beat up armor repaired. Snickery Sam, the halfling thief, maybelong to the local thieves’ guild and so must report in and givethe guild its share of his take. He is also looking for some halflingfemale companionship to help him spend some of his gold.Veronica the sorceress may wish to look up a renowned wizard

and go through level training or learn a new spell.While she is there, she wishes to have several

items identified. Lady Das, a druidess andof the concepts, however, should also apply to acampaign specific city.

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Sir Thornwood’s wife, is only in the cityout of deference to her husband; shereally would rather get back out in thewilderness and get to the bottom of whatis polluting the Shimmering River.

With such differing agendas, it is pos-sible that adventuring companions willnot stick together the whole time theyare in the city. In the wilderness orUnderdark, where it is a matter of sur-vival, they support and stay togetheralmost all of the time. Once they get with-in inside the city gates, however, the per-ceived or believed danger of “the wilder-ness” is lifted, Accordingly, the charactersmay act as if they are on vacation andtake off to do what they want, often notin the company of their adventuring com-panions. Even Lady Das, who is enduringcity life just for the sake of her husband,will get tired of being with him as henegotiates fixing his armor or sayingprayers at the dreary chapter-house ofthe grandmaster. Eventually, she may tryto do something more in keeping withher character, like going to a park to lis-ten to the birds sing, or paying homageat a druidic shrine just outside the gates.

Part of the time the party may sticktogether, such as when they are seekingan audience with the local lord, respond-ing to a summons, or going on an adven-ture within the city limits itself. Even so,the many colorful things within city limitsmay be a terrible temptation for charac-ters to make short, individual side tripsinto the bazaar, gem dealer, inns, gov-ernmental offices, or elsewhere.

Whether the party splits or staystogether, however, the DM must be readyto handle a multitude of situations.Unlike the wilderness or Underdark,where you can control the tempo withplanned and random encounters, nowthere are hundreds or thousands of NPCs— each with their own shops, temples,guilds, personalities, hopes, dreams, andplots. The complexity has increased con-siderably.

Although complex, one can look atcity adventuring and role-playing asbeing roughly divided into three phases:1) the adventurers’ arrival in and intro-duction to the city; 2) having fun anddoing business within the city; and 3)going adventuring in and around the city.(Occasionally, there is a fourth phase:fleeing from the city.) Each part must beprepared carefully.

Arrival and introduction(Phase I)

Phase I consists of the adventurerscoming into the city, getting their bear-ings, and obtaining accommodations fortheir stay. This is probably the most pre-dictable part of city adventuring, and isthe easiest to plan for.

Typically, the heroes arrive at one ofthe city gates, are challenged by theguards, and have to undergo some sortof entry process. If it is an open city atpeace, there may be easy entry. On theother hand, if the city is on the verge ofwar with a neighboring power, this canbe a tedious examination where theguards act like Gestapo agents (“Yourpapers, please!”). The DM must do what-ever fits the campaign. If the PCs aregoing to be challenged or stopped, obvi-ously you should have brief descriptionsready for the guards (statistics, arms, etc).If there are any rules and regulations thatthe PCs need to be aware of (such as hav-ing peace-knots on weapons, as isrequired in Cormyr in the FORGOTTEN

REALMS setting), then now is the time tohave them posted or announced — notafter they’re already in the city

After this, the adventurers enter andwill probably feel bewildered by a dizzy-ing array of shops, streets, people, andnoises. Unless they have been in this par-ticular city before, they will have no ideawhere they are or how to get whereverthey are going. As the DM, you can letthem drift around aimlessly, but bewarned: action and play slow down con-siderably when players start asking ques-tions like: “Do I see an Inn around?” “Isthere a place where I can get my armorrepaired?” “What kind of houses andshops are around here?” “Are the peopleall human?” “Where can we stable ourhorses?”

These are all pleas to the DM to givethem some bearings. While they were inthe wilderness, it was relatively easy: allthey had to do was follow a terrain fea-ture (“We travel westerly along the north-ern bank of the river.”) or stay on a road(“We take the fork that leads toNeverwinter.”). Descriptions were fairlyeasy (“You are in an area of rolling hillswith occasional hursts of coniferoustrees.”). Now you must deal with manystreets and alleys, each with a differentname, a multitude of homes and busi-nesses down each one, and people — lotsof people.

The best way to answer this plea iswith a map. Mapping by PCs in the

Underdark is normal, but mapping in thecity slows play down considerably. A bet-ter choice is to have a stall for Ebeneezerthe Cartographer right there by the citygate, where the proprietor is willing topart with a map for 5 gp (or 10, 20, 50,etc). This should be a real handout thatthe players and DM can use as a refer-ence while they are in the city, and it willspeed things up and eliminate misunder-standings between the players and DM.The map does not have to be Rand-McNally quality, but it should show themajor streets, major temples, govern-mental buildings, the citadel, large mar-ketplace or bazaar areas, and any otherplaces of unique interest. It does not needto mark every house, tavern, and armor-er, but it should be enough for the PCs toget around.

A nice complement to a map is aguide. This can be a taxi-carriage driveror a young teenage rogue named Ajobawho will gladly (for the right fee) showyou about the town. Ajoba knows every-thing: where the best inns are, who hasgood stables for the horses, where to findthe best prices in the bazaar, etc. (Ofcourse, Ajoba has connections with manyof these businesses to bring customers tothem for a reasonable kickback.)Eventually, the guide might become animportant NPC who can get informationin an adventure, and can be a great toolfor the DM to guide the PCs to otherimportant NPCs who will advance thestory.

Having fun and doing business(Phase II)

Once settled in, the characters maywant to take care of their agendas. Toprepare for this, the DM should have agood idea of where they want to go andwhat they want to do. The key to successin planning for this phase consists of lis-tening to and being sensitive to the PCsremarks and desires before they ever getto the city. It can also consist of the DMdropping hints that there are people inthe city that they want to see. Obviouslyif you listen to your players and figure outthe most likely places they will want tovisit, you can flesh those places out withdescriptions, NPCs, etc well ahead oftime. Examples of these kinds of remarkscan include:

Snickery Sam: Sheesh, we have beentraveling for 30 days and still haven’tseen any halflings anywhere? Are they sorare this far north?

92 APRIL 1996

DM makes note that Sam is lonely forhalfling companionship.

Sir Thornwood: After burning thetrolls, we look through the bones andremains of their victims.

DM: You find nothing of value excepta fine-looking but rusty longsword. It islying by a battered shield with torn straps.Painted on the shield is a blue griffin ona gold background, and just above it ispainted a small thundercloud with boltsof lightning.

Sir Thornwood: A fellow member ofmy Order! Do I recognize the coat ofarms?

DM: No. This was apparently some-one you are not familiar with.

Sir Thornwood: Well, we lay hisremains to rest and have the shield,sword, and anything else of his sent tothe nearest chapter house of the order.

DM: There is no mailbox near thetrolls’ lair. The nearest chapter house is inWaterdeep, 60 miles to the south.

Sir Thornwood: Well, I wanted to gothere anyway. Very well, I will take it.

DM makes a note to prepare a descriptionof the chapter house and to consider using itas a platform to give the PCs their next mis-sion in the campaign or to be a source ofclues for their current mission.

Veronica: I’m casting a detect magic onthe pile of loot.

DM: You’ve found a silvery wand, apotion bottle, and a ring that glows witha bright green light with swirls of yellow.

Veronica: Hmmm. I look each of themover carefully to see if there are any writ-ings, inscriptions, runes, pictures, or any-thing else on any of them.

DM: You find none, although thepotion bottle has a tiny skull emblem onthe bottom.

Snickery Sam: Why don’t you identifyone of them, Veronica?

Veronica: And be exhausted the restof the day in troll land? No thanks. I willwait until we get to a place where there isa high-level wizard whom we can pay tofind everything out.

DM makes note that Veronica will want tofind a high level mage or sage NPC.

Lady Das: Isn’t that going to be expen-sive?

Veronica: Probably, but so what? Lookat all this gold and jewelry we recovered!And these gems! Once we cash them in,we should be able to afford it.

Lady Das: I suppose that’s going totake more time. Very well, let’s be off tothe city, but I don’t want to stay too long.

We have to find out what is going onwith this river!

DM makes notes that the city will needgem dealer or perhaps a pawn shop so thePCs can cash in some of their treasure. Healso notes that Lady Das the druidess is notkeen on going to the city and somethingdruidic may have to be planned to keep herinterest up.

From these and other clues, the sensi-tive DM can get a pretty good picture ofwhat the PCs have in mind and preparefor it before they get to the city. NPCs canbe written up, rules on things like theprice of identifying magic items can beresearched, and maps of specificencounter areas can be prepared.

