Dragon Magazine #58 · DRAGON magazine welcomes unsolicited sub-missions of written material and...

February 1982

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Vol. VI, No. 8

In the September 1981 issue (#53) ofDRAGON™ magazine, I editorializedagainst “assassin” and “killer” games,expressing my fears for potential tragedyto players and potential damage to theimage of the hobby of role-playing gam-ing. Unfortunately, those fears are beingrealized.

On the evening of December 5, 1981, astudent at California State University atLong Beach was shot by campus policeduring a game of “Assassin.” Accordingto the Los Angeles Times Service andUnited Press International, Mike Reaganand a companion, Julia Gissel, both 19years old, were seen by campus policegetting out of a car, carrying what ap-peared to be rifles. (In actuality, the “ri-fles” were simulated M-16s that usedrubber-band ammunition.)

Sgt. Stephan King of the university po-lice observed the couple moving along awalkway rattling doors, and shouted,“Freeze, police!” The woman stopped,but Reagan turned around, assumed asquatting position and pointed the toygun at King. The sergeant fired his realgun three times, wounding Reagan inthe chest and leg. Reagan was admittedto the intensive care unit of a LongBeach hospital and listed in guardedcondition, but was released from inten-sive care and listed in in stable conditionas of December 9. University officialssaid King apparently believed the couplewere burglars. There had recently beenmore than a dozen break-ins in the areawhere the shooting occurred.

In retrospect, yes, the policeman waswrong, the couple were not a pair of bur-glars, and their guns were not real. Butwhat would you have had the policemando? Wait to see if he gets hit by a burst ofslugs or just a rubber band? I’m sureproponents of “Assassin” or “Killer” orany of the other so-called “live” role-playing games (and I still disagree withthat term: “live” role-playing as opposedto what, dead role-playing?), would saythat the area should have been declaredoff limits to the players because of thehigh crime rate, or that Reagan shouldnot have acted as if he were going to firewhen ordered to freeze. And they’d beright. But might not Reagan have as-sumed that the order to freeze was com-ing from his “assassin”? Can one foreseeevery possible circumstance in advanceand write every contingency into therules of the game?

My point is, simulation of acts of vio-lence will inevitably be interpreted as thereal thing by those not aware that theaction is only simulation. That’s whysomeone holding up a bank with a plas-tic replica of a pistol may be chargedwith armed robbery, even though no realweapon was used in the crime. It is theperception of the simulation that matters.

Beyond the potential for tragedy (I willnot even go into the reports I’ve receivedof idiotic antics like climbing out third-floor windows on ropes made of bed-sheets to avoid “assassination” — stu-pidity is stupidity, no matter what thecontext), there is the problem of how thenon-gaming public perceives this type ofgame and those who play it. At St. Am-brose College in Davenport, Iowa, anassassin-type game (they call it “God-father”) has been organized. A St. Am-brose professor, John Greenwood, hassponsored a resolution circulated amongfaculty members that criticizes the game,and a Davenport newspaper reported,“...he (Greenwood) thinks it (Godfather)can easily get out of hand — much likethe ‘Dungeons and Dragons’ game.” It’sbad enough that Mr. Greenwood appar-ently has a misconception about theD&D® game in the first place, but now itis being reinforced in a negative mannerwith the “Godfather” game, and furtherhe is being quoted by the media asequating the two.

Now, the only result of a D&D game“getting out of hand” I can think of isoversleeping the next morning from play-ing late into the night. And certainly noone is going to mistake a group of peoplesitting at a card table rolling dice andtalking for doing anything more thanplaying a game. But since both “conven-tional” games (those played with paper,pencil, dice and imagination) and these...these...these things involving players run-ning around with rubber-band guns areviewed the same by people with goodintentions but not all the facts, I’m afraidsome day you’ll hear, “Fantasy role-playing? Oh, yeah, some kid in Califor-nia was playing that and got shot, didn’the? They don’t allow that dragons anddungeons stuff at my son’s school....”

