Issue #167Vol.XV,No. 10

March 1991

PublisherJames M. Ward

EditorRoger E. Moore

Fiction editorBarbara G. Young

Assistant editorDale A. Donovan

Art directorLarry W. Smith

Production staffGaye O�Keefe Angelika Lokotz

Tracey Zamagne

SubscriptionsJanet L. Winters

U.S. advertisingRoseann Schnering

U.K. correspondentand U.K. advertisingBronwen Livermore

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SP E C I A L A T T R A C T I O N S

The wilderness awaits you. . . .A collection of wild animals-and even wilder plants.

See the Pomarj- and Die! � Joseph BlochA typically dangerous wilderness in the GREYHAWK® campaign.

Back to the Age of Mammals � David HoweryThe largest mammalian land carnivore of all time is back (and fantasyheroes are its prey).

The Ecology of the Su-Monster � Matthew SchuttMost call it a myth. Some call it a nightmare.

The Dragon�s Bestiary � Gregg ChamberlainBlood-drinking flowers, sword grass, and man-eating plants.

OT H E R F E A T U R E S

Curses Are Divine � Mark KeavneyWhat can an angry deity do to your character? Anything he wants!

Arcane Lore � Jeffrey PettengillNecromancy is a dead art, but these spells will bring it to life again.

The Voyage of the Princess Ark � Bruce A. HeardThe admiral meets the soul of his ship (and the ship�s worst enemies).

The Role of Computers � Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk LesserWant to play only the best computer games? Here they are!

Dragon�s Blood � fiction by Bryan HaughtAn alchemist can always use more dragon�s blood.

�Just give me money!� � Peter TruemanNow make change in kopeks, gulden, sovereigns, and sequins.

Milestones & Free Miles � Jean RabeHow would you like to visit England? Read on and find out!

The MARVEL®-Phile � Steven E. SchendSpider-foes are everywhere-and now they�re across the Atlantic!

Lords of the Warring States � Thomas M. KaneFive intriguing characters for your Oriental AD&D® campaign.

The Game Wizards � Ed GreenwoodJust how big can a dungeon be? Visit Undermountain and find out.

The Role of Books � John C. BunnellSome dragons sit on their piles of gold, but some invest them.

Through the Looking Glass � Robert BigelowThe Star Wars rebels receive reinforcements.

D E P A R T M E N T S

5 Letters 56 Sage Advice 94 Dragonmirth6 Editorial 74 Forum 96 Twilight Empire

34 TSR Previews 82 Convention Calendar 100 Gamers Guide

COVERThis month, our cover artist, Fred Fields, takes a sharp look at ecology. Our treant

has obviously decided that his forest has one too many axe-wielding barbarians, andit has decided to take matters into its own, um, limbs.

4 MARCH 1991

What did you think of this issue? Do you have aquestion 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, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147,U.S.A. In Europe, write to: Letters, DRAGONMagazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, CherryHinton, Cambridge CBl 3LD, United Kingdom.

Chain mail mailDear Dragon,

This is in response to the person who wrote to�Sage Advice� [about chain and scale mail] inissue #162, page 32:

Scale mail in general, and metallic scale inparticular, was quite frequently cursed by thesoldiers who had to wear it. Without mentioningits discomfort, it was a less useful armor thanchain. Its plates were frequently cracked apart orcut away entirely after facing troops with �com-mon� weapons. May the gods help the wearers ifthey had to face �bearded� or �noble� weaponsthe next day. (�Common� weapons were of iron;�bearded� weapons each had a steel edge weldedto the cutting surface, making it extremelydeadly; �noble� weapons were made with goodsteel and excellent craftsmanship.)

The chain-mailed warrior, while possiblybruised and sore, could look forward to the nextday�s battle confidently, at least in regards to hisarmor. It took about five minutes to hammer in areplacement rivet, if someone held your armor.Chain mail was, historically, the most affordable(in more ways than one) �common� armor. Steelwas extremely difficult for our ancestors to workwith on a bulk scale (they didn�t have dwarves,gnomes, and elves to help them).

A few other books that people could look intoare: the Osprey Men-At-Arms series; Froissant�sChronicles, and A Distant Mirror, by Barbara W.Tuchman.

Also, here is a free piece of advice from threeDMs. It�s fairly simple, but it is one that the�Sage� cannot and will not give because he�s agentleperson: �If you cannot be civil, be quiet.�

Dave, Jon, & David TimmonsPhiladelphia PA

Skip Williams, our �Sage,� had this response:After quickly reviewing my own sources, I

discovered that our scale-mail enthusiast [inissue #162] has me on one count. There areplenty of examples of soldered chain mail pre-served in museums and collections�I over-looked this in my haste to get the column readyfor publication.

The various Osprey Men at Arms books areexcellent introductory sources; I own quite afew of them myself, They are easy to read, andthe excellent color plates really help you get afeel for the subject matter. But they are far fromdefinitive works, so don�t count on them to backyou up in a argument with someone who knowswhat he�s talking about. A Distant Mirror is ageneral history of 14th-century Europe, not awork on medieval weapons. It is well worth

reading, however, and is available in paperbackfrom Ballantine Books.

Propriety demands that I limit my commentson your closing remarks to the following: I�veheard various epithets applied to me over theyears, but seldom �gentleman.� Of course, youare referring to �The Sage,� who is a fictionalcharacter created by my editor and me. TheSage becomes a bit more genteel after my editor(who really is a fine fellow despite what I said inissue #156) finishes tinkering with my prose.

In the darkDear Dragon,

I am writing in regard to the editorial in issue#164. The quote, �Character is what you are in thedark,� was originally said by Dwight L. Moody.

Sean BurdPt. Pleasant NJ

We�ll take your word for it, but that does leaveus with one question: Who is Dwight L. Moody?

I�ve an idea....Dear Dragon,

I have an idea for a product that I believe TSRwould perhaps be interested in. Assuming youtake ideas from free-lancers, how would I goabout proposing my idea and protecting it at thesame time? I would tell you my idea now in thisletter, but I�m afraid someone may steal it.

This is the first time I have done anything ofthis nature, so any advice you may have wouldbe appreciated. I think this idea I have is apretty good one, and it could become a verypopular item. It is not a new game system oranything that grand. It is a simple aid for RPGs.

Name and address withheldat writer�s request

Our publisher, James M. Ward, has a fewwords of advice for everyone out there who isinterested in submitting a game design, role-playing adventure, or the like to TSR, Inc. (thisadvice does not apply to the submission ofmaterials to DRAGON Magazine or DUNGEON®Adventures; our writers� guidelines cover ourown submissions requirements, which differfrom those of TSR�s Games division):

If you have a card game or board game,submit a one-page letter (with an SASE) brieflydescribing your game to: Game Proposals, c/oMike Martin, Vice President of Product, TSR,Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147,U.S.A. You should have a working prototype ofyour game prepared, but do not send that withyour cover letter.

TSR is not interested in seeing designs fornew role-playing settings, particularly newfantasy game worlds, as the TSR staff designs allof those. TSR also has its own pool of free-lancewriters who design some of the role-playing

Continued on page 60

DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is publishedmonthly by TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756 (201 SheridanSprings Road), Lake Geneva WI 53147, United States ofAmerica. The postal address for all materials from theUnited States and Canada except subscription orders is:DRAGON Magazine, P.O. Box 111 (201 Sheridan SpringsRoad), Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.; telephone: (414)248-3825. 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: 818781; fax: (0223) 248066(U.K.), 44-223-248066 (international).

Distribution: DRAGON Magazine is available fromgame 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.

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DRAGON 5

I met Marc twelve years ago at anAD&D® game in Mannheim, Germany.One of a group of gamers from an Armyarmored cavalry unit, Marc was a sandy-haired guy with a mustache, a dry senseof humor, and an enormous collection ofminiatures. He could quote whole sectionsof the Harvard Lampoon�s Bored of theRings parody from memory. Marc (knownas �Marac the Mad� to some) also designeda game world in which the monsters wereso awful that the local cities put up thehighest walls that they could build, and noone ever left town. Our adventurers wentthere and happened to pass by a lake justas a 10�-diameter eyeball on a stalk brokethe water�s surface. We, who gleefullyattacked liches and greater demons, imme-diately ran away.

Shield against the storm

Marc and some of my other Army bud-dies elected to stay in the service when Ileft it, almost a decade ago. Lately I findmyself thinking a lot about Marc. He andhis unit left for Saudi Arabia weeks ago.Postcards he sent before the war startedtold of the boring life there, though hewas apparently lucky enough to find agroup that played FASA�s BATTLETECH*and Task Force Games� STAR FLEET BATTLES* games. The mail has slowed greatlysince then, but I would guess that Maracthe Mad is still commanding space fleetsand quoting wonderfully bad poetry some-where out in the desert, thousands ofmiles from home.

Given that there are far over half amillion American, British, Canadian, and

other Allied servicemembers in the Per-sian Gulf at present, many of you readingthis probably have gaming buddies who,like Marc, were suddenly called away,leaving vacant spots in your Friday nightget-togethers. Your gaming groups go on,but you are probably very aware of themissing characters, the missing faces, themissing laughter.

6 MARCH 1991

You aren�t the only one who misses thegood old days. Your missing gamer is prob-ably thinking about you and everyone elsein your gaming group, right now.

And you can do something about it.1. Write. Write a letter or mail a post-

card. Your gaming buddy is alive and welland desperate to hear from you. Thinkabout what he or she has to look forwardto instead of reading your letter�thenwrite.

When you write, be honest but upbeat.Talk about how everyone is doing andwhat your nongaming life is like, andthink of funny things that happened re-cently. Clip out interesting or bizarrearticles from newspapers and magazines.Take a few instant photos of yourself andother gamers. Talk about the game cam-paign, to�all of the amusing things thathappened recently, like the five orc raidsin one day, the new measure Tax, and thedragon that ate Bill�s paladin (his thirdcharacter to meet that fate). Don�t dwelltoo long on your real-world problems.Your gaming buddy in the Persian Gulfmight have an especially large set of per-sonal problems right now; don�t add to it.

2. Write some more. Once every sooften, when mailing restrictions permit,prepare a �gamer�s CARE package� withsome paperback books, trinkets, andsnack foods: nonmelting cookies, crackers,easily opened canned foods, and so on.Contact your local post office for mailingrestrictions on items sent to the PersianGulf; many packages are checked for itemsforbidden by Islamic religious law, such aspork, strictly political or religious materi-als, alcohol, and scantily clad men andwomen (I know it�s tempting, but don�t tryit; trying to beat the customs people willjust delay your package).

If you think a letter is welcome to asoldier in wartime who has seen no mailfor weeks, think of the impact that a pack-age will make. Then put your packagetogether and mail it.

3. Keep writing. If you write justonce to your gaming buddy, that�s fine�atleast he or she knows that you�re alive. Butyour buddy will then go for weeks andweeks and weeks with no other word, andit will become obvious to him or her thatthe missing gamer is now a forgottengamer, one who will get only lip serviceinstead of real thought and care.

Make it a habit with every weekly gamesession to write some notes on a postcardor letter, something from everyone, andmail it off. Put down the funniest out-of-context sayings made in the group, the

most horrible mistakes and the greatesttriumphs, the DM�s nastiest adventures.Think of something different�a silly card,a group photograph, a cassette tape, asynopsis of the game campaign so far,anything out of the ordinary.

It is important to remember that yourmissing gamer might not have the time oropportunity to write back, and mail delaysseem to only get worse. Don�t let the lackof a response stop you. Your missinggamer is far from home and is involved ina war; he or she might be very tired, verybusy, or both. Give your gaming buddy abreak and keep writing.

4. Wait and hope. It could be a longtime before your missing gamer shows upagain. When he or she does come home,be there and give out the best welcomeyou can give. Throw a party. Take yourgamer to a nice restaurant. Get yourgamer worked back into the fabric of day-to-day life once again.

5. Help others, too. Even if you don�tknow anyone at all in Operation DesertStorm, write anyway. Letters, postcards,and packages sent to the following addresswill be randomly divided among land-based members of the United States Army,Air Force, and Marines:

Any ServicememberOperation Desert StormAPO New York 09848-0006

Mail sent to the next address will be ran-domly sorted to ship-based members ofthe United States Navy and Marines:

Any ServicememberOperation Desert StormFPO New York 09866-0006

If you want to write to someone in theBritish military, send your cards and let-ters to:

Soldier, Sailor, or Airmanin the Persian Gulf

BFPO 3000c/o BFPO LondonGREAT BRITAIN

To write to members of the CanadianArmed Forces, use this address:

Any ServicememberOperation Desert StormCFPO 5004Belleville, OntarioCANADA KOK 3R0

I wrote this column for Marac the Mad.Now it�s your turn to write.

DRAGON 7

[The following article is an unofficialdescription of a wilderness portion of theWORLD OF GREYHAWK® campaign. It ispresented to show the level of backgrounddetail that an AD&D® game DungeonMaster can add to an established campaignsetting.]

The Pomarj is famous in the lore of thecentral Flanaess as a nest of humanoids,giants, and other fell creatures. However,few people have made a serious study ofthe lands known as the Chaos Fields andthe Hills of Horror. Far from being merelya reservation for a number of humanoidtribes (refugees from the Hateful Wars of498-510 CY), the Pomarj is a living andbreathing�though not exactly thriving�region in its own right.

The WORLD OF GREYHAWK® setting�s havenfor humanoids�and heroes

by Joseph Bloch

10 MARCH 1991

HistoryFew humans remember the time when

the Pomarj was free from the yoke ofhumanoid domination. Even few of theShort Races (dwarves, halflings, andgnomes) can remember the day when itwas under the suzerainty of the Prince ofUlek. But it has been all these things andmore.

The region known today as the Pomarjwas first settled about 1,100 years ago byOeridian tribes, fleeing eastward from thegreat wars in the West. Several smallvillages were founded then, the inhabit-ants having to fight off indigenous troll,goblin, and barbarian inhabitants. By thetime the Suel migrants had arrived, theregion had been well stabilized, and theraids of the fell creatures beyond thewooden palisades of the Oeridians wereinfrequent at best. The arrival of the Sueltribes was neither welcomed nor despised,and the two groups eventually mergedinto the stock found throughout the cen-tral Flanaess today.

The area prospered under the rule ofpetty lords for two centuries. Dwarvesand gnomes then entered this region,creating the first mines in the Drachens-grab Hills to remove the precious stonesthat lay beneath them. In 350 CY, thewhole region was absorbed into the Em-pire of Keoland and set up as a march ofits own (the Poor March, a title that waseventually shortened to the �Pomarj�). Theregion was called the Poor March becauseof its distance from Niole Dra, which wasthen considered the center of learning andculture in the western Flanaess, fromwhence all intellectual wealth flowed.

This situation lasted for a little morethan 110 years, with the three great townsof the Pomarj being founded during thetime of Keolandish hegemony: Highport,Blue, and Stoneheim. All three came intobeing as a result of the near-obsessivebuilding programs of the Keolandish kings.

With the allegiance of the demihumanrealms of Ulek, the Pomarj was wrestedaway from the domination of Keoland.Due to the great numbers of dwarves andgnomes already at work in the region, thenewly crowned prince of Ulek took pos-session of the lands, not as absolute mon-arch but as protector. Again, the wealthflowed from the mines of the Drachens-grab Hills, invigorating the economy andstuffing the coffers of the prince.

Greed is often an overwhelming factorin human behavior, however, and so ispride. The human inhabitants of the Po-marj began to resent the growing powerand wealth of their dwarven lords, even ifthey themselves were better off than everbefore. The minor human nobles of thearea met in secret conclaves, led by theevil mage Count Veja, an outcast from thecourt of the Overking in Rauxes. Thecount was the driving force behind therevolt that ousted the dwarvish lords fromtheir strongholds in the Pomarj.

The prince of Ulek bore the new human

lords of the Pomarj no ill will. Indeed, hehad been toying with the idea of givingaway a piece of the Pomarj to his cousin,the lord of the Iron Hills. The prince saw acollection of petty human states on hiseastern border as an excellent compro-mise: They were too proud to band to-gether, and individually they could notthreaten his position. The arrangementseemed to benefit all concerned.

But Count Veja was not satisfied. Havingwrangled for himself the title of Overlordof Highport, the count was determined toconquer the rest of the Pomarj for himself(it was only by sheer chance that he hadnot done so immediately, thanks to the biteof a venomous snake on the day after thedwarves were driven out). He began toamass an army of mercenaries and hu-manoids from the Suss Forest, and itseemed that nothing could stand in hisway. But on the night before the attackwas scheduled to begin, the count died. Itseems that his legendary vigor and youth-ful visage was no accident. The count hadbeen imbibing potions of longevity formany decades, and the last one had caughtup with him. He aged many decades in thespan of a few minutes, and that was theend of him. No one in Highport possessedas strong a will as the count�s, and controlof the town passed to the Guild of Mer-chants. The possibility of a Kingdom of thePomarj passed away with Count Veja.

The lands of the Pomarj prospered for10 years under the rule of the petty hu-man lords. The gold and gems of the Dra-chensgrab Hills filled the pockets of thecommoners and the coffers of the nobles,and everyone (except the dwarves) washappy. Indeed, more gold and gems wereunearthed during this 10-year span thanhad been uncovered for the Prince of Ulekin twice that time.

Ironically, it was this wealth that hadallowed the prince to organize the highlysuccessful campaign to oust the maraud-ing humanoid tribes from the LortmilMountains. A vast number of fell beingsdwelled among and beneath the Lortmils,and they were no end of trouble to theUlek states, Celene, the gnomes of theKron Hills, and even Veluna. Each of thesestates participated in the campaigns,which lasted from 498 to 510 CY andfinally succeeded in their goal. The hu-manoid tribes that had infested the Lort-mil Mountains were gone forever.

However, these humanoid tribes werenot destroyed. The wiser tribal leaders,seeing the inevitable outcome of facing thecombined might of so many foes, fledsoutheastward into the Suss Forest. Soonthey traversed its length, emerging intothe arid hills of the Pomarj. The fiercehumanoid tribes, having been temperedinto fine fighters by the Hateful Wars thatdrove them from their mountain nests,swept down upon the now-complacentinhabitants of the area.

The carnage was terrible. Thousandsupon thousands of humanoids came down

out of the forest, laying waste to dozens ofvillages and mining communities. Dwarvesand gnomes were put to the sword, andvast numbers of human slaves were taken.Within a month, it was over. The human-oids had firmly entrenched themselves inthe Pomarj.

Even the three great ports of the regionwere seized, but in each case it wastreachery rather than force of arms orcunning siegecraft that won the day. Eachtown was besieged for several days, withfierce fighting right at the outset of thesiege. Then the humans were set uponfrom an unexpected direction: the sea.Kopoacinths and aquatic ogres aided theirair-breathing cousins and fell on the hu-mans, opening the gates of the city in theprocess. None of the towns stood achance, and much havoc was wrought.

The Prince of Ulek sought to relieve thePomarj, to destroy once and for all thehumanoid tribes that had caused him somuch grief over the years. A rather largeexpeditionary force was sent over theJewel River, but it was turned back withheavy losses before it even entered thehighlands. The Pomarj belonged to thehumanoids from then on.

The Pomarj todayThere has been much reconstruction

since the humanoid invasion more than 60years ago, mostly in the rebuilding offortresses and castles throughout theregion. Even the three cities are returnedto a fairly normal status; commerce takesplace, ships sail to and from their harbors,and people walk the streets. But every-where are the oppressive visages of theorc, hobgoblin, and gnoll occupationforces.

Many humans of evil bent have flockedto the Pomarj, seeing there the opportu-nity not only to wreak mischief but also tograb power. Under the control of so manydifferent humanoid tribes, the Pomarj ismore fragmented than it ever has beenbefore, and many an evil wizard or lordhas traveled there to make a home.

The humanoid tribesThe principle inhabitants of the Pomarj

today are the humanoid tribes that camedown from the Lortmils and conqueredthe region. The majority of these human-oids are either orcs or goblins, but thereare many hobgoblin, gnoll, and koboldgroups as well. These tribes can be dividedinto two major types.

The first type of humanoid tribe foundin the Pomarj are those major tribes witha permanent base. More often than not,these bases are former dwarven mines orstrongholds, sometimes expanded by theirnew inhabitants. These tribes are two tothree times as large as those described inthe Monstrous Compendium. They areoften led either by a powerful warlord(half-orcs, half-ogres, and orogs are mostoften in this role in orcish tribes) or by apowerful shaman or witch doctor.

DRAGON 11

Tribal nameBlack TongueBleeding MoonBloody AxeBluebottleBlue EyeCracked SkullCrooked ClawDead RatDripping EyeFell IchorFlaming SkullGreen MeatHill BeaterJagged BladeMeat EaterOchre ToothPurple SquidPuss DripperRed FangRed NailsRotting KrakenSaltburnerShadowdoomVictoriousVile EpithetWicked EyeWolfbrotherWormridden Tree

Race Warriors* Location**GnollsGnollsGnollsHobgoblinsGnollsOrcsOrcsKoboldsHobgoblinsKoboldsOrcsKoboldsGoblinsOrcsHobgoblinsKoboldsHobgoblinsHobgoblinsOrcsGnollsHobgoblinsOrcsOrcsFlindsGnollsGoblinsGoblinsGoblins

600850700500900800700650700800900350850750550600700750950800700500250800650400700600

D4-104F4-104V3-100V3-102B4-103C4-104Z3-102Y3-103E4-104Y3-102E4-103A4-102A4-102B4-104C4-104U3-104W3-104C4-103Z3-104W3-104X3-101V3-100V3-103A4-10323-102B4-103W3-102F4-103

* The figure for the number of warriors does not include females or young, whichconstitute an additional 100% and 150% of the number of warriors, respectively.* * Coordinates refer to the maps in the WORLD OF GREYHAWK setting folder set.

Minor Humanoid Tribes of thePomarj

As noted in the text, each tribe has 10-100 warriors. See the first footnote inTable 1 regarding females and young.

NumberRace of TribesFlinds 20Gnolls 40Goblins 80Hobgoblins 35Kobolds 7 0Orcs 5 0

12 MARCH 1991

Several tribes are led by evil humans ordemihumans, but these are exceptions.Twenty-eight of these major tribes ofvarious races are scattered around thePomarj (see Table 1).

The second type of tribe are lessertribes, having 10-100 members withoutpermanent homes. They are seminomadic,settling down in one spot for a few years,then moving on for various reasons. Thesetribes make their homes in either aban-doned dwarvish tunnel complexes or inshabby surface villages, surrounded bywooden palisades and ditches. Theselesser tribes are often led by humanoidwarriors or evil humans or demihumans.Many of these tribes pay tribute, includingslaves and precious items, to the morepowerful ones (see Table 2).

The Slave LordsThere is a third power group, aside

from the cities and humanoid tribes, oper-ating in the Pomarj. This is the group ofevildoers known as the Slave Lords, whooperate from the secret city of Suderham(found in hex A4-104 on the WORLD OFGREYHAWK setting map). Detailed infor-mation concerning the Slave Lords andtheir operatives can be found in AD&Dmodules A1-4 (collected as the large mod-

el A-4 Scourge of the Slave Lords).However, their more generalgoals and tactics regarding

the Pomarj are not covered in thosem o d u l e s .

The Slave Lords operate with the even-tual goal of establishing a kingdom in thecentral Flanaess, with themselves as itsrulers. Their plan is essentially threefold.The first stage involves spreading fear andterror throughout the Wild Coast region,eliminating high-powered opposition andestablishing a reputation among the peoplethere. They are currently operating in thisstage and are about to proceed to the next,having created a large base of wealththrough their slaving operations.

The second stage is the conquest of thePomarj, or at least establishing some sortof hegemony over it. While they realizethe difficulty of bringing all of the human-oid tribes in the region under one banner,they are confident. Through the use ofguile and magic, rather than force ofarms, they have already secretly brought many humanoid leaders into their fold.Fully one-third of the tribes of the Pomarjare secretly under the thrall of or are

allied to the Slave Lords.Lastly, the Slave Lords seek to subjugate

the whole of the region east of the Lort-mils, starting with an invasion of the WildCoast by their humanoid hosts. After thefall of Celene (which, they realize, will be amost difficult campaign), they anticipateseizing the City of Greyhawk as their

capital. Needless to say, these plans are farin the future and will probably not beginfor another few years, until the Pomarj iscompletely under their control.

The sleeperAccording to A Guide to the WORLD OF

GREYHAWK Fantasy Setting, page 49, theDrachensgrab hills are rumored to �hidethe resting place of one or more powerfulcreatures who may someday return tolife.� This is indeed true.

Hidden in the sandy hills of the Pomarjlies the resting place of Krovis, a quasi-deity. Krovis has been resting in a hiddencrypt for almost 2,000 years, awaiting-thetime, foretold in several ancient Flan leg-ends, when his presence is once morerequired in the Flanaess. Krovis is close tothe deity Trithereon (�The Summoner�),and it is his purpose to prevent the domi-nation of any goodly portion of the Fla-naess by a single individual or state.Krovis�s avatar has, in the past, emergedfrom his crypt to bring down severalempires that dominated the central re-gions of the Flanaess, including the domin-ions of the Isles of Woe and the Empire ofLum the Mad (both of which occurredmore than 1,000 years ago). There arewhispers from those sages that know ofhis existence (not many do) that the cur-rent machinations of the Great Kingdomand certain of the Princes of the Abysscould potentially awaken Krovis from hissleep.

Krovis�s Avatar (Quasi-Deity)

ARMOR CLASS: -4MOVE: 14HIT POINTS: 98NO. OF ATTACKS: 3DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon typeSPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 40%SIZE: M (6�2� tall)ALIGNMENT: NeutralWORSHIPER�S ALIGNMENT: Any (but few

recognize and worship him)SYMBOL: NonePLANE: Prime Material (the Flanaess of

Oerth)PRIEST: NilWARRIOR: 15th-level rangerMAGE: 20th-level illusionistROGUE: 7th-level thief/4th-level bardS 15 D 17 C 18I 17 W 20 Ch 25

Krovis is of pure Flan stock (bronze skin,brown eyes, curly brown hair) and isknown as a master military strategist aswell as a skilled negotiator. His efforts inthese matters will almost always be usedtoward the downfall of some empire orwhatever else threatens to dominate theFlanaess.

Krovis lives in a secret crypt somewherebeneath the Drachensgrab Hills, magicallyhidden from detection, and his avataremerges only to prevent the conquest ofthe Flanaess by some group. His magicresistance (40%) applies equally to allspells cast upon him, whatever their level.

In addition, Krovis is immune to allenchantment/charm spells.

Whenever Krovis�s avatar awakens fromhis sleep, he immediately sets about rais-ing an army, collecting high-level charac-ters to serve as lieutenants, etc. He isusually equipped with a bastard sword+5, a suit of bronze plate mail +3, and a

variety of miscellaneous magical items,including such items as are useful in fight-ing large battles, in scrying, or in negotiat-ing. He rarely fights himself, except whenit necessary to complete his often ratherintricate and complex plans. Krovis� trade-mark is careful planning rather than off-the-cuff improvisation (despite hisalignment, which applies more to hislarge-scale interpretation of the multiversethan to his short-term actions).

Krovis� disposition is usually somber andgrim, and he is often seen brooding atoplonely castle walls during the night whenfighting a campaign. It is only after the foeis conquered that he is jovial, but thenonly for a short time. He returns to hissecret crypt 1-4 months after the success-ful conclusion of his campaign.

Adventuring in the PomarjThere is much opportunity for adventur-

ing in the Pomarj. Operating from bases ineither the Principality of Ulek, Celene, orthe southern Wild Coast region, a party ofadventurers could make repeated foraysinto the Pomarj. It is even possible for aparty to establish a secret base in eitherHighport, Blue, or Stoneheim.

The Pomarj presents an ideal situationfor the DM. The place is riddled with olddwarven mines and towns, now inhabitedby humanoids and monsters. Providing theplayers with a series of ancient dwarventexts, giving the locations of some of thesecities, is an excellent way to keep your PCs(and your players) occupied. The Pomarjprovides an excellent locale for humanoidbashing.

Also, don�t forget the Slave Lords. DMswith access to the AD&D Slave Lordsmodules can expand them and turn theminto a campaign lasting years. Rather thantaking the direct route and wiping out theSlave Lords (which shouldn�t be easy), youcan have the party counter the ambitionsof the Slave Lords over a long period oftime, eventually leading up to a climacticbattle, possibly involving the AD&DBATTLESYSTEM� game.

With just a little bit of added detail, thePomarj becomes a vibrant center of activ-ity in the WORLD OF GREYHAWK cam-paign and serves as the center of an entirecampaign. It has the welcome feature ofhaving a logical reason for its concentra-tion of humanoids and monsters, as wellas a large number, of ancient dwarvenruins. What more could a DM ask for?

DRAGON 13

Giant warthogs and dwarf elephants in the scenic Cenozoic

by David Howery

The years between the extinction of thedinosaurs and the rise of human civiliza-tion are called the Cenozoic era, or theAge of Mammals. As the reptiles vanished,mammals expanded rapidly to occupy thevacant niches in the ecology. Cattle, ante-lope, and horses replaced the herbivorousduckbills, sauropods, and horned dino-saurs. Bears, cats, and dogs preyed on thenew herbivores, since the carnivorousdinosaurs had died out. Whales, seals, anddolphins took to the seas to replace themosasaurs and plesiosaurs. Only in the airdid the mammals lose out, as birds largelyreplaced the pterosaurs.

The mammals� greatest asset is theirflexibility. In time, they went far beyondthe reptiles� capabilities and entered newenvironments, such as the high mountainsand polar regions. Compared to dinosaursand related creatures, mammals developeda variety of new forms very quickly.

The Cenozoic era was also the age ofmammalian giants. Almost every family ofland mammals existing today had giantrelatives in the past. There were hugeversions of bears, lions, wolves, hyenas,kangaroos, beavers, apes, horses, hippos,rhinos, tapirs, deer, swine, and even dor-mice. After the last Ice Age, these giantsvanished suddenly and in huge numbers.The cause of this mass extinction is just asmysterious as that of the dinosaurs earlier,but the result was not as devastating;mammals are still on top today.

This article supplements an earlier one,�Into the Age of Mammals� (DRAGON®issue #137), with descriptions of ancientanimals that can be used in AD&D®games. The creatures from both articlescan be used in a prehistoric campaign,time-traveling adventures, or the normalcampaign world. Additional statistics forprehistoric mammals and birds appear inthe Monstrous Compendium under �Boar,��Cats, Great,� �Elephant,� �Hyena,� �Pleisto-cene Animals� (in MC3, FORGOTTEN

REALMS� Appendix), and �Wolf.�Unless noted otherwise, all the animals

described in this article have the followingcommon statistics:

ACTIVITY CYCLE: DayINTELLIGENCE: AnimalTREASURE: NilALIGNMENT: NeutralSPECIAL ATTACKS: NilSPECIAL DEFENSES: NilMAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil

Scientific names can be clumsy to pro-nounce or might sound too modern foruse in AD&D games. Alternate nameshave been given to each creature herein,as laymen in fantasy worlds might namethem due to their appearance.

The Cenozoic era began65 million years ago.It is divided intoseven periods or epochs.From earliest to latest,

Artwork by Jim Holloway

DRAGON 15

they are: Paleocene, Eocene, Oligocene,Miocene, Pliocene, Pleistocene, and Holo-cene (Recent). The Pleistocene is noted forits Ice Age and the rise of early man.

It is not totally farfetched to includeCenozoic creatures in a medieval world.Some of these creatures survived into thehistorical world, where we barely missedseeing them. The moas, a species of giantflightless birds, survived in New Zealanduntil the late 1700s. Another giant, theelephant bird, may have lived into the1600s on Madagascar. Sivatherium (see�Into the Age of Mammals�) died out in theMiddle East at the beginning of civiliza-tion. The giant hippopotamus died out inEgypt at the beginning of that culture.Cuvieronius, a spiral-tusked mastodontthat was the last of the American ele-phants, vanished around A.D. 400 in Ar-gentina. The huge cave lion, the largestfeline ever, died out in the Balkans around100 B.C. The dire wolf, cave bear, groundsloth, and Irish deer all survived the endof the Ice Age, but died out soon there-after, some only a few thousand years ago.

Agriotherium(savannah bear)

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: SavannahFREQUENCY: UncommonORGANIZATION: SolitaryDIET: OmnivoreNO. APPEARING: 1-2ARMOR CLASS: 6MOVEMENT: 15HIT DICE: 8THAC0: 13NO. OF ATTACKS: 3DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1-10/1-10/1-10 SPECIAL ATTACKS: HugSIZE: L (10� high)MORALE: Average (8-10)XP VALUE: 2,000

Although bears do not now live in Af-rica, Agriotherium roamed the southernAfrican plains of the Pleistocene. Paleon-tologists are not sure how it got there; noother bear fossils have been found else-where south of the Sahara. Agriotheriumwas a huge, primitive bear, slightly smallerthan the cave bear, with a doglike head.

Combat: Like other bears, Agriothe-rium strikes with two paws and a bite. Ifeither paw hits with an 18 or better, it alsohugs for 3-18 hp damage. It fights for 2-5rounds at 0 to -10 hp, but dies instantlyfrom greater damage.

Habitat/Society: All bears are solitary,pairing briefly only to mate. The motherraises the cubs alone. Agriotherium doesnot hibernate, due to its warm climate.Being at the top of the food chain andhaving no natural enemies, this bear canbring down large game that is sick orwounded, but it usually feeds on plantsand small animals.

16 MARCH 1991

Amphicyon(bear dog)

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate plainsFREQUENCY: UncommonORGANIZATION: SolitaryDIET: OmnivoreNO. APPEARING: 1-2ARMOR CLASS: 6MOVEMENT: 15HIT DICE: 7+7THAC0: 13NO. OF ATTACKS: 3DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 2-8/2-8/1-8SIZE: M (6½ � long)MORALE: Average (8-10)XP VALUE: 650

Amphicyon giganteus was the largest ofan early group of carnivores. It looked likea bear with a wolfish muzzle and caninetail.

Combat: Amphicyon is much like abear in combat, striking with two pawsand a bite (but no hug).

Habitat/Society: The bear dog is soli-tary and lives much like a grizzly bear. Itfeeds heavily on roots, wild fruit, andsmall animals. Unlike bears, however, itregularly attacks larger game, strikingfrom ambush. Its prey includes the ti-tanothere and hornless rhinoceros. Am-phicyon is at the top of the food chain,having no natural enemies.

Anancus(pike-tusked elephant)

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate forestFREQUENCY: CommonORGANIZATION: HerdDIET: HerbivoreNO. APPEARING: 2-20ARMOR CLASS: 6MOVEMENT: 15HIT DICE: 10+5THAC0: 9NO. OF ATTACKS: 4DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 3-18/3-18/2-12/2-12SIZE: L (10� high)MORALE: Unsteady (7)XP VALUE: 2,000

Anancus was an elephant adapted towoodland life. It had small ears, a smalltrunk, and two tremendously long (10�)and straight tusks, almost as long as theanimals body, that extended straight outin front of its mouth. Each tusk is worth200-800 gp.

Combat: Anancus attacks with twotusks and both front legs. However, anopponent can be attacked by one tusk orboth legs, not both tusks and legs at once.

Habitat/Society: Anancus is adapted totemperate forests, much as modern ele-phants roam open tropical forests. It feedson tree and shrub foliage. Adults have nonatural enemies except disease and treeblight (which destroys its habitat). Theyoung may fall prey to large predators.

Andrewsarchus

fatty hump. It was a grazer on Pleistoceneplains, standing taller than the mastodonsaround it. If domesticated, the giant camelcan carry up to 800 lbs. at full speed or1,600 lbs. at half speed.

Combat: The giant camel attacks with abite or two hooves, but cannot use both inone round.

Habitat/Society: Giant camels live inherds on temperate prairies, with habitssimilar to other herd animals. They tendto flee predators who come too close, butotherwise ignore them. As large her-bivores, giant camels occupy a middleniche in the food chain. The young aretaken by many carnivores, but only largecarnivores can bring down an adult.

Andrewsarchus(giant long-jawed hyena)

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate plainsFREQUENCY: RareORGANIZATION: SolitaryDIET: CarnivoreNO. APPEARING: 1-2ARMOR CLASS: 6MOVEMENT: 15HIT DICE: 9+9THAC0: 11NO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 3-18SIZE: L (13�long)MORALE: Steady (11-12)XP VALUE: 1,400

Andrewsarchus was the largest knowncarnivorous land mammal. Unrelated toany modern or past carnivore, it was moreclosely related to the animals it fed uponthan anything else. Andrewsarchus lookedvaguely like a hyena but had a huge skullnearly 3� long. Its tail appeared feline.

Combat: Andrewsarchus can attackwith its strong jaws, but prefers to feed oncarrion.

Habitat/Society: Large carnivores areusually solitary, and Andrewsarchus is noexception, pairing only once a year tomate. It is mainly a scavenger but canattack large game, including Coryphodonand Uintatherium (see �Into the Age ofMammals� for details), as well as hornlessrhinos and tapirs. This beast is at the topof the food chain, having no enemies.

BearsBears are successful carnivores of Pleis-

tocene to Recent times. Several are de-scribed in the Monstrous Compendiums,but there is one glaring error. The cavebear was the largest bear ever, while thepolar bear is much smaller. Thus, thestatistics for the cave bear and the polarbear should be switched. The Kodiakbrown bear is roughly equal to the polarbear, averaging slightly larger. The blackbear statistics are fine as is and can alsorepresent several species of tropical bears.The short-faced bear (see �Into the Age ofMammals�) is an odd-looking relative fromthe Ice Age.

Camel, giant

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate plainsFREQUENCY: CommonORGANIZATION: HerdDIET: HerbivoreNO. APPEARING: 1-20ARMOR CLASS: 6MOVEMENT: 15HIT DICE: 7THAC0: 13NO. OF ATTACKS: 1 or 2DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1-6 or 2-8/2-8SIZE: L (11� tall)MORALE: Unreliable (3)XP VALUE: 420

The giant camel looked much like mod-ern species, except that it did not have a

Elephant, dwarf

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Subtropical woodedislands

FREQUENCY: RareORGANIZATION: HerdDIET: HerbivoreNO. APPEARING: 1-20ARMOR CLASS: 6MOVEMENT: 12HIT DICE: 3THAC0: 17NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1-6/1-6SIZE: S (3�high at shoulder)MORALE: Unsteady (7)XP VALUE: 65

While giant versions of many mammalslived in the Cenozoic, this elephant wentthe opposite route. Inhabiting only isolatedwooded islands in the Mediterranean andJava, the dwarf elephant looked much likeany other elephant, just smaller.

Combat: The dwarf elephant uses onlyits tusks in combat, as it is too small to useits feet or trunk.

Habitat/Society: Dwarf elephants livein herds and browse on tree and shrubfoliage. In spite of their size, they are usedto being the largest creatures on theirisolated islands, and no large predatorsbother them. When confronted by menand other larger creatures, they prefer torun. If sold, the tusks are worth 10-100 gpeach. This elephant is the ancestor of theminimal elephants (Monstrous Compen-dium, �Mammal, Minimal�).

EucladocerosThis giant forest deer is equal to the

giant stag in the MC4 Monstrous Compen-dium, DRAGONLANCE® Appendix. How-ever, Eucladoceros has a huge antler arraywith numerous tines; its antler damage is3-18 hp damage.

DRAGON 17

Hippopotamus, giant

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Topical lakes andrivers

FREQUENCY: RareORGANIZATION: Family groupDIET: HerbivoreNO. APPEARING: 1-4ARMOR CLASS: 4MOVEMENT: 6; SW 12HIT DICE: 10 +5THAC0: 9NO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 5-20 or 4-16SPECIAL ATTACKS: SurpriseSIZE: L (12� long)MORALE: Unsteady (7)XP VALUE: 2,000 (males), 1,400 (females)

This massive animal is the direct ances-tor of the behemoth (AD&D 1st EditionMonster Manual II) but has two differ-ences, detailed below.

Combat: First, the giant hippo hassmaller tusks than the behemoth, doingonly 5-20 hp damage (4-16 for females).Second, the giant hippo has eyes that stickup above the skull like periscopes. Thus, itcan hide its entire body below the water,with only its eyes above the surface. Thisgives it a -2 modifier to surprise rollsagainst swimmers and boats.

Anancus

Habitat/Society: When a group isencountered, it will typically be one male(bull) and 1-3 females (cows). Only theyoung are subject to attack, and only bythe largest predators.

MarsupialsPouched mammals are primitive and

relatively unsuccessful, usually beingconfined to isolated lands (except for theopossum). Before modern placental mam-mals took over the world, marsupialsdeveloped into a variety of forms, somevery similar to other mammals, such aslions, bears, wolves, tapirs, and even sa-bertooth cats. Unique marsupials included10�-tall kangaroos and rhino-sized wom-bats. The DM can create a Pleistoceneversion of Australia with these creaturesand perhaps a human aboriginal culture.Whatever the final result, this land will bean odd and unique place.

Megalania(giant plains lizard)

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: SavannahFREQUENCY: RareORGANIZATION: SolitaryDIET: CarnivoreNO. APPEARING: 1-4ARMOR CLASS: 5MOVEMENT: 15HIT DICE: 7THAC0: 13NO. OF ATTACKS: 1

DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 2-16 or 2-5SIZE: G (26�long)MORALE: Average (8-10)XP VALUE: 650

Megalania was not a mammal, but agiant lizard that hunted on the Pleistoceneplains of Australia. It looked much likemodern monitor lizards and the Komododragon, having long, serrated teeth.

Combat: The giant plains lizard attackswith its bite. Like other giant lizards, thebite does double damage on an attack rollof 20. Anyone behind the lizard can beattacked by a slash of its tail, doing 2-5 hpdamage and being knocked down if adexterity check on 4d6 is failed.

Habitat/Society: Megalania is a solitaryhunter, inactive at night and during thehottest hours of the day. It ambushes itsprey from concealing grass and shrubs. Aswith most reptiles, the young are left tofend for themselves, receiving no carefrom the parents. The giant plains lizard isat the top of the food chain, having nonatural enemies.

M e t r i d i o c h o e r u s(giant warthog)

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Tropical forestsFREQUENCY: UncommonORGANIZATION: Family groupDIET: OmnivoreNO. APPEARING: 1-10ARMOR CLASS: 6MOVEMENT: 15

18 MARCH 1991

HIT DICE: 5THAC0: 15NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 2-12/2-12SIZE: M (3½ � high at shoulder, 5� long)MORALE: Average (8-10)XP VALUE: 175

Metridiochoerus was a giant warthogand a contemporary of the earliest hu-mans. It had the same squat body and longhead as the modern species. Its tusks werelong and sharp.

Combat: The giant warthog fights withslashes from its two sets of tusks. Femalesare equal to males. This swine fights for1-3 rounds at 0 to -8 hp, but greaterdamage kills it instantly. (Those who donot think pigs are dangerous should rentthe video Razorback.)

Habitat/Society: Giant warthogs live infamily groups. If more than one is encoun-tered, the largest is the male, while theothers are females (50%) and young (50%).Normally rooters and browsers, warthogsalso eat carrion and small animals. Giantwarthogs are in the middle of the foodchain. The young fall prey to many preda-tors, while lions can take the adults.

Pelorovis(long-horned buffalo)CLIMATE/TERRAIN: SavannahFREQUENCY: Common

ORGANIZATION: HerdDIET: HerbivoreNO. APPEARING: 4-40ARMOR CLASS: 6/3MOVEMENT: 15HIT DICE: 6THAC0: 15NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1 - 10/1-10SPECIAL ATTACKS: ChargeSIZE: M (6� high at shoulder)MORALE: Steady (12)XP VALUE: 420

This was a close relative of the modernAfrican buffalo and looked much like it.However, Pelorovis had huge horns, curv-ing out to the sides and down to form ahalf circle. The total horn span couldreach 12�.