What if the characters don’t givemany clues and you don’t know what toprepare? The answer is to drag it out ofthem in other ways. One solution is todelay their arrival by having them runinto a merchant or pilgrim who is comingfrom the city. This NPC can be chock fullof news about what is going on, and thePCs will generally be interested in ques-tioning him. Just from their questions, thesame type of information might begleaned. Here is an example:

Father Benedicto (NPC itinerantpriest): I thank you strangers for sharingyour campfire. There is always strengthin numbers while in the wilderness, I say!Frankly I was worried about staying onthe road. Last night I was behind the safewalls of Waterdeep.

Snickery Sam: You have come fromWaterdeep? Tell me, are there anyhalflings there?

Father Benedicto: Well yes, I recallseeing one or two close to the publicmarket, but there may be more. Water-deep is a pretty big place you know.

Snickery Sam: Great, where there areat least two around, there’s bound to bea section of the town where bunchesmore live. Gosh, I can’t wait!

DM, who had no idea that Sam was lone-ly for halfling companionship, makes a noteof this. lf he wants more detail of what Sam islooking for, he can have Father Benedictoask more questions.

If at all possible, information like thisshould be gathered before the play ses-sion when Phase II will occur. As soon asthe PCs give any indication of going to acity, the DM needs to start making notes.If NPCs can’t get the information out ofthem before they arrive, then perhapsAjoba the guide can get some clues dur-

ing Phase I, and one can hope the gam-ing session will end before they get toPhase II. If the timing just won’t allow it,then the DM, as a last resort, just needs toask directly where the PCs are going andwhat they intend to do. (This may involve“winging it” until the end of a play ses-sion.)

The adventure(Phase I I I)

Another phase of a city visit mayinclude adventuring within the city itself.This needs to be planned like any otheradventure. It needs a hook to get the PCsinterested, a plot, and fully developedmonsters, NPCs, treasure, maps, etc.

There are some special considerationsfor city adventuring that need to bethought out ahead of time. While wilder-ness and Underdark adventures havecaves, keeps, chambers, isolated houses,small villages, and similar lairs, the “lair”for a city adventure can be within anynumber of structures: a keep, a prison,the sewers, a furniture factory, a brewery,taxidermist, mage’s tower, warehouse,temple, candlestick maker shop, bazaar,etc. Again the choices have significantlymultiplied. To give the city “lair” some log-ical consistency, the DM has to thinkthings out and answer these questions:

Why is the lair here? Why haven’t the authorities already

taken care of it? What do the neighbors know or

think they know? What kind of creatures or NPCs

inhabit the lair and is it logical forthem to be here?

How can I get the PCs interested ininvestigating this lair?

If the PCs get involved in noisy com-bat, what will the neighbors andauthorities do?

How does it advance the campaign?

Once these are answered, then theDM can design the lair, populate it withappropriate villains, traps, treasure, etc,and mentally run through the most likelycourse of action the PCs will take.Reactions need to be predicted andplanned for.

Here is an example. Lets assume thatthe DM foresees that Lady Das will getbored with the city adventure prettyquickly since she has already stated thatshe wants to get back to the pollutedriver mystery theme. He therefore plans amini-adventure that will involve Das and

DRAGON #228 93

an NPC or one of the other PCs (depend-ing on how things flow). He plans thatonce she gets bored he will have an NPCranger named Rollins show up and tellher that he is the servant of a high-leveldruid who heard she is in town. Thisdruid wants to give her some informationabout the river’s condition, and theranger asks Das to follow him to the parkwhere the druid awaits. The hook shouldwork since it gives Das something to dothat she is interested in and she gets thechance of meeting a fellow druid.

Unfortunately, the crazed Morphenesect which is polluting the river is awareof the druidic quest to stop them, andthey have targeted the NPC druid forassassination. Das arrives in the park,gets some good information and is aboutto get more when the druid suddenly fallsover dead, a blowgun dart sticking in theback of his neck.

Possible actions by Das: Neutralize poi-son on the druid, cry for help, look for theassassin herself with ranger’s assistance.

Reactions: Druid is dead (neutralize poi-son does not work). There are no watchwithin the vicinity so there is no immedi-ate help. If she and the ranger look, theydetermine that the blowgun dart camefrom a grove of trees and there are freshtracks (assassin has gone invisible frompotion). The assassin rapidly retreats. Theranger tracks until they get to the publiczoo where the assassin’s tracks get mixedin with the public’s The assassin openscage to the bear exhibit and citizens fleein panic. Zookeepers show up to kill thebears. Das and ranger help them orsomehow round up the bears peacefully.The assassin gets away. If Das shape-changes into an animal good at trackingscents (e.g., a bloodhound), she can findthe tracks that lead down to the water-front where there are several fishingboats. In the meantime, the watch startslooking for Lady Das and Rollins, sincethey were observed fleeing the scene of ahomicide.

Preparation required: Details for theassassin, Ranger Rollins, zookeepers,bears, watch members, assassin’s associ-ates, innocent fishermen. If Das andRollins are caught by the watch, statisticsfor a judge, a cleric (to cast detect lie soDas can exonerate herself) and othersare needed. Finally, the DM needs todetermine where the assassin fled. Thisarea needs to be mapped, and stockedwith treasure, information, and a trap ortwo. The authorities may respond favor-ably to Das wanting to get the killer andoffer assistance (enough so that the final

encounter is balanced, but not a platoonof soldiers). The DM also has to judgehow long it will take the assassin to pullup stakes and be gone, and how long itwill take Das to round up the other PCs ifshe wants their help. He also has to deter-mine what the other fishermen know andwhether they can give clues on the assas-sin’s whereabouts.

The DM also needs to keep the otherplayers involved while Das is on her mini-adventure. In an earlier article (“What ToDo When the Party Splits Up,” DRAGON®Magazine, issue #225), I suggested that inthis type of situation, the other playerscan assume the roles of NPCs, and thistype of mini-adventure is perfect forapplying this technique. Thornwood’splayer might play the part of a city watchsergeant, Sam’s player might assume therole of Rollins, and Veronica’s playercould role-play another city watch mem-ber or even Das’ pet raccoon, who cantrack with its sensitive nose and certainlywill want to be rewarded with some freshfish.

Game balance and theauthorities:

A real danger of city adventuring isthat player characters can get out ofhand and cause some major problemswithin the city. This is especially true ofspell-casters who now have hundreds ofpeople to cast their charm person, sug-gestion, domination, and other spellsupon. High-level warriors, rogues, andothers can cause equal havoc. The high-er the levels of the characters, the moretempting it might be for a player to“experiment” with the populace or bullythem to get what they want. Consideringthat practically all of the city inhabitantsare 0 level NPCs with mediocre savingthrows, it could take no time at all tocause some real chaos and throw thingsway out of balance (For a good discus-sion of NPC levels in a city, see the texton Demographics in DMTM Option: High-Level Campaigns, pages 21-22, and Table1 on page 22).

Some cities may have a rule that “nomagic on penalty of death” is allowed inthe city limits. That certainly gets thespellcasters to behave or at least putssome restraint on them, but it takes a lotaway from the game. Why shouldn’t theplayers be allowed to use their abilities?Should Lady Das be condemned to deathbecause she used her speak with animalsspell to calm down the bears so that theydidn’t attack the panicked citizens?

Prohibiting spell abilities from being usedat all puts a damper on running a cityadventure.

The best answer is to enforce thealignments that the players have chosen.My particular view is that any attempt toenforce one’s will upon an apparentlyinnocent person through means of tor-ture, charm spells, psionic abilities, or thelike is evil. And since I do not allow evilcharacters in my campaign (again mychoice), those who commit evil acts mustpay the grim consequences.

A good analogy on this issue comesfrom the film Star Wars. The scene whereBen, Luke, R2D2, and C3PO arrive intown is very instructive. As they arrive,they are stopped by stormtroopers whoare screening everyone. Ben uses theforce to get the guards to conclude that“these aren’t the droids we’re lookingfor.” If it was an AD&D game situation,this would be a suggestion spell or similarpsionic ability. This would be permissiblein my campaign because the stormtroop-ers are evil: they enforce the will of arepressive emperor, murdered Luke’sfamily, slaughtered a pile of jawas, etc.

Shortly thereafter, Ben and Luke gointo the bar looking for transport.Notably, Ben does not use his Jedi pow-ers on Hans Solo or Chewbacca to sug-gest a lower price or free ride to take himoff Tatooine, although he certainly couldhave done so. Had he done so and it wasmy AD&D campaign, l would rule thatthis was an evil act. Yes, Hans looks andacts the part of a rough and tumblesmuggler, but he is apparently innocentand is not actively opposing Ben andLuke, like the stormtroopers, While Hans’motivation is certainly mercenary, it isnot evil.