Vol. VI, No. 8 February 1982

Publisher . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jake JaquetEditor-in-Chief . . . . . . . . . . . Kim MohanEditorial staff . . . . . . . . . . . Bryce Knorr

Marilyn MaysGali Sanchez

Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Debbie ChiusanoCirculation . . . . . . . Corey KoebernickOffice staff . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cherie Knull

Roger RauppContributing editors . . . . Roger Moore

Ed Greenwood

This issue’s contributing artists:Clyde Caldwell Donna BarrHarry Quinn Larry ElmoreDavid Larson Phil FoglioRoger Raupp David TrampierJames Holloway

DRAGON magazine is published monthly byDragon Publishing, a division of TSR Hobbies,Inc. Subscription orders and change-of-addressnotices should be sent to Dragon Publishing,P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147. Tele-phone (414) 248-8044.

DRAGON magazine is available at hundredsof hobby stores and bookstores throughout theUnited States and Canada, and through a limit-ed number of overseas outlets. Subscriptionrates are as follows, with all payments to bemade in advance: $24 for 12 issues sent to a U.S.or Canadian address; $50 U.S. for 12 issues sentvia surface mail or $95 for 12 issues sent via airmail to any other country.

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The issue of expiration for each subscriptionis printed on the mailing label for each sub-scriber’s copy of the magazine. Changes of ad-dress for the delivery of subscriptions must bereceived at least 30 days prior to the effectivedate of the change in order to insure uninter-rupted delivery.

All material published in DRAGON magazinebecomes the exclusive property of the publisherupon publication, unless special arrangementsto the contrary are made prior to publication.

DRAGON magazine welcomes unsolicited sub-missions of written material and artwork; how-ever, no responsibility for such submissions canbe assumed by the publisher in any event. Anysubmission which is accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient sizewill be returned to the contributor if it cannot bepublished.

DRAGON™ is a trademark for Dragon Publish-ing’s monthly adventure playing aid. All rightson the contents of this publication are reserved,and nothing may be reproduced from it in wholeor in part without prior permission in writingfrom the publisher. Copyright 1982 by TSRHobbies, Inc. USPS 318-790. ISSN 0279-6848.

Second class postage paid at Lake Geneva,Wis., and at additional mailing offices.

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February 1982

laying an AD&D™ adventure is, as we so often say,an exercise in imagination. But all the imaginationin the world isn’t going to help when you (or worseyet, the DM) can’t remember which spells you’vecast and which ones you have left. What is going to

help is SPELLMINDERS, our latest AD&D playing aid, whichyou’ll find in the center of this magazine.

The idea for SPELLMINDERS came from Bill Fawcett, one ofour regular contributors, and his associate Lance Davenport.They compiled the information which appears on the countersand made the sometimes difficult decisions about which spellsshould be represented more than once. Only magic-user andcleric spells are included in this original set, but if we getenough positive feedback from you, we’ll print up illusionistand druid spells in the same form sometime soon. Let us knowwhat you think of the idea — either way.

And we might even throw in the new, official cleric spells fromthe latest edition of Leomund’s Tiny Hut. Yep, I said official. Ouresteemed columnist, Len Lakofka, thought that clerics de-served more spell abilities than provided for them in the AD&Drules. So he wrote up some new spells and sent them to GaryGygax for his evaluation and approval — and Gary sent them tous, along with his permission to portray them as new rules.

This month’s cover, “Escape from Skull Keep,” was paintedespecially for DRAGON™ Magazine by Clyde Caldwell, whosefirst appearance as a cover artist was on the front of issue #53.At that time, I didn’t see how he could do any better — but nowthat I’ve seen Clyde Caldwell painting number two, I can’t waitfor number three.

Dwarves may be, ahem, a short subject. But we’ve gone togreat lengths inside, starting on page 23, to give the little guystheir due. Contributing editor Roger Moore supplied most ofthe material for a special section on dwarves and the deities

they worship. This is the first set of articles in a series of studieson non-human races which will appear over the next severalissues. We’ll get to your favorite sooner or later.

Mythical monsters and fictional figures from ancient Greeceoccupy a big part of our feature section. “The Blood of Medusa”is Michael Parkinson’s description of the legendary creaturesand characters spawned by the lady with the strange hairdo.Following that piece are four portrayals of NPCs from the sameera, but certainly not the same family tree.