Combat: Pelorovis fights with its mas-sive horns. If it can charge at least 40�, itinflicts 5-20 hp damage, automaticallyknocking down any human-sized oppo-nent, and tramples for an additional 2-5 hpdamage.

Habitat/Society: Pelorovis lives inlarge herds like other African herbivores.It roams the open woodland scrub, not thejungle or bare plains. The females aresmaller, equal to normal buffalo (see �Ani-mal, Herd� in the Monstrous Compen-dium). Only lions can bring down an adult.Females and young fall to hyenas, leop-ards, and crocodiles.

Sarkastodon(long-tailed bear)

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate plainsFREQUENCY: UncommonORGANIZATION: SolitaryDIET: OmnivoreNO. APPEARING: 1-2ARMOR CLASS: 6MOVEMENT: 12HIT DICE: 9THAC0: 11NO. OF ATTACKS: 3DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1-12/1-12/1-12SIZE: L (10� long)MORALE: Elite (14)XP VALUE: 2,000

This carnivore was the largest of thecreodonts, an early order of carnivoresthat included Hyaenodon. Sarkastodonlooked much like a bear with a long tail; itwas larger than even the cave bear.

Combat: Sarkastodon fights with itspaws and a bite.

Habitat/Society: Sarkastodon is asolitary predator, living much like a bear.Its prey includes titanotheres and rhinoc-eroses, but it also feeds on roots, wildfruit, and rodents. Sarkastodon is at thetop of the food chain, having no naturalenemies.

The following is a Common translationof a written, formal request for an answerfrom the sage-Sword, sent by the lateBaron Belhad Hellengrammor, received onthe 753,457th day of the life of the Empireof Dunswhorld, and filed 10 days laterunder �Unsolvable Dilemmas.�

Updated, revised � and ferociously evilby Matthew Schutt

20 MARCH 1991

Please forgive any niceties of etiquettethat may be compromised in this letter,but I am a desperate man and my despera-tion overrides diplomacy. As required, Iwill give details of my problem so that youmay take into account every possibility inthe solution I hope to receive. Also in-cluded with this message are the neces-sary and proper payments to do honor tothe personage of an artifact and sage.

My dilemma: My barony has been de-noted as �cursed� since its inception, andnow the source of this curse is slowlydestroying the fabric of this state. Thebarony of Hellegrammor is largely coveredby a rugged, dense expanse of forest. Thisprovides for a breed of people who arerough and well suited for the wilderness,such as trappers and hunters. Still, thisrace of outdoorsmen is losing a waragainst the wretched devils that inhabitthe woods. The common name for thesedevils is the su-monster.

I am no naturalist, but knowledge ofthese creatures is common in Hellegram-mor. They are the constant �black news�in every day�s report, just as if we were atwar or troubled with a plague. Thus, myfamily members have always been expertson this macabre subject, seeking someweakness to expose, some Achilles� heel tosever and end the monsters� apparentindestructibility. I will tell you what Iknow of them, gained by stealth andmagic.

Su-monsters are filthy gray creatures,like large monkeys, quadrupedal in form,with rounded apelike muzzles and tails thelength of their bodies. Adult males are, onthe average, 5� long and 110-130 lbs. inweight, while females are slightly smallerand weigh 15-20 lbs. less than males.These monsters can live up to 30 years,but this is the exception rather than thenorm. They are almost skeletal and alwaysappear starved.

Their hides are normally dark gray, toblend with the dun of dawn or twilight.This color varies, from the almost blackmembers of the deeper woods to thewhitish-gray devils of underground ca-verns. Their faces and tails are alwaysblack, and their paws are a fierce crimson,as if stained by their bloody habits.

Despite their large size, most su-monsters are tree dwellers; even whenunderground, they prefer to make theirlairs near the ceiling. This mode of lifewould not be possible without their pre-hensile tails, which are used as extralimbs. This tail is incredibly powerful,capable of holding the monster�s own. weight plus that of any large prey, in thegrasp of its claws. The monster also usesits tail in balancing, maintaining posture,and even communication. The way a su-monster holds its tail indicates its emo-tional state and social rank in a complexset of gestures that my family and othershave carefully documented.

Su-monsters live in small groups, calledcadres or enclaves, though it might be

more correct to call them families, for thatis what they are in a literal sense. A fewfamilies may join together to form largergroups, but the social structure withinthese groups is loose. Feuds over potentialmates, slain prey, territory, etc., occurconstantly. They have the same unrulynature as many humanoids: rule by thestrongest, usually a male. These leadersnever last long, and �leaderless� enclavesare common.

These unholy families are incrediblehunting units. They can smell prey over amile away, and their other senses are alsoacute. I�ve noticed that these senses groweven more sensitive in the colder months.They have had long ages to improve theirambushes, which occur primarily at duskor daybreak. Belying their chaotic nature,su-monsters can organize a complicatedambush, perfectly timed by way of com-munication with certain calls and howls.These and other factors contribute to thefact that su-monsters, unlike other naturalhunters, succeed in hunts more often thanthey fail.

The su-monster�s menu is long, as theyare omnivorous and are active all yearround. They feed upon just about everyanimal in the forest, including other carni-vores, insects, and humans, demi-humans,and humanoids. Their diet is balanced bygrasses, lichens, and berries. Despite theirlooks, I have never known a su-monster todie of starvation.

Curiously, su-monsters rarely touch anyprey in a lame, aged, or sick condition; nordo they touch carrion. They are neitherstupid nor compassionate. Rather, I wouldsay they prefer meals that go down fight-ing, boosting their appetites with combat.Then again, they may just prefer healthiermeals. (This strange aversion does notextend to sleeping travelers, though.)

Su-monsters customarily devour a kill inone sitting. What cannot be eaten, theybury, often leaving no trace of their kills.Minor treasures from past kills may befound throughout the forests of my bar-ony, just beneath the grounds surface.

Su-monsters are active sporadically,being neither truly nocturnal nor diurnal.They may sleep 3-4 hours at a time, thenstay active for 6-7 hour intervals. Theyhave no preference for day or night, andare able to see just as well at either timewith enhanced night vision and colorperception by day. When awake, su-monsters are incredibly aware andactive�lethargy does not exist in thesecreatures.

These monsters breed throughout theyear and have gestation periods of about6-7 months, with infants being born singly.The parents are totally devoted to theiryoung. The young depend on the adultsfor food, protection, and transportation,and stay with their mothers for at leasttwo years. Males never abandon theirmates, once chosen, and seem to share anequal burden of protecting and feedingyoung su-monsters. Transportation is left

to the mother; each young clings to itsmother�s back as she moves from tree totree. As mammals, the young are fed bythe mother�s milk.

So far, I have neglected to speak of thesu-monsters� deadliest talent. It is compli-cated to explain, and not much is knownof it. This talent is a unique psionic attack,used only in the presence of others pos-sessing psionic talents. Debates over itsexact workings have been waged foryears, with little progress. At first, it wasthought the su-monster had a specialpsionic defense, reflecting back psionicattacks onto the user. This idea has beenabandoned, however, as many non-psionicists and psionicists merely using adefense mode have been attacked in thismanner.

Naturalists have examined the openedbrains of the few su-monster corpsesacquired by royal forces, and found noabnormal organ or development to explainthis psionic prowess. The brain is, how-ever, very much like our own, being highlyconvoluted and nearly the same size. Thisworries me. Only a tiny percentage ofhumans have psionics, but all adult su-monsters express this talent. What specialknowledge do they possess?

In any case, I am no expert on the art ofmind talents, but I do suggest that nopsionics be included in your solution. Inthe past, people have lost their psionictalents, have been enraged to insanity, andhave even been killed while attempting touse psionics on su-monsters.

The su-monsters have the intelligence ofprimates, the cunning of canines, and thephysical power of the ursids (bears). Be-cause of its speed, strength, intelligence,high durability and adaptability, ambushtechniques, and brain-talent attacks, mygreat-grandfather referred to the su-monster as the �perfect carnivore.� Eventhe barbarians in the area, who call it�ape-bear� and �wolf-in-the-treetops,� showthe creature the appropriate amount offear and respect.

Su-monsters have no natural enemies,and man provides them with only a minornuisance. Long, vengeful campaigns havebeen held to wipe out these beasts, butthose quests are still unfulfilled. I led agreat many of these awful crusades per-sonally, when I learned first-hand theways of the su-monster. My huntinggroups were plagued by an inexhaustiblesupply of problems, most caused by themonsters themselves.

The search for their dens was not asimple one, though they commonly takethe form of hollow trees somewhere nearfresh water. Also, our projects were de-layed in the winter months, due to a lackof food. The su-monsters had no suchtrouble, as they had the simple task ofseeking out and devouring small animalswhile they hibernated. Because of theiraversion to carrion and ill or woundedanimals, traps and poisons would have tobe used very cleverly.

DRAGON 21

Then, of course, there is the su-monster�s ambush. Our hunting grouplived in a perpetual state of paranoia, withsentries staring wide-eyed into the press-ingly thick foliage, trying to discernshadow from su-monster. And then in-stantly, without warning, a cadre of thecreatures would drop from the branches,hanging by their tails, and rake at our earsand bite at our scalps. It was difficulttelling who was hunting whom.

The su-monsters also made constantraids on our encampments, usually duringthe day while we were out �hunting�them. Posting sentries helped little. Theyalso have opposable thumbs, and theirclawed digits are so dexterous that theycan undo basic latches and uncomplicatedknots: Our camps were more often de-stroyed than set.

Su-monsters move surprisingly well onthe ground, so our plan of driving themfrom their trees with fire was useless.They are also accomplished swimmers, aswe discovered when driving the groundedcreatures to the shore of a lake, where wethought we had them trapped. And whenour dogs gave chase into the water, the su-monsters gleefully took the time to drownthe whole pack.

I apologize for the nature lesson and themelodramatics, but I wanted to leave noroom for misconceptions. Su-monstersthrive on them. The other lords, my bor-dering associates, believe I have a uselessobsession with these monsters. They, ofcourse, may speak freely and boldly whiletheir lands are hilly, treeless grasslands, noplace for a su-monster. They do not re-ceive countless reports from villages and

towns about the mayhem caused by thesemonsters. They don�t have to put up withclownish opportunists, who wish to puttheir greedy hands into the barony�s cof-fers with their special ideas on the su-monster�s destruction (all have failedmiserably � su-monster harpoons, in-deed!) They are not kept awake at night bythe sounds of the monsters carrying awaylivestock and babes with chaotic, cheerfulabandon. They did not witness the deathof their eldest son, being dragged up intothe dark branches while the beasts howledwith what seemed to be laughter.

Su-monsters have our intelligence butnot our civility. They have no cities oftheir own but are slowly taking over mine.Many at my court are predicting the daywhen the su-monsters will swing freelyfrom the chandelier in my own dininghall. If not rushed, your aid may be toolate to save my homeland, much less mysanity.

I await your assistance, and remain yourrespectful and obediant servant, etc.

Appendix & footnotesThe AD&D® 2nd Edition statistics for

the su-monster were published in PHBR5The Complete Psionics Handbook, releasedin February. Some basic statistics arereproduced here: IN average; TR C,Y; ALC(E); AC 6; MV 9; HD 5 +5; THAC0 15; #AT5; Dmg 1-4/1-4/1-4/1-4/2-8; SA/SD psionics,ambush ( -4 to victim�s surprise), femalescan attack hasted for 6 turns if young areattacked, males attack hasted for 4 turns iffemales are attacked; flesh is poisonous(save vs. poison or fall ill, no healing forone week); SZ M; ML 8-10; XP 650; PHBR5.

Psionics: Level 2; Dis/Sci/Dev 3/1/3(2/5); A/D PsC,MT,PB/nil (immune to attack);Score = Int; PSPs 120; powers: enhance-ment (no cost), psionic sense (always on,no cost); 10% chance of one extra science,two extra devotions in psychometabolicdiscipline. All other notes given in thisarticle are unofficial additions that may beused by DMs as desired.

The su-monster�s movement rate of 9 isthe same in the trees, on the ground, andin the water. In the trees, though, it maytravel at MV 15 for 10 rounds up to threetimes per day.

Having the constant advantage of eleva-tion, su-monsters may be given a +2 bo-nus to avoid being surprised in heavilyforested regions.

The su-monster�s favorite attack methodis hanging by its tail and attacking with allfour claws, as well as its jaws. One su-monster can normally attack only onetarget, unless a group of targets are un-mounted and crowded within a 5�-diameter area. In this upside-downfashion, the su-monster�s attacks are allupon the head and upper body area. If thevictim is wearing a helmet, the armor classof the head is the same as that of the body,minus any shield and dexterity bonusesfor the first round of attacks. The head isAC 10 (for the first round only; dexteritymodifiers apply thereafter) if no helmet isworn.

Another common attack form used bysu-monsters, especially when dealing witha small number of opponents, is the use ofoverbearing and grappling. The creaturesdive from their vantage points and attemptto knock victims down, holding themprone for other attackers. If a successfuloverbearing attack is made on a mountedcharacter, the character takes 1-4 hp dam-age and must save vs. petrification or bestunned for one round, unable to regainhis feet after being thrown. Pummelingattacks are used only rarely by su-monsters and then only with small, hardobjects, like large rocks and sticks. Theyare medium size to determine overbearingattack modifiers. For the rules governingunarmed combat, see pages 59-60 of the2nd Edition Dungeon Master�s Guide.

Su-monsters that have lived severalgenerations in or near human or demi-human populations may learn to wieldweapons crafted by these populations. Asu-monster can use its tail with such careso as to wield either a hand axe, dagger,knife, or sap. The su-monster can attackonly once with a weapon and cannot useits claw or bite attacks in rounds in whichit uses a weapon. Also, su-monsters suffera nonproficiency penalty of -3 when aweapon is used.

While they may flee combat, su-monsters do not surrender (they have nounderstanding of this concept), nor canthey be subdued. If captured, a su-monster thrashes in its bonds until itmortally wounds itself.

The following are some monstrousplants that DMs may use to add extra spiceto AD&D® wilderness campaigns (or evencity campaigns, if an NPC possesses aninterest in unusual horticulture). Giantplants such as the bladderwort, butter-wort, waterwheel, and rainbow plant arebased on actual carnivorous plants; thesword grass, clubthorn, bloodflower, andhelborn plants are fictional.

The following information is standardfor all plants in this article, unless other-wise noted:

FREQUENCY: UncommonORGANIZATION: SolitaryACTIVITY CYCLE: DayDIET: CarnivoreINTELLIGENCE: NonTREASURE TYPE: Incidental (10% chance

each of J, K, M; 5% chance each of Qand one small magical item)

ALIGNMENT: NeutralMOVEMENT: ImmobileMAGIC RESISTANCE: Nil

The thorns that bite, the vines that catch

Gregg Chamberlain

Artwork by Ron Wilber

D R A G O N 23

Statistics for morale indicate whether aplant will continue to fight back if dam-aged below one-half its hit points. DMsshould greatly reduce earned experiencefor many of these plants if they are de-stroyed at a distance (e.g., by a lightningbolt cast in the water) and with minimalcasualties.

For more information on carnivorousplants, see the �Creature Catalog,� inDRAGON® issue #89, and �The Ecology ofCarnivorous Plants,� in DRAGON issue#137.

Giant Bladderwort

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Stagnant swamps ormarshes

NO. APPEARING: 1-2ARMOR CLASS: 6HIT DICE: 8THAC0: 19NO. OF ATTACKS: 11-20DAMAGE/ATTACKS: See textSPECIAL ATTACKS: See textSPECIAL DEFENSES: See textSIZE: L to GMORALE: Steady (12)XP VALUE: 4,000

The giant bladderwort is a rootless, free-floating water plant found drifting justbeneath the surface of stagnant waters indeep marshes or swamps. It may grow incombination with other marsh plants inhuge floating mats, which appear solid butthrough which even small animals quicklysink. The greenish-brown stem may growup to 50� or more if conditions are right,and it usually has 1d10 + 10 traps, eachabout 4� across, attached to its featherygreen branches.

Combat: The traps are translucent.bladders, each containing a partial vac-uum, that lie beneath the water. Due tothe slightly greater pressure of the wateroutside the trap, the sides of each bladderare slightly concave around the middle,giving it a pinched-in look. Water is keptout by a flap at the mouth of the trap,which is sealed with a weak glue and actsas a valve. Long guide hairs and shortertrigger hairs surround the mouth of thebladder. When the trigger hairs aretouched, the valve opens inward and thevictim is swept along with some water intothe chamber. The flap reseals and thewater is absorbed (to be expelled later),restoring the partial vacuum. The trigger-ing, activation, and closure of a trap alltake place in less than a second. Digestivefluids then flood the chamber, causing 1-4hp damage per round. Due to the verysmall quantity of air inside the bladder, thevictim suffocates in 1-6 rounds unlessassistance is given.

A small-size creature (4� or less) iswholly engulfed, while a larger one mayhave only part of its body caught in thebladder, which will still close and seal itsflap, doing damage to the victim there-

24 MARCH 1991

after. In such cases, DMs should roll per-centile die to determine what area of thevictim�s body has been caught (1-20 rightarm; 21-40 left arm; 41-60 head and uppertorso; 61-80 right leg; 81-100 left leg). Acharacter caught may attempt to breakfree by successfully rolling his chance tobend bars against the trap�s seal or byattacking the trap itself.

Each trap has 2 HD; the body of theplant has 8 HD. Damage inflicted on trapswill not kill the body of the plant. Outsideattacks on a trap holding prey inflict halfthe damage on the prey within and half onthe trap itself. Victims wholly engulfed bythe trap may attack only with teeth, claws,or daggers.

Habitat/Ecology: Bladderworts usuallyreproduce by pollination. Their purpleand white flowers rise just above thewater on narrow stems. During thewinter, this plant forms green buds, calledturions, that sink to the bottom of themarsh and rise up again in spring to de-velop into mature plants. If a bladder canbe wholly raised above water (by itself, itweighs 50 lbs.), it collapses with a loudpopping

Giant Butterwort

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Any bogs, marshes, orswamps

NO. APPEARING: 1-6ARMOR CLASS: 7HIT DICE: 5THAC0: 15NO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACKS: See textSPECIAL ATTACKS: Dissolving, surpriseSPECIAL DEFENSES: NilSIZE: MMORALE: Average (10)XP VALUE: 420

The giant butterwort grows in rosettesof 2-8 6�-long oblong leaves of pale yellow-green, having a greasy appearance and afaint, funguslike scent. The leaves of thisplant rest flat against the ground and aredifficult to see against the terrain ( -2 tovictim�s roll for being surprised).

Combat: Anything walking over thisplant�s leaves becomes stuck, due to themucilage secreted by glands in the leaves.The plant then attempts to roll all of itsleaves up and over its prey (attacking asper its hit dice), becoming a tight, leafycocoon that fills with digestive fluid, caus-ing 1-4 hp damage per round. Victimsholding small, edged weapons whencaught may cut themselves free by doingdamage equal to half the total hit points ofthe plant. Attacks from outside inflict halfthe damage on the plant and half on thevictim trapped inside. The mucilage maybe neutralized with liberal quantities ofalcohol.

Habitat/Ecology: One of the mostadaptive of carnivorous plants, the giantbutterwort is found from arctic to tropical

areas, favoring acidic or alkaline bogs withmoist to very wet soils.

Giant Rainbow Plant

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate and tropi-cal forests and swamps

INTELLIGENCE: SemiNO. APPEARING: 1-4ARMOR CLASS: 7HIT DICE: 6THAC0: 15NO. OF ATTACKS: See textDAMAGE/ATTACKS: See textSPECIAL ATTACKS: See textSPECIAL DEFENSES: DazzlingSIZE: LMORALE: Elite (13)XP VALUE: 3,000

The giant rainbow plant has a woody,trunklike stem from which grow 5-20branchlike leaves that each end in aknobby tip. The stem grows up to 10� inheight, with each leaf half the height ofthe plant in length.

Combat: Like the giant sundew, thisplant has developed an awareness of itssurroundings and is selective about itsprey. It will not attack anything under 4�in height. The leaves and the stem arecoated in a thick mucilage produced byglands throughout the plant. This muci-lage gives the plant a shimmering appear-ance during the day, and under intenselight causes a nonmagical dazzling effecton those who view and fail to save vs.petrification. The effect lasts for 1-4rounds and makes the dazzled creature-2 on attack rolls.

Also like the giant sundew, the rainbowplant strikes with its leaves, with 1-6branches lashing out at each victim withinreach and striking for 1-2 hp damage fromthe knob at the end of each leaf. Each leafadheres to the object struck, reducing thevictim�s ability attack by -1 for every fourleaves adhering to him. If the plant rolls anatural 20, the plant�s leaf struck the vic-tim�s head, clogging the victim�s mouth andnostrils with mucilage. Suffocation resultsin 1-4 rounds unless the sap is dissolvedwith vinegar or alcohol, The leaves alsoproduce a mild enzyme causing 1 hp dam-age per round per leaf unless the leaf isbroken. The chance for breaking a leaf isthe same as for opening doors, checkingfor each leaf separately. Fiery attacks andmissiles do only half damage because ofthe plant�s mucilage covering. Blunt weap-ons do no damage.

Habitat/Ecology: The plant favorssandy soils under moist conditions, thoughit may die back during drought seasons,going into a dormant state until conditionsimprove. A few druids and wizards aresaid to keep such plants as guardians, butthis is a very rare practice.

Giant Waterwheel Plant Sword Grass

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate marshesNO. APPEARING: 1-2ARMOR CLASS: 6HIT DICE: 5 (see text)THAC0: 19NO. OF ATTACKS: 3-12DAMAGE/ATTACKS: See textSPECIAL ATTACKS: Suffocation/dissolving,

surpriseSPECIAL DEFENSES: NilSIZE: L to HMORALE: Average (9)XP VALUE: 2,000

The giant waterwheel is a rootless plantthat floats just below the water�s surface,drifting with the currents. It has a singlecurved stem about 20� long; 3-12 trappingleaves, resembling open clamshells, growin whorls about the stem like spokes on awheel. During high summer, the plant�swhite flowers may be seen just above thesurface of the water, borne up on narrowstems. Victims have a -2 modifier to besurprised, both underwater and on thesurface, and might not detect this plantuntil they have blundered into it.

Small items may be found buried in thesilt beneath where a giant waterwheelfloats. The traps open 1-2 days after preyhas been digested, allowing indigestibleparts to fall out.

Combat: Anything of small size brush-ing against any one of the many triggerhairs inside a trap causes it to close in lessthan a second. The lobes of the trap thenpress together, forcing the victim down tothe bottom of the trap and forcing thewater out, creating a hermetic seal thatrequires a successful bend-bars chance tobreak. Anyone caught inside the trap mustact immediately, or he will be unable to brace himself to attempt to break the seal.The trap accepts small-size creatures upto halfling size) only; larger objects arereleased in the next round. Each trap has2 HD and attacks accordingly. The body ofthe plant has 5 HD.

When closed, the trapping leaf beginssecreting digestive fluids, causing 1-4 hpdamage per round. Suffocation occurs in2-4 rounds unless the victim is able to cutfree with a small hand weapon by doingdamage equal to half the trap�s hit points.Attacks from outside inflict half theirdamage on the trap itself and half on thevictim inside.

Habitat/Ecology: Considered by someto be an aquatic version of the giant venus�flytrap, the giant waterwheel plant growsunder the surface of the water in acidicmarshes, in company with reeds, rushes,and other aquatic plants. It has no naturalenemies and is so subtle a predator thatfew communities are even aware of it.Swamp-dwelling races sometimes attemptto move these plants around their islandlairs in lakes.

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Shaded areas ofmarshes and swamps

NO. APPEARING: 1-6ARMOR CLASS: See textHIT DICE: 1THAC0: 19NO. OF ATTACKS: 1-8DAMAGE/ATTACKS: See textSPECIAL ATTACKS: NilSPECIAL DEFENSES: See textSIZE: S-MMORALE: Average (9)XP VALUE: 175

Sword grass grows in clumps of 1-6green plants, each plant appearing to be1-8 huge blades of grass (1�-6� tall) growingup from a central spot on the ground. Themain stalk of each plant lies 1� under-ground and is treated as 100% concealedagainst anyone trying to destroy it withoutfirst digging it up.

Combat: The main body of the planthas hit points equal to the total number ofblades it has. Each leaf also has 1 hp, butthese hit points are in addition to thoseeach plant already has, and destroying theleaf blades does not cause the death of theplant. Damage is incurred upon walkingthrough patches of sword grass. The leafblades are amazingly strong (AC 8) andextremely sharp; the body is AC 10 (AC 0underground). Collective damage occursas the blades slash at whatever passesthrough them. Damage varies according tothe height of the blades (1�, 1-4 hp; 2�-3�, 1-6 hp; 4�-5�, 1-8 hp; 6�, 1-10 hp). Bladesattack as 1 HD monsters.

Blunt weapons and thrusting weapons donot harm the plant. The blades may beuprooted, but if precautions are not takento protect one�s hands, maximum damage isautomatic. The blades may be burned butwill grow back at the rate of 6� a week.

Habitat/Ecology: Sword grass is not atrue grass, but is closely related to fernsand mushrooms. It reproduces by spores,and the plant�s �blades� grow from a cen-tral underground rhizome. Sword grass isa perennial; the leaf blades die during coldweather, and the root stalk goes dormant,becoming active again in spring.

The usual prey for sword grass is smallanimals, with the plant using blood anddecaying bodies to supplement its diet.Some people grow plots of sword grass inplace of moats or in addition to them;sword grass has also been used to formdefensive lines around farms and militarybases.

Clubthorn

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate forests andswamps

INTELLIGENCE: AnimalNO. APPEARING: 1-2ARMOR CLASS: 5MOVEMENT: 1 (see text)

HIT DICE: 6THAC0: 15NO. OF ATTACKS: 2-8DAMAGE/ATTACKS: See textSPECIAL ATTACKS: NilSPECIAL DEFENSES: See textSIZE: L to HMORALE: Elite (14)XP VALUE: 975

Clubthorn is related to the holly tree andshares many of its physical characteristics.Often found growing alongside holly,clubthorn is 90% likely to be mistaken forit. Clubthorn grows to a maximum heightof 20�. It acquires 1 HD each year after itsfirst year of growth until it achieves itsmaximum number of hit dice. Clubthorn isan evergreen with glossy green leaves andbright red berries. The leaves are as stiffas boiled leather, with sharp spines alongtheir serrated edges.

Combat: The tree possesses a set ofspecial rootlike tentacles concealed justbeneath the surface of the ground, extend-ing in a radius equal to half the tree�sheight. When a suitable victim ap-proaches, these roots erupt from theground and wrap around the victim�s legs,holding him fast (they are easily cut with asingle successful stroke against AC 6). Thetree then attacks with its limbs, doingclubbing damage according to the age ofthe tree: 1-4 hp ( × 2) for a sapling, 1-6 hp( × 4) for a young tree, 1-8 hp ( × 6) for amature tree, and 1-10 hp ( × 8) for an oldtree (the number in parentheses refers tothe number of attacks the plant can makeper round).

Because of the hardness of its wood andbark, blunt weapons do only half damageagainst clubthorn. Also, like the holly, theinner bark of the tree contains a stickysubstance, similar to birdlime, that causesedged weapons to become stuck whenthey cut into the tree. A successful roll tobend bars or lift gates is required to pull aweapon free. A vinegar solution will dis-solve the gum.

Habitat/Ecology: This tree feeds onthe blood and decaying bodies of its vic-tims through its roots. It is smart enoughto move about 20�-50� away from the siteof a kill after it feeds, so as not to scare orwarn off potential prey (it moves other-wise only to escape fire). Attempts tocultivate clubthorn as a hedge plant fordefensive purposes have met with mixedsuccess, thanks to the tree�s mobility.

Bloodflower

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Temperate and sub-tropical marshes and jungles

FREQUENCY: RareACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyNO. APPEARING: See textARMOR CLASS: 10HIT DICE: 1 hp per bloomTHAC0: 20NO. OF ATTACKS: 1

DRAGON 25

DAMAGE/ATTACKS: See textSPECIAL ATTACKS: Narcotic perfume,

helborn consists of a large, 4�-long head(AC 1) formed by two lobes like hinged

blood drainSPECIAL DEFENSES: NilSIZE: S (1�-tall bush)MORALE: Average (9)XP VALUE: 65

The blooms of the bloodflower plant area pale, almost translucent, white. As theplant feeds, the petals become slowly pink,eventually flushing to a deep, rich red.After four turns, digestion is completedand the plant is ready to feed again. The

clamshells. The trunk (AC 3) contains theplant�s stomach, and from the trunk growfrom 4-12 large tendrils (AC 5).

The helborn can uproot itself, thentravel short distances by using its roots tograsp objects and pull itself along. It isvery cunning and uses treasure as a bribeor as a lure to trick prey into comingwithin reach of its tendrils. The helbornmight also try to nonverbally convince itsvictims that it wants to help them in re-turn for �food.�

wild bloodflower grows in clumps of 2-5bushlike plants.

Combat: The flower exudes a fast-acting narcotic perfume that is effectivewithin a 5� radius. Victims must save vs.poison or fall asleep immediately. If thevictim falls within 2� of the plant, the plantstretches out and attaches a set of 6� -longspiny underleaves to the victim's body.These leaves then drain blood from thevictim, doing damage each round equiva-lent to the plant�s hit points. If the victim isnot removed from the vicinity of thebloodflower, he remains unconscious andthe plant continues to feed until the victim

dies. If removed from the area of theplant�s perfume, the victim regains con-sciousness after one turn. Healing mayoccur in any normal fashion.

Habitat/Ecology: Because the plant

Combat: The tendrils of the helbornare each able to club for 1-6 hp damage. Atendril can also wrap around an attackeron a to-hit roll, then crush for 1-4 hp dam-age per round thereafter. Each AC 5 tend-

blooms both day and night, the domesticspecies is sometimes used as a passivedefense and may be found scattered aboutin flower gardens or in huge beds sur-rounding important buildings or cities.Individual potted flowers are kept in trea-sure rooms as traps for the unwary.

Helborn

ril can sustain 8 hp damage beforesevering or breaking; this does not affectthe plant�s own hit-point total. A tendrilcan lift a man-sized victim.

Prey is placed inside the helborn�smouth, where the victim is held in placeby the spines lining the inside of the lobes.If the prey struggles while inside, it re-ceives 1-3 hp damage per round from thespines. A mild enzyme causes 1 hp damageper round for four rounds after the victimenters the mouth, after which the victim ismoved down into the plant�s stomachwhere digestion continues. Inedible mate-rials are later regurgitated and expelled.The inside of the head is AC 5, and smalledged weapons (short-sword size or less)may be used to inflict one-quarter of theplant�s total hit points in order to escape.

There are four stages to a helborn�sgrowth, each stage taking a year to reach.A seedling consists of the head (6� acrosswith 1 HD) surrounded by a rosette ofleaves. The head of a young plant (2 HD) is1� across, and there appear the beginningsof a trunk; some of the young plant�s

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Subtropical and tropi-cal swamps and jungles

leaves have become tendrils capable of aweak grasp, easily broken by medium-size

FREQUENCY: Very rare or larger creatures. The subadult plant (4INTELLIGENCE: Low HD) stands 6�-8� high, with a head 2�TREASURE TYPE: ZALIGNMENT: Neutral evil

across and tendrils capable of 1-3 hp club-bing or 1-2 hp crushing damage. Mature

NO. APPRARING: 1 plants live about 11-20 years.ARMOR CLASS: See textMOVEMENT: 3

Helborn plants gain certain spell-likeabilities as they grow (each power is usa-

HIT DICE: 8 ble once per day). A helborn seedlingTHAC0: 13 possesses ESP; as a young plant, it can useNO. OF ATTACKS: See text hypnotism; a subadult plant can use domi-DAMAGE/ATTACKS: See text nation; and a mature helborn possessesSPECIAL ATTACKS: Spell-like powers, mass suggestion. These powers duplicate

continuous damage the mages� spells of the same name cost atSPECIAL DEFENSES: Nil the 12th level.MAGIC RESISTANCE: 30%SIZE: L (10�-12� tall)

Habitat/Ecology: Helborn are rarelyencountered by those who do not dwell in

MORALE: Champion (16) swamps, and so have little effect on theXP VALUE: 2,000 world at large. They prey on all creatures

The helborn is a sentient, carnivorousexcept other plants, tolerating no rivals

plant with spell-like powers. It is also ablenear them. In turn, they are attacked onlyby communal creatures who can amass the

to use a telepathic, nonverbal empathywithin 60�, allowing it to communicate

magic and military might to destroy them.

with potential prey. All attempts to culti-vate it have ended tragically. A mature

DRAGON 27

The AD&D® rules provide the gods withseveral ways to punish mortals who seri-ously offend them. An offended deity cantake vengeance through his clerics, send

A system of special divine curses could add

an extraplanar servant (e.g., an aleax) toexact punishment, or (in extreme cases)

offender himself. However, there areno guidelines for one of the mostpowerful and interesting forms ofdivine retribution: curses.

a new dimension to punishments forserious alignment deviations andother offenses against the gods.

This article presentssuch a system.

intervene personally and deal with the

* But their effects on your fantasyhero are horrible!28 MARCH 1991

Curse determinationThere are two types of divine curses:

major and minor. Major curses are gener-ally more severe and more difficult toremove than minor curses, and are gener-ally bestowed for more serious offenses.The base roll to determine whether a godwill bestow a major or minor curse isgiven in Table I.

Obviously, when the base roll is unmodi-fied there is no chance of any curse. How-ever, the roll on Table I is modified byvalues rating the seriousness of the of-fense that the transgressor committed andby other factors that depend on the of-fended deity. The modifications for theoffense committed are given in Table II,while the other modifications are detailedin Table III and in the explanations below.

Modifications for two or more offensesare cumulative only if they are performedtogether. Generally, only offenses that arepart of the same specific goal are consid-ered to be carried out together. For exam-ple, if someone killed 200 of a godsnonclerical worshipers and one of thegods high priests in one battle, he wouldget a cursing roll with a modifier of(200 ÷ 5) + 35 = 40 + 35 = 75. These offensesare considered to be performed together,even if they occurred at different timesduring the battle, because they were bothpart of the specific goal of winning thebattle. However, if the same offenderkilled 200 worshipers in one battle and thehigh priest in another encounter, he wouldmake two separate cursing rolls, one witha +40 modifier and the other with a + 35modifier. The offenses would be consid-ered separate, because they are not both apart of the same specific goal of winning abattle, but only of the more general goal ofwinning a war. Naturally, the DM must bethe final judge of when a goal is specific orgeneral, and when offenses are performedtogether or separately.

The offenses in Table II are detailed asfollows:

Killing a god�s worshipers: There is nocursing roll for this offense if fewer than20 worshipers are slain.

Causing worshipers to abandon worship:There is no cursing roll for this offense iffewer than 10 worshipers abandon theirgod. This offense includes conversions byclerics of other gods, but the negativemodifications for having the support ofanother god are so great (see Table III) thatthe chance of a divine curse is very small.

Stealing: This applies only to stealingchurch property, not to thefts of personalproperty belonging to members of thechurch. Defrauding a church and refusingto pay for its clerical services are includedin this offense. Note that unless a thiefsteals so much that the church is broughtto financial ruin, the god will typically notconsider the amount stolen as a factor indetermining whether or not to curse thethief.

Insulting a god�s clerics: This appliesmainly to severe, usually public, insults

given to the gods clerics.Insulting a god: This also applies mainly

to severe, public insults.Major alignment deviation: This applies

to an action undertaken by the worshiperof a god when the action is opposed to thegeneral moral outlook of that god. Toclassify as an alignment deviation, theaction must be undertaken by a characterof his own free will and must be commit-ted while the character still worships hisgod. If the character renounces his godbefore he performs an act out of align-ment, there will be no curse.

Note that to commit an alignment devia-tion, a character does not have to directlyoffend his god in the same way as most ofthe other offenses listed in Table II. Aslong as the character commits an act op-posed to the alignment of his god, his godwill be insulted, and there is a chance of adivine curse.

Diametrically opposed alignment devia-tion: All of the restrictions detailed abovefor a major alignment deviation also applyhere. In addition, the deviation from alignment must be diametrically opposed to thealignment of the character�s god (a lawful-good act by the worshiper of a chaotic-evilgod, a lawful-evil act by the worshiper of achaotic-good god, etc.). Obviously, nodiametrically opposed alignment deviationcan occur when a character�s god has analignment that has some neutral compo-nent to his ethics or morals.

Acts opposed by a god that are per-formed in that god�s name: This refers toacts opposed to a gods will that are car-ried out not by his followers, but that aredone in his name by the followers of an-other god. This includes impersonation ofa gods priests for purposes that are un- worthy (according to the offended god).Treat this offense as an alignment devia-tion for purposes of curse determination,even if the offender is not actually deviat-ing from his alignment.

Killing a high priest: This offense is usedinstead of the simple offense of killing agods clerical worshipers in cases where ahigh priest is slain. The curse can befalleither the person who actually carried outthe killing or the person who ordered it,whomever the god believes is mostresponsible.

Killing an extraplanar servant: Thisapplies only to the slaying of an extra-planar servant who is on the Prime Mate-rial plane on behalf of its deity.

Stealing a sacred item: This applies tothe theft from a church of a powerfulmagical item sacred to the church�s god.Usually items of this sort are very rare oreven unique, and they are highly prizedand well guarded by the gods clerics. Thisoffense is cumulative with the offense ofstealing if more than just the sacred itemis stolen from the church.

Ineffective impersonation of a god: Animpersonation of a god is considered inef-fective if most onlookers do not believe it,even if it accomplishes the ends of the

impersonator. Note that this offense andthat of the effective impersonation of agod apply only to impersonations of thegod himself. Falsely claiming to be sent bya god or to be a servant of a god is an actopposed by a god but performed in thegods name.

Destroying a sacred item: This applies tothe destruction of any powerful, sacredmagical item, whether or not the item wasin the possession of its church at the timeof its destruction.

Defiling consecrated ground: This of-fense includes the physical destruction ofany temple resting on consecrated ground(as most temples do), even if the grounditself is not actually defiled or deconse-crated.

Effective impersonation of a god: Animpersonation is effective if it is believedby onlookers, even if it does not accom-plish the goals of the impersonator.

These offenses are only some of thepossible ways in which a gods anger canbe aroused. There are far too many of-fenses to list all the possibilities in onetable. Let your common sense guide you indeciding when a cursing roll should bemade and what the precise modificationsfor the offenses should be.

Even if an offense is noted in Table II,the modifications given there may beadjusted depending on several factors.Some of these additional modifications aregiven in Table III. All modifications in TableIII are cumulative with each other andwith those in Table II.

In Table III, note the large penalties tothe cursing roll when the offender has theprotection or encouragement of anothergod. In such cases, the offended god con-siders the supporting god, rather than theoffender, to be responsible for the offense.The offended god typically responds tosuch an offense with an attack by hisworshipers upon any available worshipersof the offending god. This is one reasonwhy many clerics are hesitant about com-mitting or encouraging a �curseable� of-fense against another deity.

In addition to the modifications listed inTables II and III, the cursing roll may beadjusted in other ways, depending on theparticular deity against whom the offenseis committed. The first of these modifica-tions is due to the general personality and�portfolio� of the offended god. A god ofrevenge would be much more likely tobestow a curse than other gods, while agod of mercy would be less likely to do so.Naturally, there are too many deities to listall of the modifiers here, but the DMshould be able to tell if a given deity isespecially vengeful or merciful, and shouldadjust the cursing roll to match.

The second modification that dependson the identity of the offended god is amodification based on the offense commit-ted. The numbers given in Table II do nothold in all cases for all deities; some godsmight consider an offense more worthy oftheir divine anger than the numbers indi-

DRAGON 29

cate, while other gods might consider thesame offense less worthy. Again, there aretoo many offenses and too many deities togive every possible modification. However,a general rule to follow is this: Wheneveran offense conflicts with a god�s sphere ofinfluence, the cursing roll should be ad-justed upward, and whenever an offenseis in harmony with a god�s sphere of influ-ence, the roll should be adjusted down-ward. A god of wealth would probably bevery likely to curse a thief who steals fromhis temples, and the DM should adjust thecursing roll upward for such thieves. Onthe other hand, someone who steals fromthe church of a god of thieves might havethe cursing roll modified downward,probably by so much so that there wouldbe no chance at all of attracting a divinecurse. Conceivably, a god of death wouldbe unlikely to curse an offender whokilled a large number of his worshipers,while a god of longevity would be verylikely to do so. The actual amounts ofadjustment in these cases must be decidedby the DM according to the circumstancesof each situation; a good rule of thumb isthat the upward modifications should bebetween +5 and +30, and the downwardmodifications between -5 and -30.

There is one final modification that canbe made to the cursing roll. A deity mightbe more or less angered by an offensedepending on the way in which the of-fense was carried out. Again, the samegeneral rule applies as in the modificationsbased on the offense itself. If an act iscarried out in a way that is in harmonywith the god�s sphere of influence, it is lesslikely to draw a curse; if an act is carriedout in a way that is in conflict with thegods sphere of influence, it is more likelyto draw a curse. For example, a god ofwar would be more likely to curse anoffender who killed the war-gods highpriest while the latter was asleep than ifthe offender had killed the high priest inbattle. On the other hand, a god of assas-sins would be less likely to curse an of-fender who did the same thing. Again, theamounts of these adjustments are left tothe DM to decide.

Once all of the appropriate adjustmentsto the cursing roll have been determined,roll the percentile dice and consult Table Ito find out if the offended deity bestows adivine curse. If a god does not cast a divinecurse on a transgressor, that does notmean that the god has forgiven or over-looked the offense. It simply means that hehas decided not to punish the offense inthis particular way. The offended god�sclerics and worshipers remain the maininstrument of the gods will on the PrimeMaterial plane, and the god will not hesi-tate to use them to attack or punish thosewho have angered him.

Divine curses fall only upon single indi-viduals. If an offense committed by agroup draws a divine curse, generally the group�s leader will receive the curse. Ifthere is no leader, the angered god will

30 MARCH 1991

either curse the strongest character orsimply choose a character at random.

Curse bestowalOnce it has been determined that a

curse is cast, the curse is delivered to thetransgressor within 24 hours of the of-fense. Usually, the nearest high priest ofthe offended god delivers the curse; if thiswould be dangerous or impossible for thehigh priest, the god can send an extra-planar servant to deliver the curse, or thegod can deliver the curse himself, either inhis avatar form or in the guise of one ofhis high priests or other being. Minorcurses are never delivered by a godpersonally.

In any case, the agent who delivers thecurse need only name the cursing god andthe means by which the curse can beremoved (see �Curse removal�), and thecurse takes effect. There is, obviously, nosaving throw against a curse.

Curse selectionTables IV and V give some possible major

and minor divine curses, with a randommethod of selecting a curse. In some cases,the random-roll results should be modifiedor even ignored. Some gods have theirown favorite curses, and other gods havecurses that they will avoid casting at allcosts. The cursing god is more likely tocast a curse that is in harmony with hissphere of influence, and less likely to casta curse that is opposed to his sphere ofinfluence. Thus, a god of healing wouldnever bestow the curse of contagiousdisease, but a god of sickness would prob-ably bestow it in favor of any major curse.Similarly, a god of the sea would nevercast the curse of fire, but a god of volca-nos and fire would cast it more often thanany other minor curse.

Major curse explanationsCurse of undignified transformations:

Every turn, there is a 5% chance that thecursed character changes into an animaland remains that way for 1-4 hours. In histransformed state, the cursed characterhas his normal intelligence and alignment,but cannot speak; all other abilities, includ-ing hit points, armor class, movement rate,and hit probability, are as per the animalinto which he is changed. Animal formsinclude small mammals, birds, reptiles,amphibians, fish, and large but normalinsects, with statistics similar to those forsmall and minimal mammals (as per theMonstrous Compendium).

