Issue # 145Vol. XIII, No. 12

May 1989

PublisherMike Cook

EditorRoger E. Moore

Associate editorRobin Jenkins

Fiction editorBarbara G. Young

Editorial assistantKimberly J. Walter

Art directorLori Svikel

Production staffPaul Hanchette Betty ElmoreGaye O�Keefe Angelika Lokotz

SubscriptionsJanet L. Winters

U.S. AdvertisingSheila Gailloreto

U.K. correspondentChristopher Christou

U.K. advertisingKris Starr Jane Johnson

SPECIAL ATTRACTION

13 Halls of Glory:Building castles up�and tearing them down.

14 A Castle Here, A Castle There � Daniel SalasIf you have five minutes and some dice, you can have a new castle, too.

18 Holding Down the Fort � Matt Iden�On Monday, all of your guards catch the flu. Some orcs show up onTuesday just as your wizard resigns, and. . . .�

22 Strongholds Three � Arthur CollinsWhy elven castles look like hills, and other details on fantasy forts.

28 Your Home Is Your Castle � Patricia Cunningham-ReidCastles are hard enough to attack, but have you ever tried living in one?

36 Bazaar of the Bizarre � J. Jasper OwensCall on a deva or 200 berserk quaggoths�all in the defense of yourhome!

OTHER FEATURES

44 The Role of Computers � Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk LesserPanning for gold is never easy (especially on your home computer).

60 The Role of Books � John C. BunnellSomeone is killing the vampires, and the vampires want you to stop him.

68 Role-playing Reviews � Jim BambraIt�s A.D. 2301, and humanity has become an endangered species.

76 Through the Looking Glass � Zoe Bell HurstWith a little color, you can turn lead into flesh and blood.

86 Cornwoman � fiction by Steve Rasnic TemPride and arrogance, even in the Keeper of Death, go before a fall.

DEPARTMENTS

5 Letters 54 Gamers Guide 96 Dragonmirth6 Forum 58 TSR Previews 102 SnarfQuest

10 Sage Advice 92 Convention Calendar

COVERAmong the many nice things about owning a fantasy castle is that you can decorate

your driveway in any manner you like. Ken Widing�s cover art for this issue shows asubtle �keep away!� message being displayed by one particularly reclusive castellan�anda knight brave enough to ring the doorbell anyway.

4 MAY 1989

What did you think of this issue? Do you havea question about an article or have an idea for anew feature you�d like to see? In the UnitedStates and Canada, write to: Letters, DRAGON®Magazine, PO. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147,U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Letters, DRAGONMagazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, CherryHinton, Cambridge CB1 3LD, United Kingdom.

Designer shamansDear Dragon:

I would like to commend Joseph Clay on hisexcellent work on the article, �Hey, Wanna Be aKobold?� in issue #141. But I have a question:What armor and weapons may a shaman andwitch doctor use?

Vu PhamCosta Mesa CA

Shamans, as noted on page 42 of that article,use the same armor and weapons used by theirdeities and by their tribes. Thus an orcishshaman of Gruumsh (using the information onpages 97 and 125 in Legends & Lore) wouldwear black plate mail and would use a spear forthe most part, but could also wear any otherarmor and weapon used by the tribe, as deter-mined by the DM.

Witch doctors and tribal magic-users, how-ever, must abide by the restrictions of theregular magic-user class regarding armor (i.e.,no armor is allowed in order to cast magic-userspells). There may be no harm in allowing thesespell-casters to use all the weapons normallyallowed to humanoids within their tribes, how-ever; as the level limits are generally quite low.This option is left to the DM.

Dear Dragon:I was very pleased to see my article, �Orcs

Throw Spells, Too!� in issue #141. I didn�t realizeit would be that long in print! The drawingswere superb, especially the fire giant on page28; Mr. Harper understood my conception of thesilver-sword mark perfectly. Please thank himfor his excellent illustrations.

Upon rereading the article, there are a fewpoints I would like to address:

1. I didn�t reiterate the information fromLegends & Lore [page 90] addressing additionalhit points for shamans and witch doctors. . . .Shamans gain 1-4 hp per level above the first;witch doctors gain 2-5 hp per level above 1/1, solong as their levels rise equally, and 1-4 hp perlevel when their shaman abilities surpass theirmagic-user sides.

2. On page 27, the first sentence of the lastparagraph of the first column reads: �Whengaining levels, these shamans must sacrifice thelevels or hit dice of foes. . . .� It should read:�When gaining levels, these shamans mustsacrifice 10 levels or hit dice of foes . . .�

3. On page 33, in the central column, someonestarted to number the few common rules that

apply to all witch doctors, but he didn�t go pastnumber 1. I can guess where the missing num-bers might have gone: �2. These entities take agreat deal of interest in their witch doctors. . . .�and �3. Finally, witch doctors may call upondivine aid from their deities. . . .�

These are minor points, but they might allevi-ate some confusion for readers.

Randal S. DoeringSan Francisco CA

Save the savantDear Dragon:

I loved the way the savant came out. Someerrors got through, though:

On the first page, under �Explanation of skills,�the text in the third sentence should read: �Ifthe savant also possesses a specialty category inlanguages, he is then able to decipher the manu-script. . . .�

Regarding the sixth-level spell recall spell, thetext in the first sentence of the Explanation/Description should read: �This spell allows thesavant to recast any previously cast savant spellof equal or lesser level.� As an alternative, DMscan make this a seventh-level spell under thesame parameters.

DMs concerned about the low cost for materi-al transmutation in the alchemy skill (on page 20of that issue) may increase the cost factor by 10or even 100 in cases where the transmutationmay increase the value of the original materialby too much.

Vince GarciaFresno CA

Lost miniaturesDear Dragon:

In the �Coming Attractions� section ofDRAGON issue #91, you told about upcomingDRAGONLANCE® metal miniatures (Set I). In theissues since then, there hasn�t been any wordabout this or subsequent sets. I am unable tofind these in any of the catalogs from minia-tures companies and was wondering if youcould tell me which company produces theseminiature figures,

Michael BimboKilmarnock VA

TSR, Inc., cancelled its plans to produce thoseparticular miniatures; a few castings and proto-types of these figures exist, but they are rare inthe extreme. David Sutherland and DennisKauth were the sculptors. However, Ral ParthaEnterprises, Inc., now has the license for thisline of figures. You can contact this company forfurther information by writing to it at: 5938Carthage Court, Cincinnati OH 45212; or calling:(800) 543-0272 toll-free.

Rolls & rolesOne of the criticisms of DRAGON®

Magazine that we sometimes hearmakes the point that there are toomany �roll-playing� articles, asopposed to �role-playing� articles. Inother words, many of the articlesherein focus on basic gamemechanics�new magical items, newmonsters, new character classes,new spells, new rules, and so on. Tothat charge, I say, sure, we use a lotof �roll-playing� material. It�s readilyavailable from our contributors, andit�s easily dropped into an ongoinggame campaign. Everyone has a usefor �roll-playing� articles.

However, �role-playing� articles�those that tell how to role-play char-acters well, how to be a gamemaster, how to solve problems withplayers or game masters, and howto set up a believable campaignbackground�are hard to come by.We get a few good articles of thiskind every year, and when we do,we buy them and print them.

But �role-playing� articles are alsohard to write. The author must firsthave lots of gaming experience andknowledge, then be able to sort outsome good ideas and techniquesfrom all that, and then be able towrite a useful and entertainingarticle. Creating a well-crafted magi-cal item is a challenge, but it is notquite the same as writing an articleon how you can become a popularand effective game master.

If you recall a �role-playing� articlefrom DRAGON Magazine that youfelt was especially good, write-downthe name of that article and the issuefrom which it came, and send it tous. The more feedback we get aboutwhat our readers like, the harder wesearch for articles that keep yourinterest�and keeping your interest isthe name of the game.

Last notes: I would like to thankBetsy Goodrich, of Atlanta, Ga.,whose letter in Gateways Magazine,issue #7, sparked my editorial inDRAGON issue #137 (and thismonth's �Forum� letters on handi-capped gamers).

And the entire DRAGON Magazinestaff would like to wish LarryElmore, whose �SnarfQuest� comicconcludes this month, the very best.The Elmores are moving back toKentucky, and they (and Snarf) willbe greatly missed.

DRAGON 5

“Forum” welcomes your comments and opin-ions on role-playing games. In the United Statesand Canada, write to: Forum, DRAGON® Maga-zine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147,U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Forum, DRAGONMagazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, CherryHinton, Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom.We ask that material submitted to “Forum” beeither neatly written by hand or typed with afresh ribbon and clean keys so we can read andunderstand your comments.

I’ve been involved with several different role-playing games for many years. I’m currently a25-year-old pilot for the U.S. Army, flying AH-64Apache helicopters at Port Hood, Texas.

In early October, I attended a middle-sizegaming convention in Georgia. Having missedthe last two GEN CON® game fairs due to Armycommitments, I was eager to participate in somegood tournament-level gaming. Regrettably,despite a wide range of guests and excellentfacilities, the convention was a total fiasco forthe gaming attendee. Of the four events forwhich my wife and I preregistered, noneoccurred as advertised, if at all. Cheating insome events was blatantly obvious yet wasignored by officials. The “security personnel” ofthe convention staff were more concerned withchecking everyone’s registration badges thandealing with the group of marijuana-smokingconventioneers who were clouding up an entirefloor of the hotel (despite my repeated com-plaints) or the intoxicated imbecile who wasscreaming obscenities from the elevators. Ieventually became so angry and disgusted that Isimply went to my room and tried to ignore theconstant caterwauling of the animals this con-vention allowed to harass the honest gamer.Speaking of harassment, even some of theconvention staff thought it was fun to roamaround and make all sorts of idiotic commentsto the paying members.

During my college years, I supplemented myincome by teaching the AD&D® game to groupsof gifted children all over southeast Tennessee.Because of responsible behavior and constantmindfulness of the image of the D&D® games,both the children and parents I dealt with werevery enthusiastic about the game. I was regu-larly contacted by new schools to teach morechildren. But despite my efforts to establish apositive image for role-playing games, the TVmovie Mazes and Monsters crushed this interestin gaming, and parents withdrew their childrento save them from the “danger” of the D&Dgames. In a matter of months, gaming in myhometown went from a rising hobby to a pas-time for “weird” people. A two-hour moviedevastated a positive program that I had devel-oped for over a year. Why? Bad image.

In the years since, the image of the D&Dgames has taken a pounding. It seems nearlyevery discussion on Satan worship has some ill-informed individual pointing a finger at theDUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game. How manymore hatchet jobs will the media need to totally

6 MAY 1989

destroy the game? Take it from me, John Q.Public will probably believe anything that a“reputable” reporter says. The public opinion onD&D games is abominable and is getting worse.

Back to the October convention: I was verydisturbed to see the local news media observingthe irresponsible behavior of what I’m sure theythought were “D&D game players.” What both-ered me the most, however, were the looks ofshock on some parents’ faces as they observedthe type of environment their children areexposed to when attending such conventions. Ihave to say I was shocked as well.

I've attended several GEN CON game fairs andhave greatly enjoyed each one. The behaviors ofthe staff and the attendees have nearly alwaysbeen courteous and professional However, isthe level of maturity and responsibility that thisconvention displays a rarity, or is it evenunique? I would hope not. A convention shouldbe a forum of events to stimulate interests andenthusiasm in gaming, not a freak show wheresocial deviants are allowed free reign, andprogrammed events fall to pieces in the handsof incompetent or apathetic organizers.

While there is little excuse for the slipshodorganization of the convention I attended, thestaff cannot be held entirely to blame for thebehavior of the attendees. Folks, please remem-ber that a convention is a high-visibility situationfor the gaming community. Running aroundacting like a moron in front of TV cameras is amistake. Parading around in restaurants nearthe convention dressed like a psychopath willonly hurt the image of all gamers. With publicopinion turning against us, responsible behavioris a must.

It’s my understanding that GAMA’s 1990ORIGINS™ convention will be held in the samecity of this unfortunate convention. I can onlyhope that the organizers of this last conventionare either not involved in any way or havelearned from their numerous mistakes. Most ofall, every gamer involved needs to contribute tothe convention with behavior befitting a nation-ally recognized event such as this one.

Bryan A. WalkerCopperas Cove TX

I recently bought a copy of DRAGON Maga-zine, issue #127 (yes, I know this is a bit late,but DRAGON issues are either six months late inthis country, [South Africa] or they don’t arriveat all; incidentally, the cost was about 40 timeswhat the average newspaper costs here). I havehad nearly six years of intensive AD&D gameexperience, and in that time I have completelyrevised the game’s weapons system for my ownpurposes about 12 times. I am also a member ofa small group called the Medieval WeaponsSociety, all the members of which are avidAD&D game players. We found a weaponsmith(Mr. P. Weissnar of Phidag Arts & Crafts) whohas been making exact replicas of ancient andmedieval weapons and armor all his life. We, ofcourse, bought as many weapons as ourfinances would allow and have been using them

DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) IS publishedmonthly by TSR. Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI53147, United States of America. The postal address forall materials from the United States and Canada exceptsubscription orders is: DRAGON Magazine, P.O. Box111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A., telephone: (414)248-3625. The postal address for all materials fromEurope is: DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 ChurchEnd, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LD, UnitedKingdom, telephone: (0223) 212517 (U.K.), 44-223-212517 (international), telex: 818761, fax: (0223) 248066(U.K.), 44-223-248066 (international).

Distribution: DRAGON Magazine is available fromgames and hobby shops throughout the United States,Canada, the United Kingdom, and through a limitednumber of other overseas outlets. Distribution to the booktrade in the United States is by Random House, Inc., andin Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Sendorders to: Random House, Inc., Order Entry Department,Westminster MD 21157, U.S.A., telephone: (800) 638-6460 toll-free except Alaska (call (800) 492-0782 toll-freein Maryland). Newsstand distribution throughout theUnited Kingdom is by Seymour Press Ltd., 334 BrixtonRoad, London SW9 7AG, United Kingdom, telephone:01-733-4444.

Subscriptions: Subscription rates via second-classmail are as follows: $30 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sentto an address in the U.S. or Canada, £18 for 12 issuessent to an address within the United Kingdom, $50 inU.S. funds for 12 issues sent by surface mail to any otheraddress, or $90 in U.S. funds for 12 issues sent airmail toany other address. Payment in full must accompany allsubscription orders. In the U.S. and Canada, methods ofpayment include checks or money orders made payableto TSR, Inc., or charges to valid MasterCard or VISAcredit cards; send subscription orders with payments toTSR, Inc., P.O. Box 72089, Chicago IL 60678, U.S.A. Inthe United Kingdom, methods of payment includecheques and money orders made payable to TSR Ltd., orcharges to a valid ACCESS credit card; send subscri-tion orders with payments to TSR Ltd., as per the aboveaddress. Prices are subject to change without priornotice. The issue of expiration of each subscription isprinted on the mailing label of each subscriber’s copy ofthe magazine. Changes of address for the delivery ofsubscription copies must be received at least six weeksprior to the effective date of the change in order to assureuninterrupted delivery.

Back issues: A limited quantity of back issues isavailable from either the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop(P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.) or fromTSR Ltd. For a copy of the current catalog that listsavailable back issues, write to either of the aboveaddresses.

Submissions: All material published in DRAGONMagazine becomes the exclusive property of the pub-lisher unless special arrangements to the contrary aremade prior to publication. DRAGON Magazine welcomesunsolicited submissions of written material and artwork;however, no responsibility for such submissions can beassumed by the publisher in any event. Any submissionaccompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope ofsufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published.We strongly recommend that prospective authors writefor our writers’ guidelines before sending an article to us.In the United States and Canada, send a self-addressed,stamped envelope (9½" long preferred) to: Wnters’Guidelines, c/o DRAGON Magazine, as per the aboveaddress; include sufficient American postage or Interna-tional Reply Coupons with the return envelope. InEurope, write to Writers’ Guidelines, c/o DRAGONMagazine, TSR Ltd.; include sufficient return postage orIRCs with your SASE.

Advertising: For information on placing advertise-ments in DRAGON Magazine, ask for our rate card. Inthe United States and Canada, contact: AdvertisingCoordinator, TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756, 201 SheridanSprings Road, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A. In Europe,contact: Advertising Coordinators, TSR Ltd.

DRAGON is a registered trademark of TSR, Inc.Registration applied for in the United Kingdom. All rightsto the contents of this publication are reserved, and

nothing may be reproduced from it in whole or in partwithout first obtaining permission in writing from thepublisher.

® designates registered trademarks owned by TSR,Inc. ™ designates trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. Mostother product names are trademarks owned by thecompanies publishing those products. Use of the name ofany product without mention of trademark status shouldnot be construed as a challenge to such status.

©1989 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Second-class postage paid at Lake Geneva, Wis.,

U.S.A., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Sendaddress changes to TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 111, LakeGeneva WI 53147, U.S.A. USPS 318-790, ISSN 0279-6848.

in combat against each other (being careful, of Experience No. Of additionalcourse, though naturally we have all sufferedseveral minor injuries).

Therefore, when I opened issue #127, I waspleased to see all the articles on combat in it. Ifound most of these to be outstanding articles,with two exceptions.

�No Quarter!� by Arn Ashleigh Parker wassort of confusing. I mean, I am accustomed torolling ability checks on 1d26, but here we haveability and level checks on 1d30, 3d10, 2d12,

points cantripsO-833 1

834-1666 21667-2500 3

Of course, four cantrips may still be substi-tuted for a first-level spell, in which case theadditional cantrip rule above still applies.

Zach MillerNaples FL

Having just finished reading the editorial inissue #137 (again), I want to share my commentson handicapped gamers. I have played withblind, deaf, hearing-impaired, learning-disabled,physically impaired, and multihandicappedplayers, and am myself hearing impaired. I haveworn hearing aids for almost 17 years.

Despite having a 45-50 dB hearing loss, I donot really think of myself as being handicapped.I played role-playing games for about six years

and 3d8 variously. I also would have thoughtthat fighters would be trained how to parry intheir normal training. And don�t cavaliers everlearn combat maneuvers, or are they expectedto hack and slash their way through life?

[Regarding] the secondAre Better Than One,� by

article, �Two HandsDonald D. Miller: I

I would like to commend Roger Moore on hisexcellent editorial about handicapped gamers inissue #137. Since I am physically disabled, I wasglad to see the concern for those gamers whoareing

eitherwith a

learning ordisability is

physically disabled. Cop-much easier if you know

before I encountered another atypical player, ablind man. It was at this point that I becameinterested in ways to facilitate the inclusion ofplayers with disabilities into �normal� gamingcircles, an interest meshing quite nicely with my

recover from a chop. By the way, the encum-

regularly use some of the weapons he discusses.My favorite weapon is a 5lb. bastard sword,

brance figure for the two-hander given in the

which I can use easily in one hand, while hold-ing either a shield, a dagger, a short sword, a

Players Handbook does not reflect weight; a

3�2� long sword, or nothing in the other. (I ampartially ambidextrous, so it doesn�t bother me

heavy two-handed sword weighs about 14 lbs.

which hand holds which weapon, although I dotend to favor the right as a primary; I write left-

(like the 6� Flamberge I have also tried). The

handed.) A bastard sword in each hand requiresa bit more coordination, but using them is stilleasy. Just so people don�t get the wrong ideas, Iam 20, stand 5�11�, and weigh 155 lbs. If theaverage person of today is taken as a yardstick,I have an AD&D game strength of 11-12 and adexterity of about 13 (if 10½ is average).

I also don�t see why the article discriminatesagainst demi-humans; a friend of mine is 4�11�,weighs 115 lbs., has only mild difficulty in usinga bastard sword in one hand, and has no prob-lems with a long sword in one and a shortsword in the other. Perhaps there was a misin-terpretation of available data: Contrary to the[1st Edition] Players Handbook figures, theaverage length for a long or broad sword wasabout 3�, and for a bastard sword 3½� (Weap-ons, MacMillan: 1980, and Weapons Throughthe Ages, by W. Reid, Crescent Books: 1986). Iwould suggest that DMs treat the Players Hand-book figures for all weapon sizes as maximums,the minimum being the maximum size of theweapon one step below (e.g., knife, dagger,short sword, long/broad sword, bastard sword,two-handed sword). Also, weight and height (thelatter to only a small extent) should be thedeterminants of whether a weapon is usedsingle- or double-handedly. Only halflings shouldhave to use a long sword with two hands; allother races are heavy enough for one.

As a matter of interest, I have tried both an11-lb. Bidenhander and a 7-lb. battle-axe. Thetwo-hander I could handle (very clumsily,though), but the axe was really difficult tohandle �I found it virtually impossible to

there are people who share the same interestson your side.

When I was in junior high school, I did nothave many friends because I was bussed to aschool other than the high school in my localarea which was not accessible to the handi-capped. Since I could not take gym class, I spenta lot of time, in the library and developed aninterest in reading fantasy and science-fictionnovels. Reading helped me escape from some ofthe loneliness. That summer, I met a friend atcamp who introduced me to the D&D game,which we played whenever we had a chance.After that summer, I never saw my friend again,but I had found an activity in which I couldparticipate. After camp, I purchased the D&DBasic Set. I acted as DM for some friends frommy neighborhood for two years after purchas-ing the D&D Expert Set. When I entered highschool, I joined a war-gaming club in which Iwas introduced to the AD&D game. For thenext 2½ years, I was a player, but during mysenior year, the school banned the playing ofthe DUNGEONS & DRAGONS game.

Two years ago, I entered community collegeand have never really played the D&D gamesince. All my neighborhood friends either wentaway to college or moved. Now I don�t havemany friends since most people my age do notmuch bother with me at the college. I havegotten back into fantasy novels again, and I aminterested in the D&D game again. I have decid-ed to try to get a role-playing group together,but I do not know where to begin to get peopleinterested in role-playing. If anyone has anyideas, you should send them to �Forum� so theycan be shared with everyone.

Michael TownsendWhite Hall MD

There are no �rule� changes that have to bemade to accomodate the �handicapped.� In most

rules are explained, and the DM�s quirks stated (IAD&D game campaigns and dungeons, once the

am a DM with a lot of quirks), nothing else isrequired except common courtesy, a willingnessto help (if asked or if necessary), a sense ofhumor, and patience.

only reason a two-handed sword can be recov-ered after a swing is because of its 20� hilt.

Graeme Adamson

are easily integrated into gaming groups, theprimary difficulty being a matter of transporta-tion, which is easily resolved when the groupconsists of adults. Public transportation is alsoan alternative, though not a feasible one for thegroup that plays well into the evening or morn-ing. Perhaps the most difficult thing for thenaive player encountering a blind player, partic-ularly one blind from birth or a very young age,is the disconcerting habit some such peoplehave of not �looking� at the person being spokento. It is important for the seeing players toremember that it is not a good idea to rearrangefurniture � it can be very frightening andpainful to fall over a chair that was somewhereelse earlier. It is my preference, when a blindgamer is part of the group, to have the gamingsessions at the blind player�s home, therebyeliminating the difficulties of getting the blindplayer to the session and the problem of becom-ing accustomed to a new environment. It willnot take long for the group to notice that theblind player might have a slightly different wayof approaching things in the game setting; afriend of mine always wanted to know what hischaracter smelled, something not many sightedplayers would think to ask.

It is also relatively easy to integrate into thegroup a person who is hearing impaired butspeaks well. It will help to use a round table orarrange the group in a circle on the floor so thatthe hearing-impaired person can easily seeeveryone. Also, good overhead lighting is nice,so the players� faces are not shadowed or silhou-etted. When the hearing-impaired person ishaving trouble hearing, repeat yourself once,and if that does not do the trick, rephrase whatis being said. Try to avoid talking with some-thing in your mouth, and remember to keepobjects away from your face. Avoid exaggeratedmouth movements and the inclination to shout� some hearing-impaired people are painfullysensitive to loud noise.

pursuit of a career in special education.It has been my experience that blind players

A member of our group (who has since died)once thanked us for allowing her to join. Shewas overjoyed at being able to walk, run, andfight, not to mention have the magic she coulduse (she had a 6th-level fighter-mage). We neverhad a chance to thank her for enriching ourcampaign.

I�ve been classified as totally disabled,although (luckily for me) I�m not in a wheelchair� yet.

ing modification: 1st-level magic-users may Just a smallmemorize cantrips in addition to their one each people first.

reminder: The �handicapped� are

It is harder if the hearing-impaired or deafperson relies on sign language for his communi-cative needs. Sign language can vary a lot fromregion to region � like verbal dialects, onlymore so. The problem is also compounded bythe fact that there are several signing systems inuse throughout the country. Once a person getsaround these difficulties, there is the problem ofvocabulary. There are only a few thousand signsused for the more common words. After that,the signer has to rely on finger spelling or signsinvented on the spot. Using sign language tendsto be a bit slower than speaking, and fingerspelling is slower yet, for obvious reasons. If thesigner is an atrocious speller, it can lead tofurther difficulty. The game setting also has adirect impact on the use of sign language. I have

Germiston, South Africa

Although I do not agree with bettering the hitpoints and armor classes of 1st-level mages, I dobelieve mages should be able to memorize morethan one spell at 1st level. Therefore, I suggestthe following simple and certainly not unbalanc-

first-level spells. Dave TimmonsPhiladelphia PA Continued on page 98

8 MAY 1989

Illustration by Jeff Easley

by Skip Williams

If you have any questions on thegames produced by TSR, Inc., �SageAdvice� will answer them. In the Unit-ed States and Canada, write to: SageAdvice, DRAGON® Magazine, P.O. Box111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A. InEurope, write to: Sage Advice,DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120Church End, Cherry Hinton, CambridgeCB1 3LD, United Kingdom.

This month, the magical spells forspell-casters in the AD&D® 1st Editiongame books are put to the sage�s test.

Clerical spells

The description of the silence 15'radius spell says that if the spell iscast on an unwilling creature andthe creature makes its saving throwthe spell lands one foot behind thecreature. Is this the center of theeffect or the edge?

The center of the effect lands one foot

10 MAY 1989

behind the creature, silencing it until itcan move out of the area of effect.

What level does an AD&D clerichave to be in order to cast a glyph ofwarding that drains a level?

Since this glyph duplicates the effects ofa reversed restoration spell, the castermust be at least a 16th-level cleric.

Does a tongues spell work like auniversal translator, automaticallytranslating a specified language intoa second language when the speci-fied language is spoken within thearea of effect? Can the direction ofthe translation be reversed? Whohears the translation?

The spell acts like a selective translator.The caster picks one creature within thearea of effect. Then he speaks to thatcreature in any language that he knows;the target creature magically understandswhat is said. Any creature who under-stands the language that the caster is usingcan understand what the caster says if itcan hear him. No creature who does notunderstand the language that the caster isusing can understand what the caster says

�except the target creature.The reverse holds true when the crea-

ture replies. It uses a language that itknows. The caster, and any other creaturewithin earshot who speaks the languagethat the creature is using, can understandwhat the creature says.

The caster can freely shift the spell�starget from one creature to another for aslong as the spell lasts.

If a character casts find the pathand wind walk, would he he able tofind a portable hole?

No. A find the path spell can find a wayinto or out of a location; it can�t be used tolocate objects. The purpose of the spell isto help the caster when he is lost or todetermine what actions to take so that hecan get from place to place � it is not atreasure-finder. Wind walk can be used inconjunction with find the path, but itwon�t help the caster find an object.

A dust devil is dispelled when itcontacts a creature with magicresistance. Will an elf, who is resist-ant to sleep and charm, dispel a dustdevil?

No; elves have a unique resistance tosleep and charm spells, not innate magicresistance. Only creatures with resistanceto all spells will dispel a dust devil.Daemons, with their graduated magicresistance, will dispel dust devils; will o�wisps, which are simply immune to mostspells, will not.

How many spells can my 124th-level cleric cast per day? The spelllist only goes up to 29th level.

A cleric gains a seventh-level spell at30th level, and another seventh-level spellat 31st level, giving the cleric nine spells ofeach level.

At 32nd level, the cleric gains one eachfirst-, second-, and third-level spell, givingthe cleric 10 first- to third-level spells andnine fourth- to seventh-level spells.

At 33rd level, the cleric gains one eachfourth-, fifth-, and sixth-level spell, givingthe cleric 10 first- to sixth-level spells andnine seventh-level spells.

At 34th level, the cleric gains a seventh-level spell, giving the cleric 10 spells ofeach level.

When the cleric reaches 35th level, hegains one each first-, second-, and third-level spell, just like at 32nd level. Theprogression from 32nd to 34th level con-tinues to repeat itself thereafter.

You will have to work out the spell listfor your 124th-level cleric yourself. It maybe easier just to start a new character.

Illusionist spells

Will a second shadow walk spellhelp an illusionist who has gottenlost on the plane of Shadow? Wherecan I get information on the plane ofShadow?

A second shadow walk spell will nothelp an illusionist who has gotten lost onthe demi-plane of Shadow. The spell onlyworks near the boundary between thedemi-plane of Shadow and the rest of themultiverse, and a lost illusionist has some-how wandered away from that area. Thedemi-plane of Shadow is briefly describedin the Manual of the Planes, on page 21.

My DM says that my 14th-levelillusionist casts magic missiles(gained from the seventh-level spellfirst-level magic-user spell) asthough he were a 1st-level magic-user. Is he right?

Your DM is right, but your illusionistdoes get to cast four first-level magic-userspells for each seventh-level spell he givesup. Note that illusionists cast their magic-user spells at one level higher for eachlevel beyond 14th, so that a 20th-levelillusionist casts magic missiles at 7th level.

Can an illusionist also change hisequipment with an alter self spell?

The alter self spell allows clothing andequipment to be altered just as the first-

12 MAY 1989

eve1 change self spell allows.

Can an illusionist use an alter selfspell to make functional platearmor?

The alter self and change self spells cancreate the appearance of any sort ofequipment, but they do not change thecaster�s armor class, nor do they createusable equipment..

Can an illusionist use thewraithform spell to fly?

No; the wraithform spell does notbestow the power of flight.

Creatures with a 19 intelligenceare immune to first-level illusions.Exactly which spells from whichclasses are first-level illusions?

Illusion/phantasm spells from the illu-sionist�s first-level spell list are first-levelillusions, even when several classes cancast them. Phantasmal force, for example,is a first-level illusion/phantasm, eventhough it is a third-level spell for magic-users.

When a permanency is applied to aspell cast upon a creature, wholoses the constitution point: thecaster or the recipient creature?

The casting of a permanency causes theconstitution loss, so the loss (if any) alwaysapplies to the caster.

Is the turning of creatures intotrees the only function of a mass-morph spell?

Yes, and it can be handy, too.

Shouldn�t a saving throw beallowed for the remove fear spell?With no save, the reverse is a potentspell.

There is no save vs. remove fear or itsreverse, though either spell requires con-tact with the recipient (meaning a �to hit�roll against an unwilling victim). You mightchoose to allow a save against cause fearat a substantial penalty (I suggest -4),since remove fear requires a save of sortsif applied after the fact (see the spell�sdescription on page 44 of the PlayersHandbook).

There is a contradiction in thedescription of the spell color spray.How can the illusionist affect crea-tures with more hit dice than he hasif he is only able to affect as manyhit dice of creatures as he haslevels?

Delete the third sentence from the spell�sdescription on page 94 in the PlayersHandbook.

Magic-user spells

If a character turns into a fishwith a polymorph self spell or

potion, can he breathe underwater?A polymorph self spell can provide the

caster with functional gills, just as it canprovide the caster with functional wings.

What is the �small specimen�required for the fifth-level animatedead monsters spell?

The �small specimen� is the same as thematerial component for an animate deadspell. That is: a drop of blood, a piece offlesh, and a pinch of bone powder orshard of bone from the type of creature tobe animated. This material component isconsumed in the casting of the spell.

The first line in the description ofthe second-level preserve spell saysthat it will keep an item fresh untilit�s needed for a spell. The secondline, however, says that the spellwon�t work on mistletoe or relateditems. Isn�t this a contradiction?

Not at all. This spell is useful for keepingmaterial components fresh. Mistletoe andrelated items (as used by druids in spell-casting) are not merely material compo-nents but holy symbols. Part of theirpotency comes from the ritual act of gath-ering them, and their period of usefulnesscannot be magically extended using thisspell.

The whip spell does not affectcreatures with an intelligence above3 or giant animals above bear-size.How then can the spell be used todisarm characters?

This immunity is only to the whip�sability to make creatures retreat. Thewhip�s secondary function is to disarmweapon-using creatures of any sort.

What would happen if an Otiluke'sresilient sphere were cast at a vic-tim on a beach or on a ship, and wasthen shoved into the water?