Surrounding the SPELLMINDERS section in the center of themagazine is “In the Bag,” another tale of the tribulations ofBoinger and Zereth from the pen of J. Eric Holmes, who is botha well-known fiction writer (check out your local bookstore)and the author of a new book on fantasy role-playing (ditto).

Next in line is a trio of treatises on archery. Robert Barrowoffers some facts and figures based on real experience, con-cerning how far an archer can shoot and how easily he can hitwhat he’s aiming at. Carl Parlagreco presents a short system for“Making bowmanship more meaningful,” and the third article inthis section proposes a way to differentiate between bows ofdifferent strengths and the varying amounts of damage theirarrows can cause. But if hand-held weapons are more yourcharacter’s style, forge ahead into David Nalle’s essay on thedesign and development of the sword.

“Being a bad knight” is the first article we’ve ever publishedon the KNIGHTS OF CAMELOT™ game, and it comes straightfrom the source — Glenn Rahman, the author of the game’soriginal rules. And, for Traveller fans, there’s “Anything buthuman,” Jon Mattson’s system for creating alien characters.

Topping off issue #58 is a special two-page “What’s New,”Phil Foglio’s whimsical tribute to Valentine’s Day, and a one-page “Wormy” which is, as usual, a tribute to the talent andimagination of Tramp. — KM

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONSPELLMINDERS — Counters for keeping magic-user

and cleric spells straight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

OTHER FEATURESThe Blood of Medusa — Family tree of monsters . . . . . . . . . 11Four myths from Greece — A sharp shooter, a high flyer,

a know-it-all, and a centaur . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Dwarves: A special section . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

The dwarven point of view . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24Bazaar of the Bizarre — Magic items for dwarves . . . . . . . 27Sage Advice — Questions and answers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28The gods of the dwarves . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

In the Bag — Fiction by J. Eric Holmes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Aiming for realism in archery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Bowmanship made more meaningful . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50A long bow isn’t always a strong bow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Swords: Slicing into a sharp topic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

Being a bad knight — KNIGHTS OF CAMELOT™ variant. . 61Anything but human — Making aliens in Traveller . . . . . . . . 65

REGULAR OFFERINGSOut on a Limb — Letters from readers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Leomund’s Tiny Hut — New spells for clerics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Dragon’s Bestiary:

Sull . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8Beguiler . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9Magenta’s Cat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Dragon’s Augury:Griffin Mountain . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Star Patrol . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68Trillion Credit Squadron . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69Paranoia Press products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

Off the Shelf — Book reviews . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71What’s New . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78Wormy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80

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Vol. VI, No. 8

‘Doubly pleasing’Dear Editor:

I just finished reading DRAGON #56 and, assomeone who enjoys both AD&D and TOPSECRET I found this issue doubly pleasing.Congratulations are in order for Merle Ras-mussen and James Thompson for MADMERC. It was a welcome sequel to DR. YES(issue #48).

While I liked MAD MERC very much andfound almost all the information to be com-plete and accurate, I did find one not-so-tinyerror that if overlooked by the Administratorcould be fatal. The error is found in the per-sonnel traits and abilities section listing forHurt (medical nurse). Hurt is listed as having aPhysical Strength of 41, a Willpower of 37, yethe has an incredible Life Level of 78! Appar-ently, Mr. Rasmussen forgot to do the laststep in the L.L. equation, that is, to divide by10, and this would result in the corrected L.L.of 8.

I hope all Administrators will correct thiserror before taking Agents through this mo-dule, so that no poor Agents will encounterHurt, who would be almost impossible to hurt.

Paul H. CordtsOrchard Lake, Mich.

Good job, Paul. You spotted a mistake thatescaped the notice of our proofreader. (That’sthe last time we hire a flesh golem to do ahuman’s job.) The mistake wasn’t Merle’sfault — and neither were the other two blun-ders that also appear in the chart on pages48-49 of issue #56.