A cursed character never changes intoan animal form while he is in the form ofanother�i.e., the duration of one changemust expire before there can be another.

Curse of ambrosial odor: The cursedcharacter exudes a very powerful odorthat smells like whatever food the crea-ture smelling it most desires. The odor canbe smelled up to one-quarter mile away. Atthe very least (depending on the numberof monsters around), this odor triples

wandering monster encounter chances.All unintelligent monsters automaticallyattack the cursed character, and evensome intelligent ones (like dragons) lookfor every opportunity to kill and eat theunfortunate.

Curse of the rain cloud: A permanentcloudburst 10� high and 30� in diametersurrounds the cursed character and fol-lows him wherever he goes until the curseis removed. He (and everyone with him) issoaked with cold rain and is struck by tinybolts of lightning for 1 hp damage onceper hour.

Curse of gradual weakness: The cursedcharacter loses one point from each abilityscore and 3 hp per week until he reacheszero in any ability score or in hit points,whereupon he dies. If the cursed charac-ter is raised after dying in this way, his hitpoints and ability scores are the same asthey were one week before he died, andthe curse is still in effect. If the curse isremoved, hit points and ability scoresreturn to normal at the rate of one pointin each ability and 3 hp per day. Losses ofhit points and ability scores through thiscurse are permanent until the curse isremoved-i.e., such a loss cannot bestopped or reversed by spells, rest, or anyother means.

Curse of hostile appearance: The cursedcharacter assumes the appearance andvoice of the viewer�s or listener�s worstenemy. Although undead and semi-, ani-mal, or nonintelligent creatures are notaffected by this illusion, all other creaturesare affected, including members of thecursed character�s party. Obviously, reac-tions will be very hostile. Although theillusion cannot be dispelled, and any at-tempt to disguise the cursed character�svoice or face has no effect on the illusion,the illusion can be hidden if the cursedcharacter totally masks his face and issilent.

Curse of the pest: A highly sophisticatedillusion of an unarmed person, with fullvisual, auditory, and tactile components,appears next to the cursed character. Theillusory person cannot be made invisible,silenced, or dispelled in any way. He al-ways stays near the cursed character, nomatter how fast or through what environ-ment the character moves, and is unaf-fected by any attacks or spells. There issimply no way to get rid of him, short ofremoving the curse.

The goal of this person�s �existence� is tobe an absolute nuisance to the cursedcharacter. He will wake the cursed charac-ter at night, confuse combat when mon-sters are attacking, sing loudly when thecharacter is trying to sneak around, insultinnkeepers where the cursed character isstaying, and otherwise make, himself aroyal pain. The illusory being never harmsthe cursed character directly, as by push-ing him off a cliff.

Curse of slowness: The cursed characteris slowed, as the spell, until the curse isremoved.

Curse of contagious disease: The cursedcharacter becomes the carrier of an ex-tremely contagious disease, though hehimself is immune. Any humanoid within20� of the cursed character must make asaving throw vs. poison at -3 every fivemelee rounds, or else contract the disease.

Specific effects of the disease should bedetailed by the DM to fit the circum-stances. The disease might be fatal orsimply uncomfortable and annoying (like asevere head cold). The effects of the dis-ease begin one turn after it is contracted,and anyone who has the disease transmitsit as easily as the cursed character. Victimsof the disease can be cured by the spellcure disease, but the cursed characterremains a carrier until the curse is re-moved.

Curse of aimless wandering: The cursedcharacter is affected by a lose the pathspell for the duration of the curse.

Curse of insanity: The cursed characterbecomes insane. Roll or choose from theinsanity table in the 1st Edition DMG (page83-84), or from the article �Methods toYour Madness� in DRAGON® issue 138, todetermine what insanity affects the char-acter. The insanity cannot be cured exceptby removing the curse.

Curse of incompetence: The cursedcharacter�s prime attribute is lowered to 3and remains there until the curse is re-moved.

Curse of smallness: The cursed charac-ter shrinks 1� per day in height (andchanges proportionally in width andweight) until the curse is removed. Whenthe curse is removed, the character growsto normal size at 1� per hour. If thecursed character�s height ever goes below2�, he dies and remain dead at the samesize (2� or less). A character who dies inthis way cannot be raised until the curse isremoved.

Curse of excessive sleep: The cursedcharacter contracts a very severe case ofnarcolepsy. Each round that the characterengages in strenuous activity (such asrunning, spell-casting, fighting, etc.), thereis a 30% chance that he falls asleep. Thesleep lasts for 3-18 turns or until the char-acter is awakened (by noise, shaking,attacks, etc.).

Curse of fumbling: Each round that thecharacter engages in strenuous activity,there is a 30% chance that he fails misera-bly at whatever he is trying to do. If heruns, he falls; if he casts a spell, he mis-casts; if he fights, he drops his weapon;etc. The character can successfully accom-plish normal activities such as walking,eating, and talking, however.

Curse of wealth: The cursed character�sarmor, weapons, and clothing all appearextremely fine and luxurious. The charac-ter seems to droop with expensive jewelry,and his pouches seem to burst with goldand other treasure. Anything else that thecharacter carries or wears appears to bethe finest and most expensive possible�obviously attracting thieves, monsters,

jealous NPCs, etc.If any of these items ever leave the char-

acter�s possession, the illusion fades andthe item appears as it actually is (nonexist-ent gold or jewelry simply vanish insmoke). However, the illusion around thecharacter does not diminish. Illusory itemsstolen from the character appear back onhis person; emptied or stolen pouchesappear full and in the character�s posses-sion, and the character always appearsclothed in the finest garments, even whenstripped naked.

The illusion has full visual, olfactory,auditory, and tactile components, and itcannot be masked or dispelled by disbeliefor by any other method while the curse isin effect. However, the illusion does notconfer any real benefits to the character.Illusory clothing does not confer protec-tion from the cold, nor does magical-seeming armor afford any betterprotection from attack.

Curse of paralysis: The character isparalyzed from the waist down and can-not walk or stand. The character can siton the ground or on a mount, and fromthese positions he can fight or cast spells,but he cannot move faster than crawlingon the ground (MV 1).

Curse of anger: Whenever a potentialenemy comes in sight of the cursed char-acter or is in combat with the character�sparty, the character goes berserk. Hescreams a war cry and charges into battle,attacking wildly until all enemies are dead.The character attacks the closest enemiesfirst, always with melee weapons. He hasno concept of stealth, planning, or retreatwhile in this state. Any attempt to director stop the character�s attack by a memberof the cursed character�s party only causesthe cursed character to attack the onerestraining him.

Curse of fear: Whenever the cursedcharacter or his party engages any crea-ture in combat, the cursed character expe-riences sudden, total panic. He screamsloudly and moves away at maximumspeed. The character stops only 2-12rounds after he is out of sight of thecreature that caused the fear. Success-fully restraining or gagging the characterprevents him from running away orscreaming.

Curse of hunger: The character iscursed with a tremendous appetite. Hemust consume the equivalent in foodweight of five cows per day, or lose 1 hpper cow under five that he consumes. Thelost hit points cannot be cured by rest orcure wounds spells; they can only berestored if the character eats extra foodsometime in the future (one cow per hitpoint) to compensate for what he didn�teat earlier. The practical effect of thiscurse is to prevent him from adventuring,as he is always eating; food costs will runas high as 1d100 + 100 gp per day.

Curse of rapid aging: The cursed charac-ter begins aging at an accelerated rate. Ifthe character is human, half-orc, or half-

ling, he ages one year for each week thatpasses; a half-elf ages two years eachweek; dwarves and gnomes age one yeareach day; and elves age two years eachday. The effects of the aging can be tempo-rarily reversed by potions of longevity orby similar magic.

Minor curse explanationsCurse of truth: The character cannot tell

a lie. If he attempts to speak anything butthe literal truth, no sound comes out of hismouth. The character can still give offfalse nonverbal cues, such as shaking ornodding his head, except in more power-ful versions of this curse.

Curse of falsehood: The character can-not tell the literal truth. If he attempts tospeak anything but a lie, no sound comesout of his mouth. It is possible for a char-acter to pointedly tell lies in a way that hisfriends will correctly interpret to get thetruth (�He said that five orcs were notahead of us, so there must be five orcsover there.�), but confusion may still resultif allies forget about the constant lying orif the liar cannot get across all of theneeded information in his twisted speech.

Curse of miscasting: Every spell that thecursed character casts has a 10% chanceof failing, and an additional 10% chance ofbackfiring. Failed spells simply have noeffect, while spells that backfire affect thewrong person, do the opposite of whatthey were intended to do, etc., accordingto the DM�s discretion. In either case, thecharacter still loses the spell. This curse isobviously only effective when bestowedon spell-casting characters. More powerfulversions of this spell have increasedchances of failure and backfiring.

Curse of unfriendliness to animals: Allanimals fear or hate the cursed character.Small animals such as rats, dogs, and catsattempt to flee if the character comeswithin 20� of them. Larger animals hatethe cursed character and attack him if hecomes within 20�.

Curse of amnesia: The character�s mem-ory for new things is damaged. Until thecurse is removed, the character is unableto learn or cast any new spells (though hecan still memorize the spells he alreadyknows). He is unable to learn any newlanguages or proficiencies, and he earnsno experience.

Curse of hair: The character�s body hairgrows at 1� per turn until the curse isremoved. The hair can, of course, be cut.

Curse of heat: All metal carried or wornby the cursed character heats up asthough it were the object of a permanentheat metal spell, The metal stays at itshottest point (the fourth round of a heatmetal spell) until it is no longer in thecursed character�s possession, when itcools down as though the heat metal spellwere ending. The character is, unfortu-nately, not immune to heat, and he doestake normal damage from it.

Curse of lucklessness: The cursed char-acter has a -4 on all saving throws.

DRAGON 31

Curse of light: The cursed character�snose becomes the center of a powerfulcontinual light spell. Light equal to broaddaylight goes out from his nose in all di-rections to a 60� radius. The character hasa penalty of -4 to hit and on savingthrows, and +4 on armor class. However,unlike a continual light spell, covering thecenter of the light does not stop the light,which shines through anything.

Curse of tracks: Wherever the characterwalks, he leaves behind large, black foot-prints which, though they can be covered,are impossible to erase or wash away. Thecharacter will leave the tracks as long ashis feet or shoes touch the ground. If thecharacter is riding, flying, being carried,etc., there will be no tracks.

Curse of finding: Anyone using a crystalball or a scrying spell (magic font, magicmirror, or reflecting pool) in an attempt tolocate the cursed character will automati-cally be successful and can scry for doublethe time normally allowable.

Curse of gravity: The cursed characterfalls at three times normal velocity andtakes triple damage from all falls.

Curse of wounds: The cursed character�swounds do not heal easily. These woundsheal from rest and time at only half thenormal rate, and any cure wounds spellscast on them are only half as effective asnormal (e.g., half as many hit points re-stored).

Curse of fire: The character becomesextremely sensitive to fire and heat. Hefinds room temperature uncomfortablyhot, takes + 1 hp per hit die of damage onany fire- or heat-based attack, and savesvs. fire and heat at -4. This curse doesnot confer any special resistance to cold.

Curse of noise: Unstoppable noise con-tinually follows the cursed characteraround. The noise is about as loud asnormal conversation. The cursing godchooses exactly what the noise is; somepossibilities are voices singing the praisesof the cursing god, voices describing thesins of the cursed character, or somesound sacred to the cursing god.

Curse removalDivine curses can be removed only by

the power of a god. The deliverer of thecurse always gives the cursed charactersome task that he must accomplish or giftthat he must donate in order for the godto remove the curse. This could involve,for example, the recovery of some lostitem holy to that god or the donation oflarge amounts of gold and jewels to thatgod�s religion. Whatever the task or dona-tion, it is always both beneficial to thecursing god and his religion, and difficultor costly for the cursed character. Themeans of curse removal is difficult andcostly if the curse is major, and less so ifthe curse is minor. If the curse wasbrought about by a breach of alignment,the character, in addition to performingthis task, must be properly penitent andhumble before the curse is removed.

32 MARCH 1991

In any case, if the cursed character

If the character has a major curse, theclerics of the offended god interact with

accomplishes what is asked of him, a spe-

the cursed character only by performingthis ceremony. Until the victim has ful-

cial religious ceremony, presided over by a

filled the demands of the cursing god, theyleave him totally alone, allowing him to

high priest, is performed. At this cere-

stand as an example of their gods anger.If the character is cursed with a minor

mony, the high priest casts the spells

curse, the reactions of the offended god�sclergy depend upon the offense and the

atonement and remove curse consecu-

circumstances. If the curse was broughtabout by an alignment deviation, the god�s

tively. If the victim has truly performed

clerics shun the cursed character for theduration of the curse, but do not seek to

the acts requested, the curse is lifted.

harm him. If the curse was brought aboutby a worse offense, the clerics may at-tempt to punish or kill the cursed charac-ter, either while he is cursed or even afterthe curse is removed (in severe cases).However, the clerics of the cursing godalways consent to peacefully perform theceremony that lifts the curse, if the cursedcharacter has fulfilled the conditions ofcurse removal.

In very rare cases of extreme divinedispleasure, the offended god could re-quire a repeating remedy for the curse. Insuch a case, the cursed character canremove the curse normally, but must then

If the cursed character does not worshipthe god who cursed him (i.e., if the curse

perform another task set by the god every

was not brought about by an alignment

year thereafter or the curse will automati-

deviation), the cursed character can peti-tion his own god to remove the curse. The

cally return.

cursed character�s god will consider thisonly if the offense against the cursing godwas in keeping with the general ethics andmorals of the character�s god. If it was,then the clerics of his god will name acertain task to be performed or donationto be given for their religion. Again, themeans of removal will be more difficult ifthe curse is major, and less difficult if thecurse is minor. In either case, if the char-

Table IChances of Curse Bestowal

1d100 Result01-100 No curse101-125 Minor curse bestowed126+ Major curse bestowed

Table IIOffense-Related Modifiers To Cursing Roll

Killing a god�s worshipers (20 minimum): + 1 per five nonclerics; + 1 per two clericsCausing a gods worshipers (10 minimum) to abandon the worship of the god: + 2 per

five nonclerics; + 1 per clericStealing from a gods church: +5Mocking or insulting a gods cleric: +5Major alignment deviation: + 15Diametrically opposed alignment deviation: + 25Performing acts opposed by a god in the god�s name: As per following.Killing one of a god�s high priests: + 35Killing one of a gods extraplanar servants: +40Stealing a powerful sacred item from a god�s church: +40Ineffectively impersonating a god: +45Destroying a powerful sacred item: + 55Defiling consecrated ground: + 55Effectively impersonating a god: + 55

Table IIIAdditional Modifiers To Cursing Roll

Each previous warning to the offender from the god or religion: +3Each previous cursing roll made by the offender for an offense against his deity: +5Offended god is of evil alignment: +5Offended god is of good alignment: -5Each cleric of another god who helped the offender commit the offense: -10Offender is a cleric of another god: -55Offender was commanded or strongly encouraged to commit the offense by the

clerics of another god: -55

acter�s god or his clerics were involved inthe offense that brought about the curse,the task or donation will be considerablyless.

If the cursed character then completesthe task assigned by his god, the clerics ofhis god lift the curse. Until that time, theclerics offer the character little help inaccomplishing his task or even in surviv-ing. Their attitude is that the cursed char-acter alone has offended the cursing god,and that he alone should pay the price ofthat god�s wrath.

A cursed character cannot convert toanother religion while he is cursed. Noreligion will accept him, believing (under-standably enough) that he isn�t truly inter-ested in their god but is only looking foran easier way to remove the curse.

Table IVMajor Curses

1d10001-05

06-1415-2324-2526-33

34-4344-4748-5556-63

64-6970-7172-7374-7576-7778-8384-8687-8990-9293-9798-00

Major curseCurse of undignified

transformationsCurse of ambrosial odorCurse of the rain cloudCurse of gradual weaknessCurse of hostile

appearanceCurse of the pestCurse of slownessCurse of contagious diseaseCurse of aimless

wanderingCurse of insanityCurse of incompetenceCurse of smallnessCurse of excessive sleepCurse of fumblingCurse of wealthCurse of paralysisCurse of angerCurse of fearCurse of hungerCurse of rapid aging

Table VMinor Curses

1d10001-0607-1213-1617-23

24-2829-3738-4344-4647-5354-6465-6768-7677-8687-9192-00

Minor curseCurse of truthCurse of falsehoodCurse of miscastingCurse of unfriendliness to

animalsCurse of amnesiaCurse of hairCurse of heatCurse of lucklessnessCurse of lightCurse of tracksCurse of findingCurse of gravityCurse of woundsCurse of fireCurse of noise

Except for the methods described above,there is no other way to lift a divine curse.Even a wish spell cannot remove this typeof curse, although at the DM�s discretionsome spells might be effective in tempo-rarily negating the effects of some divinecurses. The death and subsequent resur-rection or reincarnation of a divinelycursed character will not remove thedivine curse.

Sample curses1. Tabbur is a worshiper of Forseti, the

lawful-good Norse god of justice. At onetime he faithfully followed Forseti�s laws,but for the past two nights he has becomeof a vigilante. He has taken to masquerad-ing as a beggar and waiting in dark alleysuntil �suspicious� characters approachhim. Tabbur then draws his sword andattacks them, yelling, �Feel the justice ofForseti!� So far he has been fortunateenough to escape with only warningsabout his behavior. The first warning wasdelivered by the clerics of Forseti, and thesecond came in a dream sent by Forsetihimself. Tabbur has listened to neitherwarning.

On the third night that Tabbur is mas-querading as a beggar, two men in darkcloaks approach him. Tabbur jumps upand attacks in the name of Forseti, andwounds both of the men before they runoff. As it happens, one of the men was afaithful worshiper of Forseti, and theother was a cleric of Odin.

Forseti is a lawful-good god, and Tab-bur�s action was chaotic and evil. There-fore, the modification due to the offense is+25 (diametrically opposed alignmentdeviation). The DM adds +6 becauseTabbur has been warned twice before,and decides that Forseti�s preoccupationwith justice make him slightly more likelyto curse than most good gods. Thus theDM adds +5 for Forseti�s personality.Since Forseti is good, however, the DMalso subtracts 5. That makes the totalmodification to the cursing roll25+6+5-5=31.TheDMrollsa71,and71+ 31= 102, so Forseti casts a minorcurse on Tabbur.

The DM rolls the curse of falsehood.However, this curse does not fit in wellwith Forseti�s nature, and it probablywouldn�t affect Tabbur much anyway. Sothe DM rolls again and gets the curse ofnoise. Forseti decides to surround Tabburwith voices saying, �You have sinnedagainst Forseti!� over and over again.

The high priest of Forseti in the cityfinds Tabbur and curses him, saying thathe will remain cursed until he slays abrown bear that has been terrorizingsome inhabitants of a southern village(many of whom worship Forseti), thendonates a third of his worldly possessionsto the temple of Forseti and a sixth to thetemple of Odin.

After the curse is bestowed, Tabburrealizes the error of his ways and travelssouth to fulfill his quest. After some trou-

ble, he succeeds in slaying the bear andreturns to the city to make the necessarydonations. Judging Tabbur to be properlypenitent, the high priest performs theceremony that lifts the curse. Tabbur,poorer but with a stronger faith, treadsclosely to the path of Forseti for the rest ofhis life.

2. A chaotic-evil thief named Stillethbreaks into the temple of Athena in a largecity. In addition to looting the main trea-sure room of the temple, Stilleth kills oneof the high priests in his sleep and takesthe priest�s personal treasure. To preventthe clerics of Athena from raising the highpriest, Stilleth cuts off the priest�s headand takes it with him, making off into thenight unseen.

There is a modification to the cursingroll of + 35 for killing the high priest, and+ 5 for stealing from the temple. Since theactions were performed together, themodifications are cumulative. In addition,the DM adds 15 because the way in whichthe high priest was killed is dramaticallyopposed to Athena�s emphasis on combatand fairness, and subtracts 5 becauseAthena is good. Stilleth worships Shargaas,the orcish god of thieves and darkness,but he was not commanded nor encour-aged by that deity to loot Athena�s temple.Therefore, Stilleth gains no subtraction fordivine assistance. The total modification is35 + 5 + 15 - 5 = 50. The DM rolls an 82,and 82 + 50 = 132, so Athena casts a majorcurse on Stilleth.

Athena rolls the curse of hostile appear-ance, making Stilleth assume the appear-ance of the viewer�s worst enemy. Shebestows the curse by sending a messengerdown from Olympus, polymorphed intothe form of the slain high priest. The�priest� tells Stilleth that he is cursed byAthena until he kills his guildmaster (whoordered Stilleth to loot the temple), burnsdown the main hall where the guild islocated, and returns everything he stolefrom the high priest and the temple, in-cluding the high priest�s head.

Angry citizens soon chase Stilleth out ofthe city, and he flees to the outskirts of thekingdom, where he seeks out the clerics ofShargaas. After finally convincing them ofwho he is and what has happened to him,Stilleth is told that Shargaas will lift thecurse if Stilleth donates all of the treasurehe stole from the temple of Athena to thetemple of Shargaas and also steals a ringof air elemental command that once be-longed to the temple of Shargaas, but nowbelongs to a human warlord who lives in acastle nearby. His face masked by ban-dages, Stilleth undertakes the quest andsucceeds in stealing the ring. Shargaas liftsthe curse, and Stilleth returns to his pro-fession, very wary of the power ofAthena.

DRAGON 33

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34 MARCH 1991

by Jeffrey Pettengill

With the publication of the AD&D® 2ndEdition Player�s Handbook, the ability tospecialize makes wizards more powerful byallowing them to cast more spells. Thisadvantage is offset by the fact that special-ist wizards have a limited number of spellsfrom other schools of magic that they maylearn and cast. For example, a transmuter�a wizard who specializes in alterationmagic�cannot cast spells from either theschool of abjuration or the school of necro-mancy. A study of the wizards� spell list byschool shows that of the eight schools ofmagic, the school of necromancy has thefewest spells, with 18.

This article provides necromancers withmore variety in their spell lists. Note thatcasting some of these spells is consideredto be an evil and unnatural act by mostintelligent beings.

Artwork by Terry Dykstra

Fleshing out the bare bones of necromancy spells

Animate Dead Animals (Necromantic)Level: 1 Components: V,S,MRange: 10 yards CT: 2 roundsDuration: Perm. Save: NoneAE: Special

The use of this spell is often a necroman-cer�s first experience with the animation ofcorpses. This spell creates undead skele-tons and zombies from the bones andbodies of dead animals, specifically verte-brates (fish, amphibians, reptiles, birds,and mammals). The animated remains willobey simple verbal commands given bythe caster. The caster need not use othermagicks to communicate with these un-dead, as they will understand his com-mands no matter what language he uses.Only naturally occurring animals of semi-intelligence or less can be animated withthis spell (e.g., lizards, cats, frogs, weasels,tigers, etc.), including minimals (see �Mam-mal, Minimal,� in the Monstrous Compen-dium) and nonmagical giant-sized animals.These undead remain animated until theyare destroyed in combat or are turned; theanimating magic cannot be dispelled.

The number of animal undead that awizard can animate is determined by theanimal�s original number of hit dice, thecaster�s level, and the type of undeadbeing created. The caster can create thefollowing number of animal skeletons:

�Animals of ¼ HD or less: four skele-tons per level of experience.

�Animals of ½ to 1 HD: two skeletonsper level of experience.

�Animals of 1+ to 3 HD: one skeletonper level of experience.

�Animals of 3 + to 6 HD: one skeletonper two levels of experience.

�Animals of over 6 HD: one skeleton forevery four levels of experience.

The caster is also able to create thefollowing number of animal zombies:

�Animals of ¼ HD or less: two zombiesper level of experience.

�Animals of ½ to 1- 1 HD: one zombieper level of experience.

�Animals of 1 to 3 HD: one zombie forevery two levels of experience.

�Animals of over 3 HD: one zombie forevery four levels of experience.

The animated skeletons of animals thathad ¼ to 1 HD conform to the statistics ofanimal skeletons as given in the MonstrousCompendium (see �Skeleton�). Skeletons ofanimals that had less than ¼ HD conformto those statistics, with the followingchanges: AC 9; HD ¼; hp 1; #AT 1; Dmg 1.Skeletons of animals of over 1 HD conformto the statistics for the animal as given inthe Monstrous Compendium, with thefollowing changes: armor class is wors-ened by two (maximum of AC 10), damageper attack is reduced by two (minimum of1 hp), and movement is reduced to halfnormal. Animal zombies conform to thestatistics for the particular animal that has

been animated, with the followingchanges: the animal�s number of hit dice isincreased by one, the armor class is wors-ened by three (to a maximum of AC 8),and movement is reduced by half.

Undead animals have special defensesonly of the appropriate type of undead(e.g., immunity to cold-based, sleep,charm, and hold spells), with none of thespecial defenses that the natural animalmight have had. Special physical attacksare those of the living animal only (e.g.,raking of rear claws, swallowing whole,etc.). These undead cannot inject poison oremit, fluids such as musk or saliva. Swal-lowing does no further damage to thecreature swallowed, except to trap itwithin the swallower�s rib cage. Priestsreceive a +1 bonus on all attempts to turnthese undead.

For this spell to work, the animal bodiesor skeletons must be intact. The materialcomponents for this spell are a drop ofblood and a bone chip from the type ofanimal that is to be animated (only oneanimal type may be animated per spell).

Spectral Ears (Necromantic, Alteration)Level: 1 Components: V,S,MRange: 10 yds./lvl. CT: 1Duration: 1 turn/lvl. Save: NoneAE: Caster

By casting this spell, a wizard establishesan auditory link between himself and askeleton or zombie within the spell�srange. This link allows the caster to hearany sounds that occur within the vicinityof the undead being. The wizard can hearexactly as if he were standing where theundead creature is standing (if he is awizard/thief, he can use his hear-noiseability, too). The spell also allows thecaster to issue simple commands to theundead creature via this link. These com-mands can be no longer than four wordsand can deal only with the creature�smovement (turn left, walk forward twosteps, etc.). If either the caster or theundead creature moves beyond the rangeof the spell, the effects are negated. Thematerial components for this spell are amummified human ear and the ear ofanother creature that is noted for its excel-lent hearing.

Spectral Eyes (Necromantic, Alteration)Level: 1 Components: V,S,MRange: 10 yds./lvl. CT: 1Duration: 1 turn/lvl. Save: NoneAE: Caster

This spell establishes a visual link be-tween the caster and a skeleton or zombiewithin the spells range. The spell lets thecaster see what the undead creature seesas if he were looking through the crea-ture�s eyes. The spell also allows the crea-ture to follow the commands of the wizard

(each command up to four words long), Ifeither the creature or the spell-caster-moves beyond the range of this spell, theeffects are negated. If the caster has infra-vision, he sees what the creature sees withinfravision as well. The magical link cre-ated by this spell does not allow the wiz-ard to use the undead creature as a focusfor spell-casting; thus, the caster could notcast a fireball spell and have its rangecalculated from the location of the undeadcreature. The material components of thisspell are a carefully preserved human eyeand the eye of another creature that isnoted for its exceptional visual abilities.

Spectral Voice (Necromantic, Alteration)Level: 1 Components: V,S,MRange: 10 yards/lvl. CT: 1Duration: 1 turn/lvl. Save: NoneAE: Caster

This spell is similar to the first-level spellventriloquism in that it allows the caster tothrow his voice. However, the caster�svoice issues only from the mouth of aspecified zombie or a skeleton. The voicecoming from the undead creature will notsound like the caster�s voice; it will be ascratchy, raspy whisper. For the durationof this spell, the caster is unable to castany spells requiring verbal components.The material component for this spell is apreserved human tongue.

Skeletal Hands (Necromantic, Evocation)Level: 2 Components: V,S,MRange: 10� + 10�/3 lvls. CT: 1 roundDuration: 4 rnds./lvl. Save: NoneAE: Special

By casting this spell, a wizard brings intoexistence a pair of bony hands that float inmidair and move as directed by the caster,who uses verbal command and somaticgestures to guide them. The hands canperform only simple grasping, lifting, andcarrying activities. They cannot performcomplex movements, such as somatic spellcomponents, or movements that requiregreat dexterity, such as picking locks, etc.They can, however, open unlocked doors,drawers, chests, etc., and can mix sub-stances together. The hands can also maketwo clawing attacks per round, each attackdirected against a different target. Theyattack using the wizards table at the samelevel as the spell-caster, and each inflicts 1-3hp damage on a successful hit. The handsmay be physically attacked in turn (eachhand has AC 5, hp 4, and MV 6), and maymove anywhere within their range.

The hands can carry up to 5 lbs. each;together, they can carry an object of up to20 lbs. The hands may wield weaponswithin these weight limits. When usingweapons, the skeletal hands attack on thewizard�s combat table, with a level halfthat of the spell-caster and with applicablepenalties for nonproficiency. Hand-held

DRAGON 37

melee weapons do half their normal dam-age (round up fractions), because thehands cannot generate the proper forcesthat the weapons need in order to inflictnormal damage. The hands may fire analready loaded crossbow with the missileinflicting normal damage, because thecrossbow provides the necessary force topropel the bolt. All other missile weaponshave their ranges reduced to one quarterand inflict half their normal damage(round up fractions). The material compo-nents of this spell are four human bonestaken from hands, two from a right handand two from a left hand.

Bone Knit (Necromantic)Level: 3 Components: V,S,MRange: Touch CT: 3Duration: Perm. Save: NoneAE: One skeleton

This spell allows the caster to rejoin thepieces of a skeleton. All of the pieces ofthe skeleton must be present for the spellto work. The wizard casts the spell, thenplaces his hands over the bones or as closeto them as possible (1� maximum distance).The bones then transform themselves intoa whole skeleton. If this newly joinedskeleton is then animated with an animatedead spell, it will have maximum hitpoints. The spell can be cast upon anundead skeleton that has not been utterlydestroyed in order to �heal� it of any dam-age that has been inflicted upon it byphysical attacks. This spell may be castupon an undead skeleton in conjunctionwith a permanency spell to create a skele-ton that �regenerates� 1-4 hp of physicaldamage every other round (magical, fire,or acid damage cannot be regenerated).The material component of this spell is adrop of the spell-caster�s blood and a dropof troll�s blood.

Ghastly Hands (Necromantic)Level: 3 Components: V,SRange: 0 CT: 3Duration: 3 rnds./lvl. Save: NegAE: Caster

When this spell is cast, the flesh of thewizard�s hands changes to resemble theflesh of a ghast. Those within 10� of thewizard will smell a sickening stench; ifthey have met ghasts before, they willrecognize the stench as being similar tothe nauseating odor given off by thosebeasts. All humans, demihumans, andhumanoids touched by the affected wizardmust make saving throws vs. paralyzationor be paralyzed for 3-18 turns. Only onecreature may be touched per round, andthe wizard must make a successful attackroll. The wizard retains this paralyzingability for the full spell duration or untilhe decides to end the spell.

Skulltrap (Necromantic, Evocation)Level: 3 Components: V,S,MRange: Touch CT:4Duration: Special Save: ½AE: One skull

3 8 M A R C H 1 9 9 1

This spell may be placed upon any non-living skull or upon the skull of an undeadskeleton. The skulltrap remains dormantuntil the skull is either touched by livingmatter or is struck and damaged by non-living matter (e.g., is struck by a weaponin combat or falls to the floor); assume anormal skull is AC 8 and has 2 hp. Thetrap is as likely to be set off by the touchof the wizard that cast the spell as by a ratbrushing up against it. When the skulltrapis discharged, the skull explodes, releasinga blast of energy drawn from the NegativeMaterial plane. The blast of negative en-ergy does 2-8 hp damage plus 1-4 hp dam-age for every level of the wizard castingthe spell. All living creatures within 10� ofthe skull must make a saving throw vs.breath weapon to suffer only half damagefrom the blast. Because the trap is soeasily triggered, the skull is often placed inits final resting place before casting thespell on it. The trapped skull may bemoved without triggering the trap, but itmust be moved very slowly and withoutcontact with living matter. Gloves or anyother thin materials used to cover theflesh of a living being are not enough toprevent the skulltrap from being dis-charged. The material component of thisspell is a pinch of vampire dust.

Transmute Bone to Steel(Necromantic, Alteration) ReversibleLevel: 7 Components: V,S,MRange: 30 yards CT: 1 roundDuration: Perm. Save: SpecialAE: One creature or object

A wizard casting this spell makes anyobject made of bone, including the joinedskeleton of a creature, as strong as steel.The spell may be cast only upon the unani-mated bones of a dead being; the bonesmay thereafter be animated into skeletalform by the usual spells. The bones do notchange in appearance and can still moveas they could before the casting of thisspell. Objects made out of bone will makeall future item saving throws as if theywere made of hard metal (1st EditionDungeon Masters Guide, page 80, or 2ndEdition DMG, page 39). The bones nowbreak only under a great deal of pressure,but they will bend. Skeletons that havehad this spell cast upon them have AC 3and take half again the damage that theywould normally take from physical at-tacks. However, skeletons affected by thisspell still take normal damage from holywater and magical attacks, and are alsosubject to spells affecting metal (e.g., trans-mute metal to wood or heat metal) and theattacks of creatures that affect metal (e.g.,rust monsters, which will destroy them).The material components for this spell aresteel filings and powdered bone.

The reverse of this spell is transmutesteel to bone. By casting this spell, a wiz-ard weakens any metal by making it asbrittle as bone, altering all item savingthrows appropriately. Each nonlivingrecipient of this spell (including golems)

must make an item saving throw vs. disin-tegration to avoid the spells effects. Oncethe spell is in effect, the former metal itemmakes all future saves as if it were madeof bone. All metal armor loses its effective-ness, becoming AC 7. Whenever a success-ful hit is made by or upon the item, thetransmuted item must make a save vs.crushing blow to remain intact and func-tional. Magical items weakened by thisspell remain magical, with any bonusesapplying to their saving throws. Weaponsaffected by this spell do -2 hp per die ofdamage (and must save to avoid breakage).Physical attacks versus metal creaturesthat have failed their saving throws andhave been affected by this spell inflict +2hp per die of damage.

Undead Servants (Necromantic,Alteration)Level: 8 Components: V,S,MRange: 10 yards CT. SpecialDuration: Perm. Save: NoneAE: Special

When a wizard casts this spell, he im-bues animated skeletons and zombies withlimited intelligence. The spell gives theseundead the ability to speak, in order toanswer questions, respond to certainsituations, shout warnings if under attack,or make introductions. This spell affects amaximum of one skeleton or zombie perexperience level, though the exact numberof undead affected depends upon thenumber of tasks that each servant is toperform. For example, a 30th-level wizardcould affect 30 undead creatures, witheach being able to perform one task�orhe could create one undead servant thatcould perform 30 different tasks. A taskcan be as simple as opening a door whenvisitors arrive or as complex as cooking aspecific dish, each task taking no morethan an hour to perform. The tasks areshort routines that are performed eitherdaily, when a certain situation arises, orwhen the proper commands are given.The undead servants are of low intelli-gence for the purpose of determiningwhat they know or how they will react,but they are still treated as if they werenon-intelligent for the purposes of combat(so they are still immune to spells of fear,charm, hold, sleep, etc.). Thus, while theycan talk and perform tasks that requirethinking, these skeletal servants still retaintheir natural defenses and immunities.

It takes one turn for this spell to affecteach creature. Once the spell is cast, theservants need no monitoring except forany commands required to start the per-formance of specific tasks. The materialcomponents are human bone fragmentsand a dragon�s brain.

Tslamir 8, 2000 AY�Talasar: Threedays already. I, Talasar Ecbashur, have

This series chronicles the adventures ofan Alphatian explorer and his crew asthey journey across the D&D® KnownWorld in their skyship. The informationherein may be used to expand D&D cam-paigns using the Gazetteer series.

taken over this vessel�s command until theadmiral�s return from his cabin, but hisabsence has lasted far too long. I thoughtseveral times of reaching him but havedecided not to, for fear of disturbing hiswork. I could also sense magical wardsnear his quarters and so ordered everyoneto stay away. I am hoping for some signfrom the admiral. I could not order thePrincess to head back to the Empire, fornot much help would be found there. Wehave to continue on our primary mission,so I have decided to keep sailing west.Patience will be my guide.

Tslamir 8�Haldemar: Three daysalready. A sinister magic has overcome myquarters; the entire room seems to haveshifted out of reality. Bulkheads feel muchfarther away than they should, and be-yond the crystal windows reigns a perpet-ual realm of threatening shadows. I sensehat I can no longer leave my quarters.From the corners of my eyes, I can per-ceive unnerving movements in the room,but as I turn to watch, the movementsalways dance away to the sides. Flames onthe candelabrum are frozen as if time hasstopped. In this unreal light, I proceedwith the infernal Thothian enchantment,again struggling against the nightmarishdelirium of the hieroglyphs. Patience willbe my guide.

Tslamir 9�Talasar: At last, a sign! Iwas brutally awakened by the sound ofthunder; we were nearing a large storm.Both Xerdon and I reached the upper deckat the same time. By then, the wind hadpicked up great strength. At this moment,a large blue whirlpool of light appeareddirectly in the path of the Princess. I or-dered the helmsman to veer hard to thenorth, but in response a cavernous roarrose from the ship. The helmsman sud-denly lost his grip on the wheel as it spunwildly out of control. The entire hullshook, and the Princess resumed hercourse straight toward the pool of light.This could only be the doing of the admi-ral. The blue whirlpool must be a magicalgate. But to where?

Tslamir 9�Haldemar: At last, a sign!I unveiled a major axiom in the principlesof ancient Thothian wizardry summonedin this papyrus. This dweomercraft wasfar more elaborate than the initial en-chantment invoked on the ship. As I con-jured the power encrypted in these runes,the papyrus consumed itself slowly. Therewas no stopping then, for the rest of thetext would have disappeared and I would

have remained stranded forever in thisnightmarish netherworld. When the papy-rus disappeared completely, new picto-grams began to glow in the air, continuingtheir maddening ballet. The eerie mark-ings transformed their shapes and formsas I read them, endlessly adding moredepth to the sorcery�s mechanism. After Ihad deciphered the meanings of the mys-tic sequences, the hieroglyphs blended toform a whirlpool of blue light. I hadopened another portal. But to where?

Tslamir 10�Talasar: Blue light every-where . . . The place past the gate wasamazing. The storm stopped as abruptly asit had begun. Its billowing clouds revealeda vast new world, much like the heavensbeyond our skyshield. At first I reachedfor the airmask at my waist, but foundthere was no need for that. There wasair�cold and pure like steel.

Above and below the Princess I couldobserve several worlds, some sphericaland others more rugged, slowly followingtheir celestial courses. In the distance,dark blue clouds seemed alive, with aneerie light pulsing inside them. The watchthen sounded the alarm. There, comingfrom the clouds, a horde of draconic crea-tures flew toward us.

The boltmen quickly reached their battlestations, and the crew braced for combat.The creatures weren�t dragons, as I firstthought, but were more like wild cats withhuge eagle wings and the tails of greatwyrms. One among them was truly im-mense. Myojo was close to panic. At thesight of the great celestial felines, heclutched his sword and muttered his an-cestral prayers.

The beasts began a gracious but sinisterdance around the Princess. Suddenly, ayounger cat broke from the ranks andlashed at the ship. Its claws seemed formi-dable enough to rip through the hull. Afury of lightning bolts converged on thecat, as testimony of the boltmen�s power.Alas, despite the fiery conflagration theycreated, the bolts proved miserably inef-fective. The cat didn�t even twitch. Myojoprayed harder.

The cat roared and reached the Princessas the others dove in to join the attackwhen, suddenly, a frightening shriek rosefrom our ship itself! The cat�s roar was amere caterwaul in comparison. The youn-ger cat froze in its path and hissed in fear;the others bristled up and hunched theirbacks at the Princess�s thunderous warn-ing. At last, the largest beast with the lionface came closer, dwarfing its lesser kin. Itspat a bolt of lightning in the air; a clap ofthunder then shook the skies.

The younger cats finally flew away. Their leader approached �the aft deckwhere I stood, stretched a paw toward thestarboard railing-and disappeared. In itsplace stood a woman of blue and silverlight. Myojo steadfastly stepped forward,but she raised a hand. �There will be noneed for this, my friend,� she said. �Thetime for battle has passed. I must talk in

peace with your Commander. I bear newsof your master.� To my question as to whoshe was, she merely added, �I am she whorules over this part of the universe. In thisrealm, a Princess I am.�

Tslamir 10�Haldemar: Blue lighteverywhere . . . In some places, I could seebeams of cobalt brilliance; in some others,wisps of dimness. Once past the portal, Icould no longer sense up, down, or evenkeep a notion of time. I drifted in thisazure void for what seemed an eternity.Somewhere in the distance, I could hearcrystalline sounds. I came close to sinkingagain into insanity when I heard Abo-vombe�s voice calling me. Memories fil-tered back.

Then I saw the Princess, and I was thereon the deck, as if my thoughts had gottenme there in some obscure way. The shipwas deserted, merely a ghostlike image ofits former reality. I returned to my quar-ters and there, sitting on my chair, was awoman of shining sapphire and opalescentlight. I didn�t notice at first, but it soonbecame evident that she actually blendedwith the seat and the rest of the floor. Shelooked up to me and said, �I waited solong. I remained trapped here in this half-world, with the other part of my soul inyour hands, Haldemar. It is time to finishwhat you started and set my mind free.�To my inquiry about her identity, shereplied, �In this realm, a Princess I am.�

Tslamir 11�Talasar: A great bluesun arose in the distance. The mysteriouswyrm requested that I come with her toher palace. I rode on her back to a greattower on a cloud, lost somewhere in ashifting, mazelike aurora. At the top was ahole into which the wyrm dove. The flightended in a vast hall made of solid, purpleclouds.

There, the wyrm�Meryath, as she laterintroduced herself�offered me rest andsustenance. For the sake of my comfort,Meryath reverted to a human form. Sheexplained she sensed the soul of hermother inside the Princess Ark. Meryath�smother died several centuries ago in agreat battle against creatures known asspectral hounds, leaving Meryath to suc-ceed her. The mother, Berylith, brieflycontacted Meryath just seconds before thesky wyrms� attack. But that was enough toconvince her daughter of her mother�sexistence. She later mentioned her immi-nent binding with a human, the master ofthe ship�the Admiral, no doubt.

Suddenly, Meryath stopped talking andlistened. Her eyes widened. Then sheuttered strange words and ran for theopening in the hall, transforming herselfinto a great wyrm while the youngerbeasts coiled up in the hallways in alarm.Perhaps some intrusion? A sinister bayingechoed my thoughts.

Tslamir 11�Haldemar: A great bluesun arose in the distance. Its light filteredthrough the crystal windows, toying withthe shadows in my room. I had lost con-sciousness for some time. The princess

was still there, watching over me. I real-ized she was none other than the soul ofthe creature I had bound to my ship.

She called herself Berylith. She relatedhow I had pulled her away from the realmof the Immortals when I used theThothian enchantment on the PrincessArk. Berylith did not show anger however.She had come very close to becoming anImmortal being herself, but when she diedin this world she remained a mere servantof the Immortals in the Draconic Plane.Her master permitted her to depart inanswer to my conjuration, but only if shewould accomplish a certain goal thatwould grant Berylith higher status amongthe Immortals upon her final return. Whatthe quest was he did not tell her.

One thing is certain�I have to completethe Thothian enchantment. Without it,Berylith�s soul will eventually decay intooblivion, and the Princess Ark will fly nomore. Either way, a terrible waste . . .