Of course, despite the subtlereminders that the DM may give aboutalignment behavior and restrictions,some things might happen anyway.Supplementing the alignment restrictionsshould be the city’s authorities, who pre-serve the peace and enforce the law.Well, how does a watch patrol of five 1st-level fighters and a 3rd-level sergeantstop the brawling of a party of six adven-turers whose weakest character is 8thlevel and wields a sword of sharpness?Obviously the watch will get waxed.

The answer is that the DM needs tomaintain game balance. One of theunwritten, but best quoted rules of theShadowrun* game, is “Don’t mess withthe police.” Practically every Shadowrunplayer I have known has a story abouthow they messed with the police and got

94 APRIL 1996

blown away. Mine involves my priorshaman’s particularly fiery death in theFlorida Everglades when we (or rather thedriver of the hovercraft I was riding in)decided to engage in a duel with auto-matic cannon against a police vessel thatwas trying to pull us over. It was not pret-ty, and I have not messed with the policesince then (not that I wanted to in the firstplace!).

I am not advocating that the DM goout of his way to destroy characters. I doadvocate that from the moment they hittown, the characters are made veryaware that there are authorities in town(or nearby) that could trash them if theymisbehave. This should not be a very dif-ficult problem with low or mid level char-acters, but high level characters mightneed more persuasion. For example, ifthey notice that a platoon of somber pal-adins guards the gates, and that theyhave backup by seven winged stonegolems and a fiery-haired mage, theheroes will certainly consider whetherthey really want to misbehave. A moresubtle approach might involve people ina tavern talking about some toughadventurers who resisted arrest and then(they shudder fearfully) “Lord Draco him-self showed up.” Of course, the DMshould have “Lord Draco” all detailed andready to go if the PCs start to misbehave.

Dealing with the populationexplosion

As previously mentioned, the PCs nowhave hundreds (or thousands) of NPCs inthe city to interact with. Moreover, thereare dozens, if not hundreds, of establish-ments and homes within the walls. A DMcould spend a lifetime trying to give per-sonalities and statistics to each of them,and still not be done, especially if it is inan enormous city like Waterdeep orHuzuz. With all these people and estab-lishments, one cannot begin to dream ofall the possibilities of things that will hap-pen in ye olde city. One really should noteven try to list all the NPCs’ names.

Take Waterdeep from the FORGOTTEN

REALMS campaign setting. It has a popula-tion of 122,000. A simple bit of arithmeticshows that our four adventurers couldpotentially have 488,000 differentencounters, if each of the four PCs wereto meet each Waterdhavian citizen andassuming that each PC, being a uniquecharacter, reacts to an NPC differently insome way. And this does not include vis-itors. City of Splendors campaign guideindicates that during certain seasons,

there are five times the normal popula-tion within Waterdeep. Assuming ourgroup arrives during a peak period, thenumber of potential NPC encounters hasnow risen to 2,240,OOO (122,000 x 5 x 4).Yes, this is a bit oversimplified becausesome PCs will react generally the same,but the point is that there are tons andgobs of NPCs around, and the possibili-ties are far more than what can beplanned for in advance. So what does aDM do?

A partial solution is to use gamingaccessories that list numerous NPCs andestablishments. Something like the Volo’sGuide series will go a very long way inproviding a lot of information that isreadily accessible, but even this type ofwork does not fully answer the mail.While it might list the name of the propri-etor of an inn and what he is like, it doesnot give you the names of all the bar-maids, bartender, and stableboys, norwill it give you their personalities, goals,fears, hopes, and dreams. And the Volo’sGuides will not list the transient guestsstaying at the inn.

The real answer is that you, the DM,must limit yourself to detailing only thoseNPCs who are important to the visit inthe city. All others are background andyou need spend no time on them, at leastinitially. There is no requirement or rulefor you to describe fully every fishwife,urchin, city guard, and bartender that theplayers encounter. In fact, you should notdo so. Only describe those people thatthe players express an interest in or whoadvance the story line, and give themonly what they ask for, gradually increas-ing the amount of information a bit at atime, depending on what their interestlevel is.

At some point, the ever-unpredictableplayers will express an interest in one ofthe non-detailed “background” NPCs,regardless of your careful planning andsubtle attempts to guide them towardsomeone else who advances the cam-paign. Frankly, your one and only choiceis to improvise him or her on the spot.Make a few notes (like one or two lines)about this suddenly important NPC soyou can remember it later.

I would advise never, never abruptlyterminate an NPC encounter simplybecause it is not advancing the story lineor seems uninteresting to you, the DM.Remember that there is an obligation togive the players a fun evening, and if anadventurer wants to visit a weaver’s mill,let him do so. Remember also that a lot ofvexing problems from players can be

policed by the peer pressure (Doug: “Aw,come on Ted, this is the sixth weaver’smill you’ve visited! This isn’t getting usanywhere! Give us a break, will you?”).

Whatever you do, act confidently theentire time. Never once should youwaver in your choice of a name, descrip-tion of an NPC, or their abilities. Youshould not disrupt the game by thumbingthrough rule books to consult tables andcharts to figure out if the NPC is fat, short,has a moustache, or what color his eyesare. If it is a planned NPC, you shouldhave done all the research well ahead oftime. If it is an on-the-spot NPC, justdescribe him or her in a logical way as ifyou had it planned all along. If you dostammer and stutter, the players willdetect that you just made this NPC upand they may get disenchanted. So puton a strong face and go for it! Rememberthat you are the DM and the world is inyour hands.

To be sure, you need some personali-ties well developed ahead of time. Theseare NPCs who are going to be central tothe adventure that you are running in thecity or to the information that you hopethe players will pick up while there. Thetrick is for you to do such a good job ofrole-playing that the players will not pickup on which NPCs are preplanned andwhich are “made up.”

Here is an example of an NPC that ismade up on the spot. Lord Thornwoodgoes to get his armor repaired. He stopsat Baldwin’s Armory. (Inwardly, the DMcurses because he thought Thornwoodwould get his armor repaired at his chap-ter-house, but he takes a deep breathand starts to improvise).

DM: You enter Baldwin’s armory. Aheavy-set woman is seated behind adesk going over some papers and adozen workmen behind her are workingon various projects.

Thornwood: I go up to the lady andask her the price for fixing my bandedarmor.

DM: She introduces herself as Bald-wina, and looks over your busted armorwith an appraising eye. “I think, good sir,that it will take five days to adequately fixthis, and I could not do it for less than 15gold pieces.”

Thornwood: Is her voice really thatsoft?

DM (Thinking quickly): Yes, and she isactually quite pretty.

Thornwood: Does she wear a wed-ding band?

DM (not rolling dice, but just making

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something up) : Well, she has a gold ring,but wears it on her thumb, not a usualplace for a wedding ring.

Thornwood: Milady, I believe that Ineed it sooner than that. Is it possible topay a bit extra for a rush job?

DM (Again, no dice): “Well, I supposewe could arrange something,” she says.You notice that she is looking you overappraisingly. She calls to one of the work-ers, and says, “Morker, how quickly canyou get this done?” A large fellow, a mus-cular half-orc, lumbers over, grunts, andmutters “Two days.”

Thornwood: A half-orc! Are any of theothers half-orcs?

DM (again, not rolling dice or lookingup charts): Yes, two others, along withfive humans, and four dwarves.

In this passage, note that the DM gaveonly a bare description of the place andthat details were added the longer theplayer took interest in the place. HadThornwood not cared about Baldwina’svoice, rings, or the racial make-up of theemployees, the DM would not have hadto describe them. Note also that the DMhas given Baldwina lines that invite moreinteraction if Thornwood wants it. It couldbe that she is a widow and pines for astrong paladin husband. Another possi-bility is that she has a young teenageson, not yet introduced, who has wantedto become a paladin and she has beenunable to find a knight to sponsor him.She might want both. If Thornwoodwants to just conclude his deal, that willbe the end of it. If he wants to role-playthe encounter out a bit more, then hemight find out what her motivation is.

Lets keep the same example, butinstead of Baldwina being just an on-the-spot NPC, she happens to be a planned,well thought out NPC who advances thestory line. In this instance, the DM mayneed to be more aggressive with hisdescriptions. Note that the DM realizedthat Lord Thornwood needed to go to anarmorer for repairs to his banded mail,and he has planned for this encounter.

DM: Ajoba takes you to Baldwin’sarmory, and assures you that this is thefinest establishment for repairing armorin all of Waterdeep. Entering, you see alarge heavy-set woman seated behind adesk going over some papers and adozen workmen behind her working onvarious projects.