The problem with Hurt’s statistics begins’way back in the Courage column. Merle’smanuscript listed figures of 37 for Hurt’s Will-power and Courage. When the chart was setinto type, that number was typed once insteadof twice, and everything else got pushed oneplace to the left as a result. The identical prob-lem occurred in the listing for Smith (mechan-ical engineer). That character was supposedto have Courage of 75 as well as Willpower of75. The third mistake is in the listing for Lange(carpenter), whose languages got garbled.

The corrected listings for Hurt should read:Courage 37, Knowledge 102, Coordination85, Offense 61, Deception 55, Evasion 79,Hand-to-Hand 120, Surprise 134, Life Level 8,and Language ratings of Japanese 78, Eng-lish 05, and German 54.

For Smith, make the following changes:Courage 75, Knowledge 89, Coordination 81,Offense 78, Deception 85, Evasion 88, Hand-to-Hand 117, Surprise 163, Life Level 10, Jap-anese 7, English 79, and German 60.

Lange’s language abilities should be Eng-lish 25 and German 94.

That should set the record straight. Ourapologies to anyone else who noticed one ormore of the errors and wasn’t able to figureout what the ratings should have been. — KM

‘Too scalding’Dear Editor:

I think “Out on a Limb” is a very good fea-ture to have, and it shows what people reallythink of your magazine. But it seems to methat when a person writes in a criticism youare (just maybe) a little too scalding with youranswer. Take DRAGON #53 and the letter byAdam Rosenblatt about you being too “high-handed.” Take a little time out to read yourreply. See? Whew! You’ll be lucky if he buys aDRAGON magazine, let alone touches one!Perhaps you could be a little more amiablewith your editorial responses.

Now, if what I have been trying to tell yousinks in, your response to my letter will be oneof understanding. If not, well then, at least itwill be amusing to others as they read it.

Jeff RabkinNew York, N.Y.

Dear Jeff:We think “Out on a Limb” is a very good

feature to have, too. But it seems to us thatwhen people write in a criticism they are (justmaybe) a little too scalding in their accusa-tions. Take a little time out to read some of themail we get. See? Whew! We’ll be lucky if wecan ever again work up the courage to open aletter. Perhaps readers could be a little moreamiable when they call us high-handed.

Now, if what I have been trying to tell yousinks in, your reaction to this response will beone of understanding. If not, I hope some-body gets a chuckle out of it. — KM

Meyers on monksDear Editor:

In DRAGON #53 there are some changes inthe monk class. Special ability “S” says themonk will get a premonition of death 1-4 turnsbefore it happens. How does the DM go aboutdoing this?

Confused

The following reply was provided by PhilipMeyers, the author of the article in question:

The original “premonition of death or se-rious harm” comes from page 163 of theDMG, Table V, prime power Q under artifactsand relics. There are two problems inherent in

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this question: how to play the premonition inthe case of a non-player character monk, andfor a player character. The case of the NPC isthe simpler one. If the party is about to en-counter a NPC monk with the premonitionpower, the DM must make a determination ofwhether the party has the power to kill orseriously harm the monk, and if it does,whether the party is likely to attack the monk,or may even possibly attack the monk. If theparty is sufficiently powerful and there is areasonable chance the party will attack, theroll for the premonition should be made. Themonk to whom the premonition occurs will beready and waiting when the party arrives.

The case of the PC monk is more difficult,because the DM cannot predict what a playercharacter will do, and thus cannot predictwith certainty whether a dangerous situationwill arise in the future. The power is thereforeonly applicable when it appears to the DMthat the PC monk is headed for a dangerousencounter, and there is a substantial chancethe encounter will occur. The character shouldalways be able to avoid the encounter if cir-cumstances permit, so that the event likely tobring about death or serious harm neverhappens. In any event, the premonition is al-ways simply a vague feeling that great dangeris imminent, not a specific vision of a futureevent. For player character monks the pre-monition should not occur often, since amonk of such high level is seldom in greatdanger, particularly when the monk is sur-rounded by similarly powerful companions.

‘Different games’Dear Editor:

I see my latest DRAGON has another letterobjecting to high-level characters. I thinkyour readers need a lesson in softball!