It seems that what I had magically si-phoned into the hull of the Princess Arkwas only Berylith�s life force. Her psychehad been lost in this plane of torment andsolitude. Only the completion of theThothian wizardry could bring the twoback together. More than ever, it wasimperative I unveiled the final chapter ofthis enchantment. But what could it be? Asinister baying echoed my thoughts.

Tslamir 12�Talasar: Horror again.The spectral hounds had apparently re-turned, and I feared the worst for thePrincess Ark. Meryath left me very littletime to join her. It was a great sensation toride on her back amidst her horde offerocious sky wyrms. I uttered a shortprayer and unstrapped my hammer. I wasready for battle.

Indeed, many hundreds of these evilcreatures surrounded the ship. At thesight of our arrival, Xerdon opened fire onthe hounds while the younger sky wyrmsdove into fray. The battle was frightening.To the sky wyrms� ferocity and agility, thehounds responded with sheer numbers.Many came close to me, only to taste mywar hammer�s fatal might or Meryath�sthunderous roar. Many sky wyrms died orfaded away, weakened by their numerouswounds. Many more hounds perished atthe boltmen�s aim or at the wyrms� dizzy-ing whirlwinds.

Suddenly, a horrible howl rose from theship. It sounded like one of those hounds,but more powerful and much more fright-ening. The hounds instantly halted theirattack. After a moment of anxiety, theymysteriously turned from the battle andfled. A clamor of joy rose from the skywyrms and the men on the Princess Ark.We had won.

The sky wyrms commenced a war dancearound the Princess to celebrate theirunexpected victory. I could see Xerdonwaving up at me. Soon he ordered thecrew to attend the wounded. Meryathchose that moment to make a few loops inthe air, which did not make me feel so

DRAGON 43

glorious after all. I hoped that Razud hadsome cure for that.

As the celebration went on, I noticedfrom the corner of my eye that somethingwas wrong with the princess. A plank felloff the bottom of the hull. A second later,a maelstrom of chaos overtook the ship.Whole sections of the ship cracked andsplintered. Masts and their rigging col-lapsed on the decks. In shock, I witnessedthe princess breaking up utterly beforemy own eyes.

Tslamir 12�Haldemar: Horroragain. My presence in the Plane of Night-mares had finally attracted someone�sattention: Hundreds of ghostly houndssurrounded the phantasmal image of thePrincess Ark. Berylith said in a sombervoice they were the spectral hounds thathad killed her in centuries past-and nowthey were back to destroy her soul.

Suddenly, the hounds began racingaround the ship, rushing forward andback, growling and biting at some invisibleenemy. Some of them bled ectoplasmicichor, while others were literally torn intospectral pieces. Slowly their foes began toappear, bizarrely fading into existence, butthese twisted apparitions were all deadand gruesomely mutilated. Horrified, Isuddenly realized what was happening.Both men from the Princess Ark and skywyrms were fighting these beasts fromanother plane. Those who fell before thespectral hounds then reappeared in thisplane of madness.

I had to intervene at once. Just then,phasing through the bulkhead, appearedthe nightmarish muzzle of a spectralhound. It was much larger than the othersand much more terrifying. Berylith lookedfrightened. The hound snarled at me andentered the room completely. Berylithimplored my help, stretching out for me,incapable of defending herself.

To flee was my first thought. But where?The blue whirlpool was still there. It mustbe the way. Without realizing, I grabbedBerylith�s translucent hand and ran for themagical portal. We both jumped throughjust as the giant hounds jaws snappedempty behind us. The gate led back to myroom, the real one in the Prime MaterialPlane. At last, I was back.

The hound attempted to follow immedi-ately but got caught halfway through theclosing gate. It howled horribly as it wascut in two; its fore half fell at our feet, stillwrithing in agony. Then the monster fadedaway forever.

Berylith stood there a moment, almostcompletely human. She smiled, then criedout, �At last, I am whole again! I will re-main within this ship for as long as youlive, Haldemar, for you are now. a part of italmost as much as I am. This is but a smallprice for my Immortality. I will then befree to complete my own quest. Be wise inyour command, Haldemar, for my fate isin your hands until then. But beware-thePrincess must change. . . � Berylith�s shapeblurred in a flash of blue light, then

44 MARCH 1991

blended away into the wooden bulkhead.The enchantment was finally complete.

I hurried up to the deck to resume com-mand. The crew was quite surprised, andI must admit it was the first time ever Inoticed a smile on Xerdon�s face. I wasabout to reach the upper deck when asudden, low, unnerving rumble shook thePrincess. Railing, planks, and masts startedto crack and splinter. In moments, woodenand metal debris was hurled about withinan abominable shower of broken mastsand rigging. In shock, I witnessed thePrincess breaking up utterly before myown eyes.

To be continued. . .

The Thothian EnchantmentThis very rare spell was invented by a

skillful Thothian priest, King Haptuthep.His dream was to create a vessel powerfulenough to carry him to the realms beyondthe Skyshield and back. He spent a greatpart of his life putting the spell together,but the Alphatian empire accidentallythwarted the pharaohs plans with a sur-prise invasion.

King Haptuthep fled his coastal domainwhile his capital and palace were shame-lessly sacked, and the unused magicalpapyruses were lost. King Haptuthep laterbecame a lich in order to continue hisstruggle against the invaders. His followerswere able to retrieve some of papyruses,but they could not locate the first sheets.

Haldemar of Haaken acquired these lostsheets in 1959 AY, during the war betweenThyatis and Alphatia, and the remainderwere taken by him from King Haptuthep�ssecret lair in 2000 AY. It is not knownwhether other copies exist elsewhere. Thefirst few sheets could conceivably have been reproduced in Thyatis or Alphatia,while copies of the last might be found insome forgotten lair of King Haptuthep.

The spell conjures the soul of a power-ful, mortal being in order to confer a largeobject with intelligence and some magicalabilities akin to that of the conjured crea-ture. The object becomes attuned to thethoughts of the caster. The spell was origi-nally written with a greater sky wyrm inmind, but it could be, modified to affectother types of creatures. The spell can becast either by a wizard (9th-level spell), orby a cleric of Haptuthep�s ideology 7th-level spell).

The first part of the spell invokes the lifeforce of the creature in order to seal themagical abilities within the object. The lastpart compels the creature�s psyche tobecome one with the object in order togive it sentient thought. This second partis by far the more difficult to master,because the sigils used by Haptuthep areboth sophisticated and cursed.

In order to understand and use thesecond part, the caster temporarily be-comes a gate between the Prime Material Plane and the Plane of Nightmares. Byholding someone by the hands and gazingin his eyes, the caster can send that per-

son to the other plane and eventuallybring him back.

The spell bestows upon the caster alimited prescience that enhances his psy-chic perception. This grants a better un-derstanding of the hieroglyphs, thesensing of emanations from the Plane ofNightmares in the Prime Material Plane,and the comprehension of other lan-guages. The caster, however, cannot useany spells, magical items, or magical abili-ties during the time of the enchantment.

Since the spell deals with the very fiberof Chaos, Intelligence checks (or Wisdomchecks for clerics) are needed at randomtimes to avoid temporary insanity. Checkonce every 2d12 hours. Temporary insan-ity lasts 1d4 hours. Assume a failed checkwastes half a day of work. Each time thecaster fails an Intelligence check, his Intel-ligence score drops one point. Three con-secutive failures to avoid temporaryinsanity will cause the caster to spoil theenchantment. He then phases into thePlane of Nightmare and remains perma-nently insane. Only a wish or a cureallspell can cure the insanity if the caster islater retrieved from the Plane of Night-mares. The caster may recover Intelli-gence at the rate of one point for everyfive successful Intelligence checks. Thecaster also gets a +3 bonus on Intelligencechecks if he is sleeping or deliberately notworking on the enchantment at the timeof the check.

Completion of the spell requires 30 daysof work (assume the caster can work for12 hours each day) minus a number ofdays equal to the caster�s initial intelli-gence score. The caster may interrupt hiswork for any length of time, but he mustkeep checking against temporary insanityuntil the enchantment is completed. Thespell automatically succeeds if the casterhasn�t become permanently insane by theend of the enchantment time.

Upon completion, the spell binds thecaster�s and creature�s souls to the objectof interest. The creature may alter theshape of the object in the process, and thecaster gains the ability to mentally controlthe final object through the bound crea-ture�s mind. The creature can physicallymove any original part of the object that ismobile (e.g., doors, levers, windows, traps,and other mechanical parts). If the objectwas capable of movement, the creaturecan then control the object�s path. Con-flicts of personality may occur betweenthe creature and the caster, just as withintelligent weapons.

Should the caster die, the object will loseits powers and the creature�s soul will befreed. If the object is destroyed, the casterdies instantly and the creature�s soul isconsumed. The enchantment is permanentand cannot be broken by a mortal wish.

Ashari Sunlil(1st Class Navigator & Yeoman)

History: Ashari never knew her par-

ents. Her father died before she was born,and her mother�a Heldanner slave�diedwhile giving birth to Ashari. She lived thehard existence of an orphan and homelessbeggar in Sundsvall�s Pit Quarter, oftenpanhandling in the aerodrome. There, shedreamed of flying on one of those fantasticships while in reality she lived a meagerexistence, scavenging and pick-pocketing.She joined the thieves� guild in Sundsvalland developed her thieving skills.

The House of Arogansa hired Ashari�sservices several times, and Tarias of Aro-gansa noticed her good looks. As a rewardfor her services, she was granted her wishto enter the Imperial Navy School for basictraining. She performed well and servedseveral months on a small Imperial galleyas an air navigator. She was then unex-pectedly transferred to the illustriousPrincess Ark. This was all the doing ofTarias, who had been ordered to join thenavy as a desperate effort by his elders toteach the brat some good sense. Tariasmade sure some good company would beavailable during his tour of duty, and heused family influence to quietly effectAshari�s transfer.

Personality: Ashari is extremelyproud of her achievements and is devotedto her duty. Her training taught her disci-pline and conscientiousness. She is aclever and perceptive person, except whenit comes to Tarias, whom she finds attrac-tive and entertaining. She has also becomeLady Abovombe�s confidante and compan-ion, and they often quip about Haldemar�sattitude toward Abovombe.

Disposition: Goodwill toward Tarias,Haldemar, Lady Abovombe, and Talasar;Neutral toward Xerdon, Leo, and Myojo;Antipathy toward Ramissur and Raman.

Appearance: Ashari just recentlyturned 20. She is a captivating blonde withemerald eyes and pouting red lips-thedream of any young serviceman. Shealways wears an impeccable uniform,even in the worst situations, an uncannytalent that befuddles even the most experi-enced officers.

Equipment carried: Ashari normallycarries a (stolen) earring of protection +1in addition to her standard navigationalequipment: a few navigational tools andmanuals that normally remain in hercabin. If leaving the ship, she takes along adagger +1 that Tarias of Arogansa gaveher. She keeps a complete thieves� kit inher personal effects.

Game statistics: S 10, I 13, W 10, D16, C 12, Ch 17; 3rd-level Thief; AC 6 (withDex); hp lo; MV 120�(40�); #AT 1; Dmg byweapon type (magical dagger); Save T3;ML 10; AL N, Languages: Common Alpha-tian and Thieves� Cant. Skills: Navigation(In), Sailing Weather (In), Evade (Dx), GainTrust (Wi + 2).

Ramissur Zumrulim(1st-Class Boltman)

History: Ramissur comes from a family

of poor Amburese farmers. Severedrought and disease decimated his familywhen he was a boy. He was too young towork in the fields and had to be fed, so hisfolk �donated� him (for a fee) to a localwizard who needed a stable boy.

Although at first illiterate, he got someeducation as the wizard befriended him.In a few years, Ramissur became his ap-prentice and learned a few magical tricksbut showed little magical skill beyond that.He was out of place as a student; he wasmeant to be a logger or a professionalwrestler.

The wizard died of old age, and Ramis-sur went to Sundsvall, seeking fame andwealth. He fell madly in love and got mar-ried to a tavern wench, but she left himfor a better, more refined wizard. Heart-broken, he joined the Imperial Navy toforget his pain.

Personality: Ramissur is a brave bolt-man who cannot deny his origins, beingcrude and rude by wizardly standards.Though a tough and impetuous soldierwho thinks nothing of taking on danger-ous tasks, he has a pathological fear ofdarkness since his misadventure with theNight Dragon, and he hates Haldemar,whom he holds responsible. Ramissur hasa lot of respect and loyalty for Xerdon. Hefinds Leo amusing and feels he shouldprotect his little friend. Ramissur�s greatestweakness is that he is a heavy drinker andwill pick drunken fights with anyone (thereason why he�s still a 1st-class boltmanafter 20 years in the service).

Disposition: Goodwill toward Xerdonand Leo; Neutral toward Myojo andAshari; Antipathy toward Talasar, Raman,Lady Abovombe, and Tarias; Hates Halde-mar (secretly).

Appearance: Ramissur is a tall, muscu-lar man. The fact that he is now in hisearly forties hasn�t affected his strength.He has the tanned skin of those who spentmany years on the seas and in the skies.Most of his head is cleanly shaven, exceptfor a long black tassel in the back. Histhick, bushy eyebrows almost cover hiseyes, giving him a somber and gruffexpression.

Equipment carried: Wand of light-ning bolts (6d6) and standard boltmanequipment.

Spells memorized: Light (×2).Game statistics: S 17, I 13, W 8, D 12,

C 16, Ch l0; 2nd-level Magic-User; AC 8;hp 10; MV 120�(40�); #AT 1 (dagger orwand); Dmg 2d4 +2 (Ramissur reachedexpert proficiency in his mastery of dag-gers) or 6d6; Save MU2; ML 10; AL C.Languages: Common Alphatian and theAmbur dialect. Skills: Brawling (St + 1),Drinking (Co + 1) and Singing (Co).

Tarias of Arogansa(Midshipman)

History: Tarias is the youngest son of thecousin of the Grand Duke of Arogansa. Hisfour brothers have all gotten some illustrious

position either at the Grand Duke�s palace orat the Imperial Court in Sundsvall, but Tariashas failed his father so far

Tarias has always been very bored withlife at his family mansion in Shavadze, andhe has been the source of many scandals,from Shavadze to Bluenose City. Tariasonce threw a grand party where zzongafruit was so common that some of hisguests tossed handfuls out the windows tocommoners in the street below. Localauthorities quickly covered up the affair.Tarias so far has conducted himself as anaristocratic brat and never proved to beanything but a troublemaker and a com-plete embarrassment.

Tired of Tarias�s excesses, his father,Nargol of Arogansa, finally ordered him tojoin the Imperial Navy. The political powerof the Arogansa House is such that, sooneror later, Tarias will become an officer withhis own ship command.

Personality: Tarias has the outrageousattitude of those young, rich, and preten-tious aristocrats who believe everything isfor them to use, abuse, and carelesslydiscard. Tarias is handsome and dashingbut brash and ungrateful to the extreme.His impertinence with authority and hisirreverence with the clergy has commonlyearned him enmity in many areas of theempire. Tarias�s apparent attraction forAshari is merely casual and probably shortlived. Tarias is a lazy, selfish, greedy scoun-drel and coward.

Disposition: Goodwill toward Xerdon,Ashari, and Lady Abovombe; Neutraltoward Haldemar and Talasar; Antipathytoward Myojo, Leo, Raman, and Ramissur.

Appearance: Tarias is a 30-year-old,pure-blooded Alphatian. His black curlyhair, light suntan, and dark brown eyes goa long way with young, adventurousladies. Tarias is a tall, well built, and self-assured noble.

Equipment carried: A headband ofhuman control that he used on Ashari, aflask of zzonga liquor (three doses, illegalon the princess), a short sword +2 ofdeceiving that he �borrowed� from hisfather�s seneschal, a medallion of protec-tion +2 that he extorted from a magis-trate in Shavadze, and a scroll ofequipment containing, in addition to threerandom objects, a 1,000-gp gem, a phonytreasure map, and an air mask (commonto those used on the Princess Ark).

Game statistics: S 13, I 12, W 8, D 14,C 11, Ch 15; 4th-level Fighter; AC 6 (withDex and magic); hp 20; MV 120�(40�1; #AT 1(magical sword); Dmg by weapon type;Save F4; ML 6; AL C. Languages: CommonAlphatian. Skills: Dancing (Dx), Music(Harpsichord, Ch), Hip Conversation(Ch+3).

Leo of Le Nerviens(Civilian Advisor)

History: Leo was born of legitimate LeNerviens kin. He was a straight �A� studentat the corporate school, often seeking the

DRAGON 45

most unexpected solutions to problems. Asa reward for graduating with honors, hewas sent on a commercial prospectivemission aboard one of the corporate air-ships. There, he learned a bit about blimptechnology and Hollow World geography.

In the following years, he joined theResearch & Development division of LeNerviens and bettered his creative andengineering skills�in the usual gnomishway. He joined the Princess Ark expeditionby accident and felt this was so much thebetter; there was much to be discoveredon the outer world, and the Princess Arkwould definitely need someone of histalent to maintain all the gnomish inven-tions added to the ship.

Personality: Leo is of the eccentricinventive disorderly nosy obtrusivealignment �in short, a perfect Le Nerviensgnome. Leo never seems tired; he�s a hy-peractive perfectionist who is neverpleased with his work. His incrediblenaivete and constant pranks often testXerdon�s and Raman�s patience. Leo is apeaceful character whose biggest weak-nesses are his love of gems and beer.

Disposition: Goodwill toward Ramis-sur, Haldemar, Talasar, Lady Abovombe,Ashari and Raman; Neutral toward Xer-don; Antipathy toward Tarias and Myojo.

Appearance: Leo is a middle-agedgnome with short blond hair, a large han-dlebar mustache, and a reddish face. Hisspectacles sit squarely on his protuberantnose.

Equipment carried: There is notelling what Leo carries in his pockets;what he has one day can be lost the nextsomewhere on the ship. Leo constantlytinkers and comes up with various trinketsand gadgets that may or may not function.

Game statistics: S 13, I 15, W 8, D 14,C 17, Ch 10; 8th-level Sky Gnome with Special Abilities I-VI (see note following);AC 8 (with Dex); hp 56; MV 60�(20�); #AT1-4 (unpredictable widgets; randomly pickone die of damage for each new encoun-ter); Save D8; ML 9; AL L. Languages:Oostdokian, Milenian, and Common Alpha-tian (treat as an Intelligence Skill). Skills:Gemcrafting (In), Ship Building (In), Helms-man (In), Memorizing (In), Drinking (Co),Singing (Ch).

Note: Sky gnomes, their experiencelevels, and their abilities were originallydescribed in PC2 Top Ballista. If that mate-rial is not available, use a common gnomefrom the Basic Set.

LettersWhile reading �The Voyage of the Prin-

cess Ark,� part 9, I discovered a minorerror. The HOLLOW WORLD� boxed setindicates that the invisibility spell does notfunction in that setting. However, thePrincess Ark seems to be able to do soanyway. See issue #162, page 45:,, . . . Leopold had probably failed to tell hiskin that the Princess was not visible.�

It is true that the invisibility spell does notwork in the Hollow World, but the Princess

4 6 M A R C H 1 9 9 1

Ark does not use that spell. If you remem-ber the ship gamed �invisibility� when theMyoshiman monolith was placed on board.The monolith bends rays of light to a certaindegree (a careful observer could still see ablur; like in the movie Predator), but it doesnot confer true invisibility like the spell. Thisis an example of how a DM can deal with apotentially annoying limitation in a gamesetting (it�s a cheap way of cheating but itworks, eh?).

Can PCs imitate that feat by carryingaround chunks of the monolith? The mon-olith itself is barely sufficient to concealthe ship, and we�ll assume the mineral�smagical properties grow in a geometricprogression compared to its mass. If so,that pesky PC might end up needing a 500-lb. hunk of rock to make him invisible.Well, I guess he still could hide behind it!

I�m a DM from Denmark who wants totell you how much I enjoy the Gazetteerseries, particularly The Orcs of Thar, but Ithink an injustice was done to the trolls. Ilove trolls, I really do! In GAZ10, trolls areportrayed as unintelligent scum, and that�snot fair! Why haven�t you matched theExpert version of the troll, or your de-scriptions of the goblins that seem farsmarter? GAZ10 trolls have no faith, ei-ther. You also mentioned war dogs inGAZ10 but did not give their stats. Arethey described elsewhere?

Hmmm . . . As for trolls, I kind of likethem, too. I wrote the darn gazetteer, soI�d better like those dumb, smelly uglydudes! What happened is that they werepresented that way in GAZ7 NorthernReaches, and I decided to stick with thatdescription. Nothing says that you cannotchange trolls to fit your preferences! Thisis especially so if you�re going to make aPC out of a troll. However, you are incor-rect in assuming that I presented them astotally faithless. They do have a certainBagni Gullymaw to worship. (They couldalso believe in peanut butter.)

Ah, yes, the war puppies. We shouldhave noted that their statistics can befound in AC9 Creature Catalog, page 13.Here are the abbreviated stats, if youcannot find that accessory: AC 7; HD 2 +2;MV 120�(40�); AT 1 bite; Dmg2d4; Save F1;ML 11; TT Nil; IN 3; AL N; XP 25, Theillustration on page 13 shows a cutesy wardog with gleaming canine barding. Add tothat some smudges, dents, rust, spikes,and plenty of disgusting drool, and thatwar dog will be ready for service in Thar�sLegion.

Are undead PCs allowed? (I have a nos-feratu cleric.) If yes, can they reachImmortality?

Why not have a PC undead? Therearen�t any guidelines that I know of onhow to create and role-play undead crea-tures in the D&D game. You�ll have tocome up with a system that balances theundead PC reasonably well with the othercharacter classes in the party I can�t help

wondering, though, what kind of partywould associate with such macabrecompanionship�other undead, perhaps?The rest of the population might also stagea major hunt to rid their beloved land ofthese ghastly fellows. Considering thatundead are already immortal (sort of),your point is moot. If it were at all possi-ble, undead could attain �true�Immortal-ity in the Sphere of Entropy, but I wouldlimit that to the really powerful undead(vampires or better).

About dominions: How many hexes cana single person rule, and how many troopsare needed to maintain each hex?

There is no real limit to how much asingle ruler can control, especially in set-ting where magic can be used. In D&Dgame terms, Genghis Khan would haveruled over more than 125,000 eight-milehexes, with no magic at all. The number oftroops needed to maintain your bordersdepends upon a multitude of factors (liketroop quality, economy, population, andthe presence of peace or war). For exam-ple, the Roman Republic in the secondcentury B.C. maintained over 12% of itscitizens in its legions (and that wreakedhavoc on its economy). On the other hand,Imperial Rome in the fourth century A.D.had only 0.7% of its citizens in arms, anddid quite well-well for the Visigoths, thatis. Medieval kingdoms were incapable ofcoming anywhere near these numbers (itwasn�t called the Dark Ages for nothing).

I am anxious to see GAZ14 TheAtruaghin Clans. Wendar, Sind, and theHeldann Freeholds would be good nextchoices. Gazetteers on Norwold and Hulewouldn�t require much work, since theyare based upon previously published mate-rial. Some of these modules are hard toget, so it wouldn�t be just reprinting oldmaterial. Also, please make some newcountries more like �typical� medievalsettings. Few countries in the KnownWorld have kings, knights, and serfs (Kara-meikos and Thyatis seem to come close,though). Too many of these types of coun-tries would be boring, but what�s the pointof having the Companion Set if no countryreally matches that rules set directly?

Good point. The closest thing that wecould develop into a medieval settingwould be the Heldann Freeholds, whichare close to a Dark Ages Germanic settingwith clerical magic. The freeholds arebarbaric tribes that are being �pacified� bythe Heldannic Knights. The regions nowunder the Knights� control are definitelygetting feudal in style. (By the way, thecreation of a 96-page accessory can hardlybe referred to as requiring not muchwork; a typical Gazetteer manuscriptcomes close to 200 pages!)

The biggest, the best, the Beasties!

Crescent Hawks’Revenge(Infocom)

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TSR, Inc. and DRAGON® Magazine aremost gracious and highly professional, andthat helps us to get the entertainment

word out to computer and video gamersworldwide. DRAGON Magazine deserveseveryone�s continued support. Should weever have the funding necessary to pub-lish a game newsletter or magazine, we�llcertainly let you know right away!

We are glad most of you find benefit inreading the reviews, news, and hints. And,yes, we also acknowledge that we are notalways correct. For example, a fair num-ber of readers have written to state thatwe erred when describing how to moveitems from one character to another whenplaying Ultima VI, from Origin (issue

Computer games� ratings

#162). You can move items from one char-acter to another by simply selecting theMove icon, selecting the item to be moved,placing the cursor on the character towhom you wish to move the item, thenpressing the Enter key. Now, on to theawards!

The Beastie Awards are given to thosepublished, commercially available,software-based fantasy role-playing adven-tures that receive the most votes (for eachcomputer system) from the readers of thiscolumn. Other individual awards are se-lected by the authors of this column.These awards cover games reviewed inDRAGON issues #153-164. Many fine soft-ware entertainments were released after

X Not recommended* Poor* * Fair* * * Good* * * * Excellent* * * * * Superb

issue #164, in November and December1990. However, due to our review sched-ule, we can�t bring our reviews of theseproducts to you until later this year. Thismeans that many of these fine entertainments will be in the running for theBeastie Awards of 1991.

DRAGON 47

PC/MS-DOS system (tie): Ultima VI(Origin) and Secret of the Silver Blades(SSI). In our reviews, Ultima VI received ahigher overall rating than did Secret of theSilver Blades. However, each is an out-standing example of the best availableadventures for gamers.

Apple II system: Dark Heart of Uu-krul (Broderbund Software)

Macintosh system: Citadel (PostcraftInternational): black and white graphicsaward; and Might and Magic II (NewWorld Computing): color graphics award

Amiga system: Draconian: Drakkhen(Data East USA)

Individual awardsBest science-fiction game: Mega-

Traveller 1: The Zhodani Conspiracy (Para-gon Software)

Best graphic adventure: Loom (Lu-casfilm Games)

Best simulation: Railroad Tycoon(MicroProse Software, PC/MS-DOS ver-sion). You didn�t see this review in any ofthe issues between #153 and #164. Thereview of Railroad Tycoon that appears inissue #165 (January 1991) was originallyscheduled for the November issue but hadto be pulled due to space restrictions.Therefore, this fine simulation was actu-

48 MARCH 1991

ally reviewed during the eligible timeframe for game selections.

Best combat simulation (tie): Har-poon (Three-Sixty Pacific); and M-1 TankPlatoon (MicroProse Software)

Best arcade game: Projectyle (Elec-tronic Arts)

Best strategy game: Ishido: The Wayof the Stones (Accolade)

Best driving simulation: The Cycles(Accolade)

Best flight simulator: Their FinestHour: The Battle of Britain (LucasfilmGames)

Most original game: Dragonstrike(SSI)

Best sports simulation: Rick Davis�sWorld Trophy Soccer (Virgin Mastertronic)

Best board-game conversion: Stra-tego (Accolade)

Best game conversion (tie): Champi-ons of Krynn (SSI), from PC/MS-DOS toAmiga; and Pirates! (MicroProse Software),from Macintosh to Amiga

Best video arcade game: SegaGenesis� Revenge of Shinobi (Sega); andNEC Turbographx-16�Alien Crush (NEC)

Best video role-playing game: SegaGenesis �Phantasy Star II (Sega of Amer-ica); and NEC Turbographx-16 �DungeonExplorer (NEC)

Reviews costly, but each adventurer can learn twoor three major languages in addition to theones he automatically knows, to covermost of the encounters.

Tunnels & Trolls (New World Computing)

Tunnels & Trolls *****New World Computing (818-999-0606)PC/MS-DOS version inVGA graphics mode $49.95

Tunnel & Trolls (T&T) surprisingly lackssupport for additional boards (such assound boards), but this does not detractfrom this true-to-form fantasy role-playinggame (FRPG). Having just played severalgames with AdLib or Roland sound sup-port, the lack of sophisticated sound ini-tially was missed. But, as play continued,T&T compared favorably with other FRPGofferings running on IBM computers ortheir clones.

Converting a successful role-playingenvironment to the computer is an espe-cially difficult task. T&T succeeds wheremany fail; the environment is true to theoriginal FRPG form and play. Although thegraphics employed when adventuringoutdoors seem somewhat diminutive atfirst, the reasoning for this becomes clearas you realize the expanse of the T&Tworld. You must move an entire partyacross huge land and water masses withinthe boundaries of computer memory�hence, the rather reduced view of yourparty within what are sometimes indis-tinct terrain hexes. The included multicol-ored map is a great aid as you hunt for thewizard-king Khazan.

The game features over 60 spells as wellas auto-mapping. However, we highlyrecommend you do some of your ownmapping because accessing the automati-cally generated map requires a completescreen change. You cannot move and view

the map simultaneously.The game begins in the Silver Swan

tavern in the city of Gull. Elysan, a bard, istelling the tale how the great wizard Kha-zan united all the towns to drive the mon-sters from the land. For six centuries, heruled mankind wisely. Unfortunately, oneof his trusted advisors, Khara Kang, wassubverted by Lerotra�hh. The peace pactsigned by Khazan and Lerotra�hh, honoredfor over 400 years, has been abandonedby the Death Empress, and her grislytroops are gathering to finish off mankind.Khazan is bound in a magic sleep in thecapital city of Khazan, and you must as-semble your party at the mouth of theTharothar River to defeat the tyrant andrescue the wizard.

The mechanics require that you createfour characters. Pay particular attentionto the dexterity and strength needs of theweaponry listed in the gamer�s manual.For example, if you want to arm a warriorwith a double-bladed broad axe, he needsat least a 10 dexterity and a 21 strengthjust to lift the weapon. We recommendthat before you roll up each character, youarm him on paper. Then, as you roll hischaracteristics, you�ll know the minimumattributes that he must have in order touse the weapon you have selected.

One of the most intriguing aspects of thegame is its use of languages. T&T is rich inthe variety of races and creatures thatroam its lands. In order to communicateeffectively, we highly recommend that allof your characters learn additional lan-guages whenever possible. Training is

In Gull, you�ll probably want to join in anencounter that involves assisting others inwiping out a group of orcs. You will loseone or two characters in this battle, butthose who survive will find the richesworth the effort. You can recruit others atthe inn or at some of the specialty guildshops to fill the vacancies in your party. Ifyou are careful when you create your firstcharacters, your group might survive thisbattle.

Once the orcs are done away with andyou have carefully spent your winnings onimproved armor, weaponry, goods, spells,and other guild training, we recommendthat you save at least 3,000 gold pieces(gp). It�s a good idea to buy your own boatto travel to the Dragon Continent.

Should you survive your early encoun-ters (and believe us, these are some of thetoughest battles that your new characterswill ever face), look around the dank anddark mazes beneath Gull. But watch outfor traps-they are killers! Be certain that,whatever you meet, you have a very luckyindividual in your group. Gambling willcertainlv cost a life if vou don�t have some-one skilled with dexterity and luck.

Sail to the City of Knor and make sureyou have enough money to pay to enterthis port of civilization. If you don�t, you�llbe hounded for payment throughout yourcity investigations. Then travel upriver toKhosht. It�s fairly safe there, but if youcross the bridge between Knor andKhosht, expect to fight a significant beastiewho�ll batten your hatches faster than youcan cry for help!

Always make certain your group hasplenty of light available, and considerrunning away to be a critical battle deci-sion. For example, our party heard criesfor help and, in our haste to rescue a girlin trouble, found ourselves battling theSpider Cult. Our group took many hits,but we hung in there until it could beplainly seen that all would die if we contin-ued the battle. So, we did what any self-respecting fighters would do: We ran! Loand behold, it turned out that we rescuedthe girl from the cult at the same time.And was she someone special! Not onlywas she able to heal all of our wounds, butshe gave us information about a dragonnamed Nepenthes that lives in the heart ofa swamp.

T&T is filled with lively encounters. Wesuggest you save your game every timeyou�ve completed a significant action (youwill make hundreds of game saves beforeyou complete this adventure). Overall,T&T is a well-crafted FRPG. The player�sinterface is completely icon driven, but itwill take a few minutes for gamers tounderstand how windows relate to oneanother. Each character also has an on-screen portrait. By clicking on a character,all of his capabilities and possessions can

DRAGON 49

be displayed. You simply move items fromone window to another to enable charac-ters to possess or drop those items. Thetext portions of the game are well writtenand offer elaborate explanations or details.Write down these important messages!

T&T is a faithful rendition of the origi-nal FRPG and would also, in our opinion,be a fine candidate for conversion to otherpopular computer systems such as theMacintosh, Amiga, and Atari ST. Hopefully,New World will consider this appeal. Thisadventure is a great deal of fun and isquite exciting, and it requires gamers tonot only gird themselves for battle, but toalso put on their thinking caps to solvepuzzles.

Battletech: The Crescent Hawks�Revenge ****Infocom (415-329-0800)PC/MS-DOS version with VGA graphicscard and Roland sound $49.95

As Jason Youngblood, you must findyour kidnapped father. Building a lance offour �Mechs, you head for the planet Ly-ons in hope of obtaining information thatwill lead to your father�s location. In thissequel to BattleTech: The Crescent Hawks�Inception, the MechWarriors don�t haveindividual statistics but are ranked incombat experience. As they obtain moreexperience, they don�t need to rely onyour commands as much and they canfunction better in combat.

The game is less of a role-playing gameand more of a war game with a continu-ous story line. As you succeed or fail in amission, the story line changes as well,giving you a new challenge each time.Within each mission, you have tasks thatrange from protecting a bridge to engag-ing enemy forces and forcing them toretreat. As you advance in the game, youare also given chances to command asmany as three lances (12 �Mechs). You canselect from over 30 �Mechs and vehicles. A �Mech recognition chart is included withthe game and makes such decisions easier.

Each �Mech is ranked in long, medium-,and close-range firepower, armor level,and speed. As the game progresses, you�llfind you are able to make better decisionsas to which �Mechs are needed to create abalanced and formidable force.

During battle, the screen shows an over-head perspective of the surrounding ter-rain and your enemies. By clicking on anyunit, you can find out an enemy unit�scombat capabilities, armor, speed, andheat status (heat is caused by the weapons�firing and movement of the �Mechs). De-vices called �heat sinks� inside the �Mechstry to dissipate excess heat; if combat getsrough, the heat increases. If the �Mech getstoo hot, it will shut down and be inopera-ble for a few turns.

You can issue orders by clicking on aunit, causing an options screen to appear.You can move a �Mech to a designatedsquare, target an enemy or anothersquare, change firing tactics between

5 0 M A R C H 1 9 9 1

Stellar 7 (Dynamix)

Stellar 7 (Dynamix)

shooting defensively and shooting at will,alter the speed of the �Mech, and deter-mine if your pilot is going to be safe withcurrent heat levels in the �Mech.

The speed of real-time combat can bealtered. Once a unit completes its ordersfrom the player, depending on the experi-ence of the pilot, it does one of severaldifferent things: If the pilot is inexperi-enced, it stops and waits for new orders.An experienced pro can continue to runand dodge enemy fire while continuing tofire at its target.

During later scenarios, DropShip com-mands are available (DropShips are space-craft that transport �Mechs). They includeintelligence commands that allow you tocheck the formation, location, speed, andheading of both your lances and enemylances. Satellite maps are also availablefrom the DropShip, as are artillery shellingand strafing by Aerospace Fighters. Unfor-tunately, the enemy has identical capabili-ties and can also spy, shell, or strafe your �Mechs.

The animation, music, and sounds forthis game are well done. With an AdLibcard, the user can hear the pilots� voicesdigitized as they call to you for assistance.

Hard Nova (Electronic Arts)

This game is good but is not the same asthe first BattleTech game. Players wantinga role-playing game might be disappointed,but war gamers will thoroughly enjoy thevariety of �Mechs and vehicles available aswell as the needed strategies for combatsuccess. Infocom has produced a highlyenjoyable strategic war game that happensto possess a great story line as well.

Hard Nova *****Electronic Arts (415-571-7171)PC/MS-DOS version with VGA graphicsand Roland sound $49.95

Hard Nova is a hard-driving science-fiction adventure in which your wits mustbe as fast as your weapon. There�s noroom for hesitation here., As a mercenary,your life is on the line every time you turnaround. Say or do the wrong thing, andyou could face blazing automagnums at 10paces. Whether you�re flying your hover-craft in orbit above a planet to search fora suitable drop zone, or meandering care-fully through mazes designed to test yourmettle against combat robots, Hard Nova ispacked with action.

Don�t expect to sit down at this science-fiction adventure and be immediately able

to play it. Take your time to learn eachcommand and how to use your mouse tomove characters and hovercraft. Saveyour games as you learn the environ-ments. There are many game elementsyou should not take for granted. For ex-ample, one of your major efforts is tolocate additional spacecraft crew mem-bers. Forget to assign them to specificassignments on board your spacecraft,and you�ll lose them.

Your life as either Nova (female) or Stark(male) has not been an easy one. You are afree-lance Starkiller mercenary; your lastship was destroyed, and only you andyour navigator, A�kri Janr, survived. Afteryou were picked up, the commander ofthe Starkiller Mercenary Group, GerardKendall, offered you new opportunities.He has given you a new ship but no crew.You can carry out his assignments, butthere�s always room on the side for smug-gling. The higher the reward for yoursecretive deliveries, the greater the dan-ger. We recommend you stay away fromsmuggling until after you�ve completedyour first assignment from Kendall.

To make matters worse, the denizens ofPlanet Typhon, beyond the frontier of theCore Worlds, know their sun is dying.They must find a new home, and if theplanets they encounter are populated,their battle fleet stands ready to ensuremore homey environments.

Hard Nova�s on-screen displays are welldesigned. If you are adventuring indoors,the main screen area shows a map. Youare displayed in green, and your party inyellow. Opponents are red, while all non-hostiles are blue.

You target opponents by using the spacebar. Targeting is necessary for both talkingand firing. When targeted, an opponentappears on the screen and you can learnits name, weaponry, and armor status.Watch the opponent�s health status to theright as you attack, so you can determineif you are successfully engaging yourtarget.

While wandering around, you�ll be ableto enter elevators, pick up objects, andearn valuable experience points whenengaging in battles. Within your firstenvironment, we recommend you enterthe shop on the right side of the screenand purchase some additional ammunitionfor your automagnum. Your faithful navi-gator carries a sonic mace that requires noammunition.

The interaction with other characters inthe game is unique. What you say has adefinite effect on the targeted party. How-ever, you can return to a character later inthe game if you feel you messed up thefirst contact. He might have some criticalinformation to give you!

Once you have assembled your crewmenand assigned them to their posts aboardyour craft, it�s time to head into space. Yourcraft has a broad range of capabilities, in-cluding the ability to change the signature ofyour vessel to something others would

consider less hostile, such as a tanker. Youcan also select specific weapons bays toincrease your offensive potential.

Spacecraft maneuvering is controlled bythe numeric keypad or the mouse. Yousimply click the mouse in the directionyou wish to travel, and through use of thearrow keys you can increase or decreasethe speed of your ship. When you reach aplanet, you are asked if you wish to dockwith the space station or go into orbitaround the planet. The former enablesyou to refuel your ship (and to accept asmuggling assignment), while the latterenables you to select a drop site for yourship. The assignments range from gettingfuel cells to the planet Tikorr for 5,000credits to earning 29,000 credits for carry-ing fuel cells to the planet Ciberan.Weapon parts to Rouyn garner you 15,000credits, and alien food to Ariel is worth9,000 credits.

Not all goes well to and from planets orstargates, as a number of hostile craft areflying about. Before you can repel theirattacks, you must target them just as youwould a sentient target. You also have todecide which of your weapon bays aremost appropriate for the selected target.The hostiles afford you very little time inwhich to make your decision.

You can continuously fire your A4 Pulserlaser if a targeted ship is within range, andyou can also attempt to board an enemyship. Other navigation options includeshadowing a ship, jamming radar-guidedmissiles, flashing optically guided missileswith strobe lights, and confusing incomingheat-seeking missiles by discharging flam-mable chemicals into your drive exhaust.

Your technician can also hack at thesoftware to improve it. There are softwareprograms for avionics (ship maneuvering);thruster (ship acceleration), targeting(target locks on other vessels), spacecom(decoding ship signatures), and evasion(evading enemy fire).

Hard Nova requires a gamer�s commit-ment for many, many hours. So manyoptions are available that they are impos-sible to list in a single review. Not only canyour technician learn a great deal fromtargeted ships in space, but you can in-crease each crewman�s skills to afford youan even greater chance of succeeding inthis multiple adventure game.

For example, one area in which wehighly recommend improving your skillsearly in the game is your Aptitude. Thehigher you raise your Aptitude score atthe start of the adventure, the more yourabilities will increase as you gain experi-ence levels. One way to start this processis to make certain you enter the robotmaze when you first start the game. Don�tsimply go around grabbing the flags forcredits! Annihilate the robots, all of them,to earn those valued combat points.

Yes, there is copy protection, but it is notdisk based. You must answer a questionthat relates to a specific nebula that isdisplayed on-screen. You find the correct

answer by matching the pictured nebulawith your answer sheet and entering thecorrect alphanumeric answer.

The VGA graphics are outstanding,especially when targeting opponents. Theinside view is always clear, and the spaceviews leave no doubt as to your surround-ings. Not all scenes produce theme music,but when it does play, it is highly enjoy-able to hear for a few minutes. However, ifyou plan on hanging around bars for along time, you might wish to turn off themusic after it gets repetitive.

Hard Nova is a great purchase forscience-fiction adventure gamers. Thegame�s broad variety of encounters, bothsentient and in space, offer many hours ofexciting entertainment. We highly recom-mend Hard Nova as an addition to yoursoftware library.

Stellar 7 * * * * *

Dynamix (503-343-0772)PC/MS-DOS version with VGA graphicsand Roland sound $34.95

Back in the early 1980s, a game calledStellar 7 was released. Using only wire-frame graphics, this game was a hit forApple II computers. With the advent ofnew technology, Dynamix has now re-released Stellar 7 for PC/MS-DOS com-puters, and the game has had a majorface-lift. Thanks to 3Space technology,Dynamix does for futuristic tank simula-tions what Origin did for futuristic spacesimulations.

From the detailed soundtrack and beau-tiful 256-color opening scenes, to the dra-matic end of the game, Dynamix makesStellar 7 feel more like a movie than anarcade game. Don�t be fooled by the open-ing cut scenes; there is plenty of action foryou in battling more than 20 differentenemies on several different planets.

Luckily, you have the Raven, a tank thathighlights the power of firepower. The first-person perspective adds realism to the gameas you engage the evil forces of Gir Draxonon seven planets. Radar keeps you informedof obstacles and enemies around you, whilemagnification helps separate the merelydeadly from the deadliest.

A targeting scope in the center of thescreen shows the approximate locationyour cannon shells will hit when fired.The scope changes when the Raven findsan enemy within range of your cannons.Below the main screen and radar is theenergy gauge that decreases as enemy firehits the Raven. When the gauge is com-pletely depleted, the Raven can no longerdepend on its shields; the next hit by ene-mies destroys it. Enemies include sand-sleds, hovercraft, and tanks possessing avariety of armaments and armor. Thereare also flying skimmers and other uniden-tified vehicles to add to your troubles, aswell as forces that may be cloaked, makingthem virtually undetectable.

Aiding you against the enemy armadaare various offensive and defensive weap-ons that can make the difference between

DRAGON 51

life and death. The Inviso cloak generatorprevents enemy units from tracking theRaven. The Eel shield is a ramming devicethat turns an enemy�s shields against itselfand forces the vehicle to explode. Thesuper cannon fires faster and more pow-erful shells than your main cannon, whilethe MP thruster gives the Raven a shortburst of speed. The cat�s eye can revealcloaked enemies; the RC bomb is a minethat destroys anything that comes intoclose proximity of it; and the jumpthruster makes the Raven airborne forseveral seconds (this helps in passing overobstacles or enemies). These weaponsshould be used only as needed, as theRaven can hold only three such devicesand, replacements can be obtained onlyfrom defeated enemies.

