Issue #174Vol. XVI, No. 5 October 1991

PublisherJames M. Ward

EditorRoger E. Moore

Fiction editorBarbara G. Young

Associate 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. advertising

Denise Lyne

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

Things That Go Bump In The NightA few surprises for those late-night game campaigns.

Are You Having Bad Thoughts? � Bruce NesmithPsionics: In Ravenloft, you can�t even trust your own mind.

Out of the Mists � William W. ConnorsWant to experience blind terror? Shake hands with a psionic lich.

Cry Wolf! � Tim MaltoThree new AD&D® game monsters that are a howling success atfrightening heroes.

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

The MARVEL®-Phile � Steven E. SchendA blast from the past: Equinox returns!

Bugged About Something? � Gregory W. Detwiler�Giant ants in AD&D games? Ha! They�re nothing. Watch me while IjusAAAAAAAGGHHH!�

The Game Wizards � James M. WardThe legends and lore of AD&D� trading cards.

The Voyage of the Princess Ark � Bruce A. HeardRaman does a good deed�for the wrong creature.

Novel Ideas � James LowderHow the DARK SUN� novels were created, and where they areheading next.

The Blue-Eyed Thief � fiction by Bob LiddilHe was careful, calculating, subtle, and quick. But, in the end, itwasn�t enough.

The Role of Computers � Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk LesserWhich is faster: an F29 Retaliator or Sonic the Hedgehog?

The Possibilities Are Endless � Spike Y. JonesWest End Games� TORG� system has more beginnings than you canimagine.

Defeating More With Less � Gregory W. DetwilerA smart kobold is an archmage�s nightmare. Here�s proof.

Bazaar of the Bizarre � Matthew P. HargenraderLovely to look at, delightful to hold, a new ioun stone will never be sold.

The Dragon�s Bestiary � Matthew P. HargenraderPeople are just dying to get ioun stones — and here�s what�s killingthem.

Through the Looking Glass � Robert BigelowWhat went on over there, anyway? Desert Storm on the gaming table.

D E P A R T M E N T S

5 Letters6 Editorial

14 Sage Advice

COVER

71 Forum 102 Dragonmirth74 Convention Calendar 104 Twilight Empire88 TSR Previews 108 Gamers Guide

Two unlucky adventurers have uncovered a grave matter in Kevin Ward�s coverpainting for this issue. Unfortunately, they haven�t joined in with the proper spirit,and soon things will be coming to a dead stop.

4 OCTOBER 1991

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

Just write to...Dear Dragon,

How do I write to an author of DRAGONMagazine?

Your reader till a neogi marries a human,Aaron McDonaldNo address given

If you want to contact an author or artistpublished in this magazine, just send your letterto that person, c/o DRAGON Magazine, and wewill forward the letter if at all possible. In somecases we have no forwarding addresses forcontributors who are not currently published,and our addresses for “Forum” and “Letters”writers are sometimes incomplete (ahem), butwe make every effort to send your letters along.

Shadow monsterDear Dragon,

I have just received your issue #170, and it isgreat. I have just one question. In the article,“Crossing Dragons With Everything,” it says thatthere is a “shadow” dragon, but I have neverheard of one. Where might I find the statisticsfor it?

Jon TaceyBrementon WA

The dreaded shadow dragon, originally de-scribed in the AD&D® 1st Edition MonsterManual II (pages 58-59), reappeared in theAD&D 2nd Edition Monstrous Compendium,GREYHAWK® Appendix (MC5).

For the recordDear Dragon,

Just for the record, Castle Amber, the D&D®module mentioned in the letters’ column ofissue #170, is actually module X2; module Xl isThe Isle of Dread.

Although few people at my school actuallyplay role-playing games, your magazine isimmensely popular. My copy alone alwayscircles among many people. I, of course, alwaysrecommend they purchase their own copies. (Bythe way, Eric J., if you are reading this, I wouldlike my issue #168 back, please.)

R. Derek PattisonRacine WI

Merty�s magicDear Dragon,

I have a question about one of Merty’s magicalitems, found on page 15 of issue #168 (“Merty’sManual of Magical Merchandise”). On page 15, itsays that Merty’s multiplanar mushrooms cost11,250 gp, but in the picture on the oppositepage, it shows the mushrooms (center of the topshelf) costing only 1,250 gp. What is the realprice?

Jeff HagenNo address given

The original text gave the value as 1,250 gp,but this was boosted by the editors to reflectthe item’s powers. Use the 11,250 gp value.

Ecology indexDear Dragon,

In the editorial of your anniversary issue,#170 (and, by the by, congrats on 15 first-rateyears), Mr. Moore went over a list of articleideas that the readers and the editors would liketo see more of. One of these suggestions was formore “The Ecology of...” articles. As soon as Iread that, my mind started bubbling over withideas, but I’m afraid I might accidentally rewritea previously described monster. I’d hate to writeup, say, an “Ecology of the Vampire” article, onlyto have it turned down solely because you hadalready printed one in an issue I missed.

So, for me and anyone else itching to tell DMseverywhere exactly why monsters are the waythey are, how about a quick list of monsterscovered to date in the “Ecology” series. Perhapsyou could also suggest a few monsters that youwould especially like to see written up, as well.

D. Mark GriffonPortage WI

Thank you for the praise. The following is alisting of all the monsters that have been cov-ered in the “Ecology” series (and related articles)to date, with the DRAGON Magazine issue inwhich they appeared and whether the articlesalso gave brief details on other monsters:Aboleth, 131Anhkheg, 117

Ape, carnivorous, 133Aurumvorax, 132Basilisk, 81

Behir, 156

Beholder, 76Bulette, 74Catoblepas, 73Cave fisher, 135

Chimera (with gorgimera notes), 94Cockatrice, 95Displacer beast, 109Doppleganger (“The psychology of ...”), 80

Continued on page 28

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 of America and Canada except subscrip-tion orders is: DRAGON® Magazine, P.O. Box 111, (201Sheridan Springs Road), Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A.;telephone (414) 248-3625; fax (414) 246-0389. The postaladdress for all materials from Europe is: DRAGONMagazine, TSR Ltd., 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton,Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom; telephone: (0223)212517 (U.K.), 44-223-212517 (international); telex:818761; fax (0223) 248066 (U.K.), 44-223-248066(international).

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DRAGON 5

Valhalla Diary

Wednesday: It�s August 7th, and I�m offwith Dale Donovan to the 1991 GEN CON®game fair, at the MECCA center in Milwau-kee. We set up our booth in a couple ofhours, discover that we don�t have enoughmagazines, and order more. We also haveno cash register and have to hide ourexcess magazines under some nearbygaming tables. There are ominous signsthat this convention is going to be anotherrecord breaker, such as the block-long lineof gamers standing at preregistration a full24 hours before the convention opens. Wego back to TSR to help Larry Smith andBarbara Young on our deadline forDRAGON® issue #173, then I go to anaikido class in the evening and don�t gethome until midnight�a brilliant move thatguarantees much fun in trying to stayawake the following morning.

6 OCTOBER 1991

Thursday: We get a cash register, thedoors open, the cash register breaks, andwe do a brisk, steady business at ourbooth frantically making change in ourheads. The latest issues of our magazinesand our all-new T-shirts (designed by RayVan Tilburg) are hot items. One gamertries to sell his AD&D® 1st Edition booksto me, somehow laboring under the im-pression that because TSR is producingAD&D 2nd Edition material, TSR employ-ees must think 1st Edition stuff is prettyvaluable. Since my TSR office is literallyjammed to the shelf tops with AD&D 1stand 2nd Edition game materials, I declinehis offer.

Eventually, I take a break and go sight-seeing around the packed exhibit hall.Huge miniatures scenery tables are in useby TSR, Inc. (SPELLJAMMER� and DARK

SUN� games), FASA Corporation (RENE-GADE LEGION* and SHADOWRUN*games), and Games Workshop (WAR-HAMMER 40,000* game). Colorfulspelljammer ship models in 25 mm scale,some almost 3� long, are used in play byTSR�s DMs. The Chain Maille Fashionsbooth, for reasons obvious to anyone whosaw its staff in chain-mail halter tops, issurrounded by young, big-eyed malegamers. Liz Williams, who is in charge ofthe massive art show, reminds me thatthere is an art show on and I should see it,but I am not able to this day. Steve (�Twi-light Empire�) Sullivan talks with gamersabout his comic. And Margaret Weis andTracy Hickman show up and give awayabout 300,683 free autographed copies oftheir books while spreading horrible ru-mors about me.

In the evening, I attend a seminar hostedby Jeff Grubb and the SPELLJAMMERdesign staff, which discusses some danger-ous ideas, such as halfling gangsters inwildspace and the existence of solid crys-tal spheres containing billion-mile-longdungeons that must be navigated byspelljammer ships. (�Okay, you go throughthe portal and see a cubic room, one hun-dred miles along each side, containing asmall star, a solid-gold asteroid, and fortyhammerships full of orcs. Roll for initia-tive.�) The meeting eventually degeneratesinto philosophical arguments, such aswhether each crystal sphere is its ownPrime Material plane or each Prime Mate-rial plane has its own set of crystalspheres, and can clerics can use firearmsdepending on whether they use dum-dumor armor-piercing ammunition. (The audi-ence is forced to vote on the above.) I fleewith only shreds of my sanity left. I makeplans to go out for dinner but instead fallasleep, exhausted and full of M&Ms.

Friday: Your bleary-eyed magazine staffmeets for the excellent RPGA� Networkbreakfast buffet, and we gain 10 poundseach. Australian gamers describe gaminglife Down Under, and DRAGON Magazinewins the 1991 Gamers� Choice Award for

Best Professional Gaming Magazine(thanks for embarrassing me, guys). Westagger back to our booth and again do abrisk, steady business while franticallymaking change in our heads.

Today I notice even more young malegamers around the Chain Maille Fashionsbooth, and I also notice the many boothsselling nongaming materials such asT-shirts, jewelry, gems and crystals, cupsand mugs, cassettes and CDs, books onevery historical and SF/fantasy topic imagi-nable, and paintings (the latter booths aremanned by the likes of Larry Elmore,Keith Parkinson, and Robin Wood). TheTSR artists have their own booth and havegood sales with their �Death Angels� artcollection which attracts many of thesame gamers who hang out at the ChainMaille Fashions booth. I see Liz Williamsand am again reminded of the art show,but I don�t get a chance to see it. AndMargaret and Tracy give away about40,583,038 free autographed copies oftheir books while spreading horrible ru-mors about me.

When the exhibition hall closes down, Ivisit the computer gaming area and marvelat the MidiMaze competitions, in whichsmiley faces shoot bullets at other smileyfaces in a dungeon setting. Up to twentyplayers take part in each game, each play-er gifting his smiley-face warrior with anappropriate name (�Hellfang says, �Have anice day!� �).

Then I visit the miniatures gaming areaand am stunned at the sheer size of someof the games being played. A STAR FLEETBATTLES* game covers four 4� X 8� tables;a full-scale recreation of the air attack onPearl Harbor covers five; a vast BATTLE-TECH* scenario covers six. And thenthere�s the Lord of the Rings Siege ofGondor scenario, which covers moretables than I can count and is designed tohandle up to 200 gamers, all taking part inthe assault on a gigantic 25 mm-scalemodel of Minas Tirith. Siege towers, orcand goblin hordes, the Riders of Rohan,the war machine Grond, the fleet of DolAmroth, the River Anduin, wall archers,oliphants�you name it, it is there, thanksto the combined efforts of many compan-ies, gamers, and painters. I am beyondawe.

I am supposed to attend a TSR party inthe evening, but instead find myself with agroup of artists at the Safe House, a Mil-waukee restaurant/bar/dance spot with anespionage theme. I prove to everyone thatI don�t know how to dance, but otherwiseenjoy the company and my cherry-flavored �nab� (nonalcoholic beverage). Iget back to my hotel room after midnight,another brilliant move that produces thesame results as before.

Saturday: Saturdays are usually whenthe greatest number of visitors come tothe GEN CON game fair, but today thetsunami of gamers that pours into theexhibition hall shocks everyone. Theweather is beautiful outside, and the

gamers have all brought their girlfriends,boyfriends, spouses, parents, children,third cousins, lawyers, and neighbors withthem. I remember running back and fortha lot to the nearly useless cash register,but not much else. I can no longer see theChain Maille Fashions booth through themob around it, but I am smart enough tovisit it before the hall opens. I am amazedat all the work that goes into making asingle chain-mail headpiece, much lesssomething complicated like a halter top,and I feel relieved that I picked a simplecareer like editing.

And my six-year-old son John shows up,all excited to help his daddy behind thesales counter but needing a drink first.And something to play with. And fivequestions answered. And another drink.And someone to clean up the drink hespills all over the chair, And five morequestions answered. And an AMAZING®Stories cap and a set of plastic vampireteeth from the White Wolf booth. Andanother drink.

Today I meet some Desert Storm vet-erans and the lady who painted BarryManilow�s jet, I listen to the noise from thejousts at Chaosium�s booth, and I notice abooth selling games that glow in ultravio-let light. I don�t have time to check out theart show, though I do walk past it once. Ialso see the booth selling the $3,000 wood-en dirigible and the $6,000 carved stump/castle. Melissa Collins and William S.Taylor of Chicago, Ill., win my personalvote for having the most elegant costumesat the convention; beautiful work!

Jeff Grubb comes by the booth to get mefor my seminar on superhero games, and Ibarely escape in time to moderate it (actu-ally, I am 10 minutes late). We have a greattime despite the news that no one is likelyto develop a licensed role-playing gamebased on Omaha the Cat Dancer or CherryPoptart.

And Margaret and Tracy pass out790,529,485,536,868 free copies of theirbooks and spread horrible rumors aboutme. But by now I am hiring mercenaries toask them embarrassing questions andmake rude comments in loud voices neartheir booth.

I fall asleep about 8:15 PM., too tired tothink or move and too full of M&Ms toconsider dinner.

Sunday: Today things go back to nor-mal, and we do a brisk, steady business atour booth frantically making change inour heads. Margaret and Tracy distributefree autographed copies of their books tothe entire population of the Milky WayGalaxy. I finally walk through the artshow, and it�s the best, especially the vam-pire stuff; way cool, as my son John says.But I never do get to see Jim Lowder�s�bad movie classics� room or sit in on anyof the 987 trillion role-playing games thatwere played (I almost forgot about them).

At the booth, we run out of T-shirts. Werun out of mugs. We run out of steam. Werun out of time. At 4 PM., we tear down the

booth in 20 minutes flat and go home tocollapse. (Some of us go out for Mexicanfood.) Everything from about 6 P.M. to thefollowing morning counts as our weekendoff.

Monday: Those of use who survivedthe convention show up for work. Thelucky ones who put in for vacation get tosleep at home. Scum.

The game fair ran us ragged, but it wasworth every second of it. My thanks toeveryone who helped make this the bestand biggest role-playing convention ever.

That is, until we hold the 1992 GEN CON25th-anniversary game fair, which will becombined with the annual ORIGINS� gamefair to dwarf all game conventions held onthe planet Earth since the dawn of time.

Start planning now. And bring your ownM&Ms.

P.S. Collectors� notes: It is becomingapparent that certain issues of DRAGONMagazine and DUNGEON® Adventures aremuch in demand but are becoming verydifficult to obtain. If you are a collector, beaware of the rarity of the following issuesin particular:

DRAGON issue #148 (August 1989)�Thiswas the issue with the cut-out deck ofmany things for the AD&D game (artworkby George Barr), which has apparently putit in hot demand. The TSR Mail OrderHobby Shop is currently sold out of thisissue. We can�t reproduce the cards asnicely as before because the original art-work was sold to various buyers, and alltransparencies of the art have been de-stroyed. We could find none of this issueto sell at our GEN CON game fair booththis year. I�ve not yet heard any prices onthese issues. Note that these cards werereproduced in black-and-white inDUNGEON issue #19, for use with themodule �House of Cards.�

DUNGEON issues #2-6 (Nov./Dec. 1986through July/Aug. 1987)�DUNGEON issue#l (Sept./Oct. 1986) was overprinted, but afew remain in stock (it sells for $10through the TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop).Issues #2-6 were not overprinted, and theyno longer exist in TSR�s inventory, becom-ing surprisingly rare. We can barely findthem in our own offices. I have no wordon their sale values to collectors.

* 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.

ORIGINS is a trademark owned by the GamesManufacturers Association.

DRAGON 7

The swirling mists of the AD&D®RAVENLOFT� campaign do not play bythe same rules as other realms. Their darksecrets force all who enter to follow thenew order or fall prey to the evils of thatplace. This is as true of the psionicist as itis of the wizard or priest. The powers thatpsionics users are so comfortable withwork differently in the demiplane ofdread.

Undead play a dark and significant rolein Ravenloft. The demiplane�s connectionsto the Negative Material plane are strongerthan those connecting the Prime Materialand Negative Material planes. Each intelli-gent undead horror from this place canput up a shield of false thoughts, indistin-guishable from the real thing even whenusing telepathy. This is a conscious func-tion, not an automatic one; the undeadcreature must consciously decide to pro-ject these thoughts. It does not hinder thefoul creature in any way to do so, so it canattack or cast spells and project falsethoughts at the same time.

Undead, as a class, are immune to anymental-control power or mind-alteringability while in Ravenloft. This includesmany of the powers in the telepathic disci-pline. Unfortunately, it does not mean thatthe walking dead cannot themselves bepsionic or have telepathic powers. A psi-onic vampire able to use the telepathicdiscipline is a horrifying opponent, indeed.

There are four cardinal rules used whendeciding how a power, spell, or magicalitem works in Ravenloft. These are used ina loose fashion and are subject to interpre-tation by the game master. They are:l Anything summoned or otherwise

transported from another plane intoRavenloft cannot go back automatically.Most outer planar creatures are awareof their new �prisoner� status immedi-ately upon entering Ravenloft. They arequite likely to then turn their dreadpowers upon the unfortunate soul thatsummoned them to this place.

l Divination spells are weaker here, fa-voring the secret ways of dark evil.Good and evil cannot be detected byspells or other powers, although lawand chaos can be detected. There is nosure-fire way to determine if a personis good or evil other than judging himfor yourself.

l Powers, spells, or magical items that arewholly evil or can be used only for evilpurposes require a Ravenloft Powerscheck each time they are used. Thisapplies to most necromantic functionsand life-energy draining powers.

l Those spells, powers, and items dealingwith the living dead or similar necro-mantic spells may actually work betterin Ravenloft. This applies to things thatcreate or assist undead, not those thathinder or suppress them.

Below is a list of all the psionic powersthat are altered by the dark powers ofRavenloft. If a power is not described

below, then it works normally in this darkplace. Psionic powers sometimes havespecial effects when a 20 is rolled or thepower score is rolled. Any changes tothese conditions are noted as well. As istrue of most of Ravenloft�s insidiouschanges, the characters are unaware oftheir new limitations until the results ofusing them make those limits painfullyobvious.

Clairsentient disciplinesThe dark, swirling mists of Ravenloft

obscure all creatures� abilities to see thetruth. For spell-casters, their divinationspells are weaker, less able to tell goodfrom evil. Nothing is quite as frighteningas the unknown. In Ravenloft, evil is al-ways assumed but never surely knownuntil it may be too late.

Aura sight: This power can neverreveal the good or evil portion of a charac-ter�s alignment. The true evil of a creatureor character is hidden in the demiplane ofdread. Using this power reveals only thelawful or chaotic part of his alignment.

Clairaudience: A white, transparentear appears wherever the psionicist istrying to listen. This ghostly ear is visibleto anyone at that location, assuming thatthey look in its direction. An unsuspectingcharacter might mistake it for a supernat-ural visitation, in which case a horrorcheck is required. This power cannot beused to listen across a domain border. Ifthe power score is rolled, then the entirehead of the psionicist floats like a disem-bodied apparition at the listening spot�definitely a cause for a horror check. Itsfeatures are distinct enough that the char-acter can be identified at a later time.

Clairvoyance: Similar to clairaudience,this power places an eye, ghostly butvisible, at the spot where the power isbeing projected. If it is mistaken for aghost or other spirit, a horror check mightbe required. The presence of the eyemakes the psionicist vulnerable to gazeattacks. For example, a vampire might be

able to charm the psionicist by meetingthe gaze of his clairvoyant eye. If thepower score is rolled, then the character�sentire head appears at the viewing point.Its features are clear enough that thecharacter can be identified later.

Danger sense: This power actuallyworks too well in Ravenloft. The darkpowers gleefully allow the character tosense all of the horrifying danger aroundhim. The tingling that warns of dangerhappens when any evil creature is eventhinking about the character, even if thecreature doesn�t pose an immediate threat.It goes off anytime the character is subjectto a Ravenloft Powers check. It goes offanytime the character crosses a domainborder or enters the mists of Ravenloft. Inother words, it goes off almost all the time.

Object reading: The good or evil partof the owner�s alignment cannot be readwith this power. When revealing the pre-vious owner�s race, remember that �un-dead� is not a race, but merely a conditionof the creature. The Tome of Strahd wouldreveal that its owner is human. The factthat he is also this land�s most deadlyvampire is not revealed. Similarly, ashroud once carried by a groaning spirit(banshee) would give off emanations onlyof being owned by an elf.

Precognition: Ravenloft clings to itssecrets, sharing them with only the chosenfew. No one can pierce the veil of thefuture here, with the notable exception ofthe vistani. In the case of this psionicpower, the most powerful vistani fortuneteller in the same domain is instantly alert-ed that someone not of his people is at-tempting to view the future. She can forcea false vision upon the character if he failshis power check. The vistani fortune tell-ers do not always exercise this option. Ifthe fortune teller does use this option, thepsionicist cannot distinguish the falsevision from a true one.

Spirit sense: Spirits have a muchstronger aura in Ravenloft, allowing themto be sensed much farther away. Thepresence of spirits anywhere within 60yards alerts the character. However, unlesshe is able to experiment with this power,the user is unaware of the expandedrange. If the power score is rolled, helearns how far away the spirit is, but notits direction. If the lord of the domain is aspirit, then the character constantly sensesa �nearby� spirit. This reflects the perva-sive influence of the lord on his domain.

Psychokinetic disciplinesMost of these powers are unaffected by

Ravenloft. Manipulating objects with themind is not directly relevant to good or evil.

Animate shadow: Beware of givinglife to anything made of darkness whenyou are in Ravenloft. On a roll of 20, theanimated shadow is imparted with a littleof the substance of the demiplane ofdread. It becomes the monster of the samename and seeks to kill the character. It willfollow him everywhere, lurking just out of

DRAGON 11

sight, waiting for a chance to pounce uponits former master. As long as the shadowlives, the character casts no shadow him-self. Any normal person that notices thiswill undoubtedly assume the worst aboutthe character.

Control body: Taking over anothercreature�s body is not in itself evil, but thepotential to abuse the power is great. Ifthe psionicist uses the controlled body forevil or unnecessarily selfish purposes, aRavenloft Powers check must be made.Controlling another creature�s body tostop it from attacking the power user or tosave the creature from imminent danger isnot considered selfish. Using the power toput a quick and painless end to an evilcreature is also safe. However, making thevictim dance on hot coals just for the funof it is quite evil. The DM must make ajudgment as to how the psionicist is usingthe controlled creature.

Psychometabolic disciplinesSome of the darkest psionic powers lurk

here. To use them in Ravenloft is to risk ahorrible fate. The dark powers of Ravenloftalways watch closely when these abilitiesare used.

Aging: Using this power is evil akin tolife draining. Anyone killed by this powerbecomes a ghost and seeks revenge uponhis murderer. Using this power requires aRavenloft Powers check.

Death field: Sucking the life from ahumanoid creature, like marrow from thebone, may allow it to return from thegrave to haunt the character. The type ofundead created is usually whatever un-dead creature most closely matches the hitdice or level of the creature killed. Regard-less of the creature�s original hit dice,there is a 20% chance that the dead beingwill walk again as a revenant. The deathfield is a direct channel to the NegativeMaterial plane. Any undead creatureinside such a field actually recovers asmany lost hit points as it was supposed tolose. Using this power requires a RavenloftPowers check for the user.

Life draining: This power allows thecharacter to imitate the draining powersinherent in the most powerful forms ofundead. How can this power be anythingbut evil? Like the death field power, crea-tures killed by life draining can becomeundead and seek revenge. Touching anundead reverses the flow of this power,causing an automatic backfire as definedby the power. Half of the psionicist�s re-maining hit points are absorbed by thecreature. Using this power requires aRavenloft Powers check.

Shadow form: If the character rolls a20, the dark side of his nature is freed andhe becomes a shadow, as per the monster,under the control of the DM for 1-4 turns.The shadow embarks upon a killing spreeand does not expend further PSP if thishappens. Using this power requires aRavenloft Powers check.

Psychoportive disciplinesNone of these powers can transport any

creature or object across the border of adomain. Ravenloft jealously guards thepower to leave a domain. As an obviouscorollary, a user cannot expel any creatureor object from the demiplane of Ravenloft,either.

Astral projection: This power doesnot work, either. Ravenloft does not allowany of its captive playthings to leave soeasily.

Banishment: The affected creature isbanished into a pocket dimension ofShadow within the planar boundaries ofRavenloft. It is an area of oppressive dark-ness that cannot be lit, even by magic. Noform of infravision can penetrate its inkyblackness. Since the pocket dimension isinside Ravenloft, all the twisted rules ofthe demiplane still apply.

Dimension walk: This power worksas stated, with one minor exception. Thedimension that is crossed is the pocketdimension of Shadow mentioned in thebanishment power above. The charactercan be attacked by other creatures thathave been banished (as per the psionicpower), but this is unlikely since theyremain there for so short a time.

Probability travel: This power justplain doesn�t work. The psionicist stillloses his 20 PSP to find that out.

Telepathic disciplinesRemember that, in Ravenloft, all self-

willed undead monsters have the insidiousability to imitate thought processes. Theycan present a false front of thoughts com-pletely independent from what they mightreally be thinking. In this way, evil hidesits true nature until it can spring upon thehapless adventurer. Unless stated other-wise, all undead are immune to any tele-pathic sciences and devotions.

Domination: Similar to the controlbody power listed previously, this powertreads a thin line between good and evil.The temptation to be cruel or for thedominated creature to perform evil acts isall but overwhelming. If the psionicist usesthis power for unnecessarily selfish,whimsical, or evil purposes, he must makea Ravenloft Powers check.

ESP: If used against self-willed undeadable to put out false surface thoughts, thispower will pick up only those falsethoughts.

Life detection: This power detects allanimated creatures, not just those that arealive. The living dead that are whollydormant are not detected. For example, aninactive zombie or a vampire sleeping inits coffin are not detected by this power.As another example, a stone golem wouldbe detected even if it was not moving.

Mass domination: The same resultsapply as for the domination power, above.

Mindwipe: This power can be used toremove the memory of a source of fear orhorror, thereby canceling the effects of afailed fear or horror check. Since the

memories are only sealed away, not de-stroyed, they can come back at a latertime if freed by the psychic surgerypower. This power does not prevent theloss of intelligence or wisdom that normal-ly results from using this power.

Probe: This power can pierce the layerof false thoughts produced by some un-dead. All undead get a bonus equal to halftheir hit dice, rounded down, when de-fending against the probe; for example, avampire (8 + 3 HD) gets a + 4 bonus whendefending against the probe. If it is suc-cessful, the undead monster�s thoughts arenot known, but the monster�s horrifyingnature is intimately revealed to the psioni-cist. This is cause for an immediate horrorcheck on the psionicist�s part. If the probefails, the undead creature can place anythoughts it wishes into the probe.

Truthear: Ravenloft protects its mostcherished creatures with a veil of secrecy.Undead monsters always appear to betelling the truth, even when it is obviousthat they are lying.

Metapsionic disciplinesMost of the powers in this discipline are

not affected when in Ravenloft.Psychic drain: There is little differ-

ence between draining a character�s lifeenergy, as vampires do, and draining hispsychic energy to the point of permanentharm. If the psionicist intentionally usesthis power to drain psychic energy tocause such damage, a Ravenloft Powerscheck must be made. Such treacherousevil is sometimes rewarded by the darkpowers.

Wrench: This power can be used onlyto pull a creature into this plane, but notto force it out of Ravenloft. The undeadlose any abilities to drain life levels if theyare wrenched completely into Ravenloft.The magical pluses required to hit thecreature are lessened by one. A creaturethat can only be hit by + 1 magical weap-on or better can now be hit by normalweapons.

ConclusionAs the budding psionicist enters

Ravenloft, he should be very afraid. Hisnewfound powers are not always whatthey seem to be. The demiplane of dreadtwists and perverts everything that touch-es it. The dark corners of the mind arefilled with danger.

The psionicist is not the only creature inthis foul place that can see into the mindsof others. Deep under the mountains ofBluetspur, the illithids� power coils andgrows. They have been brewing blacktreachery for decades in secret. VlanicKroskos touched one once with his mind.Perhaps someday the illithids will reachout and touch one of your characters.

12 OCTOBER 1991

DRAGON 13

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 3LB, United Kingdom. We are nolonger able to make personal replies;please send no SASEs with your questions(SASEs are being returned with writers�guidelines for the magazine).

This month, the sage takes a short lookat some enchanted items from the AD&D®2nd Edition game.

Can a wand of negation be used todispel spells with a duration, suchas fly or continual light, or does itwork only on effects generated fromwands, staves, and rods?

A wand of negation prevents devicesfrom generating magical effects. A wandof negation does not affect creatures orexisting magical effects, though manyreaders have gotten confused while read-ing the wands description (see theDungeon Master’s Guide, page 157) andconcluded otherwise. (The third sentenceseems to be the major stumbling block, asit easily can be misread to indicate that thewand can negate spells from any source.)Note that the wand of negation need notbe pointed directly at the item to be ne-gated; it suffices to point the wand at theindividual employing the item. The DMmust decide what constitutes a �spell-likeeffect�; magical bonuses cannot be ne-gated, nor can most other functions that

by Skip Williams

affect only the item�s user, such as neck-laces of adaptation or brooms of flying.Devices that create offensive magicaleffects such as fireballs, lightning bolts,shooting stars, polymorph other, and so oncan be negated. Devices that have chargeslose the appropriate number of charges ifone of their effects is negated.

Can a portable hole be drapedacross a character�s back to preventhim from being back-stabbed?

While a portable hole can be spread outover any surface to form its extra-dimensional space, a creature is not asurface. Creatures cannot make them-selves insubstantial�and therefore im-mune to attack�by wrapping themselvesin portable holes.

What happens to items or creaturesinside a portable hole or bag of hold-ing when a reverse time spell (fromTome of Magic, page 103) is cast?

This is up to the DM, but I strongly sug-gest that if the hole or bag is closed, thecontents should be unaffected by mostspells, as their areas of effect cannot extendinto extradimensional spaces any more thanthey can cross planar boundaries. If theitems are open (or are opened inside thearea of effect), all their contents are affectednormally. In this case, opening the itemcreates a portal through which objects,creatures, and magical effects can pass.

Can a carpet of flying be usedunderwater?

I can�t think of any overwhelming rea-son why magical flight of any kind won�twork under water, especially spells such

as levitate and fly Some DMs, however,might rule that items such as brooms offlying and carpets of flying are too bulkyor too dependent on an extraplanar con-nection to the plane of elemental Air towork while submerged. Alternately, theDM might rule that submarine movementis possible at one-half or one-third theaerial rate, due to increased resistance orother factors.

Can gauntlets of dexterity raise acharacter�s dexterity score above 18?

There�s nothing in the rules that saysscores over 18 are impossible. Some DMs,however, might want to set some maxi-mum value for a dexterity score aug-mented by these gauntlets or similaritems. In such cases, the upper limit (forthe total score) probably should be setsomewhere in the 18-20 range.

My group has been toying aroundwith the rule on page 73 of the Players Handbook that says size-S crea-tures can use only size-S weaponswith one hand. If we create smallerversions of size-M weapons, such asa hand axe made for a dwarf, whatwould its statistics be? Also, what isthe proper size class for a shortsword? The weapons table says it�ssize M, but page 96 (�Attacking withTwo Weapons�) seems to indicatethat it�s size S.

First, I suggest that you treat player-character dwarves as size-M creatures.About half of them should be more than 4�tall and qualify as size-M creatures with-out the benefit of a house rule anyway.

As this column has pointed out before,short swords are size-S weapons; the Mlisting in the weapons table (Player�s Hand-book, pages 68-69) is in error.

There really isn�t any clean, neat methodfor generating statistics for scaled-downweapons, but a good rule of thumb mightbe to subtract one point of speed factor,two or three pounds of weight, and one�step� of damage die per size categoryreduced; thus, a weapon that does 1d6 hpdamage would do 1d4 hp after downsiz-ing. Obviously, you�ll get some prettystrange results if you try to use this sug-gestion without making some common-sense adjustments on a case-by-case basis.Note that size-S creatures can use size Mweapons with two hands.

14 OCTOBER 1991

Three new RAVENLOFT� creatures that long to meet youby William W. Connors

Ravenloft. For many people, just thename of our land brings nightmares anddread. I have met heroes from otherlands�knights from the world of Krynn,wizards from the cloistered enclaves ofToril, barbarians from the windsweptplains of Athas�who shrink before thehorrors that surround us.

Ours is a world carved from darknessand the supernatural, unlike any other Ihave heard of. With each passing day, theevil that holds sway in Ravenloft seems tobecome more powerful than before. Thiswould be enough to daunt even the might-iest paladin, but I dare not give in to it. Mywork�my obsession�is too important.When my son, my sweet Erasmus, wastaken from me, I saw what must be done.

In an effort to further the oppressedcause of good in our dark land, I have setabout a project of great scope. Each andevery encounter I have with the sinisterlords of Ravenloft and their minions is tobe detailed. In an effort to aid others whowould pick up the same gauntlet that wasthrown before me, I present what infor-mation I have been able to acquire aboutthree creatures of Ravenloft: the mysteri-ous fenhound, the dreaded shadow asps ofHar�Akir, and the awesome and deadlypsionic lich.

Study this manuscript well, my friends, for the knowledge it contains my save youfrom a horrible death�or worse.

Dr. Rudolph Van Richten13 October 735

Shadow Asp

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Many Har�akir ruins and tombsFREQUENCY: Very rareORGANIZATION: SpecialACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyDIET! NilINTELLIGENCE: Animal (1)TREASURE: AALIGNMENT. Neutral

NO. APPEARING:ARMOR CLASS:MOVEMENT!HIT DICE:THAC0:NO. OF ATTACKS:DAMAGE/ATTACK:SPECIAL ATTACKS:SPECIAL DEFENSES:MAGIC RESISTANCE:SIZE:MORALE:XP VALUE:

5-30 (5d6)29½20

1d2Shadow poison, surprisePiercing attacks do half damageNilT (9”-12” long)Fearless (20)65

In all of Ravenloft, no place reveres the tombs of its dead morehighly than Har�akir. Over the centuries, crypt builders therehave sought to protect the precious bodies of their ancestorswith traps, undead guardians, and cleverly hidden and con-cealed compartments. Recently, the priests of this desert realmhave found an even more deadly warden for the tombs of theirpharaohs: shadow asps.

Shadow asps appear to be slender snakes composed of puredarkness. They seem to have no physical form, but look as if theyare nothing more than an extension of the shadows that givethem their name. Although these creatures are barely intelli-gent, they instinctively lash out at those who intrude upon thetombs they live in.

Combat: Shadow asps are very hard to spot as they slide silentlythrough the darkness of a tomb or temple. They make no sound,are utterly black, and thus often surprise their victims whenthey strike. To reflect this, shadow asps impose a -5 penalty ontheir victims� surprise rolls. It is important to note that shadowasps do not radiate body heat and are thus well hidden from allinfravision.

l

In combat, a shadow asp strikes with its needlelike fangs, justas normal asps do. Although the bite inflicts only minor injuries(1-2 points of damage), it injects an insidious toxin. Those whoare bitten must save vs. poison. Failure to save indicates that thevictim has been injected with the essence of darkness and gradu-ally begins to become a shadow. This transformation takes fiverounds, during which time the character gradually grows dark-er and darker. At the end of the fifth round, the character mustmake a system-shock roll. Failure indicates that the victim (in theprocess of becoming the shadow) breaks up and is lost, with nochance of resurrection; success means that the victim has be-come a shadow. Shadows created by this process are bound tothe area guarded by the shadow asps and join them as wardensof that place. At any time during the transformation, but not af-terwards, a remove curse or dispel magic spell can be cast on thevictim to halt the change.

Those who strike at a shadow asp with weapons will find itdifficult to harm. Although it can be harmed by any normalweapons, the snake�s agility makes it very hard to hit (hence itslow armor class); a hold monster spell used to immobilize onewould make it AC 8. Although bludgeoning and slashing weap-ons inflict full damage to shadow asps, piercing attacks (such asfrom arrows, spears, pikes, etc.) do only half damage. Any single

shadow asp can be instantly slain by the casting of a light or con-tinual light spell that has been directly targeted on the creature(no saving throw is allowed them). Illuminating spells used to de-stroy shadow asps provide no additional light for vision, beingcancelled out at once. Shadow asps are not undead and cannotbe turned by priests or harmed by holy symbols or water. Theyare summoned creatures and can be held back by spells like pro-tection from evil.

Habitat/Society: Shadow asps are magical creatures summon-ed from the plane of Shadow by the priests of certain gods wor-shiped in Har�akir (Osiris, Set, or Nephythys). The ceremony bywhich these creatures are called into existence is a tightly guard-ed secret. Shadow asps are very territorial when summoned intothe Prime Material plane. They slither about the area surround-ing the place where they were summoned and maintain a con-stant vigil against the intrusions of potential grave robbers ordefilers. It is not uncommon for priests to place them in confinedareas as traps. Thus, a hidden catch might cause the hollow baseof a statue to fall open, releasing dozens of trapped shadow asps,or a trap door might drop trespassers into a pit with a number ofthese serpents slithering at its bottom.

Because they turn their victims into shadows, there is a 40%chance of finding 1d6 shadows (q.v.) with any group of shadowasps.

Ecology: Shadow asps are not a part of the physical world. Be-cause of their extradimensional origins, they play no part in thegrand scheme of nature.

DRAGON 17

Fenhound

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

Any Ravenloft wetlandsVery rarePackNight of a full moonCarnivoreAnimal (1)NilChaotic good

NO. APPEARING:ARMOR CLASS:MOVEMENT!HIT DICE:THAC0:NO. OF ATTACKS:DAMAGE/ATTACK:SPECIAL ATTACKS:SPECIAL DEFENSES:

MAGIC RESISTANCE:SIZE:MORALE:XP VALUE:

2-8 (2d4)415515 11-10Baying+2 or better weapon to hit,special spell immunity65%L (8� long)Fearless (20)2,000

Misty moors and steaming peat bogs have always been placesthat men feared to tread at night. Obviously, such places can betreacherous and deadly. But in quiet whispers, some who livenear these macabre wetlands also tell tales of the dreadedfenhounds.

A fenhound appears only in the grim, veiled light of a fullmoon. It looks much like a large mastiff, being muscular of buildand covered in short, coarse brown fur. Although a fenhound�sphysical form is not unusual, the aura that surrounds it is. Be-cause fenhounds are able to tap into the ambient supernaturalpower that accompanies the full moon, each is suffused with aneerie, pale yellow light.

Like most breeds of canine, fenhounds cannot speak. Becauseof their nature as pack hunters, they are able to communicatebasic concepts between themselves with barks, yips, and growls.