The basic rules for softball are used for twoquite different games, “fast-pitch” and “slow-pitch.” The rules are almost all the same inboth games, yet the two games feel very dif-ferent and call for very different abilities in theplayers. Of course, every player prefers his orher version, but very few would argue that theother isn’t a good game, too, for those whosepreferences are in the other direction.

I could also remark on the many differentforms of poker — straight, lowball, wild-card,7-card, you name it. Every poker player hashis or her favorite version, and, for example, a“straight” player may look down on one whoprefers 7-card stud. But poker, all versions, isa great game.

To get back to AD&D, the regular game is a(Turn to page 77)

February 1982

Beefing upthe cleric

INTRODUCTIONAll readers should be a ware that Len

Lakofka has been of considerable aidand assistance in formulating the wholeof the AD&D™ game system. Obviously,Len’s contributions did not end with thepublication of the four volumes of theinitial release. He writes this column. Lenis instrumental in a revision of the FIENDFOLIO™ Tome currently under way atTSR. Last but by no means least, he free-ly contributes suggestions and materialfor work planned to augment the AD&Dsystem.

I am working on new monsters, magic,classes, and information for two new vol-umes of the system — a supplement forplayers and DMs alike, and a secondbook of the Monster Manual — projectedfor release in three to four years. Much ofthe supplementary material has been orwill be printed in various modules or inDRAGON™ Magazine. For instance, manynew spells are included in the upcomingmodules Lost Caverns of Tsojcanth andTemple of Elemental Evil. (Yes, fans, it isagain being worked on!)

When Len and I last spoke he broughtup the paltry choice of spells for clerics,and I concurred that something needed

to be done. Now go on and read what hasbeen accomplished, for the spells are“official” and will appear in virtually thesame form in a future volume of theAD&D series.

Gary Gygax

AUTHOR’S INTRODUCTIONGary Gygax and I have discussed the

cleric at some length, and we agreed thatthe spells for that class, especially at thefourth level, needed a little work andperhaps a few additions. Gary asked meto write a few spells that might be in-cluded in an edition of the AD&D PlayersHandbook. Following are six first-levelspells, four second-level spells, fourthird-level spells and two fourth-levelspells that I submitted to Mr. Gygax forreview. (Editor’s note: Mr. Gygax mademany minor additions and alterations tothe spell descriptions — and deleted acouple of suggested spells — before de-claring the group to be “official” rule ad-ditions. All of his changes are incorpo-rated in the descriptions given below.)Comments from readers would also begreatly appreciated.

New spells should be placed into thegame with great care. Allow non-player

characters to learn of them and thenpass them on to player characters viathat method. Some spells like Ceremony,Endure Heat/Cold (for appropriate re-gions of the “world”), Holy Symbol, andOrdain are, due to the way they are writ-ten, likely to be widely known and mighthave to be given to existing player-character clerics without too much non-player character interaction.

When a non-player cleric is encoun-tered, determine if he/she knows any ofthe new spells given. For each spell levelin question, beginning at first and goingup as high as the NPC’s experience levelwill permit, multiply the experience levelof the non-player cleric by 7% to deter-mine the chance that he/she knows (canpray for) one of the new prayers/spells. Ifthe roll indicates knowledge, roll percen-tile dice again and consult the lists belowto determine which particular spell/pray-er is known.

If a second or subsequent roll on thelist below yields a duplicate result, rollagain until an “unknown” spell comesup. Repeat the initial “chance to know”roll until a negative result is obtained oruntil all available new spells of the givenlevel are known.