This is a great arcade game. The ani-mated scenes between the battles makeStellar 7 a complete story as well. Theanimation and backgrounds are crisp andfinely detailed, as are the soundtracks andspecial effects. Stellar 7 is rumored to bethe favorite arcade game of author TomClancy; it certainly is a hit with us, and weheartily recommend it for arcade fans.The plot may not be totally original, butwith great graphics, sound, and a numberof different, intelligent enemies, Stellar 7 isa must buy.

Clue corner

Bard�s Tale I (Interplay)1. To escape from Bashar Kavilor�s do-

main, defeat his dragon.2. Bards can sit on Harkyn�s throne.3. There is a secret door to the south of

the Jabberwock. It hides a powerful andneeded weapon.

4. Silver items are found in the castleand both towers.

5. The One of Cold is a common type ofwalking statue.

6. Visit Kylearean for the key toMangar�s tower.

7. While the first, second, third, fourth,and fifth words are easily found, the sixthand last words are somewhat disguised.

8. The Keymaster may save you somespell points if you are willing to give upsome gold.

9. Dragons complaining about pork canbe passed if they hear the right tune.

10. Remember who Odin�s greatest son is.11. There is a hole in the ceiling from

the fourth to fifth levels in Mangar�stower.

12. Sacrifices will have to be made ifMangar is to be reached.

Andrew MussellBrandon WI

Curse of the Azure Bonds (SSI)1. In Dracandros� Tower, attack him.

When you�ve killed his guards, rest at thetop. Save the game and then go down thestairs. Try to cast a successful Hold Personon the dark elf below; that should kill him.

52 MARCH 1991

Go back to the top, then heal wounds andrememorize all spells. Even though themage claims only mages may compete, mycleric had more luck against the Challengeof the Globe. Don�t pay the second dark elflord-he�s an illusion!

Ian RapleySeer Green, Bucks, United Kingdom

Using any of the standard methods forcloning magical items yields amazing re-sults. Create a second ring (the first isgained from Dracandros� body). Give bothrings to the same magic-user. The firstring doubles the number of 1st, 2nd, and3rd level spells the magic-user can learn;the second does not triple but redoublesthe number. An 11th-level mage with 16Fireball spells in memory is a wondroussight indeed!

James A. GillyUSS Simon Lake (AS-33)

1. Some magical items can be readiedonly in combat or in an inn. These includeFrost Brands, Flame Tongues, Girdles ofDwarvenkind, Cloaks of Displacement, andall Ioun Stones.

2. When your mage gains a level, havehim select the spell Enlarge before other,higher-level spells. Cast by a 9th-level mage,this spell gives a 21 strength that lasts for1½ hours. In a cavern, this is long enoughto last for three or four fights, if you don�tEncamp and Rest. This also works wellwhile patrolling the forest.

3. To gain a large number of spells foryour mage�s spell book, go to the ZhentilKeep magic shop. Buy one of each scrollavailable. Then go to the inn and cast ReadMagic and Scribe. You will be pleasantlysurprised at the number and variety of thespells you receive. Keep any scrolls youweren�t able to Scribe, because you cancast spells from the scrolls with no chanceof spell failure.

4. If you find the council room of theMulmaster Beholder Corps, Flee In Panic ifyou haven�t saved your game recently. Wefled, cast protective spells, and returned tosee how well we might fare. On the partywe cast Enlarge, Bless, Prayer, and Haste.Each mage cast Blink, Mirror Image ( × 2),and Minor Globe. Then we entered. Wemanaged to kill four beholders, one highpriest, and one drow lord. Left facing uswere eight rakshasas, nine high priests,nine drow lords, and 11 more beholders.Our party lasted for the first three rounds;then we started failing our saving throws.Our fighters, thief, and cleric were killed.One mage was afraid and ran. The othermage managed to last for a surprising fivemore rounds. We lost in the end.

5. Before fighting Mogion, cast the samespells that we used against the beholders.If you beat Mogion, you must immediatelyfight three �Bits O� Moander.� Have a sec-ond Haste spell ready. Charm Monsterworks well against Mogion.

Robert MacKenzie and Lucas MacKayPictou County, Nova Scotia

(Thomas Rigney of Chino Valley; Ariz.,writes that the tip stating that adventurersshouldn�t go into the Sphere of Annihila-tion is incorrect. He states �you can use anon-magic-user character and win, thusreceiving a great amount of experiencepoints.� He also adds the following hints.)

1. Use the Dust of Disappearance againstthe Mulmaster Beholder Corps.

2. Never attack your NPCs, as they willturn on you.

Might and Magic I (New World Comp.)1. Become a courier service if you wish

to find Zam and Zom and their treasure.2. Don�t bother with the treasure in

Erliquin; the treasure below is much bet-ter, if you can get it.

3. Arkeno Guire can give you somemuch needed help, including powerfulmagic, but you must have lots of food and4th-level cleric spells.

4. The secret of Portsmith isn�t in thedemon- and devil-ridden dungeon; it�s inthe midst of the city. Also, don�t disturbthe demon conference unless you�re onthe verge of completing the game.

5. Have nothing of value in your back-pack when trading with the hermit.

6. When you find walls or rooms paintedin black and white checkers, search forthe idols.

7. Doom is tough, but solve it before thefinal encounters in the strongholds.

8. After defeating the stronghold thatLord. Hacker commands you to defeat,don�t go back for more!

9, The end of the Forbidden Crypt holdsa valuable amulet.

10. Zam and Zom are in the two towns towhich the courier service doesn�t take you.

11. Have mercy on prisoners.12. The Clerical Retreat holds all but the

Clerics of the South, who hold the key toraising abilities indefinitely.

Andrew MussellBrandon WI

(Kevin Collier of B Company, 92nd Engi-neer Battalion, currently involved in Opera-tion Desert Storm, took the time to write uswith the following hints for what he calls the�Tyranthraxus Trilogy of Terror,� namelyPool of Radiance, Curse of the Azure Bonds,and Secret of the Silver Blades. His advicecovers general party makeup for this seriesof fine FRPGs from SSI.)

1. The six characters that you create inPool of Radiance can easily (Ha!) completethat adventure. The trolls-and-ogres slumencounter, Sokal Keep, and the KoboldCaves are the only encounters where youmay wish to hire an extra hand or two.

2. Three of the six characters should behuman, with one being female. The otherthree should include a dwarf and two half-elves. Because of the very real danger ofcharacter death, particularly in the earlystages of the game, I do not recommendelven PCs. The optimal party should looklike this:

Dwarf fighter/thief male

Half-elf magic-user maleHalf-elf magic-user maleHuman cleric maleHuman magic-user femaleHuman magic-user male

In Pool, only human clerics rise to a levelhigher than their demihuman counter-parts. Humans and demihumans of allother classes rise to the same levels.

3. If you wish to carry this party over toCurse, drop the half-elves�only demi-humans with thieving abilities will ad-vance in levels as high as humans. Goodchoices to replace one would be either adwarven fighter/thief, a human fighter, ora human cleric. Having two human clericsallows one of them to change class toeither a paladin or ranger.

In Curse, your party should now looklike this:

Dwarf fighter/thief maleHuman fighter maleHuman paladin/cleric maleHuman cleric maleHuman magic-user femaleHuman magic-user male

Rangers are okay, but it is my opinionthat a good, old-fashioned fighter worksjust as well. Keep in mind, however, thatrangers will work wonders against thegiants found in Silver Blades. Fighterscannot change class to become rangers orpaladins.

If you transfer this party to SilverBlades, you should drop the human fightermale and create a ranger. If you want theultimate monster-smashing party, try thefollowing arrangement:

Dwarf fighter/thiefHuman cleric/thief (changed class)Human paladin/clericHuman magic-userHuman magic-user

Warning: Always advance to the nexthighest level before changing class!

With the exception of changing the classof one of the magic-users, this party has itall. Good luck, everyone, and watch outfor glowing mice!

Secret of the Silver Blades (SSI)1. Make certain all of your characters

have a mirror readied when they go intothe Dreadlord�s castle. Hordes and hordesof gazers (medusae and basilisksl aremuch easier to fight if they can�t turn yourcharacters to stone!

2. Don�t have enough fighters? Try usingdual-class fighter/thieves. Just roll up agood fighter with a dexterity of 17 ormore. Make sure he�s at least 7th level (sohe�ll have 312 attacks per round). Then,change him into a thief. It�s a bit of a paincoddling a 1st-level thief past his level as afighter and then up to the same level asthe rest of the party, but it really is worththe effort in the long run.

3. I don�t mean to sound like a bigot, butdon�t use demihumans (elves, dwarves,gnomes, and halflings). Basically, demi-human characters are better than humancharacters, but it really is annoying when

they stop gaining experience levels. Usehumans, forgive them their shortcomings,and let them rise to greatness!

Graham HorwoodHuntsville TX

1. Before fighting the Dreadlord at 2,11in the third level of the castle, be certainto cast�in the following order�Haste, FireShield, and Globe of Invulnerability. Hasteis required only once; the other two spellsshould be cast on every magic-user in theparty. In combat, be certain to cast a Fire-ball on the group of storm giants to yourparty�s left before casting any other magespell. The Dreadlord is not affected by anyspell, so don�t waste them on him.

2. After defeating the Dreadlord, healyour party members to their maximum hitpoints before going north through a secretdoor. The battle here is one of sheerstrength and is with many iron golems.Make sure a Haste spell is cast on all ofyour fighters, and back them up to onespace below the door opening. This is thebest defensive area. Remember: No magicaffects these golems.

Steve SheppardRutherford NJ

1. Here�s a neat trick: When starting,give all the items to one character. Go tothe hall and remove your characters. Turnoff your computer, reboot, and add char-acters. Do not load the saved game. Youwill start from the beginning, and yourcharacter will not only receive the sameitems again but will retain those he re-ceived the first time around. You can re-peat this procedure as often as you wish.

2. The first action you should undertakeis to go to the well. Duck when you en-counter the Black Circle fighting clericsand thieves.

3. Do not waste your Wands of IceStorm on the hatchling or the sub-adultred dragons. Use them instead on thehuge, ancient dragon.

4. Give the well your gems, then followthe map to the other dragon�s hoard. Usethe teleporter to get there and give thewell more gems.

5. Clear out the Black Circle hideout.Then search for secret doors and enterthe second section of their hideout. Clearthe second section and go through thehatchling pool. Clear the Inner Sanctumand teleport back.

6. Teleport to the town and defeat Mar-cus. Be prepared (get trained, healed, haveall of your items identified, and so on), thengo to the well. Obtain all of the informationyou can and then journey to the mines.

7. First, visit the Temple. Meet Derf andjoin his quest. To find the pieces of thestaff, go West on L1, West on L2, North onL3, South on L4, North on L5, West on L6,South on L7, and South on L8. I recom-mend you go to level six first, becausethere you will find Vala, one of the SilverBlades.

8. After finding all of the staff�s pieces,

go back to Derf. Then go to level eight. Gonorth to find the teleporter to level nine.Don�t go through unless you have all ofyour hit points, because on the other sideis a load of umber hulks.

9. After defeating the �hulks, follow thecorridor and go right at the first turn.Attack the margoyles and gargoyles, thenproceed to level ten. Go East to find thedungeons, but memorize a few Stone toFlesh spells first.

10. In the dungeons, the riddle answersare: YOUR HEART, YOUR WORD; YOURBREATH; RIVER; WATER; SILENCE; WIND;FIRE.

11. The keys are on levels seven, four,and one. Move throughout the dungeon insearch mode; there are no randomencounters, but there are many secretdoors and traps.

12. Always open all prison cells.13. When you get back to the town,

always prepare your party before usingany of the teleportation archways.

14. In the ice crevices, the city clerk ofPhalen will not lead you to any treasure.Instead, she takes you to a teleportationarchway. Go to the frost giant village, findand talk to the king, help him out, thenrequest to be taken to the castle. He willbring you as close to the castle as he can.Beware of encounters with the castleguards.

15. In the Castle of Dreadlord, the al-coves are rotating rooms. Wait, don�t flee;to get back out, find a small lever and pullit, then go back to the alcove. In the alcovewith the meat is a mini-teleporter thattakes you to a stairway. Go up to level two.

16. On level two, go through the mazebut do not buy the map from the stormgiant. It is not accurate. However, JournalEntry #66 is accurate. The password tothe golems is STEELEYE. Do not listen tothe Magic Mouth, and do not chase afterSagatha and her bunch.

17. On the final level, the order of thekeys is: silver, gold, and bronze.

18. Answer OSWULF to the question ofthe Magic Mouth. Do not hesitate to bashthrough the door that vaporizes everything it touches: It is an illusion.

19. When encountering the lich at thedoor, wait for it to attack first.

20. The battle with the golden warriorand company will yield a Girdle of GiantStrength, Plate Mail +5, and a LongSword +5.

21. In the battle with Dreadlord, castInvisibility 10� Radius or Mass Invisibilityjust before entering. Your archer shouldhave the Girdle, the fine longbow, and theRing of Invisibility, and he should use theArrows +4 on the Dreadlord. Have yourmages pelt the storm giants and clerics ofBane with Fireballs. Keep your archer andmages safe with your fighters. Have onefighter remain invisible until your archerruns out of Arrows +4, then have himattack Dreadlord. Have your archer (whoshould be a thief) move up invisibly (usingthe ring) and backstab Dreadlord. If all

DRAGON 53

goes well, you will survive the battle. ThenRest (make certain your cleric does notlapse into unconsciousness or die; it couldtake months to regain your health) andrecover your hit points and spells. Findthe secret door and go through it. Search,defeat the minions there (iron golems andmedusas), free the Soul of Eldamar fromthe lich�s taint, and you will win the game.The two brothers� spirits will be off totheir final resting place.

James M. SorensonNorth Babylon NY

In the Temple of Tyr, search all of theAcolyte�s rooms. When you locate the roomthat says �This Acolyte�s room is more un-used. . . � go through the wall, go to thepeephole, and look at the minotaurs. Attackthem. Go behind the purple tables in thechapel and search there to get the treasures.Go to the �apparent training room� at square15,14, then go through the wall. There aremany magical treasures here. (Don�t forgetDerf the Dwarf!)

Tony WiederholdMichigan City IN

Ultima VI (Origin)1. In the bank in Britain, you can find

2,400 gold pieces in magically locked chests.2. In the village of Britain, you can ob-

tain a magic bow without spending anymoney. Talk with an NPC!

3. You can find one NPC and a magicalhelmet in Trinsic, as well as a magical glasssword.

Niels GroeneveldThe Netherlands

1. Sherry the mouse (who lives in LordBritish�s castle) can be a valuable addition toyour adventuring party. You need her to getthe Rune of Valor, and she can go throughportcullises and fences that block othercharacters. It is best to arm her with a slingand have her gain levels at the Shrine ofValor so she will gain strength.

2. Ask Gwynneth in Britain about thetriple crossbow.

3. Unless you have a very powerfulparty, make certain you have many invisi-

bility potions, spells, and rings beforeentering Destard (north of Trinsic). Youwill find an egg room on the fourth level.

4. Good spells to obtain as soon as youcan are: Unlock Magic, Untrap, DispelField, Disable, Great Heal, Explosion, Pick-pocket, Kill, and Mass Invisibility.

5. The Orb of the Moons is a most usefulmethod of transportation. Where the Orbtakes you is determined by the placementof this object relative to the Avatar. Prop-erly used, it can take your party to alleight human shrines, most cities, and fourlocations within the Gargoyle world.

6. When you are told to go to the Gar-goyle world, go through Hythloth (east ofthe Shrine of Humility, on the Isle of theAvatar) instead of using the Orb.

7. Never gain levels at the Shrine ofHumility; it raises none of your attributes.

8. If you need money, talk to a wispwhile holding the Lost Book of Mantras.

John RegehrManhattan KS

Wasteland (Interplay)1. In Quartz, go to the outlaw hideout

(northeast of the courthouse); in the south-west room, you�ll locate a map. Behind themap there is a safe. The combination tothe safe is 11-16-27.

2. At the waste pit in Needles, you canfind numerous assault rifles, ammunitionclips, and rad suits.

3. The password to Fat Freddy�s is BIRD.4. If you have Kevlar suits, you can kill

the people in the Spades casino.5. Don�t waste bullets on the Scorpitron.

You can kill it with LAW rockets.6. You must have cyborg tech skill to get

a secpass B from Finster in his mind maze.7. In Base Cochise, the final destruction

sequence is: Blackstar key, Nova key,Pulsar key, Quasar key. To finish the se-quence, run the following color sequence:red, yellow, green, blue.

Waldo StrokElizabeth CO

Wizardry I (Sir-Tech)1. When disarming teleporters located

on Level 4, be very cautious. One trap

located in the southwestern corner of thelevel will cause you to stick around for-ever unless you have a Malor spell.

2. If you can find Lords Garb, go for it!It provides regeneration power whenworn by a Lord!

The Lessers

1. On Level 10 is a square to the right ofthe spot where you begin your travels.Stepping on this square transports you tothe castle.

2. Trebor will not take Werdna�s Amuletif it is in the Swap Bag.

3. In the darkness in Level 1 is an eleva-tor. If you take it down to Level 4, you canenter the Training Grounds or anotherelevator. Defeat the monsters in the train-ing ground to receive gold, a Staff of Con-flagration (Mahalito), a Ring of Death(don�t put it on�it�s cursed and it slowlykills the character), and a Blue Ribbon.The Blue Ribbon lets you use the elevatorthat can take you down to Level 3.

Colin McGuiganOviedo FL

LettersWe would like to thank Kenneth Chan of

Los Angeles, Calif., for taking the time towrite in regards to the problems we en-countered in the PC/MS-DOS version ofDark Heart of Uukrul. Kenneth success-fully completed the Apple II version of thegame and called it �the second-best game Ihave ever played.� In fact, Kenneth votedfor Dark Heart as the Game of the Year!

Kenneth believes we ran into a glitchand that perhaps there was some slippagein Broderbund�s quality control. He be-lieves that Dark Heart is an exciting andingenious game. Should we hear fromother readers of like minds, we�ll let every-one know.

The question of the month comes fromRandy Villeneuve, of Nova Scotia. He hasbeen enjoying Dragon Wars but has finallyreached a dead end. He has conquered thepirates and has visited the eastern isles.However, �in order for me to get anyfurther in the game, I must first crosssome rivers and a canyon. In order for meto accomplish this, it seems as though Imust get some magical golden boots at thetemple in the city of the Yellow Mud Toad.Can anyone give me a hint on how toobtain these boots?� Randy is playing theCommodore 64/128 version of the game. Ifyou have an answer for Randy, please mailit to us and we�ll publish it.

That�s it for this issue. Please join us nextmonth when we delve into more computerand video games. And send those hints to us.Remember, the life you save may be yournext DM�s! Until next time, game on!

54 MARCH 1991

If you have any questions on the gamesproduced by TSR, Inc., �Sage Advice� willanswer them. In the United States andCanada, write to: Sage Advice, DRAGON®Magazine, P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI53147, U.S.A. In Europe, write to: SageAdvice, DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120Church End, Cherry Hinton, CambridgeCB1 3LD, United Kingdom. We are nolonger able to make personal replies;please send no SASEs with your questions(old SASEs are being returned with writ-ers� guidelines for the magazine).

This month, the sage considers a fewproblems that have stymied AD&D® gamereferees and players. All page referencesherein refer to the AD&D 2nd Editionvolumes.

Are creatures that are immune tonormal weapons also immune to�natural� damage such as falling? Ifnot, how much damage equals one�plus�? Is a creature that is immuneto normal weapons also immune tonormal fire?

Table 48 in the Dungeon Master�s Guide(page 69) implies that weapon immunitiesare not absolute. Until official word comesalong, you have several options:

1. You might apply Table 48 directly.That is, a fall of 50� or more can hurt a creature hit by only +1 or better weaponsbecause it inflicts five dice of damage, andsuch creature can be harmed by any crea-ture with 4 + 1 or more hit dice.

2. You can assume that gravity and im-pact with the unforgiving earth are morepowerful than any weapon, and allow fallsof any length to harm any creature.

Although some DMs rule otherwise,immunity to normal fire is a special de-fense all by itself. Unless a creature�s de-scription specifically lists an immunity tofire or other form of energy, it is safe toassume that the creature is vulnerable tovarious energy attacks, magical or not.

Can a vorpal weapon sever theneck even if the attack cannot reachthe neck? For instance, can a dwarfwith a vorpal short sword sever astorm giant�s neck? What happens ifthe attacker gets a roll good enoughto sever hut not good enough attackthe target�s armor class?

If the DM rules that an attack cannotreach the neck, then the neck cannot besevered. However, there is no reason toassume that a foe�s neck always is out of

56 MARCH 1991

by Skip Williams

reach just because he is taller than theweapon wielder. During the course of amelee round, a very tall opponent mightbend over to get a good swipe at hisshorter opponent. Individual DMs mustadjudicate these situations as they arise. Avorpal weapon or a weapon of sharpnessmust score a hit to sever anything. If thedie roll is high enough to sever but nothigh enough to hit, the attack fails andnothing is severed.

According to the Monstrous Com-pendium, Volume II, a shamblingmound grows by 1 HD every time itis subjected to a lightning attack. Awizard in my campaign has justcharmed a shambling mound andhas been busy dumping lightningbolts into it. When I wrote this let-ter, the shambling mound was up to30 HD, and it probably will be up to100 HD by the time you publish this.What should I do?

Gamesmanship such as you have de-scribed is fine in small doses; however, theDM must intervene when rules-bendingthreatens to send the campaign out ofcontrol. What should you do? Get creative.

A shambling mound gains 1 HD andgrows 1� with every lightning attack. Everhear of growing pains? Anything thatcauses pain can be construed as a hostileact (the wizard in your example hardly hasthe shambler�s best interests in mind), andattacks on the subject of a charm by thecaster break the effect. Or, assume thatthe growth effect is only temporary�perhaps the shambler can maintain theextra growth for only a few turns orhours. Afterward, the shambler mightshrink or the new growth might just dieoff. If you�re feeling especially cruel, youmight rule that once the shambler reaches16 dice, it splits off and forms two 8-HDshamblers. Of course, the new shamblerswouldn�t be charmed. Note that unless thewizard in your example is using the charmplants spell, communication with thecharmed shambler isn�t possible without aspeak with plants spell.

If a specialist wizard loses enoughability-score points to put him be-low the minimums for his specialty,what happens? Does he simply be-come a generalist or is his loss morecatastrophic?

The specialist suffers no ill effects at all;ability score reductions of any kind are

painful enough. As this column has ex-plained before. ability-score requirementsfor class and race are initial requirementsonly! Once a character becomes a memberof a certain class or specialty, he stays amember unless he violates an alignmentrequirement or similar restriction placedon the class.

A couple of issues ago, you saidthat spells from a combined schoolare available to any specialist whohas access to at least one of theschools. Therefore, a conjurer cancast evocation spells, because he isbarred only from greater divina-tions and invocations. Right?

Wrong. Invocation/Evocation is a singleschool; the �Invocation� entry in the con-jurer�s opposition school list is a typo. Notealso that the proper name for the GreaterDivination school is Lesser/Greater Divina-tion. Conjurers are barred from learningdivination spells of all kinds, not (as onereader suggested) just divination spells of4th level and above.

How can I find a gaming club?Many local game stores sponsor clubs. If

the store doesn�t have a club, the manage-ment probably will let you post a noticeasking about clubs. When looking for aclub, be ready to form your own if thereisn�t one in your area; it�s quite likely thatother gamers in your area also would liketo join a club.

The worlds largest role-playing club, theRPGA� Network, has members in everyregion in the United States and in about 17other countries. For more informationabout the RPGA Network, write: RPGANetwork, P.O. Box 515, Lake Geneva WI53147, U.S.A. Although the RPGA Networkis a large, centralized organization, itcurrently has about 40 smaller, local gameclubs affiliated with it, and it is gettingready to accept game retailers as mem-bers. RPGA Network members have accessto a staff of volunteers who help memberslocate individual gamers or clubs in theirlocal areas. Members can place free classi-fied advertisements in POLYHEDRON�Newszine, the Networks bimonthly news-letter, which is scheduled to becomemonthly in May 1991.

he invisible crossbowman said, �SoI�m supposed to sit in this corner andshoot if you nod at me? What sort ofcustomers do you get, anyway?�

mercenary. �Normal people for theVraid the Alchemist soothed the

most part. This is just . . . insurance.�He did not mention that he�d just restocked the potion

supply of a very successful adventuring party and washard put to find places to keep all the gold he�d received inpayment.

With a final mutter, the crossbowman found his invisi-ble chair and sat down.

Vraid was composing a note to his supplier�an orderfor more mandragora� when the doorbell jingled. Helooked up from his workbench, careful not to nod. Theintruder, a sunburnt old man in a peasant�s tunic, lookedharmless. Vraid noticed that the stranger carried an enor-mous pottery vessel on his back. His arm bore a smallscar.

�What may I do for you, freeman?� The alchemiststrove to conceal the interest in his voice.

The fellow glanced around, then shuffled up nervously.�You�re supposed to be the richest alchemist in town. Willyou buy dragon�s blood?�

He swung the jar, which Vraid now recognized as thesort of container used by farmers to hold pigs� blood, andliquid sloshed inside it�a plenitude of liquid.

Vraid opened his mouth. Then he narrowed his eyes.�I�ll buy it, if it�s real. Put that down, open it up, andwe�ll see. What sort of dragon do you claim this blood isfrom?�

If it was real, Vraid was going to be even richer. Drag-on�s blood was a key ingredient in many powerful spellsand potions, and the demand always exceeded the supply.

The man spat on Vraid�s floor. �It�s real enough.� Hebent over to lower the vat carefully to the floor, thenturned around and began stripping off the wax seal. �Thisis red dragon blood. Ancient red dragon blood.�

Vraid almost nodded to the crossbowman then, butdoubt stayed his head. He reached behind him for thetincture of dragonbane, poured a bit into a ceramic mor-tar, and added some seawater. �Open the jar. If it�sdragon blood, I�ll pay well for the location of the carcass.Otherwise, you will not come into this town ever again.�

The jar lid came off, and Vraid thrust an iron rod in.He touched bottom where he expected to. That eliminatedone dodge. The rod, when removed, was extremelycorroded.

�Interesting,� he muttered, �but now for the true test.�Vraid dipped some of the liquid out with a long-

handled ceramic spoon. He brought the sample up to thelight. It was skimmed over but had the look of blood. Heheld the spoon over the bowl of diluted dragonbane. Cau-tiously, he let a drop form on the tip of the spoon.

�Could you hurry this up?� the old man complained.The drop fell and impacted. The resulting flame singed

Vraid�s eyebrows. It was brilliant red.Vraid spun around. �Where�s the carcass?�The man raised one hand, fingers spread. �Hey! I want

to sell what I have here and nothing else. Do you want it

Dragon�sBlood

By Bryan Haught

Illustrations by Scott Burdick

DRAGON 59

or not?� He closed the jar.�All right. Two hundred.�The stranger sighed noisily, hoisting the jar. �There�s

three gallons in the vat. I want three hundred Suns perpint, and you�ll do well in the deal. Payment here andnow, in gold, or I go visit Natseg�s Potions. Yes or no?�

Vraid snorted. �Ridiculous! You beggar me!�The man turned away. Leaning after him, Vraid noted

a charred spot on the floor. �But I�ll do it. And a thou-sand more for the body�s location.�

�You wouldn�t find it useful.� The fellow seemed agi-tated. �Come on. Hand over the gold or I leave!�

Within three minutes, Vraid was transferring his lifesavings in hundred-Sun pouches. His customer glancedcursorily at each and gathered them into a burlap sack.The sight of the gleaming metal seemed to loosen histongue. �Drove me out of my home,� he muttered. �Tookeverything, the misbegotten mammals . . .�

Vraid suddenly understood, and backed away from thepink man-shape that was beginning to blur and spread asits change-spell wore off. Frantically, he nodded to thecrossbowman and started to chant a protection from fire.A magical, poisoned bolt splintered on the thing�s shoul-der. He watched as his customer, growing ever more hori-zontal, exited the shop with the gold and without abackward glance. It took full shape in the street, leaping

aloft with an unfolding of great batwings and a snort of pure fire.

LettersContinued from page 5modules TSR publishes, so adventures that youyourself have designed will not be looked at ifyou are not already a TSR free-lancer:

In order for someone to be considered forTSR�s free-lance �staff,�you must have been previously published in the gaming field, eitherby DRAGON Magazine, DUNGEON Adventures,POLYHEDRON� Newszine, or another gamecompany. Even this is no guarantee that you willbe picked as a TSR free-lance writer, but at leastyou�ll have a chance.

There are more astronauts and cosmonautsthan there are game designers. The road intoTSR is a difficult one at best.

...and artwork!Dear Dragon,

I recently purchased The Art of theADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® FantasyGame (wonderful book, by the way). Somethingthat Mary Kirchoff said keeps sticking in mymind. It�s what she said about free-lance artistspage 111): �The sheer volume of art needed bya company the size of TSR makes it impossibleto produce all of it in-house.�

Where can I get more info on free-lanceartists? Would it be possible to submit someartwork to be considered? There are just a fewquestions I have. Where can I write to?

Lisa BagliniSalem MA

Free-lance artists have four separate markets

Rushing to the demolished door, Vraid saw the dragonfind an updraft and soar away north into the mountains.The streets were very crowded and very noisy; Vraidknew his license was as good as rescinded. He merelyscreamed when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

The now-visible crossbowman said, clearly and slowly,with only a slight quaver in his voice, �I quit.�

for their work at TSR, Inc.!If you are interested in submitting samples of

your artwork to DRAGON Magazine orDUNGEON Adventures, you should first get acopy of our art guidelines by sending a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Art Guidelines,DRAGON Magazine, TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 111,Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A. Larry Smith isthe art director for both periodicals.

Color and black-and-white artwork for theGames and Books divisions of TSR, Inc. is han-dled by art assistant Peggy Cooper. Queriesshould be addressed to: Peggy Cooper, TSR, Inc.,P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.Guidelines are available if an SASE is enclosed.

Guidelines for AMAZING® Stories (which usesonly color artwork] may be obtained by sendingan SASE to: Art Guidelines, AMAZING Stories,TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147,U.S.A. The editor is Kim Mohan.

POLYHEDRON� Newszine also accepts free-lance artwork. Submit clear photocopies of yourwork, black and white only; pen and ink arepreferred, though washes and other clearlyreproduced media are acceptable. Jean Rabe isthe editor. Please mark the lower left corner ofyour mailing envelope with �Art Submission�when sending your materials in.

Payment rates and contract terms vary be-tween each department. In all cases, do notsend original samples of your work. Clearphotocopies of black-and-white work are prefer-red; color art should be carefully photographed(slides are not preferred for the Games andBooks divisions, but any transparencies areacceptable to Periodicals). Always enclose anSASE for the return of all materials you send toTSR, Inc. if you want them back. And study thework already used by each division carefully to

make sure that your work is at least equal tothe published standard, and properly reflects

current themes and interests.

your letter contains � a letter tothe editor, �Forum� submission,request for guidelines, gamingarticle, short story, artwork,cartoons, or subscription corre-spondence. This ensures thatthe letter you send gets to theright person. In the United

Your M a g a z i n e ,please labelthe outside of

If you corres-pond with usat DRAGON®Label

Letter! your envelopeto show what

States or Canada, write to:DRAGON Magazine, P.O. Box111, Lake Geneva WI 53147,U.S.A. In Europe, write to:DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd,120 Church End, Cherry Hin-ton, Cambridge CB1, 3LB,United Kingdom.

DRAGON is a trademark of TSR. Inc.©1990 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

60 MARCH 1991

by Peter Trueman

62 MARCH 1991

A more realistic approach to fantasy

Table 1New Standard Coin Values

Coin values Metal and symbols used1 copper piece (cp) copper�cu1 bronze piece (bp) = 2 cp bronze�br1 silver piece (sp) = 10 bp silver�ag1 electrum piece (ep) = 10 sp electrum�el1 gold piece (gp) = 2 ep gold�au1 platinum piece (pp) = 20 gp platinum�pt

Table 2Ancient World Currencies

Name Symbol Metal Size (pw) Value

Mesopotamia & Ancient Middle-East* Uncia U 2 ½ cp, 1/8 LHemilitron H br 4 1 bp ½ LLitra L br 8 2 bp, 0.2 SShekel S ag 4 1 0.1 D, 5 Lsp,Daric D au 2 ½ gp, 10 SMina M au 10 2½ gp, 50 S

Ancient GreeceChalkous ½ cp, 1/8

br2

Obol 8 2 bp, 0.2Drachma ag 4 1 sp, 5Didrachm ag 8 2 sp, 2Tetradrachm el 2 0.4 ep, 4Half-stater el 5 1 ep, ½ 1 0

Stater au 4 1 gp, 20

Distater au 8 2 gp, 2

Imperial RomeQuadrans Q d c uSemis Sm bs

1 ¼ cp, ¼ As2 ½ cp, ½ As

As As c u 4 1 ¼Stcp,Dupondius Du br 4 1 bp, ½ StSestertius St br 8 2 bp, ¼ De, 4 AsQuinarius Qu ag 1½ 0.4 sp, ½ De, 2 StDenarius De ag 3 0.8 4 Stsp,Quinarius Qa au 2 ½ gp, ½ Au, 12½ De

AureusAureus Au au 4 1 gp, 25 De

Dark Ages EuropeNummus nu cu ½ 1/8 cp2 Nummi nu cu 1 ¼ cp5 Nummi nu c u 2½ 5/8 cp10 Nummi nu br 2½ 5/8 bp20 Nummi nu br 5 1¼ bp40 Nummi nu br 10 2½ bp100 Nummi nu ag 2½ 5/8 spSiliqua sq ag 4 1 sp, 160 nuTremissis tr el 2½ 2/3 ep, l/3 soSemissis sm au 2 ½ gp, ½ soSolidus so au 4 1 20gp, sq

ByzantiumFollis f cu 6 1½ cpMiliaresion m ag 3½ 0.9 sp, 12 fNomisma n au 4¼ 1.08 24 m, 288 fgp,

* 1 talent = 60 M = 3,000 S

It�s the end of a game month, and ourintrepid adventurers are resting before awarm fire at a comfortable tavern, recov-ering their strength after three solidweeks of wilderness trekking anddungeon delving using the AD&,D® 1stEdition rules. The DM takes this opportu-nity to work out the party�s expenses forthe past month.

The group consists of five 7th-levelcharacters, plus a 6th-level fighter whostarted his adventuring career a little laterthan the others. According to the 1st Edi-tion Dungeon Master�s Guide (page 25), thecharacters� expenses are 100 gold pieces(gp) per level per month. This means thatour stalwart band of heroes must forkover 4,100 gp. That is 410 lbs. of gold,enough to fill a small cart! Even convertingto that rare metal, platinum, this worksout at two large sacks of coins!

In addition, the 6th-level character hasfinally accumulated sufficient experiencepoints to go up one level. Having been agenerally superior fighter, he requiresonly two weeks of training, at 1,500 gpper level per week (DMG, page 861, or18,000 gp. This is about two small wagon-loads of coins (pulled by heavy horses),and he has yet to get this enormous quan-tity of treasure from wherever he may bekeeping it to the castle of the lord who isgoing to train him!

A brief examination of this aspect of theAD&D game tends to point towards one orboth of two conclusions:

1. Training and living expenses shouldnot be so high; or

2. Gold should weigh less and be worthmore.

The first of these has been addressedbefore, and so will not be dwelt uponhere. The second has also been touchedupon in several articles. S. D. Anderson, ofWhittier, Calif., stated in �Forum� inDRAGON® issue #122 that coins shouldweigh only one-tenth of their currentvalue. Lewis Pulsipher, in �A Player Char-acter and His Money...� in DRAGON issue#74, suggested a system in which eachcoin becomes the size of a dime (about 219coins per pound). And David Nalle, in anarticle called �For the Sake of Change,�that appeared in DRAGON issue #63, putforward three proposals:

1. The silver piece (sp) should replacethe gold piece as the standard unit ofpurchase (also adopted by Pulsipher);

2. Bronze pieces (bp) should replacecopper as the most common form of smallchange, with copper being used rarelybecause it does not wear as well; and

3. Platinum should be much rarer (evennonexistent in many places) and morevaluable than it is now.

This article adopts all three of Nalle�sproposals, which are based on historicalcoinage, along with the idea of usinglighter coins, to produce the followingsystem.

The sizes of all coins are given in penny-weights (pw). There are 20 pennyweights

DRAGON 63

to the ounce, and 16 ounces to the pound.The standard coin (�piece�) weighs fourpennyweights. This gives 80 coins to thepound, or eight to the standard encum-brance unit (1 SEU = 0.1 lbs.).

The proposal that silver replace gold asthe standard purchasing unit is not diffi-cult to implement. For purists, simplydivide the cost or value of all things (ex-cept gems; see below) by 20, and convertto the most convenient coin type. I prefer,however, to use this conversion:

1. All values expressed in �old� platinumpieces are divided by four to get the equiv-alent number of �new� silver pieces, or bytwo to get �new� electrum pieces (ep);

2. All values expressed in �old� goldpieces are converted to the same numberof �new� silver pieces;

3. All values expressed in �old� electrumpieces are halved to find their equivalentin �new� silver pieces;

4. All values expressed in �old� silverpieces become values expressed in �new�bronze pieces;

5. All values expressed in copper pieces(cp) are left alone.

This system leaves really cheap items attheir current prices. Gems should be leftat their �old� values in gold pieces to makethem more valuable and rarer.

Let us return to our intrepid adventur-ers, mulling over their monthly expenses.Even the exorbitant price of 4,100 sp ismuch more easily handled as 205 gp,which weighs only a little over 25 SEU andfits in a small pouch. Similarly, the 6th-level fighter�s training expenses work outto 18,000 sp (900 gp, weighing only 112.5SEU). This can easily be carried in a back-pack with room to spare. (See Table 1 fordetails.)

Does this destroy game balance? Not iftreasure is converted in the same way asprices. Gold now becomes rare, silvervaluable, and even bronze is worth asecond look. This returns meaning to thelower-value metals. I mean, when was thelast time that your midlevel party wasseriously excited over a pile of silver? Inmy experience, once characters reachabout 3rd level, they adopt a policy of�Grab the electrum and gold, and leave therest!� This coinage system also makesshopping more reasonable. Instead ofhaving to cart 40 lbs. of gold down to thearmorer�s to pay for a suit of plate mail, acharacter can make the purchase with asingle platinum piece.

New coins for oldTo add variety and flavor to the cam-

paign, the DM can, if he so wishes, trans-form the rather bland coins of thestandard system into ones with characterand history. Consider the �sovereign cur-rency� described in Table 2. These coinscould be minted in the country whereyour party is adventuring, encountered ineveryday transactions. This also helps theplayers adjust to the new buying capacityof the silver piece and saves confusion

64 MARCH 1991

Table 3Medieval European Currencies

Name Symbol Metal Size (pw) Value

England*Farthing z c u 5 1 cp, ¼ dHalf-penny ½d br 5 1 bp, ½ dPenny d ag 1 ¼ sp, 4 zGroat gr

f lag 4 1 4dsp,

Florin ag 20 5 20 dsp,Half-noble ½ Nb au 2 ½ gp, 40 dNoble Nb au 4 1 80dgp,Sovereign sv au 12 3 gp,240 d

France **Denier Tournois dt cu 6½ 22/3 CpGros Tournois gt ag 4 1 sp, 12 dtEcu D�or (Crown) Ed au 2 ½ gp, 120 dt

Italian city-states * * *Denaro do cu 3¼ 5/6 cpGrosso go ag 4 1 24 dosp,Florin Fl au 2 ½ gp, 240 doDucat Dt au 4 1 gp, 480 do

Germanic nations ****

Pfennig Pf br 4 1 bPGroschen

Gdag 6½ 1.6 sp, 16 pf

Gulden au 4 1 gp, 200 pf* 1 shilling = 3 gr; 1 pound (£) = 1 Sv; 1 guinea = 21 s** 1 tournois (st) = 1 gt; 1 livre = 2 Edsou* * * 1 soldo (so) = ½ go; 1 lira (lo) = 1 Fl* * * * 1 schilling (SC) = 12 pf; 1 mark (mk) = 192 pf

Table 4Near Eastern & Indian Currencies

Name Symbol

ArabiaFulus FuHalf-dirham ½DmDirham DmQuarter-dinar ¼ DnDinar Dn

Russia¼ Kopek ¼ K½Kopek ½KKopek K5Kopeks 5K10Kopeks 10K½Rouble ½RRouble R2Roubles 2R10Roubles 10RTurkish EmpireManghir mgAqche aqAltun atSequin snPersiaPul PlShahi ShAbbasi AbAshrafi Af

Metal

cuagagelau

c ubrbragagelauauPt

cuagauau

cuagagau

Size (pw) Value

4 1 cp2 ½ sp, ½ Dm, 10 Fu4 1 20 Fusp,2 ½ ep, ¼ Dn, 5 Dm4 1 gp, 20 Dm

4 1 cp4 1 bp8 2 bp4 1 SP8 2 sp4 1 50 Kep,4 1 100 Kgp,8 2 gp2 ½ pp

4 1 cp2 ½ sp, 10 mg4 1 gp,40 aq8 2 gp, 80 aq

8 2 0.2 Shcp,2 ½ sp, 5 Pl8 2 4 Shsp,8 2 gp, 20 Ab

Table 4 (Continued)

Name

IndiaPaisa2 Paisa4 Paisa16 PaisaXmkahRupeeMohur2 Mohur5 Mohur10 Mohur

Symbol

Ps2 Ps4 Ps16 Ps

TkRpMh

2Mh5Mh10 Mh

Metal Size (pw) Value

cu

brcu

agagagauauauau

2½5525848

2040

5/8 cp1 ¼ cp1¼ bp½ sp

1 ¼ sp, 5/8 Rp, 40 Ps2 sp, 1.6 Tk, 64 Ps1 gp, 10 Rp, 16 T

2gp5gp10 gp

Table 5Fantasy Currencies

Name Symbol

Imperial currencySlaveCommonGentleNobleRoyalImperial

Celestial currencyMeteorBoltCloudCrescentOrbStar

Druidic currencyFire fEarth eHolly hBeech bAsh aOak oMistle m

Bestial currencyMouse msSnake skGazelle gzCrocodile crLion lnElephant el

Diabolic currencyHoof hfTail tlTalon tnFang fgHorn hn

Sovereign currencyBit BIwo-bit TMark MHalf-crown VCrown WSovereign S

Metal Size (pw) Value

bsbragelaupt

2 ½ cp, ¼4 1 bp, 44 1 sp, 104 1 ep, 104 1 gp, 2 N, 202 ½ pp, 10 200

bs 4 1 cp, ¼ /br 8 2 bp, 4ag 2 ½ sp, 10el 2 ½ ep, 10au 8 2 gp, 8 4 0Pt 4 1 pp, 10 O, 400

bsbrcuagelaupt

cubragelaupt

cubragelau

brcu

agelaupt

2284482

244484

44448

444444

½ cp, ½ e½ bp, 2 f2 cp, 2 e

1 sp, 10 h1 ep, 10 b

2 gp, 4 a, 40 b½ pp, 5 o, 200 b

½ cp, ¼ sk1 bp, 4 ms1 sp, 10 sk1 ep, 10 gz

2 gp, 4 cr, 40 gz1 pp, 10 ln

1 cp, ½ tl1 bp, 2 hf1 sp, 10 tl1 ep, 10 tn

2 gp, 4 fg, 40 tn

1 cp, ½ T1 bp, 2 B

1 sp, 10 T, 20 B1 ep, ½ W, 10 M1 gp, 2 V, 20 M

1 pp, 20 W, 400 M

when discussing prices in the officialbooks. (�Well, the Player�s Handbook saysit costs 15 gp.�)

However, not all coins found in the cam-paign are going to be of this currency. Coinsfrom neighboring countries may well befound in merchant caravans or bandithoards. A dungeon built centuries ago mayhave ancient coins worth even more thantheir metal value. Exotic coins from far-offlands or other planes may turn up unexpect-edly to spice up your campaign.