An Otiluke�s resilient sphere cast uponan object which is then pushed into thewater will float, unless the spells area ofeffect contains more dead weight thanempty air, in which case it sinks. A floatingsphere could be pushed along like a beachball; a sinking sphere will eventually strikebottom, but it could be deflected on itsway down or even carried by swimmersof sufficient strength, like divers carryinga rock.

The description of the forcecagespell says that a creature with magicresistance can make only oneattempt to get out. Is such a creaturelimited to one attempt to passthrough the bars in either direction,or can it force its way into the cageand then try to get out again?

A creature with magic resistance can tryto force its way into a forcecage once only

Continued on page 56

When the AD&D® 1st Edi-tion Dungeon Master�s Guide indicates thata randomly generated fortress is encoun-tered, the players� attention is undoubt-edly boosted. How does the DM deal withtheir curiosity? Appendix C of the DMGhelps, but new tables are needed to addmore detail to such encounters and toinclude new character classes fromUnearthed Arcana and Oriental Adven-tures.

Castle Table I (DMG, page 182) needs thefollowing change. For the sake of simplici-ty, the fortress types are classified hereinusing letters: type A (small shell keep), B(tower), C (moat house or friary), D (largeshell keep), E (small walled castle withkeep), F (medium walled castle with keep),G (concentric castle), H (large walled castlewith keep), and I (fortress complex).

Castle Table II and Sub-Table II.A. (DMG,182-183) can be left unchanged. However,Sub-Table II.B. is out of date; instead ofusing it, roll on Table 1 or Table 2 of thisarticle to determine a stronghold�s master.

For the social class of a castle�s master innon-Oriental settings, refer to the �Typicalmembers of a class� chart on page 82 ofUnearthed Arcana. The master�s class andlevel determine the character�s social rank.Add one social level if the master rules amedium-size castle, or add two sociallevels if the character rules a large-sizecastle.

For the birth rank of an Oriental master,roll 2d8 + 4 on Table 38 in OrientalAdventures, page 31. Samurai NPCsreceive an additional + 10 bonus. Also add+ 1 if the master rules a medium-sizecastle, or +2 if he rules a large-size castle.

Castle characteristicsTable 3 herein deals with the major

physical characteristics of the fortress.Each listing is described as follows.

Moat: In coastal and swampy areas, add10% to the chance of a castle having amoat. In deserts and mountains, no castlehas a moat because of the scarcity ofwater (unless magic is used, of course).Across each moat is placed a permanentbridge or a movable drawbridge, either ofwhich leads to the main gate of the castle.The bridge is usually guarded by the cas-tle�s artillery weapons. The specifics of themoat (width, depth, inhabitants, etc.) mustbe chosen by the DM.

Wooden: This is the percentage chancethat the fortress is constructed of wood,rather than stone. If wood is more abun-dant in the area than stone (such as in aforest), add 10% to this chance. If stone ismore abundant (such as in the mountains),subtract 10%.

Walls: This column gives the number ofcurtain walls that completely encircle thecastle. The innermost curtain wall canenclose an open space between itself and

the innermost buildings, or it can containrooms like a single fortified building.

Towers: This column gives the numberof tall structures that serve as watch postsand strategic promontories during battles.Castle type B is a tower, with no otherheavily fortified structures except for thecurtain wall and possibly a gatehouse. Forcastle types E through I, the number oftowers listed applies to each curtain wall.A castle with flat sides has its towers at itscorners, so that the towers project outfrom the sides of the castle. A castle withcurved walls has towers placed at regularintervals along its walls. This arrangementincreases the surface area of the wall thatcan be covered by missile-firing troopsand artillery. At least one tower overlooksthe main gate of the fortress.

Gatehouse: This column gives the per-centage chance that there is a small build-ing at the main entrance of the outermostcurtain wall. Here, guards inspect visitorsand defend the main gate against unwant-ed intrusions. For a castle with a moat, thegatehouse is located outside the �moat andis connected to the outermost curtain wallby a bridge (either a permanent one or adrawbridge).

Tunnels: This column gives the percent-age chance that there is an undergroundtunnel system beneath the castle. Inswampy areas, subtract 20% from thischance. The random dungeon generationsystem (DMG, pages 169-172) can be usedto determine the arrangement of the tun-nel system. Small castles have 1-4 dungeonlevels, medium castles have 2-8 levels, andlarge castles have 2-12 levels. At the lowestdungeon level, consider downward-leadingpassageways to be dead ends. If the tablesindicate that the dungeon extends into animpossible area (such as aboveground orout the side of a cliff), place a concealeddoor at the end of an apparent dead end.This door opens to the outside wilderness.

Castles inhabited by characters do notnormally have any monsters in theirdungeons. Exceptions include the family�pet� or an unwanted or secret intruder.Dungeons that are not shrouded in secre-cy often have guards at regular intervals,especially near prison cells and treasurechambers.

Table 1*

Castle Masters(Non-Oriental Settings)

1d100 Class Level01-15 Cavalier 9th-12th16-20 Paladin 9th-10th21-35 Cleric 9th-12th36-37 Druid 12th-15th38-65 Fighter 9th-12th66-70 Barbarian 8th-13th71-72 Ranger 10th-13th73-80 Magic-user 11th-14th81-85 Illusionist 10th-13th86-90 Thief 10th-14th91-93 Thief-Acrobat 9th-12th94-97 Assassin 14th98-99 Monk * * 9th-12th

00 Bard 23rd

* Use Table 1 in place of the DMG�sSub-Table II.B. for non-Orientalcampaigns.* * As per the AD&D 1st EditionPlayers Handbook.

Table 2 *

Castle Masters(Oriental Settings)

1d100 Class01-30 Bushi31-40 Kensai41-50 Monk * *51-55 Ninja/bushi

56-60

61-80 Samurai81-90 Shukenja91-00 Sohei

Ninja/sohei

Level9th-12th9th-12th8th-13th9th/9th-12th/12th9th/9th-10th/10th9th-14th9th-12th9th-12th

* Use Table 2 in place of the DMG�sSub-Table II.B. for Oriental Adven-turescampaigns.* * As per Oriental Adventures.

TypeABCDEFGHI

Table 3

Physical Characteristics of a CastleMoat

5%5%

100%15%20%25%35%40%45%

Wooden Walls Towers40% 1 -

30% 1 120% 1 -10% 1 -

- 1 2-5- 1 3-6- 2-5 4-7- 1 3-6- 3-6 5-8

Gatehouse-

10%10%15%30%55%

100%80%

100%

Tunnels5%5%3%10%15%20%30%30%40%

TypeABCDEFGH

I

Settlement

None01-1001-0501-05

--

----

Hamlet11-9006-8506-8501-6001-5001-3001-10

- -

Table 4

Adjacent to Castle

Village91-0086-0086-0061-0051-0031-9011-80

01-7501-70

Town City- -- -- -- -- -

91-00 -81-00 -

76-95 96-0071-90 91-00

Table 5Political Position

of Castle

U n d e r I nType Indep. Allies com. com.

A 10% 2 0 % 80% 5%B 10% 2 0 % 80% 5%C 10% 20% 80% 5%D 15% 25% 65% 15%E 20% 30% 50% 30%F 25% 35% 35% 4 5 %G 30% 2 0 % 20% 6 0 %H 30% 2 0 % 2 0 % 60%I 35% 10% 10% 75%

Local settlementsTable 4 determines the type of settle-

ment that stands within one mile of thefortress. Because of the difficulties inestablishing civilized life in certain terraintypes, use a - 20% modifier in swamps,- 15% in deserts, and - 15% in moun-tains. In coastal areas, add 10% to the roll,since the possibilities of a steady foodsupply (fish, shellfish, etc.) and a shippingport affect the size of the community.

If the castle is deserted, or inhabited byunfriendly or isolated bands of monstersor humans (as defined by Castle Table IIand Sub-Table II.A. on pages 182-183 of theDMG), the settlement might be in a similarsituation. In this case, roll on Castle TableII for the settlement�s inhabitants. For thistable, consider a hamlet to be �small,� avillage to be �medium,� and a town to be�large.� A city is also considered to be�large,� and it receives an extra 10% bonusto the die roll. If humans or character-types are indicated, consider the settle-ment to be occupied by typical membersof that type of settlement (farmers for avillage, townspeople for a town, etc.).

The �Inhabitation� chart on page 173 ofthe DMG gives the population of eachsettlement type. Use this chart for a settle-ment that is not deserted or does notcontain monsters. Also note that you donot have to place new major cities in thecampaign if you have not planned forthem; these results can be rerolled.

16 MAY 1989

The relationship between a character-ruled fortress and the settlement must bechosen by the DM. Perhaps the castle�smaster rules over the people of the settle-ment, which is most likely where hamletsand villages are concerned. Perhaps thecastle serves as a protector of the settle-ment, such as for a city. The castle andsettlement might even be locked in anunofficial conflict, such as when a warlordand a civilian governor are competing forpolitical power.

Local politicsTable 5 determines the political position

of a fortress inhabited by character-types.Few castles are independent and unknownto the rest of the world, especially thosethat are large and militarily powerful. Touse Table 5, roll under the first column forthe chance of independence. If the num-ber rolled is over this chance, then roll onthe other three columns; the results ofthese three may all apply at once. If noneof the four columns indicate a politicalposition, then start again in the firstcolumn until a position is found. Thecolumns are explained below.

Independent: Except for an adjacentsettlement, this fortress stands alone politi-cally. Its inhabitants are naturally suspi-cious of strangers (-10% reactionmodifier).

Allies: The master of this castle holds

treaties with 1-4 other castle masters, eachof whom rules a castle of the same type(A, B, C, etc.). A treaty can include a prom-ise of peace, mutual protection, politicalsupport, or anything else the DM chooses.

Under command: The master of thiscastle is the vassal of another lord, whorules a fortress that is up to four typeslarger on the DMG�s Castle Table I scalethan this one (maximum of type I). Therelationship between the two masters issimilar to the relationship between allies,though the lord in the smaller castle musttake orders from and pay taxes to the lordin the larger castle. The larger castle isplaced 1-12 miles from the smaller one.

In command: The master of this castlerules over 2-5 vassals, each of whom com-mands a castle that is up to four typessmaller than this one (minimum of type A).These extra castles are placed in the cam-paign by the DM, each within 1-12 miles ofthe major castle.

These tables are intended to clarify, notcomplicate, the DM�s job of creating arandom castle. Obviously, they can onlyserve as general guidelines; the DM mustbe able to put together the jumble of infor-mation which this article and the DMG�stables will provide. It might take sometime and effort, but the final outcomeshould provide a setting to interest (andchallenge) PCs for many hours.

by Matt Iden

Random events to enlivenanyone�s stronghold

When a player character has reached the top of his profession,the first thing on his mind is often the building of a stronghold. Unfortunately,the AD&D® 1st Edition rules have few guidelines for this type of play. Finding away to mix mundane events (such as monthly crop reports) and a few minorbut troublesome occurrences (such as training accidents) with the more excit-ing adventures you have planned takes a great deal of time to create, let alonewrite out and present to the players. Yet without natural events surroundingyour adventures, it�s difficult for your players to appreciate what life in a fanta-sy fortress is like.

Use of the following table of events can add to the �realism� involved in own-ing land, especially a castle. Although the encounters are meant to serve mostlyas filler material, several of them could be developed into adventures them-selves (or, better yet, they might fit into an existing adventure that you�veplanned for your campaign). In general, the events are presented in order of

increasing severity or local importance.It is suggested that you use only three, at most, of these events per game

month. Allow a 50% chance that an event from the accompanying table occurseach game week, and flesh out the event as you like. Note that these events aredesigned so that they should rarely produce disasters for the PC castle ownerbut demand some attention, nonetheless. Particular details about each eventshould, if possible, be tailored to the larger world environment (e.g., racialproblems may involve kender or gully dwarves in Krynn-basedDRAGONLANCE® campaigns, political problems may involve agents of theGreat Kingdom in the WORLD OF GREYHAWK® setting, and so on). Tablesgiving weather effects, random monster encounters for patrols, and so forthmay also be used in conjunction with this table.

Table resultsBad supplies: The castle has received

bad supplies. The PC owner must pay anadditional 10% of the castle�s monthlyupkeep to replace them (see the AD&D 1stEdition Dungeon Masters Guide, page 25).

Rotten food stores: The castle hasreceived or developed rotten food stores.All who eat from the stores fall sick (a mildattack of a gastrointestinal disorder; seethe DMG, pages 13-14). The water source(well, stream, lake, etc.) might becometemporarily tainted as an alternative,

Fire: Some part of the castle catches fire(kitchen, -smithy, military stores, etc.).There are 1-8 injured soldiers or castleinhabitants who must be cared for, andthe PC owner must pay an additional 5%

of the monthly upkeep to replace the lostequipment.

Excellent food stores: The castle stewardmakes a good deal. All food stores for oneweek are of excellent quality; morale (ifused) is up 10% for that period.

Paining accident: While training or on adrill, 1-6 soldiers (65%) or 1-3 mounts(35%) are injured.

Minor incursion: One or more minormonsters, worth a total of 150 xp or less(several orcs, an ogre, or some wolves),enter the area controlled by the castle. Ifnot chased off or slain, the monsters settledown and begin raiding farmlands.

Minor patrol accident: The weeklypatrol suffers a minor accident (a rider isthrown from his horse, a soldier falls

down a treacherous slope, etc.); 1-3 sol-diers are hurt.

Disease check: Check for disease orparasitic infestation of random type,occurrence, and severity (refer to theDMG; pages 13-14).

Specialist: An expert hireling (not amercenary) settles in the area.

Tax collector: The PC castle owner�s staffgains a dishonest tax collector who embez-zles funds; reduce tax income by 2-5%until the embezzler is caught.

Bard/caravan: A wandering bard visitsfor several weeks for a small nightly fee;he may have news of interest to the PC.An alternate possibility is to have a mer-chant caravan arrive with materials ofparticular interest to the PC.

1 8 M A Y 1 9 8 9

Random Eventsfor Castles

1d100 Event

01-04 Bad supplies05-07 Rotten food stores08-10 Fire11-13 Excellent food stores14-17 Training accident18-20 Minor incursion21-23 Minor patrol accident24-26 Disease check27-29 Specialist

30-32 Tax collector33-34 Bard/caravan35-37 Minor racial clash38-40 Mine problems41-43 Upkeep check44-45 Spy appears

46-47 Dam needed48-49 Duel, nonmagical50-51 Duel, magical52-53 Moderate incursion54-55 Knight�s challenge56-57 Crime58-59 Sanctuary60-61 Severe patrol accident62-63 Hunting accident

64-65 Moderate racial clash66 Cleric leaves

67-68 Sage

69 Magic-user leaves70-71 Rivalry72-73 Obnoxious druid74-75 Lycanthrope (town)76-77 Expert hireling sickens78-79 School

80-81 Alcoholic82-83 Bard (spy)

84 New religion85-86 Patrol attacked87-88 Ambassador

89 Ambassador (spy)90-91 Missing patrol92-93 Major racial clash

94 Gray war

95-96 Lycanthrope (castle)97-98 Assassin

99 Emissary00 Major incursion

Minor racial clash: A minor racial clashoccurs, such as a half-orc moving into apredominantly demi-human area or an elfand dwarf arguing over politics. Interven-tion by the PC to quell trouble will usuallysolve the problem. Otherwise, a fight mayresult in the near future.

Mine problems: If there is a mine in theregion, it �plays out,� floods, or developsother problems. If no mine exists, a smallvein of valuable ore is discovered, suitablefor mining.

Upkeep check: If the PC owner has notpaid his castle upkeep fee, he pays for it inanother way. For every 5% of the upkeepthat is not paid, one minor accident occurs(stones from the walls give way, doors falloff hinges, etc.). To stop these accidents,the PC must pay double the upkeep feenext month. Note that this will neverhappen when a castellan is in charge.

Spy appears: A standard hirelingbecomes a spy for a neighboring (but notnecessarily evil) local lord. The hirelingavoids causing trouble and continues to dohis job well.

Dam needed: If the stronghold is by ariver, a dam is needed to prevent springflooding. The cost is equal to a woodenbuilding (DMG, page 107).

Duel, nonmagical: There is an unsanc-tioned duel between two soldiers, possiblybetween two officers of the castle guard.Subject to the DM�s discretion, one com-batant is killed or injured. How will thesurvivor(s) be punished? What will therelations be between the allies and under-lings of each duelist? This situation couldinclude any duel that does not involvespell-casters.

Duel, magical: A duel is fought betweenspell-casters who are not a part of thecastle�s staff. The duel takes place in thenearby town or countryside; at least onebuilding is damaged, and some citizensmay be injured. The locals cry for justiceand vengeance. It is possible that otherlocal spell-casters might band together toprotect the duelists.

Moderate incursion: One or more mon-sters, worth a total of 500 xp or less, enterthe area controlled by the castle. If notchased off or slain, these monsters willsettle in and begin raiding the countryside,eventually attacking merchant traffic.

Knight�s challenge: A knight errant (4th-level cavalier of exceptional abilities) chal-lenges any fighter of equal level in thecastle to a duel, to one-half total hit points.The knight will not leave until he is defeat-ed or defeats 10 fighters. If defeated, heassists in the castle defenses for onemonth (but will not go on adventures withthe PCs).

Crime: A fairly serious crime is commit-ted in either the castle or in the nearbytown. Those responsible may have to betracked down or found by investigation.Possible crimes include robbery, forgery,fraud, murder, kidnapping, arson, orplotting to overthrow the PC�s rulership.

Sanctuary: A local church gives sanctu-ary to a suspected spy, thief, or othersuspected criminal and refuses to turn thisperson over to the PC castle owner.

Severe patrol accident: A castle patrolsuffers a severe accident (rock slide,washed-out road, etc.); 1d4 - 1 soldiers arekilled, 1-6 soldiers are injured, and 1-4mounts are injured or slain. There is a 5%chance that this �accident� was a trap setup by an enemy.

Hunting accident: There is a huntingaccident, and a guest or henchman of thecharacter is hurt. Bad relations betweenthe injured character and the PC mayresult.

Moderate racial clash: A moderate racialclash is instigated, and the demi-humans ofthe town and castle take sides. Some of thelocal humans also take sides (miners withdwarves, foresters with elves, etc.), butmost want the quarrel to end quickly.Intervention is necessary to end the feud.

Cleric leaves: If the highest-level clericserving the castle owner is not a hench-man, he is called away for religious duty.There will be no replacement for 6-8weeks.

Sage: If the PC owner is a spell-caster, asage is attracted to the area because of thecharacter�s academic reputation. This doesnot mean that the sage will take service; itjust means that he will be in the area andavailable for consultation. The sage mightalso visit the castle frequently to talk withthe character, to trade information, or tobe part of the happenings of the court.

Magic-user leaves: If the highest-levelmagic-user in the castle is not a hench-man, he leaves to further his career. Noreplacement is immediately forthcoming.

Rivalry: A stiff rivalry begins betweenthe two highest-level NPC spell-casters atthe PC�s court. Both trade insults, attemptto embarrass the other, and may evenattack each other. The servants and stu-dents of each defend their master, addingto the problem. Intervention by the PC isnecessary to prevent an escalation of theproblem.

Obnoxious druid: A mid- to high-leveldruid comes to the PC castle owner with severe demands to curtail deforestation,overgrazing, or magical tampering withthe weather. He becomes a pest at court,but he may find sympathy with someresidents in town.

Lycanthrope (town): A lycanthrope,posing as a town guard, normal merchant,or some other person in frequent contactwith people, begins murdering townspeo-ple. Paranoia and hysteria strike the townwhen the murderer cannot be found.

Expert hireling sickens: An expert hire-ling in the character�s pay (such as anarmorer) becomes seriously ill and cannotperform his normal duties. If not healed,the NPC will eventually die. The DMshould select any serious disease from theAD&D 1st Edition DMG, pages 13-14.

School: An NPC henchman requests

20 May 1989

permission to set up a school or guildwithin the castle. Greater interest could beadded if the NPC is of an unusual NPCclass (such as one found in the Best ofDRAGON® Magazine anthologies).

Alcoholic: One of the character�s experthirelings is found to be an alcoholic,remaining in a stupor most of the time.This may be dangerous if the hireling is anofficer or castellan.

Bard (spy): A bard entering the area is aspy. Through the use of his talents, heattempts to get important informationfrom hirelings of the castle owner, other-wise appearing to be friendly.

New religion: Clerics and followers of anew religion request permission (or simplybegin) to settle in the area.

Patrol attacked: A hit-and-run attack ismade on one of the castle patrols by ban-dits, wolves, etc. The outcome of the fightand casualties are left up to the DM.

Ambassador: An ambassador from aneighboring lord approaches the characterfor one of the following reasons: to bandtogether against a rival lord; to form ajoint expedition to hunt down bandits orhumanoid raiders; to form a trade agree-ment; to settle a border dispute; to lookfor a wanted criminal or monster; or toinvite the character to a tourney, wedding,or festival.

Ambassador (spy): An ambassador froma neighboring lord feigns good intentionswhile actively spying on the character andundermining him in any way (such assecretly harming or killing hirelings orother diplomats, or spreading rumors andlies about the PC).

Missing patrol: An entire patrol is miss-ing. The DM must decide what happenedto it, though there is a 40% chance thatthe patrol is merely very late, having runinto some sort of serious trouble on itsrounds.

Major racial clash: There is a majorracial clash, either resulting in a riot,murder, arson, or other serious crime.Intervention is required to prevent furtherbloodshed and fighting. As an alternative,a feared monster or character (such as astone giant) attempts to move into the areato make a living for itself. This monster isnot necessarily hostile.

Gray war: A gray war (a conflictbetween two rival thieves� or assassins�guilds or between two secret religiouscults) begins. It may be well under waybefore the character is even aware of it.The secret war will eventually snowballand create numerous problems for the PCcastle owner.

Lycanthrope (castle): A castle official,unaware of a hereditary disorder he pos-sesses, begins monthly attacks on castleguards, valuable war horses, importantguests � possibly even the PC owner. Hereverts to his normal form by day, igno-rant of the nightly attacks.

Assassin: If there is no assassins� guild, afree-lance assassin goes to work for the

best price. He should be very difficult tofind or even reach. One of his first targetsis a friend or ally of the PC owner.

Emissary: An emissary from a nearbyrace (demi-human or other) comes tocourt. Delicate diplomacy is called for;good role-playing may result in an allianceor other large gain. Bad role-playing mayresult in a major loss or even a war for thePC castle owner.

Major incursion: One or more powerfulcreatures, worth a total of 10,000 xp orless, enter the area controlled by the cas-tle. If not immediately chased off or slain,these monsters will eventually attack thecastle directly and attempt to loot it, eitherslaying or capturing all its inhabitants. Asan alternative, the DM may substitute amajor outbreak of plague, a devastatingfire in the castle or nearby town (or in thesurrounding lands), or a similar event. It ispossible, too, that this event is helpful �the monster that arrives may be of goodalignment and be able to help the PC insome manner.

[Other sources on information on eventsfor castle owners include: �Meanwhile,Back at the Fief...� and �Armies From theGround Up,� in DRAGON® issue #125; �TheLife and Death of a Castle,� in issue #121;and the �Events and Encounters� chapterin Oriental Adventures.]

DRAGON 21

by Arthur Collins

Three ready-to-use castles for any fantasy campaign

Editor�s introductionWhat exactly might a fantasy castle look like? Most castle maps and diagrams cre-

ated in fantasy role-playing games by players and game masters show improbablefeatures such as a 1�-thick outer wall or an interior layout resembling an above-ground dungeon. However, Arthur Collins, contributing editor for DRAGON® Maga-zine, has created several fantasy castles that bear the ring of authenticity. Wepresent some of his designs in this article. These castle plans may be dropped intoany fantasy game campaign; perhaps player characters will even gain these castlesfor their own in time � or decide to invade them.

Littlefang is a very small castle, but as itsname implies, it has teeth with which tobite those who come within striking dis-tance. It was designed to be placed in astrategic location in mountainous country,such as overlooking a pass or on a rockyridge above a mountain valley. It is thesort of castle that a small band of nastiesmight occupy, perhaps a bandit or brigandgang. On the other hand, there is nothingsinister about its layout, in and of itself.Littlefang might suit itself well to a moun-tainous (and often ignored) outpost, a toll-collecting stronghold, a magic-user�sretreat, and many other purposes.

Littlefang�s walls are not very formida-ble, but in steep terrain, they need not bemassive ones. The gatehouse is a doubleset of barred double doors with a portcul-lis between and a murder hole above.Beyond the gatehouse is a walled ramp,leading up to the castle gate proper.

The barred double doors of the castlegate are flanked by the rectangular gatetower (beneath which is the dungeon) andthe castle�s forebuilding. The bailey wallstretches between U-shaped towers, eachof which is crossed by a wooden plank. Incase part of the wall is actually taken,kicking out the plank or withdrawing ithinders the attackers in their attempt tooverrun the rest of the wall. Open stair-ways lead up to each section of the wall. Asmithy and a stable (both one-story build-ings) are found here. Built up against the

Castle Map Illustrations by Diesel

22 MAY 1989

SECOND LEVEL

donjon�s wall are a two-story barn and aone-story mews (for falcons and hawkstrained as message-carriers).

The rectangular donjon rises three sto-ries and is crowned with a pitched timberroof. Slanted window shafts let light andair down into the basement level, andgreat window shafts in the upper reachesof the great hall perform the same func-tion. The keep tower sits upon a raisedmound of earth (called a motte), giving anodd, split-level appearance to the castle.

Access to the castle is gained throughthe forebuilding, a rectangular, enclosed

THIRD LEVEL

stairway leading up to the gallery of thegreat hall. Access to the upper stories ofthe castle is gained only by ascending tothe balcony above the great hall, thenexiting the donjon onto a ramp above thepostern gate leading up to the next level(the third story), where entry to the keeptower is gained. A spiral staircase windsfrom basement to topmost turret, wherethe master of the castle might have hisstudy (reached by a trapdoor). Note thataccess to this stair is also possible from thecellar, where it is hindered by a lockedgate of wrought iron.

FOURTH LEVEL

FIFTH LEVEL

S I X T H L E V E L

SEVENTH LEVEL

ROOF

DRAGON 23

Niriath Henning is a most unconvention-al castle in all respects, although if a medi-eval architect could have conceived such aplace, he could have built it. Niriath Hen-ning is an �elf hill� � that is to say, it is acastle built by elves and disguised by illu-sions to seem like a normal hill.

This explains its peculiar shape. NiriathHenning is a three-story ring, like a dough-nut, with two watchtowers over its gate.To those who are able to see throughillusions, Niriath Henning�s true nature isimmediately apparent. Those who do nothave the capability to penetrate illusionsbelieve the castle to be a large, round hill

24 MAY 1989

with a flat top, with two trees on top of it.The illusions affect all within sight of thecastle, and those within 100 yards of theplace are also affected in such a way as tothink they are actually climbing a hill andlooking out from its summit, while all thetime they are walking around the castle�soutskirts,

While the illusions around Niriath Hen-ning could not be permanently dispelledwithout great power and knowledge, thelocal human folk would undoubtedlyknow of the castle�s sinister reputation asa secret home of the elves, and they wouldshun it (especially after dark). Such localsmight conceive of Niriath Henning as amagical hill that opens at various times toadmit the tricky elves to the outer world,where they entice unwary persons tocome back to their underworld haunts. In

local tales, such persons disappear for longperiods of time, and upon their returnthey often rave of nights of riot in the elfhill. (Their former neighbors usually avoidthese persons as fey.)

While such behavior might not fit mostpeople�s conception of elfkind in role-playing games, it forms a part of anancient attitude toward elves in real-worldBritish folklore. Thus, I created an elvenrace made up of powerful illusionists ofchaotic-neutral alignment to fit this oldview of them. In standard AD&D® cam-paigns, their place might well be taken byvalley elves or a variant thereof.

In the center of Niriath Henning,exposed to the sky, is a paved courtyardwith a fountain and pool in its middle. Allaround this courtyard are trees andbenches. Rising on all sides are the apart-

ments of the castle. The interior ring ofthe two upper stories is an open gallery,tier over tier, beyond which are the doorsof apartments and suites. The great hallitself is open to the courtyard. Whenfeasting is going on, the noise of singing,music, talk, and laughter would easily beheard beyond the hill, frightening lonelypassersby. Braziers for light and warmthare placed all around (though their lightwould not be visible through the illusionsthat mask the whole), and beautiful statu-ary and benches are arranged to their bestadvantage. Beneath all lie the deep cham-bers of the lord�s laboratory, the guard-rooms, and the dungeon, together with asecret postern tunnel to the outside.

DRAGON 25

Goldworthy Castle gets its name from theexpression, �worth its weight in gold.� It wasdesigned to be a small, almost impregnablefortification, and all other considerationswere subordinated to this purpose. It is thetype of castle that would probably belong toa warrior noble, such as a middle-level bar-on or count. Considering the overall worthi-ness of its design, it might be a royal castlecommanded by one of the king�s lieutenants-in-chief or generals. Not many nobles wouldbe able to conceive of and pay for the con-struction of this little gem. Unless it werevery old, one would expect to find this toughlittle castle in an area newly conquered orvery close to a possible enemy. Goldworthyhas no frills that would mark it as the centerof a pleasure estate. Its purpose is military,first and last.

The castle itself sits by the course of ariver, which gives it a command of rivertraffic. It is surrounded by a moat approxi-mately 20� wide and equally deep. Thismoat is connected directly to the river bya canal, thus insuring that the moat doesnot stagnate. If you wish, you could placeweirs in the canal, thus insuring that themoat does not stagnate. You could alsoplace chains across the canal to keep ship-ping away from the castle proper. There isa small bailey (open area) between thecentral keep and the gate. The gate is

26 MAY 1989

commanded by flanking towers and ispenetrable only by a drawbridge. Thecentral keep itself rises out of a girdle ofstone, which connects it to four towers,which also command the moat and thecurtain wall. Anyone forcing one�s wayinto the bailey must then penetrate thegirdling forebuilding and run a dangerousgauntlet up a curving stairway to enterthe keep itself, whose only entrance isfrom the forebuilding roof. However, thedefenders within the keep have almostunlimited access to every part of the castlefrom within, while the attackers are chan-neled rather neatly to their disadvantageup the stairway.

The two gate towers (Northgate andSouthgate) are mirror images of eachother. They are each three stories high,with flat timber roofs floored with slate,surmounted by crenellated battlements.Arrowloops at the basement (ground level)and first-story level, and shuttered win-dows at the second-story level commandthe entryway. Between them is the gate-house, which consists of a barred doubledoor on the outside and a portcullisworked by a winch on the first story onthe inside. Access to the upper floors is byway of trapdoors with ladders. The draw-bridge is not of the counterweight type,but is drawn up by great chains set in thegatehouse wall on the second story. Thesecond story of the gatehouse is also its

roof, and there is a parapet on the baileyside, overlooking the inner approach. Intime of attack, this area would be hotlydefended, especially by archers.

The bailey is an open area of packed dirtenclosed by the gate, wall, and keep. Vari-ous wooden outbuildings are built into thewall�s inner face: a smithy, whose forge�sflue is built into the keep wall; the castlewell; a stable and barn, each with anupper loft; a kennel for dogs; a mews (forhunting falcons); and a small one-storyhouse for the grooms and such whoattend to the animals. Open stairways leadup the side of the walls to the battlements.The battlements alternate crenellatedarrowloops for archery with waist-highparapets for hurling objects down on foes.

Surrounding the central keep is theforebuilding and its towers. The inner gateis in the north corner of the forebuilding,and its approach is commanded by variousarrowloops as well as the heights above.There are two massive, barred, doubledoors that lead into an open court on thenorthwest of keep. Invaders must traversethe open court under fire from above toreach the western doors, which giveentrance to the forebuilding itself. Once inthe forebuilding, there is a long stairwayascending the southwest face of the keep,with inner arrowloops to hinder ascent.This stairway leads onto the open roof ofthe forebuilding, where another gate

between Highgate Tower and the keepbars further entry. This barred doubledoor must be forced, only to reach theeastern face of the keep where yetanother barred double door forbids entryto the Keep itself. Note that the stairway iscompletely closed off from the rest of thecastle. It is strictly a one-way proposition.

The door to the keep opens onto a bal-cony above the great hall. Directly oppo-site are high windows which let in light.Descent is by either jumping over thebalcony railing to the hall 15� below or bydescending the spiral stairway in thesouthwest corner of the balcony. Eitherway, one is inside the castle at last. Thegreat hall is the center of the castle, andcommunicates with all its parts, allowingthe defenders to quickly run to meet anythreat, without having too many people atthe wrong place at the wrong time. Itshould be noted that the dungeon in theChapel Tower receives its light only from asloping window shaft coming down fromthe first story, where it is strongly barred.