Combat: Fenhounds are able to sense and flawlessly track thosewho have been forced to make a Ravenloft Powers check whileon the moors near the fenhounds� home. The first sign that vic-tims have of the fenhounds� approach is the sound of their bay-ing. Although this howl has a chilling effect on all who hear it,most people suffer no ill effects from it. However, the person be-ing tracked by the hounds must make a fear check the first timehe hears their baying.

When fenhounds reach their victim, they charge directly intomelee combat. Each round they are able to attack with theirpowerful jaws for 1-10 points of damage. Although they will doall that they can to reach the object of their hunt, those who tryto block their way to protect their chosen victim are quickly at-tacked as well.

The aura of moonlight that surrounds a fenhound gives it spe-cial protection against attacks. This is reflected both in the crea-ture�s innate magic resistance and the fact that it cannot beharmed by weapons of less than +2 magical enchantment. Fur-ther, no spell from the priestly sun sphere can harm or hinderfenhounds. Spells employed by any priest who worships a god ofthe moon, moors, revenge, or a similar aspect will also not harmthe fenhound.

If slain in combat, the body of the fenhound breaks up into acloud of shimmering vapor that quickly fades away. The persondelivering the death blow to the creature becomes marked, how-ever, and will find himself hunted by a pack of fenhounds eachtime there is a full moon. Only an atonement or similar spell can

18 OCTOBER 1991

lift this curse from the character. If a character slays all of thehounds stalking him, he is free from their curse until the nextfull moon, when another pack of hounds will be released fromthe moors to hunt him anew.

Habitat/Society: Fenhounds are not creatures of the PrimeMaterial plane. Rather, they seem to be some manifestation ofthe mists of Ravenloft itself. Their curious role as avenging spir-its in this land of evil has puzzled many sages and experts on theoccult. It may well be that there is some darker purpose to theirexistence that none have yet guessed.

Fenhounds are not creatures of evil disposition, despite theirfrightening countenance. Rather, they act against those whohave done evil on. the moors, swamps, and bogs of Ravenloft.Any person who is forced to make a Ravenloft Powers check(success or failure not withstanding) while in a region inhabitedby fenhounds will instantly draw their attention. When the nextfull moon occurs, two or more hounds will appear from theswirling mists on the wetlands to hunt down and destroy thefiends who have earned their wrath. Once the creatures arriveon the Prime Material plane, they will remain until dawn or untilthey or their victims have been slain.

Ecology: Fenhounds seem to serve a role as guardians of thedarkest moors and bogs. Because the mists of Ravenloft bothpunish and reward those who do evil, it is impossible to guess attheir ultimate purpose in creating fenhounds. Whatever elsethey might do, these beasts serve to torment those evil individ-uals who have not yet been condemned to the eternal torturesaccorded to the lords of Ravenloft�s various domains.

Lich, Psionic

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

NO. APPEARING:ARMOR CLASS:MOVEMENT:HIT DICE:THAC0:NO. OF ATTACKS:DAMAGE/ATTACK:SPECIAL ATTACKS:

SPECIAL DEFENSES:

MAGIC RESISTANCE:SIZE:MORALE:XP VALUE:

Any landVery rareSolitaryNightPsionic energySupra-genius (19-20)AAny evil

1069+181111d8+2Psionics, mind struck power,psionics-draining touchPsionics, spell immunities,struck only by +l or betterweapons, phylacteryNilM (6� tall)Fanatic (17-18)16,000

PSIONICS SUMMARYLevel Dis/Sci/Dev Att/Def Score PSPs

20 6/10/25 all/all 18 82

Clairsentience�Sciences: aura sight, object reading; Devo-tions: spirit sense.

Psychokinesis�Sciences: none; Devotions: animate shadow.Psychometabolism�Sciences: death field, life draining,

shadow-form; Devotions: aging, cause decay, displacement,ectoplasmic form.

Psychoportation�Sciences: teleport; Devotions: astral projec-tion (if not in Ravenloft), dimensional door, dream travel.

Telepathy�Sciences: domination, mindwipe, psychic crush,tower of iron will; Devotions: contact, ego whip, ESP, id insin-uation, inflict pain, intellect fortress, mental barrier, mindbar, mind blank, mind thrust, psionic blast, thought shield.

Metapsionics�Sciences: empower; Devotions: psionic sense,psychic drain, receptacle, wrench.

These powers are common to most psionic liches. It is not unu-sual, however, for individuals to have powers different fromthose given here. For more information on how psionics work inthe RAVENLOFT� setting, see the article, �Are You Having BadThoughts?� in this issue.

There are few who would dare to argue that the power of a mas-ter psionicist is any less than that of an archmage. Indeed, proofof this can be found in the fact that the most powerful psionicistsare actually able to extend their lives beyond the spans grantedthem by nature, just as powerful wizards are known to do.

Psionic liches look much like their magical counterparts. Theirflesh has mummified with the passing of time, pulling it tight overtheir bones and giving them a gaunt, skeletal appearance. Theireye sockets are empty and burn with crimson pinpoints of lightlike smoldering embers. Often, a psionic lich will be found in theclothes it favored in life. Because this can be anything from thegrand robes of nobility to the plate armor of a mighty knight, it isimpossible to spot these creatures by their garb. (Metallic armor, ifworn, will lower the lich�s psionic power score, as per The Com-plete Psionics Handbook, page 16; small shields will not do so.)

Psionic liches retain the abilities that they learned in life: lan-guages, proficiencies, thieving skills, etc. Further, a psionic lich

who was human may actually have been a dual-class character inlife, and thus be able to employ psionic powers plus magical orclerical spells. Creatures with such abilities are rare, thankfully,but are truly terrible opponents.

Combat: Psionic liches seldom engage their foes personally, asthey surround themselves with legions of minions who do theirbidding for them. Many adventurers, who are actually battlingthe proxies of a psionic lich, never learn the true nature of theirenemy. When forced to engage in direct combat, however, psi-onic liches are among the most deadly opponents that any bandof heroes is ever likely to face.

The emanations of power that shroud a psionic lich are detectableeven by those without psychic powers of their own. Those whocome within 50 yards of such creatures will be affected by this aura,requiring them to save vs. spells or become mind struck. Such char-acters make all attack, not to-hit and damage rolls at a -2 penaltyand must double the casting time of any spells they attempt to em-ploy (which allows saving throws for victims at +2). The effects ofthis aura can be countered by any magical spell or psionic powerthat would diminish or remove fear or inspire bravery,

The most deadly physical attack of a psionic lich is its dreadedtouch. If the lich is able to deliver a blow in combat, the malignaura of psionic power that encircles it rips at the opponent�s lifeforce, causing 1d8 +2 points of damage. In addition, psioniccharacters will find their psionic strength points drawn away bythe lich. Each physical blow will strip the victim of a number ofPSPs equal to twice the number of points of damage that theblow inflicted. This loss is not permanent, and the PSPs can beregained through normal means.

Just as normal liches have spent decades or even centuries inthe research of new and unique magical powers, so too do theundead masters of the mind have powers undreamed of by mor-tal men. It is not at all uncommon for adventurers who comeacross these dreaded creatures to be confronted with psionicpowers that have never been documented elsewhere and that

DRAGON 19

Lich, Psionic

mortals are completely unprepared to face. (These new powerswill conform to the general standards established in The Com-plete Psionics Handbook for function, damage, area of effect,range, etc., but may differ greatly from standard powers interms of the effects that they cause. Insight into the creation ofnew psionic powers can be gleaned from the section on spell re-search in the Dungeon Master’s Guide. Further information canbe gained from the article, �Are You Having Bad Thoughts?� inthis magazine.) Further, liches are able to employ magical itemsjust as they did in life and may have quite a formidable collectionof enchanted trinkets to use against adventurers.

It is important to note that psionic liches differ from the tradi-tional ranks of the undead. Because the force sustaining them ismental and not mystical, they are far more resistant to spells,spell-like powers, or psionic sciences and devotions involvingcharm, fear, or the like. Treat them as having the equivalent of a25 wisdom for purposes of determining what spells they are re-sistant to (see the Player’s Handbook, page 17, Table 5). Spells likesleep or finger of death, which base their effects upon a biologi-cal function in the spell recipient, also do not affect psionicliches; again, psionic powers similar to these spells are also inef-fective (e.g., life detection).

Psionic liches can be turned by priests, paladins, and similarcharacters, but since they are not magical in nature, they aremore resistant to this power than are other undead. Thus, theyare turned on the �special� row of the Turning Undead table. Psi-onic liches are immune to harm from normal weapons but canbe struck by weapons of +l or better power. Spells or otherpowers based upon cold have no effect upon them. Other spellsinflict normal damage on the lich. Psionic liches can be attackedin normal psionic combat, except as noted before.

In order to protect itself from destruction, a psionic lich employsa special form of phylactery (see �Ecology�) that houses its lifeforce. Although a lich may be defeated in combat, it cannot be tru-ly destroyed unless its phylactery can be found and obliterated. Asmost liches will take great care to protect these vital objects fromthe prying hands of heroes, this can be quite a challenge.

Habitat/Society: Psionic liches are powerful espers who haveleft behind the physical demands of life in pursuit of ultimatemental powers. They have little interest in the affairs of the liv-ing, except as they relate to the lich�s search for psychic masteryand knowledge. Those who encounter the lich usually do sowhen the creature feels that it must leave its self-imposed isola-tion for a time.

Psionic liches often hide themselves away in some place that�feels� safe to them. Since most of them can sense the auras andemanations of the world around them quite keenly, their judg-ment is usually sound. For the most part, however, these crea-tures will reside in places associated with death or learning. Ifthe two can be combined in some way, all the better. For exam-ple, an ideal lair for a psionic lich might be the great library ofcastle that was buried in a volcanic eruption long ago. Not onlydoes the location bear the taste of death about it, for everyone inthe castle was slain by the disaster, but it also has a solid founda-tion of knowledge for the lich to pursue research into the secretsof the mind.

When it comes out into the world, a psionic lich generally as-sembles a great network of minions. Curiously, these followersare seldom undead themselves. More often than not, they areyoung espers who seek to learn from an obvious master. Whatthey often do not understand is that their leader has little inter-est in them apart from their role in any immediate plans. Oncethe master�s goal has been accomplished, be it the retrieval ofsome ancient tome on psionic powers or the testing of a new psi-onic defense mode, the followers will be cast aside withoutthought. Those who do not simply leave when the lich demands

20 OCTOBER 1991

it will probably find themselves mercilessly slain.The first psionic lich encountered in Ravenloft was reported

on the fringes of Bluetspur, the dreaded domain of the mind flay-ers, in the land of Kartakass. There is some evidence that thecreature was challenged and destroyed by Harkon Lukas, themaster of that domain. Many scholars agree, however, that itseems probable that the lich escaped and survives to this day.Additional sightings of these horrible creatures leads one to be-lieve that at least three more psionic liches have come into exist-ence at various points in Ravenloft.

Ecology: Being undead, psionic liches have no place in the natu-ral world as we know it. Although the power that transformedthem is natural (not supernatural, like magic), the extent towhich psionic liches have pursued their goals is not natural. Bytwisting the powers of their minds to extend their existence be-yond the bounds of mortal life, psionic liches become exiles. Castout from the land of the living, these creatures sometimes lamentthe foolishness that led them down the dark path of the undead.

By far the most important aspect of the existence of the psioniclich is the creation of its phylactery. To understand this mysticaldevice, it is important to understand the process by which apsionicist becomes a lich. Before a psionicist can cross over intothe darkness that is undeath, he must attain at least 18th level. Inaddition, he must be possessed of a great array of powers thatcan be bent and focused in ways new to the character.

The first step in the creation of a phylactery is the crafting ofthe physical object that will become the creature�s spiritual rest-ing place. Phylacteries come in all shapes, from rings to crownsand from swords to idols. They are made from only the finestmaterials and must be fashioned by master craftsmen. Generally,a phylactery is fashioned in a shape that reflects the personalityof the psionicist. The cost of creating a phylactery is 5,000 gp perlevel of the character. Thus, a 20th-level psionicist must spend100,000 gp on his artifact.

Once the phylactery is fashioned, it must be readied to receivethe psionicist�s life force. This is generally done by means of themetapsionic empower ability, with some subtle changes in theway that the psionicist uses the power that alters its outcome. Inorder to complete a phylactery, the psionicist must empower itwith each and every psionic ability that he possesses. Althoughan object cannot normally be empowered with psychic abilitiesin more than one discipline, the unusual nature of the phylacteryallows this rule to be broken. However, before �opening� a newdiscipline within the object, the would-be lich must transfer all ofhis powers from the first discipline into it. For example, if a char-acter has telepathic and metapsionic abilities, he must completethe empowering of all of his telepathic powers before he beginsto infuse the object with his metapsionic ones. Once a disciplineis �closed,� it cannot be reopened.

During the creation of the phylactery, the psionicist is very vul-nerable to attack. Each time that he gives his phylactery a newpower, he loses it himself. Thus, the process strips away thepowers of the psionicist as it continues. Obviously, the last powerthat is transferred into the phylactery is the empower ability.The effort of placing this ability within the phylactery drains thelast essences of the psionicist�s life from him and completes histransformation into a psionic lich. At the moment that the trans-formation takes place, the character must make a system-shocksurvival roll. Failure indicates that his willpower was not strongenough to survive the trauma of become undead; his spiritbreaks up and dissipates, making him forever dead. Only thepowers of a deity are strong enough to revive a character whohas died in this way; even a wish will not suffice.

Three magical wolves to haunt your heroesby Tim Malto

Are your player characters getting a bitbored by the same old wilderness encount-ers? Do you need a new monster to prowlthe back roads and remote villages of yourcampaign? Then try throwing your PCs tothe wolves!

For the creation of the dread wolf,credit must be given to Richard A. Knaak�snovel, The Legend of Huma, from theDRAGONLANCE® Heroes trilogy, volume 1(Lake Geneva: TSR, Inc., 1988).

Artwork by Terry Pavlet Dread wolf

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: AnyFREQUENCY: Very rareORGANIZATION: Pack or specialACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyDIET: NoneINTELLIGENCE: AverageTREASURE: NilALIGNMENT: Neutral evilNO. APPEARING: 3d4ARMOR CLASS: 6MOVEMENT 18HIT DICE: 4 +4THAC0: 15NO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 1d10SPECIAL ATTACKS: Cause diseaseSPECIAL DEFENSES: Regeneration, immu-

nities and resistances to certain spellsMAGIC RESISTANCE: NilSIZE: Small (2’-4’)MORALE: Fanatic (17)XP VALUE: 650

These creatures were originally createdby a renegade mage, Galen Dracos ofKrynn. But word of how to create thesehorrid creatures seems to have spreadacross the various Prime Material planes.These awful undead beasts can be theeyes and ears of any mage powerfulenough to create them.

Combat: A dread wolf fights like anyother wolf, biting and tearing with itsfangs. But if a group of dread wolves iswithin its 50-mile control limit (see �Ecol-ogy�), it will fight under the direction ofthe controlling mage. If a group is outsidethis limit, the wolves will fight using nor-mal pack tactics.

DRAGON 23

Dread wolves cause a nasty rottingdisease that can infect a bitten opponent ifthe victim fails a save vs. poison one hourafter the fight; failure means the loss of 1hp per hour until death. Treatment withinthe first hour after combat by someonewith the herbalist nonweapon proficiencyadds +2 to the saving throw. A cure dis-ease spell stops the disease.

During combat, a dread wolf has somereal advantages. It regenerates like a troll,regaining 3 hp per round after the firstcombat round. Only acid, fire, or totaldismemberment will do permanent dam-age to it. It is immune to charm, hold, andcold-based spells. Electrically based spellsdo only half damage.

Total dismemberment occurs when thecreature�s negative hit-point total is equalto or greater than its full positive hit-pointtotal. However, the creature will fight untilit reaches - 10 hp. It will then go downuntil it regenerates back up to at least zerohit points.

Habitat/Society: As undead creatures,dread wolves have no society. The dreadwolves reach a state of rotten decay soonafter they are made. Their fur falls out,and they stink so badly that they can besmelled 120� downwind.

A mage can have no more than onegroup of wolves (see �Ecology�) under hiscontrol at a time. The mage cannot giveover control of his dread wolves to anyoneelse. To try either action causes the cessa-tion of the spells animating the dreadwolves and leads immediately to theirpermanent destruction.

Dread wolves have no interest in trea-sure, but the controlling mage can orderthem to find and bring back anything oneof them can carry away in its mouth.

Ecology: As magically animated un-dead, dread wolves have no natural placein a worlds ecosystem.

To create these servants, a mage must beevil and at least ninth level, and must have3-12 wolves that have been dead for nomore than a day. The spell-caster thenbegins a long incantation over the deadwolves that combines modified versions ofanimate dead, summon shadow, and dis-missal. By doing this, the mage summons ashadow from the Negative Material planeand breaks it into parts. These parts areinfused into the wolves as they animate,creating the dread wolves.

The spell-casting takes an hour. If thespell is interrupted, the energies of theshadow�s separate parts are unleashed.

When this happens, the mage takes 3d10points of physical damage (no save) fromthe otherworldly energy blast, just as if hehad been caught in an ice storm spell.

At the end of the hour, the mage willhave 3-12 servants that can travel up to 50miles away and enable him to see and heareverything they see and hear. The wolvesare directly under the control of themage�s mind within this distance.

The wolves can venture outside the 50-mile limit, but they lose contact with thecontrolling mage. Unless previous com-mands prevent this, the wolves will imme-diately try to get back within the 50-milelimit to regain contact. The dread wolvescan be given a command of up to threeshort sentences (a total of 30 words),which they will cover any distance tofulfill. This command will always be ful-filled unless the dread wolves are de-stroyed first.

For some unknown reason, the spell thatmakes dread wolves will not work ondogs. If the mage tries to cast the spell ondogs, he will take 3d10 points of damageas described earlier.

Vampiric wolf

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: AnyFREQUENCY: Very rareORGANIZATION: PackACTIVITY CYCLE: NightDIET: Carnivore (blood)INTELLIGENCE: LowTREASURE: NilALIGNMENT: Any evil (as per creator)NO. APPEARING: 3d6ARMOR CLASS: 2MOVEMENT: 24HIT DICE: 6 +4THAC0: 13NO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACKS: 3d4SPECIAL ATTACKS: Cause falling, grasping

bite, high initiativeSPECIAL DEFENSES: Vampiric regenera-

tion, immunities to certain spells andweapons

MAGIC RESISTANCE: NilSIZE: Small (2’-3½’)MORALE: Elite (13)XP VALUE: 2,000

These foul undead creatures are theresult of corrupting ceremonies used onnormal wolf pups by certain evil clerics.Vampiric wolves are uniformly black, withferal, glowing orange eyes.

Combat: When vampiric wolves hunt,they follow normal pack tactics at first.They dash in small groups and attempt tohamstring their victim by attacking itslegs. They do this until their victim isunable to escape. In game terms, a biteattack will cause a running or standingvictim to fall if the victim fails a savingthrow vs. paralysis.

Once their prey is down, the wolves donot kill their victim outright. Instead, they

24 OCTOBER 1991

continue to attack in small groups until thevictim can no longer resist effectively. Ifthe victim is a human or demihuman, theattacks shift to his arms so that he can nolonger use a weapon; this involves a called-shot attack in which a vampiric wolf has a-4 penalty to hit; success means the wolf

has grasped an arm in its mouth, and thevictim cannot get free unless he makes astrength roll on 4d6 (one attempt perround). A victim�s legs may be similargrasped. Once a grasping bite is made,damage may be continually done eachround as the wolf gnaws on the limb.

Once the victim is helpless, the vampiricwolves close in and drink the spilledblood, an act that takes as long as thevictim lives while being held, plus 2-5rounds. This renews the vampiric wolves�life force and also causes their eyes toglow a deep red for the next 12 hours.

Since they share some of the nature ofvampires, these wolves can be tough oppo-nents. Like vampires, they are quitestrong, hence the higher damage fromtheir bite. Also like vampires, they areextremely agile, giving them an bonus of+2 to their initiative rolls. They are moreintelligent than normal wolves, causingtheir opponents to underestimate what thewolves will do next.

Vampiric wolves share some of the magi-cal characteristics of vampires. They areimmune to sleep, charm, hold, andparalysis-based spells. Only silver weapons

or magical weapons of + 1 value or bettercan do actual damage in melee. They alsoregenerate in a special fashion, instantlygaining the same number of hit pointsthey inflict as damage on an opponent.

Unlike a vampire, these wolves cannotcharm their victims. Also unlike a vam-pire, they take full damage from cold-based attacks, as well as from fiery orelectrically based attacks. They can moveabout in daylight, though they normallychoose not to do so. When attacking indaylight, they have a -2 penalty to hit.

Habitat/Society: Vampiric wolves re-gard the cleric who created them as theirpack leader. They will accept no other aspack leader except their own strongestmember. Any other person who tries tocommand them will be attacked.

As pack leader, the cleric who createsthe vampiric wolves has complete controlover them. He is able to understand themoods and body language of his pack. Inturn, the pack can understand simplecommands of up to four words. Thewolves will obey these commands, evenwhen left on their own for three or fourmonths at a time.

But, as pack leader, the cleric also facessome danger. Wolves do not accept weak-ness in their leader. Should the cleric showany sign of physical weakness or unfitnessto command the packs respect (at theDM�s determination), the pack will turn onhim. It is definitely not a good idea to be

sick, seriously wounded, or mentally slowin front of these wolves!

Should the wolves successfully turn onand kill the cleric who was their leader,they will run free. They will avoid contactwith humans or demihumans unless thelatter are hunting the vampiric wolves.These wolves are even more dangerous inthis situation because they are familiarwith civilized customs.

Vampiric wolves have no interest intreasure. However, the cleric that is thepack leader will often use them as guardsfor an entrance to his lair. It is a betterthan even chance that there is a concealedentrance nearby if the wolves are foundnear what appears to be a wolf den.

Ecology: Being undead, these creatureshave no place in the natural order. Theydestroy things and give back nothing.

In order to create these foul corruptionsof nature, a cleric must be evil and at leastninth level. He can use 3-18 pups from oneor more wolf dens. The pups must be veryclose to being weaned away from theirmother, but cannot have tasted meat orthey will be useless.

The evil cleric first performs a ceremo-ny using what amounts to the opposite ofan atonement spell. Then, every day hemust hand feed the pups. The food can beno more than one day old; it must also beinfused with one or two drops of bloodfrom a living human or dust from a vam-pire and cursed using a reversed blessspell. This must continue every day forthree months or the pups die. At the endof the three-month period, the pups arefully grown and must then be slain bypoisoning; they then arise as vampiricwolves. If they are not slain at this time,the wolves must each make a saving throwvs. death magic or become greatly weak-ened (1 hp per hit die), living on as blood-thirsty but otherwise normal wolves.

It should be noted that it is impossible tocreate vampiric dogs. Man�s long partner-ship with dogs seems to have robbed themof some essential characteristic needed tomake the change work.

Stone wolf

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: AnyFREQUENCY: Very rareORGANIZATION: SpecialACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyDIET: NoneINTELLIGENCE: AnimalTREASURE: Nil (see below)ALIGNMENT: NeutralNO. APPEARING: 1d4ARMOR CLASS: 0MOVEMENT: 9HIT DICE: 5 + 4THAC0: 15NO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2d4SPECIAL ATTACKS: Initiative bonus,

pounceSPECIAL DEFENSES: Immunities and re-

26 OCTOBER 1991

sistances to certain spells and weaponsMAGIC RESISTANCE: NilSIZE: M (5’-6’)MORALE: Fearless (20)XP VALUE: 1,400

As these creatures are animated stone,their appearances can vary widely along awolf theme. The only similarity betweenall stone wolves is the use of white-hot fireopals as their eyes.

Combat: Melee with stone wolves canbe tricky. The change from motionlessstatue to moving creature is almost unno-ticeable, giving them a +4 initiative bonusin the first round of combat. On a natural20 attack roll, the wolf has made a suc-cessful leap and pounce. This means that ithas pinned its opponent underneath it andcaused an extra 1d6 points of crushingdamage. A successful bend bars/lift gatesroll is needed to escape (one roll per fiverounds is allowed). All dexterity and shieldbonuses are canceled for the period oftime the victim is trapped, and the stonewolf gets a +4 attack bonus.

Missile fire, even at point-blank range,does only one point of damage per arrow,stone, or bolt to a stone wolf. Edged weap-ons do only half damage. Blunt, smashingweapons do full damage. Magical weaponsalways get their full bonuses.

Stone wolves have one particular weak-ness: their eyes. If a character uses the

called-shot optional rules from The Com-plete Fighter’s Handbook, page 65, he cango for a stone wolfs eyes. Should the char-acter succeed, he may roll a second 1d20On a roll of 1 or 2, the character has suc-ceeded in smashing both fire-opal eyes,immediately destroying the wolf. Otherwisehe has destroyed one eye, giving the wolf a-4 penalty to attack on its blind side.

Stone wolves are immune to sleep, hold,charm, and all cold- or paralysis-based spells.They take half or no damage from fiery orelectrically based spells, depending onwhether or not they save vs. spells. A stoneto flesh spell makes the wolves vulnerable toall weapons and gives them AC 10 if they faila save vs. spells. A transmute rock to mud ordisintegrate spell will destroy a stone wolfinstantly if it fails a save vs. spells. An earth-quake spell will cause 6d8 points of damage(half damage if a save vs. spell is made). Amove earth spell will turn one stone wolfinto a statue permanently if the creaturefails a save vs. spells (since the creature isanimated, it gets a saving throw). A wall ofstone spell will disperse the creature�s massinto the newly created wall if the stone wolffails a save vs. spells. If it makes its savingthrow, there is a 50% chance that the crea-ture is on the same side of the new wall asthe caster. A magic missile spell does normaldamage.

Habitat/Society: As animated crea-tures, stone wolves have no true society

other than their relationship with themage who created them. The mage cancall the wolves to him at any time. Theywill find him immediately, even thoughthey cannot track by smell. They can trackby sight or hearing if necessary.

Since stone wolves are created beings,they have no treasure of their own. How-ever, since they are often set to guardobjects that mages value, it is reasonableto assume that there is something worth-while nearby.

Ecology: As artificial creatures, stonewolves are not part of the natural order.These creatures are created by a mage ofthe ninth level or higher using a speciallymodified stone shape spell followed thenext day by a specially modified animatedead spell. The recipients of these twospells are up to four large lumps of puri-fied clay. Embedded within each clay lumpmust be the skull of a wolf and two 1,000gp fire opals that will serve as the glowingeyes once the wolf shape is formed. Dur-ing the one-day period between the forma-tion of the wolf shape and the casting ofthe animate dead spell variant, the magemay cast no other spells of any kind.

After the second spell is cast, the magewill have up to four guardians that he canset to guard any item or room he chooses.Stone wolves never sleep. They stand asstill as statues until a stranger gets close tothe item or enters the room.

DRAGON 27

LettersContinued from page 5

Dragon, red, 134Dragons (2nd Edition), 146Dryad, 87Ettin, 92Eye of the deep, 93Flind (“The sociology of...”; with gnoll notes), 173Galeb duhr, 172Gas spore, 120Gelatinous cube (a.k.a. athcoid), 124Gibbering mouther, 160Gorgon (with gorgimera notes), 97Greenhag, 125Griffon, 161Gulguthra (a.k.a. otyugh and neo-otyugh), 96Harpy, 115Hook horror 131Iron cobra (“The mechanics of...”), 164Ixitxachitl, 85Kappa, 151Kech, 142Korred, 119Leech, giant, 123Leucrotta, 91Maedar (with medusa notes), 106Manticore, 153Mimic, 75Mind flayer (a.k.a. illithid; with githyanki notes;

see also issue 150), 78Minotaur, 116Ochre jelly, 104Pernicon, 108Peryton, 82Piercer, 72Plants, carnivorous, 137

Remorhaz, 114Rot grub, 122Rust monster, 88Satyr, 155Sea lion, 107Shade, 126Slithering tracker, 86Spectator, 139Stirge, 83Su monster, 167Trapper, 84Treant, 79Umber hulk, 152Unicorn, 77Wemic, 157Will-o-wisp (with boggart notes), 99Yuan-ti, 151Yeti, 127

DRAGON Magazine has published furtherdetails on numerous other “official” beings andmonsters in non-“Ecology” articles (evenexcluding the “Dragon’s Bestiary” column). Inparticular, note the following creatures andtheir issue references (and be aware that earlierarticles on other critters exist):

Aarakocra, 124Apes, 95Centaurs, 103, 105Dinosaurs, 112Dogs, 102, 103Dragons, 98, 110, 134, 146, 158, 170Driders, 129Dwarves, gully 102Elves, aquatic 116Elves, wild tgrugach), 155Faeries, 155

Gnomes, Krynnish, 103Golems, 136Horses, 92Humanoids, 141Kender; 101Mind flayers, 150Scorpions, 120Snakes, 115, 121 (“Forum”)Spiders, 67Svirfneblin, 131Undead, 126, 138, 150, 162Wang-liang, 151

We also have “The Ecology of the Dakon” inthe hopper, along with a general article onelephants, but that’s all.

The purpose of the “Ecology” articles is tooffer in-depth information on particular mon-sters that, first of all, makes entertaining read-ing. It helps if the author can carry off a bit offiction in which to frame the monster, showcas-ing its particular talents. We prefer action-oriented stories over “lecture notes” wheneverpossible, though some tales of lectures givenhave been quite fun to read.

We also like to see authors bring these mon-sters and races to life in their campaigns, addingnew information to make them much moreinteresting to use in gaming scenarios. If aDungeon Master reads over an “Ecology” articleon the minotaur and enjoys it enough to createan AD&D scenario involving minotaurs, usingthe supplementary information in the article,then we consider the article to have been aparticular success. New information added byan author should be carefully considered andwell detailed, without greatly changing theoriginal monster in any way The “Ecology”piece on minotaurs would have been rejected ifit had stated that all minotaurs were experi-enced psionics users, for instance, but it didfurther detail the minotaur’s sensory and track-ing abilities, present a reasonable minotaursocial structure, and add combat notes forminotaurs that kick or punch.

We have been asked many times to name the monsters we most want to see described in“Ecology” articles. Rather than do that, werecommend that potential authors look throughthe various volumes of the AD&D 2nd EditionMonstrous Compendium and select those mon-sters in which they are most interested. Thereare many monsters left to detail, particularlyfrom the FORGOTTEN REALMS®, WORLD OFGREYHAWK®, DRAGONLANCE®, DARK SUN™,SPELLJAMMER™, RAVENLOFT™, and Kara-Ttrrcampaign settings. New monsters also appear inAD&D modules and in supplements such as theComplete Psionics Handbook. After checkingwith the editors to make sure that we might beinterested in an “Ecology” article on a particularmonster, the road is generally clear to write upthe beast, though the editors must still decide ifthey will accept the final article.

We are open to “Ecology” articles for the D&Dgame as well, particularly if the monsters cov-ered are not duplicated from the AD&D game.This rich field is so far untouched.

And a final warning: Don’t write up “TheEcology of the Giant Space Hamster.” That one isanticipated for possible use next April.

28 OCTOBER 1991

I�d never thought I�d grow nostalgic oversome of my old comic books so soon.Believe it or not, I miss the �old days� ofMarvel Comics when I was growing up. Imiss the strange, convoluted adjectives;everything was uncanny, stellar, stupen-dous, or gregarious. I miss the subtitlesthe villains and heroes used to accentuatetheir identities; wasn�t it terrifying to faceoff against Krakoa, the Island That WalkedLike a Man? Anyone remember whenKang was �the Conqueror� and not justone of a tribunal of beings in time-travelgear? And I miss Medusa being �the mostfabulous super-powered glamazon in thehistory of comicdom!�

The times have changed, and we�ve allchanged with them. Marvel Comics andthe MARVEL SUPER HEROES� role-playing game are still lots of fun, butsomething is different. The villains areharsher, the heroes less confident of theirmorality, and many mysteries have beenuncovered. One of the great mysteries waswhat Captain America�s shield was madeof, and I enjoyed it when we didn�t knowwho the Hobgoblin was. (We still haven�tseen the face of Dr. Doom, and they ha-ven�t named the Nameless Ones yet.)

In honor of days gone by, �TheMARVEL®-Phile� begins a short trip downmemory lane, knee-deep in nostalgia (themenace that lurks beneath the dust). Thismonth we present Equinox, the Thermo-dynamic Man! (Doesn�t that name strikedeadly fear into your heart?) His onlyappearances were in Marvel Team-Upissues #23, #59, and #60, the last pub-lished in 1977. Even without hundreds ofappearances, he�s a wonderful villain withlots of potential, so blow the dust off himand put him into the game. Only yourplayers� heroes will regret it.

Lesser lights, part 1: A villain for all seasons

EQUINOX�Terry Sorenson, criminal

F GD(10) Health: 80A GD(10)S IN(40) Karma: 42E EX(20)R TY(6) Resources: PR(4)I TY(6)P RM(30) Popularity: 0

DRAGON 31

MARVELMARVELPOWERS:

Body Armor: Equinox�s altered and con-densed body tissue grants him Excellent (20)resistance to physical damage, and Good (10)resistance to energy damage.

Thermodynamic Flux: Equinox�s body isin a constant state of thermodynamic flux.Theoretically, his body is constantly ab-sorbing and expelling heat energy in mas-sive amounts, resulting in coruscatingflame and ice over his body. While historso is covered in flames, Equinox firesice bolts from his hands; the flames showthat his body is absorbing the heat aroundhim to reflexively create ice. When cov-ered in ice, he fires bolts of fire; he isexpelling all the heat within his bodythrough his flame blasts. The thermicchanges and fluxes within Equinox�s bodyhave affected his mind, making him unsta-ble, relatively amoral, and hostile.

These thermal changes grant him thefollowing powers:

�Flame/Ice Corona: The rippling fireand ice coverings that appear during Equi-nox�s thermal changes grant him Class1000 resistance to fire/heat and ice/coldattacks. He is not resistant to the physicaleffects of solid ice (such as the loss oftraction), but normal temperatures andhot or cold energy attacks have little effecton him. However, if attacked by Excellentor greater intensity fire and ice simultane-ously, Equinox�s thermodynamic energyerupts in a Remarkable-force explosionthat affects everything in Equinox�s area.The flame corona melts any material incontact with it of less than Excellent mate-rial strength.

—Fire & Ice Generation: Equinox gener-ates Remarkable-intensity fire and ice witha range of two areas. The only powerstunts Equinox has developed are to useice to create slides and entangle foes.

EQUIPMENT:Shielding Suit: Equinox formerly wore a

�protective shielding suit� made of anunknown metal. Presumably, this full-bodysuit contained and controlled Equinox�stemperature fluxes and thus kept himmentally stable. The only times Equinoxwas capable of firing both fire and icebolts at once was while wearing this suit.Unless he comes into possession of an-other such suit, he is incapable of firingboth types of bolts at once. The suit wasmade of Good-rank materials but did notgrant more protection from attacks.

TALENTS: None known.

HISTORY: Equinox was born Terrance�Terry� Sorenson, the son of Drs. Davidand Margay Sorenson. While Terry grewup, his mother became a famous figure inthe natural science division at Bard Collegein New York. His father, however, did notgain the same fame his wife did, due to hisunconventional theories on thermodynam-

32 OCTOBER 1991

ics. He began taking out his frustrations onhis wife, physically abusing her. Margaysoon left her husband and son to escapethe abuse.

David began drinking in his basementlab, its confines filled with makeshift com-puters and jury-rigged systems to test histheories. Margay returned in time to seean entire wall of the house shatter froman explosion. Making their way to thebasement, Terry and Margay found the labengulfed in flames and David pinned un-der fallen equipment, his leg broken. Terryrushed in to help his father when uniden-tified energy beams erupted from David�sdamaged equipment. The energy killedDavid but transformed Terry into thebeing who would soon be called Equinox.

Dr. Sorenson took a leave of absence tocare for her son and to search for a curefor his condition. She had to reconstructDavid�s notes and teach herself a newphysical science from the ground up. Oneof her early attempts to cure Terry wasthe creation of his �protective shieldingsuit.� But soon her money reserves ranout, and Terry began to steal the equip-ment they needed for his cure.

The Human Torch, acting on a tip fromSpider-Man, was inspecting Faversham�sJewelry Store when he found a patch ofice that hadn�t melted in the heat of theday. The Torch was then blindsided by anice bolt, and his assailant escaped.

Acting on the evidence he�d gathered, theTorch confronted Iceman, convinced he�dbeen the one who robbed Faversham�sstore. After a minor battle between theTorch and Iceman was broken up by theoriginal X-Men, the pair teamed up to solvethe mystery.

Returning to the jewelry store, theyarrived to see a blast demolish one wall ofthe store. Entering through the hole, theyfound its edges were hot and smooth, as ifsomeone had melted through the wall. Inthe darkened store, the two heroes weresimultaneously hit by bolts of fire and icefired by Equinox.

As Equinox attempted to flee with apackage of stolen goods, Iceman felled himwith an ice blast that tore his protectivesuit. Apparently, the suit regulated Terry�stemperature changes, and the tear can-celed that property of the suit. As histemperature changes returned, thechanges caused him to become more ag-gressive and hostile; before the suit wasdamaged, Terry just wanted to get awaywith his package and work on a cure forhis condition. Equinox ripped off the re-mainder of his shielding suit and battledthe Torch and Iceman.

Equinox managed to escape with hispackage, but the two heroes caught upwith him later. Simultaneously firing blastsof ice and fire, Iceman and Torch hit Equi-nox (quote) �at the precise moment of hismolecular change.� This temporarily haltedEquinox�s internal fluctuations, and his

stored excess energy caused an explosion.All that remained was his package�anatomic clock used to regulate timeintervals�and a crater in the street lead-ing to the sewers. Equinox was presumeddead, but he actually escaped through thesewers to safety.

Months later, Spider-Man was attackedover the Queensborough Bridge by a blastof fire that changed to ice as it traveledtoward him. The blast of fire/ice wasspotted from a nearby apartment by Hankand Janet Pym, a.k.a. Yellowjacket and theWasp. Yellowjacket rescued the uncon-scious Spider-Man from the East River, andthe couple brought him to their home.

Spider-Man was revived and deduced hisassailant�s identity as Equinox. The villainsoon attacked the trio at the apartment.The battle destroyed much of the Pyms�penthouse, and the resulting rubble andcommotion caused a massive traffic jam onthe streets below. Yellowjacket used his�improved disruptor stings� to blast Equi-nox out the window. The ThermodynamicMan created an ice slide to break his falland brought the fight down to the street.

As the heroes pursued Equinox andcontinued the battle, Dr. Sorenson arrivedwith her latest invention, intending to stopTerry�s mad rampage. Equinox respondedby throwing a car at her in an attempt tokill her. She was pulled from its path bySpider-Man, but its gas tank exploded, andthe Wasp was knocked unconscious fromthe blast.

Fighting Equinox alone, Yellowjacketmanaged to move the fight away frommuch of the traffic and his injured wife.Equinox blasted a nearby fuel truck with afire blast, and the truck exploded. Equinoxsurvived, but it appeared that Yellowjackethad died in the explosion.

Dr. Sorenson used her latest invention�a thermic stabilizer gun�to attempt tocure Equinox, but the gun�s energy had noeffect on him at all. The heroes and thedoctor left Equinox and went to the BaxterBuilding to use the Fantastic Four�s labora-tory to attempt to discover a better curefor Equinox.

The fight in midtown caused a powersurge and outage throughout Manhattan,but power was soon restored. Unfortu-nately, the heroes were inside the BaxterBuilding, and the surge caused the secu-rity computers to see them as a threat.Spider-Man and Dr. Sorenson made itsafely to the lab, while the Wasp wastrapped in the ventilation shafts. Shequickly made her way to the control cen-ter and shut off the security systems be-fore the building was flooded with gas.