The government of one country mayoutlaw transactions in another country�smoney, especially if its own economyneeds boosting, but would allow charac-ters to trade in foreign coins with a mere10% exchange tax levied. The governmentwould then, presumably, melt down theforeign coins and remint them with sym-bols of its own sovereignty, gaining a ma-jor source of revenue into the process.This is not to say that illegal transactionswon�t take place, and the characters mightfind themselves caught up in a black-market racket or counterfeiting ring.

To give DMs some ideas for currencysystems, I have researched some real-lifeancient and medieval coin types and con-verted them to the coinage system out-lined herein (see Tables 2-4). The coinnames are genuine, and I have tried topreserve their relationships to one an-other. Nonetheless, learned numismatists(students of coins) might find discrepan-cies between this material and docu-mented facts. These are the result oftrying to fit real-world coinage into theartificial system of the AD&D game, of thechanges in coin values and relationshipsover the years (inflation is not unique tothe modern world), and of incompleteinformation, both mine and that ofscholars in general.

Consider a campaign set in medievalEurope, with the fantasy addition ofmagic. The heroes are adventuring in theItalian peninsula. They must purchasetheir food, board, and equipment in grossi,florins, and ducats. They may, however,encounter groats from England, crownsfrom France, and gulden from MiddleEurope. More exotic coins might be nomis-mas from the Byzantine Empire, roublesfrom the principalities of Rus, dirhamsfrom Arabia, or aqches from the Truks. Ifthe adventurers discover an old treasurehoard, it might contain Dark Age siliquasand solidi, denarii from the Roman Em-pire, or drachmae from Greece. Shekelsand darics from the ancient world wouldbe so rare as to be worth more to collec-tors than to money-changers.

Fantasy coinage is provided in Table 5, indifferent systems that could be borrowedfor any fantasy game campaign, whetherAD&D game based or not. Coinage fromTables 2-5 can be added to your campaign toprovide added depth and complexity if suchis desired.

DRAGON 65

Table 6Gem Base Values

1d100 Base value01-55 10 gp56-75 50 gp76-85 100 gp86-95 500 gp96-99 1,000 gp00 5,000 gp

DescriptionOrnamental stonesSemi-precious stonesFancy stonesPrecious stonesGem stonesJewels

Table 7Gem Value Adjustments

1d100 Size Weight * Modifier Quality Modifier01-05 Tiny 1 ×¼ Flawed × ¼06-30 Small 2 × ½ Poor × ½31-70 Average 4 ×1 Normal ×171-95 Large 10 ×2 High ×296-00 Huge 20 ×5 Fabulous ×5

* Weight is in pennyweights.

Table 8Jewelry Composition

1d10001-0506-1011-2021-3031-3536-6061-7576-8586-9596-9798-9900

MaterialCopperBrassBronzePewterIvorySilverSilver & gold*ElectrumGoldTurquoisePlatinumCoral (75%)

or jade (25%)

Chanceof gems2%2%5%5%0%10%10%10%10%0%8%0%0%

* Roll 1d6 for silver/gold ratio: 1-3,75%/25%; 4-5, 50%/50%; 6, 25%/75%.

Table 9Jewelry Weight

1d100 Item01-02 anklet03-05 armband06-07 bangle08-10 belt11 blade12-14 box (small)15-18 bracelet19-21 brooch22-23 buckle24-27 chain28 chalice29 choker30-32 clasp33-34 coffer35 collar36-37 comb38 coronet39 crown

Weight *1d4

1d4 +41d2 +21d6 +4

2d10 + 141d10 + 10

1d22

1d4+12d4

1d4+41d6 +4

11d6 +41d4+11d4+11d4+6

1d10 + 10

Table 9 (Continued)

1d100 Item Weight *40 dagger 1d8+641-42 decanter 1d6 +843 diadem 1d4 +244-47 earring 148-51 goblet 1d4+252-53 headband 1d4+154-56 idol 1d10 +457-58 knife 1d4 +259-60 locket 1d4 +261-63 medal 1d464-68 medallion 1d4 +269-74 necklace 1d475-77 pendant 1d4+278-82 pin ½83 orb 2d6+384-91 ring 192 scepter 10d4 + 1093-94 seal 2d495-97 statuette 10d498 sword 10d4 + 2099 tiara 1d4 +400 special * *

* Weight is in SEU.* * Jeweled armor: Roll on Table 12.

Table 10Jeweled Armor

1d100 Item Weight* 01-05 helmet 4506-10 breastplate 10011-34 thigh guard 3035-60 shin guard 3061-66 knee guard 1067-84 bracer 2085-00 shoulder

guard 40

* Weight is in SEU.

Table 11Jewelry Quality

1d100 Quality * Multiplier01-05 atrocious ×106-20 poor ×1½ 21-50 fair ×251-83 good ×584-98 excellent ×1099-00 unique ×20-50

* Based on craftsmanship.

Table 12Number of Gems in Jewelry

Jewelryweight Number Gem size(SEU) of gems modifierup to 1 1d2 -10%2-10 1d4 0%11-20 2d4 +5%21-50 3d4 +10%51-100 5d4 +15%

Table 13Jewelry Metal Modifiers

Jewelry metal ModifierCopper/brass -15%Bronze/pewter -10%Silver - 5 %Silver & gold 0%Electrum +5%Gold +10%Platinum +15%

66 MARCH 1991

Gems and jewelryWhile we�re on the subject of treasure,

let�s take a closer look at gems and jewelry.Gems, as mentioned before, are nowworth 20 times as much as formerly-so

1 pewter unit = 1 bp1 ivory unit = 1 sp1 turquoise unit = 5 gp1 coral unit = 20 gp1 jade unit = 50 gp

system, if so); and2. Re-create all jewelry items under this

system.These suggestions should make treasure

rarer and more appreciated, while alsothey need to be at least 20 times as rare.The gems found should also be weightedin favor of low-value items, if you don�twant a few 500-gp gems (now worth10,000 sp each, remember?) to give theheroes more money than they can handle.Also, the method for determining thevariation of the base value of a gem shouldbe tied to its size and quality. Finally, jew-elry�s value should be dependent upon itsmaterial, weight, and craftsmanship, plusextra for any gems set in it.

When rolling for the base value of gems,either individually or in groups, use Table6. This base value is modified by rolling onTable 7 twice, once for size and once forquality, each roll having its associatedvalue modifier.

When generating jewelry, first deter-mine the precious metal or mineral fromwhich the jewelry is formed (Table 8) andthe jewelry�s weight (Tables 9-10). Thesegive the item�s base value: Simply multiplyits weight (in SEU) by eight to get theequivalent number of coins of the metalfrom which it is made. For precious miner-als and pewter, the following exchangerates are used:

The base value of a piece of jewelry ismodified by two things: its level of crafts-manship and the presence of any gems.Craftsmanship is primarily what makesjewelry more valuable than the raw metalor mineral, and it acts as a multiplier tothe item�s base value (see Table 11).

Gems set in jewelry add double theirvalue to that of the jewelry piece. For thenumber of gems appearing in a piece ofjewelry, consult Table 12; roll for gemvalues on Tables 6-7.

Apply the additional metal modifiers toall relevant tables (cumulative with thosegiven for gems in Table 7, in the case ofsize) given in Table 13.

This system makes for much more inter-esting gems and jewelry. Care must betaken, however, not to let these becometoo common, in light of the change fromthe gold piece standard to the silver piece.When using treasure-types tables orhoards detailed in modules, use the follow-ing conversion method:

1. Every gem should be 20 times asrare�therefore, for each gem indicated,roll 1d20 and include the stone only if a 20is the result (re-create the gem under this

making the characters� lives easier. Nomore lugging around huge sacks of gold topay the bills, when a few platinum pieceswill do the trick!

[Alternate systems of coinage weresuggested in David S. Baker�s �Many Kindsof Money� in issue #114. Other ideas oncoinage�and the troubles involved indeveloping and storing it�appear in DavidF. Godwin�s �How Many Coins In a Coffer?�from issue #80, reprinted in the Best ofDRAGON Magazine anthology, vol. V The2nd Edition DMG has an excellent discus-sion of historical coinage on pages 32-34.]

BibliographyPrice, Martin J., general editor. Coins: An

Illustrated Survey, 650 B.C. to thePresent Day. New York: Methuen Inc.,1980.

Porteous, John. Coins. London: OctopusBooks Ltd., 1973.

DRAGON 67

The RPGATM Network wants to send someone to England�maybe you!

TION� Network, an international organi-zation of gamers devoted to excellence inthe hobby, marks its 11th year in opera-tion this spring. To help celebrate thebeginning of its second decade, the Net-work is offering a major prize at thisyear�s GEN CON® game fair: a free trip tothe European GENCON® game fair!

The contest is open to gamers competingin the Network�s benefit and feature tour-naments at the American GEN CON GameFair held in Milwaukee, August 8-11, at theMECCA Convention Center. The winnerwill be the gamer who places first in his orher round of the benefit tournament andreceives the highest aggregate score in thefeature event.

The benefit tournament is a one-roundAD&D® game adventure, the proceeds ofwhich will go to the Children�s Hospital ofWisconsin for its rehabilitation program.The feature is a three-round eliminationAD&D game tournament. Gamers canregister for the benefit and feature tour-naments through the GEN CON game fairpreregistration packet or on site at theconvention, while tickets to the events last.

The winner will be announced at theNetwork�s awards ceremony at the gamefair. The prize includes round-trip air farefrom a major U.S. airport, admission to theconvention, and lodging. Other expensesare the responsibility of the winner. TheEuropean GEN CON game fair will be heldin November in England; the dates of theconvention will be announced later.

N E T W O R K

b y J e a n R a b e

The ROLE-PLAYING GAME ASSOCIA-

The Network�s feature and benefit tour-naments are only a few of the activitiesthe organization will sponsor at the 1991GENCON game fair in Milwaukee. Morethan three dozen tournaments and semi-nars will be sanctioned by the RPGA Net-work. Tournaments feature the followingsystems: TSR�s AD&D, BUCK ROGERS®XXVc�, BOOT HILL®, SPELL.JAMMER�,RAVENLOFT�, and MARVEL SUPERHEROES� games; West End Game�s STARWARS*, TORG*, and PARANOIA* games;Chaosium�s CALL OF CTHULHU* game;GDW�s TWILIGHT! 2000 *,2300 AD * , andSPACE: 1889* games; Hero Games� CHAM-PIONS* game; Mayfair�s DC HEROES*game; and more!

The RPGA Network has over 9,000 mem-bers worldwide. Its headquarters arelocated at the TSR building in Lake Ge-neva, Wis., with branch offices in Cam-bridge, England and Canberra, Australia.All Network members receive the monthlyPOLYHEDRON� Newszine, are eligible toparticipate in the international rankingsystem of players and judges, receivediscounts on gaming merchandise, com-pete in special members-only contests, andenjoy a variety of other benefits.

For information on the RPGA Networkwrite to: Network Headquarters. P.O. Box515, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.

For information on the GEN CON gamefair, write to: GEN CON Game Fair Head-quarters, P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI53147, U.S.A.

Unless otherwise noted:® and ™ denote trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.©1991 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

BUCK ROGERS and XXVc are trademarks used underlicense from The Dille Family Trust. ©1990 The Dill FamilyTrust. All Rights Reserved.

MARVEL SUPER HEROES is a trademark of the MarvelEntertainment Group, Inc. All Marvel characters, names, andthe distinctive likenesses thereof are trademarks of theMarvel Entertainment Group, Inc. ©1990 MarvelEntertainment Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

* indicates a product produced by a company other thanTSR, 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 shouldnot be construed as a challenge to such status.

66 MARCH 1991

MARVELMARVEL

The lads fromLiverpool

by Steven E. Schend

In DRAGON® issue #165, �TheMARVEL®-Phile� gave you a look at someof Spider-Man�s latest foes, the FemmeFatales. This month we�re continuing thetrend with more new Spider-foes. In thesummer of 1990, Spider-Man had a roughtime in England with two gangland enforc-ers of extraordinary power: KnightFogg. These two are currently based inEngland, but they have accepted contractsin America; perh aps they�ll be hired totrack down hero es in your campaign.

KNIGHT�Malcolm Knight, enforcer(Statistics given after slashes are forKnight�s armored form.)

F EX(20) Health: 80/110A GD(10)S EX(20)/IN(40) Karma: 16E RM(30)/IN(40)R PR (4) Resources: GD(10)I TY (6)P TY (6) Popularity: 0

POWERS: As Malcolm Knight, this villainhas no powers. Only when he transformsinto his alter ego are any metahumanabilities exhibited.

Alter Ego/Armored Form: Knight caninstantly change his skin and clothes into asuit of heavy armor that provides himwith Incredible (40) protection from physi-cal attacks. His armored form also grantshim the following powers and equipment:

�Growth: Knight�s armored form has anuncontrolled Feeble growth power, mak-ing him 8� tall while armored.

�Sword: Knight�s golden sword is builtinto his armor, snapping out from a hous-

ing in the left forearm. The sword is ofUnearthly (100) material and inflicts Re-markable (30) edged damage on living andnonliving targets.

WEAKNESSES/LIMITATIONS: Knight�sarmor is vulnerable to electricity; attacksof this sort add +2CS against him. Also,when Knight is unconscious or sleeping,he automatically reverts to his normalhuman form.

TALENTS: Knight is skilled in the use ofhis sword in combat, giving him a +1CSwhen using it.

HISTORY: Malcolm Knight and hisbrother, Leo, were orphans raised in Liv-erpool, adopted by an old alcoholic, Edgar

Fogg. Malcolm Knight�s only friend wasEdgar�s son, Thomas Fogg, and the twowere bullies in their younger days. WhileMalcolm tried to maintain a certain levelof propriety around Evelyn Fogg, Tho-mas�s sister, he was a lonely boy and tohim his friendship with Thomas matteredmore than anything else.

The pair grew older and became con-tract killers for a Liverpudlian mobster.Knight and Fogg accepted a contract onProfessor Henry Lewis, a prize-winningphysicist whose love for gambling andhorseracing led to mounting debts. At theNorth Umbrage Energy Research Labora-tory, Knight and Fogg cornered the profes-sor late one night. When Lewis was shotby Fogg, he fell back against his equip-ment, disturbing the delicate machinery

DRAGON 71

MARVELMARVEL

and causing a wild, stray power to bereleased. Fogg and Knight were caught inthe energy backlash and were allegedlyreduced to their quantum structures byProfessor Lewis�s particle cannon. Thepowerful release of energies caused thelaboratory to explode, yet Knight and Foggwalked out of the ruins, alive but nowmore than human.

Knight and Fogg allegedly became whatthey each were in their minds� eyes.Malcolm Knight now could become aknight in shining armor, and Thomas Foggwas now as slippery and elusive as themists that regularly shroud London. Thesepowers made them quite valuable to theiremployers, from whom they kept nosecret of their new-found powers.

Recently, Knight and Fogg were con-tracted by the Kingpin to eliminate theArranger, the Kingpin�s former right-handman. The Arranger asked Spider-Man forhelp but was refused because Spider-Manthought it was a trap. After Fogg mur-dered the Arranger, Spider-Man arrivedand fought the pair, meeting defeat.

Using his contact with Thomas Fireheart(a.k.a. Puma), Spider-Man flew to Englandto pursue Knight and Fogg and bring themto justice. Tracking the pair to Liverpool,Spider-Man again met defeat at the grasp

of the elusive Fogg; Knight was about tokill Spider-Man when Evelyn Fogg hap-pened upon the scene and begged Knightnot to kill him. Knight hurled Spider-Maninto the river, where Spidey hit his head,causing him to lose his memory.

Spider-Man was pulled from the waterand attended by Leo Knight, Malcolm�sbrother. Stripping Peter Parker of hiscostume, Leo hoped to prevent any harmfrom coming to his brother by keepingPeter from remembering who he was; helater changed his mind and attempted totrigger Peter�s memory by returning thecostume to him.

After a number of mishaps, Foggguessed that Leo�s amnesiac friend wasSpider-Man and made plans to finish thejob of killing him. Fogg tracked Spider-Man down at Leo Knight�s house andattacked them both, throwing Spider-Manoutside and strangling Leo. During thefight, Knight�s and Fogg�s powered identi-ties were revealed to their families. Leowas thought to be dead, and Knight mis-takenly blamed Spider-Man for the mur-der. After it was revealed that Fogg hadattacked Leo, Knight attacked his formerpartner in a rage, but Spider-Man knockedthem both out with an exposed electricpower cable.

Knight and Fogg are currently underarrest and possibly in prison in Englandfor their crimes, though it is quite possiblethat they can escape, given their powers.Because of Fogg�s attack on Leo, it isdoubtful that these two villains are stillpartners in crime.

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Knight, despitehis questionable occupation, sees himselfas an honorable man. He is a no-nonsenseperson, living by his word or by the exactwording of the contract under which he iscurrently working. His world is dividedinto two parts: Fogg�s world of killing, andhis own world of peace in his home ofLiverpool. He suppresses many of hisemotions on a mission and simply �followsthe contract.�

In your campaigns, Knight can still be acontract killer, perhaps signing on withthe Kingpin to avoid connections with hisold partner or signing on with someoneelse to hunt down your heroes and elimi-nate them. He might become an anti-hero,ruthlessly hunting down Fogg; the two ofthem would leave much destruction intheir wake. Knight might also try to makeup for his past by becoming a hero. If he isalready established as a villain, this couldmake the next meeting of Knight and yourheroes very interesting.

The MARVEL-Phile’s Marvel characters and the distinctivenames and likenesses thereof are trademarks of MarvelEntertainment Group, Inc. and are used with permission.Copyright ©1991 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. AllRights Reserved.

FOGG�Thomas Fogg, enforcer

F GD(10) Health: 70A RM(30)S GD(10) Karma: 22E EX(20)R TY (6) Resources: GD(10)I GD(10)P TY (6) Popularity: 0

POWERS: Fogg, like Knight, exhibits nopowers in his normal, human form.

Alter Ego/Gaseous Form: Fogg can in-stantly alter his body into a green, semi-solid mist. His gaseous form grants himthe following powers and equipment:

�Density Manipulation�Self: Fogg canmanipulate his density with a Good ability,changing his density from Shift 0 to normalbody density. This density power allowsFogg to solidify his hands and face whilemaintaining his body in its misty form.

�Elongation: Fogg has the ability toallow his misty form (either his wholebody or only parts of it) to stretch up toone area away. This Incredible rank powerallows him to attack characters in adjacentareas, with strangulation being his stand-ard mode of attack. A victim of such anattack must make a successful EnduranceFEAT roll vs. Fogg�s strength to remainconscious; treat failure as an automaticStun. Remember that Fogg inflicts normalStrength damage in addition to the above.

�Vision Restriction: While Fogg is elon-gating his misty form, the normal vision ofanyone surrounded or attacked by him isrestricted to that person�s area alone, dueto Fogg�s opaque form.

�Flight: While in gaseous form, Foggcan fly at Poor rank. This allows an airspeed of 4 areas/round.

Weakness/Limitation: When Fogg isunconscious or sleeping, he automaticallyreverts to his normal human form. Forunknown reasons, Fogg is vulnerable toelectricity; attacks of this sort add +2CSagainst him.

TALENTS: Fogg has the Crime and Wres-tling ( +2CS to choking attacks) talents.

HISTORY: See the notes given for Knight.

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Thomas Fogg isan unscrupulous, cruel psychopath. Heenjoys killing and takes great enjoyment intaunting and scaring his targets. He istotally ruthless, killing for the fun (andprofit) of it.

Fogg is still a reliable contract killer foryour campaigns, though his partnershipwith Knight has soured. Fogg will proba-bly work for any established crimelords oreven some super villains. How Fogg maychange from the loss of his only friend isup to the Judge; Fogg can bitterly huntKnight down to kill him, or can avoid allcontact whatsoever with the �traitor.�

72 MARCH 1991

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I would like to discuss a discrepancy in thedamage given for the light and heavy crossbowsas per the Player�s Handbook. Light and heavycrossbows do 1d4/1d4 and 1d4+1/1d6+1 hpdamage, respectively, but I feel this is unrealisticwhen compared to historical data. As mysource, I am using The Complete Encyclopediaof Arms & Weapons, which states that,�whereas the crossbow was more powerful andits arrow (bolt) was heavier, and could be usedin cramped positions, the longbow acted fasterand could shoot a larger number of arrows.� InAD&D 2nd Edition games, the short bow (usingsheaf arrows) does more damage than the heavycrossbow. The Second Lateran Council of A.D.1139 prohibited the crossbow�s use in battleexcept against infidels, and it came to be bannedin Germany. By the 14th century, the woodenbow on the crossbow was replaced with a steelone. Characters who use crossbows are alreadyat a disadvantage because of its fire rate ascompared to that of the bows. This is acceptablein light of historical evidence, but the differencein damage is not. More realistic damage, I feel,would be to give a light crossbow 1d10/1d10 hpdamage and a heavy crossbow 4d4/4d4 hpdamage.

Russell SpeirAustin TX

the 2nd Edition DMG, on pages 72 and 73, anycreature with energy-draining abilities will

I feel that the energy-draining ability of un-

drain a character�s levels, reducing hit points,spells, saving throws, THAC0s, experience, and

dead creatures is a grossly unbalancing feature

special benefits gained with level advancement

of the AD&D 2nd Edition game. According to

that are unique to each class. I understand theconnection of undead to the Negative Materialplane, and how this would, in turn, have adraining effect on characters in the PrimeMaterial (or other) planes. I also feel that thereis a simpler way to handle energy draining, onethat will keep it in the ranks of deadly abilitieswithout making it so grossly unbalancing.

First, let me make myself clear on how thispower is unbalancing. Let�s say that Morgeththe fighter is fighting a western vampire (with-out the age benefits listed in the RAVENLOFT�boxed set). Morgeth is an 8th-level fighter with45 hp. The vampire attacks him first. Morgethloses 6 hp from the force of the blow itself.However, he also loses two levels of experienceand the hit points from those two levels, bring-ing him down another 9 hp. He also loses twopoints of THAC0 and is quite rudely shoved intothe next lower saving-throw bracket. Now hehas only 30 hp and 48,000 XP (halfway between6th and 7th levels, as stated in the DMG, page73). Now his chance to defeating the vampireare greatly reduced.

One would think that this wouldn�t be so badif the lost experience was compensated for bythe amount he would get if he defeated thevampire, but in the 2nd Edition MonstrousCompendium, it states that defeating a vampirewill only reward a character 3,000 XP. This ishardly sufficient to raise Morgeth to the 64,000XP required for 7th level, much less the 125,000XP to get back to 8th level, which is where hebegan the fight. To me, that is a one-sided fight:Even if Morgeth beats the vampire, he still haslost several levels in the process. With thevampire�s 8+3 HD, it is quite likely that it will

hit Morgeth at least twice more before hedefeats it, reducing him to second level. Worseyet, if Morgeth was reduced to zero level, theDMG states that he can never adventure again,short of using a restoration or wish spell. What-ever happened to the rules for zero-level char-acters? Even if they are no longer valid in the2nd Edition game, most people start out at zerolevel before they decide to come up to 1st levelso they can adventure. Why can�t Morgeth dothis anymore?

For a long time, I decided not to use energydraining at all, since it was so unbalancing. Theproblem with this is that I just removed themost fearsome power of the undead; now theplayers in the campaign I was running coulddefeat an undead creature with ease, unless ithad far more hit dice than they. It was sort oflike putting a red dragon with no breathweapon into an adventure. For this reason, I setabout trying to create a new system for han-dling an undead creature�s energy-drainingabilities.

What I came up with involves a character�slife energy levels (LELs). This total is the same,initially, as the character�s experience level.When an undead creature attacks with energydraining, LELs are drained instead of experi-ence levels. With each LEL drained, the charac-ter loses 1d3 hp; with every third LEL lost, heloses one point of constitution. If the character�sLEL reaches 0, he dies and becomes an undeadcreature of the sort that killed him.

After defeating the undead creature, the lostconstitution points are restored at the rate oftwo per day. A cure wounds spell restores anumber of points equal to half the numberrolled on the die (round up), and a heal orrestoration spell restores all lost constitution. Acharacter�s LELs are restored at the rate of oneper day, and a restoration spell raises the char-acter�s LEL by one (not to exceed the character�stotal). However, after suffering an energy-draining attack, that character�s LELs neveragain reach his actual level; his LEL total alwaysremains at least one below that (per energydraining encounter). Thus, if Morgeth defeatedthe vampire but suffered an energy drain, hewould not be able to completely restore his LELto 8; 7 is the highest it could go. (If Morgeth roseto 9th level, his LEL would become 8, one lowerthan his actual level.) If he got attacked by awight the next day and lost an LEL, he would beforever stuck with an LEL two points lowerthan his actual level.

Using LELs has two advantages. First, it keepsthe threat of an undead�s energy drain withoutbecoming unbalanced. Characters must still bewary of undead, lest they get killed by energydraining and become undead themselves. LELscannot be completely recovered, not even by awish. Characters who have already run intoundead several times will be kept on edge whenthey suddenly encounter a half-dozen wights.Second, a character who has been energydrained does not lose all of his abilities or savingthrows that come about because of his level.(Wouldn�t it be a trifle annoying to have a mage

74 MARCH 1991

prepare a ninth-level spell to blast those undeadout of existence, and then forget the spell be-fore it was cast because of energy draining?)

There is another way to handle energy drain-ing, as detailed in the RAVENLOFT boxed set. Ithink that it�s rather ironic that the Realm ofTerror, where undead have greater power thanthose in the prime material, introduced a differ-ent and more balanced version of energy drain-ing, as shown in the nosferatu vampire. Thenosferatu drains one point of constitution with abite. It then usually latches on to continuedraining one point each round until forciblyremoved. True, it takes two days to recover asingle point of constitution, but that is less timethan it would take to recover two levels (and allthe abilities that went with them). This power isstill extremely deadly, but not as unbalancing asthe original energy drain.

After reading this letter, someone is probablythinking, �Well, what about mage spells thatinvolve energy draining?� This is a reasonablequestion, and it has a reasonable answer. Thereare five mage spells, all necromantic, in the 2ndEdition Player�s Handbook that work on theprinciple of energy draining. They are chilltouch, enervation, death spell, finger of death,and energy drain. The reasons behind why Ifeel that they are, for the most part, balanced,while undead energy draining is not, are givenindividually here for each spell.

Chill touch: This is a first-level spell. It utilizesenergy drain in the form of a strength loss similarto the constitution loss caused by a nosferatuvampire from the RAVENLOFT set). This spelloffers a saving throw to negate its effects, andeven if the save fails, the strength loss is tempo-rary. As such, this spell needs no modification.

Enervation: This fourth-level spell exactlyduplicates the effects of normal energy drainingattacks. However, it offers a saving throw tonegate its effects, and, like chill touch, is onlytemporary. Again, there is no need to fix some-thing that isn�t broken.

Death spell: This is a deadly sixth-level spell. Itinstantly drams all of the life energy of a crea-ture, with no saving throw. It is limited tocreatures with 8 + 3 or lower hit dice, and killsoff weak creatures first. A kind DM might allowhis players a saving throw. Then again, if asmall group of 8th-level characters want toattack a 12th-level (or higher) mage, then per-haps they should suffer. This is up to the DM.

Finger of death: This is a seventh-level spellmuch like the sixth-level death spell. However, itaffects only one creature, and a saving throw isallowed in order to negate the effects.

Energy drain: This is a ninth-level spell, andexactly duplicates the effects of a vampire�stouch (two levels are drained). This spell ispermanent and does not offer a saving throw.The DM may wish to apply this spell to the LELsof a character, as described above. However, ittakes an 18th-level mage to cast this spell, and itis unlikely that any mage would have more thanone of these ready at a given time, as opposed toan 8 + 3 HD vampire who can do this as often ashe wants. I feel that the latter conditions keepthis spell within the bounds of play, but eachindividual DM must decide for himself.

Another question that may come up is that ofmagical items and artifacts. I feel that magicalitems that drain levels should either offer asaving throw or use the LEL system above. Anexception would be the sword of life-stealing.

Since you need a natural attack roll of 20 (amere 5% chancel to drain a level, offering the victim a saving throw would greatly lower itseffectiveness (a weapon of this power is usuallywielded against such powerful creatures thatthey almost always make a saving throw). Arti-facts, on the other hand, were created by gods.If the gods can get together and create a worldand everything on it, I think that it is reasonablefor an artifact to drain levels as much as itwants. Even artifacts have their drawbacks,though, and using such a power wouldn�t comewithout its consequences.

I also agree with Erik Martella�s commentsfrom issue #159. Not all undead should be NPCs,especially liches. Many undead, though nowevil, realize that they are cursed and are search-ing for a way to escape their fate. This is anissue that must be decided by each individualDM, but I feel that Mr. Martella�s commentsshould be considered, at the very least.

Thanks for taking the time to read my ideas(even if you don�t use them). Whatever yourverdict, make sure that you can have fun withundead. After all, if your players don�t mind thefact that undead drain levels, then there is noreason to change how you play.

Bradley WadleMunster IN

DRAGON 75

Some historical ages seem almost as ifthey were designed for AD&D® games setin Kara-Tur and other Oriental Adventurescampaigns. One such time period was theWarring States period of ancient China,especially during its final years as theempire of Ch�in swallowed all seven Con-tending Kingdoms. The heroes and villainsof the Warring States were meticulouslydescribed in tales, histories, and secret-police dossiers. Fortunately for DMs insearch of NPCs, we still have these re-cords, over 2,300 years later.

Lu Pu-WeiMale human12th-level yakuza

ARMOR CLASS: 7MOVE: 12HIT POINTS: 54NO. OF ATTACKS: 1ATTACK BONUSES: NilDAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon (+ 1 due to

strength)SPECIAL ABILITIES: Thieving skills at 12th

level of ability; hear noise as 24th-levelmonk; investigate the events of twowards with a 64% chance of success; six

Five NPCs from history for your Oriental Adventures campaignby Thomas M. KaneArtwork by Stephen Schwartz

contacts; ki power reduces by half anydamage he suffers, five times in one day

MAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardSIZE: M (5�1� tall)ALIGNMENT Lawful neutral (good tenden-

cies)PSIONIC ABILITY: NilS 16 I 1 7D 15 C 10

W 1 5Ch 17

When Lu Pu-Wei was a child, he askedhis tutor how much money he could makeby investing in agriculture. The answerwas twice his original investment. Whatabout trading in gems? The tutor an-swered that one could make one hundredtimes that much. Then Lu Pu-Wei asked�And setting a prince up on the throne?�

�Impossible to put a figure on that!�Lu Pu-Wei had chosen his career.When Lu became an adult, he saw a

chance to set up a prince in the land ofCh�in. The king had sent one of his youn-ger sons as a hostage to the nearby stateof Chao to seal a nonaggression treaty. Thehostage�s name was White Crow, and hiscaptors cared little about him because hiselder brother was in line for the throne.Lu Pu-Wei became the exiled prince�sfriend, sending him gifts and representinghis case in the court of Ch�in. Soon, bymanipulating the-wives of the king ofChin, he convinced the royal family toname White Crow heir to the throne ofCh�in.

Naturally, the elder prince, Tzu Hsi,opposed this change in succession. Hearranged a scheme whereby a third nationwould attack an area of land that bothCh�in and Chao claimed. Ch�in and Chaowould surely intervene, and since neithernation could let any rival take the disputedprovince, there would have to be war.Then Chao would surely kill its hostages.Tzu Hsi knew the diplomacy of his timeand successfully brought the nations towar, but Chin�s armies drove deep intoChao, and Lu Pu-Wei was able to smuggleWhite Crow to friendly lines, disguisinghim as a fish merchant. Even after this

rescue, the prince had the audacity torequest (and receive) Lu Pu-Wei�s favoriteconcubine as a wife.

When White Crow became king, herewarded Lu Pu-Wei by making him primeminister. Lu Pu-Wei prospered until WhiteCrow�s death. The new heir, Ordinance,was still a youth, and Lu Pu-Wei attemptedto rule alongside his old mistress, who wasnow Queen Mother. This naturally createda scandal, so Lu Pu-Wei left the court andsent a substitute to wait on the DowagerQueen. His agent promptly launched arevolt against the queen, betraying bothLu Pu-Wei and Chin. Prince Ordinanceeasily subdued the rebellion and took fullpower himself. Ordinance despised the oldregime and feared that Lu Pu-Wei hadplanned the coup against his mother, so heordered Lu Pu-Wei into exile. The oldyakuza knew that he would soon be calledback for worse punishments and, perhaps,execution. So Lu Pu-Wei held a great feast,serving the finest delicacies from aroundthe world, and at this banquet he gaveaway his entire fortune. When his lastpossession had been handed out, he drankpoison.

Lu Pu-Wei was a fat man who went baldearly, and he prided himself on being ableto arrange any scheme whatsoever. Bothhis friends and enemies recognized him asa financial genius. His dealings made himricher than most nobles, and he carefullyconcealed this fact to avoid arousingjealousy.

If Lu Pu-Wei meets an adventuringparty, he will certainly try to hire its mem-bers as agents, if only to keep his enemiesfrom hiring them. He has a keen sense ofpeople�s ambitions and weaknesses, and hewill manipulate these to keep his hench-men loyal. An amazing network of spiesserves Lu Pu-Wei, making him the mostaccomplished man of intrigue in his world.Still, no matter how devious or illegal hisconniving becomes, it almost always in-cludes a hint of compassion. He savedWhite Crow from ignominy as a hostage,and he chose to die giving away presents.

DRAGON 77

Ordinance (Shih-Huang)Male human4th-level bushi

ARMOR CLASS: 10MOVE: 12HIT POINTS: 18ATTACK BONUSES: noneDAMAGE/ATTACK: By weaponSPECIAL ABILITIES: Ki power raises him to

fifth level for one turn, once per dayMAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardSize: M (5�5� tall)ALIGNMENT: Lawful evilPSIONIC ABILITY: Nil S 10 I 15 W 9D 11 C8 Ch 18

Impenetrable Ordinance, Son of Heaven,Dragon King, First August Supreme Em-peror of the World, Tiger of Chin, wouldhave been a pitiful man without his armiesand titles�but he never allowed himself tobe without them. His entourage was acaricature of imperial excess, containingcountless supplicants, ministers, servants,acrobats, dancers, wives, eunuchs, puppets, and a bodyguard larger than manyarmies. He defended himself against assas-sins with a great array of search pointsand decoys. The August Emperor con-stantly inspected, his empire; as he trav-eled, several replicas of his processionvisited completely different areas to con-fuse any assassins that might have fol-lowed him. Scribes described Ordinance ashaving a high-bridged nose, long eyes andthe voice of a jackal.

Ordinance condemned the loftiest of hisministers to death on fleeting impulses, soall of his followers vied with each other toappear the most servile. No torture was

78 MARCH 1991

too grotesque for those who annoyedOrdinance, nor were his condemnationsexpected to serve any sort of justice orreason. When steep ground slowed hisjourneys, Ordinance had an entire moun-tain stripped of vegetation and paintedred, the color of a convict�s clothing. Whena member of a crowd joked, �Is thereanything more unbearable than a greatman?� Ordinance had the jester and all hisrelatives sawed in half. These were notmerely acts of sadism or personal whim;they were calculated to impress the peoplewith the power of the law. Ordinancefollowed the advice of Li Ssu, his primeminister, and based his rule on the mysti-cal symbol of water, which signified lawand punishment.

Ordinance feared even to sleep, for hewas obsessed with death. He devoted thefull power of his empire to a search forimmortality and consulted the greatest ofshukenja in hopes of becoming a deity.The emperor often dreamed that he hadentered the ranks of the divine, only to bedisillusioned by some unexpected disasterthat would not have troubled an immortal.He hired countless adventurers to searchfor an elixir of immortality and commis-sioned any project they suggested. Whenone explorer hinted of a god in the easternocean who might be persuaded to brewsuch a potion, Ordinance sent severalthousand people sailing east as gifts to thisdeity (legends claim that these sacrificialvictims settled Japan). In his old age, Ordi-nance withdrew from humanity to live ina world of puppets and clockwork autom-atons that obeyed him as unquestioninglyas if he were the god he wanted to be.

Despite his efforts, Ordinance did die,and his tomb filled a whole mountain. Ifhe or his analog has already died in yourcampaign world, this sepulcher wouldmake an ideal �dungeon.� Its roof was agreat dome painted to resemble the starsof heaven, and the rooms formed a scalemodel of the Chin empire. The tomb alsocontained vast riches, many of the king�sbeloved robots, and an army of clay modelsoldiers. Crossbow-firing machinesguarded this hoard, and all the workmenwho excavated it were buried alive insideto keep them from divulging the grave�ssecrets (in a fantasy game, these unfortu-nates could now be undead).

Despite Ordinance�s great authority andwolflike visage, he was physically weak.Migraines troubled him whenever hemade decisions. The Emperor weakenedhis shaky health further by the constantuse of hallucinogenic arsenic drugs that hehoped would grant him visions of immor-tality. In AD&D game terms, he would bea bushi because he lacked the strength ofa samurai (though he would not have thebushi�s ability to pick pockets, because henever needed to steal). Ordinance�s frailtyand preoccupation with immortality lefthis prime minister in complete control ofhis empire.

Ordinance would make a properly despic-

able villain for an 0riental Adventurescampaign, but he could also sponsor thePCs� adventures. Also, he could simplyrepresent �The Government� in a culturewhere the State is sacred, be it good or evil.

Li SsuMale human0-level (scribe and philosopher)

ARMOR CLASS: 10MOVE: 12HIT POINTS: 4ATTACK BONUS: NilDAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon typeSPECIAL ABILITIES: Nil (but Emperor

Ordinance will act on almost any sug-gestion he makes)

MAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardSIZE: M (5�6� tall)ALIGNMENT: Lawful evilPSIONIC ABILITY: NilS 1 0 I 1 8 W 1 7D 16 C 1 0 Ch 16

With Li Ssu, it all began with rats. Helived a modest life, making a little money,hunting with his son, and telling old folktales, but he had no great fame or power.Li Ssu served his government as a scribe;as he copied scrolls in his office, he ob-served that some of the rats that scurriedthrough the offices lived in the latrine andwere harried and hungry. Others lived ingranaries and ate quite well. Li Ssu re-solved to become a human granary rat�and the pantry in which Li Ssu hoped tolive was the king�s court.

Because he stammered when he spoke,Li Ssu went to study under a master of

oratory. As an apprentice, he became closefriends with another student, a noblemannamed Han Negation. Both soon took tomocking their idealistic old teacher. Themaster of oratory lectured about the needfor paternalism and love among greatkings. Li Ssu and Han Negation had formu-lated another philosophy that specificallycondemned benevolence and proposedthat the king regulate every minute aspectof his realm with dreadful punishments.By enforcing complete conformity and bymaintaining constant wars and famines,the king would keep the peasantry dis-tracted from politics and eliminate anythreat of crime or rebellion. By the time LiSsu left his master for the court of KingOrdinance, he was completely enthralledby these theories. He was even more de-voted to them than to becoming a �gra-nary rat.� Li Ssu always stuttered, but hisideology had become impressive enough toseduce any king.

King Ordinance became emperor of theknown world, and Li Ssu became hisprime minister, although he had to kill HanNegation in the process. Since Ordinancewas preoccupied with his search for im-mortality, Li Ssu was nearly emperorhimself. Li Ssu unified China�s chaoticweights and measures, established a read-able alphabet of pictograms, and wrote aconstitution to replace the injustices ofrule by feudal princes. He also establishedthe most intrusive dictatorship his worldhad ever known.

Adventurers in a game campaign couldbarely survive under Li Ssu�s rule. Thetrue enemies of his law were those inde-pendent adventurers, businessmen, andscholars free enough to have ideas of theirown. Li Ssu considered such people anach-ronisms, relics of anarchy. He hinderedthem by restricting weapons, burningbooks of lore (and, in game campaigns,magic), and imposing terrible taxes toprevent private wealth.

If Li Ssu and Ordinance rule your fan-tasy world, PCs will become either outlawsor servants of the empire. Either alterna-tive can bring about numerous excitingadventures.

Ching K�oMale human8th-level bushi (ex-kensai)

ARMOR CLASS: 4MOVE: 12HIT POINTS: 55NO. OF ATTACKS: 2ATTACK BONUSES: +2 on initiative; +3 to

hit with katana, due to strength andkensai skills; +2 on �to-hit� with dag-ger, due to strength and quality

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d10+6 with katanaor 1d4 +4 plus poison with Cinnabar�sdagger (due to strength and quality)

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Surprised only on aroll of 1 on d6; meditation; ki powerlets him cause maximum damage oneight attacks per day

MAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardSIZE: M (5�8�tall)ALIGNMENT: Chaotic good (formerly

lawful good with neutral/chaotic lean-ings)

PSIONIC ABILITY: NilS 18/49 I12D 16 C 10

W 12Ch 10

Although Ching K�o failed in his greatquest, he achieved his dream of enteringlegend. Ching K�o began his career hopingto become a tutor of swordsmanship tosome ruler, but in his time nobles did notfind it fashionable to study under masters,so Ching roamed the country with nothingbut his sword and a backpack full ofbooks. Wherever he went, he did nobledeeds. People loved him across the landfor saving lives, driving off bandits, anddistributing his rewards to poor peasants.

While the disgraced warrior lingeredwith his friend, a completely unrelatedevent gave him the chance to becomelegendary. Cinnabar, Crown Price of Yen,went to the court of Emperor Ordinanceof Ch�in as a goodwill hostage. Ordinancehad conquered most of the world, andCinnabar hoped to find favor with him.After all, they had played together aschildren. But this only made Ordinancehate the prince, for the Emperor detestedall reminders of the fact that he was onceyoung and weak. The Emperor tauntedCinnabar with endless practical jokes andbrought these to a climax by gathering hiswhole court to announce Cinnabar�sbetrothal�to a goat. After that, the princeof Yen escaped and went home, where hesulked in his palace. He dreamed of re-venge but could not find any way to injureOrdinance except to shelter one of theemperor�s most hated enemies. a rebel-lious general.

Finally, one of Cinnabar�s friends intro-duced him to Ching K�o, and the disgracedwarrior agreed to assassinate Ch�in�s au-gust emperor. Ching K�o knew that thiswould be his greatest adventure and thathe would be executed after it, so he wasdetermined to enjoy his last tastes of life.The adventurer lived in Cinnabar�s palaceand demanded that the prince fulfil hisevery desire. He made soup of Cinnabar�sfavorite stallion and fished by hurling theprince�s gold ingots into lakes. The princeof Yen gave him whatever he asked for.

Years went by as Ching K�o lived in lux-ury at Yen�s expense. Then, one day, ChingK�o appeared before Cinnabar in the rag-ged clothes of a wandering sword masterand declared himself ready. He planned togo to Ch�in disguised as an envoy, bearingtwo presents that would give him access tothe emperor�a valuable map and therebel general�s head. When Ordinancereached for the map, Ching K�o wouldgrab his sleeve and stab him. Cinnabarrefused to kill his guest. However, whenthe general learned of the plan and Cinna-

Then Ching K�o argued with another Continued on page 110

wandering swordsman about theories offencing, and the debate quickly turned tofury. Ching K�o turned and left beforeviolence occurred. When he visited thenext town, he fell into another disputeabout the value of certain pieces in a chessgame and rebutted his opponent with aclever argument. The adversary re-sponded by blowing in Ching K�o�s face.Once again, Ching departed silently, sopeople began to call him a coward. Hebecame dishonored (in game terms, he lostall status as a kensai and changed hisalignment to chaotic good). Actually, ChingK�o did not fear battle, but he felt that hislife was too valuable to risk. He believedthat he could become a great hero oflegend if he survived. So he gave up ad-venturing and spent several years carous-ing with a friendly butcher who hadachieved mystical perfection in the prepa-ration of meat.