Despite its forbidding nature, Gold-worthy Castle is a very livable place, withconveniently placed window shafts, ade-quate quarters for its lord, and a capacityto house a fair number of troops andretainers.

DRAGON 27

The architecture of and lifestyle sur- through a castle wall. Rangers shouldrounding European-style castles can be of understand the slim chance of hittingvital importance to player characters, someone at the top of a wall with anprimarily because the castles PCs encoun- arrow. Scouting PCs would be interestedter in fantasy games are likely to be built to know what a moat might contain beforewith some of the same features. Druids they swim across it. Castles can be held bymight be interested to know that the stone a handful of men against an army; fightersshape spell will not put a hole completely need to understand how this is done

28 MAY 1989

before they storm the walls,The following material is largely drawn

from historical sources on castles. The useof magic in gaming, even on a small scale,might produce drastic differences in theways castles are built, maintained, andattacked.

Castle residentsA king might own many castles. He and

his retinue might regularly travel fromone castle to another to check on the

What is a castle?A castle is not merely a building sur-

rounded by stone walls. A castle is builtboth for defense and as a residence for itslord and his family. It is this dual purposethat sets the castle apart from a fort ormanor.

To provide for the castle residents, how-ever, the castle is also an estate and hasland that is farmed by the local peasants.It serves as the local government and is asocial center for the countryside, as wellas the barracks and residence for localknights, hired guards, and their families.The castle is the home of the local black-smith, armorer, carpenter, and miller. Theonly prison for the area is here. All formsof recreation, from tournaments to fairs,are located either within the castle wallsor just outside them. All education is

located in the castle, including reading andwriting, training to become a knight, andapprenticeships to various trades. Not allvillages have a church, but the castlemight have one or two chapels and theonly priests outside of monasteries andcities. The castle is, in short, the center ofall local activity.

Often, castles are pictured hanging ontoa cliff edge, offering a romantic look at thesea and countryside. The location of thecastle is not, however, chosen to provide apretty view. Castle sites are selected withcare. They are placed to guard or protectan important seacoast, mountain pass,road, river, or city. Particularly fertilefarmland might also warrant a castle. Themore important the site, the bigger andbetter defended the castle.

management of the countryside, overhearmajor problems in the area, and prove hissovereignty. With the king in residence,castle life bustles � entertainment, hous-ing, and fine meals are required fordozens of extra people. This often requiresthe temporary services of most of theneighbors. When the king moves on, thecastle employees are left to clean therooms and moats, replenish all supplies,and pay the temporary help. The castle isruled by a constable (called a castellan inthe AD&D® game) until the king�s nextvisit.

Although the king does not personallyown all castles in his domain, his permis-sion is required to build one therein.When conferring a title and land on one ofhis sons or loyal retainers, the king grantspermission for him to build a castle. Atsuch a castle, the lord is sometimes absentfor long periods of time due to war orservice to his king. However, the lord�sfamily is permanently in residence.

In addition to the lords immediate fami-ly, most castles (using history as a guide-line) are inhabited permanently by aconstable and about 30 men-at-arms, witha chaplain, an artiller, a smith, a carpenter,and a mason, with janitors, watchmen,and other housekeepers. The lady of thecastle has several maidens or waitingwomen, and her children are cared for bya nursemaid. During a siege, the averagecastle can be defended by up to 100knights and 100 men-at-arms. Althoughmost of these men are not permanentresidents, room is available for them incase of emergency. (For more informationon castle residents, see �The Care of Cas-tles� by Katherine Kerr, in the Best ofDRAGON® Magazine Anthology, Vol. IV)

DRAGON 29

Building castlesA castle is built primarily using local

labor and materials; sometimes the laborand materials are actually paid for. Thecastle is funded through taxes placed uponthe local inhabitants who, the lord oftenclaims, are safer due to the castle�s pres-ence. (Which inspires the question: Whywould someone attack the peasants if thecastle isn�t there?)

Building a castle is expensive. It cost£7,000 to build parts of the hold and outerwall of Dover Castle, at £1,000 a year. Theking who built this castle paid for it fromhis income, which was about £10,000a year. To give a better perspective ofhow costly this was, consider that aknight in medieval times could livecomfortably on £10-20 a year.

Castle constructionBasic castle construction starts with the

motte-and-bailey castle. The motte is a hillor mound, either man-made or natural,upon which the main building or keep isbuilt. The surrounding walled courtyard,called a bailey, provides protection for thekeep. If the motte is man-made, the keep isusually wooden, as the motte is not strongenough to support a stone tower. For thisreason, early castle designers frequentlybuilt castles on flat land with an above-ground basement, which was then sur-rounded with dirt for a man-made motte.

Building and maintaining his castlescan be a king�s largest single and con-tinual expense. The AD&D 1st Edi-tion Dungeon Masters Guide (pages106-108) and the D&D® Master Play-ers� Book (page 28) have informationon the costs of building a castle, but aDM allowing a character to build oneshould evaluate these expenses care-fully against the type and size of cas-tle desired.

Originally, castles and forts werebuilt of wood. In warfare, these struc-tures didn�t last nearly as well as theirstone counterparts, but in many plac-es stone was scarce and wood was

and rooms are designed for as many usesas possible. Rooms are located in the greathold, around the inside of the palisades, aspart of the gatehouse building, or as smallseparate buildings.

Although it is easy to romanticize aboutcastle life, in reality it was and is quitegrim. Castles are often cold, dark, dank,and drafty, and give little or no privacy tothe tenants. Comfort in a castle meanshaving a room with a fireplace, coveredwindows, and maybe some tapestries onthe walls to block drafts and offer insula-tion. Chairs and sofas are frequently

readily available. Also, stone had tobe cut without the use of the tools wehave today. Hand-cutting rock is neithereasy nor quick. As a result, castle con-struction should take place from spring tofall, and one stone building may takearound five years to complete. Because ofthis, most castles are a combination ofwood and stone. The buildings that arenot directly related to defense are usuallyof wooden construction (such as thechapels, smithies, and kitchens). Stonebuildings are built from sandstone, flint,granite, and sometimes limestone.

The inner and outer castle walls circlethe castle and are usually three layersthick, designed much like a sandwich. Afill of gravel, dirt, and pebbles separatesthe layers of large stone blocks. A goodstonemason would be able to fit the stonestogether leaving very few cracks.

Most castles start as small motte-and-bailey castles, as detailed in the followingsection. However, throughout history, theneeds and purposes of castles changed; asthe need for a stronger, larger, or morecomfortable residence grew, so grew thecastle. If built on the location of an old fortor castle, the original building was some-

A man-made motte has several advan-tages. First, it can be built anywhere. Animportant site can have a motte-and-baileycastle built right next to it, as the lord doesnot have to look for a natural motte. Also,the motte can be created in any shape orsize, depending upon the surroundingground. When digging the ground for themotte, a careful designer may also create amoat. A man-made motte is usually 50-120high and 50-300� across, with steep sides.If a natural hill is used, the castle isdesigned around its size and shape.

The growth of a castle is not alwaysanticipated with accuracy, and the site foreach castle is not always determined bythe flatness or size of the ground onwhich the castle stands. Thus, each fortgrows as the land around it allows, andvery few castles have common layouts.Each castle is unique, fitting into the needsand whims of its lord and land. Despitethis, castles do have some common struc-tures, such as outer walls, an inner build-ing, and fortified entrances. As architec-ture was studied more by the castledesigners, more advanced designs wereintroduced � not to make the castles lookbetter, but rather to make them moredefendable or livable.

times used as the base for the castle keep.Additions would be built around the out-side of the castle, and the keep would be Although the castle is mainly a fortress,used as a residence while the newer sec- it must be flexible and be able to sustaintions were completed around it. life within it year-round. Most buildings

ornate but not comfortable tosit in. Lights are kept lit in themain rooms but not in others,and seldom in corridors. Evenin daylight, a scroll or spellbook will be difficult to readunless the reader is standingnext to an arrow slit of anupper-level window. (Theadvantage to this, of course, isthat thieves have little troublehiding in shadows even in themain rooms and halls.) Magi-cal light would be of excep-tional help. Straw is usedinstead of carpets and isreplaced only once or twice ayear. In the Middle Ages,clothes were rarely washedand were worn until theyrotted, and people neitherbathed nor washed for fear of

catching their death of cold or disease.Marriages, as with all jobs, were arrangedand planned by the lord or king to benefitthe castle or country as a whole. Supersti-tion ruled the peasants, as well as manyknights and nobles. Individual desires of acastle�s people were of little concern.

The holdThe hold, originally called the donjon or

keep, is the innermost section of the cas-tle. It is a miniature fortress in itself. Infact, when a castle is built around a fort,

30 MAY 1989

the fort often becomes the hold. In castleswithout a separate hold, the gatehouse isfrequently built with several stories toprovide rooms traditionally found in thehold.

The hold is used during peaceful timesfor the residence of the lord and lady, aswell as most of the castle staff. During wartimes, the hold is a last resort for thedefenders. Consequently, the hold has tobe independent from the rest of the castlein case of siege. A well and provisionsmust be available. Foodstuffs � includingsalt for preserving meat, livestock (orpreserved meat), ale, cheese, beans, oats(for the horses), charcoal, and firewood(for cooking and defense) � are stockpiledand monitored by the lady of the castle.(Picture the keep during siege � the firstfloor filled with lowing cattle, bleatingsheep, and clucking chickens. The noisemight not be too bad at first, but imaginethe smell after a couple of weeks with nofresh straw!)

As time goes on, the demand for comfortgrows. Consequently, additions to thecastle might include more comfortableresidences, and the royal family mightmove to a separate building within thecastle walls. Frequently, the old residencein the donjon becomes a prison for higher-class prisoners.

Some of the later historical castles weredesigned to include a prison. Theseprisons were moved underground (hence,the evolution of the name from �donjon�into �dungeon�). However, the higher-ranking prisoners were still kept in anapartment rather than a dank, smellyprison. This was especially true of womencaptured as hostages.

The hold is a series of rooms and floors,usually with a great hall and a kitchen onthe second floor. Kitchens are used duringthe day for cooking and at night for thebedding of the kitchen workers or thefemale castle staff.

Many holds have a front building thatcontrols access. The front building con-tains a guardhouse on the first floor andstairs or a ladder going up to a second

guardhouse, which leads into the greathall. The first floor has no exterior doors.(This makes going out for a stroll a realexcursion.)

The great hall is used during the day bythe majority of the residents for all meals;it is also used as a meeting place for thelords court (often for dispensing justice tothe general populace). At night, this roombeds most of the male castle staff. Duringcelebrations, the straw on the floor ischanged, the tables are scrubbed, andbanners are hung around the walls. Unfor-tunately for most inhabitants, celebrationsare infrequent.

The great room has a well and a privychamber (the toilet). The privy chamberconsists of a long-passage going almostthrough the entire outer wall. A hole inthe floor lets waste drop down outsideinto a moat or ditch.

Apartments or sleeping chambers fillmost of the second floor and are reservedfor the lord, the lady and her maids, theiryoung children, their nursemaids or ser-vants, special guests, knights, and houseofficials. Each apartment consists of one ortwo connected rooms. The lord and thelady usually have separate apartments.The castle lady and lord each sleep with aservant at the foot of the bed.

The women�s dorm is also located in thehold. This dorm contains one or tworooms reserved for the lady�s maidens orwaiting women, and it is used during theday by the lady and her gentlewomen forsewing, weaving, spinning, and socializing.At night, this becomes their commonsleeping area.

Most castles also have a solar, a privateroom that resembles a study, reserved forthe castle lord. This is located in the greathold on either the first or second floor.

The solar is sometimes a part of the lordsapartments but is frequently separate.Because the solar is the lords retreat, it isoften more comfortable than the rest ofthe castle.

In addition, towers are usually located ateach corner of the hold. These containcircular staircases, privy chambers, andsmall guardrooms. The towers might alsobe topped with turrets.

Walls and baileysSometimes, the hold is built against the

outside wall (the palisade or curtain), butoften the hold has an inner bailey (some-times more than one) and outer bailey.The bailey, also called the ward, is the landsurrounded by a ring of walls.

During peaceful times, the inner baileysare used for flower, herb, and vegetablegardens. Frequently, the outer bailey isvery narrow, consisting primarily of aditch. When a larger bailey is available, itis used for sword practice, as a market-place, for smithy work on hot days, or forvarious other activities.

A series of buildings are often built intoor against the walls of the inner bailey.These buildings might include a smithy, amill, the stables, one or more chapels, alarder, schools for the pages, barracks forthe men-at-arms (for a lord constantlyworried about sieges), storage rooms, acobbler�s shop, a brewery, a hospital, abakery, a tailor�s shop, and so forth.

These inner walls are usually taller thanthe outer palisades, but they are just asstrong and with all the outer-wall defens-es. The inner wall has one primary gatebetween the inner and outer baileys. Thisis sometimes a simple door, but it is morefrequently a series of gates.

The base of the wall is often over 20�DRAGON 31

thick and narrow toward the top. Mostwalls, however, are between 10-12� thick.The walls are up to 40� high. Inside thecastle, all walls are propped up with wood-en supports.

Castles and warfareCastles might be attacked by a king�s

army when a lord becomes disloyal, or byan invading army whenever the army getsrestless or the invading leader becomesgreedy. An attack on a castle is an attackon its constable and lord. No one gets tobe either a lord or constable without fre-quently proving himself to be a strong andresourceful leader, so any group attempt-ing to overcome a castle should assumethat the residents are smart, strong, andeager to win. Most castle residents realizethat losing the castle means losing theirhome, family, and money, if not their lives.

Many medieval castles started as simpleaffairs with minor defenses, but as the artof war developed, the art of castle defens-es also developed. Most of a castle�sdefenses are built into the castle, ratherthan provided by knights and men-at-arms. Because such defenses can be ratherawesome, small groups of attackers rarelyattempt to lay siege to a castle, insteadpreferring to infiltrate during a fair or onmarket day, or else stage a commando-style raid under darkness.

Laying siege to a castle is the primarytactic used by armies to overcome it. Cutoff from all supplies, an ill-prepared castlewill not last long. However, a siege is astrain for everyone involved, defender andattacker alike.

The knights in a castle under siege areusually either hired by the castle�s lord orwork a specified number of days per yearin payment for their fiefs. Knights can getvery expensive, though. Worse yet, thepeasants in the surrounding countrysideusually expect the castle�s lord to takethem in and offer them shelter in war-time. This gives the lord a great manymouths to feed and very little space orprivacy in which to work. Therefore, thelord is interested in keeping a siege short.(A heavily armed castle means either the

32 MAY 1989

owner is expecting a siege, is preparingfor battle, or is very rich.)

Things are little better on the other sideof the wall. An attacking army needs to betwo or three times as large as thedefender�s forces because the attackershave no walls or buildings to protect them-selves. These men are hired by the attack-ing lord and have to be paid well to keepthem from deserting. At planting andharvesting times, and in bad weather, theattacking lord might find his army dissolv-ing around him.

For these reasons, both the defendersand the attackers want to keep the siegesas short as possible. To ensure this, theattacker starts by requesting that thecastle lord surrender � this request issometimes sent in a letter to the castlebefore the attacking army has even gath-ered. The lord usually refuses, as battlesare loved by most lords (and surrenderingwould leave him and his family bothhomeless and penniless).

Once the surrender is refused, theattacking army is assembled, approaches

the castle, and destroys all crops, cattle,and cottages along the way. This is meantas an insult to the lord who is responsiblefor the well-being of his people and land.Once at the castle, the army surrounds it,attempting to cut off all escapes and sup-plies. The army leader then parleys withthe castle lord. They usually discuss theirreluctance to give up, whether either sideexpects reinforcements in a short time,and the season and weather (for the sakeof war, not for the sake of conversation). Ifreinforcements are expected, the twomight agree to siege for a specified num-ber of days or weeks. If the reinforce-ments show up by then, the siege endsunder the assumption that the side receiv-ing the help would win. If no reinforce-ments are expected, or if the two sidescannot agree on a deal, the attack beginsin earnest.

The lords castle, however, is designed toshelter and protect his own family andretainers, not the entire countryside. Hiswife or the castle constable is responsiblefor insuring that enough livestock andgrain is available for sieges. However, ifthe defending lord sees that his resourcesof food are getting low, he sometimessends the peasants out of the castle. If theattacking leader lets them through hisarmy lines, they wander the country look-ing for shelter until the siege ends � theirown homes having been destroyed by thearmy. If the army leader does not let thepeasants through, they are caughtbetween the two forces, completelydefenseless.

OffensesBows and crossbows: A castle can be

cheaply and easily attacked with the use ofarrows. These can be shot from a dis-tance, and the bowmen do not need exten-sive training or skills � that is, they arecheap to hire in comparison to knights.

Bores and picks: Castle walls are usuallybuilt out of stone. A pick or bore can bewedged between the stones to pull themfrom the outer layer of wall. Once themiddle layer of rubble is cleared away, thebores and picks can work on the innerlayer of wall, creating a hole big enoughfor the knights and bowmen to gain accessto the castle interior.

Battering rams: A large tree trunk canbe swung at a wall or gate, causing theobstacle�s gradual weakening and theeventual appearance of a hole in thedefenses. The ram can be held by men orelse hung from a frame by ropes orchains, to be swung with greater ease.

Tunnels: A tunnel is often dug under themoats, ditches, and castle walls. Tunnelingis one of the most feared offensive tactics,as this often causes the entire wall over atunnel to crack and fall. Also, once thetunnel is well started, the defending armycan rarely stop the tunneling.

Machines: Stone-throwing machines arecommonly used against castles. They canalso be built on top of towers for addedadvantage. These machines throw stonesat the wall to weaken it or into the castleto demoralize the defenders. Somemachines might be used to throw primi-tive types of chemical explosives.

Fire: Older castle buildings are frequent-ly made of wood. This makes fire a perfectoffensive weapon. Fires can be started byusing burning arrows or large throwingmachines that hurl burning masses ofpitch.

Towers: Frequently, the enemy forcebuilds towers of wood (called belfries) touse against the castle. Used at a distance,belfries can hold a large complement ofarchers to shower the-castle interior witharrows. Belfries can also be used to spy onthe castle inhabitants, or machines can bemounted onto the towers to throw stonesat the castle walls, at the castle�s stone-throwing machines, or into the castleitself. The belfries are more useful at closerange, however, as men can quickly climbfrom a belfry over the castle walls. Thesetowers can simultaneously protect miners,borers, men with picks, and other wall-workers. Building towers requires lots ofskill, tools, and materials.

Work shields: Similar to the towers,great wooden shields can provide attack-ers with cover while they attempt to over-come the castle. Miners and such usuallyhave them.

Cleared land: The first defense for anycastle is early warning of the approachingarmy. Clearing the land for approximately10 miles around the castle makes it easierfor castle inhabitants to spot oncomingforces. Ten miles is a general figure basedon the distance a man can ride in a dayand still get back before dark.

Ditches and moats: A castle commonlyhas a series of ditches and moats sur-rounding the castle walls. Before the

attackers can scale the walls with ladders thrown by the attacker�s war machines,or bore holes through the walls, they have often splintering and bouncing into theto get over the ditch by either filling it in, attacking army. (And remember the stonecarrying their weapons over it, or by shape spell?)building small bridges across it. Ditches Baileys: The narrow size of many outer(and especially moats) make tunneling baileys narrows the number of largemore difficult, as the tunnels have to be weapons that can be used against thedeeper and longer, and the chance of inner walls. These baileys each usuallycollapse is greater. To hinder crossing consist of a ditch and a narrow pathway

parties, the ditches are often filled withthorns and rocks. Moats are frequentlyfilled with stagnant water and also serveas the dump for the privies. (PCs may wishto think about that before they decide toswim across!) Other moats may be filledwith swiftly flowing water from a nearbyriver, thus making swimming across themdifficult.

Motte: As a defense, the motte offers thedefenders a greater firing range. In addi-tion, the enemy is forced to struggleuphill, giving the castle residents a betterview of the enemy army. Furthermore,any towers used against the castle arebuilt to accommodate the hill�s slope. Whatthe motte is made of, however, is alsoimportant. If the hill is man-made, tunnel-ing is much easier for the attackers.

Outer walls: The outer walls are the firstform of defense that allow the castleinhabitants to attack back. While attackersare held back, defenders can shootarrows, drop stones, fire war machines, oruse other attacks against them. Such wallsare often very thick at the bottom andnarrow toward the top. This extra thick-ness at the bottom, called a plinth, makesit more difficult for bores, picks, andbattering rams to penetrate the wall. Theplinth also serves to ricochet stones thatare either dropped through holes above or

that leads to the gatehouse, forcing anyattackers into single file and limiting thenumber of attackers able to reach thegatehouse simultaneously.

Inner wall: If an enemy manages tobreach the outer wall and is not drivenback, the castle tenants retreat behind thissecondary wall. The attackers are thencaught in the outer bailey like sittingducks until they are either killed by thedefenders or are able to overcome theinner wall.

Battlements: Both the inner and outer-walls, as well as the towers and keep, havewalkways (parapets) and battlements builton the top. The battlements are designedto give the defenders a clear view of andshot at the enemy without exposing them-selves to return fire. The crenellations, theopen part of the battlements, are used bybowmen or siege machines,. They alsoserve as lookout points for viewing thecountryside. The merlons, the stone partof the battlements, are used for cover.Some castle walls also have swinging piec-es of wood covering the crenellations.

Putlogs: Just below the battlements,some castles also have putholes� squareholes into which putlogs are fitted. Theputlogs project out over the edge of thewall, and sheets of wood can then beplaced on them. Gaps in the wood are

DRAGON 33

used for dropping things onto attackersfar below.

Attack slits: Slits are built into the wallsat various levels. Vertical slits are used bybowmen; cross-shaped slits can be used byeither bowmen or crossbowmen. Smallerslits, known as meurtrieres or murderholes, are sometimes placed near thegateways. They are used for shootingarrows or for pouring water on flaminggates.

Towers: The towers in a castle�s palisadeare often 75� tall. They are connected tothe walls with doors or openings in eachside; these openings allow men to movequickly from one part of the wall toanother. A tower also gives the guards acomplete view of each adjacent wall.Because these towers project out from thewalls, men in the towers can shoot arrowsat enemies on the wall or at its foot, yetremain well, hidden from return fire.

Breaking up a wall by placing a towerevery so often also makes the wall easierto defend in case a part of the wall isbreached. Smaller sections of wall aremore easily defendable and give the ene-my less of a hold. Often, a small bridgeconnects the wall and tower. This bridgemay be removed if a section of wall isabout to be overcome, thus isolating thetower.

Towers frequently have roofs which arealso used as defenses. These roofs haveoverhangs, called hoardings, containingholes used for dropping flaming bacon andfat, stones, or anything else on hand. Theroofs are also a danger, however, as theyare usually constructed of wood and areflammable.

As an alternative to wooden hoardings,

3 4 M A Y 1 9 8 9

stone machicolations may be built. Amachicolation is the top part of a tower,having walls that project out from thelower walls of the tower. Around theedges of this construct are several dropholes. Stone machicolations won�t burn,but they are difficult to build and are farmore expensive than wooden constructs.

Circular or polygonal towers aredesigned without sharp angles so theycannot be weakened by bores or rams.Weapons have a greater chance of glanc-ing off walls of this design, thus harmingthe attacker. In addition, ladders will notlean as easily against a rounded tower.

Some towers also have turrets that pro-vide an additional height for overseeingthe battlefield and firing down at theenemy. The turrets in Dover Castle�s hold,for example, rise 12� above the tower tops.

Gate and postern: For many of the oldestcastles in our world, the weakest points ofdefense were the gatehouse and the pos-tern (rear gate). For this reason, a lot oftime was spent designing special reinforce-ments for the gates. Through the use of acombination of these defenses, the gate-house in many medieval castles eventuallyturned out to be the strong point of thedefense system. Any group deciding toforcefully enter the castle via its gatehous-es should think carefully. These defensesinclude the drawbridge, the barbican, theportcullis, and multiple gates.

Drawbridges: A drawbridge over a ditchor moat makes it harder for the enemy toget into the castle. Nonetheless, the bridgedoes not take long to smash down andreplace with boards. As an extra protec-tion, the drawbridge may be built like aseesaw � when raised, the castle-end of

the bridge drops into a pit in the gate-house that is normally covered when thedrawbridge is down. The pit creates a bitof a problem in daily living, but it serves auseful purpose as a hurdle for attackers toovercome. The mechanism for lifting andlowering the drawbridge requires a sepa-rate room next to it.

Barbican: Located in front of the gate-house, the barbican is usually two parallelwalls designed to force the enemy into anarrow passage a few at a time instead ofen masse. Weapon use is restricted inthese narrow passages, allowing thedefenders to shoot arrows and throw fireat the onrushing enemy. Some barbicansalso include a sharp angle to make itharder to use siege machines or long-range weapons against the gates.

Portcullis: This is an iron grating thatcan be raised or lowered quickly, provid-ing an additional defense for castle inhab-itants. Although arrows can be shotthrough this gate, men are unable to getthrough it. The bottoms of the portcullisbars are often sharpened to stop peoplefrom trying to slip underneath the gate asit falls.

Multiple gates: Some castles have up tofour separate gates of various types thatmust be passed to get into the outer bailey.The space in front of each gate is guardedby towers. The enemy can be shot atthrough the murder holes and arrow slitsas the men crowd into the gap betweenthe gates.

The gate and postern are an importantconsideration for adventurers. Not only isgetting in difficult, but fast getaways couldalso present a problem.

Staircases: Most staircases in castles arecircular for two important reasons. First, acircular staircase takes less room. Second,on a circular staircase ascending in acounterclockwise direction, a right-handedswordsman climbing the staircase isimpeded by the center post ( - 1 to hit),while the swordsman coming down thestairs has no such disadvantage.

Tunnels: Sometimes a castle is built withtunnels that lead out of or to other partsof the castle. Many times, however, theuse of these passages backfires; if foundby the attackers, a tunnel out of the castlecan also be used for getting in. A groupsearching for a tunnel has a 25% chanceper turn of finding it (if they are awarethat a tunnel exists and if they know of itsapproximate location); the chance of find-ing a tunnel when the searchers areunsure of its existence or location is 5%per turn. These figures may be altered tosuit special circumstances, such as the useof secret doors or illusions.

War machines: Built on top of the tow-ers, war machines are used to throwstones or other handy objects on the ene-my. This is also a good way of getting ridof waste materials during a siege, an earlyform of germ warfare (in several medievalsieges, dead animals were used). Thesewar machines, similar to the machines

used by the attackers, are not very mobileand are usually made of wood, so theirusefulness is limited.

In historical sieges, a castle could beguarded with as few as 10 knights and 40men-at-arms. Usually, however, the num-ber of each was closer to 100. While ene-mies are busy finding a way over orthrough each defense, the castle inhabit-ants can fire flaming arrows or use stone-throwing machines against them. (Damagefrom a flaming arrow equals the arrow’sdamage plus 1-2 hp fire damage. Checkthe saving throw of cloth vs. normal fire,as shown on page 80 of the DMG, to see ifthe victim’s clothes catch fire.)

If the gatehouse looks like it is weaken-ing, large buttresses shaped like thickmattresses are lowered over the wall toprotect the gate (or weakened sections ofwall) from a siege machine or batteringram. Men-at-arms can also drop large fork-shaped tools on ropes from the walls inattempts to catch bores or battering rams.

The knights of the castle often try toattack an enemy army before it reachesthe castle walls. If the castle has a posternor secret tunnel, the knights might alsoperform this type of attack during battle,making sudden raids.

How does this fit into a game? Well, thelord may build defenses to his heart’scontent, but he might still have difficultyin keeping his castle. For example, PCsmay come along, and with the help of afew unhappy servants, toss the lord outinto the snow. Just as no castle is com-pletely filled with bad guys, there willalways be a bad guy in with the good (anddon’t forget what one rotten apple canaccomplish).

The DM needs a comprehensive list ofinhabitants and frequent visitors, listingthe personalities and loyalties of each.Also, the number and type of peoplepatrolling the walls is important. If thecastle is expecting a siege, or if the lordhas just finished some questionable deal-ings, the patrols will be frequent. A sched-ule of the patrol is helpful in clarifying if aPC group meets the patrol or not.

Which of a castle’s tenants would bemost bribable? Where would they belocated in the castle? What could they bebribed into doing? A scullery serf couldnot reach the postern and leave it open,and a child would not be strong enough toraise a portcullis. However, the right bribecould leave the drawbridge down, providethe location of secret entrances, ruin thesupplies, and so on. A traitor must be verycareful, however; a lord will take swiftaction at the merest suggestion of treach-ery, so the chance of approaching theright person with the right bribe is prettyslim. If the PCs approach the wrong per-son, will the group be discovered by thelord? Nevertheless, a careful group of PCs

could take over a castle without any battle,if the players do their homework. But thismeans that the DM must do his home-work, too!

You can find over a dozen books oncastles in any good library. Many of theseinclude castle floor plans; most, however,are tour guides and give informationabout specific castles in England, France,and the rest of Europe. The following is alist of good reference books on this topic.

Brown, R. Allen. The Architecture ofCastles; A Visual Guide. New York: Factson File Publications, 1984.

Brown, R. Allen. English Castles. Lon-don: Chancellor Press, 1970. (This bookdescribes many facets of castles andincludes castle floor plans.)

Davidson, Brian. Explore a Castle, Lon-don: Hamish Hamilton, 1982. (This is a

Kerr, Katherine. “The Care of Castles,”Best of DRAGON Magazine Anthology, VolVI. (This article describes typical castleresidents.)

MacAulay, David. Castles. Boston:Houghton-Mifflin, 1977. (This book goesthrough the steps required to build acastle and explains the time sequencerequired in building it.)

Renn, D. F. Norman Castles in Britain.New York: Humanities Press, 1968. (Thisgazetteer has many color photos.)

Taylor, A. J. Harlech Castle. Cardiff: HerMajesty’s Stationary Office, 1980.

Toy, Sidney. Castles: Their Constructionand History New York: Dover Publications,Inc., 1984.

Unstead, R. J. Living in a Castle. Reading,Mass.: Addison Wesley, 1971. (This bookdescribes the life of the castle tenant.)

Warner, Philip. Medieval Castle. NewYork: Taplinger Publishing, 1971. (Thisbook provides lots of basic castle informa-tion for gamers.)

good children’s book which focuses onbasic castle knowledge.)

Fry, Plantagenet Somerset. The Davidand Charles Book of Castles. NewtonAbbot: David & Charles, 1980. (This gazet-teer serves as a basic guide to castles.)

Johnson, Paul. The National Trust Bookof British Castles. New York, N.Y.: G. P.Putnam’s Sons, 1978. (This book providesthe histories of castles in England.)

DRAGON 35

The magic fortress:magical items for fantasy castles

In any AD&D® game campaign containing charac-ters that reach sufficient levels to build sacred tem-ples and dark, forbidding towers of their own, anatural avenue opens for creating magical items foruse in and around these characters' homes. Castle-related magical items have an innate value awaitingthem in most campaigns because of the levels of thecharacters who would seek them out. As prestigiousdevices that are neither overly powerful nor harmfulto game balance, castle magical items help DungeonMasters as well as players. In fact, DMs may use cas-tle magical items as tools, dropping them in the pathsof qualified characters in order to encourage them tobuild strongholds. Adventures may be built aroundthe recovery of such items, since the logical places tofind them would include ruined castles and guttedtemples out in the middle of nowhere.

Table 1 herein is for random determination of castlemagical items. If a DM wishes to incorporate thistable into his AD&D® game listings, he can allow astraight 15% chance that a random roll indicatingTable III.E.2 in Unearthed Arcana actually results in aroll on the castle magical-item table. Treasure rollsmust be tempered with logic�for example, a fragilemirror of travel will not be found in a rough cavernhousing trolls.

Included in Table 1 is a scroll of new spells formagic-users; a DM who does not want to includethese new spells in his campaign could transfer theirpowers to a suitable staff or ring. The value of astone of the well is discussed in its description. Notethat experience-point and gold-piece values of gems ofdetection accrue for each gem discovered.

by J. Jasper Owens

Basin of the angelA basin of the angel is a rare, highly

prized item sculpted of precious metals. Aspidery design composed of thousands ofinterwoven holy symbols adorn its silverbase, while its copper bowl is smooth andreflective. Each basin of this type has aparticular good alignment (either lawful,neutral, or chaotic), and each of thesebasins is sworn to a particular good-aligned deity.

Within the basin's bowl stands a tall goldstatuette of a movanic deva (sometimesresembling a servant of the deity to whichit is dedicated, with back arched and armshigh) which pours water into the basinfrom a crystal vial held in its hands. Thewater appears and drains away magically,and the basin is always full.