Thornwood: I go up to the lady andask her the price for fixing my bandedarmor.

DM: She introduces herself as Bald-wina, and looks over your busted armorwith an appraising eye. “I think, good sir,that it will take five days to adequately fixthis, and I could not do it for less than 15gold pieces.”

Thornwood: Sorry milady, I need it inbut two days. I will have to take it else-where.

DM: Ah well, we could do it in twodays, but it would cost you five extra goldpieces.

Thornwood: Sorry, but I’ll look for abetter price. Hey Ajoba, is there anotherplace around here?

DM: While Ajoba is thinking aboutother establishments, you notice thatBaldwina seems a bit disappointed andalso that she is staring at the coat of armsyou have on your tunic. As you turn toleave, she says, “Good sir, stay a moment,what is that symbol you wear on yourshirt?”

Thornwood: Why, it is the Order ofStorm. Do you not know it?

DM: When you mention the name ofyour Order, she gives a small cry of sur-prise. You see that she has a tear tricklingdown her eye that she wipes with a handthat bears a gold ring on her thumb. Sheis a fair-looking lady, and she asks you tocome to the back of the shop. She saysquietly, “I have something for your eyesonly, good knight.”

True, this is like hitting the player overthe head with a mallet to get him to takeinterest, but most players will go with theflow.

Every action causessomething else to happen

Perhaps the most difficult things theDM has to keep track of are the results ofthe PCs’ actions. The NPCs of a city areliving, breathing beings who have emo-tions and reactions to things good andbad. Interactions with them by the PCswill cause reactions.

Positive actions generally can result ingood things happening, but not always.Take our earlier example of LordThornwood the paladin. If he takesBaldwina’s son as his squire, he is goingto make the young man happy, as wellas his mother. Lord Thornwood will alsohave a handy henchman to polish hisarmor, water the horses, put the cookingpot on the campfire, and provide anotherset of eyes for the evening watch.

Yet there are downsides to this hench-man. First he must be properly outfitted,

and this will involve a fair amount ofshopping for extra clothing, a horse, sad-dle, tack, weapons, adventuring equip-ment, food, food for the horse, etc.Furthermore, what happens when thewererats come charging down the alley,and despite fighting bravely, the hench-man is killed? Lord Thornwood tries toget him raised, and the resurrection sur-vival roll isn’t good enough. Baldwina isgoing to be crushed, and depending onthe circumstances of death and how LordThornwood breaks the news, she willeither deal with her grief or she might justcurse the name of every paladin of theOrder of Storm (and especially LordThornwood) until her dying day.

There should be repercussions towhatever the PCs do. Getting into a barfight may not only have repercussionswith the authorities, but also affectwhether the PCs are even admitted thereagain. Fooling a gem dealer by a suc-cessful suggestion that he buy a 200 gpgem for 3,000 gp should make the PCrich for a time. But what happens to thePC when that gem dealer discovers thefraud when his peers laugh at him andhis business is ruined? And Snickery Sam“loving and leaving” his bonnie halflinggirlfriend might have grave repercussionswhen dear old Dad writes to all the rela-tives and word spreads of Sam’s charac-ter.

RecordingDuring the gaming session in the city,

the DM should keep short notes aboutwho the players encounter and whatwent on. Two lines maximum per NPCand just a sentence or two about anevent is all that is needed. It should beonly enough to trigger the DM’s memorylater. An example of notes made duringplay:

NPC - Baldwina. Overweight widow whoowns armor shop. lnterested in T’wood. Hashis armor; repair in 2 days for 20 gp. 3 1/2Orcs, 5 humans, 4 dwarves workers.

After the gaming session is over,preferably within two days, the DMshould review these notes and flesh themout in greater detail. So much has hap-pened that if the details are not recorded,he may forget them. It is a solid bet thatthe players will not. A memorableencounter with an on-the-spot Baldwinamight easily be misplaced in the DM’smemory banks, and if he does notremember what happened, the next time

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she shows up, he could make a mistakeand have her appear as a slim-waistedblonde vixen. Such a mistake coulddestroy the DM’s credibility and send theadventurers on a false turn.

Lord Thornwood: Hmmm. Just a fewdays ago, she was heavier! No one coulddo that without magic or an evil influ-ence. I cast detect evil on the woman!

DM (gulping): Well, you detect no evil.Thornwood: How is it, milady, that

you have shed so many pounds in just afew days?

DM: Ummmmmmmm...

The DM could have avoided thisembarrassment by recording expandednotes resulting from the game session:

NPC Baldwina: 0 Lvl, 38 years old, Ch 14(11 due to overweight condition). 5’5” tall,250 lbs., pretty face, brown hair, hazel eyes,gold ring on thumb. Owns Baldwin’s ArmorRepair Shop on Unicorn Way. She is a widowand has son, Braxton, 15 years old. Her hus-band is prior paladin and she would likeBraxton to follow in Dad’s footsteps by serv-ing as a squire. Thornwood is her latestattempt. She has given him very good dealon his banded armor repairs (20 gp to repairit in 2 days) to curry favor. When he returns,she will show off Braxton to him and implorehim to take him on as squire. Thornwoodmight show romantic interest, and if so,Baldwina responds. She has not dealt wellwith husband’s death 5 years ago. lfThornwood shows interest in her or takesBraxton on, she will trim down and be moreappealing. Braxton is F1, hp 7, but needstraining before he can get proficient.

Baldwina has 12 employees, 3 ½-Orcs, 5humans, 4 dwarves. Employee working onThorn woods armor is ½-Orc named Morker.He is good armorer but tired of city life. Hewill repair Thornwoods armor but polish ithighly, hoping that Thornwood needs ashield bearer or bodyguard. If necessary, hewill ask for employment. Morker: F3, hp 18,no equipment. Specialized with big spikedclub, S 16.

PC actions should also be recorded.During the heat of a gaming session,sometimes an NPC’s believable reactionwill not be readily apparent. Upon reflec-tion, however, the DM could see howthat reaction was missed, and he needsto evaluate whether he should bring it upnext time. What if Lord Thornwood didnot take the bait and left Baldwina any-way? In the heat of the gaming session,the DM let it pass. After the gaming ses-

sion, he thinks about it and realizes thatBaldwina would not have let it go at that.Since he cannot recreate the past, the DMplans for the next session, and makes anote to himself that Baldwina will findThornwood and lay the case for her sonat his feet. Baldwina will hire a rogue (per-haps Ajoba!) to find Thornwood. Thenshe shows up at the Inn and pleads withhim to honor her dead husband’s wishesand take her son on as a squire.

Another thing that note-taking accom-plishes is the opportunity for the DM toflesh out fully NPCs who are becomingimportant to the adventure. Say the DMpredicted that Lord Thornwood wouldnever take on a squire, but that he did soanyway. Well, it is now time to flesh thesquire, a 15-year old lad named Braxton,with statistics, appearance, and personal-ity. The best thing to do is to fill out what-ever information is necessary on a 3 x 5index card and have it handy. The cardshould contain only the minimum infor-mation required for the DM to properlyrun the PC. When several NPCs havecards, they should be arranged alphabet-ically for quick access. Attached is adepiction of what such a card shouldlook like.

NPC Braxton, NG hm F1 AC 4 7 hpS 15D 15C 17 I 12 W 12 Ch 135’8” tall (will grow another 3 inches in

next year), 155 lbs (will gain another 15 lbs innext year), Sandy Hair, Hazel Eyes. No scars.Handsome lad, but has terrible case of acne(Ch will go up to 16 once this is cleared up).

Personality: Friendly but shy, especiallyaround young ladies. Anxious to be a greatknight like his deceased Dad, but afraid offailure. Can read and write and knows a bitabout armor repair. Also has gambling profi-ciency, learned from hanging around withlocal urchins.

Equipment: Purchased by Thorn wood.Chain Mail, Small Helm, Backpack, Belt,Short Sword, Dagger, Light Crossbow, Quiverwith 20 bolts, light Riding Horse with Saddleand Tack.

Other: Braxton needs training before he isproficient with any weapon.

Challenges and rewardsDungeon Mastering in the city is

among the greatest challenges that a DMwill face, but is one that is inevitable.Preparation for each phase of the PCs’stay will pay off in the long run and keepthe DM in control of the play-session’stempo and advance the story-line.Improvisation will often have to occur,

despite preparation, because of the manyNPCs and unpredictable players. Finally,the DM will have to record details thatwill come up later and take into accountthe consequences of the PCs’ actions.Despite these requirements, city adven-turing will provide some of the richestrole-playing and adventuring opportuni-ties that a playing group could want.

Paul Culotta lives in Tacoma, Washington,and is a full time national guardsman. He is afrequent contributor to DRAGON® Magazineand DUNGEON® Adventures.