80 MARCH 1991

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this convention at Rice University in HoustonTex. Tournaments will be held for RUNE-QUEST*, PARANOIA*, CALL OF CTHULHU*,CAR WARS*, TRAVELLER*, DIPLOMACY*,ILLUMINATI*, CIVILIZATION*, BATTLETECH*,STAR FLEET BATTLES*, ASL*, WORLD INFLAMES*, and AD&D® games. Prizes will beawarded for some tournaments. Registration:$10 preregistered, or $12/weekend at the door.Single-day prices vary. Write to: RSFAFA,OWLCON, P.O. Box 1892, Houston TX 77251.

SILICON VI, March 8-10This convention, sponsored by the Society for

Interactive Literature, is dedicated to live-actionrole-playing games. It will be held at the Annap-olis Holiday Inn in Annapolis, MD. Four live-action games will be run: �Cafe Casablanca,��Small Town:� �Steeplechase,� and �See Jane RunAgain.� A mini-game, �MASKS,� will be runFriday night. Registration: $35 until March 1, or$40 at the door. Write to: Terilee Edwards-Hewitt, 3454 S. Utah St. B-1, Arlington VA22206-1942.

SLANDRAK II, March 9The SBHS Fantasy/SF & Games Club (SLAN-

DRAK) will hold this convention at the SBHSCafeteria in San Bernadino, Calif. Tournamentsinclude SHADOWRUN*, CHAMPIONS*, AD&D®,

CALL OF CTHULHU*, SPACE MARINE*, and�Dungeon Bash� games. Other events include aminiatures contest, a flea market, movies, atrivia contest, a chaotic-behavior seminar, andexhibits. Registration: $2 for general admission;$5 for tournament admission. GMs and dealersare welcome! Write to: SLANDRAK II, C. Overs-by, c/o SBHS, 1850 N. �E� St., San Bernadino CA92405; or call: (714) 885-2768.

JAXCON �91, March 15-17This gaming convention will be held at the

Radisson Inn at the Jacksonville, Fla., Airport.Events include SEEKRIEG*, JOHNNY REB*,STAR FLEET BATTLES*, SUPREMACY*, EMPIREBUILDER*, WARHAMMER FANTASY* and40,000*, and AD&D® games. Registration: $18 atthe door. Write to: JAXCON �91, P.O. Box 4423,Jacksonville FL 32202; or call: (904) 778-1730.

LEHICON IV, March 15-17The Lehigh Valley Gamers Assoc., will host

this gaming convention at the George Washington Motor Lodge in Allentown, Pa. Eventsinclude RPGA� events, with AD&D®, BATTLE-TECH*, SHADOWRUN*, TOP SECRET/S.I.�, CARWARS*, MEGATRAVELLER*, ASL*, CALL OFCTHULHU*, STAR FLEET BATTLES*, CIVILIZA-TION *, DIPLOMACY*, and EURORAILS * games.Special guest is Robert Simpson, creator of theSUPREMACY * game. Other activities include 24-hour open gaming, comics, dealers, SCA demos,and a miniatures-painting contest. Special lodging rates are available. Registration: $12/day or$18/weekend. Write to: LEHICON IV, P.O. Box1864, Bethlehem PA 18016-1864; or call: (215)538-6109 after 6 P.M.

LEPRICON �91, March 15-17Formerly known as STELLARCON, this con-

vention will be held at the Elliot UniversityCenter on the University of North Carolina:Greensboro campus in Greensboro, NC. Eventsinclude gaming, lectures, panels and seminars,an art show and auction, a dealers� room, amovie marathon, and a Dead Writers� Round-table. Registration: $10/weekend ($8 for stu-dents) or $3/day preregistered until March 1st;$12/weekend or $5/day at the door. Write to:LEPRICON �91, Box 4, Elliot University Center,UNC-G, Greensboro NC 27412-5007; or call: (919)378-2568.

PRINCECON XVI, March 15-17This gaming convention will be held at Whig

Hall on the campus of Princeton University inPrinceton, N.J. Featured events include over 15original, interlocking scenarios in one integratedworld. These scenarios will run around theclock, and use our own customized system.Registration: $10 preregistered by March 1st;$15 at the door. There is a minimum age of 18years old. Write to: Daniel Eisenstein, 32 LittleHall, Princeton University, Princeton NJ 08544.Please make checks payable to SimulationGames Union.

BATTLETECH* NORTHEASTCHAMPIONSHIPS III, March 16-17

This is the official BATTLETECH* regionalcompetition-singles and team events-withprizes supplied by FASA Corporation. Registra-tion: $20 preregistered by March 8; $25 there-after. Write to: The Gamemaster, 212AMassachusetts Ave., Arlington MA 02174; orcall: (617) 641-1580.

AGGIECON XXII, March 21-24The largest and oldest annual SF/fantasy

convention in the Southwest will be held on the

campus of Texas A&M University in CollegeStation, Texas. Guests include Fred Saberhagen,Lynn Abbey, Keith Parkinson, Marv Wolfman,and Larry Elmore. Activities include RPGA�tournaments, a dealers� room, game shows, ahall costume contest and masquerade ball, SFfilms, Japanimation, video rooms, and live-actiongames. Registration: $13 before March 1, or $16thereafter. One day passes are $10. Write to:AGGIECON XXII, MSC Cepheid Variable, Box J-l,College Station TX 77844; or call (409)845-1515.

CONTEST VIII, March 22-24Sponsored by the Tactical Simulation Society,

this convention will be held at the Holiday InnHolidome in Tulsa, Okla. Events include AD&D®,AXIS & ALLIES*, and other role-playing, board,miniatures, and computer games, with a largedealers� room and an auction. Write to: TSS, P.O.Box 4726, Tulsa OK 74194.

MIDSOUTHCON X, March 22-24This convention will be held at the Memphis

Airport Hilton in Memphis, Tenn. Guests ofhonor include Harry Turtledove, Randall Span-gler, Steve Jackson, and Steve Francis. Eventsinclude gaming, an art show, panels, filking, acon suite, a video room, a masquerade, a scav-enger hunt, and a dealers� room. Registration:$20 until March 3rd; $23 at the door. Write to:MIDSOUTHCON, P.O. Box 22749, Memphis TN38122; or talk (901)353-9439 or 274-7355.

NEOVENTION X, March 22-24This gaming convention will be held at the

Gardner Student Center on the University ofAkron campus in Akron, Ohio. Events includetwo RPGA� AD&D® tournaments, an RPGA�MARVEL SUPER HEROES� tournament, adealers� room, an auction, a miniatures paintingcontest, 24-hour open gaming, and a seminarfeaturing game professionals. Registration: $16/weekend. Send an SASE to: University GamingSociety, Gardner Student Center, Office #6,University of Akron, Akron OH 44325.

SIMCON XIII, March 22-24This gaming convention will be held the

University of Rochester� River campus in Roch-ester, N.Y. Role-playing events (including an R.Talsorian-sanctioned CYBERPUNK* tournament),miniatures events, board games, and a minia-tures contest are scheduled. Registration: $7before March 4, or $10 thereafter. Collegestudents with an I.D. receive a $2 discount.Write to: SIMCON, CPU Box 277146, RiverStation, Rochester NY 14627.

ABBYTHON 9, March 23-24The Abbython Adventure Guild will host its

ninth annual 24hour-marathon gaming conven-tion at the Community Center in Abbyville,Kans. Registration: $7 before Feb. 28; noneaccepted thereafter. Send an SASE to: AbbythonAdventure Guild, P.O. Box 96, Abbyville KS67510; or call (316)286-5303.

FRON VI, March 23-24The 252 Rollenspielverein in Frankfurt, Ger-

many, will host this convention at the StadthalleBergen-Enkheim, Marktstrasse, Frankfurt-Bergen-Enkheim (a suburb to the east of Frank-furt). Events include over 20 games in hundredsof events (many in English), a BLOOD BOWL*tournament, and SCA demos. Registration: DM5/weekend or DM 3/day. GMs and people incostume get free admission. Write to: M.Kliehm, In der Reomerstadt 164,6000Frankfurt/Main 50, GERMANY; or call (Frank-furt): (069) 574-579.

84 MARCH 1991

SCRYCON �91, March 23Sponsored by The Seekers of the Crystal

Monolith gaming club, this convention will beheld at the Qakwood School in Poughkeepsie,N.Y. Events include RPGA� AD&D® games,alternate games, a painted-miniatures contest,and a used-game flea market. Registration: $6preregistered, or $8 at the door. Send an SASEto: SCRYCON �91, P.O. Box 896, Pleasant ValleyNY 12569. Space is limited; preregister!

UNIVERSICON V, March 24This fifth-annual charity convention, spon-

sored by the Brandeis Science Fiction & ComicBook Club, will be held at the Usdan StudentCenter on the Brandeis University campus inWaltham, Mass. Guests include Gordon R. Dick-son, Mike Gold, Ken Penders, and others. Activi-ties include AD&D®, DC HEROES*, PARANOIA*,and TOON* games, a movie room, a costumecontest, a dealers� room, panels, and the charityauction, with this year�s proceeds going to theWhale Adoption Project. Registration: $6 at thedoor. Write to: Jarett Weintraub, 14 DartmouthSt., Waltham MA 02154; or call (617)894-2694.

GOTHCON XV, March 29-31This convention, sponsored by the Bifrost,

Chaos Apes, Skymning, and Ygdrasil gamingclubs, will be held at Munkebacksgymnasiet,Ernst Torulfsgatan 1, in Gothenburg, Sweden.Events include AD&.D®, CALL OF CTHULHU*,MEGATRAVELLER *, PARANOIA *, CAR WARS *,ROLEMASTER/MERP*, RUNEQUEST* (3rd Ed.),ASL*, DIPLOMACY *, and ILLUMINATE* tourna-ments, as well as several independent events.Other activities include a live-action chess game,dealers� rooms, fantasy artists, and an auction.Registration: 150 Swedish Kronor ($30 U.S.)before Feb. 15 (140 SKr for SWEROC members),plus tournament fees. No preregistrationsaccepted after Feb. 15. One-day tickets, if availa-ble, will be sold at the door for 75 SKr ($15U.S.)/day. Write to: GOTHCON XV, c/o BertilJonell, P.O. Box 154, S-43900 Onsala, SWEDEN;or talk +46 300-61004.

MSU IN CONTROL, March 29-30This gaming convention will be held in the

Grand Ballroom of the Student Center at theUniversity of Kentucky in Lexington, Ky. Eventsinclude CLAY-0-RAMA, BATTLETECH*, AD&D®2nd Ed., SHADOWRUN*, and WARHAMMER40,000* tournaments. Other activities include avideo room, costume and figure-painting con-tests, and dealers. Registration: $5, or $4 if youare in costume. GMs also receive discounts.Write to: Jemearl Smith, 424 East Maxwell #2,Lexington KY 40503; or call (606)255-9599 after7 P.M. Eastern time.

POINTCON XIV, April 5-7The Wargames Committee of the Military

Affairs Club of the United States Military Acad-emy will hold this convention at West Point, N.Y.Tournament events include AD&D®, BATTLE-TECH*, WARHAMMER FANTASY* and 40,000*,JOHNNY REB*, and Napoleonics games. Otherevents include TWILIGHT 2000*, microarmor,and miniatures and board games, with paintingcontests, a military film festival, the West PointMuseum, and dealers. Registration: $7 preregis-tered; $8 at the door. GMs and dealers are wel-come. Send an SASE to: Wargames Committee,Military Affairs Club, c/o Cadet David J. Morgan,P.O. Box 3857 USCC, West Point NY 10997.

ROUNDCON VI, April 5-7The Round Table Gaming Society will host this

convention at the Russell House at the University

of South Carolina campus, in Columbia, S.C.Events include AD&D®, SHADOWRUN*, PUF-FING BILLY* (including 1830*, RAIL BARON*,and a Mayfair railroad game), and board-gametournaments. Other one-round tournaments willbe held for CHAMPIONS*, TALISMAN*, TITAN*,B-17 SQUADRON*, CIRCUS MAXIMUS*, andAD&D® games. Prizes will be awarded for alltournaments. Registration: $5/weekend beforeMarch 1, or $7/weekend thereafter. Write to:Round Table Gaming Society USC, P.O. Box 80018,Columbia SC; or call Trella at: (803) 779-1924.

UMF-CON, April 5-7This convention will be held at the Student

Center of the University of Maine at Far-mington. Events include AD&D®, GAMMAWORLD®, SHADOWRUN*, TWILIGHT 2000*,and war games. Other activities include art andminiatures contests and a spectacular Chineseauction. Registration: $7/weekend, $4 for Satur-day and $3 for Sunday preregistered; $10, $6,and $4, respectively, at the door. Write to;Melissa Mixer, Box 138, East Wilton ME 04234.

CONNCON �91, April 6-7This convention will be held at the Danbury

Hilton Inn in Danbury, Conn. Jean Rabe will bethe guest of honor. Many first-run RPGA�Network events will be held, including a Mas-ters and a Grandmasters AD&D® event, a Mas-ters CALL OF CTHULHU* event, and a teamAD&D® event. Other activities include: role-playing, miniatures, and war games; a banquet;an awards ceremony; and an RPGA� Networkmembers� meeting. Registration: $15 preregis-tered until March 22, or $20 thereafter. Thepreregistration fee includes three free games;registration after March 22 does not. Write to:CONNCON, P.O. Box 444, Sherman CT 06784.

MOUNTAINTOP �91, April 6-7The Gaming Club at Lehigh University will

hold this convention at the University Center onLehigh�s campus in Bethlehem, Pa. Events in-clude RPGA� events, an AD&D® team tourna-ment, with AXIS & ALLIES*, BATTLETECH*,CHAMPIONS*, GURPS*, and SHADOWRUN*games. Other activities include a miniaturescontest, vendors, and open gaming. Prizes willbe awarded to tournament and contest winners.Registration: $15/weekend or $10/day. Write to:Paul Bashus, 9 Duh Drive, Apt. #131, BethlehemPA 18015; or call: (215) 758-1757.

SPRING OFFENSIVE II, April 12-14Formerly GAME FAIR, this Illinois Central

College convention will be held in East Peoria,Ill. Events include Napoleonics, ADEPTUS TI-TANICUS*, American Civil War miniatures,CHILL*, and other role-playing, miniatures, andboard games. Registration: $5/weekend or $3/day, plus $1 per game. Write to: Tri-CountyGaming Assoc., 116 Walnut St., Washington IL61751; or call: (309)444-4640.

TECHNICON 8, April 12-14This SF/fantasy convention will be held at the

Donaldson Brown Center on the Virginia Techcampus in Blacksburg, Va. Guests include DianeCarey, Greg Brodeur, Larry Elmore, RuthThompson, Don Sakers, and John �Fuzzface�McMahon. Activities include SF Jeopardy, liveRPGs, panels, a play, an art show, films, anddealers. Registration: $18 general and $16 forstudents until March 15th. Write to: TECHNI-CON 8, c/o VTSFFC, P.O. Box 256, Blacksburg VA24063-0256; or call: (703) 953-1214.

BAMACON V, April 19-21This convention will be held at the Ferguson

Center on the University of Alabama campus inTusscaloosa, Ala. Guests include MercedesLackey, Brad Strickland, Keith Parkinson, LarryElmore, Larry Dixon, Dave Arneson, AllenHammack, and Thomas Fuller. A $1,000 cashprize goes to the best AD&D® game team at thisconvention. Many other prizes will also beawarded. Activities include an art show/auction,a banquet, dances, movies, and dealers. Regis-tration: $20 by March 31; and $25 thereafter.One-day memberships and dealer passes arealso available. Write to: BAMACON V, Universityof Alabama, P.O. Box 6542 Tuscaloosa AL 35486;or call: (205) 758-4577 or 348-3127.

CAPCON XIV, April 19-21The Ohio State University Miniatures and

Gaming Assoc. (OSUMGA) will hold this conven-tion in the Ohio Union on the OSU Columbuscampus in Columbus, Ohio. Activities includeminiatures, board, and role-playing gamescovering all time periods and genres. Admission:$3/day. Write to: OSUMGA/CAPCON, Box 21, theOhio Union, 1739 N. High St., Columbus OH43210; or call Jill Moody at: (614) 267-2649.

CONDUIT, April 19-21 Located at the Quality Inn in Salt Lake City,

Utah, this SF/fantasy/gaming convention willfeature such guests as Barbara Hambly, ErickWujcik, and Derek Fegestad. Events includetournaments in AD&D® 2nd Ed., ROLEMAS-TER*, TMN TURTLES*, RIFTS*, ROBOTECH*,BA�ITLETECH*, WARHAMMER 40,000*, SPACEHULK*, SHADOWRUN*, CYBERPUNK*, andSTAR FLEET BATTLES* games. Other activitiesinclude films, Japanese animation, an art show,a masquerade, panels, dealers, and open gam-ing. Registration: $18 until March 15; $22 at thedoor. Write to: CONDUIT, c/o David Lee Powell,2566 Blaine Ave., Salt Lake City UT 84108-3359;or call: (801)467-9517.

GAME FAIRE �91, April 19-21This convention will be held at the Student

Union at Spokane Falls Community College inSpokane, Wa. All proceeds will be donated tothe Wishing Star Foundation. Events includeRPGs, tournaments, microarmor, naval andhistorical miniatures, SF and fantasy miniatures,board games, a video room, a dealers� area, aused-game auction, and SCA events. Registra-tion: $12/weekend before April 10th; $15/weekend, $6 for Friday or Sunday, and $7 forSaturday at the door. Write to; Merlyn�s�GameFaire �91, North 1 Browne, Spokane WA 99201;or FAX: (509) 624-0957,

I-CON X, April 19-21This convention will once again be held at the

State University of New York, Stony Brookcampus. Guests include Ken Rolston, GaryGygax, Steve Jackson, and Greg Costikyan.Activities include gaming, a writer�s workshop,autograph sessions, a �meet the pros� party,dozens of dealers and more. Registration: $25/weekend at the door, less in advance, One-daypasses are also available. Write to; I-CON X, P.O.Box 550, Stony Brook NY 11790.

PENTECON �91, April 19-21The Cornell Strategic Simulations Society will

hold this convention at the Goldwin Smith Hallon the Cornell University campus in Ithaca, N.YEvents include AD&D®, TRAVELLER*, PARA-NOIA*, DIPLOMACY*, CAR WARS*, AXIS &ALLIES*, ASL*, and CIVILIZATION* games.

86 MARCH 1991

Other activities include miniatures painting andtrivia contests. Write to: PENTECON �91, c/oPeace Studies Program, 180 Uris Hall, CornellUniversity, Ithaca NY 14853; or call Shelley at:(607) 272-1339.

UBCON, April 19-21Sponsored by the UB Strategists� and Role-

players� Assoc., this convention will be held onthe State University of New York at Buffalo,Amherst (North) campus. Events include a 2ndEd. AD&D* tournament and many other popu-lar strategy and role-playing games, as well as amovie room, combat demos, and dealers. Regis-tration: approximately $8, plus fees for tourna-ments with cash prizes. Write to: MartinSzinger, UB/SaRPA Pres., 210 Curtis Parkway,Buffalo NY 14223; or call (716) 833-4610.

THE UNTITLED GAME CON, April 19-21Sponsored by Rutgers University Gamers, this

convention will be held in Scott and Harden-burgh Halls on the College Ave. campus ofRutgers University. Events include AD&D® andCHAMPIONS* elimination tournaments,SHADOWRUN* games, a very bizarre AD&D®Mage Duel, playtesting on a new game system,and voting to name the convention itself! Regis-tration: $16/weekend or $8/day preregistered;$20/weekend or $10/day at the door; plus eventfees. Rutgers students receive 50% discount onall registration and event fee costs. Events arewelcome up to March 30th. Write to: StudentActivities Center, Rutgers University, Box 19,613 George St:, New Brunswick NJ 08903 (in-clude SASE); or call: (908) 745-0454.

IMPACT 0.6, April 20This convention will be held at the Holiday

Inn Central in Omaha, Nebraska. Activitiesinclude table-top and role-playing games from8A.M. until midnight. Registration: $5. Write to:IMPACT, P.O. Box 4486, Omaha NE 68194.

LAGACON 10, April 20This convention will be held at Kaspar�s Arc,

north of Lebanon, Pa. Events include AD&D®and BATTLETECH* tournaments, plus AD&D®,ASL*, BATTLETECH*, SHADOWRUN*, and AXIS& ALLIES* games. There will also be dealers,and food will be available. Registration: $5preregistered, $7.50 at the door. Write to: Leba-non Area Gamers, 806 Cumberland St., LebanonPA 17042; or call: (717) 274-8706. Make checkspayable to Keith Roth.

OPCON �91, April 20This convention, sponsored by the OPRF SF/F

Club, will be held at the Oak Park River ForestHigh School in Oak Park, Ill. Guests includePhyllis Eisenstein, Robert Shea, and RichardKnaak. Activities include RPG tournaments, asilent auction, films and videos, autographsignings, a trivia contest, and a vendor�s room.Registration: $2. Write to: Sandra Price, OPRFSF/F Club, Oak River Park High School, 201 N.Scoville Ave., Oak Park IL 60302.

DEMICON II, April 26-28This convention will be held at the Des Moines

Howard Johnson�s in Des Moines, Iowa. Guestsinclude Joe and Gay Haldeman, Lucy Synk, andRusty Hevelin. Events include panels, readings,costume contests, a dealers� room, and an artshow, plus open gaming, a live-action role-playing tournament, and a networkedcomputer-game tournament. Registration: $15/weekend until March 15; $20/weekend or $12/day at the door. Write to: P.O. Box 7572, DesMoines IA 50322-7572; or call: (515)270-1312.

LITTLE WARS �91, April 26-28This miniatures-oriented convention, spon-

sored by the Historical Miniatures GamingSociety (HMGS), will be held at the Zion LeisureCenter in Zion, Ill. Miniatures events will spanhistorical times and beyond. Registration: $8/dayor $12/weekend, with a $2 discount for HMGSmembers. There are event fees. Judges andplayers are needed. There will be a judge�sdiscount and a large dealers� area. Write to:Robert Bigelow, c/o Friends Hobby Shop, 1411Washington St., Waukegan IL 60085; or call:(708) 336-0790.

AGOG IV, April 27-28The University Of Arizona Historical Games

Society will hold this convention at the StudentUnion Main Hall on the University of Arizonacampus in Tucson, Arizona. Tournaments in-clude AD&D®, CHAMPIONS*, GURPS*, BA�ITLE-TECH*, and WARHAMMER 40,000* games.Other activities include open gaming, a gameauction, and a miniatures-painting contest.Write to: AGOG IV, 3150 E. Monte Vista #A,Tucson AZ 85716; or call: (602) 327-3517.

BOISE FANTASY ARTS CONVENTION IVApril 27-28

This convention will be held at the HolidayInn in Boise, Idaho. Activities include work-shops, contests, dealers, gaming, movies, demos,and an art show. Registration: $19 until April 1;$23 at the door. Supporting memberships andone-day costs are available. Write to: BFAC, P.O.Box 8602, Boise ID 83702; or call: (208) 454-2835.

PLATTECON DELTA, April 27-28This gaming convention will be held at the

Student Center on the UW-Platteville campus inPlatteville, Wis. Events include AD&D® games,miniatures games, dealers, door prizes, andnumerous games. Registration: $4/day or $5/weekend in advance; $5/day and $7/weekend atthe door. Write to: Platteville Gaming Assoc.,Student Center, 1 University Plaza, UW-Platteville, Platteville WI 53818.

MISCON 6, May 10-12This SF/fantasy/gaming convention will be

held at the Best Western Executive Motor Inn inMissoula, Mont. Guests include Barbara Hambly,William Warren Jr., and Jerry Oltion. Eventsinclude AD&D®, BATTLETECH*, and DIPLO-MACY* games, with videos, a masquerade, anart show, and panels. Registration: $16 untilApril 15; $20 thereafter. Write to: WMSFC/MISCON 6, P.O. Box 9363, Missoula MT 59807.

KETTERING GAME CONVENTION IV,May 11-12

This convention will be held at the Charles I.Lathrem Senior Center in Kettering, Ohio. Eventsinclude FRPGs, an RPGA� tournament, a MO-NOPOLY* tournament, and board, computer, andminiatures games, plus a special tournamentbased on Double Exposure, by Piers Anthony.Write to: Bob Van Gruenigen, 2013 Gay Dr.,Kettering OH 45420; or call: (513)252-9948.

CONWEST HI, May 17-19This convention will be held at the Howard

Johnson Plaza Hotel in Albuquerque, N.M. Ourguest of honor is Tracy W. Shurtleff, RPGA�Regional Director. Events include two-roundRPGA� AD&D® and PARANOIA* tournaments,with ROLEMASTER*, ASL*, and WARHAMMER40,000* tournaments, plus more board andminiatures games. Other activities include opengaming and a dealers� room. Registration: $10preregistered; and $15 at the door, plus eventfees. Daily prices are also available. Write to:

The Weregamer�s Guild, Student ActivitiesCenter, Box 28, Student Union Bldg., UNM,Albuquerque NM 87131; or call: (505) 277-3083.No collect calls, please.

SUMMERCON �91, May 18-19The Gamers� Alliance of Miniatures Enthusi-

asts (G.A.M.E.) and the Midwest Masters RPGA�Network will host this FREE convention in theReunion Food Court Bldg., on the campus of theUniversity of Nebraska in Lincoln, Nebr. Eventsinclude three RPGA� tournaments, an RPGA�Masters tournament, and a benefit tournament.Other activities include WARHAMMER 40,000*role-playing and miniatures events, historicalminiatures, a figure-painting contest, and otherrole-playing, board, and miniatures games.Everyone is welcome! Write to: Hobbies, Etc., N.16th St., Lincoln NE 68508, Attn: Rufus; or call:(402) 477-7006.

GAMECAUCUS II, May 24-27Sponsored by Trigaming Associates, this

convention will be held at the Oakland AirportHilton in Oakland, Calif. Events include anRPGA� AD&D® tournament, with BATTLE-TECH*, WARHAMMER 40,000*, STAR FLEETBATTLES*, TOP SECRET/S.I.�, STAR WARS*,DIPLOMACY*, ASL*, WORLD IN FLAMES*,EMPIRES IN ARMS*, TALISMAN*, and GURPS*games, and various historical and modernminiatures games. Other activities include aWorld Wide DIPLOMACY* game, plus live-action AD&D®, AWFUL GREEN THINGS FROMOUTER SPACE*, and ALIENS* games. Registra-tion: $15 preregistered or $20 at the door.Prizes will be awarded to tournament winners.

Write to: Trigaming Associates, P.O. Box 4867,Walnut Creek CA 94596-0867; or call Larry orMike at: (415) 686-9319 after 6 P.M. PST Nocollect calls, please.

SODACON 11, May 25-26This convention will be held at the Howard

Johnson�s Hotel and Convention Center in RapidCity, S.D. Events include AD&D®�, BATTLE-TECH*, TWILIGHT 2000*, CHAMPIONS*, andMORROW PROJECT* games. Registration: $10preregistered, or $12 at the door. Write to:Black Hills Society of Gamers, 2416 CameronDr., Rapid City SD 57702; or call Steven at: (605)642-3316.

TWINCON �91, May 25-27This convention will be held at the Thunder-

bird Hotel and Convention Center inBloomington, Minn. (ask about special roomrates). Guests include Julie Guthrie, Ken Rolston,Margaret Weis, Craig Taylor, and Greg Scott.Events include role-playing, board, and minia-tures games, with miniatures-painting andcostume contests, a vendors� room, seminars,discussions, and open gaming. Registration: $20/weekend until May 5; $30 thereafter. One- andtwo-day passes are available at the door. Makechecks payable to Donald Prust. Write to:TWINCON �91, P.O. Box 8010, Lake St. Station,Minneapolis MN 55408; or call: (612) 888-5759.

OPTICON �91, May 31- June 2This convention will be held at the Gardiner

Student Center on the campus of the Universityof Akron in Akron, Ohio. Events include RPGA�tournaments and other individual and tourna-

ment games. Other activities include a largeexhibitors� area, an auction, an art show, semi-nars and panels, a painting contest, and 24-hourgaming. Registration: $15/weekend preregis-tered. Dorm rooms are available; ask aboutrates and availability. Write to: OPTICON �91,P.O. Box 4876, Akron OH 44310; or call: (216)972-7713.

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DRAGON 87

Understanding Undermountain�the king of all dungeons

I was expecting Elminster. It was hisusual time�late, late at night, when every-one else was in bed and I was at ease inthe computer�s glow, exploring one lastcorner of the Realms (between yawns) toanswer this or that request, or to finish upanother page or two of the latest module.

I�d even got out some peach nectar(Elminster has an endless appetite fordrinks, from root beer to colas, that arerare or unknown in the Realms), andplaced my largest helm upside-down be-side the old armchair, to serve as (shudder)an ashtray for his infamous pipe, the onethat blows green smoke studded withsparks or worse.

I was thundering away on the keys,detailing another level of The Ruins ofUndermountain and wondering just howmy editor, Steven Schend, and I weregoing to fit a quart (the �bare bones� of Undermountain) into a pint pot (the maxi-mum amount of information that can becrammed into a boxed set and still allowyou to read it). Elminster was late, and I

by Ed Greenwood

had just borrowed his armchair to lay outthe first-level maps. (When you see them,they�ll fit on the average bed�but theoriginals, I�m afraid, take up the floorspace of a car.)

�Gentle sir,� said a warm voice behindme, very close to my ear. �Forgive me, butyou�ve drawn this room incorrectly. Trustme�I helped in its making.�

The low, musical, feminine voice joltedme into excited (and disbelieving) wakeful-ness. I spun about. A tall, slim, beautifullady in a . . . well, daring gown was lean-ing over where my shoulder had been,one long finger poised over a map. I staredwildly. She winked.

�Well met, Ed of the Greenwood. I�veread your works with amusement. I alsosee why Elminster often tells us he�s goingout to sample a drink or two with �UncleWeirdbeard.� �

Sigh! Even her dimples were beautiful. Iscrambled out of the chair and onto oneknee, in my courtliest Realmsian bow.

�Well met and welcome, lady,� I replied.�Know, scribe: I am Laeral�consort to

Khelben �Blackstaff� of Waterdeep, andsister to The Simbul, Alustriel, Dove, andStorm of your acquaintance. Elminster hasbeen, ah, detained. The cause of his preoc-cupation, The Simbul, asked me to drop byto check on the work, to assure you webear you no ill will for revealing our most

delicate secrets, and to convey a hearty�hello, and have you a bottle of somethingthat the lady can take back for me� fromElminster.�

I grinned, waving at the bottle. �But ofcourse.� I swept the maps aside. �Please,won�t you sit down?�

She thanked me, sat, and was promptlyleaped upon from a dark corner of thestudy by the larger of our two cats, theone that weighs about 30 pounds.

Amazingly, Laeral kept her smile and thecat. Both the human lady and the felineone are looking over my shoulder now as Iset down a few words about Undermoun-tain, the subject of the latest FORGOTTENREALM� boxed accessory set.

The Ruins of Undermountain is one ofthose classic, endless, trap-filled dungeonsthat early AD&D® campaigns were famousfor. Play has continued therein since 1975;it was (and still is) a vast place, of ninelevels and 14 or so sublevels, Its namederives from its location under MountWaterdeep, the bulwark and �Storm Wall�of mighty Waterdeep, City of Splendors.

Realms� enthusiasts interested in Water-deep as a play setting are advised that theboxed set that introduces Undermountain(detailing, for space reasons, only its up-permost levels) is essential. The proprietorof The Yawning Portal inn, Durnan �theWanderer,� has often said that �Under-

mountain would not be what it is withoutWaterdeep, and Waterdeep not what it iswithout Undermountain.� The city and thedungeon beneath it are inextricablylinked, one influencing the other. Manypassageways connect the two, and someadventures in the set feature links be-tween Undermountain and the surfaceRealms. Waterdeep itself is detailed in theFR1 Waterdeep and the North sourcebook,the City System boxed set, and (to a lesserextent) the third Avatar module, FRE3Waterdeep.

Undermountain has a curious history. Itsupper levels were dug before the citystood, by summoned and charmed crea-tures under the command of the �MadWizard,� Halaster. This awesome arch-mage is over 2,000 years old, and he stillwanders secret ways and deep passages ofUndermountain, maniacally replenishingthe traps and monsters of his �home.�

Undermountain is also home to many ofthe Dread Master�s ex-apprentices, somehorribly changed by misfortune, magicalduels, or their own fell experiments. Themost powerful of these, The Seven, couldchallenge any known wizard active in theRealms today.

Halaster�s diggings connected with anolder dwarven delve, the Underhalls, oncehome to the long-vanished Melairkyn clan.It guarded two ancient mithril mines, �TheSeadeeps,� that extend far under thecoastal waves. Duergar, drow, and worsecreatures continually invade Undermoun-tain from deeper caverns and passages ofthe endless, labyrinthine Realms Below.

Over the years, Undermountain hasbecome known as a place of horrors, thelair of many terrible monsters. CertainLords of Waterdeep freed troublesomemiscreants from dungeon cells in CastleWaterdeep and cast them down intoUndermountain. It soon acquired the(probably incorrect) title of �The DeepestDungeon of Them All.�

One of the first to walk Undermountainand emerge to tell the tale was the warriorDurnan. Atop the rubble of Halaster�sabandoned tower, Durnan built an inn,The Yawning Portal. He still makes a good living there, outfitting adventurers jour-neying into the depths.

Durnan and others who have returnedfrom The Great Below speak of greatriches and dangers, and of the vast size ofthe underways. A few explorers, it isrumored, were introduced to the dungeonafter they failed to pay their inn bills.Some in Waterdeep also whisper that theLords still sentence certain criminals toUndermountain, to die or find their ownways to freedom.

The Lords of Waterdeep certainly turn ablind eye to an entire lawless trading com-munity in the depths, Skullport. Its darkwaterways have been linked to the SouthSeacaves of Mount Waterdeep (controlledby the Lords) by a huge sling-hoist that canlift even the largest seagoing ships.

Skullport thrives as a base for smuggling

cargoes to and from the drow and darkerbeings who dwell in Skullport. The Lordsforbid slavery but turn a blind eye whenunsavory folk are smuggled out or downby this route. Rumors of a city in thedepths of the earth (home to mind flayers,vampires, drow, gargoyles, and even be-holders) have always been whisperedabout Waterdeep, and the name �Skull-port� even appears in some drinking songsas a legendary pirates� port of debaucheryand danger. Late at night, when lampsflicker low and the wine is running out,taverns in Waterdeep resound with wildtales of how this rogue or that band ofadventurers went down into Undermoun-tain, and what befell them there. Still,most citizens of Waterdeep know nothingof what lies beneath their cellars.

Campaigns in UndermountainDMs can use Undermountain simply as

an idea source for their own dungeons, asan endless dungeon that ignores the worldabove (or exists in another world), or as anintegral part of a campaign set in theForgotten Realms. In any of these roles,some hints for ongoing play can be useful.In the original Undermountain, the Core

Rooms (the detailed encounter areas) wereless important in play than the dynamicinteractions between exploring PCs andvarious NPC power groups. Recurring NPCallies, villains, and neighbors must be han-dled by individual DMs; it is almost impos-sible to capture their deeds in a writtensourcebook. The major power groupsinclude bands of adventurers seeking theirfortunes (both PC groups and rival NPCcompanies), the bumbling Cultists of Gulku-lath, and the sinister, outlawed Thieves�Guild, lurking behind the cultists. Drowand their surface agents are trying to estab-lish a permanent trading base in Waterdeepfor smuggling and slaving operations. Orcand bugbear bands struggle to maintain afoothold in Undermountain. All of thesesend frequent, heavily armed patrolsthrough the dungeon.

Outlaws and misfits dwell in Skullport,trading with the drow (and worse). Theyare violently hostile to any who mightcarry word of them to the Lords of Water-deep and �do-gooder� surface organiza-tions such as the Harpers, the Red Sashes,or Force Grey. There are also the Sharn, amysterious race resident in�Laeral�s handis on my shoulder, so I guess I can�t let slipanything more about these folk.

And there are the natives of Waterdeep.Laeral tells me the dungeon has longserved as a sort of safety valve for thebusy city above it. Jaded nobles haveconducted sporting �hunts� for monstersin Undermountain for generations. Wa-terdhavian nobles also have a taste forseveral fresh exotic mushrooms; �shroomgathering in the depths has made thefortune of many a lucky adventurer. Otherdaring explorers make livings bringingback magical items, monsters or �monsterparts� for use in alchemy and as magical

components, and curios or relics.Some less-wise adventurers have even

hit on the idea of establishing a hideout orstronghold in Undermountain, or trying tocontrol an area of it. If PCs try this, itshould consume all their time and effort.

Wise DMs will let the players determinewhat adventures their PCs have, by whatthey try to do in Undermountain (objec-tives can range from �clean out this com-plex of rooms� to �drive all the mindflayers out of Skullport�) and by how theyreact to what they find there. The tablesof odd and intriguing treasures found inDRAGON® issue #164 (�What has he got inhis pocketses, anyway?�) and in the �mea-sure� chapter of the FORGOTTENREALMS Adventures sourcebook are idealfor this use. As Laeral says, �trust me�;both were developed for and used in theoriginal Undermountain.

If a DM wants to experiment with newspells before unleashing them on the widerRealms, or use interesting magicks such asthose featured in DRAGON Magazine�s�Arcane Lore� articles, Halaster�s appren-tices offer a good justification for hurlingthem at PCs deep in this monster of mon-ster dungeons. Again, my long-running�Pages From The Mages� series and the�Rogue Stones and Gemjumping� magicfeatured in issue #116 were first inflictedon�er, used with PCs in Undermountain.

The chapter on rumors, and severaladventures in the set are ideal for enticingPCs in an active Realms campaign intoUndermountain. Don�t warn them before-hand that Elminster once referred to theplace as �the largest known mass grave inFaerun today.� (Sorry? Ah, yes, my lady, Isuppose that isn�t much of a pitch forUndermountain, after all.)

The Lady Laeral has also just asked meto tell what�s in the Undermountain boxthat I�m supposed to be telling you about.(Yes, I know I wander; I learned all aboutthe Realms from Elminster, remember?) Inthe box are some striking maps, a bunchof infamous new monsters (the watch-ghost, the steel shadow, and even nastierbeasts) on their own MonstrousCompendium -format sheets, some cards,and two books.

The Campaign Guide to Undermountaincontains �the dungeon key� informationon what you�ll find in Undermountain,with relevant spells and magical items. Italso holds guidelines for expanding thedungeon to make it your own. The smallerbook, Undermountain Adventures, fea-tures just that.

Oh, yes, the cards. They�re a �DM�s handof tricks� �handy adventure aids detailingtraps, encounters, and features that canbe dropped into any adventure to makethings more exciting.

How�s that, Laeral? Well, thank you.Please visit again, any time. Oh, no, leavethe cat, please. I�m quite fond of�well, ofcourse we can share it. Heh, heh.

Pardon�did you say, �See you in Under-mountain�? Well, okay, I guess.

DRAGON 89

Dragons, Deryni, and much derring-do

NEVER DEAL WITH A DRAGONRobert N. Charrette

ROC 0-451-45078-7 $4 .50Robert Charrette�s version of the Pacific

Northwest isn�t much like the one I grewup in-but then, the world of FASAsSHADOWRUN* game universe takes asharp sideways detour from reality a yearor three from now. And apart from thedebatable geography, there�s more to likethan to dislike about Never Deal With aDragon.

Though the title reference is singular,the novel deals with dragons in uppercaseplural, and quite successfully besides. Two

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©1991 by John C. Bunnell

have roles in the tangled megacorporateempires of the SHADOWRUN world:Haesslich, whose high-profile post of secu-rity director for United Oil is merely anexcuse for manipulating power on a vastscale; and Lofwyr, a master of subtletywhose influences are both more directand more elusive. The third, Tessien, is adifferent matter. Partnered with a notori-ous assassin, he adopts simpler goals and amore complex sense of honor.

The connection between the three dragons is Sam Verner, once an anonymous cogin the Renraku conglomerate. A combina-tion of high-level deception and conven-

ient accident draws him gradually into theworld of shadowrunning, magic, andindustrial espionage, where his efforts toretain his integrity soon make him muchmore than a pawn. Haesslich is after Samboth to gain knowledge and eliminate aninconvenient loose end. Tessien and hismistress are simply out to collect the priceon Sam�s head. And Lofwyr, is planning abusiness coup against Sam�s adversaries, inwhich Sam may prove a useful diversion.

By themselves, solid characters and aconvoluted plot might not be especiallymemorable. But Charrette succeeds amplyat conveying the unique atmosphere of the

SHADOWRUN setting, which isn�t so muchdark as it is wild, a realm where only athin veneer separates high culture fromprimal instinct. That makes Never DealWith a Dragon worthwhile on two counts,as a game adaptation and as a story withits own merits. (Though it�s labeled first ina trilogy, there�s no cliffhanger and mostof the loose ends are tied up.) If futureSHADOWRUN novels hold to the standardestablished here, their publishers may findthemselves with a winner on their hands.

DERYNI MAGICKatherine Kurtz

Del Rey 0-345-36117-2 $5.95Logically, AD&D® game players might

imagine Deryni Magic to be an idealcampaign-building supplement to Kathe-rine Kurtz�s highly popular series of novelsof medieval magic and intrigue. But whilethat�s a perfectly reasonable expectation,it�s one that the book fails to fulfill. In-stead, this self-styled grimoire qualifies asone of the oddest and most puzzling booksI�ve ever seen.

The term �grimoire� shouldn�t be unfa-miliar to seasoned fantasy gamers. Bytradition and definition, grimoires arebooks of spells, encyclopedias filled witharcane information, or catalogs of crea-tures, objects, and sources of power. Theyare typically specific and detailed, andthey are descriptive in nature rather thananalytical; one reads a grimoire to answerquestions such as �What?� and �How?�rather than �Why?�

But though the books cover and fore-word call Deryni Magic a grimoire, thecontent doesn�t bear out the label. Kurtzwrites in a present-day scholar�s voice andeven slips into the first person more thanonce, carefully distancing herself from theDeryni universe. Rather than setting outstraightforward lists or descriptions ofprinciples and effects, she uses a deduc-tive approach, taking examples from herearlier books and extracting general rulesand theories from them.

This scholarly style is both striking andunsatisfying. Kurtz�s pose is that of a histo-rian whose sole sources are the manu-scripts of the various Deryni novels andstories. That�s implausible to start with.Real historians would have documents,records, and the like from a variety ofsources. More seriously, though, the De-ryni books are far more precise and intro-spective than any normal body of ancientmaterial, making the usual techniques ofhistorical scholarship difficult to apply.Kurtz instead appears to present a literaryanalysis of her own work, which makesvery odd reading and at times seems atrifle defensive. While Kurtz is meticulousin citing references from her own works,she tosses in occasional tidbits of seem-ingly �real� occult lore without so much asa footnote.

Also frustrating is Kurtz�s extensive useof quotations from the Deryni novels,which may take up as much as a third of

the book. And even where the prose isnew, the information often is not, but hasmerely been reorganized or gatheredfrom existing material. Perhaps 10% ofDeryni Magic actually represents lore notalready recorded in or easily compiledfrom existing sources.