Any evil being touching a basin of theangel takes 2-12 hp damage and must savevs. spells to avoid being teleported threemiles in a random horizontal direction. Thebasin does not affect neutral characters orcreatures, but it comforts any good-alignedbeing who views it or touches it, providinga 5-30% morale bonus from the DM basedon exact alignment, piety, and so forth ofthe viewer or toucher.

Water from the basin tastes cool andrefreshing to all good-aligned people whodrink from it. For drinkers of the samealignment as the basin, it cures diseaseand cures light wounds with a single sip,once per week per person. A cleric of thebasin's alignment who worships the basin'spatron deity may drink of its specialwaters and gain their benefits as often ashe likes. Still, a basin of the angel will notrealize its full powers until a 9th-levelcleric places it within a permanent shrineto the proper god. If the cleric then fur-ther conducts himself in the best mannerof his religion at all times, never strayingfrom his alignment, the following latentpowers accrue to the device:

1. It radiates protection from evil in a240-yard radius.

2. It causes all evil characters or crea-tures who attempt to enter the temple thathouses it to save vs. spells at -1 or beaffected as per the mage's spell repulsion.

3. It endows the shrine with a "guardianangel," a movanic deva of average hitpoints and abilities. This guardian angelappears only once, at the time of the tem-ple's greatest need (as determined by theDM).

A basin of the angel is about 5' tall and2' in diameter, and it weighs 180 pounds. It isvery clumsy to carry. All water taken from

DRAGON 37

it becomes nonmagical unless drunk with-in three rounds.

Basin of hidden dangersThis magical item appears to be a basin

of the angel, even to the point of radiatinga strong aura of good. However, any evilcreature may handle this item with impu-nity, for it is actually a device built by evilgods. A basin of hidden dangers is con-structed by forces of the Outer planesdirectly opposed to those who have basinsof the angel dedicated to them. Thus, Lokimay create a basin of hidden dangers thatappears exactly like a benevolent basindedicated to his brother Thor, and Set maydo the same to a basin dedicated to Osiris.

A basin of hidden dangers immediatelyand permanently defiles any good templeit enters, simultaneously inflicting thetemple�s high priest with a powerful curse.Unless the defiled temple is razed, theground beneath it sown with salt, and anew temple of at least the same size andvalue of the old one is built elsewhere, thecursed high priest will carry temporarydefilement (lasting 10-100 years) to anygood temple he enters. Furthermore, he isunable to learn any spells above third leveluntil he receives an atonement. This issuch a powerful curse it may only beremoved by the methods prescribed aboveor by employing a full wish.

A basin of hidden dangers may be easilydestroyed and does not �follow� a charac-ter the way some cursed items do. Notethat the destruction of the basin doesnothing to alleviate its curse, however.

Danleor�s dungeon chainsHundreds of years ago, there lived a

great wizard named Danleor who createddozens of sets of magical dungeon chains,which he used to confine his numerousand unusual enemies. Some of theseenchanted shackles have survived thecenturies to the present.

Individual sets of chains vary in powerand effectiveness; the stronger ones arenoticeably thicker and sturdier than theweaker ones. The iron chains and shacklesare built to confine any creature from hillgiant to halfling size, and Danleor�sdungeon chains weigh so heavily on acaptive that he is almost totally immobi-lized. To determine the strength of thechains discovered, roll on Table 2.

Danleor�s dungeon chains are much tooheavy to be thrown or otherwise used asweapons. Anyone aside from the chains�captive may open the magic shackles, if heknows the command word.

In some of Danleor�s ancient records,which are now kept by an isolated clan ofelves, there is mention of strange types ofdungeon chains which are particularlyeffective against undead, and others whichare actually sized to hold larger giants. Todate, however, no such chains have beendiscovered.

Table 1Castle Magical Items

1d100 Item01 Basin of the angel

02-03 Basin of hidden dangers04-08 Danleor�s dungeon chains09-19 Flag of untrue colors20-27 Gems of detection28-29 Horn of war (warriors)30-33 Libram of teleportation arches

(wizards)34-35 Mirror of travel

36 Improved mirror of travel (wizards)37-58 Oil of eternal fire59-63 Scroll of new spells64-67 Sphere of warning68-72 Sphere of false calling73-85 Stone of the well86-94 Cursed well stone95-00 Tablecloth of feasting

Experience- Gold-piecepoint value value

7,500 33,500- 3,000

1,500 20,000750 12,000

150/gem 500/gem1,000 41,000

7,500 35,0004,000 15,0008,000 50,000300 500- 25,000

2,500 18,000- 1,000

500 Special- 1,000

500 4,000

Table 2

Strength of Danleor�s Dungeon Chains

1d100 Result01-30 Restrains to 17 strength31-60 Restrains to 18/00 strength61-90 Restrains up to 19 strength, prevents captive from becoming gaseous91-97 Restrains up to 19 strength, prevents captive from becoming gaseous,

escaping to the Astral or Ethereal planes, teleporting, or using dimensiondoor

98-00 Restrains up to 20 strength, prevents captive from escaping by any meansshort of a wish

Table 3

Gem of Detection Varieties

ColorPale blueScarlet and blueDeep redPinkPink and greenPale greenClearPearly whitePale lavenderVibrant purple

ShapeRhomboidSphereSphereRhomboidSpherePrismSpindleSpindleEllipsoidPrism

UseDetect evilDetect goodDetect lieDetect invisibilityDetect enemiesDetect lifeDetect undeadDetect charmKnow alignmentDetect psionics/

psionic creatures

Range120�120�30�60�60�120�240�60�30�

240�

Table 4

Special Scroll Type

1d100 ScrollValue Value01-30 Ballant�s stonestrength31-60 Ballant�s stonesplit61-90 One of each of above spells91-00 Two of each of above spells

DRAGON 39

Flag of untrue colorsA flag of this type appears, (in its neutral

state) as a large rectangular or triangularpiece of dull, light-gray fabric. This magi-cal flag is meant to be flown over a castleor keep. When it is placed atop any struc-ture, all creatures viewing a flag of untruecolors (from any distance, including scry-ing) see it either as a bold crest of a familyor country the viewer deems friendly, orof any other force the viewer recognizesas benign. Whenever possible, the flagappears the same to each person in agroup; what�s more, if blank gray flags areflown from a structure with a flag ofuntrue colors, they also take on the illuso-ry hues and colors of the magical item.

Any creature with a wisdom of 14 orhigher receives a saving throw vs. spells(with wisdom bonuses) against the flag�seffect. Creatures not affected by illusionsare immune to this item.

Gems of detectionGems of detection appear to be highly

polished miniature ioun stones. They arediscovered either already embedded andfunctioning (as explained below), or dor-mant. To activate a dormant gem of detec-tion, it must be set into the armrest of asturdy chair or throne by the hands of askilled jeweler, and faerie fire must be castupon it. If an activated gem of detection ispried from an armrest in order to betransferred to another, it goes dormantand must be reactivated.

To use this magical item, a character sitsin the chair and touches the activated gemof detection to receive a power from it foras long as he remains seated and in con-tact with the gem. Only one gem may betouched each round.

Gems of detection are not quite as stur-dy as ioun stones. They may be destroyed(AC -2, 5 hp), and make saving throws ashard metal with a + 1 bonus (see theAD&D 1st Edition Dungeon MastersGuide, page 80). The various gems ofdetection are listed in Table 3.

Horn of warA horn of war is over 5� long, made of

roughly carved, gold-colored stone, weigh-ing 120 lbs., and covered with thousandsof magical symbols and glyphs related tothe arts of summoning. Only a non-elvenfighter of the 9th level or higher (or aranger of the 11th, or a barbarian of the8th) with constitution and charisma scoresof 14 or higher may sound a horn of war;a fighter-type of substandard level or witha less than 14 constitution passes out fromthe strain of attempting to sound it, and anelf or a fighter-type with substandardcharisma is unable to command the crea-tures the horn summons.

The great call of a horn of war carriesfor 5-20 miles in any weather conditions.It magically summons an army of 10-200quaggoths, with 10 hp each, in 1-6 turns.

40 MAY 1989

The frenzied, battle-crazed mob may becommanded only to attack, which themonsters do until destroyed. If not slain inbattle, the quaggoths serve for one hourper level of their summoner before disap-pearing. Quaggoths summoned but notcontrolled run amok for 2-12 turns, attack-ing everyone, before leaving. Three yearsmust pass between each sounding of ahorn of war. Regardless of whether thequaggoths are commanded or not, theywill slay all elves they see while carryingout their other tasks.

Libram of teleportation archesSimilar to a manual of golems, a libram

of teleportation arches is a treatise on theconstruction of a pair of magical archesconnected by teleportation. The archwaysare 10� tall, 3� wide at the base, and eachtakes 5-8 weeks to build, costing (in finestone and craftsmanship) 40,000 gp total.Any creature stepping through one arch isinstantaneously teleported to the other,and although distance between the archesis not a factor, both arches must be con-structed on the same Prime Materialplane. During the time required to buildan archway, the magic-user must not beaway from the construction site for anyappreciable amount of time except wheneating and sleeping.

When the archways are completed, thelibram must be burned and its ashes mustbe sprinkled over both constructions.Teleportation through these devices iswithout error, though if one archway isseverely damaged, both cease functioningforever.

Mirror of travelAll mirrors of travel are large, obviously

valuable, highly reflective silver mirrorsbordered in gem-encrusted gold. Thesemagical items each function only when setinto a sturdy wall.

Any character knowing the propercommand word need only place his handupon such a mirror, speak the word, andenvision any place he has previously �seencasually� (as per the spell teleport in thePlayers� Handbook). An image of that placeappears in the mirror, and the character isteleported there, arriving as if the placehad been �studied carefully� (again, as perthe teleport spell). The image stays in themirror for three rounds after the charac-ter departs, and during this time anyonetouching the mirror similarly teleports tothe area it presents. This device is quitefragile and will break (and become useless)if it fails a saving throw against any attackform. A mirror of travel can reveal andsend its viewer to places only within itsown plane of existence.

Improved mirror of travelAlthough indistinguishable from a mir-

ror of travel, an improved mirror of travelis a vastly superior magical item that

requires an intelligence score of at least 18to operate. Teleportation through thisdevice is without error, and the mirror�sactivator may take any number of charac-ters with him, as long as their hands arelinked at the time of departure. The desti-nation�s image in the mirror disappearsinstantly after teleportation. This mirror isjust as fragile as its lesser cousin and isactivated in the same way.

Additionally, an improved mirror oftravel can function as a crystal ball withtwice the usual viewing time and frequen-cy, and it accrues no penalty when view-ing into planes that are one removed fromthat which contains the mirror. It allowstravel to once-removed planes as well,provided the mirror�s activator has previ-ously �seen casually� the place to which hewishes to teleport. This item must be setinto a sturdy wall, or it will not function. Itmay only be used by magic-users.

Oil of eternal fireThis rather dramatically dubbed oil is

typically found in two or four doses.When a bit of this potion is poured over atorch or other small flame, it causes thefire to stay lit for a full 24-hour period.One dose of this potion is enough to treatsix torches or keep an oil lamp burning for72 hours. Oil of eternal fire does notexplode, nor does it affect large or magicalflames.

Scroll of new spellsThe DM should make a die roll on Table

4 to determine which spells are written onthe scroll discovered. The wizard Ballantwas a man much taken with the theoriesof siege warfare, probably because hisown castle was frequently beset withhumanoid invaders from nearby moun-tains. The two magic-user spells that hecreated speak of his singular obsession.

Ballant�s stonestrength (Alteration)Level: 5 Components: V,S,MRange: 20 yards CT: 6 segmentsAE: Special ST. NoneDuration: 3 turns + 2 turns/levelExplanation/Description: Ballant�sstonestrength causes any single stonestructure, no matter what its size, toincrease in structural value by 10% perlevel of the spell-caster. For example, a13th-level magic-user casting this spell onhis stone gatehouse increases its structuralvalue by 130%, from 120 to 276. The stonebecomes tougher and more resistant tochipping and cracking. Any damage doneto it is first subtracted from its magicallygained structural points (so even if greatlybattered, it may escape uninjured at thespell�s expiration). Since this spell affectsonly stone, it cannot wholly buttress astructure composed of both stone and, say,earth or wood. A DM may either figureout how each piece of strengthened stoneaffects the structure as a whole, or simply

figure the new structural value as a per-centage (e.g., if a wall is 40% stone, thespell is 40% effective).

Ballant�s stonestrength completelyrepairs any stone-composed creature (e.g.,stone golem, xorn, galeb duhr) it is castupon, though this vigor is limited to thespell�s duration. When cast upon a petri-fied character (having suffered the effectsof a medusa or flesh to stone spell), thisspell provides virtual immunity to inciden-tal chipping and breaking. It may be castin conjunction with a wall of stone. Thematerial components of this spell are asmall granite wedge and a pinch of pow-dered iron, which is sprinkled over thewedge during the spell�s casting. When thespell is cast, both components disappear.

Ballant�s stonesplit (Evocation)Level: 6 Components: V,S,MRange: Touch CT: 6 segmentsDuration: Perm. ST: SpecialAE: One 10�×10�× 10� cube of stone/levelExplanation/Description: The wizardwho casts this spell cleaves the next stoneobject he touches, the force from his fin-gertips manifesting in a spray of light anda thick, winding crack that appears in thestone with considerable force. The crackreduces an amount of stone to rubbleequal to the spell�s area of effect, but itdoes nothing to clear this rubble away. Forexample, a 12th-level wizard touching a100�-long by 10�-thick by 30�-high stonewall cracks to rubble a 40�-wide section.Rubble fills the gap to a height of half thatof the original wall and sloping away fromeach side at about a 45° angle. There is athree-segment delay between the magic-user�s touch and the full extent of thespell�s damage, which is usually enoughtime for a mobile caster to escape beingcrushed by his own spell. A successfuldispel magic during this interval periodnegates Ballant�s stonesplit. If this spell iscast on a stone floor, a fissure opens andthe rubble settles quickly, dropping thefloor 1-4� and causing 1-4 hp damage to allin the area of effect. The devastatingeffect of this spell when cast on a stoneceiling is limited both by its range (touch)and by its three-segment delay (enoughtime for the caster to get out of the way isalso enough time for anyone else to getaway).

Ballant�s stonesplit causes great damageto stone-composed creatures (such asgaleb duhr) � 1-8 hp damage per level ofthe caster, or half if a save vs. spells ismade � although the caster must firstscore a hit in melee. This spell automati-cally obliterates a petrified character.Magical items composed of stone areallowed to save (at -4) vs. disintegrationto avoid destruction. The material compo-nent for this spell is a single diamond-tipped chisel worth at least 1,000 gp,which disappears when the spell is cast.

42 MAY 1989

Sphere of warningA sphere of warning is a 2�-diameter

globe suspended in gold or silver frame-work. The entire device is over 4� tall and3� in diameter, weighing about 300 lbs.The outside of the magical globe is brightgreen marble streaked with black or red.This sphere is a divination device thatbegins to glow and hum exactly three daysbefore the structure in which it is con-tained is to be attacked by any force (anattack is defined as any outside partyattempting forced entry into, or commit-ting hostile action toward, the edificecontaining the sphere of warning or theproper ruler of this edifice). The sphere iscapable of fine distinctions, and generallyhas the DM�s tastes with regards to thedefinition of �proper ruler.� The hum andglow of the sphere begin quietly butincrease in intensity during the three daysbefore the attack. Unfortunately, thealarm of a sphere of warning is always thesame, whether heralding an army of 3,000orcs led by a Arch-Mage or signaling thearrival of three halflings armed with point-ed sticks.

When a sphere of warning is taken fromone structure to another, it ceases to func-tion, resuming operation only when acommand word is uttered (there is a 50%chance this command word is engravedsomewhere on the sphere).

Sphere of false callingA sphere of false calling exactly resem-

bles a sphere of warning. This cursedsphere, however, sounds a random alarmevery 1-6 months, and it also tends to glowand hum at particularly inopportunemoments (such as before a wedding orvisitation from friendly forces). Thissphere never glows before an attack.

Stone of the wellA stone of the well is highly prized in

villages and castles located on dry plainsand deserts. In spite of the facts that theseitems command prices as high as 30,000gp in dry regions, and wars are sometimesfought for their possession, stones of thewell are worthless over much of theworld. Such an item appears as a perfectlyspherical black granite rock with a smoothsurface. It functions when placed within awell at least 30� deep, as long as the stoneis covered by at least 2� of standing water.The stone immediately fills its well to adepth halfway between its bottom andupper rim, and similarly fills and main-tains all wells within a one-mile radius.The water produced by a stone of the wellis pure and refreshing. No well within onemile of the stone will run dry. A stone ofthe well placed in a totally dry well willnot function until covered with water.

Cursed well stoneAppearing exactly like a stone of the

well, a cursed well stone causes any well

into which it is placed to dry up immedi-ately; likewise, all wells within a one-mileradius of a cursed well stone also dry upimmediately. This item counters a stone ofthe well, and no new well dug in the areaof effect of a cursed well stone will yieldwater, even if the ground is saturated.Once activated, an exorcism is required tobe rid of this malefic stone�s influence.

Tablecloth of feastingA tablecloth of this type is thick, richly

embroidered, and difficult to fold andmove (it weighs 30 lbs.). It automaticallyadjusts to fit any table on which it isplaced, up to 900 square feet in size. Onceper day, a tablecloth of feasting can createa meal equal to a heroes� feast at the 15thlevel of priest�s spell use, although nofurniture is created and the conjured foodbestows no magical effects. An item of thistype is typically found with 81-100charges, and it requires a command wordto function. If the meal is interrupted,however, the food does not vanish.

R e v i e w s

Computer-game ratings

X***************

Not recommendedPoorFair

GoodExcellent

Superb

©1989 by Hartley,Patricia, and Kirk Lesser

Into the heart of the maelstrom

44 MAY 1989

Sir-Tech Software, Inc.P.O. Box 245Charlestown Ogdensburg MallOgdensburg NY 13669(315) 393-6633

Wizardry V: Heart of theMaelstrom ****MS/PC-DOS, Apple II versions $49.95

With the release of Wizardry V: Heart ofthe Maelstrom, Sir-Tech has returned to itsgaming roots. You need not have partici-pated in any previous scenario to enjoythis offering, which retains the excitementand pulsing action of the original Wiz-ardry. This review is based on the MS-DOSversion, which was completed using aTandy 4000 personal computer equippedwith an EGA card and 1MB of RAM.

Wizardry V can run with either a CGA,EGA, or VGA graphics card installed, and acolor, RGB, or composite monitor. How-ever, the game presents only CGA graph-ics, so don�t expect state-of-the-artanimation or fully hued creatures to comeambling down a corridor. With most MS-DOS games now offering a variety ofgraphics modes to players, we�re mystifiedas to why Sir-Tech chose to offer only CGAgraphics for this game.

A second drawback is the copy-protec-tion method used by Wizardry V: In orderto enter the Maze itself, you must decodetwo words that are presented on-screen.The specific word you must enter is foundin a nonreproducible Magic Word Listbooklet that accompanies the program.The list runs for 11 pages, three columnsto a page, in a type size so small that thosewith poor eyesight or poor lighting mightfind the letters hard to decipher. In addi-tion, there seems to be no organization tothe list itself. If you think logically andalphabetically, it will take a while to findthe correct word grouping for decoding.Should you fail to enter the correct magicword, the program requests that you tryagain and again.

Another less-than-pleasant feature ofWizardry V is that it will run only fromyour floppy drive. You cannot copy thegame onto a hard disk. This is archaic, tosay the least. Fortunately, you can copy allof the disks by using the program�s Make aScenario utility. All three program disksmust be copied in this manner beforestarting the adventure. We also recom-mend that, once you have duplicated Disk

A and have created your adventuringparty, you also make a backup of theduplicated disk. In this way, you can pre-vent the disastrous loss of your party asyou maneuver through the adventure. Bybacking up Disk A at the start of eachsession, you�ll always be able to reload thecharacters and adventure conditions fromthe close of your previous session.

A truly helpful feature is that WizardryV takes advantage of any extra memory inyour MS-DOS system. The program recog-nizes the extra memory and pre-loadssegments from the three game disks, cut-ting down on disk swapping as the gameproceeds. Also, the characters that youdevelop in Wizardry V can be used in anyof the other Wizardry scenarios. This ismost useful, so be certain that your char-acters� attributes are brought to theirfullest potentials.

The adventure of Wizardry V takesplace in the country of Llylgamyn, wherea rift in reality could cause the destructionof the land. Not only has one Sorn, a rene-gade from the Temple of the Brotherhood,found a way to upset the order of theuniverse, but she has captured and impris-oned the Gatekeeper, an Arch-Mage withthe responsibility to maintain a balancebetween the world of reality and theplanes of magic. Your group of adventur-ers has been called forth by Fontizan, oneof the twelve sages of the council, todescend into the bowels of the Temple ofthe Brotherhood and into the Heart of theMaelstrom. First, you must find G�bliGedook, the high priest of the Brother-hood, and question him intelligently toelicit his most salient advice, Then, youmust defeat the evil Sorn and all that shethrows at you, free the Gatekeeper, andrestore order to the world.

After you have made your scenariodisks, you�re ready to Start the game fromthe main title screen. You are presentedwith a dual window display containing thefollowing choices:

Gilgamesh�s Tavern: Here, you canassemble your group from the createdcharacters.

Adventurers� Inn: Rest and recuperationare found here.

Temple of Cant: Here, the party can findhealing and resurrection.

Boltac�s Trading Post: Buy, sell, andidentify items at this place.

Edge of Town: Select either of the fol-lowing two choices from this point.

Training Grounds: This is used for char-acter creation.

Maze: Here you enter the Temple of theBrotherhood and start the adventure.

One word of warning: In this game,never overextend your party! By maintain-ing carefully prepared, accurate maps,you�ll always be able to duck out of theMaze to either the Temple of Cant or theAdventurer�s Inn to lick your wounds.Believe me, you�ll do enough of the latteras you delve deeper and deeper into thedark environs below.

DRAGON 45

After entering the Edge of Town and theTraining Grounds, four more options arepresented:

Create a Character: Here, you createyour adventurers.

Inspect a Character: Your created adven-turers are shown in detail here.

Roster of Characters: This lists all thecharacters that have been created.

Leave: This lets you return to the pre-vious menu.

Of most interest to gamers is the processof creating a character, either a human,elf, dwarf, gnome, or hobbit. The firstchore is to type in a name for your charac-ter; then you are requested to enter apassword to prevent anyone else fromchanging or deleting your character. If youplay the game with a group, you certainlywouldn�t want someone doing in yourhuman fighter when the dark denizens ofthe Brotherhood�s temple couldn�t managethe same task. However, don�t forget thepassword. If you�re playing Wizardry V byyourself, don�t bother entering a pass-word; simply press the RETURN key.

The next selection requested is the char-acter�s race. Hobbits make great thieves,gnomes become pious priests, dwarfs aremean fighters, elves are magical in nature,and humans are average in all things. Wewould certainly hesitate before creating ahuman priest in this game, however, ashumans lack piety.

The program then asks for the align-ment you wish to assign to the characteryou are creating (good, neutral, or evil).You are then presented with a basic statis-tical array for your character (Strength,I.Q., Piety, Vitality, Agility, and Luck), towhich you can add a specified number ofbonus points. The following are the mini-mum scores needed for a character ofeach Wizardry class:

Fighter: 11 StrengthMage: 11 I.Q.Priest: 11 Piety, non-neutral alignmentThief: 11 Agility, non-good alignmentBishop: 12 I.Q., 12 Piety, non-neutral

alignmentSamurai: 15 Strength, 11 I.Q., 10 Piety, 14

Vitality, 10 Agility, non-evil alignmentLord: 15 Strength, 12 I.Q., 12 Piety, 15

Vitality, 14 Agility, 15 Luck, goodalignment

Ninja: 17 for all statistics, evil alignment

When you have finished assigning bonuspoints, you are asked to indicate the classyou wish to assign to this character. Mostof you are familiar with the four basicclasses (fighter, mage, priest, thief). Thefour elite classes (bishop, samurai, lord,ninja) offer just a wee bit more in the wayof character capabilities. However, theyare harder to achieve on the program�srandom characteristic rolls. The bishop, acombination of mage and priest, can castboth classes of spells but takes longer toachieve levels. The samurai is a great

warrior, while the lord is a combination offighter and priest who, at the fourth level,can also cast priestly spells. The ninja isbest when fighting with bare hands andcan hide, disarm traps, and practice allthose talents that a thief possesses.

Each team consists of six members, soyou must create at least six characters. Wefound that creating 12 characters at thestart of the adventure allowed us to pickadventurers to fill the holes that appear inthe original party as we progressedthrough the Maze. Remember that a char-acter of evil alignment cannot play with aquesting party that contains a member ofgood alignment. Neutrals are fairly safewith all alignments.

Now that the characters have beencreated, they must be brought together asa group. That�s accomplished in Gilga-mesh�s Tavern, where you can also dividegold among the characters or removeunwanted questers from the party. To addmembers, depress the A key and the com-plete list of all created characters isoffered. Enter the letter associated with acharacter to add that name to the roster.When all six slots have been filled, Inspecteach member to bring up another windowfull of information:

L(EVELS): This is the character�s experi-ence level. All start at Level 1.

GOLD: This reveals how rich the charac-ter is at the present time.

SWIM: There are pools in them thardungeons, and you�d best learn how toswim or face a watery defeat.

E.P.: This shows the character�s experi-ence points, which determine when a levelis gained.

AGE: This tells how old the character is.MARKS: This rating system tells how

well you�ve sent the nasties to their graves.RIP: How many times the character has

been killed is shown here.AC: This is armor class, with a birthday

suit being AC 10.STATUS: The character�s current state is

shown, whether OK, poisoned, stoned,dead, or lost forever.

HP: This shows your adventurer�s cur-rent hit-point total compared to the num-ber of hit points he started with.

MAGE or PRST: The mage or priestspells possessed by the character areshown here. There are seven levels ofspells in each category, and these numbersrepresent the number of spells available inthe character�s spell books for each level.There are 32 priest spells and 31 magespells. (Attention wizardry veterans: Thespell LOMILWA still offers a steady andfar-reaching light, but those secret doorsdon�t show up anymore. That�s now donethrough use of a separate spell or by alaying on of hands.)

EQUIPMENT. What your character pos-sesses as far as weaponry, armor, andother accoutrements found along the wayis revealed.

When the party members are assem-bled, be certain to Equip them. You�ll be

46 MAY 1989

presented with a series of choices basedon the equipment each character possess-es. When you indicate a specific type ofarmor, you�ll note that the armor classchanges to reflect your choice. There isalso an indicator to show the damagepotential of a weapon being carried.

Now you�re ready to head off for adven-ture. Go to the Edge of Town and enter theMaze. Here, that delightful copy-protec-tion scheme comes into play, and you mustenter the proper code word before youcan continue. Then you�re asked if youwish to climb back up the stairs you justcame down, if you are faint of heart. EnterN and the way lies before you. You have anumber of options at this stage.

C amp: See the Camp sub-menu below.O n/Off: this toggles the information

windows on or off.S tatus : This turns the Status window on

or off.T ime: This resets the amount of time a

message remains on-screen.I nspect: This lets you look for Secret

doors, H idden items, and D ead bodies.The Camp sub-menu allows your charac-

ters to:#: Inspect a party member with a few

more options than were offered for thissame menu selection at Gilgamesh�s place;

R eorder: Redefine the marching order;E quip: Re-equip the entire party, not just

one character; orL eave: Break camp and move on.You move your party through the Maze

by using the following alpha keys on yourcomputer:

W: Forward one step;A: Turn left;D: Turn right;X: Make a complete; 180° turn; andK: Kick down a door (the only way you

can get through doors, by the way, unlessthey happen to be locked; in the lattercase, your thief�s lock-picking capabilitiesor a priest�s Unlock spell come into play).

You can U se items found in the Maze,but one of the most helpful changes madein Wizardry is the fact that you don�t haveto exit the Maze and get topside beforeyou can save your game. Using the Q uick-save command, you can save the game atany time. We highly recommend using thiscommand often!

Wizardry V also incorporates the use ofranged weapons, which means that char-acters in the second and third rows ofyour party can attack opponents. Don�tforget, however, that those members whoare placed to the rear of the party, such aspriests and mages, are limited in the typesof weapons they can carry. Long-rangeweapons can be carried only by classesthat can wield such offensive hardware.Also, the monsters confronting you canalso carry ranged weapons!

When the first encounter comes along,you can:

F ight: Use one of the equipped weaponsagainst a specified enemy;

48 MAY 1989

P arry: Reduce the odds that your char-acter will be hit;

D ispel: Have a priest use this spellagainst the undead (however, if this spell issuccessful, no experience points areawarded to the party);

S pell: Cast a spell against the enemy or aspecified target, possibly to heal yourcharacters;

U se: Check a list of items being carried,so you can select an appropriate item;

R un: Run away;H ide: Allow thieves and ninjas to remain

hidden, then Ambush the last rank of theopposing party; or

T ake back: Restart the combat selectionprocess.

Your orders are carried out by the pro-gram, and all hits inflicted and taken areindicated on-screen. You can also surprisemonsters, and they can surprise you. Thelatter can be dangerous to your party�shealth, especially in the early stages ofcharacter development. When the combatis completed and you are victorious (wehope), the number of experience pointsearned by each member of the party isindicated. Additionally, gold is awarded iftreasure has been found. A chest mightappear on-screen; this is a good time to seehow adept your thief or ninja is at identi-fying and D isarming traps.

In the upper levels of the Maze, thetraps are not too bad. However, some ofthe more dangerous traps are protectedby poison, so the failure of your youngthief or ninja can be extremely painful tothe party. Fortunately, those poisoned canbe restored to full health once outside theMaze, either by resting at the inn orthrough prayer at the Temple of Cant (with a healthy donation!).

One of the more enjoyable changesfound in Wizardry V is the manner inwhich your characters can now interactwith encounters. All encounters take placein the Maze itself, and you can:

T alk: Carry on a conversation�handywhen questions arise (G�bli Gedook, whocan be located on the first level, is amena-ble to answering your questions, but youmust make certain your questions arevery specific, which can be an exactingtask);

B arter: Purchase or sell your character�sitems (but don�t expect inexpensivegoodies; even a figurine can run 25,000gp!);

G ive: Give either gold or a specific item;Steal: Steal (and you�d better make cer-

tain your thief is of high enough level andpossesses enough dexterity to make theattempt worthwhile);

K atu: Use the priest�s charm spell, whichcan be helpful when an intelligent crea-ture confronts your group;

P ool Gold: Give all of the party�s gold toone of your adventurers; and

L eave: Go back to the adventure.There are quite a few nasties to be met

within the Maze. Here are some of the

beasties we had less-than-friendly meet-ings with on just the first level of theMaze: blackflies, ugly humanoids (whoturned out, on some occasions, to betrolls), slimes, men of the cloth, nether-men, fanged toads, dark figures, ladystingers, bandits, leach lizards, maskedmen (bandits), amphibians, and a ratherelusive ice phantom. Traps (poisonous insome cases) seemed to be the order of theday when earning chests as part of thereward for slaying an enemy.

What else can one find on the first level?How about Ye Motor Room, which indi-cates �Access limited to top brass andservice personnel only.� Added adviceincludes �Warning: Do Not Enter WhenMotor Is On.� You�ll also find a laughingkettle beyond a secret door, a silver keywhich is your pass to the confoundingsecond level, a dark statue of a fangedbeast that is not an object dart, a ratherintoxicating meeting with the Ruby War-lock, and Ribald Ron and his unmerrymen, to name just a few.

Wizardry V is a worthwhile fantasyadventure role-playing game for softwaregamers. For MS-DOS gamers accustomedto the higher resolutions and animationcapabilities of the EGA and VGA graphicsboards, the CGA-only attributes of thisoffering will probably be rather disap-pointing. The Apple II version does notoffer advanced, state-of-the-art graphics,either. However, once you becomeembroiled in the adventure and becomeaccustomed to the graphics, we wageryou�ll thoroughly enjoy yourself . . . shouldyou survive!

Sir-Tech continues to produce high-quality adventures. Wizardry V is but oneexample of its commitment to plot, puzzle,and player participation. Our only wish isthat it would do away with its archaiccopy-protection scheme, allow the pro-gram to be copied to the hard disk, andimprove the game graphics.

Sierra On-Line, Inc. P.O. Box 485Coarsegold CA 93614(209) 683-4468

Gold Rush! * * * * ½MS/PC-DOS, Atari ST, Apple IIGSversions $39.95Commodore Amiga, Apple Macintosh, andApple II versions available soon.