* indicates a product produced by a companyother than TSR, Inc.

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Five straws and she’d drawn the short one. Therewas no need to draw straws for night watch, Crystalmused. I was the perfect choice all along. I can godays without sleep.

Crystal studied her comrades, sprawled in a heapamong the filthy furs and blankets the hobgoblinshad left behind. Dare lay on his back, snoring loudly.Myeki slept leaning against a tree trunk. Blister lay onher side with only half a fur across her chest, pushingat Jinx, who slept sprawled sideways across her.

Sleep well my friends, the young sentry thought.Fear not; with Crystal Dreamchaser standing watch,no fearsome beast will disturb your rest. Crystalstomped her feet — one leg was going to sleep. Shewondered if standing watch meant you had tostand all night, or was “keeping” watch goodenough? It can’t hurt to sit a bit, she decided.

Crystal yawned. Keeping watch is not easy, espe-cially on a glorious night like this. I wonder...theysaid to keep an eye open for danger. No sensewatching with two eyes. After all, CrystalDreamchaser’s eyes are sharper than a griffon’s. Shetried one eye closed.

Of course, I’m such a light sleeper, I might catnapa bit, she thought. I can spring awake if anythingcomes within fifty paces. Crystal tried to doze, butbetween Dare’s snoring and her empty belly, shecouldn’t sleep.

Crystal paced, trying to stay alert. The sounds ofsmall night animals rustled in the brush. If I didn’thave such an important duty, I’d solve our rationshortage, she thought. I can bean a rabbit at twentypaces with a rock. She picked up a small stone andzinged it into the brush. Wouldn’t that be some-thing? To have fresh rabbits waiting for breakfastwhen they awoke! There was that rustle again.

Crystal smiled, picked up several stones, andcrept toward the brush. “Now, I’ve got you, Mr.Hare,” she murmured. “You’ll make fine stew.” Shelet fly three stones in rapid succession and heard anoutraged squealing.

A wild boar charged into camp! Crystal let out ahoarse bleat, “Look out...!” and ran in the oppositedirection. The commotion woke Blister, whodumped Jinx off her and struggled to her feet. Jinxdidn’t stir. The boar, which had been chasing Crystalaround a tree, spotted Blister standing alone andcharged! She shouted to wake up the others andran like crazy.

Myeki was instantly awake and added his voiceto the shouting. Jinx opened her eyes, shrieked insurprise and, scrabbling for her lucky feather, divedbehind a log. Dare, seeing Blister’s plight, shoutedand stood, boldly waving to distract the pig.

The enraged boar, now with several targets,

charged headlong at Dare, who looked ready towrestle the wild beast. But, as the boar charged, alasso flew through the air and dropped around itshead. Hoping to snare the pig, Blister had thrown arope. With a squeal, the boar tried to flee theannoying noose and yanked little Blister right offher feet.

Shouting for Blister to let go, Dare leaped androlled out of the way. But Blister’s arm had gottentangled in a loop of the rope and she went slidingpast, dragged by the crazed pig.

Myeki jumped forward, waving a blanket to getthe boar’s attention, then scrambled up the side of atree. The confused boar, more frustrated by theminute, stopped and blew steam. Then it turned tocharge the battered and muddied Blister as shestood shakily, trying to get free.

“Hey!” came a shout. Crystal stepped before theboar, waving a scrap of fur wildly. Dreamchaser willsave us all! she thought. “Come on, Mr. Pig, leaveher alone! Charge me!” The boar complied.

Blister was once again pulled off her feet anddragged across the camp toward the wildly gesticu-lating girl. “Get out of the way, Crystal!” shescreamed.

“What?...” Crystal couldn’t make out her words.Wrapped up in her vision of saving the camp, sheforgot to save herself.

The boar plowed into her. Crystal reflexivelygrabbed the beasts ears as it charged into thewoods, dragging Blister behind. At the edge of thebrush, the rope suddenly snapped, slinging a wind-ed Blister to a smashing halt against a tree. Theboar did not turn back. Dare, Jinx, and Myekirushed forward.

Blister stumbled to her feet, stunned, holding oneend of the rope. “Bit of luck,” Myeki remarked. “Therope broke just in time.”

“It must have been my lucky feather,” quippedJinx, holding it up as she dusted off Blister.

Blister stared numbly at the rope, confused. “Itdidn’t break.” There was silence. “It was cut!” Allcrowded around to see the rope. Indeed, it hadbeen neatly severed by a sharp blade. But none ofthem had a knife.

“It’s too bad,” sighed Myeki at last.“What?” asked Dare. “That Crystal’s gone? She

should have been more alert. She could have gottenus all killed.”

Myeki nodded. “But, we could have eaten thatboar.”

Four days of trekking along the broken coast andscrub woodland. Now it was midday, and they wereall weary, though at least they’d filled their water-

110 APRIL 1996

skins at a river. Jinx shinnied up a tree to lookahead.

“What do you see?” shouted Blister.“I...l’m not sure,” Jinx called down. “It looks like

plains for the next few leagues.”“Anything else?” It sounded too good to be true.A hail of pine needles and pinecones pelted the

company as Jinx fell from the tree. Breathless, shegasped, “D- dark clouds in the sky, could be astorm. M- maybe we should find shelter?”

An hour later they stood beside a pile of bouldersdebating. The rain still had not begun. Jinx claimedit was due to her lucky feather. All were tired ofhearing that.

“Looks like a cave,” stated Dare. “Let’s check itout.”

“Wait!” called Blister. “It could be some animal’slair.”

“Won’t know ‘til we look,” the brave kender said.Looking up at the still clear sky, Blister scowled.

“Let’s keep going.”Dare hesitated, confused. He looked back at the

black hole. “Aren’t you curious? Could be a bandit’shorde,” he suggested hopefully.

Blister paused, wrinkling her brow as she studiedthe bones and bits of fur scattered about the caveentrance. “I don’t like it.”

Dare kicked at a bone. “Come on! We should atleast see if there’s treasure.” He looked to the othersfor support. Myeki yawned. Jinx idly picked up adeer skull crushed by a powerful set of teeth.

Blister frowned and looked at the sky again.“Which direction were those clouds you saw?” sheasked Jinx.

The girl thought a moment, then pointed inland.“West.”

“West?” Jinx nodded. “Storms blow in from theeast!” Blister declared. “There’s no storm coming!”

Dare scowled at Jinx, but turned away in resigna-tion. “Too bad,” sighed Jinx, tossing the skull into thedark opening.

A roar erupted from the cave!The kender stared as a bundle of fur and teeth

sprang from the cave. The great cat stood tallerthan any of them at its shoulder. A black maneformed a ruff behind the flat head, with its mouth ofsnarling teeth. Its mottled fur and long, tufted taillooked the twin of the fur Dare wore. It threw backits head and roared again.

The kender ran.The leonine bounded after Dare, who swung his

walking stick to fend it off. The stick broke acrossthe great cat’s broad shoulders. With a snarl, the catbatted him through the air with a powerful swipe.“Dare!!!” Jinx screamed. The cat turned from its

downed prey to those still moving.“Look for shelter!” huffed Blister, dodging.

“Someplace to hide!”“Too... bad... this one doesn’t... just want... a

thorn pulled... from its paw!” panted Myeki, divingacross a thicket and rolling.

The mention of thorns gave Jinx an idea. “Quick!In here!” she called and leaped into a briar patch. Itseemed like a good idea, so Blister and Myekileaped after her.

Now, though nettles do tend to dissuade cats,they do not make ideal hiding places. Though dri-ven half crazy from scratchy thorns, still the threekender seemed safe for the moment.

Eyes wide, they watched the great lion prowl theedge of the brambles, sniffing for a way past thethorns. It crouched and stared at its cornered prey,its tail twitching.

“What happened to Dare?” hissed Jinx. Blisterscanned the treeline; Dare was not in sight. Tearsfilled her eyes as she imagined that the beast’s blowhad slain him.

Suddenly, something sailed through the air andlanded kersplat against the head of the great cat.The leonine did a back flip, yowling and pawing atthe mass of soaking fibers draping its snout. A whis-tle pierced the yowling, and they saw the bloodiedDare standing beside a thick tree two dozen pacesaway pouring water onto a spongy mass of mossand whistling tauntingly.

The cat crept toward Dare as if stalking a bird,but he laughed loudly, flinging the moss into itsface. He bounded away, only to stop again andscoop more moss from the base of a tree. The cathowled, shaking its head to get its bearings beforebounding after the retreating Dare. Again came theyowl of anger as another wet mass struck the caton the nose.