Dice First level spells01-17 Ceremony (Coming of Age)18-35 Ceremony (Burial)36-50 Ceremony (Marriage)51-54 Combine55-65 Endure Cold66-77 Endure Heat78-90 Magic Stone91-96 Magical Vestment97-00 Portent

Second level spells01-28 Ceremony (Dedication)29-45 Ceremony (Investiture)46-75 Ceremony (Consecrate Item)76-85 Death Prayer86-90 Detect Life91-97 Holy Symbol98-00 Messenger

Third level spells01-20 Ceremony (Ordain)21-40 Ceremony (Special Vows)41-48 Dust Devil

NEW CLERIC SPELLSDice Third level spells (cont.)49-60 Enthrall61-90 Remove Paralysis91-00 Water Walking

Fourth level spells01-44 Ceremony (Consecrate Ground)45-72 Meld Into Stone73-00 Negative Plane Protection

Fifth level spellsCeremony (Anathematize)

SPELL DESCRIPTIONSFirst Level

Ceremony (Conjuration/Summoning)Level: 1Range: TouchDuration: PermanentArea of effect: One creature, one item,

or area (see below)Components: V, S, MCasting time: 1 hourSaving throw: None or Neg. (see below)

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Explanation/Description: Ceremonyhas a number of applications in the cler-ic’s organization, depending on the levelof the cleric. Each Ceremony is used as aparticular blessing/curse of the organi-zation. The spell is used to put the ho-ly/unholy seal on the event and does notproduce an aura of magic, though insome cases an aura of good or evil mightbe present. The types of Ceremony canvary from organization to organization,but usually encompass these:

1st-level cleric: Coming of Age, Burial,Marriage

3rd-level cleric: Dedication, Investi-ture, Consecrate Item

5th-level cleric: Ordain, Special Vows7th-level cleric: Consecrate Ground9th-level cleric: AnathematizeEach of these blessings (Anathema-

tize is a curse) requires a cleric of theappropriate level or higher. Briefly, theCeremonies listed do these things:

Coming of Age blesses a young man

Vol. VI, No. 8

(and in some cultures a young woman)at some point in time, often the age of 12.Coming of Age may or may not allow theperson who has come of age any particu-lar rights.

Burial in no way protects the corpse,but gives the blessing of the organiza-tion, and is said to have a 50% chance toinvoke retribution of some type if thebody’s grave is dug up within one weekof burial (i.e., an agent of the deity willcome to protect the grave).

Marriage is certainly straightforward.Dedication is necessary to perform

specific acts, such as becoming a mem-ber of an organization.

Investiture is required for a pre-clericto become 1st level.

Consecrate Item is required for everyitem placed on an altar and at other pla-ces in a religious edifice, as required bythe particular organization. Holy sym-bols and vestments are handled separ-ately (q.v.), but holy/unholy water/oilmust be kept in consecrated containers.

Ordain is required for a 2nd-level cler-ic to become the priest of a small con-gregation or assume similar duties. Evenhigh-level clerics must at some time beordained before they have the right togain followers and form a following orgroup. This is often a part of training tobecome 3rd level by a cleric of the ap-propriate belief.

Special Vows pertain to paladins,knighthood, and solemn oaths.

Consecrate Ground is required whenany holy/unholy structure is built. Achurch, abbey, sanctuary, monastery,temple, etc., built on unconsecratedground has a 1% chance per year (cu-mulative) to collapse! Once a structure isbuilt, consecration cannot be an after-thought: Thus, a cleric of 7th level orhigher must be sought when a clericalstructure is to be built, or else! Conse-crate Ground is also used in graveyards.The graveyard can then turn undead as ifit were a 3rd-level cleric.

Anathematize is a strong form of ex-communication in which the offender isliterally branded on the cheek, forehead,arm, or hand with a symbol, sigil or signthat denotes an offense to his/her god.An Atonement spell can remove theonus, but the brand will only fade in in-tensity; it will never disappear. Excep-tion: A cleric who sins in the sight of hisorganization due to adverse magic canfully atone and the anathema is fullyremoved.

Material components for Ceremoniesare variable, and the costs of the organi-zation also vary. Some common chargesare as follows: Coming of Age, 5-15 sp;Burial, 5-50 gp; Marriage, 1-20 gp; Dedi-cation, 0-10 sp; Investiture, 0-100 gp;Consecrate Item, usually free; Ordain,

usually free but up to 200 gp; SpecialVows, 0-100 gp; Consecrate Ground,usually 100-600 gp depending on thesize of the site and the rank of the clericdoing the consecration. Anathematizedoes not cost any gold.