There�s gold in them hills! Adapted notfrom an arcade game, but from history,Sierra presents Gold Rush!, a software-based account of the lives and tribulationsof the pioneers who answered the call ofthe 1849 gold rush in California. Sierra�s3-D animation is superbly used in thisadventure game. The offering comes withcomplete instructions as well as with two3½-inch disks and five 5¼-inch disks. Alsoincluded is a book called California Gold,which not only contains surprising factsabout the towns and people of California

but is also the copy-protection scheme thatSierra uses for this game. After bootingGold Rush!, you are asked a question, theanswer to which is found in the book.Answer correctly or you�ll be hanged.

When you answer the question correct-ly, you become Jerrod Wilson, a man whoearns a decent salary but wants action andadventure not found in Brooklyn, NewYork, in the early 1800s. You move Jerrodaround the screen by using either thejoystick or the numeric keypad.

While in Brooklyn, Jerrod must figureout a way to earn enough money to pur-chase a ride west. There are three routesof travel available. The first is the over-land route, starting out on a steamboat onthe Great Lakes, then transferring to acanal boat, and finally joining a wagontrain headed west. The second method isvia ship through the Gulf of Mexico toPanama, where you disembark to traveloverland and face the dangers of the jun-gle. Once you emerge on the Pacific coastof Panama, you must take a ship north toCalifornia. The final route is an adventur-ous trip by ship around Cape Horn andnorth to California, where caviar andchampagne await those who survive therigors of travel. As you progress, you canview your travels on an on-screen map.Additional information comes on thescreen at certain times to tell you aboutyour location and the history of the area.We found this feature extremely useful,and we learned many historical facts.

Many puzzles await those who ventureinto this game. Besides trying to get outwest, players must figure out what hap-pened to Jerrod�s brother. Apparently thepoor fellow was convicted of a heinouscrime and has fled to parts unknown toescape the long arm of the law. The playermust also conquer hazards unique to thedifferent modes of travel. For example,stagecoach travel finds runaway oxen andhostile Indians. Panamanian-route trav-elers have to conquer deadly ants, croco-diles, and cannibals. Cape Horn voyagerscan be assaulted by bad weather, sea sick-ness, and starvation.

Once Sacramento has been reached, youmust purchase supplies such as mules,lanterns, shovels, and pans. All are neededto help you find gold. Hints are hiddenthroughout the game and are on the com-plexity level of the hints programmed intoSpace Quest. If you complete the game viaone route, try winning by using the alter-native modes of travel. Then do every-thing you can to win the total of 250 gamepoints.

We heartily recommend Gold Rush! toanyone who enjoys a good adventuregame. Not only is it intriguing, but thethree different modes of transportationoffer multiple challenges to the gamer.This game is also historically accurate andmight assist teachers in showing theirstudents what life in the early 1800s waslike in an entertaining fashion. Sierra has

5 0 M A Y 1 9 8 9

found a way to take historical facts andprogram them into an enjoyable game.Gold Rush! is well worth the price ofadmission.

Broderbund Software17 Paul DriveSan Rafael CA 94903-2101(415) 492-3500

Star Wars ***

MS/PC-DOS, Commodore Amiga, Atari STversions $39.95Commodore 64/128 version $29.95

Okay, Star Wars is old hat. The arcadegame was extremely popular for a longperiod of time. Yep, folk still play the coin-op version of Star Wars. Yep, nothing hascome to the home computer that can equalthe coin-op version. That statement stillholds true.

Broderbund�s Star Wars arcade game forMS-DOS machines is quite disappointinginitially. Only CGA, HGC, and monochromevideo boards are supported by the game.When you�ve seen the startling EGA andVGA games out there for MS-DOSmachines, playing an arcade game in CGAis rather like playing in half-bright modeon an Amiga 1000 instead of in full graph-ics on an Amiga 500 or 2000 unit. It�s flat.

For those with the true gamer�s instinctfor pressing forward regardless of initialfeelings, Star Wars improves with play.Running the game is much like the coin-opversion, from the initial attack of theX-wings, to searching the corridors of theDeath Star for the exhaust port. However,we totally disagree with a quote on thegame�s box: �When you boot up this StarWars, you�ll think you�ve zoomed rightinto the middle of the movie itself.� Noway! What you have zoomed into is arather staid performance with threesequences. The most exhilarating of thesequences is the second one, �Through theTowers: where you blast away at the lasertowers as you fly across the surface of theDeath Star. The keyboard controls seemedto be the most effective for game control,although joystick and mouse controls areoptional. There are no particularly diffi-cult commands to learn, and should youachieve a high score, you can enter yourname at the close of the game as one ofthe best players.

Star Wars is certainly not a gut-busterand certainly doesn�t possess state-of-the-art graphics or sound, but it is still betterthan about 60% of the MS-DOS games thathave recently appeared. An avid arcadermight wish to own this game, but it cer-tainly isn�t in the �must buy� category.

News and new products

Electronic Arts1820 Gateway DriveSan Mateo CA 94404(415) 571-7171

Project Firestart has been released forthe Commodore 64/128. This programmixes elements of science fiction with thelook and sound of a horror movie by usingclose-ups, tracking shots, fades, and pans,all enhanced with sound effects and amusical score. With dark, ominous hall-ways, inhuman killers lurking in theshadows, blood-splattered rooms, and ofcourse, the damsel in distress, ProjectFirestart plays like a science-fiction horrormovie . . . and you have been cast in theleading role.

The game revolves around solving themystery of what is happening to theresearch ship Prometheus as it orbitsTitan, a moon of Saturn. Scientists aboardthe Prometheus are conducting geneticexperiments aimed at crafting artificialcreatures to work the mines on distantasteroids. This is a dangerous process, butstrict safeguards are in place to protectthe crew. Suddenly, the Prometheus fallssilent, and the System Science Foundationsends you, its top troubleshooter, to findout what is happening to the researchship, rescue any survivors, find the sci-ence log, and if necessary, blow up theship and get out.

Throughout the mission, closeups ofmonsters and pans of rooms around theship flash across the screen. Battles to thedeath against flesh-eating monsters andthe search for clues, weapons, and secu-rity passes in rooms littered with bodies.are among the highlights of this mission.Tension builds with twists in the plot asyou hear the piercing sound of the unstop-pable self-destruct mechanism countingdown. Every phase of the mission must becompleted for you to solve the puzzle ofthe Prometheus and enable you to defeatits ultimate threat. The price is $29.95.

Mindscape Inc.3444 Dundee RoadNorthbrook IL 60062(312) 480-7667 or 480-9209

An arcade mega-hit is coming to theApple Macintosh computer. The mazes ofGauntlet capture all of the fast-pacedaction of the coin-op classic and fullysupport the latest Macintosh technology.Macintosh II gamers will enjoy full-color,and all Mac�ers will love the digitizedsound effects. You search for treasures,magic, and power as you assume the roleof Thor the Barbarian, Merlin the Wizard,Thyra the Valkyrie, or Quester the Elf.Monsters and demons attack, but physicalstrength and powerful magic aid yourquest. As in the original arcade game, asecond player can join the action at anytime. The price of Gauntlet for the Macin-tosh is $49.95. Other versions are alreadyavailable for the Atari ST, CommodoreAmiga, Apple IIGS, Apple II, Commodore64/128, MS/PC-DOS computers, and AtariS-bit machines.

A note to all . . .We have received a few letters from

readers who are disappointed with Strate-gic Simulations� AD&D® Dungeon MastersAssistant, Vol. 1 in the Commodore 64/128format. We took a look at the Apple IIversion of this offering and found it to besubstandard in comparison to the qualityof SSI�s other AD&D products. This pro-gram, in our opinion, is quite useless in asingle-drive system due to the number ofdisk swaps required. DMs could no moreuse this program during an actual AD&Dgame than most of us could cook a turkeyin a washing machine.

As an example of the feedback we havereceived, this letter from Dan Davies ofSurrey, British Columbia, voices the con-cerns other readers have communicated tous, but in a far more reasonable tone thanmost of the letters and phone calls:

�I have just bought the official AD&DDungeon Masters Assistant, Vol. 1 for theCommodore 64. As a faithful follower ofthe AD&D game, I am terribly disappoint-ed in the quality of this product, which isdescribed as a comprehensive databaseand a great time-saver for the DM. Thedescription does not mention that thegeneration of a single encounter may takeseveral minutes and five disk swaps. Asimple table may take half an hour and 30or 40 disk swaps. This is just to generatethe table, never mind printing it out.

�Needless to say, I am terribly disap-pointed, as the program takes so muchtime and so many disk swaps for even thesimplest function.

�I do not want to return the program; Iwant to exchange it for a truly usableutility when such becomes available. Inthe meantime, please print this letter as aservice to other loyal fans who would beequally disappointed in this product.�

Clue corner

Might and Magic, Book Two (NewWorld Computing)

Some words of wisdom have beenreceived from Jeff Curry, who solved thisgame in 17 days with a final score of1,367,752,076. Hope Jeff managed to eat!He writes:

1. You�ll be �strong to the finish� for theLumberjacks if you �eat your spinach.�

2. Visit Mt. Farview to discover part ofyour quest to save the world.

3. The game is a lot easier if you firstexplore each town, then its dungeon, untilyou are at a fairly high level. Inside life iseasy, but the outside world is TOUGH!!!

4. The Green Messages are on DruidsP o i n t .

5. The Yellow Messages are in andaround the Forbidden Forest.

6. The Red Messages are in the Elemen-tal Planes.

7. Encasement spells are 1 over and 1 upor down in each corner of the world.

8. Transmutation spells are in the moun-tains bordering the corners.

9. To win the Triple Crown: Buy a keyfrom a locksmith, win a battle of the samecolor in each forum, and then free thebishop of the same color.

10. The famous Castle Xabran exists inthe 9th Century in C2 at 14,8.

11. You need a strangely named devicefrom each castle to gain the Orb.

12. Do not even attempt to fight theMega Dragon!

13. In Castle Xabran, you will learn allspell locations and where to find all thehirelings!

14. If you�ve managed to survive to thispoint, remember �Answer = Preamble.�

Jeff CurryNew Concord OH

Pool of Radiance (SSI)Here�s a way to transfer your high-level

characters� hit points and armor classattributes to lower-level characters:

Copy the �saved game� disk containingyour high-level characters who possess thehigher armor classes and hit points. Next,delete the program SAVEDGAME0. LoadPool of Radiance and select LOAD SAVEDGAME. Now insert the copied characterdisk that doesn�t have the SAVEDGAME0file. The disk drive light goes on for a fewseconds as if the disk data is being loadedby the computer. After a short while, themessage SAVED GAME NOT FOUND!appears on-screen.

Insert the saved disk that contains thelower-level characters to whom you wishto transfer the higher hit point and armorclass attributes. Select TRY AGAIN. Thedrive will finish loading the lower-levelcharacters, but they will now have the hitpoints and armor classes of the higher-level characters. The transfers will takeplace between characters who occupy thesame positions on each disk, so you shouldposition your characters according to theattributes you wish them to receive fromtheir higher-level counterparts.

A warning: Do not HEAL these men,even though they appear to be wounded.If you do, you will reset the armor classand hit point statistics to their originalvalues. Be certain you have a copy of yourhigher-level characters with SAVEDGAME0on the disk, or they will be lost foreverexcept for their hit points and armorclasses.

Lastly, keep in mind that the commandAIM can be used to attack an opponent inan adjacent square, even though yourattacking character may have no move-ment points left.

John GarguiloRaleigh NC

Wizardry V (Sir-Tech Software)When entering a dark, mysterious area

in the Brotherhood�s temple, you�re goingto find that the way back is no longer theway you thought it was. One method to

check is to take a single step forward andthen see if you can take a step back andreturn to your original location. Althoughit can cost spell points, you can camp,have a suitable character cast a DUMAPICspell when entering the first square of adark area, and write down the coordinatesgiven. Step forward one step, camp, andcast another DUMAPIC spell. If things lookbleak, monitor each movement carefullyuntil you find yourself returning to theexit hex. Those twisters and teleporterscan really confuse the issue! Be fore-warned�the stairs down to the secondlevel really end in confusion!

Hartley and Kirk Lesser

The balloting is under way for the Beast-ie Award for 1989. Please mail us a post-card with the title of the software gameyou wish to vote for, the format of thegame, and your name and address. Onlyone vote per reader! Mail your ballot to:

The Beastie Awards179 Pebble PlaceSan Ramon CA 94583

And until next time, game on!

Most product names mentioned in this column aretrademarks owned or licensed by the companies thatproduce those products. Use of the name of anyproduct without mention of trademark status shouldnot be construed as a challenge to such status.

DRAGON 53

Sage Advice

Continued from page 12

(or once per day if the cage is permanent).It can also attempt to escape the cageusing its magic resistance once (or onceper day). A creature could be trappedafter entering the cage in this manner.Note that the forcecage does not preventteleportation, astral projection, or otherforms of magical travel, nor does it pre-vent its occupant(s) from polymorphinginto something small enough to passthrough the �bars.�

The area of effect of the shoutspell is defined as a 1� × 3� cone.The description, however, says thatthe cone is 3� at its terminus. Whatare the dimensions of the cone?

The truncated cone is 1� wide at itscasting point, 3� long, and 3� wide at itsterminus (1� = 10�).56 MAY 1989

How do you extend the spell listfor magic-users beyond level 29?

As follows:30th level: Add one each fifth-, sixth-,

and seventh-level spell.3lst level: Add one each eight- and

ninth-level spell.32nd level: Add one each first-, second,

third, and fourth-level spell.For 33rd level and up, keep repeating

this progression.

General questions

Page 120 of the Players Handbookstates that spells can be cast fromthe Ethereal to the Prime Materialplane, but my DM says this only

works when the target on the PrimeMaterial has abilities that extendinto the Ether.

Your DM is correct. Page 117 of Legends& Lore corrects page 120 of the PlayersHandbook in this instance.

Magic, whether from a spell or item,does not work across planar boundariesexcept in a very few cases. Gate opens apassageway between planes � it obviouslyworks across planar boundaries. Planeshift is another obvious exception, as areholy word and dispel evil. Note that thedescription of each of these spells statesthat the dweomer works on more thanone plane in either implicit or explicitterms. See also the notes regarding divina-tion spells in Manual of the Planes, pages11-12.

The exceptions suggested in Legends &Lore apply only in a few special cases,such as with medusas and basilisks, wherethe creatures� abilities actually extend intothe Ether from the Prime. In these cases, anexus through which magic can pass iscreated, and a caster on the Ethereal planecan attack the creature by casting spellsthrough the nexus.

Can dark elves see through theirown darkness with infravision?This seems reasonable since theradius of the darkness is so small,and the ability to see through itwould make the darkness abilitymore useful.

All magical darkness spells in the AD&Dgame are the same, even if the total areaof effect is different. A dark elf�s darknessblocks all infravision, even his own. Itsprimary uses are for escape and to con-fuse enemies.

Does a spell-caster have to remainmotionless for an entire roundwhen he casts a spell? If not, whatelse can he do?

The rules seem to imply, but don�t actu-ally say, that a full round of motionless-ness is required to cast a spell. SeveralLake Geneva campaigns rule that a magic-user must remain stationary only as longas the casting time of the spell. After cast-ing a spell, the magic-user can move dur-ing the remainder of the round, but hecannot attack or cast another spell. Forexample, a fireball takes 3 segments, sothe magic-user casting it could have 7segments worth of movement after castingthe spell: See page 102 of the PlayersHandbook for per-segment movementrates. These campaigns also allow fightersto attack, then move. If your campaigndoes not allow fighting �on the run,� makemagic-users stay put when casting spells.If you can�t fight on the run, you can�t casta spell on the run, either.

NEW PRODUCTS FORAPRIL

AD&D® 2nd Edition Player�s HandbookAD&D® 2nd Edition Hardcover Rule

BookYou asked for it�and you�ve got it! The ulti-

mate role-playing experience is now available:the AD&D® game in its finest form. Playtestedby hundreds of gamers and researched foryears, the AD&D 2nd Edition Player�s Handbookhas all the gaming information you canimagine�and a whole lot more!Suggested Retail Price: $20.00/£11.95Product No.: 2101

ArrivalBUCK ROGERS� book seriesby Flint Dille, et. al.This anthology of seven novellas reveals the

stories of the 25th century�s greatest heroes andvillains, including Buck Rogers, Killer Kane,Wilma Deering, and more. The works of RobertSheckley Jerry Oltion, M. S. Murdock, andothers are featured in this 320-page paperbackvolume.Suggested Retail Price: $3.95Product No.: 3551

Dark wellFORGOTTEN REALMS� novelby Douglas NilesHostile clerics, undead armies, and Bhaal

himself confront the heroes Robyn and Tristanin this, the last volume of the Moonshae trilogy.But Bhaal has wrought havoc even in the rela-tionship between Robyn and Tristan, who mustnow decide whether to face the future as kingand queen�or as mortal enemies.Suggested Retail Price: $3.95Product No.: 8416

MT1 All This and World War IIMARVEL SUPER HEROES® moduleby Ray WinningerThe Third Reich is crumbling under the

onslaught of the Allies when an alien and histime machine crash-land in Germany. Hitler andthe Red Skull� get their hands on the time-travel gear, organize commando teams to stealfuturistic technology, and the rest (as they say)is history. It�s up to you to make sure that theNazis don�t rewrite the history books! Join thebattle in the all-new MARVEL® Time-Warpadventure trilogy!Suggested Retail Price: $7.95/£4.95Product No.: 6885

FRC2 Curse of the Azure BondsAD&D® FORGOTTEN REALMS� moduleby Jeff GrubbOne morning, you wake up to find someone

has put magical sigils on your arms�but thatperson forgot to tell you who he was, why hedid it, or how to get rid of the sigils and theircurse. That can only mean an adventure!Based on the AD&D® computer module from

58 MAY 1989

SSI (and based on the novel Azure Bonds, too),this module promises the wildest of adventuresfor all AD&D® game players.Suggested Retail Price: $9.95/£5.35Product No.: 9239

WG9 GargoyleAD&D® GREYHAWK® moduleby Dave Collins and Skip WilliamsOne morning, you wake up to find someone

has stolen your wings (you are a gargoyle, butno one said humans were the only ones withproblems). What are you going to do about it?You�re going to hire some low-level adventurersto get your wings back! (And if that bunch getsaxed, there are always more adventurers wherethey came from.)Suggested Retail Price: $5.95/£3.95Product No.: 9251

NEW PRODUCTS FOR MAY

Darkness and LightDRAGONLANCE® Preludes Trilogy,

Volume 1by Paul B. Thompson and Tonya R.

CarterIt is a time when honor is laughable, dragons

are myths, and friends have not yet becomemortal enemies. In search of his father and theland of Solamnia, a young knight named Sturmsets out with a companion named Kitiara, andthey make their way across the world ofKrynn�and beyond. Join them in this tale of theworld of the DRAGONLANCE® saga.Suggested Retail Price: $3.95Product No.: 8328

The Jewels of ElvishTSR� Books novelby Nancy Varian BerberickThe Elvish and Mannish races are about to

seal a tenuous alliance, and a political marriageis the bond. For a dowry, a ruby is given�butquickly stolen. And then it is learned that theruby alone had the power to stop an evil forcethat threatens elf and man alike.Suggested Retail Price: $3.95Product No.: 8205

FRE1 ShadowdaleAD&D® FORGOTTEN REALMS� moduleby Ed GreenwoodAn evil army marches on Shadowdale, your

adventurers� home town. But very quickly, youdiscover yourselves to be the pawns of fargreater powers. All of the known gods havefallen, and they think that you can�andshould�do something about their problem! Thismodule is the first one in the Avatar series ofFORGOTTEN REALMS� adventures. Look forthe novels as well!Suggested Retail Price: $6.95/£3.95Product No.: 9247

GAZ12 Golden Khan of EthengarD&D® Gazetteerby Jim BambraEthengar is a wild and woolly land of barbari-

an horsemen, savage warfare, and suddendoom. What are you waiting for? Visit the landof the Golden Khan, but avoid his Horseloopers�they play for keeps. New rules andspells for the Khan�s horsemen are given in this96-page Gazetteer, also usable with the AD&D®2nd Edition game!Suggested Retail Price: $9.95/£5.95Product No.: 9246

THE GREAT KHAN GAMEAD&D® FORGOTTEN REALMS� game

folioby Tom Wham and Richard HamblenTake a 32-page rule book, a full-color map,

and a designer like Tom Wham, and you have allyou need for a great evening of gaming. Out-smart your royal rivals (if you Khan) in thishilarious fantasy board game from the creatorof the MERTWIG�S MAZE� game folio.Suggested Retail Price: $12.95/£9.95Product No.: 1044

TSAC7 F.R.E.E.AmericaTOP SECRET/S.I.� accessoryby Scott BowlesChicago, A.D. 1999: a sprawling city-state that

stretches from central Wisconsin to Detroit, amonstrous hive of humanity under the controlof the Great Lakes Authority A lone team ofsuper-agents, the F.R.E.E.Lancers, makes itshome here among the millions, fighting forwhat little integrity survives in this less-than-brave new world�and those agents need yourhelp to do it.Suggested Retail Price: $9.95/£5.95Product No.: 7635

The MAXI BOURSE® gameBoxed family board gameBuy shares or buy control! Divest or invest!

But don�t leave home without your wallet and$15,000,000! Here is the ultimate in stock-market games, designed in France and alreadythe #2 best-selling game in that country. Diveinto the world of international finance andhard-core capitalism, and fight for control of theworld�s largest corporations (all in the safety ofyour own home, too). Get it now�and get rich!Suggested Retail Price: $24.95/£19.95Product No.: 1047

Unless otherwise noted® and ™ denote trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.©1989 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved

MARVEL MARVEL UNIVERSE MARVEL SUPER HEROES,and all Marvel character names and distinctive likenessesthereof are trademarks of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc.©1989 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved

BUCK ROGERS IS a trademark used under license from TheDille Family Trust ©I989 by The Dille Family Trust All RightsReserved

MAXI BOURSE is ©l989 Marc Eric Gervais, Pascale Loiseau,and Daniel Volpilhac. All Rights Reserved

#1 Mountain of Stolen Dreams0-8041-0201-5 $2.95

#2 Night of Ghosts and Lightning0-8041-0202-3 $2.95

#3 Rebel from Alphorion0-8041-0205-8 $2.95Robyn Tallis

Ivy Books (Ballantine)This is a series guaranteed to give book-

store managers nightmares. Does it belongnext to the Sweet Valley High teenromances and Hardy Boys mysteries in thepackaged-series section; filed neatly inalphabetical order with the real young-adult books; or in the main science-fictionsection between Robert Silverberg andSheri Tepper?

A quick glance at the covers argues forthe Sweet Valley High option. While thecover paintings are crisp and competent,the series logo is splashed in large lettersacross each numbered book, and thepromotional copy positively shouts �Teenadventure!�

A closer look, though, distinguishesthese novels from typical teen potboilers.The first clues are subtle. Gauguin, thecolony world where the series is set, isnamed for a French painter, and chaptertitles occasionally borrow quotations fromrelatively obscure sources. (Translation:The author has a solid literary backgroundand manages to incorporate that knowl-edge into the book without calling atten-tion to it. In one stroke, that makes thiswork far more well rounded than those ofmany formula writers.)

Even more noteworthy, however, is theauthor�s skill in expertly juggling a large,likeable cast. The core group of protago-nists numbers six, and siblings and minorplayers weave in and out of events withplausible frequency. Yet each characterretains a personal signature: Zach Yamatois relaxed and freewheeling, while sociallyprominent Philippa Bidding finds it diffi-cult to confide in others. The portrayals gowell beyond typecasting, and while theauthor makes a point of the cast�s diverseethnic heritages, racial tags are not used tobuild their personalities.

Each books plot is also distinctive, keying on plausible SF elements, yet stayingwithin logical reach of the series� teenageheroes. The opening volume findsGauguin�s student population drafted tohelp install an earthquake-preventionsystem, while its successor depicts weath-er anomalies that threaten to weaken thesynthetic substance used to construct thecolony�s buildings. Ongoing puzzlesdivulge the true nature of Gauguin�s nativeanimal population, a gradually increasingpsychic link between the six lead charac-ters, and indications of a major illegalpoaching operation.

The Planet Builders novels may notinterest adult readers � a result of delib-erate emphasis, not bad writing. However,they�re potentially of enormous signifi-

cance to SF publishing. It�s well docu-mented that Andre Norton�s and RobertHeinlein�s many juvenile SF and fantasynovels hooked generations of readers onspeculative fiction, primarily through widecirculation in libraries. But since Norton�sand Heinlein�s books first appeared,young-adult publishing has tilted sharply,focusing more on bookstore paperbacksand less on library editions. Given propermarketing and development (and steadysales), the Planet Builders series is wellwritten enough to serve the same role forthe next generation of SF fans. Its pub-lishers and readers alike would do well tokeep that thought in mind.

THE BRISTLING WOODKatharine Kerr

Foundation 0-385-23109-1 $18.95It�s a safe bet that most readers of this

column first encountered the word�dweomer� in connection with AD&D®game magic. (I can�t tell you the originalderivation; �dweomer� is obscure enoughnot to be in my American Heritage Dictio-nary.) But former DRAGON® Magazinecontributing editor Katharine Kerr hasused the word to define a very differentmagic system in what is otherwise a rug-gedly authentic-sounding Celtic fantasyworld. Gamers can�t help but be intriguedby both aspects of her series, of whichThe Bristling Wood is the third volume.

In the lands of Deverry, dweomer is asynonym for magic. Therefore, the ancientherbman Nevyn is called a dweomermanrather than a wizard. But the term�dweomer� can be somewhat more per-sonalized, for Nevyn�s dweomer of light isdistinct from the dark dweomer: a vaguegroup of powers working subtly from afarto disrupt Deverry�s well-being in order topromote its own mysterious interests. Anddweomer is more tangible than one usu-ally expects of raw magic; it is often notmerely dweomer, but the dweomer that isdirectly manipulated during a spell andprovides the means by which one mighttravel during astral projection.

The cornerstone of the Deverry novels isa complex web of reincarnations forwhich Nevyn is largely responsible but hasvowed to unsnarl. As a result, Nevyn can�tdie until matters are set right, and onlyafter four centuries does a resolution

S V A H A

seem possible. Kerr, however, turns hernarrative backward and forward in timeto chronicle Nevyn�s failures as well as hishoped-for triumph, thus providing rareinsight into the long lifespans of magic-workers. Despite the chronological leaps,however, the story flows smoothly andwithout undue confusion. A table at theback of the book assists in keeping trackof the changing identities.

But while Kerr�s system of magic andmetaphysics is clearly built on Easternconcepts, the culture in which it�s prac-ticed is rigorously Celtic, from the lan-guage to the prefeudal political system to

the reclusive yet subtly influential elves.This combination of cultures is both dis-tinctive and unsettling � while the prem-ise is fascinating, the two world viewssimply don�t mix well. Individually, eachcultural element is strongly presented, butKerr hasn�t quite managed to reconcileone to the other.

One further caution: The Bristling Woodis not self-contained. Those who have notread the earlier Daggerspell and Darkspell(both available in paperback from Del Rey)will be at a significant disadvantage.Gamers interested in Kerr�s theories ofmagic or in her thorough presentation ofCeltic lore will need to balance their curi-osity against the sheer volume of readingneeded to assimilate the material.

Charles de LintAce 0-441-79098-4 $3.50

The surprise about Svaha is not that it�swise, intricately crafted, and full ofabsorbing characters � that�s standard ina Charles de Lint novel. The surprise isthat Svaha takes place well outside deLint�s normal territory of contemporaryfantasy. This fantasy blends high-techindustrial espionage, warring empires oftransplanted Oriental yakuza, and a worldin which mysterious Amerindian retreatsdot a landscape devastated by nucleardestruction. Add elements of both Easternand Western mysticism, and the result is afast-moving, complex tale of honor andcommitment in a society defined by decep-tion and illusion.

De Lint provides varied perspectives onhis milieu. Philip Yip and Fumiko Hirose arehigh-ranking members of opposing yakuzafactions drawn into professional conflictand personal intimacy over a missing Amer-indian microchip. Lisa Bone, now on therun from the yakuza in the wildernessbetween civilized Megaplexes, was themicrochip�s unknowing courier. GahzeeAnimiki-Waewidum � Swift Speaks withThunder � is the Indian agent sent toretrieve the microchip before it can bedeciphered. And the Ragman � a wildcard, computer sensei, and undercovercapitalist � is out to wrest control of theMegaplexes from the yakuza empires.

For all of the frenetic pace its charactersmaintain as they chase the all-importantmicrochip, Svaha is very much a novel ofritual and ceremony. De Lint, as usual, isvery much at home with the lore of theAmerican Indian, this time blendingaspects of Hopi kachina tradition, Coyotefolklore, and the Old Northwest materialhe has used in previous novels. At thesame time, he displays incisive, detailedcommand of the Oriental codes of bushi-do, and the complicated organizationsfavored by the yakuza. (Players in AD&DOriental Adventures campaigns will findthe novel an invaluable portrait of thelatter despite the futuristic setting.)

The conflict that drives de Lint�s adven-

DRAGON 61

ture, though, is far simpler than one ofcultural systems. Svaha is a chronicle ofthe quest for power and the consequencesand responsibilities acquired along theway. If it�s also a compelling postnuclearsaga with all kinds of ideas for gamersengaged in related campaigns (SF andotherwise), then so much the better.

VULCAN�S GLORY D. C. Fontana

Pocket 0-671-65667-8 $3.95When I heard the first three chapters of

Vulcan�s Glory read by the author at a1988 summer SF convention, I had highexpectations for the novel. After all, D. C.Fontana can be said, for the most part, tohave invented Vulcan culture in her capac-ity as story editor for much of the originalStar Trek television series. Then thereview copy arrived, bringing with it themost unexpected surprise possible: Thenovel not only failed to meet expectations,it wasn�t consistent with previously estab-lished Vulcan lore.

That�s not a statement to be made lightly,especially since Fontana takes a narrow viewof what is and isn�t official Star Trek continu-ity: Other novels and comic books don�tcount. But the paradoxes at the core ofVulcan�s Glory come straight from the old

A SPELL OF DECEIT

TV episodes � one of Fontana�s included.Point: Vulcans govern themselves by

rationality and logic, not emotion, even intheir mating traditions. David Gerrold�sThe World of Star Trek quotes a Fontanamemo concerning her original version of�The Enterprise Incident,� in which Spockappears to seduce a certain Romulan Com-mander: �Vulcans do not nuzzle, kiss, hug,or display any other form of human affec-tion? According to Gerrold, Spock�s mosttender line in the original scene (not thescene that was eventually filmed despiteFontana�s protests) was �I admire yourmind.�

But in Fontana�s new novel, the mind ofT�Pris is almost entirely irrelevant; Spockfalls in love with her virtually at first sight.Spock�s and T�Pris�s relationship is one ofpure emotion, not respect founded onshared intellect and love. And the qualityof T�Pris�s intellect is open to question,because she allows herself to be murderedin a decidedly illogical fashion.

Point: �Amok Time,� from the originalseries, establishes that Vulcans are notori-ously secretive regarding their mating andromantic habits. Only in the face of deathdoes Spock confide to Kirk the reasons forhis deteriorating health. Yet in Vulcan�sGlory, Spock and T�Pris make no effortwhatever to keep their increasingly inti-mate relationship private; it�s a matter forgossip among Captain Christopher Pike�scommand crew, and Spock almost casuallyacknowledges its existence to brand-new

62 MAY 1989

superior Pike after T�Pris�s death.These discrepancies are totally inexplica-

ble � Fontana is capable of and has pro-duced far better work. One clever point,on which the killer�s identity turns, doesn�tmake up for these or for two furtherweaknesses: an entirely superfluous sub-plot about eloping alien teenagers, and thelack of emotional resolution to the encoun-ter with T�Pring that begins the novel. (Abrief mention of the U.S.S. Enterprise�scomplement as 203 persons is doubtfulbut open to debate.)

Vulcan�s Glory should have been a mile-stone novel in the world of Star Trek.Instead, it�s a misfire of epic proportionsand a violation of the cardinal rule of allserial fiction, be it literary, cinematic, orrole-playing oriented Once established,characters should always behave consist-ently with their heritages and origins.D. C. Fontana�s novel is out of characterboth for her and for Spock, which is agreat loss for both.

Laurie GoodmanDel Rey 0-345-35596-2 $3.50Somewhere in its evolution, A Spell of

Deceit acquired a bad case of split person-ality. Despite being labeled as fantasy,Laurie Goodman�s novel might be as easily(and perhaps more accurately) labeledscience fiction. And though it�s publishedfor a general reading audience, the writingand characters are clearly and narrowlyaimed at young adults. Yet, while the novelcan�t exactly be termed pleasant reading,it�s a thoughtful and thought-provokingstory with surprisingly useful insights forgamers whose adventuring parties areconstantly falling apart.