“What’s he doing?” cried Jinx, amazed.“Shush,” whispered Blister. “He’s leading it away

so we can escape. Cats don’t like water. If he canmake it back across the river, he should be safe.”Myeki nodded. They watched Dare retreat until hewas out of sight.

After a while, the caterwaul faded in the distance.The remaining three kender struggled out of thenettles, pulling burdocks from their clothing andscratching madly.

“That was pretty much a catastrophe,” moanedBlister.

Myeki smiled, pulling burrs from his hair. “I don’tthink I’ve been in a stickier situation.” Jinx bit herlip.

Blister rolled her eyes and chuckled. “Are you net-tling me?”

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“Nope,” he grinned, rubbing his itching neck red.“But I think we’d better get out of here before we dosomething rash again.” Blister groaned and nodded.

“B- but what about Dare?” Jinx sniffed backtears.

“We’ve got to go on,” Blister said. “He bought ustime to escape, to complete the mission: We’d betterflee.”

*

Three leagues! The salt marsh had to be threeleagues across. But Blister knew it would take evenlonger to go around!

“I...l’m sorry!” Jinx sobbed. “I...it looked like plains.”Blister and Myeki exchanged glances. “Whatever,”

the boy shrugged.“We’ll just have to find a way across,” said Blister,

trying to sound encouraging, but tired. If not forJinx’s bad luck, she thought, we’d have no luck atall. Sighing, she studied the bog. Here at its edge,their feet left deep impressions that filled swiftlywith mud. The land ahead sank beneath brackishwaters, and beyond lay open channels of sea-greenwater. Much too vast to swim, she thought. Butthere might be another way.

“We can bundle reeds together to make rafts andpole ourselves across,” she suggested.

“Sounds like fun,” Myeki grinned. Even Jinx gavea half-hearted smile, clutching her lucky feathertightly.

Gathering the reeds got them as wet as if they’d

swum the slough. But, once they’d bound the reedswith torn strips of Blister’s tunic and a layer of Jinx’sleggings, they had three crude floats.

Travel through the shallows was easy, but whenthey reached deep water they had to work againstthe outgoing tide, and they tired quickly. The kenderhad to beach their craft at the infrequent sandbarsto catch their breath.

Late in the day, they sighted the far shore. Blisterand Myeki poled with a renewed vigor, quickly out-distancing little Jinx. Exhausted and famished, shelet herself drift, fishing out her lucky feather. If onlyshe could make up for all the trouble she’d caused,Jinx thought. Ever since finding her feather, itseemed like bad luck was perched on her shoulder.She held the feather up and frowned, spinning inthe waves.

Something that looked like a great green rockbroke the surface to her right. It was a sea turtle!Delight danced in her eyes. This had to be it — herluck had turned.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to catch that turtle fordinner? she thought. Then no one could call meMiss Fortune. I’ll show them. But, how do I catch it?

Jinx wished she had a fishing rod, then realizedher poling reed could work. She slipped the redscarf from her hair and tied it to the end. Then, tomake sure she wouldn’t lose it, she tied it again,then wrapped a stocking around that. The turtlewatched lazily.

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The kender stretched out her makeshift fishingrod and dangled the red cloth in the turtle’s face. Itlooked unimpressed. She wiggled the pole. The tur-tle blinked. Then she rapped it on the head. The tur-tle lunged at the scarf and somehow got its headtangled in the loop. Startled, the creature tried todive, but the pole made that awkward. So it chose.to swim away.

Determined not to lose the turtle, Jinx held on fordear life, laughing with excitement. She quicklyovertook her friends, as her raft sliced through thewater. “I’ve caught us something to eat!” she called.Then the turtle headed for the open sea.

Blister watched, bewildered, as Jinx skimmedpast. “Where’s she going?” she wondered.

Myeki shrugged, then pointed toward a far-awayset of white sails. “Maybe she’s headed to that ship.With luck she’ll beat us to Ogrebond.”

“Do you think she’ll be okay?” Blister worried.Myeki pondered a moment, then noticed some-

thing in the water. He fished it out and showed it offwith a smile. “I think she’ll be just fine now.” He heldJinx’s lucky feather.

Blister smiled too. She felt sure Jinx’s bad luckhad flown. She would make it through.

*

Two left. There were two turtle eggs left, butBlister was full. Their fortunes had turned oncethey’d lost Jinx. After leaving the bog, they quicklyfound a road to Ogrebond.

Blister sighed. So much had happened on the trip,so many friends had been lost, and it was her fault— she was the leader. Riverwind made a poorchoice in me, she thought sadly.

She watched as Myeki wrapped the last eggsthen began sharpening an ironwood staff on a rock.His brows knit in concentration.

“What are you thinking about? How to get pastthe city gates?” Blister talked to fill the silence inJinx’s absence. “Not all ogres like kender, y’know.Still, no turning back.”

“Maybe,” grunted Myeki. “Makes one think.”The girl sighed. “Yeah. What I think is that

Riverwind was crazy to make me the leader. Heshould have chosen you.”

Myeki frowned and looked up. “Me? You’ve doneall right. I could learn from you.” He turned back tohis staff. “ ‘Cept I’m going back.”

Blister was puzzled. “Back? Back where?”Myeki Thrillseeker examined his work. “Things

have been kinda quiet on this trip.” Blister choked athis choice of words, but he continued. “I came alongfor the fun, but things haven’t been too exciting.Now that you’re here, I’m going back toKendermore.”

The girl was stunned. “But Malys might be thereby now! And we haven’t finished our mission! Wepromised. One of us must get through to theKnights!”

The boy shook his head and brushed himself off.“We’re at Ogrebond. You’re one of us. You go.‘Sides, weeks on the sea will be really boring.” Hestood and shouldered the eggs. “Right now they’reprobably fighting a dragon back home. Now that’sexcitement!”

Myeki hesitated, then gave Blister a hug. “I’ll tellRiverwind you made it.” He turned toward thesouthern hills. “Uhm, by the way?”

“What?” whispered Blister. She’d never felt worsein her life.

“Thanks for being leader. I couldn’t’a done it.” Shelooked up and smiled. “Luck and safe trip, and,er...whatever.” Myeki waved as he strode off.

Blister watched him vanish the way they’d come,wishing she could go with him. But she had made apromise.

I should have offered him my sling or half thecoins, she thought as she felt for them on her belt.But nothing was there. Now, what had she donewith them? She was sure they’d been there after los-ing Jinx. Ah well, with luck Myeki had found thembefore he left. They might prove handy on hisadventure. “Good luck fighting the dragon, Myeki,”she murmured, turning toward Ogrebond. “It soundslike fun.”

*

“One last chance,” thought Blister. “On my ownnow.”

The kender stood behind a barrel at the lip of analley, watching the crowd of scoundrels, ruffiansand ogres passing on the wharf front. She hadarrived at Ogrebond alone and with nothing savethe dirt behind her ears. No coin, no food, and herclothes so torn and muddy, she looked like a beg-gar. Oh well, she thought, things could be — havebeen — worse. At least she had a plan. With acheerful smile, Blister set off to find a job so shecould buy passage on one of the ships in port....

Half a day later, things were going great. Showswhat the right attitude could do, Blister thought.She’d wanted to work, but people here seemed toso appreciate just her offer to help, they gave herstuff for free!

At the butcher shop, where she had offered toclean up (though she smelled more ripe than therotting meat), a half-ogre had heaved a meaty boneat her. She’d caught it deftly and thanked him forhis generosity, though she wasn’t sure he heard herabove his shouting.

Then there was that vintner stomping winter

DRAGON #228 113

berries into a fine paste in her bare feet. WhenBlister offered to help, the maid had taken one lookat her muddy garb and snapped, “Get off! Take abath!” Now, Blister’s policy was never to take some-thing unless she was invited first. Thanks to themaid’s generous offer, she made liberal use of thewinery’s horse trough to wash the mud away.

She was just as amazed to find clean clotheshanging abandoned on a rope in a back yard.Though the shirt and pants were a bit large, therope worked as a belt, and a stocking made a ser-viceable sling. The butcher’s bone had come inhandy for the poor dog trapped in that fenced lot —Blister even left the gate ajar as she left, so he couldescape.

Now she walked along the wharf, pondering theships and her empty belly. How to get passage on anorthfaring schooner? She could offer her services,but she wasn’t much of a sailor, having sunken onlya small skiff in her youth, and that wasn’t really herfault, if the others had only explained what the bilgeplug was before she’d brought it to their attention.She hadn’t found any coin to buy passage, so thatleft just stowage as a route.