Combine (Alteration)Level: 1Duration: See belowRange: TouchArea of Effect: Circle of clericsComponents: V, SCasting Time: 1 roundSaving Throw: None

Explanation/Description: Via this spellfive clerics of the same alignment canadd their powers to perform a specificfunction. The cleric of highest level, orone selected by the group if all are ofequal level, stands in the center of a cir-cle formed by the other four who holdhands and kneel around him/her. Thisprocess takes one full round, and all fiveclerics must be chanting the words to thespell Combine at the same time. If one ofthem stops for any reason, the spell iswasted for all five of them.

The cleric in the center can then, onthe round after the casting of the Com-bine spell, attempt to cast a spell or turnundead as if he/she were higher thanactual level, for the determination ofrange, duration and area of effect as ap-

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February 1982

plicable. The spell cast (or effect) will beat a combined level for the five clerics, upto 4 additional levels maximum, as ex-plained below.

Only the cleric in the center needknow and have prayed for the spell to becast by the combination. Only informa-tional, protection (including Dispel Mag-ic), and curative spells can be combinedin this way. The clerics may also CreateFood & Water or turn undead. The fourclerics comprising the circle are in adeep trance that to recover from will re-quire one full round. During the trance,surprise is automatic and all “to hit” rollsare at +4 against the clerics in hand-to-hand combat. Naturally, they cannot useshields or dexterity bonuses in calcula-tion of their armor classes. Thus, if thecombination is physically attacked onlythe center cleric can muster any defenseon the first round. If he selects an attackspell of any type, the cleric reverts tohis/her original level at once and thecombination is broken.

The combination can otherwise remaintogether for the casting of one spell orone attempt at turning undead. Then thespell breaks and the four clerics com-prising the circle must recover for a fullround before they can do anything else.If a cleric dies the combination is broken,but not if one is only hit for damage oncethe Combine spell has been cast and the

combination is in effect.The center cleric will be raised by 1 to

4 levels, depending on how many of thecombined clerics are four or fewer levelsbelow the level of the center cleric. Onlythose clerics within four levels of thehighest-level cleric add to his or herlevel.

Examples: Five 1st-level clerics wishto Combine to turn some approachingghouls. They take a round to Combine,and then for the purpose of turning un-dead they would be as a single 5th-levelcleric. Note that they could not cast asecond or third level spell in any case,since the center cleric is only 1st leveland cannot know such a spell. If a 7th-level, a 5th-level, and three 2nd-levelclerics Combine, the combination wouldbe as a single 8th-level cleric. The 2nd-level clerics are five levels below theLama (7th level) and thus cannot add tohis or her effectiveness, but they canhelp form the circle.

Endure Cold/Endure Heat(Alteration) ReversibleLevel: 1Range: TouchArea of Effect: One creatureDuration: 9 turns/levelComponents: V, SCasting Time: 1 roundSaving Throw: None

Explanation/Description: Casting thisspell gives protection from normal ex-tremes of cold or heat (depending on theversion used). The recipient can standunclothed in temperatures of as low as-20° F or as high as 120° F (depending onversion used) with no harm or ill effect.Extremes beyond these limits will cause1 point of exposure damage per hour forevery degree below or above the givenlimits. The spell remains in effect for 9turns (1½ hours) per level of the cleric oruntil the recipient is hit by any form ofmagical cold or heat including ProduceFire. This cancellation of the spell willoccur regardless of whether Endure Coldor Endure Heat was cast. Further, thespell will be instantly cancelled if ResistFire or Resist Cold is applied to the recip-ient. The spell is commonly found in thecold north or the tropical south, espe-cially in and near desert areas. The spellrequires no material component.