Spider-Man managed to jury-rig Dr.Sorenson�s gun with a harness to increasethe effectiveness of the thermic stabilizingenergy. Equinox attacked the lab (with noresistance from the disabled securitysystems) and was on the verge of defeatingSpider-Man when Yellowjacket appeared.

MARVELMARVELYellowjacket�s �death� and reappearance

caused the Wasp to produce adrenalin, thefinal ingredient needed to complete someadaptations Yellowjacket had made to herpowers. These events triggered her in-creased powers, a birthday gift from herhusband, and she used her more powerful�wasp�s sting� to nearly knock out Equi-nox. Yellowjacket placed the stabilizerharness on the stunned Equinox, whichtemporarily neutralized his powers.

Equinox was last seen being taken topolice headquarters by the Pyms and hismother. It has been a number of years inMarvel time since he has been seen, curedor not. Equinox�s current condition andwhereabouts are unknown.

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Equinox gener-ally acts likes a typical, megalomaniacalsupervillain, lashing out forcefully anddangerously at anything in his path. He isin his late teens or early twenties, and heis becoming insane. His speech patternsfrequently switch from a sophisticatedadult to a slang-using teenager. Early in hiscareer as Equinox, Terrry simply wanted tobe cured of his condition. His constant

changes affected his mind, and he becamecruel, vindictive, amoral, and generallyhostile. Any frustrations or feelings ofdefeat are attacked with ferocity, includinghis own mother�s attempts to cure him.

In your campaigns, Equinox might stillnot be cured, and he might escape to robvarious establishments for the electronicshe needs to cure his condition. This sce-nario makes him a desperate villain withmuch to lose if he is arrested by yourheroes. A slightly different option is thatTerry was at least temporarily cured of hiscondition, which explains his absencefrom the comics. Only recently has hereverted to being the ThermodynamicMan. In this state, he could be quite des-perate or even paranoid. It will be up toyour heroes to either try to help him orjust treat him like a common thug andbeat the tar out of him.

Another scenario is that Equinox�s mindhas further deteriorated from his still-occurring changes, and he is a powerful,mindless menace loose in your heroes� city.A fourth option is that Terry has managedto gain control over his changes. He couldbe recruited as a villain (by the Masters of

Evil or the Kingpin, for example) or, if hismind is returned to normal, a hero (per-haps by the New Warriors or your ownplayers� hero team).

Free Catalog!

Write for your free catalog ofgames and gaming supplies! In theUnited States and Canada, write to:TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop, c/oTSR, Inc., PO. Box 756, Lake GenevaWI 53147, U.S.A. In Europe, writeto: TSR Mail Order Catalogue, TSRLtd, 120 Church End, Cherry Hin-ton, Cambridge CB1 3LB, UnitedKingdom. Our catalog is free �send for it today!

The MARVEL-Phile’s Marvel characters and the distinctive names and likenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. and are used with permission. Copyright ©1991Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DRAGON 33

All three monster books of the AD&D®1st Edition game, along with various mon-ster collections in DRAGON® Magazine,feature a variety of giant insects as oppo-nents. Many of these big bugs are now inthe AD&D 2nd Edition Monstrous Com-pendiums. Characters generally considerinsects to be unexciting foes, even in theirgiant forms, in part because insects are�mere� animals (the fact that the playersthemselves are colossi when compared toreal-life insects doesn�t help, either). It�smuch harder to fear a giant insect to thesame degree possible with giants or drag-ons. Even if you�re a fan of 1950s science-

pare the giant mutant ants in Them! withthe �puny� two-footers in the AD&D 1st

fiction movies, it doesn�t help,AD&D giant insects are all far smallerthan their movie counterparts. Just com-

as the

Edition Monster Manual.The main reason why giant insects are

so slighted in fantasy campaigns, however,is that neither players or the DM havesufficient knowledge of insect capabilitiesto realize what a gross extrapolation ofthose capabilities can mean. This article

If your AD&D® characters aren�t afraidof insects, they soon will be

means to change that.

StrengthWhen compared to the body of a verte-

brate animal, the insectoid exoskeleton

by Gregory W. Detwilerprovides a much greater surface area formuscles to connect. The plasticlike chitin

34 OCTOBER 1991Artwork by Dan Burr

of which the exoskeleton is composed has should be able to carry 30 tons all by a vessel in the middle of a lake,the ability to bend and store great itself! Look at the equipment list on pageamounts of elastic energy. When you 67 of the 2nd Edition Player�s Handbook, Detection capabilitiesconsider that insects have more muscles where the transport is listed. Small canoes, Insects are often equipped with a vastper body area than any vertebrate animal,and those muscles are on a body that canstore up energy like a taut bow, you havea very impressive combination indeed,

Consider these facts from the weirdrealm of real life. A flea can leap a dis-tance of 130 times its own length, an antcan carry fifty times its own weight, and abee�s ability for hauling is equivalent to agrown man lugging around a 30-ton truck.Impressive enough. Now consider theimplications in a fantasy game.

Given the carrying power of ants, one ofthe AD&D games� two-footers ought to beable to physically drag away a human,even one in armor. [Your editors estimatethat a 2’-long ant would weigh about 15lbs.] If ants try to block the characters�entry into their nest by building a barri-cade, they will finish the job far soonerthan anyone would expect. If even one antgets past your front battle line (an easything in a poorly lighted dungeon setting),it could disrupt the party�s defensive for-mation by yanking characters off theirfeet. All the bees and wasps in the gameare at least man sized (the giant bumble-bee is size L); if a bee or wasp can carryloads equivalent to a man carrying a 30-ton truck, then a man-sized bee or wasp

carriages, coaches, chariots, rafts, smallsailboats, sedan chairs, small wagons andkeelboats�a giant wasp or bee can carrythem all. Needless to say, they could alsocarry off all but the largest animals andmonsters, to say nothing of playercharacters.

Since bees die right after they sting, thegiant bees in a fantasy world might havedeveloped an alternative attack: carryingfoes as high in the air as they can fly, thendropping them. It seems right that sincestinging ends a bee�s life, more emphasisshould be put on making the sting a weap-on of last resort.

Combining the hardness of the exoskele-ton with insect strength produces deadlycombinations. The jaws of the most pow-erful �normal� beetles can bore into zinc,copper, tin, and lead. Scaling up, the giantslicer and water beetles should be able todestroy with one bite any metallic weaponor suit of armor (at least the nonmagicalones). A magically trained force of thesebeetles might be able to bore into virtuallyany castle or stone building. In the case ofwooden structures, of course, you cansubstitute giant termites. I leave to yourimagination the consequences of a giantwater beetle boring its way into the hull of

array of varied sense organs, many ofthem stored in the antennae. Aside fromthe normal sort of generalized five senseshumans have, insects can have specializedsensory organs to detect light, shape,color, movement, ultraviolet radiation,heat, polarized light, touch, sound, inter-nal pressure, water pressure, air pressure,and humidity. In a magical universe, itwould not be illogical for some insects tohave developed sensors for magic detec-tion. Not all insects have all of these varieddetectors, of course, but the array at thenormal insect�s disposal is sufficient torender most normal concealment methodsuseless.

Some insects, such as army ants, arenearly or totally blind, and thus use theirsense of smell to detect prey. This nullifiesmagical concealment spells such as blurand the various invisibility spells, to saynothing of ordinary camouflage. Sensorsthat detect sound or movement (groundpressure) can be equally effective. �Blind-ing� the insect can be a difficult job. Thesensors can be found anywhere on aninsect, particularly on the antennae, footpads, and mouth feelers, and insects go inheavily for redundancy. The male bee�smain purpose in life is to mate with the

DRAGON 35

queen; each of his two antennae contains30,000 sense organs specializing in merelydetecting the odor of the queen bee. Todamage an insect�s sense capability enoughfor you to make a getaway, you need toinflict enough damage to kill the insect, inwhich case escape is unnecessary.

Never underestimate the powers of aninsect�s sense organs. The infamous killerbees of South America have been knownto chase fleeing humans into darkenedbuildings. In the AD&D game, similartalents would make a mockery of thecover provided by a darkness, 15’ radiusspell. Social insects (ants, bees, wasps, andtermites) coordinate their attacks by thespreading of chemical scents, or phero-mones, that can be detected and under-stood by all insects in the battle area. Thislast insect talent does have a possiblecounter. If you can hit an attacking forceof social insects with a strong enoughwind, as with a gust of wind spell, youmay be able to blow away sufficientpheromones to totally disorganize theattackers. On the other hand, the DM maywell rule that the wind merely spreads thescent farther, summoning even moreinsects to the attack.

Next to a pure diviner, the illusionist willbe the specialist wizard most helpless inthe face of an insect attack. With the mul-tiplicity of sensory organs an insect has,each organ constantly testing the environ-

ment, an illusion of an object familiar tothe insect has virtually no chance of suc-ceeding. Hallucinatory forest and halluci-natory terrain are thus useless as cover, asare illusory walls, pits, etc. Needless to say,illusions of spells like fireball will not evenbe recognized, much less believed, and thesame goes for most illusory monsters thatwon�t �check out� under a sensory test.Illusions that do real damage require morelevels of the caster than most illusionistswho face giant insects will have. If thebugs want you, they�ll always be able tofind you.

Inherent toughnessOne of the secrets of insect adaptability

is the fact that many species are resistantto some of the things that make life diffi-cult for everyone else, such as cold weath-er and poison. Those insects that live inarctic conditions can survive for at leasttwo months when the temperature is-20°F. The secret is that their blood is20% glycerol, giving them a natural anti-freeze. In cold regions, any native insectsencountered should have a saving-throwbonus of at least +1 against any cold-based attacks such as cone of cold. Similar-ly, many insects are virtually poison proof,particularly those who eat poisonous prey.The preying mantis has been known to eateven the black widow spider withoutcoming to harm. One entomologist took a

dead wasp (already a poisonous creature)and fed it to a mantis after liberally coat-ing the dinner with a variety of poisons,including arsenic. The mantis gobbleddown the poisoned prey, suffering noharm whatsoever. A giant one should besimilarly immune to poisons of all kinds.Insects have also proven resistant to heat,vacuum, and even nuclear radiation (from100,000-300,000 roentgens are required tokill most adult insects, while a mere 1,000roentgens will kill a grown man). GAMMAWORLD® game players, beware!

In short, the average insect is a verytough, scary customer for its size. A giantone, even by itself, should be able towreak unimaginable havoc with a party ofadventurers. No need for you DMs outthere to spread the word to your players,of course; they�ll find out about it soonenough�the hard way.

Changing your address? If so, tell usimmediately. The Post Office will notforward second-class mail withoutprior notice, and we cannot replaceissues that are lost in this manner.Please send us your address changeas soon as possible (with your mostrecent mailing label) so that you won’tmiss any issues!

36 OCTOBER 1991

DRAGON 37

Collect them all! The AD&D� Trading Cards,1991 Series�and beyond

by James M. Ward

The AD&D� fantasy trading cards,which first appeared in DRAGON® issue#160 and have since been released indisplays, have been one of TSR�s biggesthits in recent years. But TSR underestimat-ed the demand. There was no way wecould know what a smash hit these cardswould be. This article is designed to pro-vide all the facts on the cards so you canjudge for yourself how useful they will beto your fantasy campaigns.

The primary purpose of the tradingcards is to be used in any AD&D® game.The color picture on the front of eachcard and the AD&D game information onthe back are designed to provide quickinformation that is easily used in a night�sadventuring. From the letters that wehave received, the cards have been highlysuccessful in that area.

The secondary purpose of the tradingcards is to be an interesting collectableitem. In the normal collectable card mar-ket, there are rare cards in each set. Thishas been done in our cards as well. Ninetycards in the 1991 series are particularlyrare. No attempt was made to make theserare cards special in terms of the informa-tion they carry. One rare card is put inapproximately every fifth foil package.

There are 750 cards in the 1991 collec-tor set. Sixteen cards are in each $1.00 foilpackage, and 36 foil packages are in eachdisplay box (it�s called a �wax box� in thecollector-card trade, even if the packagesaren�t waxed). I have been told that it ispossible to get half of the numbered cardsin either the June print run (the first halfof the 1991 series) or the September printrun (the second half of the 1991 series) inone wax box of 576 cards. Usually, youwill get most of one of the two print runsin two boxes. The wax boxes in the Junerelease have a light blue background; theboxes in the September release have amuch darker green-blue background.

One of the questions we are commonlyasked is: Why didn�t TSR print all of thecards in the first release of the set in June?The answer lies in the production process.It takes a long time to design 750 differentcards with 750 different pieces of coloredart and 750 texts of rules-heavy informa-

38 OCTOBER 1991

tion. It will always be necessary to print ayear�s series of these cards in two partsjust because of the time it takes to createthem.

For the 1992 series, the first half shouldcome out about May; the second halfabout July; and the factory set shouldcome out about August, right in time forthe 25th anniversary of the GEN CON®game fair. Below is a breakdown of thetypes of trading cards produced this year:

1. Cards numbered 1-17 appeared inDRAGON issue #160. These prototypecards were designed by the DRAGONMagazine staff and are substantially differ-ent from the final product. I received over500 letters on these first DRAGON cards,and from these comments we came upwith the final version of the collectorcards. Thank you very much for thatinput. I found all of those letters useful,and they were much appreciated. I havealways said that the DRAGON Magazinereader was a cut above the normal role-player, and your input from those lettersproved this.

I am happy to say that every year fromnow on, DRAGON Magazine andDUNGEON® Adventures will run the first17 cards in each year�s set of tradingcards. This will give all of the magazinereaders a nice bonus for buying thesemagazines. At the present time, we arelooking at the February or May issues ofboth magazines to have the cards.

2. Cards numbered 18-367 were in theJune 1991 release of the cards. One set ofrare cards in this first release have thefollowing numbers: 262, 265, 279, 296,298, 304, 321, 323, 354, 365. Approxi-mately 3,000 of each were made. Otherrare cards include: 28, 36, 42, 77, 79, 93,108, 119, 125, 126, 144, 159, 204, 208, 216,219, 224, 243, 247, 251; approximately4,000 of each of these were made. About50,000 copies of each of the other cards inthe first half of the 1991 set were made.

3. Cards numbered 368-737 were in theSeptember release of the cards. One groupof rare cards in this second release havethe following numbers: 620, 628, 654, 659,668, 675, 679, 710, 722, 728; approxi-mately 10,000 of each were made. The

second group of rare cards consists of:381,396,400,404,412,424,434,456,466,493, 512, 517, 523, 536, 541, 545, 563, 587,602, 614; approximately 13,000 of eachwere made. About 160,000 copies of eachof the other cards in this second half ofthe 1991 set have been printed.

4. Cards numbered 738-745 were part ofa special Diamond Comic Distributor pro-motion. They were given away free in theDiamond Comic newsletter sent to retail-ers across America. These cards don�t looklike any of the other cards because theywere created while TSR was still trying togive the cards their own unique look.These cards come in either an 8� X 7� or5¾” X 7� sheet, with four cards to eachsheet. I still have a supply of these sheets. Iwould be happy to send one sheet free toanyone who will send me a large, self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE) and anice letter telling me about the cards andasking me for that sheet. I�ll send them outone to a person as long as supplies last.Remember to send an envelope largeenough for the sheet so I don�t have tofold the sheet. If you don�t get one, I ranout�so write now!

5. The card numbered 746 was our onlyDARK SUN� card for the year. It wasmuch larger than normal, measuring10� X 7¼�. This card was a special CapitalCity Distributor promotion. These weregiven away free in the Capital City news-letter sent to retailers across America.

6. At the time of this writing, the lastfour cards, numbered 747-750, haven�tbeen designed yet. They are going to gointo our factory set of cards, which comesout in November and will have all 750cards. All of these cards will be in themost current design.

All first-run AD&D collector cards (ex-cept for cards numbered 1-17, 738-745,746, and 747-750) have a gold border onthe color side. DRAGON issue #171 randuplicates of some of the rare cards; all ofthese have a black border around thecolor side. The factory set of 750 cardswill have a silver border around the colorside. This coloring instantly allows you tosee which printing a card is from. All ofthe cards in the factory set will be of thenormal collector size. The DARK SUN card#746 will be downsized, and cards num-bered 1-17 will undergo radical changes tomake them fit the new card format. Theother special cards will all be presented inthe new format.

TSR will never reprint cards from yearto year. This would change the value ofyour cards. If any cards become valuable,we are happy for the collectors who ownthem. The first-run card set you bought inJune will be the only run made of thosecards using the gold border. In futureyears, it is highly possible that TSR will dosome type of promotion or a �Best of�printing of some or all of those cards�butwith no gold borders.

What�s going to happen in the future?TSR plans to come out every year with a

set of 750 cards. Please feel free to write I hope this article has answered many ofme whenever you want to suggest things the questions you�ve had on the AD&Dyou would like to see in the cards. I have collector cards. I am unusually pleasedused a lot of suggestions from past letters.

If you haven�t seen these collector cardswith the success of this product and hopeyou will continue to buy them in the years

in your stores yet, please ask your hobby to come. Thank you once again for supstore dealer or card dealer for them. porting TSR with your advice and interest

in our products.

Psychic Errata ReveaIed!

The following is a collection of errata and clarifications for the AD&D® 2nd Editionvolume, PHBR5 The Complete Psionics Handbook.

Psychokinesis discipline

l The following PK devotions do notrequire telekinesis as a prerequi-site: animate shadow, control light,control sound, molecular agitation,soften. All other PK devotions havetelekinesis as a prerequisite (excepttelekinesis, of course).

psionic blast, psychic messenger.Mindlink is a prerequisite for ailother telepathic powers.

l Psychic crush should be a devo-tion. Psionic blast should be ascience.

l All references to the “telepathy”power or prerequisite should bechanged to the mindlink power

Telepathy discipline instead.l On page 75, the heading for the

l Telepathic defense modes (intellectfortress, mental barrier, mind blank,thought shield, tower of iron will)have no prerequisites. All refer-ences to prerequisites for thesepowers should be deleted. A char-acter does not need access to thetelepathy discipline to learn de-fense modes.

l The mindlink power is not a prereq-uisite for the following telepathicdevotions: empathy, ESP, identitypenetration, incarnation awareness,psychic impersonation, sendthoughts. Mindlink has never beena prerequisite for the followingpowers: ejection, conceal thoughts,contact, life detection, mind bar,

fate link power is missing.l Ego whip and mind thrust both

require contact as a prerequisite.

Psionic monster listings

l Brain mole: References to the“amplification” power should bechanged to the psychic drainpower. Also, mind thrust is a tele-pathic power, not a metapsionicpower.

l Intellect devourer: References tothe “amplification” power shouldbe changed to the psychic drainpower. Also, the ectoplasmic formpower should be listed as a devo-tion, not as a science.

DRAGON 39

by Bruce A. Heard

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.

Eimir 7, AY 2000�Raman, from alater account: After many hours ofstudy, I came to the end of a large, black,leather-bound tome on the origins of Hule.It had unveiled many ties between theincredible age of the Hulean hero of legend, Hosadus, and the discovery of cinna-bar. Perhaps his inhuman age was no holygift, but rather the result of cinnabarusage. The so-called Immortal�s favorcould have been a lie as well. But then,there was still no clue as to Hosadus�sultimate fate, nor any apparent link withtoday�s Master of Hule. It could be, too,that Hosadus had become undead.

A loud, cavernous snore pulled me from

my thoughts. It was Nyanga. He had es-corted me to this library in a town calledPorto Preto, a nest of sea-going riff-raff.His Highness the admiral had judged theplace somewhat risqué for the likes of me,and he had ordered me to rub red makeupover my face and hands before landing.The admiral also gave me several coins ofthe shiny pink metal from Slagovich, justin case. Fortunately, the majority of thepopulation was of distant Yavdlomdescent�not that they were as well edu-cated and well behaved as their mightysouthern cousins, mind you. Anyhow,Nyanga fit in very well.

Porto Preto�s library qualified more as agrossly mismanaged bric-a-brac of litera-ture, probably booty plundered fromhapless merchantmen. Indeed, there werevolumes of material foreign from thisrugged barony. Of course, this was obvi-ously of no interest to Nyanga.

I was turning back to my studies when Inoticed a small, slimy, and nasty lookingcreature crawling up Nyanga�s leg. Itlooked like a tiny red man, gnarled andwarty, perhaps some evil mandragora.Then I noticed one on Nyanga�s shoulder,sucking at his jugular vein, and yet an-other two examining the contents of hispouch. I could not help gasping at thesight.

Nyanga woke up. The man-things trottedaway with his pouch, chittering and gig-gling. The tall black man jumped to hisfeet and ran after them. With horror, Isaw him swing his giant sword at the littlecreatures, wildly slashing though stacks ofmoldy scrolls and carelessly crushingtables, shelves, and other furniture. Soon,Nyanga ran down the stairs, cursing androaring at his tiny tormentors.

Damp, stuffy, and dark, this remotecrypt of the library was no reassuringplace. A chill ran down my spine at thethought of staying here alone. I lit anotherthree candles to chase away any suspi-cious shadow and evil spirits. That�s when

I saw her: a frail maiden with a pale whiteface, long black hair with pearls, and a sadlook in her eyes. Her beauty almost mademe forget she was not of this world, for Icould still see rows of books through hertranslucent body. I dropped my candela-brum in surprise, but she raised her handsin a gesture of friendship,

�Fear not, noble sage. I wish you noharm. Please listen to my plight, for I havesought eternal rest so long.�

I could not take my eyes off the ghostlymaiden. I was too shocked to answer. �Youbear the key to my freedom,� she went on.�I beg you to help me end my torment.�

After further conversation, I learnedthat she was referring to the pink coinswith which the admiral had entrusted me.That seemed like very little wealth to offerin exchange for such a deed as freeing her,but she was adamant. �I am fading awayinto limbo,� she whispered at last, �butonly you can save me. Come at the Towerof Mercy and seek my grave at the chapel.Please come. On my knees, I implore you.�She then vanished into the dark.

My heart was pounding in my chest. Herwords echoed endlessly in my mind. I hadto free my own self from an overbearingsense of grief and guilt. I had no choicebut leave at once on a quest to save themaiden in distress. How quaint.

Eimir 8�Haldemar: Nyanga andRaman had been missing most of the nightuntil the warrior appeared, alone, justbefore sunrise. His report to me: �De sagebe readin� all day when de little mohn stealme pouch. Eh mohn, I say, give back mepouch. He run away! I be catchin� de littlemohn, and then�poof�he go away! Tis�evil magic, mohn. Someone play de trickillusion to keep me away. When I be back,ye sage be gone. I be searchin� de crypt, Ibe searchin� de street. He be nowhere,mohn.�

It could be that Raman had been kid-napped. But why? Perhaps this wasn�tsuch a good idea giving him these coins. Iwas tempted to use the crystal ball tolocate Raman, but he was wearing com-mon garb, not his uniform robes. I couldnot recall any familiar object that thecrystal ball could focus on. In addition tothis, Xerdon was showing no sign of im-provement from his strange illness, I leftTalasar in charge of the Princess Ark andleft with Nyanga to investigate Raman�sdisappearance.

Eimir 8�Raman, from a later ac-count: It took most of this day to locatethe Tower of Mercy. I learned from threedrunken miners at a tavern that it stoodon the northern border, on the trail northof Porto Preto. It was a fortified guardpost, the last civilized spot before the RedLands. Beyond it lay a desert filled withmonsters, but also a haven for miners. Inthe evening, the three drunkards were toleave toward their promised land. Posingas a poet in search of inspiration, I decidedto ride with them up to the tower on oneof their shabby mules.

Eimir 9�Talasar, from a later ac-count: A band of thieves triggered theship�s magical wards last night, severalhours after the admiral�s departure. Theyleft promptly as the crew investigated, butnot before causing great harm to Xerdon.Somehow, they managed to enter sick bayand stab Xerdon several times in his sleep,nearly killing him. By chance, they did notslit his throat altogether. With Razud�s will,I healed the Chief of the Guard.

Although still weak from his unknownillness, Xerdon mentioned a pendant hehad that the thieves ripped away. It didnot seem to have much value at all,though. It was a small net in which heused to keep small objects. It held a pieceof red metal he found in the mine underSlagovich. I examined his chest, and Inoticed a small red patch on his skinwhere the rock had rubbed. The thievestook nothing else, except a few items oflittle value and some petty cash.

The rest of the day was uneventful untillater in the evening. I caught Ramissurpreparing to leave on one of the lifeboatswithout permission. He was drunk. Heseemed somewhat embarrassed and ad-mitted he had decided to seek out thechief�s assailants and settle accounts withthem. Although I would not condone hisinebriated state or his intended use ofviolence as a way of gaining retribution, Iauthorized him to go on. I needed to findout why thieves wanted that piece of oreand how they managed to learn about itsexistence and the location of the PrincessArk. As tempted as I was to join him, I wasthe last able officer on board and thus hadto remain. One condition for Ramissur�snocturnal escapade was that he was en-tirely on his own, and that he had to re-turn before the end of the next day.Otherwise, I would be obligated to con-demn him for his lack of discipline.

Eimir 9�Haldemar: In the evening,after a day of scouring the city withoutsuccess, we returned to the library. At thesight of Nyanga, the old shrew who keptthe library went into a frenzy. A crowd ofshady-looking fellows came out to observethe scene. The screeching librarian de-manded payment for the damage Nyanga

had inflicted. There was no point in fur-ther discussion, as we had other businessto attend. I stared at Nyanga.

Reluctantly, he pulled out his pouch andtossed a coin at the howling hag. Shestopped. She pondered. And shook herhead.

There went another coin. Nope.There went more, followed soon by the

whole pouch. To no avail.This should have covered whatever

damage had been done to the shabbyestablishment. The crowd grew a bit rest-less. So there went my pouch too. But thetruculent termagant then pointed at mycloak and my boots. Now that was enough!I nodded at an already fuming Nyanga,who dove head first into the vociferouscrowd. The cantankerous crone jumpedsavagely on his back while I shot a fewwarning lightning bolts. The mob van-ished, leaving the annoying nag beforeNyanga�s humming blade.

It�s amazing how fast she spoke�and forfree, too. It seemed our lad Raman hadbeen seen with miners heading northtoward the desert. Why? She couldn�t tell.But perhaps we could catch up. We soonbought two fast steeds and galloped up theminers� trail.

Eimir 10�Ramissur from a lateraccount: Upon my arrival in Porto Preto,I went to one of the shadier taverns in theolder part of the town. After some prepa-ration, I found the identity of a notoriousband of thieves in the town and theirhabitual hangout. There, feigning to bedrunk, I spread noises about some shinymetal I planned on stealing. It wasn�t longbefore someone whispered me to come inthe back street.

Five hooded people were waiting there. Iposed as a deserter seeking revenge andwealth. I told them I had been in charge ofsecurity in a ship that had just been raid-ed. In response to my failure to prevent anofficer from being severely wounded, theship�s commander stripped me of my rank.I said I knew how to get past the ship�smagical wards and how to reach the chestholding the precious metal. But I neededhelp in exchange for a fair share of thebooty. Of course, for my own life�s sake I

DRAGON 43

wouldn�t reveal anything more.They said they would consider the idea

and contact me later. I stayed at a taverncalled O Valhacoito [The Cutthroat]. One ofthe men came back later and said hisleader was interested. I was led to a cryptinside an abandoned family tomb in thecemetery, where six people were waiting.In colorful language, the leader asked, �Eh,meu bom [my good man], what tells methis is not a trap?� As I considered clobber-ing the happy bunch myself, soldiers burstin, to my astonishment�and to everyoneelse�s, as well. In the brief melee that fol-lowed, the soldiers slaughtered every onein the gang, except one�a stoolie. Thetroops held me at sword point.

With an excited grin, the stoolie pointedto me and said, �He�s the one, SenhorCapitão. He said they still have the ore onboard.� The captain nodded and turned tohis men, pointing at the stoolie. �Get him,too,� he said. The soldiers brutally knockedout the screaming stoolie. We were bothput in chains and promptly taken to thebaron�s keep by wagon. An hour later, myfiendish companion woke up beside me inthe baron�s dungeon. The place was poorlymaintained, and I discovered that themortar was crumbling where our chainswere secured to the walls. We made adeal: If I could break the shackles, hewould pick the locks to the dungeondoors. Although I could not trust him,there was little else to do.

After considerable exertion on my part,the shackles gave and soon I pulled thestoolie free. It was only after a copiousthrashing from me that he recovered hisnerve and endeavored to defeat the heavygrate�s lock. After sneaking about thedungeon, we came to an exit. Two peoplestood on the stairs there, unaware we hadescaped. The baron was there, speakingwith a man with a slight Hulean accent.There I learned that an old acquaintancewas still interested in our ship and crew.The man said The Master desired that I beput to the sword, and the Princess Arkcaptured at once. The Master�s spies hadfailed to seize any cinnabryl during theraid they had conducted on the ship. TheMaster wanted only the crew, especiallythe officers, and would pay a generousransom for them. The ship could remainin Porto Preto. The man added he couldhelp the baron�s soldiers reach the ship.

That�s when the stoolie started acting upagain. He leaped forward and dropped tohis knees before the astounded men. “Vos-sa Alteza [Your Highness], I beg your mer-cy! The foreigner forced me to come withhim. Let me serve you better, SenhorBarão [Sir Baron].� Fearing an attack, thetwo men ran away, calling for the guard. Itook great pleasure at the sound of thestoolie�s bones cracking when I got hold ofhis neck. I ran down a hallway andjumped through a massive stained glasswindow, the only exit. By chance, I landedin the keep�s front court, under a pouringrain. I knocked a guard down and stole his

44 OCTOBER 1991

horse, just barely making it past the port-cullis. At last I retrieved the lifeboat andreturned to the Princess Ark�without thestolen ore, alas, but with vital information.

Eimir 10�Haldemar: A thunder-storm had been plaguing us all day. Itworsened when we reached the tower, ontop of a high plateau. It was close to mid-night then. The muddy trail was verysteep in many places, and darkness madeour task of following it rather perilous.

The guards at the tower were ratherapathetic. When questioned, they vaguelypointed toward an abandoned monasteryat the edge of a forest. We found Ramanthere, sitting inside a dusty crypt. Disap-pointed and confused, he was biding histime tossing small rocks into a broken urn.He was startled and ashamed when hesaw us, but perhaps relieved as well.

�Forgive me, Your Highness,� he said, redfaced. �I don�t known what�s become ofme. I felt compelled to come here at onceafter an encounter with a ghost in thatlibrary in Porto Preto. So eager was I to gothat I omitted to leave proper notice. Butperhaps the ghost was just part of a vividdream I had, for I have waited here awhole day to no use.�

As we prepared to leave, a form sudden-ly materialized above a tomb. It was themaiden of Raman�s description. She staredat us, then motioned Raman to come. Shewas indeed fascinating, but somethinginside me cried foul play. Suddenly Isnapped out of the trace. �Raman!� I shout-ed. �Back off, man!�

I was too late. An ark of crimson lightfused the air between Raman�s pouch andthe grave. It sizzled and crackled . . . andit fizzled out.

The ghost wailed. Obviously in pain, shetransformed herself into a ghastly, translu-cent red skeleton. This monstrosity thenleaped at Raman and tore at him. A light-ning bolt from my wand seemed to burnthrough her ectoplasmic matter, causingher to shrivel somewhat. Nyanga chargedforward and, with a mighty swing of hisdeadly magical blade, hacked the fearsomeapparition into spectral smithereens.

Raman felt weak. The pink metal in hispouch was gone. �Why, why?� he babbledin tears. Nyanga pried the stone graveopen. �Tis an evil spirit, mohn,� he saidcurtly. �Only de powers of darkness knowwhy it be wantin� ye soul. Open fire be deway of killin� de evil spirit!� He tossed aflask of oil into the foul sepulcher and setit ablaze.

I then cast a travel spell back to the ship.We arrived hours after Ramissur�s returnand found the crew at their battle stations.Talasar warned us of a potential attackfrom the Vilaverdan army. Indeed, a smallflying skiff approached, its lantern flicker-ing in the nocturnal sky. It made directlyfor the Princess Ark, despite the fact thatour ship was invisible at that moment.

The baron�s captain of the guard soonstood at the prow and hailed us. “SenhorCapitão da Princesa! This is an official

visitation! You are transporting illegalmetals. We request you turn your shipvisible and allow immediate permission tocome aboard!� He could obviously see us. Irestored visibility to the ship�s hull andacceded to the captain�s demand.

He carried a small animal with him, likea fat ferret. He dropped it on the deck andit scurried away, sniffing and snorting,while he asked probing questions aboutour mission and itinerary. The creaturecame back later, whining and hissing. Ithad found nothing. The baron must havebeen after the pink metal from Slagovich.There was none left now. Perhaps thatghost had been of some use after all!

�It seems everything is in order. Myapologies, Senhor Capitão. But you arerequested to keep you ship visible at alltimes when visiting Vilaverde. Muito Obri-gado, Senhor [Much obliged, sir].� Thecaptain of the guard picked up his littlebeast and left. Whatever were the plansthe baron of Vilaverde had concocted,they had just failed. He had probablyhoped to delay our departure. Worse,perhaps he had expected to demand theship be impounded and moored at a com-mon dock. At least I presumed so, since Icould not see any threatening force near-by. But there was no point in remaining insuch a dangerous place any longer. Thebaron must have had a secret up hissleeve.

I ordered an immediate departure, fullspeed ahead. Already the morning windfilled the sails, and the Princess Arkveered on a southwesterly course. In therising sun, I looked down and saw thatdozens of powerful ballistae dotted thefarmland below. They had been riggedwith ropes and large grappling hooks,some still aimed at the Princess’s previousposition. They must have been pulled intoposition during the stormy night. Fortu-nately, the mud had delayed them longenough to allow for our departure. I couldsee crowds of soldiers and their baggagetrain slowly heading back toward PortoPreto. Indeed, we had just escaped an-other treachery.

To be continued...

Errant soul *

Armor Class : 2Hit Dice: 6 * * * (see text)Move: 150� (50�)

Flying: 300� (100�)Attacks: 1 touch or spellDamage: Weakness, or by spellNo. Appearing: 1 (1)Save As: F6 or better (see text)Morale: 11measure Type: EAlignment: ChaoticXP Value: 950; 1,650; 2,300; etc

The errant soul appears as a faint skele-tal silhouette inside a translucent redspecter, its eyes no more than gaping pools

of darkness. It can appear as a less fear-some ghostlike person if it wishes. It is anundead that rose from the remains of abeing who was once powerful through theuse of cinnabryl. The original being agedbeyond its natural life span, then diedwhen it ran out of cinnabryl or when thecinnabar poison subsided from its body.The chances of an errant soul forming areequal to 1% per century of the being�sfinal age at the time of his death. Forexample, a 350-year-old creature dying ofone of these two causes has a 3% chanceof becoming an errant soul. This presumesthe original body is intact and left in acrypt or another secure area where itbecomes a dry, mummified husk. Theerrant soul rises on the 10th day after thebeing�s death.

An errant soul typically has 5 HD, plusone per century of the original being�s ageat the time of its death. In the examplegiven above, the errant soul would have 8HD and save as an 8th-level fighter. Itretains the memory and personality of theoriginal being, but it has an uncontrollabledesire to find cinnabryl. It does not haveany of its previous life�s spell-casting abili-ties, other than those described herein.

The errant soul�s only attack form con-sists of a grasp of weakening. On a suc-cessful to-hit roll, it causes its victim totemporarily lose a point of Strength (nosave). At Strength zero, the victim passesout and dies. Lost Strength is recoveredafter a full night�s sleep. The errant soulcan be hit only by magical weapons. If themummified body is ever destroyed, thevengeful errant soul will forever stalk theculprits until they are dead or until it itselfis destroyed. A successful raise dead spellcast on the monster will destroy it forever,as well as a �D� result on the Cleric Turn-ing Undead Table. If it does gain revenge,it returns to the old grave and haunts itforever (or until destroyed). An errantsoul can be turned as a specter. Like allundead, it is immune to sleep, charm, andhold spells.

The errant soul lurks in the dark, avoid-ing contact with crowds or bright lights. Itmust save vs. spells each round it is inpresence of two or more living creatures,or if caught in sunlight or within a lightspell�s area of effect. It vanishes if it failsits saving throw, is turned by a cleric, isdefeated in combat by means that failed todestroy it permanently, or so wishes. Itrematerializes 1-4 days later at midnight,near the old grave.

Characters killed by an errant soul risefrom their bodies 1-4 days later as com-mon wraiths. They travel back to theerrant soul�s old grave during night hoursand seek to guard it in the errant soul�sabsence. They attack anyone approachingwithout cinnabryl. There is a 50% chanceof finding 1-4 wraiths guarding an errantsoul�s old grave.

The errant soul is attracted to cinnabryland can accurately sense its location with-in 24 miles. It seeks to have cinnabryl

brought to its parent body, since the er-rant soul is immaterial and thus could notcarry it. The errant soul has the ability tocast a phantasmal force once a day, whichit uses to isolate a victim. It also can charma victim once a day and persuade him tocarry the metal back to the dead body. Ifbrought within 10� of the dead body, themetal is instantly depleted at the rate of100 Ci per hit die of the errant soul. Ifthere was enough cinnabryl to account forall of the undead�s hit dice, the errant souland the mummified body are exorcisedand permanently destroyed. If not, theerrant soul becomes enraged and seeks tokill the bearer of the cinnabryl. The errantsoul is an intelligent being that uses itscharm ability to gain information on peo-ple or treasures, or in order to meet anygoal it has given itself. If the charm fails, itmay attempt to parley, depending on thesituation.

The Savage BaroniesSouthwest of the Great Hule lie a num-

ber of loosely organized realms. These areknown as the Savage Baronies becausenone of their monarchs qualify as a trueking. The rulers are essentially the descen-dants of families of explorers who estab-lished their colonial domains centuriesago. Most of these rulers call themselvesbarons, and they wield almost supremepower over their lands.

The four nations closest to Hule in theGulf region are the Dominion of Vilaverde,the State of Texeiras, and the Baronies ofNarvaez and Torreón. The Red Lands�flatlands of cracked, sun-baked mud�separate these baronies from the GreatHule. Although the Red Lands are cultur-ally claimed by Texeirans and Vilaverdans(hence the Red Lands� original name ofTerra Vermelha [Red Lands]), they are aregion of fierce political rivalry. The landsharbor small, scattered deposits of cinna-bar. Although no deposit lasts long enoughto provide its owners with any significantadvantage, the cinnabar is neverthelessthe object of ferocious competition amongTorreón, Texeiras, Vilaverde, and Hule.

These four nations signed the historic

Treaty of Tampicos, in which it was agreedthat the first nation to raise its flag abovea desired mining site gains the right tooperate a mine there. This requires that amessenger bring the news to his ruler,then return with an official delegate and amining writ. This is the most dangerouspart, since rivals might slaughter the en-voys so their own flags can be raised first.Many spies travel this parched land forthat sole purpose. More than once havearmies clashed over a treacherous ambushor a falsified writ. There are presently twomines in �official� operation, both underVilaverdan control.

The Red Lands also are the homeland ofbrigands, humanoids, and foul monsters.For an outrageous fee, some of theseinhabitants may work for one of the fournations. Their loyalty, however, is veryshort lived, since it is often based on whopays the best. Most of the Red Lands na-tives are dangerous raiders who prey onborder villages, miners, and caravans.

Capsule descriptions of each of thesenations follow. (Clever DMs will note thatVilaverde and Texeiras were inspired byPortugal during the 1500s and 1600s.Torreón is based on conquistador-eraSpain, and Narvaez is based on Spainduring the Inquisition period.)