It�s hard to determine exactly whatKurtz and her publishers may have had inmind for this volume. As entertainment,it�s dry and remote. As a reference work,it�s too high flown for a general reader andtoo limited for those thoroughly familiarwith the stories already. Deryni Magic isquite simply a waste of effort; Kurtz canbetter serve her fans by concentrating onher fiction, and leaving peripheral worksto others (such as Arthur Collins, whosefar more useful authorized AD&D gameadaptations of the Deryni appeared backin DRAGON® issue #78).

HEART OF VALORL. J. Smith

Macmillan 0-02-785861-8 $14.95Getting Heart of Valor in the mail was a

surprise; as far as I knew, L. J. Smith�sfirst novel (Night of the Solstice) had van-ished into obscurity a couple of yearsbefore and didn�t seem to require a sequel.Being wrong in this case is a distinct plea-sure; Smiths second book has all thestrengths of the first, and it confirms thatshe�s one of the few writers of young-adultfantasy whose work credibly combines20th-century plausibility with high-powered magical pyrotechnics.

Unlike too many young people in fantasynovels, the four Hodges-Bradley kids haveto cope with skeptical teachers, concernedparents, and the real-world problem ofgetting from point A to point B in an an-cient car that barely starts. At the sametime, their magical difficulties are real andsubstantial: Their sorceress patron is awayon a mission, a renegade from a neighbor-ing world is sending all manner of magicalcreatures to harass them, and there�s beena marked increase in natural disasters andodd weather phenomenon that might berelated to the various sorcerous crises. Allof this is only a bare outline; Smiths plot ismultifaceted and breathless, packing agreat deal into a compact space. The resultisn�t always as neat or organized as itmight have been, but it more than holds areader�s attention.

If the plot isn�t always polished, thecharacterizations and descriptions arelively and compelling. Charles, Alys, Janie,and Claudia are likeable, irritating, andamusing in lifelike proportions, and Smithdoes a highly skillful job of sketching theanimal population with whom Claudia cancommunicate. Likewise, Smiths knack forwriting memorable confrontations is sec-ond to none. Most notable is a sequencethat goes from dire to ingenious to pyro-technic, as Janie extricates the youngpeople from a death sentence only tospark a sorcerous battle.

There�s also a striking amount of practi-

cal spellcraft; gamers will learn moreabout the mechanics of magic from Janie�simprovised experiments than from thewhole of the Katherine Kurtz grimoirementioned previously. From constructingwards to binding familiars to talkingfriends out of convertibles, Smith providesevocative details that contribute to the plotas well as to the atmosphere.

In a few spots, it will help to have readthe earlier Night of the Solstice, which willlikely mean a trip to the library (unac-countably, Smiths first book hasn�t yetseen a paperback edition). But Heart ofValor is good enough all by itself to beworth seeking out, and readers shouldhope that L. J. Smiths next book won�t beas long in coming.

THE ROAD WESTGary Wright

TSR 0-88038-927-3 $3.95The Road West has elements of two

distinct stories. Two-thirds of GaryWright�s prose constitute a dense charac-ter study of a strong-willed swordsman,nearly as explosive as a vial of nitroglyc-erin. The other third is a crisp, accuraterendering of a D&D® -game-style adven-ture. The catch is that these aspects of thebook aren�t intermingled, but are pre-sented one after the other�and Wrightleaves the psychological yarn hangingwhen he turns to the tale of his adventur-ing party.

Keven of Kingsend is solitary by natureand almost inhumanly skilled with weap-ons. After his parents are murdered, teen-aged Keven becomes the King�s ArmsAcademy�s star student, excelling at aca-demic as well as martial studies and earn-ing the rarely given title of King�s Ranger.He does so, however, by adopting a single-minded dedication that leaves no room forfriendships or purely recreational pur-suits. At loose ends after his graduation,he journeys westward by himself untilreaching the trading city of Midvale, but isstopped from progressing farther west byan encounter with clever brigands barri-cading the mountain pass beyond the city.

This first significant defeat of his careersends Keven into a cycle of self doubt,depression, and pub crawling that erodeshis confidence and finds him questioninghis purpose in life. It�s here that Wrightshifts gears, as local authorities draftKeven to lead a larger strike force into thepass to eliminate the brigands. The forceincludes all the classic members: a roguish�littler� thief, a doughty �warf,� a priestesswith a somewhat narrow definition ofgood, an officious mage, and an elf whoappears and disappears at will.

Wright obviously intends the mission torehabilitate Keven back into fighting trim,and in that respect it�s more or less suc-cessful. But the earlier focus, on Kevenimplies deeper psychological issues andraises more basic questions about theranger�s identity. Even though his handlingof a game-style adventuring scenario is

DRAGON 91

crisp, logical, and authoritative, it�s severalsteps removed from the original story, andreaders hoping to see Keven truly come toterms with himself are in for a seriousdisappointment.

What�s most frustrating about The RoadWest is its otherwise high level of crafts-manship. In setting scenes, drawing plausi-ble characters, and creating intriguingsituations, Wright shows notable percep-tiveness and skill. It�s only in devising hisstory�s overall structure that he misses themark. This first novel may merit only amarginal recommendation, but it showsenough promise that further books fromWright will merit close attention.

THE SHADOW GATEMargaret Bail

Baen 0-671-72032-5 $4.95If I ever teach a creative writing class, I�ll

be tempted to use The Shadow Gate as abook-length illustration of things not to doin the process of constructing a story. Butdespite the mishandled romances, a plotthat scarcely exists, and the most convo-luted shuffling of viewpoints this side ofTwin Peaks, there�s something uncannilylikeable about Margaret Ball�s fantasydebut (she�s previously written �historicalfiction� under another name) that resistsmy best efforts to label the novel a failure.

Properly, the book has a situation ratherthan a plot: The elves of the Middle Realmand the staff of a small psychic researchcenter in Texas both face imminentdissolution-magic is draining away fromthe elves� world, and various legal andfinancial problems threaten to close downthe foundation. One apparent connectionis Lisa, the foundation�s administrativesecretary, who has a mysterious secret inher past; the other is a book that alsoserves as a portal between the realities.But rather than taking the initiative toresolve the various crises, the characterson both sides of the gate are almost con-stantly reacting as Ball throws one obsta-cle after another in their paths, logical ornot.

There are at least four major viewpointcharacters: Lisa; her colleague Judith, whooperates a New Age bookstore out of theresearch center; Nick, who agrees to han-dle their legal affairs but winds up facingmore arcane opposition; and Berengar, anelven lord who rescues Judith and de-velops a more-than-passing interest in herwell being. Ball doesn�t single any of themout as the primary hero or heroine, whichfurther muddles the focus of her alreadyvague narrative and damages her ability tomaintain suspense. Preserving Lisa�ssecret, for instance, is awkward whenreaders are allowed to follow herthoughts.

Then there are those pesky romances.Ball allows one of her two couples to de-velop a pleasant, openly suggestive rela-tionship in the course of the book, whilethe other duo spends too much time fight-ing monks, monsters, and other villains to

92 MARCH 1991

interact seriously with each other. Yet it�sthis second pair that�s headed for marriageat the novel�s conclusion, while the two inthe first couple allow themselves to bestranded on opposite sides of the closinggate between the worlds. That�s implausi-ble and unsatisfying, especially as thereare only marginal indications of a possiblesequel.

What saves this disorganized tanglefrom being thrown across the room out ofsheer bewilderment? It may be Ball�sknack for whimsical characterizations:Lisa and Judith particularly are eccentricyet comfortable personalities, and it�s hardnot to empathize with Ball�s cast as theytry to figure out just what kinds of disas-ters they�ve been thrust into. Ball alsomanages to put an intriguing spin on herparallel world, in which elves appear tocontrol much of Angevin France and theirqueen, Alianora, corresponds to our his-torical Eleanor of Aquitaine.

But The Shadow Gate is notable mostlyfor being a triumph of facile language oversolid literary craftsmanship. Margaret Ballhas a way with words that�s entertainingwhile you�re turning the pages, but there�sno sense of accomplishment on finishingthe tale, and her novel might best be com-pared to a lively gaming session that endswith no treasure, no experience, and nohappy ending anywhere in sight.

THE FORGE OF VIRTUELynn Abbey

Questar 0-445-21065-6 $4.50Origin�s Ultima* line of computer games

has been one of that industry�s most long-lived and successful series, so it�s not sur-prising to find a novel on the shelvesadapted from Richard Garriott�s fantasymilieu. It is surprising, though, to find thatBritannia in book form somehow isn�tnearly as distinctive as its electronicincarnation.

In part, the problem is that author LynnAbbey exhibits a curious ambivalenceabout the nature of her setting. On onehand, she seemingly acknowledges theexistence of Gamers From Beyond in theform of an Avatar and a host of Peers. Buther story stays far away from any of thesecharacters, instead focusing on a smallband of native Britannians who have noperspective whatsoever on the concept oftheir universe as a gaming campaign.

That robs her tale of a great deal of itspotential uniqueness. Protagonist JordanHawson is the disillusioned son of minornobility, and he�s not appreciably differentfrom the dozens of wayward heirs popu-lating everyone else�s fantasy novels. Jor-dan�s younger brother is much likeeveryone else�s irritating and unappreci-ated younger brother. And Jordan�s com-panion Althea is much like everyone else�sreckless but well-intentioned student ofmagic.

Neither the atmosphere, the magic, northe plot are any fresher than the charac-ters. Jordan and his friends predictably

view their world as grimy and ordinary,not colorful and unusual. While Abbeytosses off an occasional Ultima spell-phrase, her treatment of the magic systemlacks the neat structure of the game�spresentation. And the adventurers� questto find and rescue Althea�s missing brotheris all too familiar from countless othernovels and series.

This isn�t to say that the book is badlywritten. Abbey does a decent job of mak-ing her characters personable if not unu-sual, and she has a solid grasp of medievalsociety. Her version of Britannia may notbe memorable, but it�s far from artificial intone. As a straightforward quest novel(and, by implication at least, the first in aseries), The Forge of Virtue is perfectlyacceptable fare.

But, in this case, that�s not enough. As anovel built on the Ultima setting, the bookneeds to stand out from its competition. Tobe counted successful, it needs to repro-duce the singular aspects of that world,and Abbey�s story doesn�t even come closeto meeting that test. Fans of Richard Gar-riott�s electronic adventures will find moresatisfying fantasy on their computerscreens than they will within the pages ofthis book.

LIFELINEKevin J. Anderson & Doug Beason

Spectra 0-553-28787-7 $4.95There�s a tacit assumption in nearly all

spacefaring science fiction that humanitypossesses ample resources for gallivantingback and forth through interplanetary orinterstellar space. But one of the charac-teristics of good SF is the willingness toquestion even the most basic assumptions,and Lifeline is an excellent exploration of aspace-based society that doesn�t have theusual highly developed economic base tofall back on.

As the action begins, a nuclear exchangehas devastated the Earth and thrown acommunications-blocking cloud into itsatmosphere. That means that ClaviusMoonbase and a handful of orbiting habi-tats have abruptly been cut off from theworld below, long before they�re preparedfor the burdens of self sufficiency. Foodfor all is by no means assured, and evencommunicating between the various spaceoutposts is a chancy proposition at best.

The habitats� collective survival comes tohinge on three separate inventions: anunappealing but easily grown foodproduct known as wall kelp; an ingeniousmonomolecular filament called weavewire;and a species of genetically engineeredsail-creatures. The difficulty is twofold:The various technologies exist at differentfacilities, and the masters of the individualhabitats are so busy consolidating theirown positions that they don�t feel able tolook outward toward their fellowsurvivors.

The novel�s high scientific credibility isno surprise; Anderson and Beason bothhave solid technical backgrounds and

project that expertise into their story.More startling, but no less satisfying, is the

Recurring rolesA. C. Crispin�s publishers continue to

Transition (Spectra, $4.95), as a malfunc-tioning computer, uncertain resources,

duo�s large cast of complex and intriguing

two that stand out.

characters. Protagonist Duncan McLaris isdesperate, driven, yet thoughtful in his

Critics often accuse �hard� science fic-

efforts to save first himself and later theentire space-based population. On the flip

tion of emphasizing technical extrapola-

side, the acting director of station Orbi-tech 1 is equally driven but utterly mis-

tion and scientific speculation at the

guided. In Curtis Brahms, Beason andAnderson have created one of the most

expense of exciting storytelling. That�s not

compelling literary figures in recent SF;�villain� is much too simplistic a designa-

an issue for Lifeline, in which all elements

tion, though he can hardly be considered apositive force. There is a wealth of otherwell-drawn personalities, but these are the

shower glowing quotes on the covers ofthe StarBridge novels-and the novelscontinue to deserve them. Shadow World(Ace, $4.50) finds Crispin and co-writerJannean Elliott presenting another well-crafted tale of an unusual alien speciesand a StarBridge Academy student thrustunexpectedly into a crisis of interstellarproportions. So far, the series is batting athousand.

practical-minded study of professionalassassins with an equally perceptive (andequally warped) twisting of ancient Egyp-tian culture. As the size of this seriesgrows, Pratchett�s ability to remain freshand hilarious becomes more and more

Equally consistent, if in a totally differ-ent milieu, is Pyramids (Roc, $4.95), thelatest in Terry Pratchett�s cycle of Disc-world novels. This one combines a

the overall quality is less memorable thanthe original collection from co-editorsAndre Norton and Martin H. Greenberg.Meanwhile, C. J. Cherryh�s Merovingenshared-world series continues in FloodTide (DAW, $4.50)�and though the storiesare a step ahead of those in the previousvolume, they leave the previous book�sclimactic revelation almost totally un-touched.

and the possibility of alien contact con-verge to produce a serial crisis that couldend not merely the ship�s mission, but itsvery existence. Vonda McIntyre�s secondbook in this sequence tells a completelydifferent sort of story than its predecessor,and that makes it a highly unusual andcommendable sequel.

A pair of anthologies evokes slightlymore mixed reactions. Catfantastic II(DAW, $4.50) is either a bit too much ornot enough of a good thing. While severalof the tales are well executed (notably PM.Griffin�s and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough�s),

find themselves solidly crafted and styl-ishly presented. Anderson and Beasonhave proven that it doesn�t take a luxuri-ous starship with lots of firepower tomake life in space an adventure worthcontemplating. Though that�s not a badthought from a gaming perspective, it�salso a worthwhile concept in the realworld.

impressive.Two more praiseworthy sequels merit

notice as well. Josepha Sherman�s TheHorse of Flame (Avon, $3.95) retains boththe comfortable amiability and the pun-gent Slavic spice that made her earlierShining Falcon notable, this time puttingan original spin on the old Russian legendof Koschei the Deathless. And far out ininterstellar space, the crew of the explor-atory vessel Starfarer must cope with

* indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarksowned by the companies publishing those products.The use of the name of any product without mentionof its trademark status should not be construed as achallenge to such status.

DRAGON 93

94 March 1991

96 MARCH 1991

D R A G O N 9 7

9 8 M A R C H 1 9 9 1

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100 MARCH 1991

DRAGON 101

102 MARCH 1991

©1991 by Robert BigelowPhotography by Mike Bethke

Gnomekins (Lance & Laser)

Miniature games forstuffed animals and G.I. Joes?

I attended the WINTER FANTASY con-vention during the first weekend of Janu-ary, in Milwaukee, Wis., where I saw anumber of miniatures events at what isnormally thought of as a role-playingconvention. These events included twoFASA BATTLETECH* tournaments, severalI.C.E. SILENT DEATH* games, a gamecalled Intro Wars (which used Hasbro�s G.I.JOE* figures and rules written by HaroldJohnson and Nick Klapper), plus some TSRBUCK ROGERS® XXVc� and AD&D® gameevents. But one of the amusements thatdrew the most attention was the PUPPYPOUNDERS* game by Inner City Games,which uses stuffed animals and seemsabsolutely absurd to the average gamer.However, �average� gamers enjoyed them-selves at this totally goofy game!

Why is this important? We�ve talkedhere about bringing new members intothe miniatures fold. Often, this is difficultbecause of family commitments, lack offamily interest, or lack of time. The PUPPYPOUNDERS game gives the entire family

a chance to get involved in a fun �minia-tures� game without leaving home. Therules can even be used with large militarytoys to teach tactics and strategy to kidsand non-gamers. Once your friends under-stand the games you play, it will be easierto find miniatures partners or opponentsat home, and easier to find time for gamesoutside the home as well. With a littlework, we can bring those closest to us intothe gaming community, or at least helpthem understand why we enjoy the gamesso much.

Now to the reviews.

Reviews

Miniatures� product ratings

***************

PoorBelow average

AverageAbove average

Excellent

Lance & Laser ModelsP.O. Box 14491Columbus OH 43214

T-005�Gnomekins * * * *

T-007�Kasmir Trapsmith * * * ½

T-014�Vajra Engineer * * * *

Lance & Laser continues to support itsTALISLANTA* line with the submission ofthree more 25 mm figures for review.They are molded with a metal mixturedifferent from that which most figurecompanies use and are considerablydarker in color than other miniatures. Thefigures are also slightly more brittle butshould hold up well under normal usage.They hold paint well after priming andlight cleaning.

The Gnomekins set consists of fourpieces: two males, one female, and a baby.Bard Games� Chronicles of Talislanta book-let defines Gnomekins as a race of small,brown-skinned humanoids native to thecaverns and grottos of Dume.

The nude baby is sitting on a low moundsurrounded by two mushrooms. He sitswith legs crossed, sucking on its rightthumb with its left arm resting on its knee.The figure looks content, but facial fea-tures and details are blurred and indis-tinct. The ears are prominent and pointed,and a Mohawk haircut is obvious but hasonly a small amount of detail.

The female�s ears are sharp and pointedlike a Vulcan�s, and she has a Mohawkhaircut extending across her head anddown to her waist. She wears a brassiere,a half jacket, and a split skirt that coversher knees but allows free movement. Sheleans to the right with a loaded sling inher right hand and a missile in her lefthand. Bracelets adorn her wrists, and shehas a strap on her shoulder from whichhangs a pouch on her left side. She wearsno shoes. Facial detail is good, and herexpression is determined.

The third figure appears to be a youngwarrior armed with a sling in his righthand and a knife in his left hand. The slingis well molded, but the knife needs work.His ears and hair are almost exactly thesame as the female�s, with the hair reach-ing to the lower back. This figure also hasa pouch, but his fighting pose almost hidesit. The warrior wears a strap and protec-tor in front that turns into a flap in therear. Facial features are not as clear onthis figure as on the female, and they tendto run together and be chunky and tooangular, as also happens with the exposedmuscles.

The last figure is obviously either anadult fighter or a chief. Facial detail isgood, although the mold line goes throughthe middle of the face (this can be easilyfixed but should be done carefully). He isarmed with a sling and with a short swordthat has angular edges. He wears a scale-mail outfit, bracers on his wrists andankles, and a hooded cape that is joined inthe front by a simple brooch. The figure iscrouched as if awaiting an attack. All four

DRAGON 103

Rebel Troopers (West End Games)

figures have earrings in both ears.While these figures were made for the

TALISLANTA system, they are usable inothers. They would be usable in AD&Dcampaigns as a gnome group, or could beused in Games Workshop�s WARHAMMERFANTASY ROLEPLAY* game with theirmohawks. With careful work on the basesand painting, they can be useful additionsto a figure collection. The price is $3.50per pack.

The next figure is of a Kasmir Trap-smith. The Chronicles describes the Kas-mir as citizens of a desert country and asshrewd lenders and appraisers. As such,they are visible targets for thieves andhave a whole industry available to protecttheir treasures. One of these industries isthat of the trapsmith, who designs ways ofprotecting an individual�s wealth.

The single figure submitted for review isdressed in long robes that cover his entirebody from shoulders to feet, and a hoodedcloak that covers his entire head exceptfor the face. The toes of his two bootsextend past the lower edge of the gar-ments. He clutches a two-pointed spear,angled to either protect or attack. A set ofskeleton keys and a pouch hang from anunseen belt, and there is a visible cheststrap. The facial expression is well de-tailed, with intense anger clearly visible.Eyebrows are arched, and his mouth isopen as if to hurl an insult.

This figure has uses in other games as athief, assassin, or outside guard. Thisfigure is worth its $1.35 price, especially ifyou want a different sort of thief.

The last figure is a Vajra engineer. TheVajra are described as members of a stoutunderground race, with body frames cov-ered by rows of overlapping scaly plates;they are skilled builders and engineers. Thefigure supports this description.

104 MARCH 1991

This figure is 25 mm from feet to eyes,and 15 mm across the shoulders�a veryrespectable measurement. It is covered bysmall overlapping scales shaped like dia-monds, with some patches of larger scaleson the chest, knees, and elbows. The faceis covered with fine scales, and his noseconsists of two slits for nostrils. In theopen mouth, a small tongue is visible; theeyes are open wide, but there are novisible ears. A crest goes from the fore-head to mid-skull in back.

This species apparently does not believein clothing, as the only visible coveringsare a belt and loincloth. The belt has alarge buckle and a hammer or mallethanging from it. An oddly shaped toolwith curved and pointed ends is held overthe Vajra�s head with both hands. Thiscould be used as a hook, a climbing tool, adigging tool, or a weapon. He also wears abackpack and has a climbing axe.

This figure will have limited use outsideof TALISLANTA games. Unless you wantan elemental to irritate your party, youprobably don�t need this figure. Thissingle-figure pack is $1.35.

West End GamesRD 3, Box 2345Honesdale PA 18431

WE 40312--Rebel Troopers * * * *The Star Wars saga continues in spirit, if

not on actual film footage, through theefforts of West End Games. As with anycombat situation, the foot soldiers willdecide the outcome of a conflict. With theintroduction of this figure set, the StarWars rebels now have a fairly comprehen-sive fighting unit.

The rebel set submitted for review con-sists of 10 individual figures that form an

Kasmir Trapsmith (Lance & Laser)

effective unit. The 25 mm lead figures allappear to be a bit bulky and large, butwhen measured are true to scale. Almostevery figure has flash at the leg junctionsand mold lines, and there is some flash atthe ends of the heavy weapons.

SW-101 is a heavy weapons specialistdressed in a one-piece jumpsuit with bootsthat stretch to mid-calf. Pockets on thefronts of the legs and right chest are visi-ble. He wears a belt with a holster, a knifetoward the back, and a large pouch. Sparetripods and jackets for the weapon hangfrom crossed straps on his back and a sling in front. His left hand supports arepeat blaster, while his right is on thetrigger. Swept-back hair and smooth,boyish facial features stand out. Thesmooth boots have no laces or zippervisible.

SW-102 wears a one-piece jumpsuit withlaced boots and many bulging pockets. Hisbelt holds several pouches. Straps thatlook like suspenders cross his back. Heholds a short-barreled gun with a sightingmechanism in both hands in the firingposition at shoulder level. The helmetlooks like an early football helmet with ahearing device. Facial detail is obstructedby a mold line and flash that will takecareful work to fix.

SW-103 and SW-104 are almost identical.Both have boots, slacks, and ponchos thatgo from shoulders to knees. Both wear thesame early-style football helmets and havebeards, with SW 104�s beard being longerand bushier. Each figure carries a handweapon in his right hand.

SW-105 is a female figure whose uniformis nearly identical to SW-102�s, except thather pockets aren�t as full. She holds ablaster in her left hand as if firing. Spareammo clips are attached to her belt on theleft rear; grenade pouches are on the

Vajra Engineer (Lance & Laser)

right. Her head is covered, but a pony tailpokes out from the back of her helmetonto her right shoulder. Facial features areindistinct; she appears not to have a chin.

SW-106 is armed with the same weaponas SW-105 and is firing from the two-handed law-enforcement stance. Thissoldier wears boots, pants with stripes onthe legs, and a uniform tunic with apocket on the right. Ammo pouches jutout from under the tunic. The uniformincludes a tie that is barely visible (or amold line that looks like a tie). The face isfully exposed except for the chin, which iscovered by a chin strap. The facial detail isgood except for a small amount of flash.His head is covered by a teardrop-stylehelmet that covers the back of his headand leaves only his face exposed.

SW-107 is another female warrior withboots, a one-piece jumpsuit with leg pock-ets, a teardrop helmet, and a tunic jacketopen on the right side. She is firing arepeat blaster from the hip and has adetermined look on her face, which haswell-done features. Her pony tail flows inthe wind.

SW-108 is the last female in the unit,wearing a one-piece jumpsuit and a uni-form vest. Her facial expression is serious,and she stands as if at a target range, withher right arm extended out and her leftarm held behind her.

SW-109 carries an assault rifle, posed asif getting ready to round a corner or gothrough a door under fire. The gun facesup at a 45° angle from lower right toupper left. His pants have pockets, and hisjacket and helmet are the same as for SW-106. His facial expression is watchful andalert and is not ruined by mold lines orflash.

SW-110�s uniform and helmet are thesame as at least four other figures, and his

Top—mortars; bottom—laser or heavy cannon (Stan Johansen)

blaster is pointed up into the air. His facialdetail is good.

These figures have multiple uses. Theiruniforms are very similar to the KuritaMachine Gun Assault Platoon from RalPartha (see later in this column) and couldbe used as attached troops. These couldalso be used as security troops for FASA�sSHADOWRUN* game. They are worththeir $12.00 price tag even with the workneeded to clean up the figures forpainting.

Stan Johansen Miniatures3109 Nautical WayLantana FL 33462

SM-000�Mortars ****SM-012�Laser or HeavyCannons ****

Many people play in the world of GWsWARHAMMER 40,000* game, directingtheir Squats, Orks, Eldar, or Imperial Ma-rines onto battlefields ripe with heavyweapons. With the ever-rising cost ofGames Workshop miniatures, outfitting anarmy frequently becomes a matter of abattle of the bucks. This leads not to vic-tory by strategy, but victory by disposableincome, much like our arms races today.

Enter Stan Johansen Miniatures and itsSpace Marine line of miniatures. Thesefigures were originally molded for usewith a game made by Fantasy GamesUnlimited (FGU). The line was extensiveand included many weapons that could beused in either 20 mm or 25 mm scales.

SM-000 contains three futuristic energymortars without crews. Each barrel is 25mm long from rear to flash suppressor.The body of each mortar has a magazineand rests on the ground, rendered stablethrough the use of two rear supports.

Height control is done through the use ofa side adjustment wheel and gear systemor a knob at the top of the front supportleg. This support leg is made in an in-verted T-shape with a shock absorbermounted on it to keep the gun stable.

This weapon is simple enough that evenan Ork should be able to operate it suc-cessfully, and they are small and lightenough to travel with any fast-moving unitfor light fire support. These mortars couldfire explosives or energy in the game forwhich they were originally designed, andgame statistics should be easy to create inthe WARHAMMER 40,000 system. Addcrews, and they are well worth the $3price tag per pack.

SM-012 contains two heavy artillerypieces. Each single gun has five pieces toassemble. One part is the gun assemblyproper and has the body, barrel, and smallblast shield in one molded piece. Thebarrel measures just under 24 mm longwith several reinforcements and ends in abreech assembly. The piece does not ele-vate, but pistons and .adjustment knobs aremolded on as if it could. Sighting can bedone over the barrel and through theshield for frontal shots, or using the �con-trols� molded on. The gun mounts directlyto the stand using a square peg. The weap-on�s stand consists of a Y-shaped tripodand four grav or shock-absorbing disks.The stand is molded as if it can be foldedup for moving by using the antigrav disksinstead of wheels.

This heavy cannon can fire several dif-ferent types of ammo; you can designatethe ammo as per WARHAMMER 40,000 orother rule systems. While you do need acrew, any extra troops will do fine, espe-cially if the weapons are used in front-lineantivehicle use, the way World War IIGermans used their 88 mm flak guns as

DRAGON 105

Kurita Machine Gun Assault Platoon figures (Ral Partha)

antitank weapons. You get more bang foryour buck, and these are recommended at$4 for two. While they may not be pretty,they sure are usable.

Iron Crown EnterprisesP.O. Box 1605Charlottesville VA 22902

#0908�Sorenson III ****#0909�Revenge ****

I.C.E.�s SILENT DEATH* game continuesto grow in popularity, and I.C.E. continuesto add to its list of impressive new minia-tures ships. Unfortunately, the samplessubmitted for review are the last of thegroup listed in the Rules & Starcraft Dis-play Pack, and the last ones for which Ihave statistics.

As described in the Display Pack, theSorenson III started out as a customs andpatrol ship. The Sorenson III cannot pro-tect its crew in close combat due to ashortage of short-range weapons, but it isgood for raiding as it can attack its preyfrom long range, then flee before thevictim can reach it.

The lead miniature of the Sorenson III is40 mm long and 35 mm from wingtip towingtip. The body consists of a fuselagewith step-up-style seating for the pilot andgunner. The miniature cockpit coversappear to be of a one-piece design, whilethe illustrated window employs supportstrips. The craft fuselage continues withhuge intake ducts that start even with thefirst cockpit seat, then taper back to blendinto the rear third of the fuselage, whichthen tapers to a point. The wings extendout from the ship at 90° angles, then taperat 45° angles downward. Each wingmounts a large, square engine.

This model follows the Display Packillustrations well, with two exceptions.The most obvious exception is the tailassembly. The tail in the book is Y-shaped,with the two top parts at 45° angles from

106 MARCH 1991

the vertical; the miniature has a V-shapedtail at angles greater than 45° from thevertical. The other difference is in theplacement of panel lines along the wingsand fuselage. The miniature and illustra-tions don�t quite match, so you wonderwhich is correct. A little flash is betweenthe intake and weapons pod. The price is$4 for two.

The first thing that struck me about theillustrations of the Revenge in the SILENTDEATH game was its similarity to FASA�sTOG Fluttering Petal ship. The arc of thefuselage and wing curves are close, butjust different enough to require a secondlook. The vessel is billed as a strike vesselthat must be escorted by smaller fightersto be truly effective. This notion comparesfavorably to our modern missile cruiser,which has great offensive capacity butlittle staying power or self protection, andmust be escorted by smaller ships.

The miniature instantly does away withany comparisons to the TOG Petal, otherthan its similar shape. The Revenge is ashort (32 mm long), squat (30 mm wide),swoop-winged ship. The fuselage is in ahalf-hex shape, with the largest flat side onthe bottom. The illustration shows a longcockpit and a small weapons or sensor podto the left rear. The miniature has thecorrect cockpit, but the weapons or sensorpod is directly in line with, and connectedto, the cockpit. Engines are mounted onthe trailing edges of the wings near thefuselage. A connector bridge joins theouter engines and frames the main rocketengine. An obvious mold line strays acrossthe engine exhaust port; it must becleaned out for the rear to look correct.This miniature came to me in a flattenedcondition, so it took some careful bendingto correct it. Two Revenges come per packfor $4.

These are plain, nicely done miniaturesthat are molded for heavy play ratherthan fragile display. They can be used inmany other games as VTOLs, fighters, etc.

I highly recommended these pieces.NOTE: I.C.E. has pointed out a mistake I

made in my SILENT DEATH game reviewin DRAGON® issue #165. I.C.E placed theminiatures value in the SILENT DEATHboxed game at $36, rather than the $26value I noted. I apologize for any problemsthis may have caused.

Ral Partha Enterprises5938 Carthage Ct.Cincinnati OH 45212

Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc.c/o Minifigs1/5 Graham Rd., SouthhamptonENGLAND S02 0AX

RP 10-850�Kurita Machine GunAssault Platoon * * ** ½

The miniatures set submitted for reviewrepresents a platoon of Kurita troopsequipped with heavy weapons. The 25 mmlead figures are medium infantry byBATTLETECH game standards, with nopower armor or extra armor beyond theregular issue. There are seven differenttypes of figures, with the set containing atotal of 36 pieces.

Each of the two machine gun groupsconsist of six separate pieces, most ofwhich need to be assembled. The gun baseis slightly tapered, measuring 30 mm by30 mm, with a large tripod molded on.Next comes a seat and counter weight thatmust be glued to a post on the base. Themachine gun looks like an old Browning50 cal. from World War II, complete withcocking slide, vented barrel, and gunhandle. The gunner needs to have his leftarm glued on; make sure it reaches thegun at the proper angle. Each crewman isdressed in the predominate uniform ofKurita: a teardrop-style helmet, patternedon World War II Soviet helmets, that cov-ers the neck; a quilted vest with armorinserts and front pockets; gloves; and

DRAGON 107

LeSupurbe (GHQ)

pants that are slightly baggy, have pockets,and tuck into the boots. Noticeable onboth gunners is a mold line running fromboots to rear; the halves of each figure areslightly off center at the joining.

The officer is dressed much like the restof the platoon. He wears a soft cap withflaps that cover his ears when foldeddown. The arms have padding that ex-tends up to protect the elbows. His vest isslightly open. The figure carries a subma-chine gun that looks like either a MAC10or an Uzi with a sight. There was quite abit of flash at the leg junction, but this wascleaned up easily.

The light recoilless rifle team consists ofthree two-man teams, with loaders andgunners. The loader wears the standarduniform, teardrop helmet, vest, pants, andthin gloves. He holds a large rocket shell,which he is preparing to load, and wearstwo large bags with multiple pockets thatprobably contain extra shells. Belt andbuckle are evident as is the emblem on hisleft arm and the crossed straps that sup-port the ammo bags. There is some flashon this figure as well. The gunner wearsthe same outfit, but has a soft cap like theofficer�s. The recoilless rifle resembles anold panzerchek and is probably smallcaliber. He has what could be either apistol or communications device on hisright hip as he faces left with his weapon.A small pouch and a medium pouch are onhis belt. No flash was evident on this fig-ure. Neither gunner nor loader carries abackup gun.

The largest group of figures in this setconsists of regular troops. These ninefigures are dressed conventionally withteardrop helmets and quilted vests. Thelarge pouch on each man�s right side isprobably a pack with personal items. Eachcarries an AK-47 look-alike with a slightlymodified M-203 grenade launcher. Theonly thing obviously missing is spareammo. An additional four-man group is

108 MARCH 1991

armed and dressed like the other infantrybut is shown in advancing with weaponsat hip-firing positions. Communicationsdevices are mounted on the right sides ofall helmets. No flash was present on thesefigures.

The senior NCO looks basically like thetroops. His boots are wrapped with laces,and his pants pockets are filled. A pouchhangs from his belt. Most interesting is thecommunications device hanging on a strapover his left shoulder and the antenna boxon the right side of his helmet. You mustcut the antenna wire from the wire stockincluded in the box, but this is easy. TheNCO is shown leading his troops; he hashis rifle supported by his left arm, andwith his right hand is motioning his troopsforward.

The three junior NCOs are almostidentical to the senior NCO except theyhave boot knives, extra cartridge holders,and are attacking aggressively and firing.

These troops are well-done figurinesbut appear to belong more to the presentthan to the BATTLETECH game era. Themachine guns, assault weapons, andgrenade launchers are more at home inGDW�s TWILIGHT :2000* or 2300 AD*games, which points out just how farthese troops have fallen behind in tech-nology. Although slug throwers willprobably never go out, of fashion, Iwould think Kurita would be furtherahead. This is actually a good thing, asthese figures could also be used. forFASA�s SHADOWRUN game or any of anumber of other games. With the versa-tility of this set, it is a good buy at $22.95,even if it does have a little more flashthan I�m used to from Ral Partha figures.

GHQ2634 Bryant Ave. SouthMinneapolis MN 55408

# 132�LeSupurbe *****#231�64 Gun H.M.S. Bellona * * * * *

In DRAGON issue #164, we talked aboutthe H.M.S. Victory and the political atmos-phere of its times. From 1785 to the early1800s, massive ship-building efforts weremade by almost all major European coun-tries and by the fledgling U.S.A. Many ofthe older ships from the early 1700s werebecoming battle weary or obsolete. Francewas on her way to reclaim her empire,which had been taken apart by othernations over the past hundred years, and aman named Napoleon was coming topower. Britain was shaken from losing herAmerican colonies, and plans were beingmade to reclaim them. But all of theseplans required unrestricted use of the sea.Ships of the line (each with 74 guns ormore) were thus built with great haste.

The LeSupurbe and the H.M.S. Bellonawere roughly comparable in size, crew,and number of guns. The GHQ models arealso similar. Each ship has three verydetailed masts with full sails, the only realdifference being two jibs on the Britishship versus three jibs for the French. Bothvessels need their trailers done (see issue#164, pages 107-108) but not the crossbraces, as these were eliminated by thistime. Both miniatures have full arrays ofanchors, long boats, and short boats.

The Bellona has two full gun decks, onedeck fully open and the other half open.The stern gallery includes a three-quartersbalcony with railing. The rest of the sternis undecorated and fairly plain, and hasthe detailed lanterns and top scrollingcommon on British ships. The Bellonameasures 46 mm long by 13 mm wide atits widest point, and is 48 mm high to thetop of the main mast.

The French LeSupurbe miniature hastwo protected gun decks and one opengun deck. The quarterdeck has no guns,and there is an ornate cabin for the helms-man and wheel. The stern simple galleryhas no lanterns, just windows for theofficers� cabins. Grates on this model areslightly less distinct. Both ships have fineengraving on the deck to represent plank-ing, but the decks are less clear. The hullmeasures 54 mm long, 13 mm wide, and47 mm high at the main mast.

Both of these models are well worth the$5.50 price each. They may be used asplaying pieces in the WOODEN SHIPS &IRON MEN* game from the Avalon HillGame Company or the HEART OF OAK*game from FGU. They can also be madeinto excellent display models that take upvery little room.

*indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarksowned by the companies publishing those products.The use of the name of any product without mentionof its trademark status should not be construed as achallenge to such status.

Lords of the WarringStatesContinued from page 80

bar�s qualms, he committed suicide tofurther the plot.

The plan almost worked. Cinnabarequipped Ching with a nonmagical daggerof such exquisite quality as to equal adagger +1, and he coated it with lethalpoison. The adventurer took the head andthe map and came before the emperor ofCh�in. As the emperor reached for themap, Ching grabbed the emperor�s sleeveand lunged. But the sleeve tore, and Ordi-nance pulled himself free. His guards cutChing apart. Ordinance conquered all Yenin reprisal and hunted down Cinnabar�sfriends, but minstrels never ceased to singof Ching�s bravery. For this reason, unli-censed music was banned in Ch�in.

Ching K�o would make a perfect com-panion for PCs. His reluctance to riskdanger and demanding whims could makehim a nuisance, but no party could disdainChin K�o�s fighting skill. During his days asa kensai, Ching K�o would have gladlyjoined a party of adventurers to carouseand discuss swordsmanship theory. A DMcould also present him to a party under-taking some mammoth quest meaningfulto the whole world. Ching K�o might thensee his chance to become legendary andwould be willing to die in the attempt.

Sun PinMale human10th-level samurai

ARMOR CLASS: 10MOVE: 6 in sedan chair or 24 on horse-

back (cannot walk)

110 MARCH 1991

HIT POINTS: 63NO. OF ATTACKS: 2ATTACK BONUSES: +1 (due to strength)DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type (+3

due to strength)SPECIAL ABILITIES: Kiai increases

strength to 18/00 for one round; sur-prised only on a roll of 1 on 1d6; im-mune to fear; can cause fear; great kiaiboth raises strength to 18/00 and stunsenemies who fail a save vs. paralyzation

MAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardSIZE: M (5�7� tall)ALIGNMENT: Lawful goodPSIONIC ABILITY: NilS 18/49 I 16 W 18D 9 C 11 Ch 15

Sun Pin traced his parentage back toSun TZU, author of the classic, The Art ofWar; like his ancestor, Sun Pin was a mili-tary genius. That skill nearly got himkilled. In Sun�s travels, he accepted a gen-eralship from the lord of Wei, and hisglory quickly overshadowed that of Wei�scommander-in-chief, a general namedP�ang Chuan.P�ang feared that his rivalwould usurp his position, so he accused Sun Pin of loving a foreign woman andselling secrets to her. The king then or-dered Sun�s feet cut off and his facebranded. Sun Pin was ashamed to be seenas a convict, so he feigned insanity and hidhimself in a portable closet to hide thehumiliating marks of punishment.

At this time an ambassador from Ch�i(not the same as Ch�in) visited the king�scourt and became interested in Sun. Theambassador arranged to have his servantssteal Sun Pin�s closet, with him in it, andcarry it back to Ch�i. There, Sun Pin wastaken to a horse race where he sat next toCh�i�s general, who was gambling on hishorses. The rules of the game were thateach player would bet on three separateraces, and whoever won the majority ofthe competitions won the bet. Sun Pinobserved that each side in the race hadthree horses: one superb, one slow, andone of average ability. So he nudged thegeneral and said, �Place a bet on the nextcontest, and I can help you win.�

The general agreed and wagered 1,000pieces of gold. Sun Pin suggested, �Matchyour worst horse against his best, yourbest against his second best, and yoursecond best against his weakest.� Thegeneral followed his advice; although thegeneral lost the first race badly, he wonthe next two. The commander immedi-ately offered to make Sun Pin a generaland give him command over the entirearmy. Sun refused, to spare Ch�i the shameof employing a convict as a commander.However, he remained as a servant to thegeneral, and his advice helped the king ofCh�i to defeat several nations.

Fifteen years later, Ch�i went to war withWei. Sun�s old king attacked his new one,and Pang Chuan commanded the enemy,proudly dismissing Ch�i�s troops as cow-ards. The two armies approached each

other through mountainous terrain, andwhen they were still several days apart,Sun Pin ordered his army to light 100,000kitchen fires. The following night, they litonly 50,000; the night after that, only afew fires were kindled. On the fourth day,Sun Pin hid Ch�i�s entire army in hillsoverlooking wooded ravines around adeep canyon, with a huge tree in the cen-ter. He issued all the troops crossbows andordered them to fire as soon as they sawflame. Then he wrote �P�ang Chuan dieshere� on the tree�s bark.

P�ang Chuan�s scouts reported the dwin-dling campfires to him, and he immedi-ately decided that Sun�s troops weredeserting. P�ang gleefully hurried to meethis foe. If he could strike before Sun Pinrestored morale, Ch�i�s whole army couldbe routed. P�ang Chuan�s army abandonedits supplies and armor and rushed into themountain gorges, reaching them on thefourth evening. In the dim light, P�angChuan saw a great tree with wavy charac-ters written on its bark. He could not readthem in the twilight�so P�ang lit a torch.Thousands of crossbow bolts poured fromthe hills, panicking and destroying P�angChuan�s army. It is said that P�ang Chuanducked the first flight of bolts, then readthe writing on the tree and lamented, �SoI, too, have contributed to the fame of thatwretch!� Then he slit his own throat.

Sun Pin was a scholar who had not onlystudied all the classic tracts of his day buthad amended several of them with hisown observations. He could always givePCs useful advice, especially on militarymatters. PCs might also consult him onany matter of honor, since he also was aparagon of bushido. Sun Pin�s punishmentmay keep him from traveling himself, buthe could be in the background of manyadventures, perhaps even hiring PCs to goon an honorable quest.

BibliographyChang Chi-Yun. Chinese History of Fifty

Centuries. China Artistic Printing Of-fice: Taipeh, Taiwan, 1962.

Eberhard, Wolfham. A History of China.University of California Press: LosAngeles, 1950.

Hibbert, Christopher. The Emperors ofChina. Stonehenge Press: Chicago, 1981.

Levi, Jean, translated by Barbara Bray. TheChinese Emperor. New York, N.Y.; Har-court Brace Jovanovich Inc., 1985.

Parker, Geoffrey. The World: An Illus-trated History. New York: Harper &Row, 1986.

Sun TZU, translated by Samuel B. Griffith.The Art of War. New York: OxfordUniversity Press, 1963.

Tao Hanzhang, translated by Yuan Shibing.Sun Tzu�s Art of War. New York: Ster-ling Publishing, Inc., 1987.