Blister’s stomach growled, and she took a bitefrom the fresh loaf of bread and beefy cheese shefound in her hands. Behind her she heard someshouting. People tended to shout a lot in Ogrebond.Then an ugly ogre came charging down the road ather, a gnarled cudgel in one paw. Blister dodgedunder a fruit cart. He must not like kender, shethought, absently hooking her foot around the cartsrear support. Suddenly the whole thing toppled for-ward, spilling winter apples in a cascade across theroad. An ogress joined the chase.

Blister dodged through the crowd, slipped arounda net on the edge of the wharf (discarding the coreof her apple), and leaped over a heap of crates.Behind her she heard a cry of dismay as theogress’s foot slipped on the core, sending her tum-bling into the briny water. Now the cries of angerand outrage multiplied as other voices joined in.Perhaps she should find someplace to hide till theycalmed down.

“Here,” called a cheery voice as an empty sacksailed over the crates. “Hide in here.” It seemed agood suggestion, so the kender crawled into thepotato sack, plopping down on a stack of otherbundles. After a time, loud voices surrounded her,and she felt herself being lifted and carried aboarda ship as a bag of cargo. It all worked out ratherhandily, from Blister’s point of view.

After several hours ticked by, the kender climbedout of the potato sack. It was dark and musty, theodor a mix of damp earth and sea water. She could

just dimly make out the vessel’s name painted onthe door: the Lucky Son — of Sancrist! She grinned asshe sat down on the rolling wooden planking.

Things at last were looking up. She had a com-fortable berth, plenty to eat — though she’d proba-bly be sick of raw potatoes by the end of the voy-age — and clean clothes. “Glad to meet you, LuckySon!” Blister gaily told the ship. “My mission is near-ly done!”

“There, are you satisfied?” grumbled the Dwarf as heturned back to the forge. “Awful lot of trouble over oneblasted kender, if you ask me. What’s so special abouther that you had to help?”

“It’s important...you’ll see,” answered the Kender.“Hummph!” grunted the Dwarf: “Are you through?”“Yes,” smiled the Kender. “lt’s finished for now. She’s

on her way.” The little fellow flipped his unruly topknotback and rummaged beneath a workbench for an ever-ful flask. “Come on! Take a break and share a drink.” Heraised the flask in invitation, and the Dwarf dried hissweating palms in anticipation. “For now it’s enough. Fora while we’ve won.”

— And Then There Were None.

Harold Johnson is a creative director at TSR, Inc. Hewas responsible for the RAVENLOFT® and DRAGONLANCE®lines in 1995, and has added management of the DARK

SUN® line to his responsibilities. Harold is the man whocreated kender.

114 APRIL 1996

New for AprilDen of Thieves

An AD&D ® accessoryby Wes NichlosonThis game accessory details pick-

pockets, cat burglars, thieves, and under-ground kingpins. Also included are anadventure and rules to run a thievesguild in any campaign world.

$15.95 U.S./$19.95 CAN./£9.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 9515ISBN: 0-7869-03821

Faiths & AvatarsA FORGOTTEN REALMS

® accessoryby Julia Martin with Eric BoydBoth Dungeon Masters and players

will benefit from the information gath-ered here describing spheres of thegods, their avatars, and the organiza-tion of their faiths. Also included arenew spells, relics, and character classes.

$20.00 U.S./$26.00 CAN./£11.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 9516ISBN: 0-7869-03848

Uncaged: Faces of SigilA PLANESCAPE� accessoryby Ray ValleseThe long-awaited “who’s who” for Sigil

details key personalities for adventurersas well as revealing secret relationshipsand dangerous webs of intrigue.

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Bleak HouseA RAVENLOFT® adventure by William

W. Connors & Dave GrossThe Van Richten family estate is the

site of a homecoming for the good Dr.Rudolph van Richten. But the vengefulghosts of those the doctor failed to saveare throwing the party!

$25.00 U.S./$32.00 CAN./£15.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 1141ISBN: 0-7869-03864

Realms of the UnderdarkA FORGOTTEN REALMS anthologyedited by J. Robert King

Five original novellas from Ed Green-wood, Elaine Cunningham, and others.Also included is a preview from the newR. A. Salvatore novel, Passage to Dawn.

$5.99 U.S./$6.99 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 8568ISBN: 0-7869-04879

Tangled WebsA FORGOTTEN REALMS

hardcover novelby Elaine CunninghamThe sequel to Daughter of the Drow

finds the princess Lirel and her compan-ion engaged in a quest for power thatmay turn them against each other.

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Dragonmage of MystaraA MYSTARA

® novelby Thorarinn GunnarssonIn the conclusion to The Dragonlord

Chronicles, the Dragonlord must unite hisformer enemies, the dragons, against anenemy from their forgotten past whothreatens to destroy the entire world!

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APRIL 1996

New for MayTreasure Tales

An AD&D accessoryby Loren ColmanRunning out of ideas in your cam-

paign? Treasure Tales contains 16 fun-filled adventure hooks to jump start yourgame. Each hook is open-ended and canbe easily tailored to fit any campaignworld.

$12.95 U.S./$16.95 CAN./£7.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 9518ISBN: 0-7869-03899

The NorthA FORGoTTEN REALMS campaign expan-

sionby sladeThis campaign expansion details the

one of the last great frontiers of Faerun.Finally, the areas beyond Waterdeep aredescribed and their inhabitants fleshedout in full detail. The North is a savagewilderness just waiting to be conquered!

$25.00 U.S./$32.00 CAN./£15.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 1142ISBN: 0-7869-03910

DUNGEON® Adventures #59Cover art by Tony Szczudlo

This issue's adventures include:

● Seeking Bloodsilver (BIRTHRIGHT™Adventure; levels 2-4) by ChristopherPerkins

● The Mother's Curse (AD&D®Adventure; levels 3-5) by JohnGuzzetta

● Wedding Day (light-heartedAD&D Adventure; levels 1-2) by PaulCulotta

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R A V E N L O F T M O N S T R O U S C O M P E N D I U M ®Appendix I & II

A RAVENLOFT accessoryThis new compendium includes all

your favorite horrors from the first twoRAVENLOFT Monstrous Compendium booksand introduces some new nasties aswell!

$20.00 U.S./$26.00 CAN./£11.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 2162ISBN: 0-7869-03929

WarA BIRTHRIGHT� hardcover novelby Simon HawkeA sweeping epic of war and anarchy

as rivals vie for the throne of Anuire.$21.99 U.S./$27.99 CAN./£12.50 U.K.TSR Product No.: 3133ISBN: 0-7869-

The Dragons at WarA DRAGONLANCE® anthologyEdited by Margaret Weis and Tracy

HickmanThe companion volume to The

Dragons of Krynn is a new collection ofstories by the saga’s finest talents.

$5.99 U.S./$6.99 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 8378ISBN: 0-7869-04917

Sword PlayA FORGOTTEN REALMS novelby Victor MilanDiscover the Arcane Age of Netheril,

the most powerful magical empire in thehistory of the FORGOTTEN REALMS, when abold barbarian becomes the pawn ofquarreling archamges.

$5.99 U.S./$6.99 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 8569ISBN: 0-7869-04925

F.R.E.E. FallA TSR novelby Mel OdomAncient inventions team up with new

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$5.99 U.S./$6.99 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 8255ISBN: 0-7869-04933

Unless otherwise noted:® designates registered trademarks

owned by TSR, Inc.TM designates trademarks owned by

TSR, Inc.©1995 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

TSR AnnouncesNew Customer Service Lines

TSR, Inc., proudly announces itsnew Consumer Services and StoreLocator phone lines. If you have abrief question about TSR's products,call: 1 (414) 248-2902. To find thestore nearest you that carries TSRproducts, call: 1 (800) 384-4TSR.

Coming next month...

DRAGON® Magazine #229Cover art by Dan FrazierTheme: Specialist Magics

● Illusions of Grandeur: Emil DuliWonk's traveling illusionist show.

● The Rhabdomancer: mages whopractice divination.

● Magic Miscibility: Just what canhappen when you mix too manymagical items?

Plus all our regular features suchas "Sage Advice," "Cons & Pros,""Forum," Knights of the DinnerTable," and "Floyd."

$4.95 U.S./$5.95 CAN./£2.95 U.K.TSR Product No. 8112-05

APRIL 1996

ClackContinued from page 120

The Everway* game has attractedinterest from two existing and two possi-ble startup companies, and two startupsare interested in WotC’s first product, ThePrimal Order* game. Jonathan Tweet,designer of the Everway game and co-designer of Ars Magica, remains at WotCin the R&D department. He hopes to stayinvolved with his RPGs after they move tonew publishers.

SLA industries* game designer DaveAllsop will have final say on where SLAends up, said Adkison, and “the acquiringcompany will get the line according to avery generous agreement.” Apparentlythis company will be a reformed NightfallGames, SLA’s original publisher in theUnited Kingdom.