Vilaverde�capital: Porto Preto (pop.14,000, distantly related to the Yavdlom);ruler: Barão Jorge �O Temerário� de Vi-laverde; typical NPC: boisterous, swash-buckling fighter.

Porto Preto, a notorious pirate haven, isthe home port of a large fleet of armedmerchant ships. As with all other towns inthis region, it is heavily defended. Tinyhamlets with fortified keeps dot the do-main of Vilaverde. Vilaverdans, like Tex-eirans, are famous for their adventurers,explorers, thieves, pirates, and whalers.Feared on all seas, they are a light-hearted,high-spirited people who often show alegendary audacity.

Baron Jorge �The Intrepid� actuallyowns many colonial holdings. These areno more than small forts or fortified villag-es used for commerce and navigation,spread out on the coast of Davania andfurther west on the Savage Coast. Vi-

DRAGON 45

laverde and Texeiras are rivals who virtu-ally control the Gulf of Hule�s western half.They often clash with the aggressive east-ern city states.

Vilaverde�s biggest challenge remains thedefense of his eastern border with theGreat Hule. Aside from the Red Lands, hisbarony offers the only barrier to Huleanexpansion into the Savage Coast. TheVilaverdan fleet could easily ruin all of theHulean naval and coastal assets, which iswhy Hule is reluctant to muscle into thisterritory.

Texeiras�capital: Boa Mansão (pop.:9,500); ruler: Barão Bartolomeu �O Calvo�de Texeiras; typical NPC: chic, adventuringthief.

The capital of Boa Mansão is a merchantcenter. Much of the merchandise broughtin the region, including very secret loadsof cinnabar, pass through this city. Busi-ness is generally good with the Barony ofNarvaez, which often relies on Texeiras forits supplies of cinnabar.

Baron Bart �The Bald� is, however, in adifficult position because he must maintainhis borders with four powerful neighbors.All of them covet his rich capital, hisfleets, and his colonial holdings. The bar-ony�s overall population and land forcesremain rather light in comparison with itsneighbors. So far, diplomacy, bribery, andskillful political manipulation and assassi-nations have kept the status quo.

Torreón�capital: Ciudad de Leon (pop.:12,200, elven majority); ruler: BaronesaIsabel �La Terrible� de Torreón y Morales;typical NPC: proud, witty swordmaster.

This land-locked barony is notorious forits poverty. Doña Isabel�s great plan is tobuild up an army of conquistadors andeventually take over Texeiras and the RedLands. This policy has wrecked the localeconomy through excessive taxes. To date,most of Doña Isabel�s troops have beenneeded to garrison the outer limits of herterritory against brigands or humanoidraids. The remainder of the troops is usedto enforce that taking of unpopular taxesamong the population. Torreón presentlyis in the best position to overrun the RedLands� native inhabitants and seize itswealth of cinnabar.

The people of Torreón and Narvaez arerenown for their ability as fine warriors.They are the brave and passionate type:hot tempered, proud, and quick to crossrapiers at the least offense. Generations oftough and ruthless soldiers, raised from.the hardship of the borderlands, havehailed from these lands. Torreóners oftenseek employment elsewhere as profession-al mercenaries, including as marinesaboard Texeiran ships. Ciudad de Leonharbors a famous Guild of Swordmakerswhose red steel is the best, a prized itemfor any swordsman throughout the SavageCoast.

Narvaez�capital: Puerto Morillos (pop.:23,000); ruler: Baron Hugo �El Despiadado�de Narvaez y Montoya; typical NPC: de-vout and inflexible cleric.

This large barony is the only state thathasn�t ratified the Treaty of Tampicos. Ithas no common border with the RedLands and thus cannot directly competewith its neighbors. Fertile Narvaez is re-duced to trading food for cinnabar withany of its neighbors, usually Texeiras.Excess trading has occasionally provokedfamine and peasant revolts.

Baron Hugo �The Merciless� spendsmuch of whatever wealth remains to builda better war fleet. His goal is to break theTexeiran and Vilaverdan hegemony overthe seas. Although this is a large baronywith a higher population than its threeneighbors, its people suffer from excessivetaxation and a brutal rulership.

The powerful here, like the poor, remainprofoundly pious followers of their Im-mortal Patrons. Knights commonly go onquixotic quests to retrieve holy artifacts orbring the good word to faraway natives(with the help of their mighty swords).One such �recovered� artifact lies at theGrande Catedral de Ciudad Quimeras, aheavily fortified spot of constant pilgrim-age in the region. Immortal philosophy istaken excessively seriously in Narvaez, tothe point that anyone suspected of theleast heresy risks prompt imprisonment,ruthless �questioning,� and merciless exe-cution at the burning stake. Magic-users,elves, and druids should beware.

LettersI must inquire regarding the context of

issue #170�s visit to the Serpent Peninsula.The population and state of �Thanopolis�appears at odds with that described inmodule X6 Quagmire. Presumably theevents depicted in that module pre-date orpost-date the contemporary period of AC1,000 of the Gazetteers and the Voyage ofthe Princess Ark.

You are right: I deliberately took libertieswith the original settings. In researchingthat region and what obviously lay to thewest (Hule and the Savage Coast), it quick-ly became clear that there was very littleof interest there. I didn’t think anyonewould be particularly fascinated by thou-sands of miles of swamp, desert, and fea-

tureless plains with nobody around! Imade these changes in order to liven theplace up, and so mercilessly grafted ongeographical features and local cultures.At this point, it would be safe to assume allthese older modules took place at an earli-er period in time. I hope that by now youare no longer playing the characters fromthese modules (which are now out ofprint). If you do use those PCs and desireto use the information presented here,perhaps it is time to perform (gasp!) areality shift. Again, don't forget that thematerial presented here is only suggested.Please tell me if you want more of thisstuff.

I was slightly disappointed by the latestD&D module DDa3 Eye of Traldar. I hadhoped that a greater description of theBlack Eagle Barony and Fort Doom wouldhave been given. However, I suspect thatthis would have overloaded what wasintended as a Basic-level module. Is suchdetail being reserved for at least anExpert-level module? I am sure, however,that the forthcoming HWR series andGAZ14 will satisfy my thirst for morebackground on parts of the D&D gameworld.

Bingo! Aiming the module at novicegamers was indeed what affected DDa3.Please note that, for simplicity’s sake, thenew D&D boxed game deals exclusivelywith dungeons and does not mentionanything of the Known World. This is whywe could not expand on the subject of theBlack Eagle Barony DDa4 The DymrakDread (available in December 1991) will beaffected likewise. DDa4 will work betteras a novice module than DDa3, but it is notthe kind of product that experiencedgamers should look in to for backgroundinformation on the world.

This brings up a more important issue. (Ican already hear some grumbling outthere.) Please understand that the morenew gamers these types of products areable to bring in, the more likely we willlater be able to increase the number ofproducts that are so dear to you. There isgoing to be a lot of support for the newD&D boxed game within the next year. We

DRAGON 47

think that this is in both the D&D game'sand its loyal fans’ best interests in the longrun.

If you’re not sure which products sup-port the new D&D boxed game, simplylook on the front cover for a special icon.Those that come with an icon deal withthe D&D boxed game and are referred toas “Entry Level” products. If they do notshow an icon, they are for use with theRules Cyclopedia, the Known World, andthe HOLLOW WORLDTM set, as you nowknow them. These are referred to as�Champion Level� products. Starting withDDa4, a dragon icon indicates an adven-ture module; a sword-and-shield icondenotes a common supplement; a scroll(like on the side of the D&D boxed set)designates rules; and, finally, a castle indi-cates a special accessory containing 3-Dmaterial or special components.

The main problem that I have with anumber of Gazetteers is that they do notalways provide clear numbers for whatthe local armed forces are. For example, agood job was done with The Golden Khanof Ethengar, The Republic of Darokin, andThe Principalities of Glantri; however, thesame cannot be said about The Emirates ofYlaruam, The Northern Reaches, Dawn ofthe Emperors, and a number of others.Especially for the latter, whose empiresalways seem on the verge of a clash, thistype of omission is surprising. Other Ga-zetteers provide vague or conflicting infor-mation on military statistics. It would begood if you could provide this type ofinformation, as well as notes on how thenumbers break down among land, naval,aerial, or other types of military forces.

Good point. The different styles of themany authors who contributed to theGazetteers conflicted at times with the“Gazetteer mold.” Some of these acces-sories indeed missed military-related infor-mation but may have fared better in otherrespects. Sometimes, choices must bemade as to what best fits a product andthe talent of its author. What may be lack-ing in unerring consistency can often begained in the variety of approaches andstyles. Some of the information you seekcan be found in a chart at the bottom ofTM2 The Eastern Trail Map, but it will notsolve your problem entirely. It is not out ofthe question, however, for a complete anddetailed list of military forces to see printin 1992. More later on this.

Speaking of air fleets and treacherousThyatians, why do pegasi, rocs, and golddragons still stick around Thyatis? Thedragons would have to be paid, even thosebred from eggs. No human could possiblytame the older dragons, either, not withtheir centuries of life spans. The desire fortreasures in dragons is indomitable.

The treacherous side of the Thyatians, Iwould think, remains limited to theirnation’s higher spheres, such as the gov-ernment, merchants, and so forth. The

relationship between a Knight of the Airand a flying mount would be totally differ-ent. Imagine the moral and emotional tiesthat existed between a Roman general andhis legions, compared to that between aCaesar or his senators and a common footsoldier. Not the same, I would think.

But you are right in pointing out theneed for reasons that would keep thesecreatures in the service of the knights.These reasons might be ones personal tothe creatures, or some other powerfulbinding force. It could be interesting to seehow one could use dragons as warmounts, based on what was said in thearticle, “From Hatchling to ImmortalGuardian,” in DRAGON® issue #170.

I found a point of confusion in the pieceon �Cinnabryl�s darker uses� (�The Voyageof the Princess Ark,” DRAGON issue #172)about the number of points of Constitutionthat can be lost with one single dose ofessence of cinnabar. You say first thatanytime someone imbibes a dose of es-sence, one point of Constitution is lost. Afew paragraphs later, in the example, youthen say that reaching the second degreeof contamination causes two points to belost. Which is true?

Yes, one dose of essence causes the lossof one Constitution point. To reach thesecond degree, you would lose anotherpoint, for a final total of two points sinceyou started dabbling in cinnabryl use. It is

only the amount of depleted cinnabryl thatgets multiplied (you would deplete 200 Cifor the second degree, 300 Ci for the thirddegree, and so forth).

D R A G O N

The DARK SUN� novel line begins thismonth from TSR with the release of TheVerdant Passage, the first in the five-bookPrism Pentad. While this makes the seriesthe new kid on the block in TSR�s bookdepartment, don�t let that fool you. TroyDenning, author of the Prism Pentad, willbe doing his best to prove how strong�and dangerous�this world really is.

The Verdant Passage tells the story of arevolt in Tyr, a typical city-state on Athas.Three people from wildly different back-grounds are drawn into a plot to over-throw the city�s sorcerer-king: Rikus, theman-dwarf (mull gladiator who hopes towin his freedom; Sadira, the sultry sorcer-ess who seeks the most dangerous secretsof magic; and Agis, a maverick statesmanwho believes himself to be the people�schampion, until he encounters the VeiledAlliance.

You�ll be surprised by these intriguingcharacters and the well-developed settingyou�ll find in the novels, even if you�vealready picked up the game supplementsabout Athas. That�s one of the goals we�veset for the line of game and book products.If you�re a gamer, you�ll find information inthe novels to enhance your understandingof the world, information that won�t neces-sarily be covered in the game releases. Ifthe novels grab your attention first, you�llfind that the game supplements are loadedwith cool things about Athas, too.

And the DARK SUN world is definitely asurprising place.

World buildingAs you might have heard by now, the

DARK SUN world originated almost twoyears ago, when the TSR staff startedthinking about new fantasy worlds. Withthe WORLD OF GREYHAWK®,DRAGONLANCE®, and FORGOTTENREALMS® game worlds still on the marketand doing well, we all knew there was noneed to create another �standard� fantasyworld. To make a long story short, it wasdecided to exclude everything that couldbe considered �standard� from the DARKSUN world.

Armed with those simple guidelines,Timothy B. Brown and Troy Denning ofthe game department, and Mary Kirchoff,managing editor of the book department,held lunchtime brainstorming sessionsonce a week for a year. The first thingthey did was develop a detailed historythat proved instrumental in the creation ofthe DARK SUN worldas it exists now.

Athas: The new world on the blockby James Lowder

Unfortunately, we can�t say much aboutthis history at present, though it will berevealed in time. In fact, the heroes intro-duced in The Verdant Passage will havetheir own hands full uncovering the darksecrets of Athas�s past.

What we can say about the world that�Roy, Tim, and Mary developed is this: It�seasier to list what isn�t new about Athasthan what is. Psionics are common, butdragons are rarely seen. Magic no longeroffers power without a price, since eachspell cast drains life force from the worlditself. Halflings aren�t happy little thieves,but bloodthirsty cannibals. Above all,heroes tend to have short lives. Thisshouldn�t be much of a surprise once youconsider the fact that evil sorcerer-kingshold much of the power in the city-statesthat dot Athas�s wastelands. Naturally, theydon�t much care for would-be heroes.

A world destroyedThe challenge of exploring this new and

unique world in the first DARK SUN nov-els rests in the capable hands of veteranTSR author Troy Denning.

�As the author of the Prism Pentad, I�mexcited by the distinctiveness of theworld,� Troy notes. �Athas is unlike anyfantasy world that TSR has published. It�sa very harsh, foreboding place wheresimple survival is a struggle of epic pro-portions. I like to think of the DARK SUNworld as a sort of cross between a medi-eval European fantasy land and a postnu-clear, Road Warrior- type of place. Ofcourse, there are no nuclear bombs onAthas, but the analogy of a magnificentsociety destroyed by its own foolishness isan appropriate one, I think?

You might get the idea that Athas is atough place, and that�s exactly right. Thereare no easy paths to success under thedark sun; more precisely, the road to easypower is often through realms of dark-ness, since the sorcerer-kings who rule theplace are evil. Unlike the Realms or Krynn,Athas has no gods to serve as role-modelsfor would-be heroes.

�In many fantasy novels,� Troy adds,�good and evil are abstract camps that

exist before the story begins. The heroeschoose to side with �Good� because theywant society to prosper, and the villainsare labeled �Evil� because they don�t playby the rules of �decent� folk. On Athas,there are no such set camps, and thehandful of heroes who rise above thestruggle for survival must take a look atwhat is happening to their world anddecide for themselves where the best hopefor salvation lies. They�re the ones whodefine what is �Good and what is �Evil,� andit�s their determination to save themselvesand their fellow beings that will ultimatelydefine the morality of Athas.

�If the heroes choose well, the worldmight become a better place�well, a littlebetter anyway. If they choose poorly,Athas will continue to careen along on itsself-destructive course. To me, it is thischoice, and the lack of outside guidance inmaking it, that is the most startling thingabout the DARK SUN novels. It gives theheroes an added dimension of nobility thatwouldn�t exist if they knew what theywere supposed to do.�

More to comeDARK SUN fiction goes beyond the

Prism Pentad. In many game supplementsfor this world, you�ll find DARK SUN shortstories. Timothy Brown, the group leaderin charge of DARK SUN game productsand a member of the original design team,notes that the short stories are tailor-madefor the adventures. They are meant to�bring to life some aspect of Athasian lifethat isn�t dealt with in the novels. Eachstory also serves as a �flavor piece,� writtento set the mood and the tone of the im-pending game adventure. As such, playersand DMs alike can�and should�read theshort stories before play.�

Be prepared for plenty of surprises inthe novels and short stories. The verynature of the DARK SUN world lends itselfto twists and turns of plot and character.Often, things are not quite what they seemto be, and Athas is filled with ancientmysteries that can overturn even the mostcarefully laid plots. In each book of thePrism Pentad, the heroes discover some-thing new that will eventually help themlearn the secret of Athas�s past�a secretthat contains the key to saving the future.

The new kids from Athas are anxious toprove that they�re no wimps, and if a fewbodies get stacked up along the waywell, that�s the way things work in the

land of the dark sun.

50 OCTOBER 1991

DRAGON 51

he guards at the gate are men-mountains. They carry curved steelswords in their belts and they eye allpassers through the gates as thoughthey be thief or beggar, which ofcourse many are. Every so often, theystop a cart or wagon and poke tridents

or swords into the hay or what-have-you. Sometimes ahowling, wounded miscreant bursts forth to be dragged offto the Major of the Guard�s torture dungeon. It is a pun-ishable offense for anyone to try to sneak into the city, andthis fact is posted out and down the roads away from thegates for those who can read to read.

And I�thief, low-born wanderer, son of a mountainwoman and a flatlander soldier, created as I was amidst thesmoke and fire of a burning village�walk past the gateguards, ignoring their comments about the shabbiness ofmy thobe and gutra. I have donned with purpose the head-rag and robe of a pauper. They call attention away from theblue eyes that would mark me instantly as being from otherthan the city or surrounding desert. Those eyes make mememorable, a thing I do not wish to be.

I am Wahid, pickpocket, master thief. Well, perhapsthat is immodest. I am Wahid, cutpurse, burglar, liberatorof coin and jewel from the ownership of those too tight toshare with the likes of me. I promote charity in thewealthy�the gods look favorably upon those who givegenerously to the poor (even if involuntarily). No meregate guard may stand between me and the fat wallets ofthe city. Still, this is no place for arrogance, and my low-ered head offers them the illusion of respect. I pass with-out being stopped.

Though I have not been here before, I am well ac-quainted with this city. It was here, two years ago, mybrother Ali was executed in the Square of Justice for steal-ing the purse of a noble. The laws are unforgiving. Ahand severed for stealing bread, an arm for stealing acoin. For a purse, a head. Poor Ali; he always was a littledull witted.

I make my way through the fruit bazaar, which is theclosest to the gate of all the venues frequented by dwellers-outside-the-city-who-shop-within, which is what I haverepresented myself to be. I can feel the eyes of one of thegate guards on me as I cross the square. I reach into mythobe and fetch forth a copper, choose a small basket ofdates, and pay for it, a move that allows me a sidewaysglance to see if the guard has indeed followed me beyondthe gate. He has but turns away, apparently satisfied as tomy intentions.

I melt into the crowds now and allow the movement ofthe multitude to carry me deeper into the city. Severaltargets tempt me, but I am after bigger game than smallpurses of dubious coins carried by ordinaries who haveearned them by sweat. No, cutpursing in crowded streetsis an open invitation to a beheading, as I pointed out tomy late brother no small number of times. How carelessthese people are, though. It is such a temptation.

My quarry lies beyond the first level of the city, on thestreet of nobles at city center, on the hill that commands aview of the entire wall and all who dwell within. My targetis a merchant, an owner of caravans, a dealer of spice and

TheBlue-EyedThief

By Bob Liddil

Illustrations by Robert Klasnich

DRAGON 53

a lover of precious things. It is for these precious thingsthat I have traveled far and risked much.

The sun crosses the sky and stretches the shadows indifferent directions as I make my way through the streets,working inward at increasing risk of discovery. Now, theshabbiness of my clothing works against rather than forme, calling attention to who I am in relation to where Iam. I cannot allow myself to become too noticeable, andso I duck into an alley. I disappear from the main thor-oughfare and blend into the deepening shadows. I amclose now. There is plenty of time for movement later.

I spot the unlocked cellar door of what looks like a little-used building, and I decide to slip inside. I am safe here.As I close the door above me, I get the feeling that I amindeed safe. I have had a long walk to and into the city,and I shall allow myself the luxury of a brief nap. I mustbe alert for what I am about after the sun goes down.

A noise awakens me. It is the merest crunch of a foot-step on sand, but I am instantly alive and ready. I peerthrough cracks in the old door, and I see that dark is notquite arrived, but dusk is heavy. I can make out two fig-ures walking in the alley toward me. One is tall, heavilybearded, and wearing the yellow kafiyah of a city mar-shall. The other is younger, smaller, and his skullcap isred, that of a lawmaker. They are discussing a thing that Icannot quite make out, arguing and joking. Obviously,they are friends.

They are joined unexpectedly and quickly, from out ofthe shadows, by three armed men: two with short swords,one with a crossbow. It is a robbery. Curse the bad luckthat has placed me near it, for I will surely be blamed if Iam caught for any other offense related to this part of thecity.

The tone of the conversation changes dramatically. Theyounger man argues with the thieves. This is stupid. If Iallow this to go on, someone will surely die�me mostlikely�or that loudmouth of a lawmaker.

I am no fighter. I depend on stealth and I have neverslain anyone. But I burst from my hiding place like thedemon itself. Screaming like a madman I rush toward thethieves and their would-be victims as though I were at-tacking with a force of ten and the strength of twenty.

The one with the crossbow fires his bolt over my headby accident. It worked. I unnerved him. The marshall iswell armed and takes advantage of the commotion to drawhis blade. Everyone has his hands full. No need for mehere. I vacate the alleyway, leaving all to their fate. Pre-cious dark is near, and I am urgently needing to be some-where else very quickly.

As the sun flees, I make my way through the upperinner avenues that leads to the street of nobles. It is com-pletely dark by the time I reach where I am going. Thelights in the great house are gone out and I, master ofstealth, creep through the courtyard and enter.

I have shucked my beggar�s togs in favor of a thobe andgutra of raven�s-wing black. These render me invisible toeven the practiced eye. Here there are no eyes watching.There is no guard standing across the door. This merchantbelieves he is protected by the laws of the city�those lawsdo not protect him from me. What is his is mine, and Ichoose freely from among the finest jewels he has. These

54 OCTOBER 1991

rich, they are all the same. They gather hoards of treasurefor the taking and then whine when I do. My belly growls.Before I depart, I take some dates and a bit of bread.Then, like a black ghost, I am gone.

The sun is my enemy, but I cannot avoid it. I havediscarded the burglar�s uniform of the night in favor ofless obtrusive attire than that of either thief or beggar. Toexit the city requires only that I walk past the gate guardsand out onto the outer highway. I must avoid direct eyecontact, but at the same time, in this costume, I cannotwalk with my head down, for it is not in keeping withwhom I pretend to be.

I move casually past the date stand of yesterday, in thefruit bazaar, and stroll purposefully toward the gate. I ampleased to see that today�s guards are not the same asyesterday�s. That makes things less complicated. My es-cape is almost complete.

�Hold on, my friend,� comes a voice from behind me,a cultured voice. �How have I offended you that youwould take leave without saying farewell?�

My voice flees, and with it any answer.�Surely,� he continues, �you will allow me to make

amends for my poor hospitality of last evening by offeringyou a noon meal.�

I stare straight ahead. My knees are knocking in fear.The man who speaks is the owner of the house I haverobbed. I have his gold and jewels strapped to my body ona belt underneath my robe.

�Do you not see that I wish to make amends for mylack of manners?� he pleads in such a voice that others arebeginning to take notice. If I do not act, mine will be aface to remember. I turn with a smile of recognition onmy face.

�Of course.� I manage to find my voice now. �Howthoughtless of me to allow you to bear such guilt. I willaccompany you, so that we may come to an understand-ing by which we may part more amicably.�

Together we depart the city gate. Before I can offerprotest, he hails a cart-for-hire and we ride the distance incomfort that I covered yesterday with such difficulty.When we arrive, he pays the driver with a single silvercoin and, to that worthy�s delight, waves off any copperscoming in change. I am ushered, by way of the front door,into that place which I entered by stealth before today�ssun. I am trapped and I know it.

I am Wahid, honored house guest. Fifteen days havepassed since I entered the home of my host, and he hastreated me most elegantly. I have been presented with themost succulent dates, the finest wine, the most aromaticbreads that any stolen wealth could have bought. I havewitnessed supple dancers, decked in golden bands andjeweled silks, smiling at me through their gyrations. Ihave shared in the fruits of the very wealth I so freelystole�freely given from the victim to the thief. I am Wa-hid, not respected by myself.

As many years as I have been walking, I have been athief. I have stolen for every crumb of bread I have evereaten. At no time, until now, have I ever seen the face ofmy victim for more than a split second. Now, I find thismerchant to be undeserving of the hatred I have always

felt for his kind. There is no repentance in me for the life Ihave lived, and yet I find myself crying out for forgive-ness. I cry out for an end to this undeserved graciousness.

Who is this Wahid who has removed the belt from hiswaist that contains his death sentence? He presents thebelt to his host.

�I have stolen these things from you,� I hear this un-known Wahid say, �and I am sorry that I have done this.At no time in this life have I met anyone who did notserve only himself. But you, I think, possess qualities Idesire in myself. I am better for confessing this crime andshall steal no more.� So saying, I place my life in hishands, not wishing to continue life as Wahid the thief.

An expert in gold and jewels, as well as spices and silks,I am Wahid the merchant. Fifteen years have passed sinceI departed the house of my benefactor, he who taught methe art of caravan trading with distant cities. I am widelyknown for my honesty and my astute sense of bargaining.It is known, but less widely, that my prowess at identifyingthe value of precious stones was acquired as a thief in mymuch younger days. Ah, but then, aren�t all merchantsthieves at heart? We are, if the customer in the market-place would be believed.

I am not unmindful of my past, and I am not carelessconcerning my future. That which is the bulk of my for-tune is sequestered in a vault under heavy guard, alongwith the fortunes of many others of my trade. I do, how-

ever, keep many pretty gems and unusual artifacts withinmy house on the street of nobles.

Last night I was paid a visit by a thief. He was youngand he was quiet and he wore the invisible robes of a blackcat. He escaped into the night carrying a good treasure,and at this moment he believes he was completely unob-served. I have alerted the guards at the gate by which hewill try to leave.

I am standing near the date stand in the fruit bazaar,waiting for him to make his exit from the city. Ah, therehe is now. Will he panic and run? Does he have the cour-age to turn and face me? We shall soon see.

�Hold on, my friend,� I hear Wahid the merchant say.�How have I offended you that you take leave withoutsaying farewell?�

He stops. He does not turn around. As I continue tospeak familiar words, I can sense the fear pulsing throughhim. When I fall silent to give him his chance, there is thelongest hesitation. Then he turns to face me. He is thefirst one to have done so in all the time I have followedthieves to this gate.

By the gods. His eyes are blue.He says, �Of course,� and smiles tightly. �How

thoughtless of me.�And so closes the circle.

DRAGON 55

Take part in a quest for glory

Reviews

Quest For Glory II: Trial byFire * * * * *

Sierra (209-683-4468)PC/MS-DOS version $59.95

We recently revisited Sierra�s homeground in Oakhurst, Calif. Our previousvisit was eight years ago on an editorialassignment for Softalk magazine. SierraOn-Line, then a fledgling company, housedless than 100 employees. Now it is burst-ing at the seams with more than 400 per-sonnel, including those in the U.K. andJapan!

The company�s dramatic growth in thelast couple of years has been fueledthrough the production of topnotch games,which include the highly awarded King�sQuest series by Roberta Williams, SpaceQuest, and Police Quest. The company�s

acquisition of Dynamix and its blend ofadventure, action, and fantasy role-playingofferings makes Sierra one of the leadersin the software entertainment industry.

We chatted with the designers of theoriginal Quest For Glory: So You Want ToBe A Hero (QFGI), learning more about thedevelopment of the sequel reviewed be-low, Quest for Glory II: Trial by Fire(QFGII). Lori and Corey Cole are avid

Computer games� ratings

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

Not recommendedPoorFair

GoodExcellent

Superb

Quest For Glory II:Trial by Fire(Sierra)

fantasy role-playing game players, havingbeen involved in FRPGs for over a decade.They tackle game development with asomewhat different perspective than othercomputer game programmers, and designentertainments that are immediately ofliking to gamers. Their games use �prac-tice makes perfect� character progression:The more your character uses his skills,the better he becomes with those skills.However, the truest expression of the waythey create a game is that they want theplayer to �have a good feeling about him-self and not have the gamer fight with thecomputer, but rather have it be his friend,�according to Corey.

�There is no passivity in Quest for GloryII,” said Corey, who has been a program-mer for the past 10 years. �Our gamesinvolve puzzle solving and character devel-opment. We want the player to truly iden-

DRAGON 57

Quest For Glory II: Trial by Fire (Sierra)

Quest For Glory II: Trial by Fire (Sierra)

tify with the character on the screen.�Lori, who writes the screens and the

manuals, added, �It�s important to have abalanced game. The character should beenabled to surmount an initially perceivedimpossible challenge and survive. Theplayer feels good about accomplishing thisfeat.�

�We don�t want the player to becomefrustrated,� Corey adds. �The DM�s playbalance is important. In many computer-based role-playing games, certain experi-ence levels aren�t attainable except bycheating, and that is discouraging. Toomany computer games are really impos-sible for characters of the first or secondlevel to survive. That doesn�t happen withthe Quest series.�

The third QFG scenario should be out inthe summer of 1992, say the Coles. Futuretrends for FRPG offerings include multi-media and CD-ROM games.

Corey and Lori have an enormous senseof dedication to ensuring their adventuresare highly satisfying to the player. Theycertainly have succeeded with QFGII. Theonly disappointment we have about QFGIIis that it does not offer VGA graphics. The16-color EGA display is all you�ll get withyour VGA board installed. According tothe Coles, this is because QFGII required

58 OCTOBER 1991

18 months of development; when theystarted designing the game, EGA was thestandard display mode. Few thought VGAwould make such a successful incursioninto the installed base of PC/MS-DOS com-puter owners. (They added that QFGII isthe last EGA game Sierra will release. Allfuture offerings will fully support VGA256-color.)

QFGII will certainly appeal to traditionalAD&D® game players. You simply cannotjust stand still and wait for an encounter;you must go out and find stuff. If youdon�t, you won�t enjoy the game. It re-quires that you become the character.Here�s a synopsis of the plot:

Back in QFGI, you are assumed to haveforce Baba Yaga from the valley and thetown of Spielburg. During that adventure,you made friends with several characters,including the kattas Shema and Shameen(kattas are feline humanoids) and themerchant Abdulla Doo.

Now, it�s off on Abdulla�s magic carpet tothe city of Shapeir, planning on restingyour adventure-weary bones. After all,becoming a hero is tough work! Unfortu-nately, such is not to be. Shapeir is thetwin city of Raseir, which lies to the southacross a vast desert. Built around kattasettlements, the cities are mirror images ofeach other.

But many thousands of years ago, Iblis, amarid (the most powerful of the magical,shape-changing djinn), decided it was timeto turn all mankind into slaves. He built amammoth city in the desert, now knownas the Forbidden City, and tried to sum-mon djinn to be his army. However, thesultan Suleiman bin Daoud didn�t believethat was such a great idea, and he sum-moned all of the magical djinn he could tohis side. A war ensued with Iblis beingdefeated and bound into the form of astatue that remains in some ruins nearRaseir.

It seems as though the current Emir of

Raseir has suddenly disappeared, andthere are some disturbing tales aboutwhat is going on in the southern city.Guess who is going to solve the mystery?

You may play QFGII with your characterfrom QFGI or start fresh with a new char-acter. You must select one of three profes-sions: fighter, magic-user, or thief. Shouldyou complete the game using this charac-ter, a great feature of QFGII is that you canreplay the game twice more in the role ofthe other professions. You�ll find that thesolutions to puzzles and other factors dochange depending upon your occupation.

The city of Shapeir is quite a changefrom the medieval European location ofQFGI. You feel as though you have beentransported to the Arabian Knights. (Themusic is well scored and plays extremelywell through the Roland MIDI sound sys-tem.) The streets are a real maze, but ifone learns how to use the enclosed map,you can find your way around fairly easilyafter only a couple false starts. As usual,save your game at every opportunity.

QFGII does not use the new parser sys-tem employed by the King�s Quest games.You must type in your commands. Weadvise you talk to everyone you meet, andfollow-up on your initial questions. AsQFGII is time based, certain events arebest accomplished on or before specificdates. A map and a compass would help,but none of the street hawkers or shopvendors seem to want your Spielburgcash!

There are special guilds for each of theprofessions. Ask the locals for informationabout these areas. (The command �Askabout,� followed by the name of the itemyou are inquiring about, always elicits aresponse.)

You�ll eventually need to obtain a well-trained saurus to traverse the desert.You�ll also need an ample supply of foodand water. Be warned: There are somereally nasty creatures out in the dunes,and not all threats are sand based. Lookfor exciting times with earth, air, water,and fire elementals! Listen to the nativeswhen they discuss how to handle thesecreatures. You�ll also find humans,gnomes, centaurs, and liontaurs hangingabout as well. And don�t miss entering theharem or listening to the poet. Oh, yes,you�ll find that cash is extremely handy. Ifyou don�t have enough of the stuff, per-haps you should take on an add assign-ment or two from NPCs you meet.

QFGII is a highly playable and enjoyablefantasy role-playing game. For those whohaven�t played QFGI, don�t fret, there is norequirement that you do so before tack-ling QFGII. The evil city of Raseir willrequire that you hone your character�sskills for any chance of success, so that theold adage that practice makes perfect isquite applicable here. The Coles havecreated a great follow-up to QFGI. QFGIIrequires a great deal of player interaction,is highly entertaining, and could quitepossibly become a classic FRPG. You ought

to check it out at your retailers for inclu-sion in your PC/MS-DOS library.

By the way, QFGI and QFGII will both beupgraded to VGA versions early next year.You can also expect QFGIII to be releasedin VGA format.

Cybergenic Ranger: Secret of theSeventh Planet *

Symtus (phone n/a)PC/MS-DOS version Price n/a

Your parents launched you out of aspacecraft to save you from renegaderobots, just as these metal miscreantsstormed into the vessel and killed yourfolks. However, you were wounded duringthe ensuing battle and hovered near deathuntil someone found you. Cybergenicenhancements to your body saved you,turning you into the Cybergenic Ranger,ready to battle the renegade robots.

Unfortunately, some good graphics andmusic cannot save you from the boredomof this game. There are only two actionscreens, and they are controlled by thekeyboard only! Your ship starts off with noweaponry at all, so you have to searchplanets to find items that will enable yourship to become more powerful. Thesespace scenes are extremely slow and looklike a space game from the early �80s withVGA graphic support added.

Asteroid fields are virtually impossible tododge. The response time between hittingthe space bar to fire your lasers and de-stroying the asteroids or other obstacles isso slow that the objects usually hit you.There is also no selection as to the geo-graphical areas where you can pilot yourship. The computer automatically zips youto the next planet or place of interest, andall you can do is sit back and try to avoidbeing killed.

Beaming into other ships or onto planetsis not much better. The scene changesfrom a first-person perspective to a sideview. The graphics are a bit better, but theaction is still boring and slow. Your charac-ter can jump, kneel, and shoot at a varietyof creatures that sometimes simply appearout of nowhere. An energy bar at the topof the screen reflects how much damageyou can sustain before dying. Creatures,after being killed, sometimes leave energyor objects lying about that you can pick upto aid your quest. After moving and shoot-ing your way to your goal, you mightencounter a boss who must be eliminatedbefore you can proceed.

Cybergenic Ranger has a good sound-track and some great, still-scene VGAgraphics. The graphics for the action se-quences and the mechanics of the se-quences themselves are poor. We becamefrustrated and bored after playing thisgame for a couple of hours. There are farbetter spaceflight simulators from compan-ies like Origin, and much better horizontalscrolling shoot-�em-ups from Psygnosis.Don�t waste your money on this one.

F29 Retaliator (Ocean Software)

F29 Retaliator * * * *

Ocean Software (Elec. Arts: 415-571-7171)Amiga version $49.95

If you would really enjoy flying a jetcombat simulator, but wouldn�t like thecomplex stark realism of higher-pricedsimulators, F29 Retaliator is for you. Youcan simply sit down and start flying with-out having to learn complex commands,and go head-to-head against enemy fight-ers without first researching complexweapon systems.

F29 Retaliator cuts corners in its attemptto bring flight simulation to Amiga gamers.When you fly away from your selectedcombat theater, you are so informed andthe terrain below your jet becomes fea-tureless. You have numerous flight andweapons capabilities, all accessiblethrough the keyboard. A command refer-ence on a sheet of paper is included withthe simulation and proves that this flightsimulator is one that is easy to play.

When you start the game, you may findyourself immediately heading for theground. The game requires that you indi-cate your control method. We prefer usingthe Amiga mouse, so the minute the�crash� exercise started, we had to pressthe M key to gain control of our F29. Yourfirst few flights may seem to be an exer-cise in futility as you learn your waythrough the controls (you�ll crash a lot),but once you get the hang of it, F29 offersexciting flights and combat scenarios. Over100 missions in four battle scenarios areavailable to test your piloting expertise.

The game also features multiple externaland internal views. This offering presentssome complex operations with an easy-to-fly simulator presenting the highest state-of-the-art aircraft. If you�re into flightsimulators, better try this one out at yourdealer.

Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega)

Sonic the HedgehogSega (415-508-2800)Sega Genesis version

* * * * *

$54.95

Every game machine seems to have amascot character that, sooner or later,becomes the star of a smash home videogame. Nintendo has Mario, the Turbo-Graphx has Bonk, but what about theGenesis? Well, look no further than Sonicthe Hedgehog, now the mascot for theSega Genesis. Better than that, he has avideo game that is a visual spectacle.

Dr. Ivo Robotnik, a mad scientist, hasturned innocent animals into evil robots. Itis Sonic�s job to travel through six levels,each consisting of three acts, to stop Ro-

DRAGON 59

original PC/MS-DOS versions. We�ll cover

Sonic the Hedgehog (Sega)

botnik and free the animals from theirmechanical prisons. How can Sonic com-plete this monumental task? With SuperSpeed and Super Sonic Spin attacks, that�show. As Sonic moves around the wonder-fully animated and colorful backgrounds,he encounters Robotnik�s minions. Whenyou press down on the control pad, Sonicrolls into a ball that can smash throughthe robot and release the poor animaltrapped inside.

To achieve Super Speed while Sonic iswalking, hold down the left or right con-troller and he runs faster than any othervideo character we have seen. This en-ables him to jump farther, avoid traps, andfind beneficial items.

Sonic has only three chances to com-plete the adventure, but �continues� canbe found in the game that allow you toforge on, smashing robots. At the end ofeach level, Sonic must face Robotnik, whouses a mechanical device. Sonic must usehis Super Sonic Spin attack several timesin order to destroy the device and hold offRobotnik for yet another level.

Spikes, lava, the robots, and other vari-ous Anti-Sonic devices are present. If Sonictouches one of these devices, he loses oneof his three chances to complete the game.However, Sonic can pick up rings thatprotect him. If he runs into an obstaclewhile carrying rings, he will be safe, butthe rings might fall off Sonic. By pickingup 100 rings, Sonic adds one extra chanceto complete the game. Other items thatSonic can find include a shield that pro-tects him and his rings from being at-tacked, power sneakers that make Sonicrun even faster, invincibility for a setamount of time, and a bonus stage.

The bonus stage is called a secret zone,and it can be found only by exploring.Inside the zone is a chaos-filled world thatallows Sonic a chance to rack up points

62 OCTOBER 1991

and extra chances. To add to the confu-sion, the background here is almost hyp-notic to watch. Combining these twoeffects makes escape a most difficult taskfor Sonic to complete.

In order for Sonic to leave a secret zone,he must either find the goal sign or pickup a chaos emerald. Other objects insidethe secret zone include bumpers, 1-Ups,jump stands, and blocks that reverse therotation of the secret zone or speed up orslow down the rotation. This is a verydifficult part of the adventure, but withpractice you can make it.