The story is set in an unnamed locale (ata guess, a long-abandoned Earth colonyplanet) populated by two groups ofhumans: Homesteaders and Roamers.Homesteaders are people who live in andaround agricultural communities and usepioneer-level technology. Roamers, mean-while, lead gypsylike lives, know strangemusic and herb lore, and wield so-calledmagical-powers. The two races (using theterm in its ethnic, not genetic, sense) havebeen bitter adversaries for several genera-tions, with Homesteader folklore holding aRoamer�s curse responsible for a consist-ent decline in the fertility of Homesteaderlands and livestock.

Goodman�s reluctant hero is Chris, ateenager whose familial connections to thecurse�s original victim, together with a giftfrom a dying Roamer woman, propel himtoward a confrontation which is supposedto end-the curse�s effects. But part andparcel of the quest is Arron, an unpredict-able Roamer teen whose motives foraccompanying Chris are uncertain: Arronis extremely difficult to trust. However, heis an invaluable ally and a guide capable ofleading Chris and a third unexpectedpartner, runaway Katie Topkins, into dan-ger and out of it again.

As a coming-of-age tale, Goodman�s novelis more plausible than most � which ispart of its chief problem. Like real people,Chris and his companions must cope withthe same issues over and over beforeresolving and growing past them. Thislifelike repetitiveness tires readers quicklyand draws out the final face-off beyondreason. (On the plus side, erring by pre-senting too much story is far preferable torushing through complex emotional strug-gles too quickly.)

But A Spell of Deceit is uniquely valuableto gamers for showing how adventurerscan cope with comrades of divergentalignments. It�s not a precise blueprint, butthe fact that Chris and Arron do manageto work together without getting eachother killed bodes well for the futures ofcountless paladins and rangers who haveto put up with neutral-devious thieves.There may not be much polish on Good-man�s storytelling yet, but this is one novelwhere good intentions count far morethan smooth execution.

THE MIRROR MAZE THOSE WHO HUNT THE NIGHTJames P. Hogan

Bantam Spectra O-553-27762-6 $4.95James Hogan�s novels have gradually

mutated away from hard science fictionand toward high-tech political intrigue, sothat The Mirror Maze has more to attractTOP SECRET/S.I.� game players than those

games with space-traveling campaigns.Hogan�s plotting is easily as intricate as hisnew genre requires; administrators shouldhave no trouble extracting bits and piecesof business from the adventure and trans-planting them into game adventures. Theymay also have less trouble than you�dexpect keeping their agents from readingahead and anticipating their designs. How-ever, as a substitute for SF extrapolation,Hogan injects a massive overdose of politi-cal ideology into the novel.

The spy plot, a multipronged affairinvolving a missing satellite programmer,stolen missiles, and a scientist of question-able loyalties, initially seems to hang on aspectacular network of coincidences. Mostof these, however, are the result of neces-sary misdirection; Hogan�s real focus is ona small group of characters, not the cast ofthousands popular in this category. Theone real credibility tester is Hogan�s initialpremise (involving the murder of thewrong near-identical sister), which isalmost fatally confusing due to a sloppilywritten murder sequence. Hogan violatesWriter�s Rule #1: Omniscient narratorsshouldn�t lie to readers by misidentifyingthe murdered girl in authorial voice. Butonce the identity puzzle is resolved, theremaining elements line up in appropriatedomino-toppling fashion when viewedfrom the novels end.

Hogan�s near-future setting is just off-

kilter enough to be intriguing. As the year2000 approaches, the U.S. government ismired in megabureaucracy so deeply thata third-party movement sweeps into officeon a platform of simple yet drastic eco-nomic reform: Eliminate all limits on freeenterprise. (Most law, it turns out, existsto limit free enterprise.) It�s an engagingconcept, and Hogan aptly works out hisheroes and villains from the consequences.The idea stops being engaging, however,after the third long conversation in whicha devoted Constitutionalist explains theparty line to an uncertain outsider, andthese long conversations persist through-out the novel. Hogan tries too hard todeliver a political statement and ends upboring potential allies and opponents alike.

But if The Mirror Maze has two seriousflaws, it also has Hogan�s strong plottingand a well-defined group of key players.Those virtues are enough to make it worthcautious investigation, but they won�t beenough to rescue Hogan�s career if hecontinues in this careless vein.

Barbara HamblyDel Rey 0-345-34380-8 $16.95

Any gamer who has ever encountered aproperly played vampire knows howincredibly difficult they are to kill. SoLondon�s vampires are understandablyworried when someone begins reducing

DRAGON 65

66 MAY 1989

their numbers with apparently murderousease. But how can the nightbound undeadtrack a killer who operates by day? Andwho besides another vampire could trackthe victims with such deadly efficiency?

The answers, in Barbara Hambly�s latestnovel, are both well concealed and emi-nently logical in hindsight. But whileHambly�s heroes are chiefly concernedwith unraveling the mystery, Hamblyherself is nearly as interested in the biolo-gy and psychology of her vampire legions.As the puzzles unfold, we gradually learnthe origins of vampires� powers of themind, the extent of their uncannystrength, and the physical effects of silverand sunlight on their bodies. We discoverhow they cover their tracks in polite socie-ty and how those tracks may be followed.But despite the vampires� own fears, theyremain a chilling and constant presencethat is felt through the London fog andseen in shadows beyond the streetlamp�sglow.

James Asher, Oxford don and one-timegentleman spy, sees vampires more clearlythan most. Recruited by the emigrantSpanish vampire Don Simon Ysidro, hemust capture the vampire-slayer or losehis wife to Ysidro�s powers. Moreover, hemust persuade Ysidro�s skeptical fellowvampires not to do away with him beforehe can solve the case. But the novel isn�t aprofessionally detached sleuthing exercise;all involved eventually find themselveswith unexpected roles in an insane experi-ment gone awry.

Hambly�s vampires differ most from theAD&D game variety in alignment behavior� while Monster Manual vampires arechaotic evil, vampires in Those Who Huntthe Night are decidedly lawful and logi-cally so. Yet, if Barbara Hambly�s novelpresents a sharply organized � even civi-lized � portrayal of vampiric life, it is stillrichly chilling and satisfyingly deadly in allthe right places. Like the vampires them-selves, it is a book that should not beignored.

Recurring rolesThe odds-and-ends pile is unusually

impressive this time around, with at leastone pleasant surprise: The Maze in theMirror, (Tor, $3.95) which caps Jack Chalk-er�s G.O.D., Inc. series with a solid SFmystery, carries none of the negativebaggage that�s weighed down much of hisrecent work. As a series in which theparallel-universe framework gets moreattention than the individual universes,these books also have better-than-averagegaming potential. (A supplement for SteveJackson Games� GURPS® game wouldn�t beunreasonable, for instance.)

Michael Kurland�s Perchance (Signet,$3.50) is also a parallel-universe adven-ture, though a far lighter and weirder oneinvolving a princess with amnesia, a form-er apprentice shoemaker, and villains whodon�t know the meaning of the word over-kill. Kurland�s plot is designed on a grand

scale, but the writing is cheerfully mild-mannered and thoroughly pleasant. Aseries is apparently planned and definitelywelcome.

The Warrior Lives (New AmericanLibrary, $17.95) promotes Joel Rosenberg�sseries about gamers exiled to a fantasymilieu to hardcover status. While theprocess of acclimating elves and slavers toIndustrial Revolution technology (mostlyfirearms) remains as fascinating as ever,this newest entry is comparatively thin, asyoung Jason Cullinane inherits the leadrole from his missing (but possibly notdead) father. It looks like a transitionalbook; Rosenberg still has loose ends toresolve involving faerie powers and themysterious Professor Deighton.

Midori Snyder�s new novel also starts aseries, and while it�s quite different fromher earlier Soulstring, New Moon (Ace,$3.95) is no less forceful. Elemental magicis the keystone of the sequence in whichan undying fire queen has been orches-trating the murders of children withinnate magical potential for centuries. Thestreet culture of Oran is well detailed, andSnyder doesn�t pull punches. City-buildingDMs should take note.

Two items merit notice on the strengthof cover testimonials (more specifically,quotes from earlier reviews in this space).On The Seas Of Destiny (Ace $3.50) fin-ishes Ru Emerson�s Nedao saga in excellentform. The trilogy also wins points forMartin Springett�s striking and consistentartwork. And Patricia Kennealy�s TheSilver Branch (New American Library,$18.95) makes a solid addition to her Kel-tiad saga, blending ancient fantasy ele-ments with interstellar intrigue. Threemore Keltic trilogies are anticipated, mak-ing for an ambitious project.

Finally, Oathbreakers (DAW, $3.95) con-tinues Mercedes Lackey�s chronicle ofswordswoman Tarma and sorceressKethry with style and vigor, forging aconnection with her Valdemar stories,offering rare glimpses of between-levelstraining, and providing the unique specta-cle of heroines who really do retire! Lack-ey also provides a healthy section ofballads at the back of the book � whilesome read better than others in print, it�s asafe bet that the recorded musical ver-sions from Firebird Arts & Music will beworth hearing. (Firebird now marketsmaterial previously published by Off Cen-taur Publications, whose tapes werereviewed in this space some time ago.Inquiries should be directed to FirebirdArts & Music, P.O. Box 453, El Cerrito CA94530.)

©1989 by Jim Bambra

The Kafers are coming!

t�s AD. 2301, and the fate ofhumanity hangs in the bal-ance. Kafer starships

sweep into orbit around the frontierworld of Hochbaden. The German frig-ate Magdeburg is lost with all hands asKafer weapons blast it. For four days,Kafer warships pound the defenders, reducing themajority of the human settlements to piles of smokingmetal and plastic. Those colonists who escape the bom-bardment are left to starve or die from life-support fail-ure. The relief force from the nearby Eta Bootis systemruns into the Kafer invaders and is defeated. The warwith the Kafers has just taken a turn for theworst. Can humanity survive all that themerciless aliens can throw against it?

The answers to this and other ques-tions can be found in Game Designers�Workshop�s Invasion sourcepack forthe 2300 AD� science-fiction role-playing game. Invasion is the latestrelease from GDW, and it detailsthe future history of humanity�sstruggle to reach the stars. ButInvasion is only one of GDW�sproducts dealing with the KaferWar. Previous products have setthe scene in a very dramatic andcolorful way. And GDW has evenfound time to revise its TRAVEL-LER: 2300� game (thus creatingthe 2300 AD game), and launchthe MEGATRAVELLER� game(see the review in DRAGON®issue #141). But before takinga look at the Kafer War seriesof releases, a review ofthe 2300 AD game isin order.

68 MAY 1989

2300 AD� gameScience-fiction role-playing game

Game Designers� Workshop $20.00Design: Marc W. Miller, Frank Chadwick,

Timothy B. Brown, and Lester W. SmithSignificant contributions:

Loren Wiseman, Gary Thomas,Joe Fugate, John Harshman,

Matt Renner, Kevin Brown,Steve Venters, Bryan Gibson, DebZeigler, and William H. Keith, Jr.Cover illustration: A. C. Farley

Interior illustrations: D. J. Barr, SteveVenters, Liz Danforth, A. C. Farley,Bryan Gibson, Tom Peters, Tim Brad-street, Rob Caswell, and Jeff Dee

Art director: Barbie PrattGraphic design and production:

Lauretta Oblinger, Dana Reis-chauer, James R. Kuntz, and KellyWalsh

Components: 96-page Adventurer�sGuide, 112-page Director�s Guide,32-page Play Aids booklet, full-color Near Star Map, one 10-sideddie, and two 6-sided dice

As noted earlier, the 2300 AD game is arevision of the TRAVELLER: 2300 game(reviewed in DRAGON #131) The TRAVEL-LER: 2300 game suffered from being con-

fused with GDW�s TRAVELLER® game,which is hardly surprising as their

names were very similar. In fact, theTRAVELLER and TRAVELLER: 2300

games had very little in common,being based in different settingsand having markedly differentfuture histories and technologies.By renaming the TRAVELLER:2300 game, GDW removed theconfusion and freed the 2300AD game from the shadowof its elder cousin, theTRAVELLER game. Addi-tionally, GDW took theopportunity to expand thegame dramatically andenhance its visualaspects.

The first thing younotice is that the2300 AD gameweighs far morethan itspredecessor Okay,extra bulk and

packing in the boxcannot be taken as an improve-

ment in quality � but in this case, it is.The total page count in the booklets hasrisen greatly, leading GDW to replace thecardstock booklet covers of the TRAVEL-LER: 2300 game with flimsier paper coversin order to keep the price down. Whatwould you rather have: two 48-pagecardstock-cover booklets, or a 96-pagebooklet and a 112-page booklet?

The tremendous increase in the game�spage count isn�t just a case of bulking itout with unnecessary padding, either. The2300 AD game delivers the goods and lives

up to the state-of-the-art claims originallymade for the TRAVELLER: 2300 game.

The changes: First off, the books havebeen reordered and treated to a greatlyimproved layout and presentation. Byemploying sidebars and additional graph-ics to good effect, GDW has made the 2300AD game much more accessible. With theexamples it gives on how the rules work inpractice, it becomes a much more user-friendly product than its ancestor. All theitems of equipment, weapons, armor,vehicles, etc., are illustrated, and theessays dealing with the political divisionson Earth are accompanied by maps in thesidebars. This new layout makes 2300 ADvisually appealing and makes the back-ground easier to digest. But an improvedpackage alone doesn�t really make for arevised game Here again, GDW has notskimped: It also took the opportunity toiron out the problems that existed in theTRAVELLER: 2300 game.

The 2300 AD game now has an experi-ence system that lets players develop theircharacters over time. The system workswell and gives steady increases in skills,allowing characters to hone their existingskills and learn new ones. Not being satis-fied with adding an experience system,GDW has also added Renown, a measureof how well known a character is. Renownis earned by carrying out deeds and serv-ices that bring a character into the publiceye. It affects how certain NPCs react to acharacter. For example, renowned merce-naries are more likely to be hired for themore dangerous but higher-paying jobs.Renown can actually be a handicap; if acharacter is trying to keep a low profilebut her face has been appearing all overthe tri-vid screens for the past few weeks,she has very little chance of going unrec-ognized.

The basic rule mechanics were left thesame as before, with minor tweakingcarried out to make them work better.Players can now design their own charac-ters using a point system or can continueto use the original character-creationmethod, which combines random genera-tion with player choice. The armor ruleshave been revised, the task system hasbeen altered slightly, and wounding ruleshave been introduced for charactersinvolved in space combat. (Now instantdeath is no longer a mandatory result forplayer characters aboard a starship whichtakes a crew hit.) Otherwise, it�s still verymuch the same game that it was before.

Directing the game: Great improve-ments have been made in easing GMs intothe roles of 2300 AD game Directors. Thesections on designing and running adven-tures and how to connect adventures intocampaigns are very useful. Details on themotivations of NPCs was one of the origi-nal game�s strong points, and this has beenenhanced by adding information on NPCs�appearances and personalities. The addi-tion of tables to determine NPCs� appear-ances, ages, and skills means Directors can

generate NPCs quickly and easily. Addexpanded rules for creating and placinganimals, worlds, star systems, and satel-lites, and you end up with a versatilegame.

Background: But it�s not just theexpansion of these areas that has grabbedmy imagination. It�s the way the originalbackground has been developed to makethe universe of the year 2300 more thanjust a tale of conflicting Earth powers inspace. The 2300 AD game boasts devel-oped alien races and a war that might endonly when humanity is exterminated.

Humanity has encountered six intelligentalien races since leaving Earth. Thedescription and motivations of the alienraces are well up to the high standards setby GDW in their TRAVELLER game. Ascontact with these aliens is still in its earlystages, I�m not going to give the detailsaway here, although I�ll take a closer lookat the Kafers later on.

Exploration from Earth is primarilycontained to three distinct interstellarterritories � the �arms� of exploration: theChinese, the American, and the French.The arms stretch out from Sol into thevastness of the nearby stars. Each arm hasits own problems and subsequent cam-paign adventures. The Chinese arm isracked by terrorism, and the Americanarm is plagued by smugglers and an inabil-ity to expand any further because of thelimits of present starship technology. Cur-rently, the French arm is in danger ofbeing overrun by the Kafer hordes.

Evaluation: The 2300 AD game is agreatly welcomed development. With itsnew and improved presentation, revisedand expanded rules and background,more dynamic feel, and extensive range ofsupport products, the 2300 AD game cantruly be called a state-of-the-art science-fiction role-playing game. I recommend ithighly to anyone looking for a game ofhard science-fiction that pulls no punchesand delivers the goods in a highly satisfy-ing manner. In bringing out the 2300 ADgame, GDW has come up trumps andmade a good game into a great one. Hatsoff to the GDW staff for an excellentscience-fiction game.

Colonial Atlas2300 AD game supplementGDW $10.00Design: Loren K. Wiseman, J. Andrew

Keith, Tom Peters, Lester W. Smith, DebZeigler, Gary Thomas, Bob Swarm,Marc W. Miller, Matt Renner, MikeDane, Robert and Nancy Parker, BillConnors, and Timothy B. Brown

Development: Rob Caswell, Deb Zeigler,and Timothy B. Brown

Cover illustration: Steve VentersInterior illustrations: A. C. FarleyComponents: 96-page perfect-bound book

The nations of Earth share 29 colonyworlds between them, varying from thewell-established world of Tirane at Alpha

DRAGON 69

Centauri A, to the harsh conditions ofCrater. The Colonial Atlas covers the Coreworld of Tirane, the 12 colonies of theFrench Arm, the 11 colonies of the Chi-nese Arm, plus the five worlds of theAmerican Arm. The entries expand on theinformation in the 2300 AD rule books,making them into vibrant settings foradventures and exciting locations for theheroes of the future to exercise theirsurvival skills.

Each of the colony worlds is examined indetail, covering stellar and planetary data,colonial history, resources, government,wildlife, and the organization of life ineach colony. Adventure ideas for eachworld are either clearly stated or easilyextrapolated from the background materi-al. Each colony seems real; the colonistsface believable dangers and economic andpolitical problems in their day-to-daystruggles to maintain human life on theworlds of the frontier. One area wherethis product could have been improved isin the provision of planetary and systemmaps. All you get are star maps of thethree arms, which are useful but are onlypart of the story. As most adventures takeplace on the worlds of each system, mapsshowing the physical layout of each planetwould have made a welcome addition andgreatly enhanced an already impressiveproduct.

Evaluation: The Colonial Atlas is a veryworthwhile purchase to anyone interestedin the 2300 AD game. It shows the greatpotential for adventures set in this periodof Earth�s future history, and it clearlyshows the extent of each nation�s colonialpresence. This is a product that no fan ofthe 2300 AD game should be without. It�salso very useful to players of otherscience-fiction games as a source of ideasand inspiration, particularly when itcomes to presenting alien worlds verydifferent from Earth.

The Kafer WarOver the years, GDW has had plenty of

experience in designing detailed and inter-esting alien cultures. The TRAVELLER andMEGATRAVELLER games boast some ofthe most believable aliens ever conceived.GDW attained this high standard by focus-ing on the ways the various aliens thinkand interact with each other and withother alien races. GDW�s aliens are morethan just laser fodder; their motivationsand histories are described in depth. Thecreator of the Kafer, William H. Keith, Jr.,is familiar to TRAVELLER game players, ashe and his brother J. Andrew Keith haveplayed an integral part in shaping theTRAVELLER and MEGATRAVELLER gameuniverse. Their credits are impressive,ranging from adventures and supplementsto the highly useful Environment series ofbooklets (see the �Short and sweet� reviewin DRAGON issue #133). The two brothershave an excellent grasp of what makes for

appealing science-fiction adventures, so itcomes as no surprise that the Kafers arehighly credible and well-detailed aliens.Loathsome they may be, but they�ve gotgood reasons for developing in the direc-tions they have.

The Kafer threat is a well-conceivedcampaign structure. Here again, vibrantand open-ended campaign themes arefamiliar to the GDW staff. The develop-ment of the TRAVELLER game�s Imperiumwas well documented in the pages of TheJournal Of The Travellers� Aid Society inthe form of news reports, and this prac-tice has continued in the pages of Chal-lenge magazine [see the �Short and sweet�review in DRAGON issue #141). Thesenews reports supplement TRAVELLERcampaigns, and they give the flavor of auniverse that has its own internal consist-ency and development. The most note-worthy news reports concerned the FifthFrontier War, which saw the Imperium�sSpinward Marches invaded by Zhodani,Vargr, and Sword Worlds fleets. The waracted as a backdrop to the actions of indi-vidual adventuring groups, impinging onthe characters� lives as the enemy forcesadvanced deeper into Imperial territory. Itgave rise to numerous adventures inwhich player characters could participatewithout having the war always dictatehow those adventures would turn out.Individual GMs had a lot of leeway to usethe war in whatever means they desired.

The theme of war has appeared in role-playing games many times, but few com-panies use it as well as GDW. The KaferWar in the 2300 AD game draws on GDW�sexperience to good effect.

The KafersThe Kafers are two-meter tall human-

oids that have tough, horny carapacesprotecting their heads and backs. Theirmouths are full of mandibles, hooks, nee-dles, siphons, chelae, and other disgustingtools for impaling, shredding, cutting,sucking, and devouring their food. Basi-cally, they don�t look very nice, and theirpersonalities are repulsive to match.

Kafers are marked by a dual intelligence.When first encountered in combat, theyact stupidly, even shooting each other intheir confusion, but after a few minutesthey become very clever, using every trickavailable to overcome their enemies.When coupled with unrelenting braveryin combat and a total disregard for humanlife, this produces an implacable antago-nist that seems intent on destroying thehuman race � and the Kafers have themeans to do so. An analogy for Kafers infantasy games would be orcs, except thatKafers are far better developed in gameterms than any group of orcs to date.Kafers are mean, brutal, and highly dan-gerous. They show no mercy and expectnone from their enemies.

Because adventurers are fighting against

the greatest threat they are ever likely toencounter, Kafers make ideal foes. Noquestion of moral qualms here: The Kafersare out to destroy us. Humanity�s onlychance for survival is to fight back anddefeat the Kafers before they eradicate thehuman race.

The Kafers first appeared in the adven-ture Kafer Dawn and have since reap-peared in the Aurore Sourcebook, MissionArcturus, the Kafer Sourcebook, andInvasion. The war is heating up; lets checkout how it started.

Kafer Dawn2300 AD game adventureGDW $8.00Design: William H. Keith, Jr.Development: Frank ChadwickCover illustration: Steve VentersInterior illustrations: Dan Panosian and

Steve VentersComponents: 48-page booklet

Kafer Dawn is set on the world ofAurore. Prior to the adventurers� arrival,the planet was invaded by the Kafers.Humanity�s first encounter with the Kafersoccurred at the French research station atArcturus when a Kafer vessel arrived inthe system in 2995. Attempts at communi-cation by the research station�s crew wereunsuccessful, and the Kafer vessel left thesystem. In 2297, contact was lost with thestation. In 2298, the Kafers hit Aurore, inthe Eta Bootis system. Defeating thedefending vessels, the Kafers landed andbegan to exterminate all humans theyencountered. The Kafer ships were laterdestroyed, but their ground forces remainhidden in the great expanse of Aurore�swilderness. It was on Aurore that theKafers were given their name by Germanmercenaries. �Kafer� means �bug,� and it isalso slang for �pretty girl.�

Kafer Dawn takes a look at the world ofAurore, which is itself an intriguing set-ting. Aurore is a satellite of a gas giant,tidally locked so it doesn�t rotate. One sideof Aurore always faces the gas giant,resulting in very high temperatures; the,other side faces away, making this facevery cold. Humans have settled the areasin between, where the extremes of climateare less severe. The world is occasionallywracked by fierce storms, and interfer-ence from the gas giant prevents radiosfrom functioning. Microwave relays areused to keep the numerous settlements incontact with each other.

The animal and plant life of Aurore isnot suitable for human consumption, andthe soil does not support Earth plants. Toovercome this, the settlers have importeddirt from Earth and mixed it with steril-ized native soil. Now capable of supportinghuman existence, the precarious ecologicalbalance of Aurore is in danger of beingdestroyed by the Kafers, who have intro-duced a biological threat to Aurore: theKafer Rot. This fungus destroys Terran

DRAGON 71

crops and also affects humans. Given thevicious local wildlife and the constantmenace of the Kafers, Aurore adds up to avery dangerous place to be.

Newly arrived adventurers are drawninto the front line of the struggle againstthe Kafers. Four adventures are provided,but many others suggest themselvesthroughout the book. The four adventuresare generally good but suffer from a lackof adequate maps and staging tips. Oneadventure concerns the defense of ahomestead from a Kafer attack, yet nomap is provided (the GM being told tocreate one for the purpose). Encountertables are mentioned more than once, butthey seem to have been overlooked whenthe book went to the printers (althoughthe last adventure does include its ownencounter tables).

During the course of the adventures, theplayer characters find out more about theKafers, and they are even enlisted to cap-ture a Kafer alive in order that more canbe discovered about this enigmatic race.The themes of the adventures are good,but they are really outlines which couldhave benefited from more development.

A nice touch is the inclusion of a train-ing circular for the adventurers thatdescribes the Kafers and their equipment.This warns the adventurers that Kafersare highly dangerous, but also tend to bestupid until combat commences. It

describes the employment of �cattle prods�by Kafer officers to jolt their troops priorto giving an order. The circular also givesnice descriptive names to the Kafers� rug-ged weaponry, such as �horse pistol,� �thudgun,� and �flashlight.� Different Kafervehicles are similarly described as �crawl-ers,� �bugbuses,� and �deathsleds.� Mostdisturbing is the Kafers� use of the Germanword Fleischwesen to describe humans. Ittranslates as �Meat Being.�

Evaluation: Kafer Dawn is the weakestof the Kafer War products. All of the plan-etary information has been reprinted andexpanded in the Aurore Sourcebook, andthe background on the Kafers has beensurpassed in the Kafer Sourcebook. KaferDawn�s strengths lie in its adventures,which (once the required work has beencarried out) serve as ideal introductions tothe Kafer War. Kafer Dawn can also beused as an interim product, used prior topurchasing the more detailed Aurore andKafer Sourcebooks.

Aurore Sourcebook2300 AD game supplementGDW $10.00Design: William II. Keith, Jr.Development: Loren Wiseman and Frank

ChadwickCover illustration: Steve VentersInterior illustrations: Rob Caswell and

Bryan Gibson

Components: 96-page booklet, includingeight pages of color plates

The planet of Aurore is given in-depthtreatment here. This book takes a look atconditions on Aurore, presenting theworld in great detail and containing plentyof adventure ideas as PCs battle the ele-ments, the worlds animals and plants, andthe Kafers. Some of the information isreprinted straight from Kafer Dawn, butthe extra information provided more thanmakes up for this.

The sourcebook is very complete andadds descriptions of prominent NPCs, themilitary forces of the settlements, themercenary groups active on Aurore(including their equipment), and encoun-ter tables. The sourcebook shows that lotsof thought went into its design. Of specialmention are the eight pages of color platesshowing soldiers from the military forces,and three Kafers in lurid color. Thesourcebook does such an excellent job ofdescribing Aurore that enterprising GMscan even have their adventurers arrive onAurore prior to the Kafer invasion (possi-bly even being born there), so they canfight the war from its very beginnings.

The physical aspects of living on Aurorehave not been skimped. The various geo-graphical areas (from the hot pole to thecold pole) are examined in great but easily

7 2 M A Y 1 9 8 9

accessible detail, with game rules fordealing with the environment and a dis-cussion of the problems likely to beencountered by travelers in the remoteparts of Aurore. This supplement providessome of the best examples ever of hownature can be used as an antagonist. Cau-tion and experience are essential elementsfor survival.

Evaluation: The Aurore Sourcebookcontains a wealth of detail and is stuffedfull of adventure ideas. Aurore is a dan-gerous world in itself; with the Kaferpresence it becomes doubly so. If theKafers don�t get you, the planet might.Great care and inspired design have goneinto this product. Adventurers on Auroreshould approach it in the same spirit. Usecare, rely on your inspiration, and you�llsurvive. Act rashly, and you�ll become justanother statistic of the war. The AuroreSourcebook is highly recommended as afully fledged science-fiction setting and asa world of adventure.

Mission Arcturus2300 AD game adventureGDW $8.00Design: William H. Keith, Jr. and Lester W.

SmithDevelopment: Frank Chadwick and Lester

W. SmithCover illustration: Steve VentersInterior illustrations: Rob Caswell, Liz

Danforth, and Tom PetersComponents: 48-page booklet

Mission Arcturus continues the adven-tures of Kafer Dawn and the AuroreSourcebook. The premise is that theadventurers are now experts in dealingwith the Kafer menace. Their knowledgeis therefore considered essential to thesuccess of a mission to discover exactlywhat happened to the French researchstation in the Arcturus system. The adven-ture can also be used by characters whohave no prior experience with Kafers, inwhich case they form part of the marinecontingent that accompanies a group ofNPC advisors. One way or another, theadventurers are sent to the research sta-tion. Once inside the station, the PCs mustmake their way through it and deal withthe problems that await them.

The NPC elements are excellent; each

character is finely detailed. In the hands ofan accomplished GM, the NPCs will cometo life, with their various personalitiesleaving a distinctive stamp on the adven-ture. The descriptive passages are alsovery good, conveying the appearance ofthe Arcturus system and the researchstation in a highly convincing manner. Inmany ways, Mission Arcturus is a dungeoncrawl, but one which succeeds admirablyin its use of atmosphere and plot. Theending is particularly fine and very logical,though you�ll have to play to find out whatit is.

Evaluation: If you liked the movieAliens, you�ll love this adventure. It�s dirtywork, but someone has to do it. Theadventure does an excellent job of combin-ing action with the detective workrequired to figure out what has beenhappening here on the station since theKafers hit it. The science-fiction elementsshine, making this a very memorableadventure.

Kafer Sourcebook2300 AD game supplementGDW $10.00Design: William H. Keith, Jr.Development: Loren K. WisemanYlii (alien race) design: Liz DanforthCover illustration: Steve VentersInterior illustrations: Tim Bradstreet,

Bryan Gibson, A. C. Farley, and RobCaswell

Components: 104-page perfect-boundbook, including eight pages of colorplates

More Kafers than you�d ever care tomeet are included in the KaferSourcebook. This book showcases WilliamH. Keith�s grasp of alien psychology anddevelopment. Here we get to see why theKafers are the way they are. It�s all verybelievable and even surpasses previousGDW releases dealing with aliens.

The sourcebook shows how Kafersdeveloped as a species, revealing theirhome world, physiology, psychology, soci-ology, government, language, culturalhistory, technology, starships, and theextent of their sphere of space. With allthis information, you could even play one

as a player character � not that anyone inhis right mind would want to play a dim-witted cockroach that suddenly turns intoa supercharged death machine in combat,(Then again, I�ve seen player characterswho fit that description, and they�ve beenhuman.)

The background to the Kafer War isclearly described from the Kafer point ofview. They�ve got very logical reasons fordoing what they do. Humans may thinkthat Kafers are bloodthirsty maniacs, butit all makes sense to the Kafers. I�d like totell you more about the Kafers, but mostof the information in the sourcebook isdesigned to be discovered slowly duringplay. For now, you�ll have to accept thatthey are a well-detailed and carefullydeveloped alien race. Part of the excite-ment in playing in the Kafer War will bethe gradual disclosure of what makes theKafers act in the ways they do. Informa-tion on the Ylii, an alien race that interactswith the Kafers, will also have to remain amystery.

The physical presentation is very high,with sidebars being used to good effect tobreak up the longer essays and providemarginal notes on various aspects of Kaferlife. The color plates depict a double-pagespread of a Kafer �bugbus� and �crawler,�and a four-page fold-out showing theKafer sphere of space, complete with astar list. The vehicle illustrations are idealfor slapping down on the table wheneverthe adventurers encounter such equip-ment in the field.

Evaluation: The Kafer Sourcebook is aperfect example of how to design adetailed and properly motivated alien race.It is a pleasure to read, apart from the biton dietary habits (more from my squeam-ishness than anything else). There�senough information here to please eventhe most ardent Kafer hunter. Once again,GDW has proved itself to be the foremostdesigner of alien races.

Invasion2300 AD game supplementGDW $8.00Design: J. Andrew KeithDevelopment: Lester W. SmithCover illustration: Steve VentersInterior illustrations: A. C. Farley, Liz

Danforth, and Bryan GibsonComponents: 72-page perfect-bound book

Invasion takes the up-to-now localizedKafer War and carries it further down theFrench Arm. The Kafer fleets are on themove, bringing widespread death anddestruction to peaceful worlds. Invasion isa sourcepack for Directors interested inusing the war as the background to anextensive campaign. It describes the KaferWar from the commencement of the inva-sions in 2301, showing the extent of theKafer incursions into human space.