Table gamesHere WotC apparently plans a speedy

return. A new “Stealth Games” team,formed to husband the existing Robo-Rally* and Great Dalmuti* games, hopesto release two or three new table gamesa year.

BooksAccording to Adkison, “We’ll still be

doing lots of books! But we’re not movingforward with the idea of eventually beingin the book publishing business our-selves; we’ll mostly work through licens-ing arrangements. Kij Johnson has beenretained from the original BookPublishing team to support ongoingreleases of Magic-related books.” WotC isrenegotiating its contract with Harper-Collins, original publisher of the Magicgame-related novels.

A book of Magic puzzles, by TheDuelists popular Mark Rosewater, is duethis summer. Rosewater recently joinedthe Magic game R&D team at WotC aftera career writing TV comedy in LosAngeles.

Games and moviesThe Mutant Chronicles* role-playing

game, published by Target Games(Sweden), has already engendered aDoomtrooper* trading card game, videoand CD-ROM games, and an Acclaimcomic book (Golgotha). Next? A movie.Pressman Films (Judge Dredd, The Crow,Wall Street, the Conan films) started filmingMarch 6 on a Mutant Chronicles movie.The director is Stephen Norring-ton

(Death Machine), and the cast includes BenKingsley (Gandhi). A press release says thestory, witten by Philip Eisner, “involvesMega-corporations of the future whichassemble an unlikely team of heroes tosave mankind from a nightmarish forceemanating from the tenth planet.” Themovie is scheduled for release in spring1997.

You have to know these things whenyou’re a king: A licensed trading cardgame based on the movie comedy MontyPython and the Holy Grail (1975) has beenannounced for June release. The smallpublisher Kenzer & Company (Palatine,Illinois) is designing a light-hearted, fast-playing game that “you can enjoywhether you win or lose,” says DavidKenzer. “Imagine cards bearing Brave SirRobin, the rude Frenchmen, or the viciousChicken of Bristol.” Kenzer & Companypreviously published a 1994 fantasy cam-paign setting, Kingdoms of Kalamar. Themovie was adapted to fantasy role-play-ing over 15 years ago in Steve JacksonGames’ Space Gamer magazine. (Contact:kenzerco@aol.com.)

Frontiers of scienceHow does your brain determine where

you are? Researchers are using computergames to find out.

In February of 1995, graduate studentGeoffrey K. Aguirre and his advisor at theHospital for the University ofPennsylvania in Philadelphia, MarkD’Esposito, got the idea of mapping brainactivity in subjects who played idSoftware’s Castle Wolfenstein* computergame, a precursor of Doom*. In the game,the player moves around a maze in first-person view, much as a rat movesthrough a lab maze.

With an editing program, theresearchers took the Nazi villains out ofthe maze and put in landmarks such astables. They projected a view of the virtu-al maze on a large screen, and volunteersused a game pad to move around themaze while lying in a magnetic resonanceimaging (MRI) machine. As an experi-mental control, the same volunteers alsoviewed a featureless maze where theycould only move in a circle. The differentpatterns evoked by the two tasks showedthe regions of the brain involved in learn-ing new locations and recalling earlierones.

MRI technology can provide detailedreal-time images of brain activity. But MRImachines are big cylindrical magnets,and subjects in them cannot move. Brainstudies of people in motion were impossi-ble before the advent of virtual reality.

Reporting at a Society for Neuro-science meeting in San Diego inNovember 1995, Aguirre identified thespecific brain areas activated by the mazeexperiment. They were tiny spots in —yes, you guessed it — the parahippocam-pal gyri, two patches that lie just underthe hippocampus. Earlier studies of strokevictims who had damage to these areasfound that the victims could not learnnew routes or travel known ones. Thisresearch may lead to greater understand-ing of such victims. John Travis describedthe project in the January 13, 1996,Science News.

“I’m the only guy I know who can jus-tify buying video games on grantmoney,” says Aguirre.

Send news to tsrmags@aol..com.

* indicates a product produced by a companyother than TSR, Inc.

DRAGON #228 119

©1996 Allen Varney

Hero Games/ICE splitIn February Hero Games (Aptos, CA)

and Iron Crown Enterprises (ICE;Charlottesville, VA) announced the endof their 10-year-long distribution agree-ment, under which ICE produced and dis-tributed over 75 Hero Games products,including the Champions* RPG and HeroSystem* games and supplements. ICE willsell the current Hero Games line until theend of June but will produce no newHero products.

“Our agreement has been beneficialfor both companies,” said Steve Peterson,Hero Games partner and co-designer ofthe Hero System with GeorgeMacDonald. But “we feel the best courseis for both companies to proceed inde-pendently.”

Begun in 1981 with the first edition ofthe Champions game, the long-livedHero System line went to ICE in 1986. Itreached its height of popularity in1988-90, during the tenure of ICE’s Heroline editor Rob Bell. Bell supervised thegame’s superb 4th edition (1989) andmany landmark supplements, whichtogether accounted for a fifth of ICE’ssales.

Since Bell’s departure in 1990 to enterlaw school (he is now a lawyer inWashington, D.C.), the Champions linehas run a rocky course. ICE has not hadan in-house Hero editor for many years,and the Hero System has received limit-ed support. The December 1995 releaseof its Middle-earth: The Wizards* tradingcard game has brought ICE new prosper-ity. Peterson said that a split between thecompanies made sense now because itwould not damage either company.

Hero Plus: paper gamesvia computer

Although the startup company GoldRush Games has a license to produce

Hero System adventures, Hero Gameshas not found a new publisher for thepaper version of its games. But in Marchthe company starts a new division, HeroPlus, which will produce text supple-ments for the paper RPG on floppy disksin DOS, Macintosh, and Windows formatusing Adobe Systems Acrobat techno-logy. This allows a document to look justlike the original on any computer, layout,artwork, and all; users can print out thefinished pages on a printer. Hero Plus willship disks by mail order, and within ayear customers should be able to down-load the products over the World WideWeb, paying by credit card. The sameproducts will be available by mail asthree-hole punched photocopies.

Peterson said, “We can provide moreproducts than ever before, with muchless time in production, and at lower cost,too.” Hero can be much less concernedwith such issues as page counts, andneed not spend huge amounts up frontfor printing. Products need never go outof print. Peterson says the economicsmake sense by mail order alone to thelarge Hero Games mailing list, let aloneby the Web. Based on his experiencewith the HeroMaker character genera-tion program and his computer gamebackground, he says piracy should notbe a significant problem. “I’m not awareof anybody else doing anything quitelike this. It’s kind of fun to be on the lead-ing edge.”

The first Hero Plus product is TheUltimate Super Mage by Dean Shomshak($10) which debuted February 17 at theDunDraCon gaming convention inOakland, CA. Many more disks areplanned, drawing on a large backlog ofunpublished manuscripts. For more infor-mation, contact herogames@aol.com.

Players who have waited for theChampions computer game since 1992must keep holding their breath. Thegame is still dormant, though Petersoncontinues to look for a publisher torevive it.

WotC updateAfter laying off some three dozen

employees and cancelling its non-cardgame lines in December 1995 (seeDRAGON® Magazine issue #226), Wizardsof the Coast (WotC; Seattle, WA) hasregrouped strongly. In mid-January WotCannounced Alliances, a new 140-pluscard expansion set for both the Magic:The Gathering* and Ice Age* card games,due by early summer. This year alsobrings another stand-alone Magicgame/expansion á la the Ice Age game,self-contained but compatible with theMagic game.

The Vampire: The Eternal Struggle*game receives two new expansions thisyear, Ancient Hearts (vampires of theMediterranean and Near East, due byApril) and one about the Sabbat. RichardGarfield’s Netrunner* card game, looselybased on R. Talsorian’s Cyberpunk 2020*RPG, ships in April; it will have oneexpansion this year. Later this year TheDuelist magazine may go monthly.

WotC will make an appearance at sig-nificantly fewer conventions this yearthan last.

Role-playingThe long-planned Magic role-playing

game got a temporary reprieve shortlyafter its announced cancellation. Threemembers of the design team (WolfgangBaur, Teeuwynn Woodruff, and MikeSelinker) remain on staff through Marchto design a prototype game. Then theMagic game research and developmentteam will decide whether to proceedwith it.

“We are still entertaining several pro-posals for [sale of] the various RPG lines,”WotC president Peter Adkison said in anearly January post on the Internet. TheArs Magica* game may go to either AtlasGames (Northfield, MN) or a potentialstartup company headed by WotC’s ArsMagica developer, Wade Racine. Racinewas laid off in December.

Continued on page 119

120 APRIL 1996