The graphics and animation in Sonic theHedgehog make this a serious contenderfor the best video game of the year. Thecartoonlike animation of Sonic is incredi-ble. When he is running very fast, Sonic�slegs turn into circles, like those of theRoad Runner. Moving too close to an edgehas Sonic precariously balancing on it withone leg. The detail is excellent, from thebackgrounds to the innocent-looking ani-mals that run off the screen when Sonicdestroys a robot. The sound is great aswell. Some serious programming wentinto the making of Sonic the Hedgehog.

This is a very addicting game, becauseyou cannot find all the hidden power-upsand secrets in one sitting. Each act hasseveral different places to visit, and Sonichas various methods he can use to findthese locales. It may take a while to findan area best for the hedgehog to enter.Younger kids will love this one as much asan older audience. This is the best charac-ter game yet released by Sega�a hat�s tipto Sega for a job well done.

Game conversionsSeveral recent software conversions

have come to our attention, most ported tothe Macintosh or the Amiga from their

the more outstanding software entertain-ments here.

Gunboat * * *

Accolade (408-985-1700)Amiga version $49.95Original review: DRAGON® issue #159

This is a good conversion. The graphicsare not quite as good as we had expectedthem to be on the Amiga, but perhapsthat�s because the VGA graphics on PC/MS-DOS machines is so much better thanwhat was available earlier on those com-puters. Sound effects may be turned off,but we found the gunboat�s engine noise agood game enhancement as it let us know,without a doubt, when we had increasedor lowered our speed.

Gunfire from the machine gun in thebow seems somewhat slow when com-pared to incoming rounds. Also, there is atendency for far-off terrain to suddenlyarch on the screen. What before lookedlike green jungle on the horizon suddenlyarched up as though it were an openingdrawbridge, flickered momentarily, thendisappeared. This also happened with acouple of hootches and some of the water.Obviously, some of the pixels have a mindof their own and decided to portray them-selves in this manner due to some minorfaulty algorithm for perspective views ofdistant terrain.

As with the original PC/MS-DOS version,our main complaint is the lack of realismof the enemy soldiers, as they stand on theshoreline along the river to fire at a PBR,then remain standing there when the PBRreturns fire!

The missions are quite exciting, and theAmiga interface allows for either keyboard or joy stick play. Too bad the mousecouldn�t have been incorporated as theinput/output device of choice.

Harpoon * * * * *

Three-Sixty (Elec. Arts 415-571-7171)Amiga version $59.95Original review: DRAGON issue #156

Harpoon remains one of the best war-game programs ever created. We rated theMacintosh version highly; the Amiga ver-sion is certainly well coded, although weoccasionally found the switch betweendifferent windows somewhat slow.

Harpoon also happens to be one of themost complex war simulations offered.Dealing with submarine warfare is no easytask for any simulation, and Harpoonfeatures every possible detail you couldwish for in such an environment. Theincluded tutorial is well written and cov-ers the major features of the simulation.However, the massive operations manual(about 200 pages long) will become a con-stant reference for you as you play moreadvanced scenarios.

Harpoon is thoroughly engrossing, butbe forewarned that you have a great dealto learn before you can even think ofbecoming an accomplished NATO com-

mander. The release of additional sce-narios make Harpoon one of those highgaming/dollar-value ratio offerings thatshould be located somewhere in yoursoftware library.

Railroad Tycoon * * * * *

MicroProse (301-771-6717)Macintosh version $59.95Original review: DRAGON issue #165

We are annoyed�not at MicroProse forreleasing this railroad-empire simulation inMacintosh format, but at ourselves forspending so much time involved in itsenvironment, Playing Railroad Tycoon onthe Macintosh has put severely us behindin our review cycle. It�s more than fun�it�saddictive!

We took our first look at Railroad Ty-coon in its PC/MS-DOS format and enjoyedit. In fact, it won our Beastie Award forbest simulation of 1990. The Macintoshversion offers both game and graphicimprovement. One warning to those whoare running less powerful Macs: Watch forslower game operation as you build moretracks and run more trains.

The more noticeable improvements inthe Macintosh version include an interfacethat is totally operable with the mouse.There is no keyboarding at all. All of theinformation screens, displays, and gamereports now open in Macintosh windows.Plus, you can change the more importantwindows (Display, Train Roster, and WordView) into any size you wish to fit on thescreen. We found that having the TrainRoster running as a window below theDisplay window was very convenient. Thisallowed us to view a train�s compositionwithout opening up an individual traininformation window. With the reducedarea display indicating all shipments wait-ing at various terminals, stations, anddepots, you can command your empire forseveral minutes without switching win-dows, making changes to trains as neededwith the click of the mouse.

There is also a new window called theRegional Display Plus. This is a four-to-oneexpansion of the Regional Display thatreveals the entire world you�ve selectedfor your railroad empire (Europe, En-gland, Eastern United States, or WesternUnited States). You can also dissolve arailroad if its value becomes one of dimin-ishing returns, and you can declare bank-ruptcy (which increases to 1% yourinterest cost for selling new bonds). Carcosts go up only when the number of carswith your train are increased, and you canuse the Command-F command to find anycity in your area of the world that youwish. A complete list of all cities can befound in the back of the exhaustive andextremely well-written user�s manual. Youcan invest in only one other railroad at theInvestor and Financier difficulty levels (theother two levels are Mogul and Tycoon),and you maximize your empire at 32trains, 32 depots/stations/terminals, or 96signal towers/depots/stations/terminals.

In our estimation, Railroad Tycoon hasimproved upon its PC/MS-DOS beginnings.If you own or have access to a Macintoshwith color capabilities, you absolutely haveto purchase this simulation. We have yetto see a better game conversion this year!

Wizardry: Bane of the CosmicForge * * * *

Sir-Tech Software (315-393-6451)Macintosh version $59.95Original review: DRAGON issue #168

Sir-Tech has ported this great fantasyrole-playing game to the Macintosh. Thecompany ported a bit too much of the IBMfeel of the game in the process; nonethe-less, the overall game play and mechanicsof the new version of this soon-to-be clas-sic software-based FRPG make it the bestof the series, and the Macintosh versionshould be acquired by all Mac gamers.

The new game is not just a facelift fromthe other Wizardry scenarios, but is a totalchange. Users can select from 11 races,with professions including the fighter,mage, priest, thief, ranger, alchemist, bard,psionic, valkyrie, bishop, lord, samurai,monk, and ninja. Spell-casters ultimatelyhave 77 spells to chose from, from therealms of Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Mental,and Magic. Spell-casters aren�t limited inthis game by the number of spells that canbe cast in a day, but each does have acertain number of spell points that aredifferent for each realm. Combat involvesmany calculations, as many as 100 for oneswing of a sword. When encounteringhostile creatures, characters can choose tofight (using a number of methods), parry,change equipment, cast a spell, use anitem, change position within the ranks,hide, run, and (for dracons) breathe acid.

Bane of the Cosmic Forge has superbgame mechanics and difficult puzzles thatwill occupy most gamers for a long time.This game is well worth the investment.The only problems we had with the portto the Macintosh was that the graphicsand the game itself were identical to theIBM EGA version. Even the file namescarry their PC/MS-DOS extensions, such as.ega or .cga or .pic. No enhancementswere made to access the color capabilitiesof the Macintosh II family of computers.

The graphics are not the best we haveseen, but the game kept us questing forhours and days on end. It is good to seeSir-Tech porting over its better role-playing games for Macintosh gamers. Thisadventure is a big plus to any FRPG play-er�s library.

LettersEric Rosenberger of Falls Church, Va.,

seems to be the only one who caught thepublisher�s name error in issue #169,though perhaps others thought the listedname of �Psychosis� made sense. Ourapologies to Psygnosis, the publisher ofboth Shadow of the Beast and Shadow ofthe Beast II.

Todd Drexel of Colorado is in dire needof some Dragon Wars help. �Please tell mehow to get the magic boots and how toenter the College of Magic. I know that Ihave to be in the northwest corner of thecity of the Yellow Mud Toad and that Ihave to raise the toad, but I don�t knowhow to do that! At the College of Magic, Ican use the spectacles and enter the roomwith the flame, but I�m not sure what Ihave to do to get past it. Thanks!� Let�s seewho answers Todd�s call expeditiously!

Clue corner

Bard�s �Me I (Electronic Arts)This clue is for the PC/MS-DOS version

of the game only. When you leave theAdventurer�s Guild, press the Z key. Astone elemental will join your party. Themost hit points this elemental will possessare 33, but if he dies, all you have to do ispress the Z key once again and he�s back.

Shane HendersonNewmarket, Ontario

Battletech (Infocom/Activision)The following is a hint list for the combi-

nations of the doors in the cache:

Red Blue Yellow1 3 52 7 18

15 14 1113 31 429 12 625 33 1020 27 2217 19 2628 24 168 9 21

30 23 32

Roger BockMelbourne, Australia

BUCK ROGERS®: Countdown toDoomsday (SSI)

1. Should you manage to enter the Des-ert Runner Village, make certain you jointhe band of warriors. They�ll be support-ive when the RAM forces attack. You�vegot to give the females and the cubsenough time to escape through the tun-nels.

2. In order to enter the Mercurian Mari-posa, you�ll have to find a Retinal Lock-pick. Perhaps the father of a Lowlanderchild can help you in this endeavor.

3. Find the airshafts in the Spyship.They�ll allow you access to decks onethrough nine.

The Lessers

Curse of the Azure Bonds (SSI)1. In the sewers of Tilverton, when you

get to the room with the otyugh shapingdung into artistic features, agree to get thefood. Don�t bother with the shiny thing,it�s not that valuable. Get out of the roomand go west as far as you can before head-

DRAGON 63

ing south; remember, keep to the west.You may have to fight at a checkpoint, butyou�ll avoid a fight with some neo-otyughs.

2. Make certain you have a female onyour team for the drow elf caves outsideHap. Walk west and through the archwayto the south. Don’t attack! You�ll save your-self a lot of unnecessary battles with pa-trols if you keep your swords sheathed.

3. On top of Dracandros�s Tower, parlaywith the dragons to reassure them you arenot going to kill them. Don�t worry, Dra-candros will still be awaiting you in thecourtyard.

4. If you have Minor Globe of Invulnera-bility on someone, a beholder�s gaze won�taffect that character. Just don�t cast DispelMagic near that character.

For those who are running the game ona C64/128 computer, obtain a programcalled Di-Sector. With it, you can changethe file names of your Pool of Radiancecharacters to Curse of the Azure Bondscharacter files. This way, you�ll get all ofthe equipment you had in Pool. Also, all ofyour Wands of Magic Missiles becomeWands of Minor Globes of Invulnerability!

Erik MyersSt. Agatha ME

Drakkhen (Draconian) (Paragon)1. Be certain to check your character

sheets often; you�ll note that your charac-ters tend to pick up items.

2. Some items have the same name butdiffer in their amount of protection. Thereare two cuirasses, three different buck-lers, two types of dresses, and three dis-tinct helmets.

3. There is a most valuable item hiddenfrom view by Prince Hordtken.

4. The more expensive buckler and theshield provide identical protection; shopwisely!

5. Remember, time heals all wounds.6. The Swordsmith in the Icelands has

only one of some items. Decide who reallyneeds that item the most, or who can useit most effectively.

7. There are certain birdlike creatures inthe marsh whose death rewards you withan extraordinary amount of gold.

Nathan ScottSpearsville LA

Ultima VI (Origin)1. In the gargoyle city, go as far south as

you can. Then proceed east until you finda dungeon. In the dungeon, Captain Johnewill give you a scroll. This scroll allowsyou to communicate with the gargoyles.

2. Near the dungeon is the house of agargoyle with whom you must speak.Remember his name, Valkadesh. Follow hisinstructions to find the gargoyle leader.Surrender to the leader and find Naxatilor.Obey Naxatilor�s commands. Once youhave found and restored the gargoyle lens,go to the Lycaeum. Find Epheridemes andask him to make a concave lens. Give hima glass sword, and he will make the lens.

3. Go to Sutek�s Isle. Blow up his front

64 OCTOBER 1991

door and use a Telekinesis spell to lowerthe drawbridge. Descend to the dungeons,then enter the tunnels. Search until youfind a body and look for the balloon plans.Go to Minoc and have a large basket con-structed. Head for Paws and have silkthread made. At the same time, buy somemore rope. Charlotte in New Magincia canweave the silk, then have the woven silkmade into a silk bag in Paws. In the sewersbeneath Lord British�s castle, you can finda cauldron. Use the balloon plans, and aballoon will be created.

Jeff HusgesNewbury Park CA

Wasteland (Electronic Arts)1. The cloning machine in the Sleeper

Base is activated by learning the clone skillin the library (first floor), going down tothe second floor, and installing a powerconverter (an item you find the in thesewers beneath Las Vegas) into a machinein the northwest corner. Go down to thecloner, open it with a Secpass (1 or 3), thenfind a pair of jugs elsewhere. Take the jugsto the clone-fluid machine and fill them.Once you have it, take the fluid to theclone pods and have a character go downwith the jug full of clone fluid. It will takea while, but the character cloned is anexact replica of the one who went in.

2. Once you have freed the prisonersand killed Finster in Finster�s base, have acharacter with high intelligence (and a lotof ammo) go into the Mindlink. He shouldhave high Cyborg skills. Put the helmetonto the Mindlink, and the character willenter Finster�s mind maze. The riddles aresomewhat hard (FINSTER, NOBODY, andICEBERG are answers to three of them).When Finster says that you are dead, useyour intelligence to revive yourself. Afteryou have killed a couple of Finster clones,as well as a huge Finster, you will be re-warded with Secpass B.

Darren MacLennanWinnipeg, Manitoba

Wizardry: Bane of the Cosmic Forge(Sir-Tech)

1. Tell the guy in the tower �snoopcheri.� 2. Find the treasure in the undergroundlake at 3E and 1N from the red X paintedon the rock.

3. Use the mystery oil on the drawbridgecontrols. Push the buttons in the followingorder: 532451, where the upper leftchoice is one.

4. Tell Queequeg �giant mountain.�5. The password for the Captain�s Den is

�skeleton crew.�6. Use the miner�s pick to clear any

blocked passages and also to hit the Rockof Truth.

7. Combine the four rubber strands intoa new rubber band.

8. Smitty will fix the broken cog.9. The demon child is named Rebecca.10. Tell Mail Lai, on the island of the

keep, �reclamation.�11. Return the pipe to the giant caterpil-

lar to get the red mushrooms.12. When you are put in jail, eat the red

mushrooms to escape.13. Try feeding the giant snake in the

wizards cave.14. Fix the catapult by replacing the

rubber band and put the fixed cog in it.The ammunition for the catapult is thelarge boulders; you should obtain at leasttwo of them.

15. Use the pirate ring to read the dead-man�s log.

16. To cross the wide chasm, you needthe large coil from the belfry and the hookhand from the pirate. Simply MERGE thetwo together to obtain a grappling hook!

17. A hellcat guards the wizards lair.18. Tell the great Delphi �We are fascina-

tion,� then �We seek divination?19. The (three) holy wooden daggers can

be found on the old ship.20. Wear the goat mask in order to gain

entrance to the temple.21. Equip the staff of Aram in order to

cross the initial pit in the temple.22. There is a secret door behind the

altar of the cosmic forge.23. The security code is �the hand of

destiny.�24. The hardest part of this difficult

game is the fight with Dracula and Rebe-cca. Prepare all possible defensive spellsbefore combat. In the first round of thefight, invoke the silver cross. Now, havethe fighters hack with the holy daggersand mirrored shards. Have the spell-casters keep casting defensive spells (Drac-ula and Rebecca are resistant to alloffensive spells). Throw all bottles of holywater and hope for the best!

Anonymous contributor

Wizardry II: Knights of Diamonds(Macintosh version) (Sir-Tech)

1. For some extremely useful informa-tion on the second level, make your waythrough utter darkness. We suggest thefollowing: go south four squares, west onesquare, south two more squares, west onesquare, south three squares, then turn tothe east. Try Kick. You will have to pay aprice, however.

2. Once you get through the maze on thethird level (assuming you actually do getthrough the maze), you�ll come across alarge empty room with doors to otherrooms. Try the one in the center and beready to use TILTOWAIT.

3. The answer to the sphinx�s riddle onthe sixth level is an anagram of the line�That King, he finds doom.�

The Lessers

Our fax machine is still in fine operatingcondition, so if you�d prefer to send us afax, our fax number is (209) 832-5742.Your game hints and other comments arealways welcome, and we appreciate thecooperative attitude our DRAGON Maga-zine readers exhibit in helping each otherwith adventuring tips. You are a fantasticgroup! Until next month, game on!

BUCK ROGERS is a trademark used under license from The Dille Family Trust.

The TORG* game: Going beyond the Possibility Wars

©1991 by Spike Y. Jones

The TORG* game, a 1990 release fromWest End Games, is a role-playing systemwith lots of potential because of its prem-ise. A number of other universes (�cosms�)have invaded Core Earth (our �normal�world), changing the reality they foundthere to whatever was the norm on theirhome planes. Werewolves and vampyresnow prowl the night streets of Borneo,dragons fly in the skies of England, andpseudo-dinosaurs rule New York City, withmore subtle (but no less threatening) do-ings underway in Japan, France, andEgypt.

Unfortunately, the TORG system has onedrawback: At the point where play begins,the invasion is three months in the pastand the invaders are firmly established onCore Earth. When the invasions began, noone knew what to do. The governments ofCore Earth at first accused each other ofstarting a war; by the time the truth wasdiscovered and countermeasures could betaken, the Reality Raiders were firmlyentrenched in their strange Realms. Thenearly hopeless task of the player charac-ters is to enter a war already almost lostand drive six foreign realities out of CoreEarths dimension.

But what if a group of fledgling StormKnights (the PCs) trapped within one ofthe newly changed Realms had foughtback immediately and effectively, rightfrom the beginning of the invasion and notthree months afterward? Or what if theymanaged to halt the invaders before thealien bridgehead could be consolidated?And what if, against overwhelming odds,they actually managed to defeat the rulersof a foreign cosm, driving the Raiders backto their home world and saving part ofCore Earth for Earthlings?

The answer to all three questions is thesame: It would make a great adventuresetting because, from the perspective ofthe players, it may be more fun to actuallydefeat the invaders than to continue fight-ing a losing war against them for yearsafter the invasion is a fait accompli.

The following is a set of campaign ideasusing the TORG game rules, each with aunique campaign set-up. Consider thepossibilities.

66 OCTOBER 1991

#1: A gram of preventionAs any dentist or military strategist

could tell you, it�s easier to stop an inva-sion (of tooth decay or alien PossibilityRaiders) at its beginning than after it�s hada chance to establish itself. A gram ofprevention is worth a kilo of cure.

Despite its overall success, the invasionof Core Earth did not progress exactly asthe Possibility Raiders had planned. Therewere originally to be seven invading cos-ms, but the invasion of the U.S.S.R. wasprevented by a single Storm Knight, apsychic girl named Katrina Tovarish, whoforesaw the arrival of the Raiders and toldthe Soviet army where to find the stelae(artifacts of alien technology) marking thearrival site of the invaders. When thestelae were destroyed, the seventh invad-ing Maelstrom Bridge couldn�t form, andthe U.S.S.R., was saved.

Katrina Tovarish was the result of thedecades-long Soviet research into ESP andpsychic warfare. Conceivably, if other CoreEarth governments had funded similarresearch programs, they too would havebeen warned of the impending invasions,and would have been able to do somethingto stop them early in the campaign.

The characters in this scenario are partof such a program, either members of thePentagon�s Psychic Warfare Department orpart of a normal Army or Marine unitwhose purpose is to assist and protect the�Psychic Warriors.� They should be nativesof Core Earth and have either psychicabilities, military backgrounds, or a combi-nation of the two.

Initially, possibility energy will be moredifficult for the Core Earthers to employthan in a standard TORG game. Thus, play-ers will not be able to spend possibilitypoints during play until they come into closecontact with a Possibility-Rated characterfrom a different cosm, as only that clash ofcosms will cause the �moment of crisis�needed to bring on their transformation.

As the exact nature of the psychic dis-turbance caused by the stelae hasn�t yetbeen revealed by a full-scale invasion, thecharacters will be in the dark about what�sgoing on, except for whatever their inves-tigations and psychic powers reveal. In-stead of fighting swarms of Raiders, theywill have to contend with small groups ofscouts, sent a few months in advance fromthe soon-to-arrive cosms in order to plantthe stelae that will mark the invasionroute for the rest of their horde. If theplayers are particularly successful, theircharacters can prevent the predestinedhistory of the game before it has a chanceto begin.

#2: Rapid deploymentOf course, the Soviet Union had to be

rather lucky to predict the alien invasion,because psychic powers like Katrina�swere more difficult to employ before thetransforming effects of the Reality Stormsbegan. Most Core Earth psychics beforethe onset of the Possibility Wars would

have been able only to bend spoons andpredict horse race results with their men-tal abilities. But once the War began, someof them would find themselves suddenlyable to perform psychic feats they�d onlydreamed of before.

This scenario would involve the samePsychic Warfare Unit as described earlier,but the setting would be somewhat differ-ent. The Reality Raiders would have ar-rived, but the Psychic Warfare team wouldbe organized and able to attack immedi-ately thereafter, not having to wait thethree months that regular forces took tofully mobilize.

The regular TORG rules and materials areused for this scenario and scenario 1, butthe alien realms on Core Earth will not havereached the extent described in the worldbook or source books. Within these smallerrealms, operations will still be governed bythe foreign axioms, but a quick and decisivevictory by the characters will be able tocheck the realms� expansion.

#3: The private sectorUnlike the Soviet Union of Core Earth,

the U.S.A. would also have had a numberof private concerns running their ownpsychic research programs without govern-ment funding. A group of characters fromone of these nonmilitary sources wouldprobably not have the military connectionsand skills of the Psychic Warfare Unit; itwould be more likely to consist of membersof a university�s parapsychology faculty andtheir psychic guinea pigs, or even the psy-chics who normally use their powers tomake predictions for the tabloids.

Psychics wouldn�t make up the entirety ofthis group; there would be other hangers-onpicked up along the course of the adventureto add some muscle to the limited combatability of the average university researcher.Combat success for this group would bemore difficult than for a military-based one,but the military groups probably wouldn�tdo as well at investigating the situation andpossibly negotiating their way out of danger-ous confrontations.

The odds against this group turningback the tide of an alien invasion once itbegins in earnest are implausibly high, soit is important that the characters preventthe formation of the Maelstrom Bridge ifthey want to succeed. As the scenariotakes place before the invasion, the char-acters will be restricted in the amount ofpossibility energy they can employ (as perthe first scenario described).

#4: Just regular guysAnd why should psychic characters be

the only ones to have a chance at prevent-ing the Reality Raids? In this scenario,characters are nonpsychics who manageto stumble over the plot of the RealityRaiders and have to cope with the situa-tion without the benefit of psychicpowers. Good character templates tochoose for this scenario would be thosewhose careers before the Possibility Wars

began would have led them to uncover thealien scouts before the war, like CovertOperative or Intrepid Reporter.

The same restriction on the use of possi-bility energy that occurred in the firstscenario would apply here, with charac-ters performing only as lucky or skillednormal humans until they first meetPossibility-Rated opponents from a foreigncosm that would trigger their possibilitypowers.

#5: Allies from otherwhereIn the official version of TORG, the Possi-

bility Raiders weren�t the only ones tocome to Core Earth to fight in the Possibili-ty Wars. Dr. Hachi Mara-Two, Tolwyn ofHouse Tancred, and other Storm Knightsfrom foreign cosms converged on CoreEarth in order to combat the High Lordson their latest battle-field.

In this scenario, the players run a groupof Storm Knights who set off at the begin-ning of the War to try prevent Core Earthfrom being devastated in the way theirown cosm was. The player characters arenot confused Core Earthers, new to theirpowers and to the concept of the Possibili-ty Wars. They can use their powers withfull effectiveness right from the momentof their arrival on Core Earth, instead ofwaiting for a �moment of crisis� to maturetheir abilities.

In fact, these characters would probablybe more experienced and powerful thanthe relative newcomers from Core Earth.In order to simulate this greater experi-ence, pre-war Stormers start with morethan the initial 10 Possibilities, gainingeither an additional 1-10 or a straightbonus of six Possibilities, at the player�schoice. Characters are allowed to spendthese points on improvements, as de-scribed on page 20 of the rule book. Play-ers must choose character templates of anon-Core Earth cosm or create new ones,following the guidelines on page 141. Itwould be best if all of the characters camefrom the same cosm, but that isn�t abso-lutely necessary.

#6: Invaders from EarthIf Storm Knights from other cosms can

come to Core Earth to fight the war there,it�s only common courtesy for some CoreEarth Storm Knights to return the favor.In this scenario, only one alien StormKnight makes the journey to Core Earth,in order to recruit heroes to help rescuethe recruiter�s cosm, which is currentlyunder siege. As this scenario takes placemonths or years in advance of the onset ofWar on Core Earth, the heroes recruitedwill have no idea of what sort of troublethey�re about to meet.

There are two ways to detail the be-sieged cosm that the party comes to res-cue: the game master (GM) can eithercreate a campaign world from wholecloth, or adapt a sourcebook from someother game to the TORG system. Thus, aTORG campaign could be set in a fantasy

DRAGON 67

world different from Aysle (using TSR�sAD&D®, Steve Jackson Games� GURPS*, orBard Games� TALISLANTA* rules to pro-vide a setting), or in a genre that the TORGsystem doesn�t normally cover, such as acosm in which giant Japanese-style mechacommand the battlefield (like the worldsof Palladium�s ROBOTECH*, FASA�sBATTLETECH*, or R. Talsorian�s MEKTONII* games.

Characters chosen for this missionwould have to be those who exhibited theattributes of heroes before the question ofPossibilities enters into it, or else therewould be no reason for the recruiter tohave selected them. Mercenaries, celebri-ties, law-enforcement officers, rescueworkers, explorers, athletes, and movieactors who�d played the part of screenheroes would all be likely to catch the eyeof a cross-cosm recruiter.

Unlike in the first scenario, characterswould have their �moments of crisis� theinstant they were transported to the be-sieged cosm. Thus, they would suffer nopenalties during play unless somethinginterfered with this initial journey.

#7: Seizing the home groundThe recruiter from scenario #6 could be

assembling a task force to strike at thehome cosm of one of the invaders. Thiswould be a particularly risky operation, asthe invaders would have the home-teamadvantage. Not only would a whole worldbe ranged against the party, but the axi-oms of that world would favor the natives,not the Storm Knights. To help the rela-tively inexperienced Core Earth charac-ters, the party could also include rebels,resisters, and defectors within the homecosm, such as the various costumed andsuper-powered crime-fighters of the NileEmpire.

The first thing that an invading cosmmust do is scout out the territory it plansto invade. The scouts have a difficult mis-sion, as they must escape the notice of thelocal inhabitants (something that is moreeasily done by a scout from Terra or Mag-na Verita than by one from Takta Ker),assess the strengths and weaknesses of theCore Earth defenses that the raiding forcewill have to face, and then set up thestelae for the invaders� Maelstrom Bridge.

Among the forces opposing the player-character scouting party will be a variety ofNPCs of the sort described in scenarios #1,#3, and #4: psychics, reporters, and evenaverage people who might discover thesecret mission of the alien scouts. Moreimportant, the player characters will befighting a deadline, as the Gaunt Man set avery specific timetable for the invasion ofCore Earth. Even if the PCs� mission isundiscovered, the information they gatherwill be of little use if it is delivered to their

Extrapolations can be made from thevarious TORG source books to form thehome cosm from which the High Lordsattack Core Earth, or you could again usesource material from other games (theAD&D game�s FORGOTTEN REALMS® home cosm too late (and that is likely tosetting for Aysle, R. Talsorian�s CYBER- make their leaders very unhappy).PUNK* game for the Cyberpapacy, As this mission is as dangerous as it is

Chaosium�s CALL OFOrrorsh, etc.).

CTHULHU* game for

#8: After the warIn fact, while we�re removing TORG

characters from Core Earth and having tocreate new worlds for them to fight theHigh Lords on, why not move them out ofthe Possibility Wars altogether?

If a group of characters successfullyprevents the Possibility Wars on CoreEarth, there�s no reason for you to closeyour campaign down. There�s alwaysmore injustice to combat somewhere inthe Infiniverse, on worlds of every sortthat have their own problems to deal with,all untouched by the Wars. One thing isconstant in the Infiniverse: Heroes arealways in demand.

#9: The other sideAnd for those wanting a really different

TORG campaign, take a look at the otherside of the coin; have the players take theroles of Reality Raiders trying to set-upshop on Core Earth or some other cosm.

important, only experienced scouts will besent. The player characters will all haveextra Possibilities (as per scenario #5), andall templates should be from foreigncosms�modified to insure that their loyal-ties are toward their own cosm, wherenecessary. Good choices would be a loyalContract Ninja (from Nippon Tech) or JazFighter (from the Cyberpapacy), charac-ters who have some ability to disguisethemselves or blend in with a segment ofthe local population.

(I�d like to thank John Ross Kingsburyfor the idea behind this scenario.)

#10: Invasion gone badThis scenario uses the same characters

and set-up as the previous one, but it takesthings a few months further in time. Whatif the initial scouting of Core Earth wassuccessful, but the invasion itself falteredbecause of the activities of the sort de-scribed in scenarios #1-5 and #7?

The other-worldly characters in thisscenario start off stranded on a hostileCore Earth that has been alerted to thepresence of the Reality Raiders and isactively fighting against them. Perhapshere the Possibility Wars were endedbefore they began, meaning that the ma-jority of Core Earthers might still be un-aware of the aliens among them if thegovernments of Core Earth managed tokeep the information from leaking to thepress.

What�s possible?Beyond the additional fun of being able

to defeat the invading High Lords (or evenbe their most essential agents), these alter-native scenarios offer two special benefits:They add dimensions of discovery andwonder as the events unfold around thecharacters (which is missing from a stand-ard TORG campaign in which the earlyevents of the Possibility Wars are handedout as part of the campaign history), andthey still provide a source of surprises forplayers who have already read all of theTORG novels and rule books.

The TORG game has a lot of potential foradventures beyond the pages of the rulebooks, especially since a creative GM canthink of ways to combine the TORG ruleswith just about any other fantasy orscience-fiction novel or game on the mar-ket. The possibilities beyond the PossibilityWars are limitless.

*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.

68 OCTOBER 1991

DRAGON 69

“Forum” welcomes your comments and opinionson role-playing games. In the United States andCanada, write to: Forum, DRAGON® Magazine,P.O. Box 111, Lake Geneva WI 53147, U.S.A. InEurope, write to: Forum, DRAGON Magazine,TSR Ltd, 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton,Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom. We askthat material submitted to “Forum” be eitherneatly written by hand or typed with a freshribbon and clean keys so we can read andunderstand your comments.

In response to the editorial in issue #164, Ithought I�d air my views on the subject. Whichcharacter do I prefer to role-play and why?

I rank what I�ll call freedom of action and theavailability of a wide range of skills for mycharacters above all else when I make thedecision of which character class to play. Free-dom of action is the feeling that the character ishis own individual and that his choices are notdictated by some other force. For this reason, Ido not like role-playing priests of any sort.Priests, if role-played properly, must followsome predefined set of standards. A priest is nothis own individual, as he must comply withsome order or greater being. Many gamersenjoy this and do not think that their charactershave lost any freedom of action, but this is onlythe case because they have chosen priests andaccept the religious demands put upon them. Ifsomeone enjoys priests, then fine, but for methey restrict my character�s individuality.

Warriors do not offer me a wide enoughrange of skills. They are very proficient incombat, but without magical items they have nomeans at their disposal with which to overcomean encounter except brute strength and train-ing. True, quirks in their personalities could bedeveloped, but this could be said of all characterclasses. Warriors, the heroes of fantasy, are afavorite among many gamers for their strengthand simplicity, but for me they are not subtleenough.

Wizards, provided they have a few spells,definitely offer a wide scope for role-playing.Think of all the possible variations and resultsof an encounter depending on how the charac-ter�s spell abilities were used. The wizard canbe a very rewarding character, in my opinion,if you enjoy trying to be ingenious and creativewith your spell-casting. The low-level wizardmay discourage many due to his lack of spells,but the incentive is there, if only the charactercould just learn more about the art of magic!

Now I come to my favorite class: the devious,sneaky, cunning thief. With a limited combatpotential, the thief must rely more on his wits tosurvive than brute strength alone. Stealth isneeded alongside trickery. The thief is oftensubservient to a guild, but usually not morallybound to put the guild first. This is the differ-ence between a priest and a thief. Personalgreed could cause the thief to break guild regu-lations; if he were caught, however, the conse-quences could be very interesting. Furthermore,in the AD&D® 1st Edition rules a 10th-level thiefeven gained the chance to cast spells fromscrolls. This gives the class even more scope andadds the thrill of uncertainty to the game. . . .

Being an ardent Tolkien fanatic, I love halflingthieves�who, by the way, do get away withmurder.

Martyn AgassSwindon, U.K.

The letter written by Christine Wellman inissue #166 was superb! The way that she han-dled the tendencies problem was admirable.Alignment has always proven to be a ratherdistressing problem for myself and my players.Many characters in my campaign are neutralgood because they can go from lawful to chaoticin the pursuit of good, and not worry about aheavy-handed DM making the experience pointsneeded for the next level skyrocket upward(DMG, page 29). But I have never been able tocome to a solid conclusion regarding alignment.I thank Christine for aiding me in that task.

In regard to the letter by Ahmed G. Amin(issue #155) and the follow-up letters written byRob Williams and Jeremiah Lynch (issue #166), Ifelt that something more had to be said. I havenever been accused of being a �killer DM,� and Iattribute that to the balance I try to maintain inmy campaign. In my four years as a DM, I havenever had a character actually die on any ad-venture when I have been the DM. I have hadcharacters down to -9 hp and be saved by thequick thinking of their companions. I have hadcharacters full of power, enthusiasm, and pack-ing some powerful magical items go into cus-tomized dungeons, then come out with a fewscraps of burned clothing clinging to their still-smoking bodies and babbling about the �horrorsof the dark.� I wholeheartedly agree with Mr.Lynch when he states that he makes his playersbelieve that they are in a dangerous situation,when in fact they are not. I do that as much aspossible in my campaign. Take a recent adven-ture I DMed: A rather powerful party set upcamp one foggy night in the wilds. The moonwas full and bright but brought little comfort tothe tired party. Just as they were drifting offinto a peaceful slumber, a savage howl torethrough the night. Then another. Within sec-onds, there were sounds from all around theparty. By now, the characters were up and intoa tight defensive formation. The players were abit wary, but not overly worried. I use leadminiatures in my game, so I walked over to mydesk to grab about 20 of them. My players sawthis and really got worried. From all sides, hugewolves attacked the party. The party was faringwell at first, and they were confident theywould win.

Suddenly, a monstrous blur of black furstreaked through the air, and landed rightbehind all the party members. The strangecreature stood a towering 9� tall, with 3�-longfangs. It was the biggest werewolf the charac-ters had ever seen (but of course I didn�t tellthem it was a werewolf). The elf in the partyscreamed out in surprise, while a dwarf spokein cautious tones: �W-what do you want?� Itwisted my face into an evil wolf-like grin, mypupils flared, and I spoke in a horrid screechingvoice: �YOUR BLOOD!� By now, most of theplayers were freaking! They thought theircharacters would be torn in half by this beast.

Meanwhile, the eight other werewolves vaultedthrough the air, using hit-and-run tactics. Whenthe battle was over, none of the characters hadlost more than 10 hp. But at the time, they weresure death was imminent. So even though thebattle was rather simple for a party of theirstature, they were truly horrified at what mighthave happened. In case you are wondering, theadventure was from DUNGEON® issue #27,�Tarfil�s Tomb.� And I allowed a 2nd-level priestto go on such a high-level adventure because hethinks he can do anything.

There are many ways to make your playersthink twice about attacking something. Myfavorite method of bringing fear to my cam-paign is to use strange voices and faces, andoverexaggerated monsters� proportions. Also,customizing creatures is very important. Neverlet the players assume that this fire elemental isthe same as the last one they fought. A typicalbattle might go like this:

Player 1: �Oh, great. A fire elemental.�Player 2: �Don�t worry. It can�t touch us from

up here. Fire elementals don�t have missileweapons. Let�s just waste it with missile fire.�

Player 1: �Okay, I take out my crossbow +3.”Then you can grin in delight as your fire

elemental throws parts of its body at the party.Or perhaps it can call down a flame strike onceper day. Or how about surrounding the partywith a wall of fire that faces inward?

Remember, you are the DM. If your playerswhine and try to quote the Monstrous Compen-dium, remind them, �I am the DM. This is myworld. I can make things happen.� Don�t try tokill your player�s favorite characters too often.However, if things ever get boring, you knowwhat to do . . .

After reading Mr. Craig Hardie�s letter inDRAGON issue #166, I was a bit perturbed. Mr.Hardie states that he began playing to �satisfy acreative desire.� He goes on further and says notto forget �that there are any number of waysthe rules may be interpreted. Let�s explore thepossibilities!� For one thing, the authors� of thearticles on the FORGOTTEN REALMS@ andDRAGONLANCE® game worlds are satisfyingtheir creative desires. Therefore, wheneveranother article is written on the Realms, itboosts every DM�s creativity.

Secondly, he speaks of exploring the possibili-ties. He should have no trouble adapting any ofthe information in the articles to his own world.There has never been an article in DRAGONMagazine that could not be adapted to any typeof fantasy world. This even includes articles onthe TOP SECRET/S.I.�, MARVEL SUPER HE-ROES�, and STAR FRONTIERS® games. If hewould �explore the possibilities,� he should beable to pick and choose any pieces of fantasyinformation that he wants. The important thinghere is the idea itself, not the setting or charac-ters. I do not know of a single DM who usesonly the �official� information on the Realms.That is the beauty of the system! The Realms isa highly flexible campaign system that allowsfor any amount of customizing.

Jason DunnCalgary, Alberta

D R A G O N 7 1

In regard to Craig Hardie�s letter of issue #166concerning his annoyance with TSR�s preoccu-pation with pregenerated campaign worlds,especially the FORGOTTEN REALMS setting, Iagree completely. I, too, am annoyed at thepreponderance of prepackaged products pro-duced by TSR�products that, while soundinginteresting, I would never buy since I don�tfollow the milieu.

I imagine it makes economic sense for TSR toattempt to consolidate its products under one(or three) banners, but then TSR loses its mostattractive quality: its support for DungeonMasters� own individually created game worlds.Unlike such role-playing games as Iron Crown�sMERP* game, where the players and gamemaster are limited to one world, TSR allows foran endless variety of options, and the onlylimiting factor is your imagination.

TSR�s recently released Ruins of Undermoun-tain boxed set for the Realms, is a perfect exam-ple. It sounds interesting, and I�ve always beenpartial to underground campaigns, but it�s notworth the effort to adapt the boxed set to myown milieu. I don�t know who the Lords ofWaterdeep are, let alone the Harpers, the RedSashers, or Force Grey. I don�t particularly careto find out. Even ignoring individuals, politics,and cultures peculiar to the Realms, the Ruinswould still have the �feel� of the Realms. Aninfinitely more useful cavern campaign, frommy point of view, is that of the Underdark fromthe Dungeoneer’s Survival Guide; lacking spe-cifics such as politics, it is easy to cut and pastewhichever part appeals to you, and place iteasily into your own campaign. The creation ofmore generic adventures would be useful to amuch greater number of Dungeon Masters, nomatter what campaign world they use.