The idea behind the pack is to allowDirectors to use the war to generateadventures for their player characters,including military actions against Kafer

7 4 M A Y 1 9 8 9

ground forces and starships. Adventuresin which the characters flee endangeredsystems, avoid Kafer attacks, and generallydeal with the panic and anarchy whichfollows news of the approach of Kaferforces also play a big part in Invasion.Player characters can also join the crew ofthe starship Avenger as it sets out to gainvengeance on the Kafers for the death ofthe commander�s wife and child.

Each world attacked by the Kafers isdescribed, and the booklet gives informa-tion on the course of Kafer attacks in thesystem. A big plus here is the provision ofsystem and world maps, which help great-ly to set the scene and chart the actionstaking place in a system. News reports areprovided for each world, and gamemechanics showing how fast the newstravels are also detailed. Each worldcomes complete with a scenario for usewith GDW�s STAR CRUISER game of star-ship combat.

The positions of the human fleets at thestart of the war and the invading Kaferspace forces are detailed, and STARCRUISER game statistics are given for theKafer vessels involved in the invasion.Encounter tables detail the types of Kaferforces that space-borne adventurers arelikely to encounter. An essay deals withhow a space-orientated campaign can berun, and it looks into running blockadesand privateer attacks on Kafer shipping.Ground actions receive similar treatment,with a discussion of how a guerilla waragainst the Kafers can be developed.

Invasion also details Kafer equipment,the information being drawn-from pre-vious products. A timeline shows theextent of Kafer activity in and around theworld of Aurore, which will be very usefulfor Directors running campaigns there.Invasion is not designed to let any oneparty of adventures win the war. Thedesigner points out that this is highlyunlikely anyway; all an adventuring groupis likely to do is win a few minor victoriesover the Kafer forces. This doesn�t meanthat PCs are wasting their time, but thatthe Kafer threat is so huge that only aconcerted effort by the nations of Earthcan hope to defeat them. This is consistentwith 2300 AD�s overall flavor of hardscience fiction. Just as no one would haveexpected the French Resistance movementto have defeated Nazi Germany on its own,no one can expect victory to come fromthe actions of a few characters. All theycan do is hold out and do the best they canin their own local sphere of influence.

Evaluation: Invasion makes for anideal continuation of the struggle againstthe Kafers. Within its pages, the warbuilds to epic proportions. Instead of justone world being under threat, the fate ofall humanity is in question. When it comesto creating an exciting and believableuniverse, Invasion succeeds admirably.This is war on a grand scale, with victorygoing to the side that makes the best useof the resources available. Invasion is

highly recommended as a model of how todesign epic struggles and as a brilliantbackground to a 2300 AD game campaign.

Ground Vehicle Guide2300 AD game supplementGDW $10.00Design: Loren K. WisemanAdditional design: Lester W. Smith and

Frank ChadwickCover illustration: David DeitrickInterior illustrations: Karl Martin and Tim

BradstreetColor plates: David Deitrick and A. C.

FarleyComponents: 64-page perfect-bound book,

including eight pages of color plates

The Ground Vehicle Guide takes a lookat a wide range of vehicles, from a hover-cycle up to a huge railroad. Military vehi-cles receive the most attention, with newand existing designs being described indetail. Each vehicle entry is accompaniedby a illustration which clearly shows itsappearance. Campaigns set during theKafer War will benefit from the informa-tion given on the new Kafer designs andon the military hardware arrayed againstthem. The eight color plates show cut-away views of four of the vehicles, exteri-or views of two American armoredvehicles, and the unit insignias of eightunits involved in the Kafer War. Any 2300AD groups engaged in ground combatactions will find plenty to interest themamong the vehicles described.

The 2300 AD game and its supplementsand adventures are available from GameDesigners� Workshop, PO. Box 1646,Bloomington IL 61702-1646.

Short and sweetThe Cyclopedia Talislanta, by Stephan

Michael Sechi. Bard Games, $14.00. TheCyclopedia Talislanta is the fifth in theseries of game releases dealing with theworld of Talislanta [see �Role-playingReviews,� in DRAGON issue #143]. TheCyclopedia Talislanta covers a wide rangeof topics and includes color maps ofTalislanta. First off are brief descriptionsof places of interest in Talislanta, followedby details of new monsters, animals, andplants. New-character types, drawn fromTalislanta�s myriad cultures, are presentedfor use as player characters, and newskills and abilities are described. Like allTalislanta products, this one boasts excel-lent interior illustrations; though only thecover is by P. D. Breeding-Black, the rest ofthe artwork is well up to standard.

GMs and players who already adventurein Talislanta or use it as a source of ideaswill find plenty of interesting materialwithin this books pages, as it adds moreinteresting detail and color to the setting.For newcomers, The Chronicles ofTalislanta is a much better starting point.The Cyclopedia Talislanta and other

Talislanta products are available from BardGames, P.O. Box 7729, Greenwich CT06836.

Gamer�s Handbook of the Marvel Uni-verse�, Volumes 1-3, by Scott Bennie,David E. Martin, and Chris Mortika. TSR,Inc., $13.95 each. Listen up, all you Marvelaficionados, for a real treat. A few yearsago, the Marvel Entertainment Grouppublished the multivolume Official Hand-book of the Marvel Universe�. Originallyavailable in comic-book format, it waslater reprinted as a series of perfect-boundbooks. Now, TSR, Inc. goes one further byturning out a similar product for theMARVEL SUPER HEROES® Advanced Setgame. Three [now four] handbooks arecurrently available,sitely produced.

and each one is exqui-

The heroes and villains are eachdescribed on a double-sided sheet. In themighty Marvel tradition, full-color illustra-tions appear for each of the major charac-ters. The sheets come drilled so that theycan be placed in a three-ring or two-ringbinder, making storage and removal ofcharacters easier during gaming sessions.With Games Workshop Ltd. producing itsnew games in this format, and with TSR,Inc., planning to release the MonstrousCompendiums for the AD&D® 2nd Editiongame in the same way, we could be look-ing at the future of how all gamingproducts will be presented.

If you, like me,-purchased the comic-book series so you could convert the char-acters into MARVEL SUPER HEROES stats,and you never got around to doing morethan one or two characters, these hand-books are a godsend. Anyone who playsthe MARVEL SUPER HEROES AdvancedSet game can�t afford to be without these,as they form the ultimate in sourcebooks.�Nuff said!

DRAGON 75

The Six Basic Emotions

Surprise Disgust FearSurprise has raised brows. The Disgust has a wrinkled nose and a Fear raises and draws together the

eyes are open wide, and the jaw raised upper lip. The lower lid is brows. The eyes are open anddrops, opening the mouth. pushed up, and the brows are tense, and lower lid is raised.

lowered. The mouth is open, and the lips may be drawn back tightly.

Illustration 1

76 MAY 1989

Like role-playing games, miniature fanta-sy figures have great theatrical potential.Just one figure can stimulate theimagination into viewing it as a character,complete with its own life story. The bestare sculptures of grace and dynamicaction, creatures caught frozen in amoment of time. They are beautiful evenas untouched metal. However, effectivepainting can bring the most mundane poseto life and give the figure a visual impactlacking in its unfinished state. Experienceand skill are naturally important, but evena beginner can paint a good figure if he orshe remains aware of two elements towhich a viewer immediately responds: theemotional state and colors of a figure.Using these elements creatively helps tocommunicate your concept of the minia-ture�s character.

The range of emotionEmotional state consists of facial expres-

sions and body language (the physicalcommunication signals made by the body).These should not be considered separatelywhen you are painting, as each affects theother. While the face should be the focalpoint on any figure, as it is the mainsource of emotion, do not forget the©1989 by Zoe Bell Hurst

Photograph A

Sadness Happiness AngerSadness has raised brows, lowered Happiness has a smiling mouth In anger, the eyes have aupper eyelids, a down-turned and wrinkles around the eyes. penetrating stare and the lids are

mouth. tensed. Sometimes the brows arelowered and drawn together. Thelips are pressed or opened and

pushed forward.

stance in your design. Body language is thepunctuation of the message sent by theface. Generally, the less relaxed the figure�s pose, the more it appears alert andinvolved in a situation, supporting themoods intensity.

In photograph A, the second of fourfigures is an Oriental man simply standing,yet he has an air of alert watchfulnessconveyed by his facial expression andphysical signals. His arms are crossed, agesture often used in tense situations as apsychological barrier to other people. Hiseyebrows are knitted; if he was relaxed,they would be at their normal position.The final touch is the moustache, becauseit emphasizes his lack of a smile. Therelationship of these three details creates asubtle emotional state.

A good figure has a well-sculpted facethat indicates a general emotion. Mostpsychologists accept six basic emotions:happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, sur-prise, and fear (see Illustration 1 for moredetails). Our communication skills havedeveloped an amazing range of shadedmeanings from these primal states. Minia-tures that do not portray an obvious feel-ing can be given any one of severalemotions � bewilderment, concentration,

smugness, contemplation, boredom, etc. �causing the figure to have an impact thatwas not there in its unpainted state. Thegoblins in photograph B show (from left toright): suspicion, anxiety, rage, and defi-ance, all variations of anger or fear.Although their facial features are inter-changeable, their expressions make themcompletely distinct characters.

For an expression to work, the face itselfshould look alive. The secret is to controlthe facial shadows, which define andshape the features while unifying theentire face. They also support the actionof the eye and lower facial muscles whichare the source of the emotion. Theshadows that mold the face are thoseunder the cheekbones and nose, thoseabove and below the eyes, and those alongthe hairline, the sides of the face, andbelow the jaw line, including any wrinkles.

Highlights are also important in shapingthe face, and they must work in harmonywith the shadows. A highlight is an areawhere light strikes the figure, creating adominant visual point. Areas that are inshadow recede from one�s vision. Everyhighlight has an attending shadow. Theimportant facial highlights are the cheeks,the forehead, the chin, the ridge of the

nose, and the lips (see Illustration 2 formore detail on the placement of shadowsand highlights). If this part of figure paint-ing seems frustrating, remember that it isvirtually impossible to get all the complexshading of a face onto a 25mm sculpture.Only the dominant shadows and highlightsneed to be captured.

The technique of wet blending allowsfor a smooth gradation of shading on thefigure. In wet blending, both the highlightsand the shadows are painted on at thesame time and blended together wherethey meet, forming a new color in thiscommon area. Control is necessary inorder not to lose the original hues, andthis technique is difficult to use on figureswhich require delicate shading. In suchcases, be frugal with the amount of painton your brush. It is easier to add paint tocorrect an error than to remove somewhen there is too much.

In photograph C, the face of the femaleelf at the left has been wet blended toachieve a bloodless complexion; the colorsused are ivory and dark brown. Theshadow of the cheek is taupe, darkeningto brown on the neck. The cheek and jawline remain ivory and define the shape ofthe face. If you wish to have some color or

Photograph B

DRAGON 77

Shadows Highlights1. Cheekbones A. Cheeks2. Under the nose B. Forehead3. Underbrow, under the eye, and C. Chin and jaw

along the nose D. Ridge of the nose4. Hairline, the sides of the face, E. Lips, especially the lower lip

and the temples5. Under the lower lip6. Jawline

Illustration 2

suggest the use of cosmetics, add pink tothe cheeks and lips.

In creating the emotion of the face, theeyes should be the center of attention. Theeyes are powerful tools of communication.Our daily social interaction is a constantdance of exchanged glances with otherpeople; but even with strangers, our atten-tion returns to the eyes. (Generally, themore intimate the relationship, the longerthe glances which are allowed.)

To make the eyes draw attention, focusthem on a point in space. Otherwise, theylook dead. Paint the pupils slightly offcenter toward each other, though notenough to look cross-eyed. Don�t worryabout painting in an iris; only large figureshave enough area for a complex eye.Brown and black are the usual colors forpupils; I sometimes use blue or green tosuggest the eye hue.

Aside from indicating direction of thegaze, pupils also play an important part in

signaling emotions. Studies have shownthat the size of the pupils changes due toemotion as well as light. The pupilenlarges when a person sees somethingattractive, such as someone they like, orshocking, such as a traffic accident. Pupilscan get so large they almost engulf the iris,and this effect can be created on a figure.

The female ranger on the right in photo-graph C has large facial features and apose of intended action. To balance thefeatures and intensify her body language,her large pupils are painted to look in thedirection opposite to the way her bodyleans. This makes the ranger�s mood looklike one of surprise, as if a monster hassuddenly appeared between the trees 10y a r d s a w a y .

Most figures do not have room to showthe whites of their eyes. If you want toindicate them, allow a little flesh colorbetween the pupils and the lids in thecorners of the eyes. On dark-skinned

meaning. Whenever the neck shows on a

Photograph C

figures or animals, use ivory. Always becareful when painting with white; if youuse too much, the eyes will look unnatu-rally large.

The eyelids, eyebrows, and lower faceare the true controls of the facial expres-sion. Their shapes and placement in rela-tion to each other determine the emotionand its intensity. People, for various socialreasons, often try to conceal their truefeelings. The greater the loss of controlover the activity of the face, the strongerthe mood.

Eyelids, eyebrows, and under-browshadows are the accents for the expres-sion of the eyes. Generally, lids that are ata normal position indicate a relaxed state.Lids that are open express an interestedreaction as from surprise, fear, or shock.Lids that are narrow show withdrawal,such as boredom, weariness, distaste, etc.The eyebrows usually echo the lines of thelids, particularly the upper lid. Since thebrows are one of the most noticeablefeatures on a miniature�s face, they help toensure the visibility of the eyes� emotion.The under-brow shadow outlines theupper lid�s shape and direction. A shadowcan be painted under the lower lid as well,but it needs to be carefully dissipated. Anarrow line around the eyes can be usedto suggest eyeliner. Wrinkles related to theexpression can appear between the brows,in the corners of or under the eyes, andon the forehead.

The expression of the lower face rangesfrom complete rest to an open-mouthedgrimace in which the teeth are bared. Thelips, mouth, teeth, and cheek indentationsaround the mouth up to the nose are thefacial accents here. There may be lesserwrinkles around the main indentation, inthe cheeks, chin, and down into the neck.

The line of the lips often mimics that ofthe brows and lids. If a figure is surprised,for example, the lids will be wide and theeyebrows up. The mouth will be open andthe lips will have the same curve as theupper lid. In sadness, the corners of allthree features will point down.

The mouth, teeth, and cheek indenta-tions are the indicators for the intensity ofthe emotion. The grimace is believed tohave developed from the snarl, an ancientthreat display. The amount of teeth dis-played shows the level of anger or fear.Usually, the upper teeth are exposed first.The lower teeth are added as the emotionincreases.

Smiling is a gesture unique to humans,with the possible exception of some of theother primates. Exactly how or why thissignal developed is not agreed upon,although some researchers think it origi-nally came from an open-mouthed displayof acceptance of another's behavior. Atany rate, it's powerful range cannot bedenied, for a smile can intimate anythingfrom true joy to contempt to poorly con-cealed fear. The actual line of the lips andthe eye accents help determine a smile's

figure, remember to carry the tension ofthe lower facial muscles down through it.

These hints about facial expression andbody language apply to monsters andnatural animals, too. Monsters are usuallyan amalgam of human intelligence ormotivations and a natural entity or force.They come equipped with the humanrange of emotions and expressions. Ani-mals, on the other hand, are limited bytheir faces, which cannot express subtlemeanings. Their emotional state dependsheavily upon their body language. Nomatter what the subject, a figure oftendoes not have room for all the physicalfeatures of emotion that its face can cap-ture. If you capture the most noticeablefeatures of an emotion, it will establish theminiature�s mood and help support theconcept of the character.

The spectrum of colorNext to touch, our dominant sense is

vision. Humans enjoy one of the widestranges of color sense in the animal king-dom. The human eye can detect thousandsof shades, and it is for this reason color issuch a powerful and pervasive force inour society. In figure painting, color canmake statements in many ways about thecharacter. The color combinations you useshould enhance its personality and con-tribute to the miniature as a work of art.

One aspect of color that can be exploited

and personality through the use of color, A

is its associative and symbolic qualities.Our western culture has many color asso-

good rule of thumb is: The more wealth or

ciations, such as black for evil, white forpurity, yellow for cowardice, etc., that

power a figure possesses, the more elabo-

have become hackneyed from overuse,For a distinctive figure, avoid these triteassociations or use such color in a limitedway, as a shade or in a small area.

For instance, rangers are usually pic-tured in green because of their relation-ship with the outdoors. The female rangerin photograph C, however, has an outfit ofbrown. Although the only green is a tealon the scabbard, she is still dressed innatural colors which indicate her profes-sion and blend in with her surroundings.

Another figure I am working on is awizard who rides a skeletal dragon. I havereasoned that anyone with a mount likethat must be very evil, so I have paintedhis robe black � but a charcoal-gray blackwith dull blue accessories that emphasizethe gray tones. He also wears a bright redcap. Besides the association with blood,the cap is striking and pulls the viewer�sattention to the face, helping the expres-sion to dominate the somber costume.

The largest amount of area to paint on ahuman figure is the clothing. This is alsoyour chance to make a statement aboutthe character�s wealth, status, occupation,

rate and stylish its clothing. This translatesinto good color detail and coordination.You should limit your palette to four orfive colors, including metals. If you havemore, the figure�s colors will compete witheach other for attention, and the viewercannot concentrate on any one area. Ifyou want variation in the costume, use ashade of one of the main colors.

Clothes designed for work are fairly

are my attempt to suggest an elaborate

somber. The brighter color schemes sug-gest a character who is either on holiday

court costume.

or who needs to make a visual impression(people respond more favorably to thosewho are well dressed). Almost all 19th-

The hair and skin also affect your fig-

and 20th-century figures need coordinatedoutfits as a reflection of the modern avail-ability of clothing. If you wish to give anoutfit some snap, consider painting apattern onto the clothes.

In photograph D, the figures (from rightto left) are a 1920s flapper, a magic-user,and an Oriental monk. The flapper�s outfitpainted by my husband, is an example of awell-coordinated costume. There are fourcolors: lavender, pink, pearl white, andsilver. Even the gun fits into the colorscheme. He also painted the monk andgave it some interest by adding a yin-yangsymbol on the back of its shirt. The magic-user�s diamond pattern and bicolored hose

80 MAY 1989

ure�s outfit and deserve special consider-ation. Both can have complex and subtleinterplays of light and color, and it isimpossible to paint in all such nuances.The trick is to capture the important high-lights and shadows on the underlyingmuscles or waves of hair. There is a natu-ral, curving flow to both hair and skin. Ifyou want a natural look, remember thatall their shades are rooted in brown. Purecolors are extremely rare (or nonexistent,such as a truly red redhead). It is hard toemulate the sheen of hair. I have foundthat the best solution is to use a very lightshade of the basic color as a highlight.Photograph A shows examples of differentskin tones and hair (fur and feathers arepainted in the same manner.)

Intricate patterns are often incorporatedinto the skins or pelts of animals, and canbe used to good effect on both naturalanimals and monsters. I had originallyintended to paint the werewolf gray inphotograph E. After examining photo-graphs of real wolves, I was surprised tosee how many of them have definite mark-ings as opposed to a uniform gray coat. Ichanged my design, and now the were-wolf has a much more interesting facedone in black and beige. My husbandborrowed the idea of a diamond patternfor the dinosaur�s skin in photograph Efrom one of the newer books dinosaurs.

The paintings in it had been influenced bythe incredible patterns found on manymodern reptiles.

Colors help establish personality bybiasing the viewer�s reaction to the figure.Miniatures which have pleasant colorschemes are appealing. Those that havegarish or clashing color schemes are repul-sive. The beholder, in photograph C has awild mix of green, purple and pinksplashed on in seemingly random fashion.This echoes the swirling motion of theappendages and bolsters the feeling of acreature which should not exist. Thefemale elf next to it is easier to look at,though her color scheme is just as bright.This is partly because the colors areplaced harmoniously way upon the figure.

This brings us to two other purposes ofcolor: to unify and add balance to the figure.Colors establish the limits of the parts anddraw them together into a unit separatefrom the environment. To accomplish this, Iwork in triangles of color. The bookcase inphotograph F illustrates the technique. It isjust a piece of furniture holding many unre-lated objects, yet there are at least 10 trian-gles of color on it: The most noticeabletriangle is the one of white. One point is thelarge white book, another point is the stack

Photograph D

the bright blue book on the lower shelf, andthe dull blue book in the middle of the high-er shelf. A third triangle is of green � andso on.

Colors make areas recede or dominateon the figure, and using this effect correct-ly gives it balance. In photograph C, thebeholder�s eye immediately draws atten-tion despite its chaotic color scheme. Thisis because the iris is the only place where Iuse bright yellow. The eye provides acentral point on which the viewer canfocus. Another example is the dark outfitof the female ranger. The light hues of thehose and arms stand out against thebrown, and they break up the sombertones. Both areas are more interestingbecause of the contrast produced. Alwaysuse colors to direct attention to the face.Whenever possible, start with lightercolors first. It is easier to paint from lightto dark than vice versa if you make amistake.

The final purpose of color is to createthe illusion of light upon the figure and toaid the actual display light. Whatever youdo, do not work against the real light. Ihave grown disenchanted with the quickmethod of creating shadows by paintingthe miniature with a diluted wash ofblack. It works, but it also dulls the colorsand cuts down on the reflection of lightoff the surface. This technique is fine forfigures which need to be finished in ahurry. Blacklining is much better for

of scrolls, and the third is the skull on theblack book on the lowest shelf. Anothertriangle is of blue. Its points are the horn,

Photograph F

competition-level figures because it bringsout detail and colors. In blacklining, every-

thing that casts a shadow is underlinedwith black or brown. It is tedious and timeconsuming, but the result is worth thetrouble.

Besides helping the real light, colorhighlights point up the dominant featuresof the miniature. In photograph G, themetallic silver on the dragon does most ofthe reflective work. On the highest points,such as the shoulders and back of theneck, I still painted white to mimic thehighlights of metal and help the dragon toappear truly silver. Note that the shadows

on the wings are not actually black,except those close to the bones.

They are blue in order to keepthe white pure. Otherwise,

Photograph E

Photograph G

the skin would look gray in those areas.On the female magic-user, I have attempt-ed to create the illusion of light comingfrom above. There are no shadows on herface, but there are deep shadows underher jaw line and collar bone. The folds ofher dress and the top of the base arecoated with a very light wash of white.Color highlights add sparkle to the figure�scolors and help to make it beautiful.

I consider the blue-green dragon inphotograph H my best effort so far atpainting an effective figure. The fluid linesof the sculpture and the formal pose sug-gested to me an Oriental dragon perform-ing a ceremonial dance, and I have tried toenhance this concept.

The palette is limited to ivory, orange,and varying shades of turquoise blue. Thecolors are placed in long vertical lines toecho the figure�s graceful curves. I origi-nally painted the wings orange, but thatoverbalanced the figure. I changed themto a greener shade of the blue-green. Thebelly color is reflected in the iris of theeye. The pupil is enormous, and the high-lights around the eye are bright in orderto enhance the expression of concentra-tion and help the head dominate the belly.This same highlight is used on the scales topoint up their pattern. The ivory on theback spikes, claws, and teeth unifies thefigure by forming a triangle which isanother pointer to the face. I used blackon only the pupil and as blacklining inorder to keep the colors bright and pure.Finally, the added base not only ensuresthe safety of the figure, but its diamondshape also moves the body�s intensitytoward the point on which the dragon�sgaze is concentrated.

I find the dancing dragon satisfyingbecause it looks the way I first pictured itin my head. This success in forming aphysical version of my mental conceptmeans I am moving up to a new plateau ofeffective figure painting. With practice,you can do the same.

Photograph H

The Consumer Information Catalog willenlighten you with over 200 federal consumer-oriented publications. Many are freeand all are helpful. Get your free copy bywriting—Consumer Information CenterDept. RW, Pueblo, Colorado 81009U.S. General Services Administration

8 6 M A Y 1 9 8 9

ornwoman crouched behind the skele-tal stone outcropping, ignoring behindher the trembling form of Bird, herformer childhood companion, andsquinted up through the mountainmist. Like most of the Human Beings,neither had been on the mountain

before. Cornwoman had thought on it, had thought theremight be valuable knowledge to be gotten here, but hadstill never made the attempt. She imagined she saw Nighthiding there, in the space between the tall black pines,partially hidden by the narrow fingers of white � only amist so thick and white could hide Night. For many of theHuman Beings did not believe Night lived on the moun-tain, traveling down the rocky face narrowly like a snake,then expanding suddenly like a bat as it came into contactwith the warm sky above the valley where the village lay,until it had covered the entire visible world with shadow.

What appeared to be Night between the pines moved.One edge of it glistened. Behind her Bird gasped, anddespite herself Cornwoman felt bile coming into herthroat. Raven�s head peered out of the mist, and for amoment she though perhaps he had seen them. His blackfeathers were greasy with blood, and bits of entrail stillclung to his beak and claws. Fully upright he was enor-mous, taller than three average-sized Human Beings.

Then as suddenly, Raven had disappeared into the mistagain.

�Where was the child? I didn�t see the child!� Birdwhispered behind her, his voice still hoarse with fear.

Cornwoman silenced him by gripping his wrist roughly.She squeezed, restraining herself so that he would notwhimper. He was really still a child himself, she remindedherself. She shouldn�t have brought him along, even if hemight help negotiating some of the cliffs. Of course, noone else would have gone with her. Only foolish Bird, inhis awe and respect for her.

She slipped down to the base of the stones and, thinkingof Lizard, let herself flow up the mountain in the stones�narrow shadow. Bird followed with much less skill but wellenough that Cornwoman found herself excusing him hisrecklessness.

The tall trees stirred ahead as Raven � darker thanshadow, darker than Night � moved through them.Ravenmocker. Deathkeeper. And somewhere with him,the lovely child, stolen prematurely from her sleep.

It was as much her fault as Bird�s that Raven hadabducted the child. The child�s parents had died in astrange way; they had turned on one another in a deliriumand practically torn each other apart. The villagers hadwanted to kill the child, thinking the family tainted, butCornwoman had intervened, and of course no onestopped her.

But she had been careless of her responsibility, too pre-occupied with her meditations, her attempts to join with apure animal past before the Human Beings had gone theirseparate path, to consider whether Bird was really capableof watching after a child. He�d turned his back briefly, infact, to talk with some of the young village women. Whenhe turned back the girl was gone, and a dark shadow,darker than anything he had ever seen before � it actu-

Cornwoman

by Steve Rasnic Tem

Illustrations by Kim Walter

DRAGON 87

ally seemed to soak up the light Bird had said � was drift-ing swiftly across Cornwoman�s hut.

She�d felt the cold chill pass, even while in her medita-tions. She found herself gasping into wakefulness, thenstaggered out of the hut already knowing that Raven hadtaken the child and had a good start.

She�d felt his sharp beak against her cheek, his eye coolupon her. There was no mistaking him.

Cornwoman straightened and began ascending thatrocky slope rapidly, the young man trailing behind her.She saw no need for caution now, for surely Raven knewthey were following him. It was a measure of his arro-gance that he did not lose them, as she knew he was quitecapable. Like many of the old Animal People, he wasprideful.

The mountain grew colder as they ascended, for notonly Night and Raven but many other of the old AnimalPeople lived here, ghosts of themselves � it was late forthem. Cornwoman had sensed before that the old AnimalPeople seemed to like the cold over the summers. And themountain was a cold place. It was as if they linked thosesummers with an earlier time, when all animals weremade large and they were alone in the world, playing orcompeting for dominion. This was a less active time; fewsaw them. Most animals now were smaller and lessercreatures than the Human Beings.

A stony ridge appeared to shudder in front of them.Cornwoman stopped and quieted Bird. Her eyes felt hardwith seeing this ridge. Then it moved again, the graystone expanding upwards, the rock ribs breathing out,unmistakable this time.

Cornwoman had started whispering his name when theUk�ten� raised his gray stone head and began flowingtoward them down the mountainside.

�Stone . . . moving like a stream . . .� Bird whisperedh o a r s e l y .

As Uk�ten� grew closer his features became more dis-tinct, his legs growing feet with clawed toes, heavy-liddedeyes and scales dissolving out of his rocky face and side.

�Quickly! His touch is deadly!� Cornwoman raceddiagonally across the path of the Uk�ten�, Bird straining tokeep up with her as she leapt into a shallow, narrowravine.

Bird leaned against the ravine wall, staring at Cornwo-man with an animal fear in his features. It disgusted herto see this, and she turned away.

�Wait!� Bird cried. �You have the magic. Stop thisdream!�

�Fool!� she spat. �We grew up together. You know me.I have no magic!�

�But you brought the corn to the Human Beings! Youdo what others cannot!�

�The knowledge is not magic, nor does it come easy. Iworked for it!�

�Stop this dream.!� he cried, and Cornwoman saw thebeginnings of madness in his eyes. And more than any-thing, more than Uk�ten� or Raven, madness frightenedher.

She looked over the edge of the ravine. The Uk�ten�stood a few feet away, waiting for them. Its great orangetail lashed the ground, its twelve-horned head beat furi-

88 MAY 1989

ously at the trees. And whatever it touched sizzled,smoked, and burned.

She reached into her pouch and began to pull out blackfeathers, greases.

�Yes, magic!� Bird cried.�Disguise,� she said calmly. She looked up at him with

a sad face. �We grew up together. I would have thought. . .� She stopped when he held out his hand. The objectwas a flimsy knife of bone, crudely and badly made, muchtoo thin to have any strength. �Put your toy away,� shesaid, and began laying the things from her pouch out onthe ground.

Cornwoman slipped out of the ravine like an earlymorning shadow rising with the fog. She knew how shemust look to Bird, to Uk�ten� and it gave her satisfaction:her black feathers gleamed, her darkly painted bodyabsorbing the light, killing the day. Bird would beamazed; he would never have recognized her. She seemedto walk with a different presence in her footsteps, the liftof her head. Her body appeared to have expanded, thedark makeup having given her the weight of Night, of thedeath-sleep itself. Of Raven.

The Uk�ten� stirred but slightly, waving his great headponderously about. Cornwoman stepped dangerouslyclose to his large, dull eyes, her tread heavy, soundingwith more weight than her lithe frame could possibly haveborne. The feathers fixed about her head made it appearas if swollen with darkness, with secrets imponderablyancient, great curtains of black between the bird songs ofRaven.

Bird would almost be able to see the great orange beakof Raven, Cornwoman thought, speckled with blood andentrail. And the eyes, staring at him, staring at theUk�ten�, taking the entire world into that timeless gaze.

Uk�ten� remained still, as if waiting for some sign fromher. She was aware of Bird�s terror as she strode evencloser, her great masked head seeming small against theUk�ten�s gray flank. She tilted the headmask slightly, thenseemed to stare at the Uk�ten� from the short distance.

Then the Uk�ten� turned and crept up the side of themountain, slumping to rest in its original place, where itagain became as if part of the mountainside.

Bird started to run toward Cornwoman but stopped,her Raven visage frightening him. For she stood like Rav-en, breathed like him, even turned her head to staresilently at Bird as Raven would have done.

�You will never learn, my friend,� she said to him qui-etly, sadly. �It is only magic because you do not under-stand. It is something which may always be between us, Ifear,� she said slowly, then began pulling Raven from herbody and putting him away in her pouch. She helped Birdto his feet. �Raven does not believe we will succeed infollowing him. Like many of the old ones he is arrogant,and that will be his downfall.�

They made their way up the remaining ridges withrelatively little difficulty, their hardships limited to thephysical strains imposed by the formidable climb itself. Insome places they had to cross deep chasms or wedge theirway upward within deep cracks in the monstrous stones.There were many things Bird had to learn in making theclimb, but he learned quickly, and Cornwoman felt herself

softening again toward her childhood friend.They passed Night on its journey down the mountain.

It was dark, although not as dark as they had imagined,but very cold so near its home, and Bird shivered violentlyin its wake.

When they reached the top of the mountain they discov-ered that Night�s departure had left a twilight of graythere, as if the soot of a badly burning campfire had filledthe air, making their images fade and dim to the eye.They moved cautiously, pale shadows, to the rocks abovea small amphitheater of stones. They heard thunderingfootsteps below, the snap of many enormous beaks, andthe flap and clatter of great bird wings.

The two crept closer to the stones. Bird began tostraighten, to look over one of the boulders, but Cornwo-man pulled him back down. She pushed him to the side ofone of the large stones and they peered around its base.

Great shadows within the amphitheater appeared tocircle slowly, occasionally growing long wings which sweptthe sky above the dancing forms. After a time, Cornwo-man could make out traces of an orange beak, a shiningeye, and, in the midst of the darkly feathered bulks, thesleeping girl child.