Again, if I don�t care for these products, I cansimply ignore them. This is not the case withDRAGON Magazine; articles devoted to theFORGOTTEN REALMS, DRAGONLANCE,WORLD OF GREYHAWK®, or the D&D® game�sKnown World settings are, usually, so muchwasted space. I wish DRAGON Magazine woulddevote more space to articles concerning gamemechanics, advice to Dungeon Masters, and newPC and NPC character classes. �The Dragon�sBestiary,� new spells, and new magical items arealways useful; the shared ideas of the �Forum�especially so. In that way, issue #167 was verynearly perfect; almost every article could beadapted to suit your own campaign.

Robert W. HeymMurray Hill NJ

I am writing in response to Craig Hardie�sletter in issue #l66 about pregenerated cam-paign worlds. When I first began to be a DM, Ialso thought that it would make more sense tomake my own campaign. I had bought TSR�sFORGOTTEN REALMS campaign set, and afterlooking through it I thought, why would anyonewant to use a campaign they had not inventedthemselves? Then I tried to create my ownworld. That campaign lasted about two adven-tures. Creating a campaign is an enormousamount of work, and I am a student, so I do notalways have the time required.

At this point, I had read some FORGOTTENREALMS novels and grew more interested inthis world. I began a new campaign set in thisworld, and it has been going on strong for 2½years now. It has grown from having only twoPCs to having seven. I realized that a campaignworld does not slow your creativity at all. Thereare thousands of miles of undeveloped land inthe Realms ready for DMs to create their ownsettlements, characters, and adventures. This

72 OCTOBER 1991

campaign has many cultures, including Europe-an, Greek, Egyptian, Mongolian, Asian, andSouth American. This allows many more typesof adventures than a small section of a worldthat the average DM has time to create on hisown. If there is no world, how can charactershave �save the world� type of adventures, whichare often the most exciting?

Also, the tie-in to the novels that Mr. Hardiementions adds interest to the new campaign.Many of my players read the FORGOTTENREALMS novels, and they always grow moreinterested in the campaign than those whohaven�t read the novels. My players get excitedwhen their characters meet and interact withcharacters that the players are familiar withfrom the novels.

Mr. Hardie says that other DMs are probablyin agreement with him that far too much mate-rial is published for campaign worlds. This maybe true, but there must also be many DMs whodo not agree, or campaign material would notbe so popular. I do not believe that havingcampaign material take the place of othermaterial is a problem. Each month, TSR pub-lishes many adventures in addition to campaignaccessories. Although these adventures areusually set in one of TSR�s campaign worlds, aDM who has his own world can easily put theminto his own campaign with just a bit of charge.This is not true for all adventures, such asworld-shaking adventures like the Avatar seriesfor the Realms, but most adventures are easilyadaptable. As for space in DRAGON Magazine,that is not a big problem either. Each month,DRAGON Magazine is about 120 pages, andusually only about one article, a few pages, isdevoted to campaign worlds. That leaves plentyof space for other material.

In conclusion, creating your own campaignmay be fun and satisfying. But I don�t believemost DMs have time to create a whole world bythemselves. These pregenerated campaignsprovide such DMs with what they need to run acampaign, but the campaigns are not so detailedthat they restrict creativity. Also, the campaigncan provide character interest. And in thisgaming world, there is plenty of space to pub-lish material on campaign worlds and anythingelse an RPG player may want. So take a newlook at pregenerated campaigns, and realize thepossibilities for adventures and excitement.

Salvatore GiraldiBraintree MA

In response to Craig Hardie�s letter to �Forum�in DRAGON #166, I can say no less than �Bravo!�I am glad someone has finally come forth withthe points that Craig raised as to the over-whelming amount of material that is slantedtoward pregenerated worlds.

I have been DMing for 12 years, and I have usedpregenerated worlds, namely TSR�s WORLD OFGREYHAWK setting and the less-well-knownHARNWORLD* from Columbia Games. However, Ihave always used a world of my own creation formy regular gaming sessions.

It is my experience that all the people withwhom I have played get more enjoyment out ofthe game when playing in a world that is specifi-cally tailored to bring them the most enjoymentpossible. Also, there is much more mystery andadventure involved in a world that only the DMhas access to. Everyone is familiar with manyaspects of the FORGOTTEN REALMS worldeven if they have never played in them. Doesn�tfamiliarity take away some of the mystique ofplaying? And isn�t the mystique part of whatmakes the AD&D game enjoyable?

Another negative aspect of using a pregener-

ated world I have found is that the DMs runningthem do not know everything that is containedin the source books for these worlds. It is terri-bly frustrating to players when the DM is con-stantly pausing for 15 minutes to look up that�one little thing� that he�s forgotten. I haveplayed in games where players got so boredduring these pauses that they were fallingasleep.

If one is DMing with his own world, there israrely, if ever, a need to look things up. Whenyou create something, it comes out of your headand will always be there.

I heartily agree with Craig�s idea of runningmore articles in DRAGON Magazine on originalAD&D campaigns and ideas for creating andrunning them. I, too, am tired of endless articlescentered on the same old campaign worlds. Infact, although I have recently resubscribed toDRAGON Magazine, I hadn�t read the magazinein three years because I got tired of the sameold stuff. I wanted (and still want) to see morearticles that are designed for helping DMs bemore creative. It seems that most articles inDRAGON Magazine are there so that DMsneedn�t be creative at all; they can just takeideas from the pages of the magazine.

I do believe, however, that pregeneratedworlds are essential and that DRAGON Maga-zine should continue to devote some space toarticles on these worlds. The reason for this isthat very few beginning DMs would knowwhere to begin in creating their own worlds.They can go out and buy FORGOTTEN REALMSproducts and be DMing in a few days. There arenot enough DMs as it is, and without pregener-ated worlds there would be a lot fewer.

Not only is it ridiculous to expect beginners tocreate their own campaign settings, it is just asridiculous to think that all DMs, no matter howexperienced, have the time to do so. For theseDMs, pregenerated worlds are a godsend. AndCraig, you have to admit they have done anexcellent job in making pregenerated worldsboth exciting and very flexible.

I, however, will stick to my own world of MaridDun that currently fills four three-ring binders andhas taken 3½ years to complete (in fact, I wouldn�tsay it is really complete yet). How about it: ShouldDRAGON Magazine give the more creative AD&Dgame players equal time?

Shawn A. ChesakMilwaukee WI

I�d like to thank Leah Carson and her twofriends for the letter they wrote in issue #164on not allowing children to play the AD&Dgame. I have been playing since I was 8 (I amnow 14) and I now DM for a group of four.Playing the AD&D game helps my playersexpress themselves and allows them to use theircreative and imaginative minds. It also helpsbuild confidence.

I�d also like to comment on the letter JeannineCochran has in the same issue. One of myfavorite classes to play is the paladin. It is thegreatest thrill in the world to be a paladin anddefeat a demon or devil. I hope you considerher idea.

Sandy GreenConifer CO

*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.

Convention Calendar Policies

This column is a service to our readersworldwide. Anyone may place a free listingfor a game convention here, but the follow-ing guidelines must be observed.

In order to ensure that all conventionlistings contain accurate and timely infor-mation, all material should be either typeddouble-spaced or printed legibly on stand-ard manuscript paper. The contents ofeach listing must be short and succinct.

The information given in the listing mustinclude the following, in this order:

1. Convention title and dates held;2. Site and location;3. Guests of honor (if applicable);4. Special events offered;5. Registration fees or attendance re-

quirements; and,6. Address(es) and telephone number(s)

where additional information and confirma-tion can be obtained.

Convention flyers, newsletters, and othermass-mailed announcements will not beconsidered for use in this column; weprefer to see a cover letter with the an-nouncement as well. No call-in listings areaccepted. Unless stated otherwise, alldollar values given for U.S. and Canadianconventions are in U.S. currency.

WARNING: We are not responsible forincorrect information sent to us by conven-tion staff members. Please check yourconvention listing carefully! Our widecirculation ensures that over a quarter of amillion readers worldwide see each issue.Accurate information is your responsibility.

Copy deadlines are the last Monday ofeach month, two months prior to the on-sale date of an issue. Thus, the copy dead-line for the December issue is the lastMonday of October. Announcements forNorth American and Pacific conventionsmust be mailed to: Convention Calendar,DRAGON® Magazine, PO. Box 111, LakeGeneva WI 53147, U.S.A. Announcementsfor Europe must be posted an additionalmonth before the deadline to: ConventionCalendar, DRAGON® Magazine, TSRLimited, 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton,Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom.

If a convention listing must be changedbecause the convention has been can-celled, the dates have changed, or incor-rect information has been printed, pleasecontact us immediately. Most questions orchanges should be directed to the maga-zine editors at TSR, Inc., (414) 248-3625(U.S.A.). Questions or changes concerningEuropean conventions should be directedto TSR Limited, (0223) 212517 (U.K.).

indicates an Australian conventionindicates a Canadian convention.indicates a European convention

* indicates a product produced by a company other than TSR,Inc. Most product names are trademarks owned by thecompanies publishing those products. The use of the name ofany product without mention of its trademark status should notbe construed as a challenge to such status.

NECRONOMICON, Oct. 11-13 FLThis convention will be held at the Holiday

Inn Airport in Tampa, Fla. Guests include Bar-bara Hambly, Piers Anthony, Richard Lee Byers,and Joseph Green. Activities include a banquet,a fan cabaret, panels, an art show and auction, adealers’ room, dances, and an auction to benefitWildlife Rescue. Registration: $20 or $8/day.Write to: NECRONOMICON ‘91, P.O. Box 2076,Riverview FL 33569.

QUAD CON �91, Oct. 11-13This convention, held by the Riverbend

IA

Gamers’ Assoc., will be held at the PalmerAuditorium, in Davenport, Iowa. Guests includeSam Lewis, Events include BATTLETECH*,SHADOWRUN*, CHAMPIONS*, TOP SECRET®,WARHAMMER 40,000*, AD&D®, RENEGADELEGION*, CALL OF CTHULHU*, RIFTS*, andhistorical games, with a silent auction of gamematerials, a miniatures-painting competition, adealers’ room, and food. Registration: $4/day or$7/weekend before preregistered; $5/day or$10/weekend at the door. Game fees range from$2 to $4. Send large SASE to: The Game Empori-um, 3213 23rd Ave., Moline IL 61265; or call:(309) 762-5577. No collect calls, please.

WARP II, Oct. 11-13 OKSponsored by the War and Role-Playing Games

Assoc., this convention will be held at the TradeWinds Central Inn in Tulsa, Okla. Author RonDee will our special guest. Events include anAD&D® 2nd Ed. tournament, with BATTLE-TECH*, RAVENLOFT™, CHAMPIONS*,SHADOWRUN*, and AXIS & ALLIES* games, aswell as a dealers’ room, combat demos, and amovie room. Registration: $8/weekend in ad-vance, $12/weekend at the door. Write to:WARP, 5103 S. Sheridan Tulsa OK 74145; or call:(918) 744-9865.

TITANCON �91, Oct. 11-13 VASponsored by the Historical Simulation Socie-

ty, this TITAN* game convention will be held atOld Caball Hall, on the campus of the Universityof Virginia in Charlotte, Va. Our Game PointAverage system insures continuous TITAN* playfor all to see, and is used to determine TeamChampions and seeding of individuals for theIndividual Championships games on Sunday.Trophies will be awarded. Registration: $10 atthe door. Write (and make checks payable) to:Brian Bouton, 5 S. Dooley Ave., Richmond VA23221; or call: (804) 358-5517.

BORDERCON, Oct. 12-13 NHThis convention will be held at the Salem,

N.H., Econolodge between Boston Mass. andConcord, N.H. Events will include TITAN*, STARFLEET BATTLES*, and TWILIGHT 2000* games,with an APPA Baseball tournament. Othergames and a dealers’ room are also featured.Registration: $15/weekend preregistered, or $15

for Saturday and $10 for Sunday at the door,plus event fees. Write to: Denice Keller, c/oEconolodge, 1 Keewayden Dr., Salem NH 03079.

COGACON �91, Oct. 12-13 OHThis convention will be held at the Masonic

Temple in downtown Columbus, Ohio. Eventsinclude board, miniatures, and role-playinggames, including RPGA™ Network events. Regis-tration: $5/day; no preregistrations, please.Write to: Terry Hollern, 1660 Evinrude Ave.,Columbus OH 43229; or call: (614) 882-5241.

P.E.W. KHAN UI, Oct. 12-13 PAThis convention, organized especially for

gamers who enjoy political, economic, minia-tures, and war games, is being held at the NewVilla Inn in New Cumberland, Pa. Beyond thetypes of games listed above, other activitiesinclude a dealers’ area, and meeting our guest ofhonor, Craig Taylor. Registration: Fees vary from$5 to $11, depending on date and length ofregistration. Write to: M. Foner’s Games OnlyEmporium, 200 3rd St., New Cumberland PA17070; or call: (717) 774-6676.

BORDERCON �91, Oct. 18-20 MOCohosted by the Role-Players Guild of Kansas

City and the Heart of America Historical Minia-tures Gaming Society, this convention will beheld at the Rodeway Inn in downtown KansasCity, Mo. Events include RPGA™ sessions, withAD&D®, PARANOIA*, CALL OF CTHULHU*,TORG*, SHADOWRUN*, TALISMAN*, WAR-HAMMER*, AXIS & ALLIES*, BATTLETECH*,MARVEL SUPER HEROES™, and CHAMPIONS*games. Guests include Harold Johnson and TimBeach of TSR, Inc. Other activities include adealers’ area, an auction and a miniaturescontest, Registration: $13. Send an SASE to:BORDERCON ‘91, P.O. Box 7457, Kansas City MO64116-0157; or call: (816) 455-5020.

CUBECON �91, Oct. 19 PASponsored by the BCCC Gaming Guild and the

Circle of Swords, this convention will be held atButler Community College in Butler, Pa. Activi-ties include RPGA™ events, with board, minia-tures, and role-playing games, as well as adealers’ area and a miniatures-painting contest.Registration: $7. Send an SASE to: Circle ofSwords, PO. Box 2126, Butler PA 16003; or callDave at: (412) 283-1159.

CONTRARY �91, Oct. 24-26 MAThis convention will be held at the Quality Inn

& Conference Center in Chicopee, Mass. Eventsinclude several first-run RPGATM events, withAD&D®, GURPS*, CALL OF CTHULHU*, SHA-DOWRUN*, TORG*, and RUNEQUEST* gamesOther activities include a Halloween costumeparty, a painting contest, and an auction. Regis-tration: $15 in advance, or $20 at the doorWrite to: CONTRARY ‘91, 626 N. Main St., EastLongmeadow MA 01036; or call: (413) 731-7237.

CON OF THE LIVING DEAD �91Oct. 25-27 TN

Sponsored by World of Games and Hobbies,this convention will be held in Memphis, Tenn.The site is yet to be determined Events includeCALL OF CTHULHU*, VAMPIRE*, GHOSTBUSTERS*, RAVENLOFTTM, GURPS HORROR*,CHILL*, and murder-mystery games. Otheractivities include a costume contest, a minia-tures competition, and trick-or-treating. For sitelocation and registration information write to:C.O.L.D., c/o World of Games and Hobbies, 2796S. Perkins, Memphis TN 38118; or call: (901)365-2080.

74 OCTOBER 1991

GAELCON �91, Oct. 26-28This convention will be held at the Royal

Hospital Kilmainham, Kilmainham, Dublin 8,Ireland. Events include AD&D®, CALL OFCTHULHU*, PARANOIA*, WARHAMMER FAN-TASY ROLEPLAY*, and MEGATRAVELLER*games, plus trade stands and special guests.Registration: £3/day, or £8/weekend. Write to:Irish Games Assoc., c/o 49 Russell Ave., ClonliffeRd., Drumcondra, Dublin 3, IRELAND.

KETTERING GAME CONVENTION VOct. 26-27 OH

This convention will be held at the Charles I.Lathrem Senior Center in Kettering, Ohio.Events include FRP, board, miniatures, com-puter, and RPGA� games. A special feature is aMasters of Gaming tournament based on �Dou-ble Exposure, � by Piers Anthony. Write to: BobVan Gruenigen, 804 Willowdale Ave., KetteringOH 45429; or call: (513) 298-3224.

NOVAG VI, Oct. 26-27 VAThis gaming convention will be held at the

Elks� Lodge in Fairfax, Va. Events include histori-cal miniatures, board, microarmor, and role-playing games. Other features include foodvendors, dealers, and 24-hour gaming. Registra-tion: $8/weekend or $5/day. Write to: NOVAG VI,c/o Wargames Hobby, 101 E. Holly Ave., Suite 5,Sterling VA 22170; or call: (703) 450-6738 after 1P.M. EST Ask about lodging information.

STAR CON �91, Oct. 26-27 WIThis SF&F/gaming convention will be held at

Americano�s Centre in Menasha, Wis. Write to:STAR CON �91, 1112 N. Lake St., Neenah WI54956.

WIZARDS� GATHERING II, Oct. 26 MASponsored by the Southeast Mass. Adventure

Gamers� Society, this convention will be held atthe Days Inn in Fall River, Mass. Events includeAD&D®, RAVENLOFTTM, SPELLJAMMER�,D&D®, MERP*, TORG*, STAR FRONTIERS®,BATTLETECH*, SHADOWRUN*, and AFTER-MATH* games. Other activities include contestsfor modules, art, and miniatures painting.Registration: $5 until Oct. 12; $7 thereafter, plusgame fees. Cheaper �visitor� rates are available.Write to: WIZARDS GATHERING, PO. Box 6030,South Station, Fall River MA 02724.

GENERICON �91, Nov 1-3 MNThis convention will be held at the Coffman

Memorial Union on the University of Minnesotacampus in Minneapolis. Activities include acostume contest, a post-Halloween dance, aminiatures competition, war and role-playinggames and tournaments, an art show and auc-tion, a dealers� room, panels, and the return ofthe Star Trek room. Registration: $10 preregis-tered, and $15 at the door. Make all checkspayable to U of MN Gaming Society. Write to:GENERICON �91, c/o David Rust, 1826 AlamedaSt., Roseville MN 55113; or call: (612) 340-0139.

VEGASCON �91, Nov. 1-3 NVThis SF/gaming/comic-book convention will be

held at the Palace Station hotel/casino in LasVegas, Nev. Events include AD&D®, GURPS*,CHAMPIONS*, CAR WARS* and other boardand role-playing games. Other activities includeopen gaming, panels and seminars, guests,movies, and a large dealers� area. Registration:$20 preregistered, $25 at the door. Make checksor M.O.s payable to VEGASCON. Write to:

VEGASCON, 4210 Chatham Cir. #1, Las VegasNV 89119-6869; or call: (702) 733-7470.

ROCK-CON XIX, Nov 2-3 ILThis convention will be held at Rockford

Lutheran High School in Rockford, Ill. Guestsinclude Jim Ward, Tom Wham, and John Olson.Registration: $5 for one or both days, with nogame fees. Write to: ROCK-CON XIX, 14225Hansberry Rd., Rockton IL 61072.

URICON �91, Nov. 2 RIThe University of Rhode Island Gaming Club

announces this convention will be held at theMemorial Union in the U. of R.I. campus inKingston, R.I. Events include D&D®, SHADOW-RUN*, and STAR FLEET BATTLES* games.Registration: $4 general admission, $3 for URIstudents before Oct. 19; or $5 and $4 thereafter.Write to: Mark Oliver, 87A Ninigret Rd., Narra-gansett RI 02882.

A.U.G. CON III, Nov. 8-10 NJA. U. Gamers present this convention, to be

held at the Sheraton Tara Hotel in Parsippany,N.J. Events include RPGATM Network events, acharity game, and board games. Other activitiesinclude a costume contest, a miniatures-paintingcontest, and a dealers� room. Prizes will beawarded to the best players and GMs. Registra-tion: $7/day or $18/weekend before Oct. 20; $8/day or $20/weekend thereafter, and $10/day atthe door. Write to: A.U. Gamers, PO. Box 218,Flanders NJ 07836.

GAME FAIR XIV, Nov. 8-10 ILSponsored by the Illinois Central College

Game club, this convention will be held at ITOO

DRAGON 75

Hall in Peoria, Ill. Events include AD&D®,BATTLETECH*, AXIS & ALLIES*, CHAMPI-ONS*, CAR WARS*, WARHAMMER FANTASYROLEPLAY*, WWII naval miniatures, andSQUAD LEADER* games. Other activities in-clude open gaming, a dealers� area, an auction,and painting contests. Registration: $2/day, or$3/weekend. Write to: GAME FAIR XIV, PO. Box308, Groveland IL 61535; or call: (309) 387-6233evenings.

NEBULOUS CON III, NOV. 8-10 W VThis gaming convention will be held at the

Holiday Inn of Morgantown, W.V. Events includevarious role-playing and strategic games. Otheractivities include a murder mystery: Who killedthe convention coordinator? Registration: $13/weekend preregistered, and $15/weekend, $4/Friday, and $7/Saturday or Sunday at the door.Send an SASE to: Nebulous Assoc., PO. Box 925,Morgantown WV 26507-0925.

SCI CON 13, Nov. 8-10 VAThis SF/gaming convention will be held at the

Holiday Inn Executive Center in Virginia Beach,Va. Guests include Lois McMaster Bujold andVincent DiFate. Events include panels, readings,videos, a costume contest, an art show, a hospi-tality suite, and gaming. Registration: $25 at thedoor. Dealers are welcome. Send an SASE to:SCI CON 13, PO. Box 9434, Hampton VA 23670.

IMPACT 1.3, Nov. 9 NEThis gaming convention will be held at the

Holiday Inn Central in Omaha, Nebr. Eventsinclude tabletop and role-playing games. Regis-tration: $5. Write to: IMPACT, PO. Box 4486,Omaha NE 68104.

LAGACON 12, Nov. 9 PAThis convention will be held at Kasper�s Ark,

north of Lebanon, Pa. Events include AD&D®,ASL*, and BATTLETECH* tournaments, withNUKE WAR*, DAYS OF DECISION*, TALIS-MAN*, RED EMPIRE*, and other introductorygames. Vendors will be present. Ask aboutgroup discounts. Write to: Lebanon AreaGamers� Assoc., 806 Cumberland St., LebanonPA 17042; or call: (717) 274-8706 from 5-9 P.M.

week nights and 9-9 on Saturdays.

WATCON �91, Nov. 9-10 *Sponsored by WATSFIC, this convention will

be held at the University of Waterloo campus inWaterloo, Ontario. Events include AD&D®,CHAMPIONS*, and AFTERMATH* games, plusboard and miniatures events. Other activitiesinclude panels, seminars, and all types of gam-ing and prizes. Registration: $10/day (Canadian)or $16/weekend preregistered, and $15/day or$20/weekend at the door. Write to: WATSFIC, c/oRoom 215 (Clubs� Room), Campus Centre, Uni-versity of Waterloo, Waterloo, Ontario, CANA-DA, N2L 3G1; or call Ronald at: (519) 884-3842.

COWBOY CON II, Nov. 15-17 OKThis convention will be held at the OSU Stu-

dent Union in Stillwater, Okla. Events includeAXIS & ALLIES*, PANZER LEADER*, STARFLEET BATTLES*, AD&D®, STAR TREK*,CHAMPIONS*, and WARHAMMER* games.Other activities include a movie room and adealers� room. Registration: $2/day or $5/weekend preregistered; $3/day or $6/weekendat the door. Write to: Con Chairman, c/o Cow-boy Campaigners Club, 040 Student Union, Box110, Stillwater OK 74078; or call Wes at: (405)372-9448.

U-CON, Nov. 15-17 MINote: The site of this convention has been

changed. It will now be held at the University ofMichigan Union on the U. of M. campus in AnnArbor, Mich. Events include a wide variety ofhistorical miniatures and strategic games. Regis-tration: S5/day or $7/weekend; at-the-doorprices slightly higher. Write to: U-CON, PO. Box4491, Ann Arbor MI 48106-4491.

PENTACON VII, Nov. 16-17Sponsored by the Northeastern Indiana

IN

Gamers� Assoc., this convention will be held atthe Grand Wayne Center in downtown FortWayne, Ind. Events include an RPGA� AD&D®tournament, the NIGA Spotlight tournament,historical miniatures games, painting and cos-tume contests, door prizes, and a flea market.Registration: $5/day or $8/weekend preregis-tered; or $6/day or $10/weekend at the door.Write to: PENTACON, PO. Box 11176, FortWayne IN 46856; or call Steve at: (219) 356-4209.

NUCON �91, Nov. 22-24Sponsored by NUGS, this convention will be

held at the University of Newcastle, Newcastle,NSW, Australia. Events include AD&D®, CALLOF CTHULHU*, CYBERPUNK*, SPACE: 1889*,and TOON* games. Registration: $3 (Australian)per session, for up to eight sessions. Write to:NUGS, 2/16 Upfold St., Mayfield, NSW 2304,AUSTRALIA; or call Rodney at: (0491633230 orMatthew at: (049) 676610.

Smarter foes are better than tougher foes

by Gregory W. Detwiler

Over the years, there have been so manyhorror stories of �Monty Haul� gamersslaughtering everything in sight withimpunity, and of grossly unbalanced cam-paigns with high-powered player charac-ters, that it is high time something wasdone about it. The opposition for an in-creasingly tough adventuring party doesnot have to consist of bigger and betterfoes; it will suffice to have smarter ones.

This article is loosely based on and dedi-cated to �Tucker�s kobolds,� immortalizedin the editorial of DRAGON® issue #127. Init, readers may recall, a band of adventur-ers of up to 12th level was badly beaten byordinary kobolds in their specially forti-fied and equipped first dungeon level. Thisarticle�s advice is similarly based in part onlittle parts of the rules that often are ig-nored. Unless otherwise stated, all sugges-tions are based on the rules of the AD&D®2nd Edition game, although these sugges-tions work perfectly well with the AD&D1st Edition game and should be applicableto the D&D® game and many other role-playing systems.

Guerrillas and missilesWhether it�s because so many fighter

characters prefer melee-happy barbariantypes or because there are many moremagical melee weapons than missile weap-ons, combat in the AD&D game almostalways winds up as a hugger-muggermelee after the spell-casters let fly. This isincredibly wasteful in casualties, especiallywhen good missile weapons are available.Killing at a distance is not only safer forthe killer, it also helps even the odds be-tween high- and low-level characters.

In the AD&D 2nd Edition game rules,fighter types may make more missile aswell as melee attacks per round as theyadvance in levels. Due to the nature ofmissile combat, however, this does notalways give them the same overwhelmingadvantage that may be possessed by afighter carving his way through a koboldhorde. In melee combat, a fighter�s foesare face-to-face with him, with no chanceto avoid his blows if their armor fails.With ranged combat, the enemy has achance to escape injury or death by em-

ploying cover and concealment. Look atthe cover and concealment modifiers ofTable 44 on page 62 of the 2nd EditionDungeon Master’s Guide, and Table 59 onpage 99 in the 2nd Edition Player’s Hand-book. If an enemy has 25% concealment,that is sufficient to nullify the advantageof weapon specialization in a missile weap-on other than a bow or crossbow; with25% cover, he can nullify the point-blankrange bonuses of specialization in bowsand crossbows. Reducing the foe�s chanceof hitting your PC with each attack meanshe will take longer to kill your PC, thusbalancing out his ability to make multipleattacks per round.

Superior numbers can go hand in handwith the concealment or cover advantageto help cut the fighter down to size. In

melee combat, a high-level fighter can slicehis way through kobolds in no time. In anarchery duel against multiple foes undercover, the odds are all in favor of the morenumerous little guys. To be sure, low-levelenemies have a lesser chance of hitting thefighter, but the advantage of cover giveseach one more time to try, and multipleattackers mean more chances of someoneeventually scoring a hit. Also, using a bowor other missile weapon properly requiresconcentration, much as spell-casting does.If a fighter gets hit right before he is aboutto fire a shot of his own, there should be a50% chance that he will automaticallymiss�the fighting equivalent of a miscastspell. With many attacks coming from allsides of him, our fighter might be toodistracted to concentrate on any one tar-

Artwork by L.A. WilliamsDRAGON 79

get. Don�t forget the possibility of awounded foe �playing possum,� then at-tacking again when the fighter�s attentionturns elsewhere. This can work well inmelee combat, too.

Guerrilla warfare and missile weaponsmix well. Sniper attacks are always attheir best when the sniper is under cover,and killing at a distance fits in well withthe guerrilla�s philosophy of using hit-and-run tactics. Guerrillas closing in for meleemight have trouble disengaging to flee ifthe foe is tougher than they bargained for,and you can�t tell what level a character isjust by looking at him. With bows andslings, the situation is different: Thearcher or slinger stays far away and undercover, the only indication of his presencebeing the occasional missile streaking outto wound or kill. It�s especially easy for aguerrilla in an ancient or medieval world;bows make far less noise than guns, sosound alone will not help the victim locatehis tormentor. Most importantly, in theAD&D game, most fighters choose meleeweapons over bows and the like, and mostDMs lean toward melee weapons whenpassing out magical weaponry. Even asword +5 is useless if you can�t get closeenough to the opponent to use it.

Acid and burning oil are also highlyuseful. �Noncombatant� women and chil-dren can use them in battle with as muchsuccess as warriors would (how many

fighters have weapons specialization ingrenadelike missiles?), thereby freeing thefighters for other duty. This is also quiterealistic for an ancient or medieval world.In ancient history, the women of a be-sieged city often assisted the defenders byhurling things down on storming parties.

Weapons specialization in grenadelikemissiles is a new skill introduced in thisarticle. Someone who specializes in throw-ing such things has an extra 10� added tothe usual range of missiles of all sizes(short range for a five-pound or lightergrenade becomes 20� instead of only 10�,etc.), due to the extra practice and themuscular strength built up when perform-ing just such actions. There is also anincreased chance of a direct hit, becausethe container has a greater chance ofbreaking. Assume the thrower knows howto put the right amount of �spin� on athrown object to increase the chances ofits breaking (i.e., failing to save vs. crush-ing blow). When an expert throws contain-ers, the chances of tough containersfailing to save are given a -2 to theirsaving throws vs. crushing blow (see Table29 on page 39 of the DMG). Not many PCswill use this skill, but it�s ideal for beefingup NPCs.

It�s not just a question of direct damage,either. The temporary trauma of being hitwith a grenadelike missile (assuming thecontents are harmful) is so great that thetarget is temporarily unable to do any-thing for the next round. On pages 93 inthe PHB and page 54 of the DMG, look atthe heading, �What You Can Do in OneRound.� Even a momentary distraction of aPC�s attention can be all it takes for awounded foe to get under cover or out ofrange, or for a mage PC to be jumpedbefore he can cast a spell. If the grenade�scontents are oily, which can cling to thetarget, you might even increase the help-lessness duration by another round ortwo, until the stuff either flows off, burnsoff, or evaporates.

Burning oil is an especially valuableweapon, because it can start fires on flam-mable materials on and around the victim,causing more damage than was done bythe attack itself. In the �Tucker�s kobolds�story, you will recall, the corridor wasfilled with flammable material that thekobolds set ablaze. (Actually, Tuckerwasn�t as hard on the group as he couldhave been. If the kobolds had merelysealed up all openings to the corridorinstead of taking potshots at the party, theadventurers would have suffocated enmasse as the flames ate up all the oxygen.Not a particularly heroic way to die, butkobolds can�t afford chivalry.)

Although this intrudes on the �Traps�section, it is a good illustration of the valueof burning oil. At an ambush point in adungeon, stepping on the trigger causesthe ceiling to open up. Instead of thestandard 10-ton block of stone, however, amass of dry, flammable material such aspaper, cotton, or dead leaves falls on the

victim, in such quantities that he is eitherburied and unable to move, or is reducedto slowly slogging through the mess (50%chance of either happening). Strugglingout from under this mess might involveuse of the breath-holding rules, possiblywith suffocation following (see page 122 ofthe PHB), while slogging through a pile oftinder would be similar to moving throughsoft sand or snow (check page 124 of theDMG). After the stuff falls, a pot of burn-ing oil is poured over the mass of tinderfrom a murder hole in the ceiling, thetinder catches fire, and the victim takes1d6 hp burning damage per round untilsuch time as he can slog into the clear.(The fire is assumed to have a ventilationsource to keep it burning, such as smallholes in the ceiling or walls.) If the PC isactually buried in the mess, the flames willeither harm comrades coming to the res-cue or deter them from making any res-cue attempts, leading to more damage oreven death for the victim. Remember thatit is easier to pile tinder into a ceiling trapthan to maneuver a 10-ton block of stoneinto position.

TrapsThis section isn�t about new and hideous

ways to kill characters�at least, not di-rectly. Instead, it details how nonlethaltraps can add to the killing process.

You�ve all heard of the confining trap;now, you�ll hear of the truly confiningtrap. The victim blunders into a pit trap(roll his dexterity or less on 1d20, or hefalls in), to discover it is shaped like afunnel, with the narrow end at the bot-tom. This point is so narrow that the vic-tim will barely fit it, and will be socramped that he will be quite unable toget out again without assistance. Nowimagine a murder hole directly above thefunnel-shaped pit, where an enemy canshoot arrows or bolts down on the motion-less character, scoring a hit virtually everytime. If missile firing seems too tedious,assume the murder hole opens into alarger chamber, with barrel upon barrel ofghastly liquid. A few barrels full of burn-ing oil or acid, poured down on an immo-bile character, will make a mockery of theadvantage of high level. The fellow mayhave lots of hit points, but if he can�t fightback, his assailant has all the time in theworld to leisurely get rid of him.

Cramped pits aren�t the only traps thatcan hold a character helpless for the kill. Asnare that pins the adventurer�s arms tohis sides or leaves him dangling in the airby one foot is also deadly when backed upby armed guards. Nets and jaw traps thatconfine limbs are also good, though strongcharacters might be able to break free (usethe bend bars/lift gates skill to determinesuccess).

Then there�s the unstable footing gambit,in which foes decoy adventurers onto asurface of ice, oil, grease, deep snow ormud, or even quicksand. Use Table 73 onpage 124 of the DMG to determine move-

80 OCTOBER 1991

ment difficulties for all but the last. Quick-sand is a death trap where the victimcannot move at all without causing himselfto sink (unless he knows enough to swim orfloat), after which it will be the same asdrowning in water. If the character is heav-ily armored, almost nothing can save him.

When slipping about or mired in somegoop, characters will be unable to fighteffectively. And without free movement,characters get no dexterity bonuses onarmor class; spell-casters become more orless useless (more on that later). If a fight-er cannot shift into position to use hisshield, that hurts, too. Even ordinarycombatants can become lethal foes if thehigh-level heros can�t fight back.

Unseen assailantsThis section concerns itself with the

advantage of making sudden attacks thatthe victims are unaware of until it�s toolate. The reason this isn�t in the guerrilla-warfare section is because it concentrateson unnatural stealth.

Invisibility is a fact of life in the AD&Dgame, and a fatal one under the rightcircumstances. The spell is only a 2nd-levelone, thereby fitting in well with backingup low-level opponents. It is true that theinvisibility spell is nullified when onemakes an attack, but by that time, it isgenerally too late for the victim. Anyonebackstabbed by a thief (or assassin in the

AD&D 1st Edition game) knows how lethala surprise attack from the rear can be;invisibility can get a foe in position for justsuch an attack. Think of a party clusteredtogether, suddenly surprised by a wizardwho pops into view just long enough toshoot a fireball from his wand. Take thethief who wades right into a pile of coinsand gems, dispelling too late the invisibilityspell cast on the black pudding right be-fore him (illusions would work just as wellin cases like this). If a variation of this spellis cast on a door or section of wall, itmight even cause a hurrying character tobash his brains out when he tries to springthrough the �gap.� Used properly, invisibili-ty can be a real killer.

Low-level illusion spells are good, too, ifproperly used. For trapping PCs in a ca-vern complex or dungeon, wait until theyare out of sight (but not hearing), thencreate the audible illusion of a cave-in,immediately following it up with the illu-sion of a pile of debris sealing off theentrance. Showmanship counts. So dospecial effects used to simulate realism. Ifthe party can be observed advancingdown a tunnel, a 1st-level illusionist canget advance warning to create a phantas-mal force illusion of a stone or clay golem.This illusion is totally silent, but the spell-caster�s confederates hiding and watchingin the background can solve that problemby scraping a rock or piece of broken

pottery across the floor each time the�golem� sets a foot down. In an echoingtunnel, it could well be impossible to de-termine precisely where the sound iscoming from.

In a town or city setting, change self canenable a character�s hated enemy to sneakup behind him unnoticed for a suddenbackstabbing attack, just as invisibilitycould. A shallow pit can seem incrediblydeep if an audible illusion cast right beforethe party shows up makes it seem as ifsomeone fell in, particularly if the �vic-tim�s� final screams are drawn out andsteadily diminishing in volume. After that,who�s going to bother tossing in a torch todetermine the pit�s depth? Then there areillusory bridges over rivers, illusory reefsto keep an enemy ship from coming inclose to shore, and so on. To even theodds, use illusions�and your wits.

Drag �em down!This topic is similar to that of confining

traps, save for the fact that it concernsattacks by living opponents that confinethe victim, rather than the use of inani-mate traps.

Check out �Attacking Without Killing,� inthe PHB and the DMG, on pages 97 and 59respectively. This concerns grappling andoverbearing attacks, among others, whichcan result in a character being pinneddown and helpless. The victim�s foes can

82 OCTOBER 1991

then either take him prisoner or kill himat their leisure, and neither the text northe charts say a darn thing about thevictim�s levels.

It�s a common tactic of DMs to have low-level humanoids attack in superior num-bers to offset individual inferiority.However, they always wind up fightingwith weapons, enabling the more-powerful characters to knock them offeasily. Why not have the humanoids eventhe odds by charging bare-handed, tothrow themselves on the fighters, anddrag them down in an overbearing attack?Sure, they�ll take some casualties of theirown, but bold warriors have to expect thatsort of thing in battle. Assume they�reworked up into a battle frenzy, aredrugged or drunk, have a spell cast onthem, or are just plain desperate. A fight-er�s strength does not increase as he gainslevels; it won�t increase at all unless hegets his hands on something like gauntletsof ogre power. If the DM is properly stingyconcerning magical treasure, then thisoption is lost to the character.

There is no question that being heldimmobile is a serious problem for anycharacter. Weapons cannot be wielded,shields cannot be shifted into position, andyou can kiss dexterity-based armor-classadditions goodbye. Spell-casters are alsohelpless when denied free movement.Theoretically, a psionics-using character

DRAGON 83

(the psionicist class in the AD&D 2ndEdition game) would be able to get in apsionic blast or other attack, since all heuses is his mind, but if his captors knockhim around constantly to keep him fromconcentrating, even this might be useless(of course, the moment they stop, thepsionicist can act). Note that evil creaturestend to knock prisoners around for thehell of it; they don�t have to suspect acharacter has psionics to do this.

If you want to teach PCs a lesson aboutoverconfidence, but don�t want to killthem (at least not right away), then grap-pling and overbearing tactics are ideal.This way, they can be taken prisoner,possibly to be released upon a ransompayment (reducing their monetary wealth)if they haven�t escaped. If the idiots stillhaven�t learned their lesson, then go aheadand have their captors kill them for sport,sacrifice, or food. Again, this is a tacticthat can improve the chances for role-playing, as imprisoned characters can�thelp but interact with their captors andany fellow prisoners (with benevolentfoes, friends, and relatives maybe gettingvisiting rights).

SabotageOne problem many DMs encounter in-

volves PCs throwing their weight around inpublic among the common, low-level NPCswho can�t defend themselves in combat.

This subject has already been addressed anumber of times in DRAGON Magazine, butI�ll recap one of the remedies for thosenewer readers who tuned in late, as thesecan have a powerful effect on the adven-turers. [In particular, see the comments onparty sabotage in “Revenge of the No-bodies,” from DRAGON issue #112.]