�Are all these Raven?� Bird asked behind her. �Thereare so many; is this, too, part of his powers?�

�He sometimes has the Crows help him,� Cornwomansaid. �There are so many of the tribe of Human Beings inthe world now, he cannot manage the deaths of all. That,too, will lead to his downfall, I think. His time is swiftlypassing.� She gestured toward the group of dark figures.�See there; he shows himself.�

The great orange beak of Raven had risen out of thedark pool of feathers, followed by his large, dull eye. Birdgasped. Cornwoman started to caution him once againabout his carelessness, but had to admit Bird�s surprisewas understandable. Despite herself, she too had beenstartled. Raven looked far more frightening than she couldremember, even in her dream visions of him. As the darkpurple-black feathers of the great Crows spun rapidlybeneath him, faster and, faster, his giant head seemed togrow larger, soon rising far above the spinning feathers,his dull eye alight with fire.

�He sees us! He must!� Bird exclaimed beside her.�No . . . I do not think so. He is blind to all when he

dances his death ecstasy.��Do we get the child now? Perhaps it is too late . . . if

he dances?�The child is safe for a time, I think,� Cornwoman

replied. �They are not ready yet to take her. Do not loseyour courage now, friend.�

Below them the Crows had stopped spinning and wereslowly spreading out to either side of Raven. He stalkedponderously now the line of great preening birds, his hugeneck bending side to side, beak flashing as he opened andclosed it with a sharp clacking sound. Although the Crowswere several hands taller than any Human Being, Ravenwas far taller than they.

�Look, the child. . . . How can she still sleep?� Birdpointed toward the small girl sleeping peacefully on sev-eral large leaves near the middle of the grouping.

�No ordinary sleep, friend, but the beginning of a sleep

without dream. We will need to move quickly.�The footing about the rim of the summit was loose, so

they had to move with care. Below them the Crows wereagitated, busily making ready their departure for the landof the dead. Fortunately, the clamor of these great old onesobscured any sound the pair might make as they maneu-vered to a point closer in.

Cornwoman crept up beside a broad stone pillar andlooked around its base. The Crows, and the child, weremere heartbeats away.

Several of the Crows had brought a basket and kicked itbeside the sleeping girl with their large claws.

�That is to be the vessel for the little one�s last journey,�Cornwoman replied.

�We must do something!��Hold . . . � she said. The Crows picked up the child

in their beaks, surprisingly gently, and laid her in thebasket. Then they turned and began flapping their wingswith a loud crying, lifting themselves up and down andturning black and purple heads from side to side in a kindof dance. �Now!� she whispered, and began racingtoward the Crows� basket. She could feel Bird at her heels.

Cornwoman slipped into the basket and just as quicklywas handing the girl child out to Bird. �Go!� she shouted.

�But you . . .��They would notice the loss of weight. Go!�Bird looked at her solemnly, then thrust his flimsy bone

weapon into her hand. �Here! You may need this!� hewhispered harshly and, Cornwoman thought, with pride.Satisfied that Bird had turned and was following herorders, Cornwoman closed the lid.

DRAGON 89

9 0 M A Y 1 9 8 9

Raven lifted a small distance into the air and flappedslowly, inexorably after her.

She dashed between two boulders as he swung lowabove her, his gigantic claws catching her hair. She rippedaway-from him and squeezed between the walls of rock,only vaguely aware of the painful and bloody rending ofhair from scalp.

After a few moments, Cornwoman felt the basket beginto move, first tilting up on one side and then the other,until with a wrench it was airborne. She looked beneathher and between the strands of reed could see an endlessfield of downy black. The Crows were carrying the basketon their overlapping wingtips.

And above her she could see the deeper black of Rav-en�s own feathers, watching.

The basket rocked on its flying support until she was sick-ened, and sickened further by the stench of the Crows� wings.

She cracked the lid slightly and looked ahead of her.The sky was hazy; they were high above the mountain.Yet the mists here seemed part of their own mountain, amountain of mists high in the air. The land of the dead.

Suddenly a great dull eye drifted past and Cornwomaneased the lid shut. Through the reeds she could see Raven�slarge form drifting back and forth a small distance from thebasket, his great eye staring, beak clacking slowly.

He knows, she thought to herself.Suddenly she was tumbling. The lid flew off the basket,

and yet she knew instinctively to hold on to the basketitself, keeping herself inside with great difficulty.

She tumbled madly for what seemed hours, as if shewere tumbling within one of her dreams, Crow cries sur-rounding her like a cloud. The Crows apparently did notunderstand Raven�s action, had not as yet seen her, andwere instinctively fighting him, keeping him away fromthe tumbling basket. Sometimes a Crow would slip underthe basket to stop her rapid fall, and although they failedin these attempts, her headlong descent was slowed.

Occasionally, Raven�s enormous dull eye would comeand almost fill the opening of the basket, and she wouldkick out angrily, risking her leg when his beak was open.But the Crows soon had him away again, as she preparedfor his next attack.

The mountainside came up swiftly, and it was only alast swing of the Crows, bumping the underside of thebasket roughly, which prevented her being smashed intothe rocks. But still she had tumbled out and seen theCrows eyeing her, now realizing their mistake. They flewoff in a band, leaving Raven descending toward her inslow, easy spirals.

He glided to a spot a small distance away. His great dulleye seemed to swivel in his head independently before itfixed on her. Raven began to walk forward.

Even as she moved to escape, Raven slashed down withhis beak, splintering the rock and making the mountainthunder. She tumbled over several fallen tree trunks,allowing their upright branches to give her some smallprotection from his wings, now flapping, their hard edgesswinging dangerously close. The branches snapped oneafter the other under the weight of his wings, and Corn-woman was quickly forced to run again, starting back upthe mountain slope.

Then Cornwoman turned and faced Raven. An imagefrom her dreams came back to her: facing the dark, slash-ing out at it with a gleaming weapon of purest white. Theconfrontation was inevitable then. There seemed no pointin running in any case. The child was safe, and she foundit distasteful to be ripped apart from behind.

She turned with a stick and jabbed it upwards betweenthe two boulders. It caught Raven in the soft paddingnear one claw and he screeched, tilting his outstretchedwings crazily.

He tumbled forward on the slope and lay still. Cornwo-man ran from between the rocks, howling, the stickclutched in both hands raised above her head.

Foolish girl! she thought, even as Raven turned andsnapped his beak around the stick, crunching it into sev-eral pieces. In her impatience � and fear, she admitted �she�d acted like some young hunter.

Raven�s wings pushed back against the earth violently,quickly righting him. He screeched, and the closeness ofhis garbage-filled mouth sickened her. But she ran, herlegs aching with the effort.

She was upon the narrow crevice before she saw it; ithad already thrown her off balance. Cursing in an effortto wrest some advantage from the blunder, she twisted herbody and fell almost backward into the crack. She imme-diately pushed herself as deeply as possible into the crack,scraping shoulders and thighs painfully in the process.

Raven�s open beak suddenly filled the opening, hiscomparatively small tongue twirling into a blur as hescreeched a high-pitched victory call. Cornwoman shud-dered.

The beak, the dull eye, a massive claw inserted into thecrack; Raven tried viciously to get at his victim. Cornwo-man was scratched but remained safe within.

She felt foolish, She had behaved with no more exper-tise than her foolish friend Bird.

Cornwoman found herself reaching for his silly, thinbone knife. Gleaming white. Raven�s cold, dull eye wasabove the crack.

She thrust upward with the bone into the soft eye.Cornwoman had to push Raven�s body away from the

crack to extricate herself. The body was heavy, and shestruggled with it for some time. When she looked down atthe old one�s bloated form, the white bone knife still juttingfrom his ruined eye, she thought he seemed much smallerthan before.

Bird�s silly little knife, she thought. But sharp enough todestroy Raven.

�Arrogant One . . .� she whispered. �See where it hasgotten you? Soon there will be no more of your kind tobother the weak Human Beings. You will be small, andthey will hunt you. . . .�

It was a long trek back to her village, and Cornwomanthought she should begin it soon. But there was much tobe learned from Raven�s feathers, Raven�s eye, and thejuices from Raven�s body.

She pulled the bone knife out of his eye and began dis-membering this dream.

Steve Rasnic Tem recently won a 1988 British Fantasy Awardfor his short story “Leaks.”

Convention Calendar Policies

This column is a service to our readersworldwide. Anyone may place a free listingfor a game convention here, but the follow-ing guidelines must be observed.

In order to ensure that all conventionlistings contain accurate and timely infor-mation, all material should be either typeddouble-spaced or printed legibly on stand-ard manuscript paper. The contents ofeach listing must be short, succinct, andunder 150 words long.

The information given in the listing mustinclude the following, in this order:

1. Convention title and dates held;2. Site and location;3. Guests of honor (if applicable);4. Special events offered;5. Registration fees or attendance

requirements; and,6. Address(es) and telephone number(s)

where additional information and confirma-tion can be obtained.

Convention flyers, newsletters, and othermass-mailed announcements will not beconsidered for use in this column; weprefer to see a cover letter with theannouncement as well. No call-in listingsare accepted. Unless stated otherwise, alldollar values given for U.S. and Canadianconventions are in U.S. currency.

WARNING: We are not responsible forincorrect information sent to us by conven-tion staff members. Please check yourconvention listing carefully! Our widecirculation ensures that over a quarter of amillion readers worldwide see each issue.Accurate information is your responsibility.

Copy deadlines are the last Monday ofeach month, two months prior to the on-sale date of an issue. Thus, the copy dead-line for the August issue is the last Mondayof June. Announcements for North Ameri-can and Pacific conventions must bemailed to: Convention Calendar,DRAGON® Magazine, P.O. Box 111, LakeGeneva WI 53147, U.S.A. Announcementsfor Europe must be posted an additionalmonth before the deadline to: ConventionCalendar, DRAGON® Magazine, TSRLimited, 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton,Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom.

If a convention listing must be changedbecause the convention has been can-celled, the dates have changed, or incor-rect information has been printed, pleasecontact us immediately. Most questions orchanges should be directed to either RobinJenkins or Roger E. Moore at TSR, Inc.,(414) 246-3625 (U.S.A.). Questions orchanges concerning European conventionsshould be directed to TSR Limited, (0223)212517 (U.K.).

92 MAY 1989

* indicates a Canadian convention.

* indicates a product produced by a company other than TSR,Inc. Most product names are trademarks owned by thecompanies publishing those products The use of the name ofany product without mention of its trademark status should notbe construed as a challenge to such status

MISCON 4, May 5-7Science fiction, fantasy, and gaming will be the

subjects of this convention, to be held at theHoliday Inn, 200 South Pattee Street in Missoula,Mont. Room rates are $32.50 per night forsingle occupancy; call (406) 721-8550 to makereservations. Vonda McIntyre is author guest ofhonor; Dan Reeder is artist guest of honor; Glen(Scruffy) Hammer is fan guest of honor; and RayBeauvais is gaming guest of honor. Events willinclude an art show, a masquerade party, origi-nal Japanimation, dances, SCA events, gaming,videos, writers� workshops, a computer room,an art gallery, a dealers� room, panels, and anauction. Membership rates are $20 at the door;one-day memberships are $12 at the door.Children under six years of age get in free withtheir parents; children 6-12 years of age get infor half price. Dealers� tables (6� × 2�) may bepurchased for $40 (membership included).Write to: MISCON, Box 9363, Missoula MT59807; or call: (406) 549-1435.

AMERICAN GAMES FAIR, date changedThis convention, originally scheduled for May

11-13, has been rescheduled for September 8-10, due to anticipated renovations at MadisonSquare Gardens.

LINCON 6, May 12-15This gaming convention is one of the oldest

and largest conventions in Sweden. It will beheld at the Linköping Institute of Technology.Events include tournaments in the AD&D®,CALL OF CTHULHU*, PARANOIA*, CIVILIZA-TION*, DIPLOMACY*, and BATTLETECH*games. There will also be a fantasy miniatures-painting contest and dealers� rooms. Registra-tion fees are 13 kronor at the door. Write to:Dragon�s Den, P.O. Box 10031, S-58010 Linköp-ing, SWEDEN.

NASHCON �89, May 12-14Sponsored by HMGS�Midsouth and Games

Extraordinaire, this miniatures-gaming conven-tion will take place at the Music City RodewayInn in Nashville, Tenn. Special guests includeScott Bowden of Empire Games, Mark Blackmonof Empire Miniatures, Atley Turner of FrontierMiniatures, Richard Houston of Lyzard�s Grin,RSM Ltd., Rudy Nelson (author of Garde duCorps), and Mark Campbell (author of CloseAction). Historical-miniatures events will includeNapoleonics, American Civil War, AmericanRevolution and Colonial-era battles, as well asmicroarmor, Age of Sail, and ACW naval battles.Alternative gaming will include WARHAMMER*40,000, WARHAMMER* FANTASY BATTLE,WARHAMMER* SIEGE, BATTLETECH*, andSTAR FLEET BATTLES* events. Other featuresinclude seminars, a dealers� room, a game

auction, and a gamers� flea market. Registrationis $10 in advance and $15 at the door. Hotelrates are $42 a night; accommodations may bearranged through Games Extraordinaire. Writeto: NASHCON �89, c/o Games Extraordinaire, 109Donelson Pike, Nashville TN 37214; or call: (800)777-GAME, toll-free.

THE INQUISITION, May 13-14THE INQUISITION is the latest event pro-

duced by the Non-Fan Club of Wichita, Kans. Itwill be held at the Wichita Plaza Hotel (formerlythe Holiday Inn Plaza) at 230 East Douglas inWichita. The theme of THE INQUISITION is�Censorship in the Comic Industry.� There willbe a panel discussion both days devoted solelyto the issue of censorship, pro and con. THEINQUISITION guests include: Donald Simpson,Reed Waller, and Kate Worely. Other activitiesinclude a game workshop, a costume contest,and a writing contest. A major city-wide springcelebration will also be starting, so there will beplenty to see and do this weekend. Preregistra-tion is $8 for both days. Send an SASE to: THEINQUISITION, Non-Fan Club, P.O. Box 8685,Wichita KS 67208.

BEACH TREK �89, May 19-21This Star Trek convention will be held at the

Holiday Inn Executive Center in Virginia Beach,Va. Guests include Walter Koenig, A. C. Crispin,and Bjo Trimble. Write to: BEACH TREK �89, c/oVISTA, P.O. Box 62854, Virginia Beach VA 23462.

CON WEST, May 19-21This gaming convention will be held at St.

John�s College in Santa Fe, N. Mex. Featuredevents will include AD&D®, BATTLETECH*,WARHAMMER*, ROLEMASTER*, STAR FLEETBATTLES*, DIPLOMACY*, AIR SUPERIORITY*,RISK*, UP FRONT*, AXIS AND ALLIES*, CIVILI-ZATION*, SQUAD LEADER*, SUPREMACY*,PARANOIA*, STAR TREK*, PANZER GRUPPE*,and other games. Preregistration is $9. At-the-door fees are $13 for two days and $10 for one.Send an SASE to: Christian Eddleman, 1160 Camino De La Cruz Blanca, Santa Fe NM 87501;or call him at: (505) 984-8554. Gamers may alsocall Luke Warren at: (505) 984-2063. Whenwriting, please list the games you wish to play.

CON * CEPTION �89, May 20-21The New England Games and Comics Club is

proud to announce its 1989 CON*CEPTION, tobe held at the Multi-Purpose Center in Lewiston,Maine. Guests will include Steve Stern PaulPelletier, and Dan Cote from the internationallycirculated Zen Comics. Events will includeAD&D®, D&D® TOP SECRET/S.I.®, andMARVEL SUPER HEROES® games, along withTWILIGHT 2000*, VILLAINS AND VIGILAN-TES*, PLAY-DOH WARS, and many otherevents. Contests will include art, miniatures-painting, costume, and trivia events, with cashprizes awarded in several. Other features willinclude an art and game auction, and a largedealers� room. Preregistration is $5 for NEGACC

members and $7 for nonmembers; at-the-doorfees are $6 for NEGACC members and $8 fornonmembers. Gaming sessions are $3 each.Write to: NEGACC, c/o Sheldon T. Hussiere, StarRoute Box 160, Poland Spring ME 04274; or call:(207) 998-2682.

ADVENTURE GAMEFEST �89, May 26-28SKIRMISHES invites you to be their guest at

their fifth-annual gaming extravaganza, ADVEN-TURE GAMEFEST �89, to be held over theMemorial Day weekend. This gaming event willbe held at the Holiday Inn-Ashley Plaza Hotel inTampa, Fla. Events will include AD&D®, TRAV-ELLER*, STAR FLEET BATTLES, CAR WARS*,BATTLETECH*, INTERCEPTOR*, and SEA-KRIEG* game, along with board gaming, aKILLER* tournament, dealers� tables, aminiatures-painting contest, and much more.Reservations may be made through the hotel bycalling: (813) 223-1351. Room rates are $50 forsingle to quad occupancy. Registration for theweekend is $12 if mailed prior to May 10; other-wise, registration is $18 at the door. Write to:SKIRMISHES, P.O. Box 2097, Winter Haven FL33883; or call: (813) 293-7983.

GAMEATHON �89, May 26-28Join the Schenectady Wargamer�s Association

for its 10th-annual charity convention held atthe Studio of Bridge and Games at 1639 EasternParkway in Schenectady, N.Y. Charity-ratedRPGA� Network tournaments will be offered,including a new three-round AD&D® gameevent. There will be miniatures, role-playing,and board games; a costume contest; a gamesauction; and a banquet. Basic registration forthe weekend is $20. Write to: The Schenectady

Wargamer�s Association, 1639 Eastern Parkway,Schenectady NY 12309; or call: (518) 346-3773.

GAMESCAUCUS II, May 26-29TriGaming Associates will hold this convention

at the Concord Hilton located at 1970 DiamondBoulevard in Concord, Calif. Special guest ofhonor will be Dave Arneson. Featured eventswill include AD&D®, D&D®, BATTLETECH*,CHAMPIONS*, TWILIGHT 2000*, WAR-HAMMER* 40,000, TAC AIR*, SEVENTHFLEET*, AXIS AND ALLIES*, and TALISMAN*games. Also featured will be 15mm and 25mmAncients, Renaissance, World War II, and Mod-ern miniatures events, worldwide DIPLOMACY*games, and more. For hotel reservations, call:(415) 827-2000. Be sure to mention TriGamingAssociates or GAMESCAUCUS II to receive aspecial room rate. Registration for all three daysis $15 before May 1, or $20 at the door. Single-day memberships are $10 at the door. Forconvention registration or more information,write to: TriGaming Associates, P.O. Box 4867,Walnut Creek CA 94596-0867.

INTERDIMENSIONS I, May 26-28This first science-fiction and gaming conven-

tion will be held at the Omni Netherland Hotelin downtown Cincinnati, Ohio. Sponsored byKeepers of the Balance, the events includeRPGA� Network tournaments, a miniatures-painting contest, panels, an art show, a costumecontest, a banquet, and more. Guests of honorinclude Tim Zahn, RPGA� Network coordinatorJean Rabe, and artist Gary M. Williams. Regis-tration is $20 at the door. One-day rates will beavailable. Volunteers and judges are needed.Send an SASE to: INTERDIMENSIONS I, P.O. Box

266, Batesville IN 47006-0266; or call: RobertWesterman any time after 7 PM EST at (812)852-4542.

LITTLE WARS �89, May 26-28LITTLE WARS, one of the premier war-

gaming conventions, will be held in the BoneConvention Center on the Illinois State Univer-sity campus in Normal, Ill. All major miniatureslines will be represented, mostly by the manu-facturers. There will be over 100 open games,plus a National Team Ancients Championshipsponsored by NASAMW. We are also pleased tohost the National Pike and Shot Championship.This convention will be hosted by HMGS-Midwest and its affiliate, the Central IllinoisTabletop Warriors. Admission is $6 per day or$8 for the weekend. HMGS members receive a$2 discount off the admission price. Write to:LITTLE WARS, c/o Todd Fisher, 6010 NorthMarmora, Chicago IL 60646.

V-CON 17, May 26-28 *V-CON, Vancouver�s annual science-fiction

convention, will be held at the University ofBritish Columbia campus in Vancouver, B.C. Thetheme of this year�s convention is �Humor andSatire in Science Fiction.� Guests of honorinclude Spider Robinson Robert Sheckley, andBob Shaw. Events will include panel discussions,an art show, videos, gaming, a writers� work-shop, a costume bacchanal and dance, a dealers�room, and �guerrilla� theater. Membership forthe weekend is $24 Canadian ($20 U.S.) at thedoor. One-day memberships will be available atthe door at a cost of $10 Canadian for Friday orSunday, and $15 Canadian for Saturday. Roomrates at Totem Residence will be $26 Canadian

94 MAY 1989

for a single and $40 Canadian for a double.Write to: V-CON 17, PO. Box 48478, BentallCentre, Vancouver, B.C., CANADA, V7X 1A2.

GLATHRICON �89, June 9-11The Evansville Gaming Guild proudly presents

GLATHRICON �89, which will be held at theExecutive Inn in Evansville, Ind. Guests of honorinclude Greg Costikyan and artist Robert Dan-iels. RPGA� Network Coordinator Jean Rabewill also be our guest. This gaming convention�sRPGA� Network games will include: AD&D®Feature, Masters, and Grand Masters tourna-ments; MARVEL SUPER HEROES® Feature andMasters tournaments; CHILL*, PARANOIA*,RUNEQUEST*, and CHAMPIONS* game events;and more. A special event at this year�s conven-tion is the Joe Martin tournament to benefit theAmerican Cancer Society. There will also be anart show and auction, and a masquerade. Regis-tration is $16; one-day memberships are $6.Registrations by mail must be received by May25. Send an SASE to: Evansville Gaming Guild,P.O. Box 15414, Evansville IN 47716.

MOBI-CON �89, June 9-11Mobile�s convention for comic books and

science-fiction and fantasy gaming will be heldat the Days Inn Hotel at Airport Boulevard andI-65 in Mobile, Ala. Guest artists are Dave Dor-man and Lurene Haines. Features include adealers� room, movies, D&D® and TALISMAN*tournaments, and a games auction. Preregistra-tion is $12.50 until June 1; thereafter, it is $15.One-day memberships are $6 at the door. Writeto: MOBI-CON, P.O. Box 161257, Mobile AL36616; or call: (205) 661-4060.

ORGANIZED KAHN-FUSION I, June 10This gaming convention will be held at the

Central Penn Business School in Summerdale,Pa., across the river from the state capital.Events will run from 9 A.M. to 9 P.M. Activitieswill include role-playing, board, war, and minia-tures games. In addition, there will be a smalldealers� room, along with videos and otherevents. Registration by May 2 is $3.99 for thisone-day event; thereafter, the price is $4.99.Write to: Games Only, 200 Third Street, NewCumberland PA 17070; or call: (717) 774-6676.

SAN ANTONIO FANFAIR, June 10-11About 600-800 people will be in attendance

for this two-day gaming festival, which will beheld at a hotel yet to be announced. Featureswill include 60 dealers� tables, 15 guests, a videoroom, Japanimation, programming, gaming, anopen con suite, a masquerade, an art show,filksinging, and more. Admission prices are $5for Saturday, $4 for Sunday, or $6 for bothdays. Write to: Bulldog Productions, PO. Box820488, Dallas TX 75382; or call: (214) 349-3367.

KAMP KON ONE, June 16-18Bring your sleeping roll and tent to a weekend

of fun and role-playing games at KAMP KONONE. Features will include Dealers� Table Ave-nue, unlimited gaming, costumes, and gamedemonstrations. Admission is $7.50 in advanceor $10 at the gate. Bring your costume and yourenthusiasm to this weekend of fun. Write to:KAMP KON ONE, c/o Roe�s Haven, 11010 41stDrive NE, Marysville WA 98270; or call (206)659-0502.

MICHICON GAMEFEST �89, June 16-18About 2,000 gamers are expected to attend

this three-day gaming convention, to be held inthe Southfield Civic Center in Southfield, Mich.

There will be 60 board-game events, 60 minia-tures events, and 25 role-playing events. Inaddition, there will be 35 dealers� booths, threeused-games auctions, and a lot of open gaming.Advance admission is $12 for all three days and$7 for one day. Food and beverages will be soldat the convention. Preregistration informationincludes a list of all events, as well as a map ofthe convention site and several nearby motelsand restaurants. The Southfield Civic Center isaccessible via I-96, I-75, U.S. 10, and U.S. 29.Send an SASE to: Metro Detroit Gamers, P.O.Box 656, Wyandotte MI 48192. Call Barry Jensenduring the day at: (313) 591-2300, ext. 325; forevening information, call Mike Bartnikowski at:(313) 928-7744; for dealer information, call JoeTomassi at: (313) 382-1734.

MADISON GAME DAY, June 18This one-day gaming event will take place at

the Ramada Inn, 3841 East Washington Avenue,in Madison, Wis. Featured events will include:miniatures, role-playing, and board games;dealers, such as Pegasus Games, WargameRoom, and others; and other activities. Admis-sion is $3, with a $1 charge per game played.Write to: Madison Gamers Association, c/o NickKlapper, 1909 Heath Avenue, Madison WI 53704;or call him at: (608)249-3264.

NEW ORLEANS SCIENCE FICTION & FAN-TASY FESTIVAL �89, June 22-25

This year�s convention will feature Anne Riceas guest of honor and J. K. Potter as artist guestof honor. Other guests will include: George R.R.Martin (producer, Beauty and the Beast), Melin-da M. Snodgrass (story editor, Star Trek: TheNext Generation), Denny O�Neil (senior editor,D.C. Comics), and many others. This conventionwill be held at the Bayou Plaza Hotel, 4040Tulane Avenue, in New Orleans, La. (phone:(800) 421-4335). Events will include: 24-hourgaming, a costume contest, three-track pro-gramming, an art show and auction, a Saturdaynight dance, a 24-hour hospitality suite, a specialcharity event benefitting the Leukemia Founda-tion, a Friday night �Meet the Guests� party,movies and videos, and a large dealers� room.Registration is $17.50 until May 1 and $20 untilJune 1, Prices at the door may be slightly high-er. Write to: THE NEW ORLEANS SCIENCEFICTION & FANTASY FESTIVAL, P.O. BOX791089, New Orleans LA 70179-1089; or call:(504) 767-1432 or (504) 835-4314.

DEMICON, June 23-25The Harford Adventure Society presents its

first gaming convention, which will be held at

the Holiday Inn, located off I-95 and Route 22, inAberdeen, Md. This convention will feature alarge variety of games, including AD&D® games,war games, miniatures contests, and other role-playing games. Admission fees are $15 if mailedbefore May 1, and $20 at the door. Send anSASE to: DEMICON, c/o Harford AdventureSociety, P.O. Box 1063, Aberdeen MD 21001.Please make checks payable to the HarfordAdventure Society.

COLLECTOR�S EXPO, June 24This collector�s show will be held at the Rome

Georgia Civic Center on Turner-McCall Boule-vard (across from the Village Theatre) in Rome,Ga. Show hours are from 10 A.M. to 6 P.M. Eventswill include an AD&D® tournament; an ongoingDRAGONLANCE® board game; video showingsof Star Trek bloopers, X-Men, and TeenageMutant Ninja Turtles cartoons; an auction; and aspecial 50th-anniversary tribute to Batman.Admission to the show is $1. There will bespecial workshops for comic-book collectors andbaseball-card collectors. A miniatures-paintingcontest will be one of the show�s highlights.Items available from the dealers will includecomic books; baseball cards; games; miniatures;Star Trek, Dr. Who, and Blakes 7 memorabilia;Japanese animation; and artwork. Dealers�tables are limited to 15 eight-foot tables at $30each. Write to: Amazing World of Fantasy, 2518-C Shorter Avenue, Rome GA 30161; or call DanaPinkard (show chairperson) at: (404) 235-2179;or Patrick Swinford at: (404) 234-5309.

L.A. ORIGINS �89, June 29-July 2This gaming convention will feature all types

of family, strategy and adventure board, role-playing, miniatures, and computer gaming. L.A.ORIGINS �89 will be held at the Los AngelesAirport Hilton Hotel. Bargains will be availableat the flea markets, auctions, and exhibitors�area. Other events will include seminars, dem-onstrations, and special guests. Write to: STRA-TEGICON, P.O. Box 8399, Long Beach CA 90808;or call Diverse Talents at: (213) 420-3675.

DRAGON 95

96 MAY 1989

DRAGON 97

FORUM

Continued from page 8

yet to see a sign-language dictionary whichincludes signs for �thaumaturge,� �necrophage,��Vulcan,� or �remote-control guidance system,�for example.

In the case of the physically impaired personwho is wheelchair-bound but able to talk, accessibility becomes an issue. Such things as gettinginto another player�s house, apartment, orbathroom can become major obstacles. As in the

case of the blind player, I prefer to use thewheelchair-bound player�s home as the meetingplace for the gaming sessions. If forced tochoose between the blind player�s and physi-cally impaired player�s home (an unlikely situa-tion, perhaps), I would rather play at thewheelchair-bound player�s place; walkways willbe well laid out because of the wheelchair, andthe blind person should easily adapt to the newplace.

Probably the most difficult person to accom-odate is the physically impaired individual whois unable to use speech or sign language tocommunicate with the rest of the group. In thisinstance, a communication board or possibly anartificial voice is required. In any event, these

98 MAY 1989

prosthetic communication devices show a widerange of sophistication and technology, rangingfrom homemade communication books contain-ing commonly used words, phrases, or pictures,to voice-activated switches connected to lightboards, where a light indicates the desired item,to computer-aided technology. In order for adisabled person to make use of most of thesesystems, a thorough understanding of the gameto be played is required. The GM can thendevise a queuing system that would allow thedisabled person to participate. It is difficult tobe more specific due to the variety of communi-cation devices available, though I have come upwith ways to allow people to play TSR�sDUNGEONS & DRAGONS, FASA�s BATTLE-TECH� and STAR TREK®, Steve Jackson Games�CAR WARS® and GURPS®, and Bard Games�TALISLANTA games by making relatively simplebut time-consuming modifications to existingcommunication systems.

Having dealt with the mechanics of enablingpeople with a variety of disabilities to play role-playing games, we come to the hard part � thesuccessful integration of the atypical player intoa group of �normal� gamers. With a blind,verbal/hearing impaired, or verbal/physicalimpaired player, integration is relatively easybecause of the new player�s ability to use lan-guage in a familiar manner when interactingwith the other players. Of course, some modifi-cations may be necessary, as in the case of aphysically impaired person who wants to do hisown dice rolling, for example. I have found itmore difficult to have signing people join thegroup because of the need for an interpreter,and some people have felt uncomfortablebecause of not being unable to understand what

is being said or signed � definitely a danger ifone�s character is being plotted against! Also, asmentioned earlier, signing might slow the gamesomewhat, especially if an interpreter is needed.The most difficult situation is having a nonver-bal quadriplegic join the group because of theslowness of communication and the discomfortmany people feel when being in the presence ofsomeone so obviously impaired.

When preparing a group of naive players for -the addition of a handicapped gamer, it is important to explain beforehand, as much as possible,the changes and adjustments that will have to

be made and why, and to validate the players�feelings, to let them know that it is okay to feeluncomfortable for a while when adjusting to thenew player. I also encourage the group to askthe newcomer any questions they might have �they will not offend the new player, and if thequestion is too personal, it can always berefused. It never hurts to ask.

Personal experience has shown that it ispossible, although occasionally difficult, to haveatypical players become successful, positiveadditions to the group. All it takes is some time,forethought, and patience on the parts of all of

the people involved. Never make the assumptionthat physical inability means mental inability aswell.

Bob HempelPullman WA

I was dismayed to find that the AD&D Orien-tal Adventures tome allowed only humans to bemulticlassed. This restriction is acceptable forspirit folk and korobokuru, but hengeyokaicannot rise particularly high in level in anythingand should be allowed to be multiclassed. Thispractice creates characters of greater interestand variety. Consider the following:

Shukenja/wu jen: This multiclass gives thehengeyokai a broad range of spells. He mustavoid killing and has to be chaotic good. Allminimum scores and all restrictions regardingcodes of conduct must be met. Hit points aregood on the average.

Kensai/shukenja: This gives the hengeyokaispells in addition to good fighting abilities.However, the fighting abilities must only beused in self defense. A kensai/shukenja gainsone-half normal experience points for killingand one-quarter experience points if his special-ized weapon isn�t used. The enhanced fightingabilities will probably be employed to subdue.The character must be lawful good; if hebecomes a bushi, the shukenja class will be lost.

Armor and weapons for the above multi-classes may be employed freely, and experienceis split evenly between the two classes. Again,these multiclasses apply only to hengeyokai.

P. JonesHanwell, London, England

100 MAY 1989

1 0 2 M A Y 1 9 8 9

DRAGON 103

104 MAY 1989