Player characters do not exist in a vac-uum. They are dependent on others for allthe little things in life: food, drink, cloth-ing, shelter, nonmagical gear, some materi-al spell components, pack animals�thatsort of thing. And this is where those poor,hapless NPC nobodies can take revenge.The sabotage of a character�s (or party�s)gear can bring about disaster at the criti-cal point in the adventure.

Cavaliers (the class or kit, depending onthe edition of AD&D games you play)Should be the most frequent victims, if anylogic applies; a properly played cavalierwould antagonize everyone whose blood isnot true blue. In between threats andinsults, the local horse dealer will assureHis Lordship that this heavy war horsewill not flee in terror when he encountersa dragon. True enough: The poor thingwill be so frightened that it will freezefrom terror, leaving His Lordship cursingand twitching in the saddle, probablymaking a fool of himself as the dragonapproaches. TO a lesser degree, any char-acter can have trouble with locally bought

beasts. Of course these horses are �well-broken�; they got that name because theirriders all wound up that way.

Armorers, weaponsmiths, weavers, andthe like have great potential for sabotage.A fighter�s blade could break when itstrikes a foe or parries a blow; a shieldcould shatter when struck, and armormay reveal weak spots at the most incon-venient times. Being three-quarters of theway up your world�s version of MountEverest is a poor time for the party�s ropeto break, especially from the point of viewof those characters hanging on under thebreaking point. Saddle girths can snap andhorseshoes can be thrown, really screwingup a cavalry charge. A worker who reallyknows his business will know how muchnormal wear a certain damaged strap cantake, doing just enough damage to it sothat the saddle girth will snap at roughlythe time the cavalier reaches the caves tochallenge that huge ancient red dragon inmortal combat. Then there are boats thatspring leaks in mid-ocean, clothes thatwear out or split their seams prematurelywhile the characters are out in the icywilderness, lockpicks and other thieves�tools that are just a bit too thick to fit inkeyholes, and containers that developholes sometime after they are filled tocapacity (usually on the trek to or fromthe party�s destination, so as to lose vitalgear, supplies, or treasure). Assign a

84 OCTOBER 1991

10-50% chance of a doctored item break-ing, depending on the worker�s skill. Re-member, it can�t be too noticeable, or theowner will catch on too soon.

Sabotage of spell components can bemost disastrous to the party. Suppose thesulphur or saltpeter had been speciallytreated with impurities mixed in, thusnullifying the metaphysical qualities inher-ent in these substances. Maybe the treach-erous supplier substituted the droppingsof other animals for bat guano, even goingso far as to dye the stuff to make it looklike bat guano. Spell components made ofgold, silver, or platinum could have basemetals worked into them in sufficientquantity to ruin the dweomer expected,and fake gemstones (whole or powdered)will not give the required results. Frommidlevel adventures on, depriving a partyof its magical punch can mean the differ-ence between survival (never mind victo-ry) and disaster.

The standard way to handle the effectsof sabotaged spell components is to simplyhave the spell fail. With imagination, how-ever, the DM can come up with muchmore interesting results. Information-gathering spells can give the wrong re-sults, causing the party to walk into a traprather than avoid one. An offensive spellcould affect the caster or another partymember (an area-effect attack spell likefireball might hit the whole party, with themage serving as �ground zero�). A defen-sive spell like anti-magic shell or protec-tion from normal missiles could bebestowed�not on the party, but on theenemy. (A lycanthrope of any sort wouldnot need protection from normal missiles.)For single defensive spells like invisibility,bestow it on the nearest attacking crea-ture that can use it. If you don�t want suchdrastic results to even the odds, simplyreduce the range, duration, or damagecaused by the miscast spell. [See also �Vari-ety, the Spice of Magic” in issue #147, and“Magic Mangling Made Easy,” in issue #173,for further spell-sabotage possibilities.]

If you don�t care much for intrigue in yourcampaign, or the PCs are too powerful buthaven�t been nasty enough to encouragesabotage, then you have a simple substitute:incompetence. The master smith or armorermight have a flood of orders, and simplyturns a certain number of jobs over to hisapprentice. Likewise, some people might notbe able to honestly tell the difference be-tween real and fake gemstones, or theymight be poor animal trainers. And as forspell components�well, can you tell thedifference between bat guano and buffalochips? Even with local intrigue, this can beuseful. A spy or refugee posing as a special-ized workman might be forced to �fake it� orelse blow his cover. Characters who havehad a number of unpleasant experienceswith their gear will (if they survive) learn toshop around and inquire as to the relativeskills of the various specialists, therebygetting more involved in role-playing andnegotiation.

Nuisance encountersBy nuisance encounters, I am not speak-

ing of run-ins with bandits or wanderingmonsters. I am referring to encounterswith creatures so small and weak thatthey usually don�t appear in monster list-ings. This does not, however, mean thatthey can�t cause trouble.

Monkeys, ordinary pack rats, and ordi-nary ravens aren�t much of a threat inbattle, even to 1st-level characters. How-ever, they do possess an annoying habit ofgrabbing any objects that strike theirfancy and making off with them. Suchitems are usually small and shiny: gems,jewelry, and metallic items such as rings. Ifyou want to save time when making up atreasure cache by simply putting in a fewbits of jewelry and magical items, makethe party�s return trip more interesting byhaving a small, cute, furry or featheredcreature make off with one or more smallbut precious items. While this wouldn�tmake more than a dent in a large horde, itwould be a major proportion of a smallone, and hence more worth the PCs� timeto recover. Even if it is nonmagical, a gem-stone or piece of jewelry might still beworth more than all the rest of the trea-

sure put together.Magical-item theft is best, of course.

Let�s say a monkey has taken a strongliking to a PC�s jewel of flawlessness, gemof seeing, or ring of three wishes. If itclimbs up a tree with its loot, the PC natu-rally has to climb up after it to get theitem back. The monkey has the advantage,though: It�s much lighter than the PC is,even if the PC is stripped down for theclimb (did he remember to take off hisarmor before climbing?), and thus themonkey can go higher and travel on thin-ner branches. Press the pursuit too far,and the player will soon be engaged in aheated debate with the DM about fallingdamage.

Magic is surprisingly ineffective in thissituation. Fly or levitate will get the PC upthere, but in the thick foliage and densebranches, the monkey still has the advan-tage, and this ability won�t wear off likethe spell will. Spider climb seems to eventhe odds, but there�s still that matter ofnarrow limbs; again, a spell will eventuallywear off. Ditto for the various polymorphspells. Besides, if the PC turns into a mon-key to face the beast on equal terms, re-member that it will be equal terms. The

DRAGON 85

PC won�t be any tougher than the monkey,and spell-casting is out of the question, sothere�s no guarantee that the PC will beable to beat the monkey and recover hisproperty.

If the PC wants to zap the monkey fromthe ground, fine, but if he wants to do itwithout hurting the stolen goods, that�snot so fine. If the monkey�s hiding in thethick foliage so the PC can�t tell exactlywhere it is, this prohibits precision-demanding spell like magic missile. Area-effect spells would be necessary, but mostof these, such as fireball, would risk dam-aging the stolen magical item. The playerwould have to use something like sleep,death spell, or power word stun to takeout a thief that could have as little as 1 hp.And if the PC is out in the wilderness,which is presumably full of wild beastsand monsters, he might not dare use sucha powerful spell on one lousy monkey(another good reason not to use any shapechange spells). Don�t forget saving throws,either. This is a great option for DMs wholike to use wandering monsters to depletea party�s spell powers: Why conjure upmore dragons than the neighborhoodcould support when a 1 hp monkey will dojust fine?

If you�re a DM and are feeling reallysadistic, force the PCs to watch helplesslyfrom the ground while the monkey usesup their hard-won wishes on such thingsas a lifetime supply of bananas (if youdon�t think a monkey could use the magic,remember that animals must be able tocome up with at least some humanlikeconcepts, or the speak with animals spellwould be useless). Trickery or diplomacy(assuming a character can speak withanimals) is at a premium here, as this is asituation where the use of brute force isclearly out of the question.

You can also have a scenario where thesmall animal is to be killed for some spe-cial reason. Perhaps it�s the spying familiarof a nosy wizard, or a scout for the localdruid. Or maybe the PCs are just desper-ate for food. Beating the bushes in searchof small animals such as rabbits can be areal pain, and any spells used on thoseanimals should be of a type that leavessomething behind to eat. In an area wheregame is really scarce, only one or twosmall animals might be available to becaught, with the main fighting beingamong the party members as they decidewho gets to eat what food there is.

In a way, this sort of nuisance encounteris an extrapolation of guerrilla warfare,with stealth and speed taking the place ofbrute force. At any rate, small animalsshould be far more common than humanor humanoid opponents in most worlds, soadjust your encounter tables accordingly.

In summary, DMs should remember thatnot all counters to powerful magic andabilities are equally powerful magic andabilities. Stealth, speed, trickery, weight ofnumbers, and missile fire, perhaps with a

touch of magical enhancement, can eventhe odds up wonderfully. Best of all, sincethe counter to the PCs� might has no massof hit points or magical items, the PCs willnot gain any great game balance-destroying advantages if they manage to

triumph anyway. In such a victory, the PCswill definitely have earned their experi-ence points. It should teach them thateven in magical universes, bigger is notalways better.

DRAGON 87

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Unless otherwise noted:® designates registered trademarks owned by TSR. Inc.™ designates trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.©1991 TSR, Inc. All Rights Resewed.

MARVEL SUPER HEROES, MARVEL UNIVERSE, Marvelcharacters, and the distinctive names and likenesses thereofare trademarks of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. and areused with permission.

by Matthew P. Hargenrader

Ioun stones: Where do you go if you want some more?

Some of the most interesting treasuresfound in the AD&D® game are those won-derful floating gems called ioun stones.These small, glittering stones are highlyprized by adventurers, for they granttheir users many special benefits, such asprotection from magical spells, amplifica-tion of ability scores, or even an entirelevel of experience. But some game areaspertaining to these gems are not welldescribed. Where do they come from? Arethese magical gemstones created naturallyor artificially? How can they achieve suchspectacular results? This article answersthese questions and sheds more light onthese nifty little treasures.

So, where do ioun stones come from?The power contained within these magicalcrystals is tremendous, enabling them toproduce effects far beyond the apparentscope of normal AD&D game magic. Justimagine the power required to give astone the dweomer to raise a character�sstandard abilities by one point. Creatingthis effect using regular AD&D spellsrequires a wish (a ninth-level spell, from aspell-caster of at least 18th level). And awish is capable of raising exceptionalscores of 16 and above by only one-tenthof a point! Regardless, not even a wish ispowerful enough to raise a character�slevel of experience. Ioun stones canachieve these effects instantly. Keeping inmind that such enhancements are tempo-rary, effective only while the gem is in use,we find that ability scores and levels above

90 OCTOBER 1991

racial maximums can be obtained.1 Wheredo the stones obtain such power?

This article describes several possiblemethods by which ioun stones might becreated. It draws most of the pertinentinformation directly from the AD&Drules, the bulk of research concentratedmainly within the AD&D 1st Edition hard-back, The Manual of the Planes. But I didnot ignore the true source of-the stones,so before we begin our investigation, let�sgive credit to the inventor of these fasci-nating magical treasures.

The idea and name for the ioun stoneoriginally appeared in a series of bookswritten by Jack Vance. Collectively, theseworks are referred to as the Dying Earthnovels. They include: The Dying Earth,Eyes of the Overworld, Cugel’s Saga, andRhialto the Marvelous. A related novelusing the same setting and characters waswritten by Michael Shea, titled A Quest forSimbilis. I highly recommend these booksas inspirational sources.

All of these works contain ideas thathave been incorporated into the AD&Dbooks, such as the wizard�s spell memori-zation system. In one of the newest novels,Rhialto the Marvelous, can be found adetailed description of where ioun stonesoriginate, including the method in whichthey can be collected. All of this informa-tion is contained within the short story,�Morreion.�

This tale reveals that these magicallyenhanced gemstones are created naturally,

deep inside the hearts of stars, beingfound in abundance within burned-outstars. These stellar husks possess immensegravitational fields, protecting the stonesthey contain. As these stars penetrate theleading edge of the expanding universe,they encounter a barrier, known as the�nothing.� Collision with the barrier causesthe star to vanish, layer by layer, graduallyexposing the glittering cargo that is hiddenwithin the core. Here lie the ioun stones,nestled in pockets of black dust on a vastglistening plane that is known as the�shining-fields.�

The now-revealed gems are then collect-ed, at great risk, by a race of blue-scaled,demonlike creatures, the archveults. Har-vesting is achieved by hovering above thestar�s vanishing surface, safely suspendedon specially made rafts called slideboardsthat protect them from crushing gravity.From these platforms, the archveultsgreedily remove the stones from the sur-rounding loose material. Using arcane andphysical means, and being careful to re-main within the dust area (stepping out-side of the dust is instant death), thearchveults quickly gather the gems. Re-maining overlong on the surface is riskingdeadly contact with the �nothing,� a horri-fying death as the victim slowly vanishes.

The underlying theme through all ofthese novels is the fact that stones are ofenormous magical value. These gems arethe most highly prized and jealouslyguarded magicks that a wizard owns.

Artwork by Kevin Davies

Some of these wizards, notably Morreion,possessed a veritable cloud of stones thatfollowed them about at all times. The talesare marvelously crafted, and I tried toremain as true as possible to their intentwhile developing my theory. I also tookinto consideration staying within the con-fines of the AD&D rules.

[It would be very simple to convert theabove story line to fit with the AD&D 2ndEdition SPELLJAMMER™ supplement. Thearchveults would be the arcane, whowould harvest the stones from fire bodiesand elmarin (mentioned in the Lorebookof the Void). The gnomes are already saidto hunt the elmarin for their ioun stones,which are found when these creaturesdie. — The editors]

A non-Vancian method by which iounstones could be created follows. Thismethod lacks any spirit of adventure andis very straightforward: It is supposed thatultrapowerful wizards who live on somealternate Prime Material plane simplymake these magical gems. The only inter-esting thing about this origin is that themagical effects created by such wizardsare greatly superior to those encounteredin a standard AD&D campaign. In fact,some alternate Prime Material planesallow for vastly superior spell potentialthat is enhanced to the eleventh level�afull two levels above such paltry spellsavailable in other dimensions, minor en-chantments like the ninth-level spell,wish!²

What a spell of this magnitude could do,I will not venture to guess, but I believe itcould easily aid in the manufacturing ofmany magical items�including iounstones. This method works well and lieswithin the spirit of AD&D rules, but it isalso very simplistic. The only fun involvedwould be in the journey to this alternateplane (and surviving the wizards� wrath ifyou steal from them).

[Interestingly, according to the AD&D2nd Edition Dungeon Master�s Guide, iounstones have low experience-point values of300 XP per stone, implying that they canbe created by player-character wizardswith some ease (since experience pointsare gained only for creating an item, asper the DMG, page 135). No method formaking the stones is given, however. Per-haps the low value can be justified byallowing it to be earned if the characterpersonally collects them from an elmarinand performs whatever brief rituals, ifany, are required to bring them to fullpower; thus, the stones are not truly “cre-ated” so much as they are harvested.—Theeditors]

However, I prefer a more natural (anddangerous) explanation of the stones�origin. While reading through the Manualof the Planes, I discovered a realm thatpossessed all those qualities.

Within the complex interaction of theInner planes is one great expanse of infi-nite power: the Positive Material plane.This vast, dynamic plane creates effects

that approach, if not exceed, those of astar.3 A great pool of energy, this planeinteracts with all of the elemental planesto create four quasi-elemental planes.Between this pool of energy and the ele-mental plane of Earth lies the object of ourinvestigation, the quasi-plane of Mineral.This realm is a vast expanse of rare crys-tals and rich metal-bearing ore.

Here, the adventurous traveler willdiscover the secrets of ioun stones. Thesegemstones are valued above all else by theinhabitants of this plane and are especiallycherished by Crystalle, the One of ManyFacets, the quasi-elemental Prince of Min-erals. The stones are jealously guardedand are only rarely given freely to outsid-ers. Those wishing to obtain these gemsmust be willing to risk their lives in orderto obtain these gems by stealth, outwittingany guardians lurking nearby.

Little is known concerning the quasi-elemental plane of Mineral, but someimportant basic information does exist.First, any traveler must be well preparedto face the rigors of this plane. This in-cludes readying the correct equipment,appropriate spells, and those magical itemsthat are absolutely necessary to allowbreathing, vision and movement throughthe realm of Mineral (see the Manual ofthe Planes, pages 42-43 for details ontraveling through the plane of Earth).

Second, crystals found throughout theMineral plane are �sharper than steelblades,� causing damage to most nonnative

DRAGON 91

creatures moving through these keen-edged clusters (Manual of the Planes, page56). It is the extreme hardness these crys-tals possess that gives credence to thetheory that ioun stones are created withinthis realm. All ioun stones are extremelytough, treated as hard metal + 3 on savingthrows, and have AC -4 against physicalattacks, possessing 10 hp before beingdestroyed.

Third, the closer an adventurer gets tothe Mineral plane�s Positive Materialboundary, the more fragile the crystalsbecome and the more these crystals glowwith energy, giving off an inner light.Here, in this dangerous border zone, aprospector has the greatest success locat-ing the nodes that may contain a cluster ofioun stones. These nodes are large, someof them a yard across. They are huge,unidentifiable, malformed crystals of littlevalue. Nestled within each of these nodescan be found 1d10 ioun stones, caught in acrystalline web. Each stone in a givennode has a different power; when theirpowers are rolled for, any duplicates aregray and lifeless.

What causes these nodes to form andhow the crystals inside are imbued withtheir unique powers is not completelyunderstood. Several theories exist, butonly one seems to answer most of thequestions that arise. It is believed that attimes a gem or gems of exceptional qualitywill form within an elemental pocket(plane of Earth). Surrounded by a layer ofinert material, this mass is subjected to thegreat pressure and force created by the

92 OCTOBER 1991

interaction of the Positive Material andEarth planes. Slowly, this clump is trans-formed into a proto-geode.

Because of the shifting actions of the planes, these nodules are slowly pushedthrough the Mineral plane toward thePositive Material plane. The closer thisnode gets to the vast energy source, themore energy it begins to absorb. Like abattery, the central crystal mass begins tocharge itself.

The pseudocrystal shell of the nodulehas the amazing property of being semi-permeable. That is, it allows the energy topenetrate, but traps it inside to bathe thenodule�s crystalline cargo in an ever-increasing concentration of energy. Thehighly charged gemstones trapped insideundergo an amazing transformation. Eachbegins to alter its shape as it absorbs adifferent frequency of energy. By the timethe ioun stones are ready for use, they arereadily identifiable by type, as each energyband makes only one type of stone.

Also during this time, the stones, whichexist in a zero-gravity realm, begin to buildup a field of pseudomagnetic repulsion.The stones also begin to lose up to one-halftheir physical weight, replacing it withpure energy. Despite this weight loss, thestones still maintain their extreme hard-ness. These two effects together give thestone the capability of �floating in air�once it is freed from its cocoon. But beforeit can be collected, the stone must besubjected to one more event: total immer-sion in the Positive Material plane.

After years or centuries of travel, the

nodules reach the fluctuating borderbetween the two planes. Here they facetheir �test of fire,� as wave after wave oftotally pure, positive energy washes overthem. Half of all nodules are destroyed atthis point, as the shell ruptures, spewingits contents into the consuming power.Those nodules that do survive undergo anamazing alteration, as the outer shell istransformed into true material of theMineral realm. These crystal geodes arecarried along at the front edge of an ad-vancing energy wall, where they are de-posited within the Positive Material plane.

This final stage may occur many timesdue to the constant pulsing of the PositiveMaterial plane, and each time vastamounts of raw, dynamic power pene-trates the outer shell. Each time this hap-pens, the crystals within are furtheraltered. Very rarely (1% chance per ge-ode), a geode is found in which an iounstone has absorbed a superdosage of en-ergy. Such stones work at double theirnormal effectiveness. Anytime after thefirst positive �submersion,� the geode isready for collection by some powerful (orcrazy) individual.

The most frequently used location ofgathering is from the safety of the great,lead towers that protrude along the borderbetween the Positive Material and Mineralplanes. These towers, which extend deepinto the Positive Material plane, are totallyunaffected by the disintegrating power ofthe energy. Within a few of these bastionslive beings of immense power, such as spell-casters of 18th level or higher, powerful

New Ioun Stones Table

1d100 Color of stone Shape Effect1 Clear Sphere Grants 5% magic resistance (25% max. from five such stones)2 Pure white Octahedron + 1 bonus to charisma vs. beings of the same race3 Silvery mirror Cube Adds + 1 on saves vs. gaze-type petrification attacks (medusa, basilisk, etc.)4 Deep purple Prism Grants infravision capabilities (60� range), or doubles existing infravision range5 Bright silver Cylinder User and 200 lbs. of possessions can go ethereal for a one-hour duration*6 Soft black Rectangle Protection vs. life-level (hit-die) draining attacks (vampire, specter, energy drain, etc.) *7 Bright white Rectangle Adds + 1 to all saving throws vs. acids8 Deep black Sphere Allows user to see in magical darkness (30� range)9 Rainbow Spindle User and 200 lbs. of possessions can polymorph self for a one-hour duration*10 Orange Cube Grants resistance to mind-affecting spells as if user had a wisdom of 20 (PHB, page 17)11 Pulsing red Star Adds + 1 to all saving throws vs. fire-based attacks12 Flickering white Snowflake Adds + 1 to all saving throws vs. cold-based attacks13 Brown Rhomboid User and 200 lbs. of possessions can assume gaseous form for a one-hour duration*14 Green Sphere Adds + 1 to all saving throws vs. gas-based attacks15 Gold Ellipsoid User and 200 lbs. of possessions can go astral for a one-hour duration*16 Y e l l o w Sphere Sheds continual light on command17 Silver Sphere Negates rear-attack bonuses against user from any source18 Copper Rectangle Allows user to read magic at will19 Silver Rod Adds + 1 to all saving throws vs. electrical attacks20 Brass Lozenge Adds 2d4 + 2 hp to user on command, usable once per day*21 Cerulean blue Rhomboid Bestows free action on user, as per the magical ring22 Blue green Spindle Bestows airy water in 10�-radius sphere at will23 Pale yellow Lozenge Bestows water walk ability at will24 Puce Cube Bestows ESP ability at will; user can scan surface thoughts of one person per round

within a range of 30�25 Light blue Prism Allows user to understand all spoken languages26 Clear pink Sphere �Spirit storage�; has no apparent benefit until user receives a death blow in combat* *27 Rainbow Ellipsoid User can levitate at will28 Maroon Star User can be harmed only by magical weapons and spells (then taking full damage)29 All possible Any Cursed version of any stone type; DM�s decision as to exact effects (remove curse

required to stop effects)30 All possible Any Supercharged version of any previous type (DM�s choice); doubled effects

31-00 Use Ioun Stones table in DMG, page 173

* Stone has 2d10 charges, then turns gray and lifeless.* * The user�s soul or spirit is transferred into the ioun stone, where it can be easily returned to the body through the power of a

restoration spell (body will have 1 hp, however).

creatures from the outer planes, and even plane�s fringes at a speed of 900� perpowerful visitors from parallel Prime round. This energy wave consumes every-Material planes. From these lead sanctu- thing it encounters, with the exception of

thieves and recover the stones.Once safely collected, the geodes can be

broken open to reveal a glittering collec-aries, they perform studies of the PositiveMaterial plane, seeking new ways in whichto use that power and thus augment theirvast arsenals of magic.

At times, these beings are lucky enoughto spot a free floating geode that is closeenough for an attempt at gathering to bemade. Physical means, such as the employ-ment of nets composed of lead strands,are usually used, but some arcane means(telekinesis, limited wish, and wish) willalso work. Occasionally, the collector mustactually enter the Positive Material plane,but care is taken, for prolonged exposureto the tremendous energy is extremelydangerous, if not fatal.

Some adventurers prefer to avoid thetowers of lead, fearing that the creatureswithin may attack. These foolhardy soulstake even greater risks by remaining �inthe plane of Mineral, for they must at-tempt to reach the geodes and leave be-fore three possibly fatal events occur. Thefirst danger is the positive energy pulsethat travels rapidly through the Mineral

the geodes and the towers. The seconddanger is the chance of fossilization,which can occur due to the extendedexposure to the plane of Mineral, as it ispart of the elemental plane of Earth.4

The third danger is that 90% of the geodesare watched over by some quasi-elementalcreatures that will fight to the death toprotect its �treasure.� Characters should useextreme caution regarding how many iounstones are taken from the Mineral realm. Allof the native life forms show extreme hostili-ty toward anyone removing large numbersof gems from their plane, and ioun stonesare more highly prized than any ordinarygemstones. The attempted removal of morethan five stones will most assuredly (90%)prompt an attack from some quasi-elementalcreature.5 These creatures always attempt tonotify Crystalle of the theft, and they harassthe characters on their entire journey home-ward. Crystalle might even go to the ex-treme of sending 2d6 shards (see �TheDragon�s Bestiary� in this issue for details)into the Prime Material plane to attack the

tion of small gems. The shell of each geodeis extremely hard, and only weapons of+ 3 enchantment can break it open, withcare being taken that none of the stonesare damaged in the process. The openingof the nodule is very dangerous, for italways releases a burst of residual positiveenergy. This explosion is similar to a fire-ball but is variable in its intensity. Theburst inflicts 3d10 six-sided dice of firedamage to anyone within a 15� radius,causing all flammable items to save vs. fireor be ignited.

The difficult tasks now over, the newlyharvested stones are quite easy to use. Byfirmly grasping a stone, any character canimprint his personal magnetic aura intothe gem�s structure. The activated crystalis then tossed lightly into the air, where itorbits the user like a small glowing moon.This orbit is not always elliptical but fol-lows a seemingly random, meanderingpathway as it maneuvers along the user�smagnetic force lines. A stone alternatelysits motionless in midair or dances and

DRAGON 93

weaves about, rarely straying more than3� from its owner. Sometimes, a stonewanders up to 12� from the user for noapparent reason, but it quickly returns, itsobscure �mission� complete. 6

While in orbit, a stone creates an energytransference that sends small amounts ofits stored energy back to the user. Suchstored potential can amplify the charac-ter�s standard ability scores (increasingstrength, intelligence, dexterity, etc.). Acharacter may also gain an unusual powerthat he never had before (protection fromspells, psionics, gas, etc.). These powersare temporary, lasting only as long as thestone is in orbit.

Whenever separated from the user (whilethe latter sleeps, for example) the stonessits motionless, capable of being reattunedby anyone wishing to employ its specialpowers. Thus, a stone can be given fromone user to another, retaining the samelevel of magical energy, perhaps for years.

Sometimes, however, a stone suddenlyburns out (flat 5% chance per year).Burned-out stones are forever useless,becoming dull gray and lifeless. Still, thesemight be useful to characters with psionicpowers, as the AD&D 1st Edition DMG,page 147, allowed each of them to add 10points to a character�s psionic strengthtotal, to a maximum of 50 points. Thisproperty can apply to the AD&D 2ndEdition psionics system in the Complete

Psionics Handbook, too. Burned-out stonesstill �fly.�

Occasionally a character using an iounstone is injured and falls almost lifeless tothe ground (0 to - 9 hp). During this time,the orbit of his stones slows, movingclosely above the person�s head. Whendeath does occur ( - 10 hp), the stonesdrift at a speed of 20� per round, traveling3d6 X 10 feet before gently dropping to theground. During this aimless drifting, astone can be more easily captured orstruck by weapons (treat as AC 3). If thedeath of a character is particularly violent(e.g., he goes from positive hit points to -10 or lower in one round), the stones whizoff at great speed in a random direction,traveling 2d6 X 10 feet before falling to theground. If, during this mad flight, theystrike an obstacle, a saving throw vs.crushing blow must be made in order todetermine the effects of the impact. If onestrikes a character, it does 1 hp damage.

Despite the dangers involved, stones area valuable treasure, well worth the risksinvolved in obtaining them in quantities,for the powers they grant will greatly aidin the successful completion of manyadventures.

Footnotes1. POLYHEDRON� Newszine, issue #15,

�Dispel Confusion� column: Question�Ared sphere stone adds + 1 to dexterity (18

maximum). Can it raise a half-orc�s dexteri-ty above the racial maximum? Answer�Yes, but only while being used, thesethings are very powerful and will increaseability scores above racial maximum.

In my campaign, the users of the greenprism stones gain full maximum benefitsfrom such usage�i.e., maximum hit pointsfor the level gained (one full hit die). Allother functions and abilities are at fullpotential.

2. See Manual of the Planes, pages117-119, appendix I, The Prime Materialplanes, for further details.

3. At the GEN CON® 20 game fair, Man-ual of the Planes author Jeff Grubb held aseminar in which he described the PositiveMaterial plane as �basically a great star . . .a realm where no adventurer, regardlessof protection, could hope to survive forlong. This area is definitely off limits toadventurers.�

4. Manual of the Planes contains completedetails on the fossilization process. See thechapter, �The Plane of Elemental Earth,�pages 42-43, for complete information.

5. DMs should use the encounter chartfor the elemental plane of Earth to deter-mine random encounters here. Also,DRAGON® issue #125 has details on thequasi-elemental of Mineral (among others),in the article �Plane Speaking.�

6. Some wizards have observed that if acharacter is looking intently at something,some ioun stones that he possesses willmove toward the object of his scrutiny.

New ioun stonesThere never seem to be enough differ-

ent types of ioun stones. After severalyears of gaming, many players can readilyidentify all of them. This reduces theireffectiveness as a unique treasure. Inorder to remedy this �boredom,� I haveintroduced many new and unusual stonesinto my campaign. These include even afew altered and cursed versions of thestandard types. This makes using thesegems a bit more interesting and servesonce again to keep the players guessing.

Some of the altered stones I introducedwere amplified versions of ordinarystones, but because of repeated exposuresto the Positive Material plane their effectsare doubled (thus giving + 2 protection;+2 ability scores, 19 maximum; etc.).These gems are more unstable, having a20% chance per year of burning out.

Occasionally, a stone geode is harvestedtoo soon, resulting in unfinished (cursed)versions of the standard types. These iounstones steal an ability or drain away apower, then burn out, crumbling intodust. Players usually become more cau-tious once this phenomenon occurs.

Presented in the New Ioun Stones Tableare 30 new stone types that DMs mightwish to use in their campaign.

94 OCTOBER 1991

by Matthew P. HargenraderArtwork by Thomas Baxa and Matthew P. Hargenrader

Who guards the ioun stones? Here are some candidates

If an AD&D® game campaign makes useof the information on ioun stones in thisissue�s �Bazaar of the Bizarre,� the adven-turers might plan expeditions aimed atobtaining a large batch of these powerfulcrystals. Only the strongest adventurerswill withstand the rigors of such a quest.Survival in the elemental plane of Earth isdifficult, and the quasi-elemental plane ofMineral is even more dangerous due to theproximity of the Positive Material plane.

In order to add flavor to such a quest,this article contains details on severalcreatures that are unique to the realm ofMineral: the glomus, shard, spined shard,chamrol, energy pod, and trilling crysmal.Each creature presents an adventuringgroup with different dangers whenever itis encountered�which will occur fre-quently, especially if the party has takengems or ioun stones without permissionduring its visit.

Whenever an elemental guide is sum-moned in the quasi-plane of Mineral, ashard almost always answers the call(85%). Rarely, a trilling crysmal answersthe summons (10%); very rarely, a spinedshard appears (5%). The adventurers mustbe prepared to negotiate with their intend-ed guide, offering gifts in the form of rareminerals or valuable gems.

Other encounters will occur during the

96 OCTOBER 1991

journey. Consult the following chart:

1d201-34-5

6

7-89-11

12-1516-20

ResultGlomusChamrol (only in the PositiveMaterial boundary; otherwise ashard)Quasi-elemental of Mineral(DRAGON issue #125, page 69)Spined shardEnergy podTrilling crysmalShard

Most of these creatures are never foundoutside of their home plane unless sum-moned by wizards or sent on a specialmission by Crystalle, their quasi-elementalliege. The only plane that they can freelyenter is their parent plane, the elementalplane of Earth. �Frequency� in the descrip-tions is given for both non-Mineral planeareas and Mineral plane areas (the latter isin parentheses); this also applies to �Trea-sure� entries.

All of these creatures have the abilitiesand immunities common to creatures ofthe inner planes (see Manual of the Planes,appendix II, pages 120-121). While on theirhome plane, these creatures are immuneto all spells that affect solid matter (disinte-

grate, transmute rock to mud, move earth,stone to flesh, etc.), and each has the abili-ty to cast passwall at will. These are called�elemental abilities.�

Habitat/Society: As with many of theinhabitants of the quasi-elemental planes,little is known or can be conjectured aboutthe social life of these beings. Many serveCrystalle (described later), but they onlyrarely serve any other master unless un-der duress. Nothing is known about thereproductive cycle of these creatures.

Ecology: As all of these beings feedupon positive energy which is boundlessin their habitat, their life cycles have noappreciable effect on the environment. Aselemental beings, they will act to preservetheir environment, and will attack anyonethey feel is harming it.

Any DM wishing to take a group ofadventurers to the Mineral plane shouldfamiliarize himself with all of the informa-tion dealing with the three planes that willbe traveled through: the Ethereal plane(Manual of the Planes, pages 11-21), theelemental plane of Earth (Manual of thePlanes, pages 41-45), and the quasi-elemental planes (Manual of the Planes,pages 55-59). All of these sections haveinformation dealing with encounters,creatures, spell-casting, and the effects ofthese planes on magical items.

Glomus

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Plane of MineralFREQUENCY: Very rare (common)ORGANIZATION: Solitary or “‘pod”ACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyDIET: Positive energyINTELLIGENCE: AverageTREASURE: Nil (QX5)ALIGNMENT: NeutralNO. APPEARING: 1d6ARMOR CLASS: 0MOVE: Fl9 (B)HIT DICE: 1-10THAC0: VariableNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d4 per HDSPECIAL ATTACKS: High damage (if 5+

HD); area-effect explosive ‘death”SPECIAL DEFENSES: +2 or better weapon

to hit, destroys nonmagical weapons,flight, elemental abilities, regeneration

MAGIC RESISTANCE: NilSIZE: S-L (1’-10’)MORALE: Steady (12)XP VALUE: Variable

The glomus is one of the many unusualcreatures encountered on the quasi-elemental plane of Mineral, and only onthe rarest of occasions is it encounteredaway from its native plane. Appearing tobe nothing more than a great compactmass of individual crystals, the glomus�flies� serenely through the Mineral realmusing a form of levitation. This movementis combined with a process similar to apasswall spell, allowing the glomus totravel through any medium that it mightencounter.

Combat: A pseudomagnetism holds thecrystals rigidly in place in a roughlyspherical shape that measures 1d10 feetacross (a glomus has 1 HD per 1� of diame-ter. Many sharp-edged spires of crystalprotrude at various angles, providing theglomus with weaponry readied in every

direction. During combat, the glomusattempts to collide with an enemy, inflict-ing 1d4 hp damage for each hit die it pos-sesses; thus, a 6�-diameter, 6-HD glomusinflicts 6d4 hp damage.

The conglomerate surface of the glomusis extremely hard (AC 0) and protects thecreature from any normal weapon; evenweapons of + 1 enchantment are unableto harm a glomus. Any weapon that is notmagical will automatically shatter uponstriking the glomus. Blunt weapons of +2magic or better are capable of inflictingdouble damage on a successful hit.

When a glomus reaches zero hit points,the pseudomagnetic bonds holding it to-gether are nullified and the crystallinebeast will explosively burst apart. Thisdetonation projects the individual compo-nents at great speed, and any creaturewithin a 20� radius receives 1d4 hp dam-age for each hit die the glomus had. Thosewho successfully save vs. breath weapontake only half damage.

Amazingly, after an hour of disruption, thecomponent crystals begin to reform theglomus. This process takes one day for eachhit die the glomus had. Only when the crys-tals are completely shattered (when it hastaken over twice its total hit points in dam-age) is a glomus truly destroyed.

Shard

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Plane of MineralFREQUENCY: Uncommon (rare)ORGANIZATION: SwarmACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyDIET: Positive energyINTELLIGENCE: LowTREASURE: Nil (U)ALIGNMENT: NeutralNO. APPEARING: 2d10 (see text)ARMOR CLASS: -4MOVE: Fl 20 (B)HIT DICE: 5-10THAC0: VariableNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2d4 +2 ( + 1 per HD)SPECIAL ATTACKS: Color burstSPECIAL DEFENSES: +2 or better weapon

to hit, destroys lesser weapons, flight,elemental abilities

MAGIC RESISTANCE: 15%SIZE: M-LMORALE: Steady (12)XP VALUE: Variable

The crystalline shard is one of manyminor quasi-elementals on the plane ofMineral. This sentient mineral life form isof low intelligence and is rarely encoun-tered on the Prime Material plane. Shardsare, however, occasionally summoned inorder to serve as guards for some trea-sure, almost always gems as they willguard these without hesitation.

In the Mineral plane, these highly mobilecrystals can be found skirting the areathat lies between the realm of Mineral andthe Positive Material plane. Here theyabsorb the power that gives them life,making forays through the Mineral planeand sometimes traveling to the depths ofthe elemental plane of Earth. Shards al-ways move about in swarms, the mostcommon group consisting of 2d10 individ-uals of various sizes (90% chance). Rarely(9% chance), the shards travel in largerswarms, numbering 100 individuals. Thereare reports of huge groupings with over1,000 shards, but such groups are veryrare (1% chance).

Combat: Composed entirely of crystal,the shard possesses an extremely hardsurface that can be harmed only by weap-ons of +2 or better enchantment. Anynonmagical weapon that strikes a shardhas a 25% chance of shattering. Magicalweapons are entitled to a saving throw vs.crushing blow in order to avoid this effect.

The attack method employed by theshard consists of a slashing assault with itsrazor-sharp edges. These edges are theequivalent of +2 weapons and inflict2d4 + 2 hp damage, plus 1 hp damage perhit die ( + 5 to + 10).

Once per day, a shard can employ anunusual ability by spinning rapidly inplace, emitting a paralyzing burst of multi-colored light (as per the wizard spell, colorspray) that covers an area with a 30� radi-us. Anyone caught within the area ofeffect must save vs. spells or stand be-dazzled for 2d4 rounds, even if attacked;paralyzed victims are much easier tostrike ( +4 on the attackers� to-hit roll).

A shard swarm will very rarely be sentto the Prime Material plane on a specialmission, usually to seek out any adventur-ers that may have taken large numbers ofgems from the quasi-plane of Mineral.

There are also reported sightings ofshards over 15� long, weighing severaltons, but these rumors have not beensubstantiated.

DRAGON 97

Spined shard

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Plane of MineralFREQUENCY: Rare (very rare)ORGANIZATION: Solitary or “pod”ACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyDIET: Positive energyINTELLIGENCE: Average to veryTREASURE: Nil (T,U,V,X)ALIGNMENT: Neutral evilNO. APPEARING: 1d4ARMOR CLASS: -6MOVE: Fl 24 (B)HIT DICE: 7 + 14THAC0: 13NO. OF ATTACKS: 4DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d4/1d4/1d4/1d4SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy stingers, en-

ergy burstSPECIAL DEFENSES: +2 or better weapon

to hit, destroys lesser weapons, flight,elemental abilities

MAGIC RESISTANCE: 75% (see text)SIZE: L (12� long)MORALE: Champion (15)XP VALUE: 10,000

Perhaps the most dangerous and fearedinhabitant of the border area that liesbetween the quasi-plane of Mineral andthe Positive Material plane is the spinedshard. This malign creature is at homeboth deep into the pure positive energythat it absorbs and within the realm ofMineral�the spined shards huntingground.

Combat: The spined shard is a highlyintelligent and extremely cunning oppo-nent. The surface of the creature is veryhard; only weapons of +2 or better en-chantment can damage a spined shard,and any lesser weapons that make contactwill automatically melt (weapons of +1enchantment have a 50% chance of beinglikewise affected).

In a 10� radius, the spined shard con-

stantly generates a field of intense magicalinterference that acts as a limited anti-magic shell. This field has a 75% chance ofdistorting and ruining any spell cast intothe area.

During combat, the spined shard uses itsfour small tentacles for attack purposes.Each whiplike appendage can inflict 1d4hp damage. If two or more of these at-tacks successfully strike a single opponent,the victim is automatically grasped andpulled within range of the two double-whip stingers. These stingers can attack agrappled opponent, having a +4 to hitsuch victims and inflicting 2d6 hp of en-ergy damage.

The most feared attacks used by thespined shard are the four energy burststhat it can hurl each day. These rays areemitted from the four radial spines, eachtraveling in a tight beam that is only oneinch in diameter. This powerful force canstrike one victim for 8d8 hp damage (savevs. spells to avoid the beam and all dam-age). Each energy beam had a range of 75�.In addition, the victim of this attack re-tains half of the energy that struck him fora duration of one turn. During this time,any living being that approaches within 5�will cause the residual energy to arc,striking this new victim for 4d8 hp dam-age (save vs. paralysis for half damage).Victims of the secondary pulse do notretain a charge that causes further arcing.

This predator is vindictive and will killfor no reason. They will wantonly attackentire swarms of shards, feeding on theirstored energies. Creatures that approachwithin 90� risk instant attack by thesebeings. When sorely injured, spinedshards attempt to grab opponents andplane shift deep into the Positive Materialplane on the following round.

High-level wizards will occasionallysummon spined shards to serve as aguardians for particularly powerful magi-cal items. Extreme care should be taken,however, for without the proper protec-tion the wizard will be instantly attacked.

Chamrol

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Plane of MineralFREQUENCY: Unknown (common)ORGANIZATION: Solitary or “pod”ACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyDIET: Positive energyINTELLIGENCE: Semi- to lowTREASURE: Nil (Q X 20)ALIGNMENT: NeutralNO. APPEARING: 1d8ARMOR CLASS: 2MOVE: 0HIT DICE: 1 hp per foot of length (5 hp

count as 1 HD); range of 5-100 HDTHAC0: VariableNO. OF ATTACKS: 1d6 per opponentDAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d6 per attackSPECIAL ATTACKS: Positive energy burst,

constrictionSPECIAL DEFENSES: +2 or better weapon

to hit, fire and electrical resistance,elemental abilities

MAGIC RESISTANCE: 75%SIZE: M-G (5’-500’ long)MORALE: Fanatic (18)XP VALUE: Variable

Any adventurer traveling to the borderzone between the Positive Material planeand the quasi-elemental plane of Mineralwill almost surely encounter one or morechamrols. These-huge creatures grow inprofusion throughout this area. Possessingthe qualities of plants, animals, and miner-als, chamrols are encountered nowhereelse, for here they can bask in the pureenergy of the Positive Material plane.

A chamrol is composed almost entirelyof very dense metals, mostly lead (80%);with exteriors that are studded with crys-talline outcroppings. One very rare speciesof chamrol is composed of gold, but suchtypes occur only 1% of the time. Thechamrol�s mineral roots extend deep intothe minerals that permeate the entirequasi-plane. Some sages have claimed thatthe chamrols� roots extend all the way tothe elemental plane of Earth. An averagechamrol is 5d100 feet high.

Combat: The central stalk of thechamrol is coated with a covering of foliat-ed, micalike scales. Protruding throughthese thin plates are dozens of writhingtentacles. Any character coming within 20�of a chamrol can be attacked by 1d6 ofthese tentacles, with each successful hitinflicting 1d6 hp damage. There is also a15% cumulative chance that a successfulattack enables the tentacle to grasp itsvictim. Anyone grabbed thereafter re-ceives 1d6 hp constriction damage auto-matically for each round that he is held.The victim can attempt to break free if hemakes a bend bars/lift gates roll, one rollper round; failure allows the chamrol toinflict another round of damage.

Once per day for each 100� of length,the chamrol can draw on its energy re-serves to generate a tremendous bolt of

98 OCTOBER 1991

positive energy. This powerful jolt, a cylin-der of energy emitted from the taperedapex of the chamrol, can reach any targetwithin 120� of the chamrol�s base andaffects an area 60� in diameter. Anyonecaught within this area receives 2 hpdamage per 10� of the chamrol�s length(save vs. breath weapons to reduce dam-age by half). This attack is neither electri-cal nor fiery, so items that protect againstthese two effects will not help for saving-throw purposes.

Chamrols are immune to all fire andelectrical attacks, but acid inflicts doubledamage. Only weapons of +2 enchant-ment or better are capable of injuring achamrol.

Energy pod

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Plane of MineralFREQUENCY: Rare (very rare)ORGANIZATION: Solitary or pairACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyDIET: Positive energyINTELLIGENCE: LowTREASURE: Nil (U,V)ALIGNMENT: NeutralNO. APPEARING: 1 (10% chance of 2)ARMOR CLASS: 0MOVE: Fl 12 (B)HIT DICE: 8THAC0: 13NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 per opponentDAMAGE/ATTACK: Variable (see text)SPECIAL ATTACKS: NilSPECIAL DEFENSES: +2 or better weapon

to hit, flight, elemental abilitiesMAGIC RESISTANCE: 100% (see text)SIZE: L (8’ diameter)MORALE: Steady (11)XP VALUE: 6,000

ing combat, the energy pod flails withthese limbs, being able to use two againsteach opponent in range, two opponentsmaximum. On a successful hit, 2d4 of thenodules burst open, each releasing a blastof positive energy. Each nodule thatbreaks inflicts 1d4 +2 hp damage. Once allof the nodules on a tentacle have beenbroken, that appendage has no effectiveattack.

Weapons of at least +2 enchantment arerequired to strike an energy pod. Since itfeeds on power, the creature automaticallyabsorbs the energy of any spells cast uponit, including spell-like effects from devices.This energy is used to create additionalnodules, one per spell level absorbed.These nodules appear immediately on arandom appendage (roll 1d8 to determinewhich tentacle.

Acid thrown on an energy pod will dodouble damage. The pods have no otherparticular resistances or vulnerabilities.

Energy pods are very rarely encoun-tered on the Prime Material plane, almostalways as guardians for magical treasures.It is also rumored that there exists a Nega-tive Material plane creature that is a mir-ror image of the energy pod.

Trilling crysmal

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Plane of MineralFREQUENCY: Uncommon (very rare)ORGANIZATION: Solitary or “pod”ACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyDIET: Positive energyINTELLIGENCE: Average to highTREASURE: Nil (Q X 5,U)ALIGNMENT: NeutralNO. APPEARING: 1d6ARMOR CLASS: -4MOVE: Fl 12 (B)HIT DICE: 10

The spherical energy pod is yet anotherbizarre life form native to the fringe areathat lies between the Positive Materialplane and the quasi-plane of Mineral.Although it is mainly a native of the posi-tive realms, this fairly large creaturedwells within the border area storingenergy and making occasional forays intothe Mineral domains.

Combat: The stored energy is kept inthe botryoidal clusters that are located atthe ends of its eight stubby tentacles. Eachcluster contains 6d4 nodules, all of whichglow with a pulsing, lambent power. Dur-

THAC0: 11NO. OF ATTACKS: 6 (see text)DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1d8/1d8/1d8/1d8/1d8/

1d8SPECIAL ATTACKS: Crystal dartsSPECIAL DEFENSES: Spell reflection, +2

or better weapon to hit, break lesserweapons, flight, elemental abilities

MAGIC RESISTANCE: 75% (see text)SIZE: L (7’tall)MORALE: Champion (15)XP VALUE: 12,000

DRAGON 99

The trilling crysmal is a close relative ofthe crysmal (Monster Manual II) and isuncommon in the elemental plane ofEarth. In the quasi-plane of Mineral, how-ever, the trilling crysmal is quite common,for here they live in great numbers, hunt-ing along the boundary zone with thePositive Material plane.

Combat: In appearance, the trillingcrysmal looks very different from acrysmal. It possesses six long, acicular legsradiating from a central crystal mass.Dominating this �body� is a huge silverycrystal almost 4� high. The entire creatureis exceedingly hard, and only weapons of+2 enchantment or better can inflictdamage. Lesser weapons have a 10%chance of shattering upon impact with atrilling crysmal.

The trilling crysmal has two methods ofattack. The first is a slashing attack usingits razor-edged legs (two at most againsteach opponent, engaging up to three oppo-nents if surrounded). Each leg inflicts 1d8hp damage. As a secondary weapon, thetrilling crysmal can shoot up to six crystalbarbs per day. These crystalline darts haveridged, diamond-hard edges that can pene-trate the toughest of armor. Darts thatsuccessfully hit will inflict 1d4 + 1 hp dam-age. The darts have a range equal to alight crossbow.

Additionally, these barbs have a devas-tating side effect. Moments after strikingan opponent, the dart shatters into 3d4sharp splinters. These splinters causeagonizing pain that is so intense that vic-tims temporarily lose two points ofstrength and four points of dexterity. Anyviolent movement (running, combat, etc.)that the victim performs will inflict 1d6 hpdamage per round until the splinters areremoved. Removal inflicts 1 hp damageper splinter, unless a cure wounds spell ofany sort is used to neutralize these barbs.Such a spell will eliminate all of the splin-ters within any one victim.

As a special defense vs. spells cast di-rectly on the trilling crysmal by charactersor from devices, this being employs itsgreat central crystal, Using this crystal asa double prism, this being has a 75%chance to �reflect� any spell cast directlyon its body. The reflected spell will mani-fest in a random direction from one of thesix facets (roll 1d6 and choose a �hexago-nal� direction). The spells activating dis-tance will be (1d4 X 10) +20 feet awayfrom the trilling crysmal, affecting anycreature within the spell�s area of effect.This spell reflection does not influencearea-effect spells (e.g., cloudkill), unlessthe center of such a spell is located di-rectly upon the trilling crysmal.

Unique Ioun Stones Table

ColorIndigo blue

ShapeTrapezohedron

Frosty whiteBlood red

OctahedronOrthorhomboid

Black Pyritohedron

Brilliant green Bipyramidal

Clear Interconnected Insubstantializer: user becomes ghostlike, immune to any physical or magical attacks for aspheres duration of one turn; 1d6 + 1 charges

EffectFossilizer: generates a fossilization pulse (Manual of the Planes, elemental plane of Earth)with a 30� radius, affecting all living beings within this area; save vs. petrification at -4 toavoid effects; 1d4 + 2 chargesWish stone: contains 1-4 wishes (as per the ninth-level wizard spell)Transmuter: changes nonliving minerals to energy (totally disrupts one rocky or crystalline10' X 10' X 10� target per usage); 1d8 + 2 chargesEnergy drainer: drains all magical energy from one item, or one level/hit die of life energyfrom one victim; save vs. spells (if living) or save vs. disintegration (if nonliving) to avoid ef-fects; 60� range; 2d4 chargesEnergy pulser: infuses the target with energy, causing 1d8 hp damage per round for 1-10rounds; all metals within 20� of the target are heated as per the druidic spell heat metal; 2d6charges

Crystalle

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Plane of MineralFREQUENCY: UniqueORGANIZATION: SolitaryACTIVITY CYCLE: AnyDIET: Positive energyINTELLIGENCE: GeniusTREASURE: Nil (Q,T,U,V,X)ALIGNMENT: NeutralNO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: -4 (variable)MOVE: 18, Fl 24 (B)HIT DICE: 12 (96 hp)THAC0: 9NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3d8 + 8/3d8 + 8SPECIAL ATTACKS: High-damage attacks,

spellsSPECIAL DEFENSES: +4 or better weapon

to hit, elemental abilities, flight, spellsMAGIC RESISTANCE: 95%SIZE: L (22’ tall)MORALE: Fearless (19)XP VALUE: 16,000

Crystalle is the self-proclaimed ruler of theplane of Mineral and the prince of all quasi-elementals inhabiting this realm. Manifestingas a great crystalline giant, he is one of thelargest known quasi-elementals. A powerfuloverlord, Crystalle has set himself upon

a gem-laden throne made of the rarestminerals, from which he attempts to com-mand the masses of lesser quasi-elementals.

Wielding a great scepter composed ofrare gemstones, many never seen beforeon the Prime Material plane, Crystalle sitsin his throne hall and watches over hisrealm. Countless shards and trilling cry-smals act as his eyes and ears, reportingextraplanar intrusions to their liege. Alsoserving Crystalle are hundreds of spinedshards, his soldiers and instruments ofpunishment.

Combat: Crystalle has all the spell-casting powers of a 14th-level wizard, withthe resources to use any spell of up toseventh level given in the AD&D rules. Hecan also cast prismatic sphere once perday at will if in bright light equal to acontinual light spell or brighter. His scep-ter, which functions only for him, acts as astaff of the magi and a rod of absorptionat the same time, having effectively unlim-ited charges.

Two notable features about Crystallemake him stand above the other quasi-elementals of this plane. The first is a highintelligence and cunning that make Cry-stalle a formidable opponent. Many lesserquasi-elementals seeking to overthrow himwere cunningly lured to the dangerousfringe area that lies between the plane ofMineral and the Positive Material plane.Here they were defeated by Crystalle andwere hurled into the energy plane, foreverdestroyed.

The second feature of interest is a veri-table cloud of ioun stones present aroundCrystalle at all times. Crystalle is neverencountered without at least 20 functionalstones (none of them burned-out graystones). These powerful gems amplify hisabilities, granting powers that no otherquasi-elemental possesses. Some of thesegems were given to Crystalle as tribute bylesser creatures seeking to gain favor.Others are selectively gathered by Cry-stalle�s minions as part of his grand design.Rumors abound that Crystalle has a pri-

vate domain lying deep within the heart ofthe Mineral plane that contains thousandsof free-floating stones.

Habitat/Society: The realm of Cry-stalle is intended to include the wholequasi-elemental plane of Mineral, but hisactual reach is not quite that vast. He iswell regarded by most inhabitants of thisplane, and even earth elementals willgenerally leave him alone or pay himgrudging respect.

Crystalle is solely concerned with pro-tecting his domain from intruders and inacquiring more personal power. He hopesto eventually become a demigod and beable to gain worshipers among his sub-jects. His palace is already said (by thevery few mortals who have lived to see it)to be of astounding magnificence, built ofa thousand types of gems and preciousstones, but also guarded by several hun-dred quasi-elementals. Unrecorded crea-tures may lurk within to further add toCrystalle�s security.

Ecology: Crystalle acts to keep theMineral plane rich with mineral wealth,though he is not averse to gifting a worthysupplicant with ioun stones or tradingsome gems for a valuable item. He will notdo this often, however.

Crystalle also has special areas locatedalong the Positive Material border, wherehis minions watch over specially selectedioun stone nodules. These are private�incubators,� some of which have beenhere for eons, constantly gaining power.The stones resulting from this exposurehave unique and tremendous powers,though they are usually short lived, usableonly 1d4 times before shattering. Thepowers of these special gems are limitedonly by the DM�s imagination, keepinggame balance in mind.

The Unique Ioun Stones Table shows afew of the unique ioun stones that Crystalle may use. Because of the enormousenergy they contain, each stone has alimited number of charges. Once all thestone�s charges have been used up, thestone becomes burned out and gray.

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DRAGON 105

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DRAGON 109

110 OCTOBER 1991

©1991 by Robert Bigelow

Photography by Mike Bethke

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Gaming the Storm:Looking for a fewgood miniatures

Only a year ago, we were watching anincreasingly tense situation develop in theMiddle East, following Iraq�s invasion ofKuwait. Everyone was hoping that Iraq�slogistics problems would give us time toget heavier Army and Marine units intoSaudi Arabia. Those heavy units began toarrive by mid-October, and Coalitionforces poured in by air. And everyone wasworrying about the hostage situationinvolving foreigners in occupied Kuwait.

This months column presents somephotos showing equipment now familiar tous thanks to television�done in miniature.The miniatures shown here are manufac-tured or imported by companies in theU.S.A. and are fairly easy to find. Thesevehicles include a Saladin armored car,familiar to many as the vehicle shown on ahome video (broadcast on network TV)firing in front of a hotel in Kuwait City,and the Mi-8 and Mi-17 helicopters shownon other footage. The tank transporter,BMP, and T-62 were frequently shown inreports covering Iraqi forces.

These miniatures can be used with anynumber of modern miniatures-combatrules in many different scales. One suchrules set is GDW�s COMBINED ARMSgame. This was designed for people whowant to get into miniatures gaming butwho also want to save on miniatures orplay with smaller groups of miniatures.Here, one vehicles represents either fivevehicles or a service detachment. Therules are simple, with step-by-step playsequences and examples. This rules setalso presents organizations for many ofthe armies throughout Europe. Unfortu-nately, you will not get organizations forthe Iraqi military, and thus should contem-plate purchasing GDW�s Desert Shield FactBook or Gulf War Fact Book. Using theminiatures� formula in the COMBINEDARMS game and the organization informa-tion in the fact books, you�ll have an easytime forming Iraqi units. You should startsmall and work up to larger units andbattles, so as to understand how the gameworks and not be overwhelmed.

Next month, we will cover more vehiclesand rules that will help you to recreateDesert Storm battles or a number of otherconflicts that are occurring in the worldnow. These rules can all be combined withthe GULF STRIKE game from VictoryGames to fight the battles generated bythe campaign game.

Now, on to our reviews.

Reviews

Black Dragon Pewter2700 Range Rd.North Bellmore NY 11710

9666�Young Warrior * * * ½

Black Dragon continues to release fe-male characters in its new series of youngwarriors. This figure is a free-scale, pew-ter figure 65 mm tall. The figure stands ona rough, simulated-stone surface that isoval in shape, 9 mm wide and 34 mm long.The base is low under her right foot andrises into a rock with almost verticalrough sides under the left.

The figure is dressed in soft boots withhigh uppers that are almost triangular. Arough spot and cracks appear on the rightfoot, and no visible sole reinforcement ison either foot. The boots extend to mid-thigh and end in raised fronts with nonoticeable support, and wrinkles and sagsin the boots suggest that they might befalling. The upper thighs are bare andexhibit little muscle structure.

The figure wears a one-piece body stock-ing and a pearl necklace to which a circu-lar ruby pendant is attached. Her weaponheld by a low-slung belt, is a totally mis-done mass with no separations and athickness way out of proportion to whatan actual sword or scabbard would be.

The body has rough and flat spots, duemostly to buffing on the inside part of thethighs, arms, and sides and some planingof the upper arms. The face shows pudgyinnocence, with the right side being slight-ly better done than the left. Her shoulder-length hair is windswept to the right andhas long bangs in the front, but does notshow fine separation of hair.

This is not a bad model, but �fine� pew-ter is not evident in this piece. Wearing thecostume would lead to death, either byexposure to the elements or by swordblade. This would be a good buy at $20,but it actually costs $30.

Thunderbolt MountainMiniatures656 E. McMillanCincinnati OH 45206-1991

1009�Sea Elf Lord * * * *

Thunderbolt Mountain�s newest releaseincludes a redone figure previously availa-ble only from a collector. According toThunderbolt Mountain, the figure hasbeen off the market for a couple of yearsand has undergone several changes.

The Sea Elf Lord is made of lead in 54mm scale. The figure stands about 65 mmtall to the top of the headpiece. The elf isonly about 48 mm from base to eyes,which puts him in the right range for anelf. He stands on a nearly square base 38mm long, 35 mm wide, and 5 mm tall. Thetop of the base is covered with varioussized rocks and stones, some small shells,half a footprint on the back, and a starfish

(not heavily detailed) in the right rearcorner. The base is supposed to representthe ocean floor.

The figure is wearing calf-height, un-adorned, pointed boots that have wrinklesand flexes at the ankle arches and toes,almost exactly what old boots should looklike except for one small detraction: asmall but obvious pit on the front side ofthe right boot. His right hand is coveredby a soft glove with wrinkles and an or-nate wrist end. The glove goes up to hisupper arm. His hand is open slightly tohold a simple long wooden-shaft spearcapped off by a worked metal tip with astar-shaped piece at the connection. Thereis some light flash between the finger tipson this model that was easily cleaned.

His face displays the typical angular lookof an elf, with sculpted eye brows. Eacheye is well done with ample pupil and asmall spot marking where the �gleam�would be. The sides of his head and hairare covered with chain mail that is thencovered by a medium-width crown thatincludes molded-on jewels at regular inter-vals (you could paint them as rivets). Ris-ing from the crown are four feathers orseaweed pieces bound by an engravedclasp. A sword hilt is exposed over his leftshoulder and extends out beneath hisponcho. Buckled on his back is a shieldthat has an emblem showing a tree grasp-ing the moon and stars.

This figure is similar to the 25 mm kingfigure in the Elf King set, with differencesin the spears, boots, and head band. I feelthat the 25 mm king has better detailingfor its size, especially since it is so muchsmaller than the 54 mm figure, so I won-der if they should have redone the figure.Plain compared to the company�s otherfigures, this sells for $8.50 per figure.

Alternative Armies6 Parkway Ct.Glaisdale Parkway, NottinghamUNITED KINGDOM NG8 4GN(Available to hobby stores in the U.S.Athrough Armory Distributors)

FL2�The DoomgardeCommand * * * ½

It�s nice to find a unit that still fits within25 mm scale and can actually be useful forleading a unit of single figures, TheDoomgarde command is in 25 mm scale,and figure heights vary slightly from 23mm to 24 mm. The figures are made oflead and represent what a command unitfor a whole army or elite unit would be.They come five to a pack.

All figures come with irregular, almostcircular bases with rounded top surfacesand little detail. All the bases will requiresome light trimming, as every one hassome excess metal. Each figure wearsbulky army-type boots with squared toesand barely visible laces. Long robes extenddown to ankle length with a clear hem onthe bottom. All figures have flash between

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feet and robe, and to remove this flashranges from easy to tedious, as some arewill require drilling before filing. Therobes are covered by quilted armor thatextends from the waist-length plate to justabove the knees. Each figure has a castchest plate, jointed plates on the arms andshoulders, and back plates. There is addi-tional armor over the groin areas, andplates protecting the joints.

Figure #1 is the unit standard-bearer. Hestands at ease, with his right hand clutch-ing a standard pole with a cross treemounted by crude horns and a tassel.From the crosstree hangs a blank standardthat is fringed or tattered at the bottom.

Figure #2 is blowing a great multisec-tioned horn that extends from his mouthto around his body and over his shoulder.The horn ends in what appears to be agreat snake with its mouth open to emitthe call; the snake has exaggerated nostrils

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and poorly done fangs. If you really wantthis to look like a horn, plan on extra carein painting and drill out the trumpetthroat slightly.

Figure #3 carries the unit drum, held onhis left at waist level by a strap runningacross his back. The drum is large, withribbing and decoration more appropriateto Napoleonic-era units than to medievalones. Like more modern drums, it has aseries of side supports and adjustmentknobs that apparently control pitch. Thedrum sticks have round heads and twistedshafts. Both band figures had numeroussmall pieces of flash.

Figures #4 and #5 have no clear func-tions in the group. Figure #4 has his sworddrawn and held in his right hand at theready. This figure also has a small personalstandard set in hoops on the back of hisarmor. The pole rises into an L-type support and is capped by a skull. The stand-

ard�s fabric is thick, serrated, and joinedby a ring at the top and upper front of thepole. Both the sword and the standard aretoo thick and will need work to bringthem into form. I think this figure is moreappropriate as a bodyguard, retainer, orsquire than a leader, although you maythink differently. Figure #5 holds a spearwith a thick fleur-type spearhead withtassels.

All of these figures need work, but theywill provide some alternate armies andcommanders for true 25 mm figures.Figures run $5.95 per pack.

Viking Forge1727 Theresa LanePowhatan VA 23139

CC-07�Four Fang Reptile * * *

Once in a while, you come across afigure that has almost no use in normalgaming activity and minimal use even inexotic settings. The Four Fang Reptile isone of these pieces. The figure is scaledfor 25 mm and sits on an undetailed ovalbase 45 mm long by 18 mm wide. Thefigure is of a reptilian creature that seemsto combine features of the snake, lizardman, and slug. The figure is shaped like agigantic �C,� with a large sword clutched ina handlike appendage connected to whatis basically an arm in place of legs. Its headis a combination of snake and alligator,with an elongated jaw and four fangs thatextend over a tooth-lined lower jaw. Abeardlike ruffling reaches from the jawbottom to a set of stomach plates that looklike they were picked at random and piledon top of each other. The figure�s back hasa sharp-ridged spine that goes from thetop of its head to midback, where it breaksup into several holes and a thickening ofthe body. The creature�s arms stretch frombeneath the head to the ground, bearingstrangely distorted muscles and ending inlong, rippled, five-fingered hands that lieflat against the ground. These two armsappear to be used for locomotion. Theslitted snake eyes are elongated and halfclosed.

Games Workshop�s WARHAMMER FAN-TASY* games could use this as a Chaoscreature, and in Chaosium�s CALL OFCTHULHU* game it could be an insanebeast. At $5 each, this is not a recom-mended piece, although there is no flashand only a barely visible mold line at thetop of its head.

Ral Partha Enterprises5938 Carthage Ct.Cincinnati OH 45212

10-842�Heavy Omni �Mechs * * * * ½(assembly required)

In the year since we ran our FASABATTLETECH* campaign rules inDRAGON® Magazine, a lot has changed onthe miniatures scene. When we ran our

campaign, we deliberately left out theBATTLETECH game�s Clans due to theirpowerful nature, their way of rapidlychanging a battle, and the lack of availableminiatures for the opposition.

The Heavy Omni �Mechs are the Clans�answer to universal weapons platforms,These �Mechs are made with weapons thatcan be changed to fit a particular mission.The interchanging of weapons is restricted

only by some frames. Ammo and rocketsare protected better than those on anyInner Sphere �Mech. These units can de-feat units twice their size and number, anddo so regularly, although some �Mechpilots here at our club are beginning touse tactics that have caught Clan pilots bysurprise.

The �Mechs in this set are scaled to the�Mechs already available in 8 mm scale.

The four miniatures represent four popu-lar heavy Omni �Mechs: the Vulture, theMadcat, the Loki, and the Thor. Discussionof the appearances of the �Mechs will usedata available in FASA�s Technical Readout3050 (The Return of Kerensky). This book(herein called TR3050) is a must for Clanwarriors and Clan opponents alike.

The Vulture looks almost exactly like theline drawing seen on page 29 of TR3050,

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an exception being the slightly off-centerposition of the lasers on the miniature.The �Mech stands about 39 mm tall withits legs bent, and is about 32 mm at itswidest point, The �Mech itself looks thinand spindly, incapable of holding its 60-tonweight. The body is mounted on a thin legassembly identical to that of the Madcat,with exposed, visible joints. The upperbody consists of a center section that hasthe look of a sharp-beaked bird or sunfish.The body is about 4 mm thick at the cen-ter, and two enclosed rocket packs jutfrom a shoulder joint without other framesupport. The miniature requires that thepacks be glued to the body. Care should betaken to support these boxes, as they tendto sag after gluing. Care should also betaken with the lasers, as they bend easilyand don�t want to come quite into lineagain. (These weapons were bent duringtransporting.) There was no flash on themodel, and only the pegs for mountinghad to be trimmed slightly.

The Madcat shares the same skinny legs,but the leg posts on the platform neededtrimming; otherwise, they don�t fit into the

legs. The body peg must also be trimmedslightly, or the body will appear to beelevated above the platform or will becrooked. The upper body looks very muchlike a Marauder on a smaller scale. Thepieces go together well with minimumtrimming or filing, although there was aslight imperfection in the rocket pod onthe right shoulder where the sighting plateis bolted. Otherwise, no mold lines arenoted. This �Mech stands about 42 mm tall,with a center section 24 mm long and 10mm thick. This unit also matches theillustration in TR3050, although it does notmatch the box cover, which shows a muchlarger scale �Mech. If you want your Mad-cat�s weapons to match those on the backof the set�s box, the weapons must bedrilled out.

The Loki can be found on page 31 ofTR3050. This �Mech does not match itspicture (check the outside of each leg).Otherwise, we had little trouble with thisseven-piece �Mech, except for the lack of alight screen. I made mine out of scratchlead from the kit, and I like the widerscreen look. Some trimming was needed

on the posts, but it was minimal. This�Mech is just over 42 mm tall and over 14mm wide, and it has the bulk that we areused to seeing on �Mechs.

The Thor can be found on page 33 ofTR3050. This �Mech has the same leg set-up as the Loki and also the same mistakein the legs. Unfortunately, this �Mech alsohas a poorly done cockpit, with unfinishedmarkings for the framing around thewindows. Rocket-pod resolution is fair,with some flash. Pegs need a little trim-ming. This 70-ton �Mech stands 45 mm tall.This �Mech also does not match its illustra-tion, although it does match the descrip-tion of a variant.

These �Mechs are simply not as damageresistant as the older, heavy-duty �Mechs,and will break or fall apart easier from togaming accidents due to their thinner andmore bendable pieces and multipieceassembly. The kit also comes equippedwith four hex-type bases, which will notbe fitted to ours until after painting. Theinstructions and spare parts included willhelp the modeler decide what to build andin what form. Even with the extra work,this is recommended at $19 per set.

11-411�Owlbear * * * *½

The owlbear is a magical crossbreed ofan owl and a bear, taken from TSR�sAD&D® and D&D® games. Owlbears areferocious and bad-tempered beasts withmales that weigh 1300-1800 lbs. and canstand up to 8� tall. The owlbear from RalPartha is in attack mode, with its left pawswiping at an unseen target, and its rightleg planted firmly on the ground. Thehead is clearly that of a giant owl, withfeathers extending to midback on top andto the top of its chest in front. Its hooked,tooth-lined beak is open, and its balefuleyes stare forward. The hind part of thebeast resembles a very large bear, includ-ing a stubby tail.

The figure is very well done with goodbody and head detail. Feather and fur areeasily distinguishable, different and deepenough to shadow and highlight wellwhen painting. There are some bad moldlines on the rear legs and underbody alongwith some heavy flash, but they are botheasy to clean up. Even the base is nicelytextured. These are a good buy at $3 each.

11-413�Displacer Beast * * * * ½

The displacer beast is another carnivo-rous beast that can tear up an unsuspect-ing party in an AD&D game. Thesecreatures appear to be giant pumas ormountain lions until their four tentaclesare observed. These creatures hunt inpacks and weigh over 400 lbs. The Displac-er Beast from Ral Partha does an excellentjob of capturing this beast in lead. Thehead of the figure is that of a big cat withfur puffed out along the head. The cathowls with fury, its nostrils flared, eyeswide, and muscles taunt as it stalks for-ward. The long tentacles, each over 38mm long, extend from behind the cat�s

116 OCTOBER 1991

118 OCTOBER 1991

shoulders on a body that is about 82 mmlong and 37 mm high.

There was no flash in this figure, andassembly was easy after trimming thetentacle posts slightly. There is no furdetail on the body, which is smooth andlooks very much like a puma. Painting willbe difficult, as you will have to paint onany fur color variations. The figure isstable despite the thin base. This is a rec-ommended figure at $5 each.

11-422�Catoblepas * * * *

According to the AD&D 2nd EditionMonstrous Compendium, the catoblepas isa loathsome character that has a death rayas its normal attack. Ral Partha adds thisterrible creature to its list of monsters.The miniature is almost 122 mm long,taking all the curves into account. Its facelooks more like a donkey�s and is wartyand bumpy. The ears flare out, and thedeep, toothy grin is supported by lower-jaw tusks. Big, bulging eyes finish the face.The neck curves into a flabby, bloatedbody covered with wrinkles. All four legsare very thick. The front hump, similar toa bison�s, is covered with pebbled skin,while the rest of the back has spinalridges, making the creature look as thoughit were starving. The tail is made up ofthick muscular bands along its entirelength; these are well detailed.

The metal of this figure has an almostcrystalline look to it, which is differentfrom other Ral Partha figures. This two-piece figure had thick, solid, hard-to-trimflash from the body all the way to thefront paws. Both rear legs also have flashand major mold lines. My personal opinionis that the tail should be longer than it is.

As a swamp resident, this figure can�t bebeat, even though it will need work. Thefigure looks much like its illustration andis a large figure, even at the $5 price tag.

Grenadier Models Inc.P.O. Box 305Springfield PA 19064

Grenadier Models U.K. Ltd.19 Babbage Rd., Deeside, Clwyd, WalesUNITED KINGDOM CH5 2QB

8114�Villain * * * * ½

Villains are one thing that no DM canhave enough of, so when one is advertised,it deserves a special look. This villain is partof Julie Guthrie�s second Fantasy Personali-ties line. It is a single figure scaled in 25mm and made of lead. The base is oval anddevoid of any detail except for a mold lineat the rear. The figure stands well withouthaving to file the base bottom. Some flashextended from the left hand, but it cameoff by itself. A light mold line is visible onthe inside of the legs, but this is easily fixedwith a light scrape of a knife.

The figure is dressed in simple bootsthat go up to the calf and then fold over tojust above the ankle. His pants are looseexcept in the groin where he is appar-ently wearing extra protection. He wearsan open shirt trimmed with studded leath-er that reaches to his shoulder blades. Thechest detail is good. Facial detail is verygood, with a sardonic grin and good (al-though shallow) detail on his neatlytrimmed beard and moustache. His hair isslightly longer than shoulder length and isheld by a thin piece of leather. His armsare bare except for a bracer on the leftand a wrapped cloth on the right, the endsof which should not be cut off eventhough they drop past the edge of thearm. A simple sword completes the figure,and you will probably need to straighten itsomewhat. This is highly recommended at$1.50 each, as it can be used as either agood or evil character.

8111�Black Knight * * * *

Another figure in the Personality IIseries, the Black Knight is scaled in 25 mmand shares the same oval base common tothis line. The base will need trimming andfiling to remove the ridge line on the bot-tom. The upper surface is undetailed andhas an easy-to-remove mold line betweenthe feet.

The figure is 25 mm tall, even in itshunched-over position, which makes theknight over 6� tall. The figure has armoredand flexible boots, plate armor that ap-pears almost splinted, and knee plateswith leering faces that will be obscuredwith too much paint. No flash or moldlines are on the legs. Upper body armorconsists of many pieces in almost a jigsawpuzzle pattern that forms a whole. Thearmor in the back ends just below a belt,leaving the buttocks with little protectionexcept for side plates. The upper body isprotected by chain and elaborate shoulderplates with faces and horns on both sides.The flash on both horns must be carefullytrimmed. A simple round shield with awell-done strap hangs off his left arm, and

a serrated-edged sword that is way toothick is held up in his right hand. Thehelmet looks like a lizard�s face, completewith teeth, elongated eyes, and nasalridges. There is also hair detail in theback. Care must be taken with all thisdetail as it is shallow and would be easy toobscure. This is recommended for use at$1.50 each.

Slog�Mysterious Stranger * * * *Next in the Personality II series is the

Mysterious Stranger. This figure scales outat 25 mm exactly. The base is slightly lessthan an oval; even though the figurestands, the base needs work.

The figure is wrapped in a set of flowingrobes, capes, and a hoods that obscures allthe detail that is usually the reason to buya figure. Only a gloved right hand is actu-ally visible, and the detail on the insidepart of the wrist is lost due to a castingproblem. The outside of the glove, a knife,and an unidentified object that looks likehandcuffs are visible, as are the flattenedbottom of the nose, eyes, and mouth (thelatter seen through a cutout mask). Cloth-ing details from blowing wind are consist-ent. This character would be good for usein a one-time adventure, as a characterwith a magical cloak or as a very goodthief, but probably not as a regular playercharacter. The figure costs $1.50 each.

8115�Female Archer * * * *

As with the other figures in the Person-ality II series, this one has an oval basethat needs work on the bottom, bothcutting and filing. Once again, the moldline crosses the top of the base, only thisone also had flash, by the feet of the char-acter, that needed to be trimmed.

This figure is 26 mm tall, so this is a tallwoman in 25 mm scale. She has soft leath-er boots with fringes. These boots do havesome light flash, so it is recommended thatyou work carefully. Her legs seem to becovered with hose, as there is no muscledetail except around the knees. She iswearing a shift covered by quilted armor.Her body is crisscrossed by belts thatsecure a simple sword, a quiver full ofarrows with good feather and quiverdetail, a large pouch closed with a clasp,and a small pouch in the back. She holds awell-done bow in her left hand (modeler�snote: a human hair makes an excellentbowstring), and her right hand is pulledback as if she had just released a shot.There is flash under her outstretched leftarm and sword, and this will need to becarefully removed. Her face is not pretty,with a mold line across the left side andslightly flawed features; her hair is shoul-der length. Her left arm is protected fromthe bow by plates. With care, this figurewill cure the �bikini fighter� blues. It�s agood buy at $1.50, even with the flash.

1323�News Team ***

FASA�s SHADOWRUN* game continuesto be popular. The News Team set for that

game is scaled in 25 mm and consists ofthree lead figures. The figures all haveoval bases that must be filed level. Nodetail is visible on the tops of the bases,which are slightly rounded.

Figure #1 is a female reporter dressed inknee-high boots and a one-piece miniskirt/top with long sleeves and a patternworked in. There is no flash, but a visiblemold line runs under her outstretched leftarm, and her left hand�s fingers, which aresupposed to be stretched out, are filledonly to the knuckle joint. Her hairdo hasgood detail, but the detail is shallow. Theface is very well done, as is the remotemicrophone she holds in her right hand,although the latter is a bit large. This is aplain figure with some pitting on thedress, but it is usable with other gamesystems.

Figure #2, wearing shoes and bell bot-toms, is the group�s cameraman. He wearsa turtleneck sweater under a long-sleeved,multipocketed bush jacket. The shirt isrough textured, and there are no defectson either shirt or jacket. The curly hairand sharp, angular face will need care tomaintain detail when painting. The man islooking into a portable camera with hisleft eye, and an earphone and mouthpieceare on the right side of his head. A cableleads from the camera to a backpack. Armdetail and some pocket detail on the rearare vague and blend with the other partsof the figure. The front is well done, butsomeone forgot about the back.

Figure #3 is the sound man. He wearswhat looks like a warm-up suit, with bag-gy pants, a closed jacket, and hard shoes.A sound recorder with a padded straphangs from his left shoulder. There is acartridge belt at his waist, and his righthand holds a pistol pointed into the air.Several pockets adorn his jacket. A mikeand earphone are on the right side of hishead. His round face and short hair willrequire care in painting. Of the three, thisis the best sculpted figure.

These figures could be used for TSR�sTOP SECRET/S.I.� game or in any number

of other modern or futuristic games. Thefigures are plain and detail is fair, but theyare usable at $3.95 per pack.

Next month, we begin our Christmasshopping list with lots of merchandise. Ifyou have any questions, it is often easierto call me than to write. It is gettingharder for me to send replies. My numberis (708) 336-0790, and I can be reached atthe following times:

M,W,Th,F: 2 P.M.-10 P.M. CSTSat & Sun: 10 A.M.-5 P.M. CST

Or, write to me:c/o Friends Hobby Shop1411 Washington St.Waukegan IL 60085

* 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.

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