Magic Stone (Alteration)Level: 1Range; TouchDuration: 6 rounds +1 round/level

or until impactArea of effect: Line of sight up to 4 feetComponents: V, S, MCasting Time: 1 roundSaving Throw: None

(Turn to page 73)

7

Dragon Vol. VI, No. 8

SullCreated by Ed Greenwood

FREQUENCY: RareNO. APPEARING: 1-6ARMOR CLASS: 9MOVE: See belowHIT DICE: 3, 4, 5, or 6% IN LAIR: NilTREASURE TYPE: NilNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4/4-16SPECIAL ATTACKS: NilSPECIAL DEFENSES: Gas cloudMAGIC RESISTANCE: Standard

[immune to charms]INTELLIGENCE: Average [High]ALIGNMENT: NeutralSIZE: LPSIONIC ABILITY: Nil [120]

Attack/Defense Modes: Nil [A, D / F, I]

Sull, or “floaters,” are nomadic crea-tures who float silently in midair bymeans of buoyant gases created in theirdigestive organs and stored in the cen-tral hump of the body. Sull move by thecontrolled intake and exhaust of thesegases; they can move at a rate of 18”vertically through the air, but only 6” hor-izontally (unless aided by air currents).

Despite their slow movement rate, Sullare Flight Class A in regard to maneuv-erability; not needing to turn about butmerely stopping short and reversing di-rection. Sull greatly fear Wind Walkersand similar creatures of the air, for theyhave no defense against the air turbu-lence these beings can create.

Sull are omnivorous, and consumeprey with great jaws located on their un-derside. From between their jaws theycan extend a sucking tube to take inliquids.

Sull never crush opponents beneaththeir bulk, but will ram into victims (us-ing the hard, rubber-like edge of theirbodies rather than the more resilient topand bottom surfaces) with as much forceas they can muster and rebound away.This attack does 1-4 points of damage.The Sull’s bite, if it is able to drop downupon and engulf a victim, does 4-16points of damage.

When engaged in battle, Sull will emitgaseous clouds from orifices spacedaround the under part of the body’sedge; this gas, a digestive byproduct,hangs in the air in blinding, irritatingclouds. Creatures battling a Sull do so at-4 “to hit” if the gas affects their eyes, butonly at -1 if they must contend merelywith its thickly swirling, obscuring va-por. A successful save vs. poison, or theuse of magical protection to prevent irri-tation to the eyes, lessens the -4 penaltyto -1.

Floaters can understand Common, and

sometimes will understand the speech ofraces or of individuals (see below), butthey cannot shape words. They havetheir own language of clicking and whis-tling sounds. Sensory areas around theedges and hump of the disc-like body,and around the mouth beneath, give theSull normal (6” range) infravision. It alsohas receptors for sound and smell, butthese senses are not acute and only op-erate with dependability at short range(within 2” of the creature).

A few Sull (10% chance of encounter-ing such) have psionic ability. The dif-ferences of these creatures with regardto magic resistance, intelligence andpsionic ability are given in brackets. Psi-onic Floaters always have the minor dis-ciplines of Detection of Magic, Empathy,and ESP, and the major disciplines ofBody Control and Telepathy. They varyin psionic mastery, but are typically of6th level.

Sull are occasionally captured andtrained to serve spellcasters as aerialplatforms. They typically understand farmore of their master’s primary languagethan that individual may realize, and willalways recognize their master’s voiceand commands. Although usually do-cile, Sull are not willing servants andmust be controlled by pain, typicallyadministered by a Wand of Lightning orother source of electrical shock, or aWand of Magic Missiles.

Psionic Sull will only serve masters oftrue neutral alignment, and will com-municate with them telepathically if theyare well treated. Sull have served as bat-tle leaders for the dervishes of the desert,among whom they are treated as re-spected friends.

8

February 1982

BeguilerCreated by Ed Greenwood

FREQUENCY: Very rareNO. APPEARING: 1-4ARMOR CLASS: 9MOVE: 15”HIT DICE: 2% IN LAIR: 40%TREASURE TYPE: L, N, QNO. OF ATTACKS: 6DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-2 (x4), 1-4, and 1

or by weapon type (see below)SPECIAL ATTACKS: IllusionsMAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardINTELLIGENCE: Average to highALIGNMENT: NeutralSIZE: S (2’ long)PSIONIC ABILITY: See below

Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

The Beguiler is a small, plump quad-ruped about the size of a small dog.Mouselike in appearance, it has largeglistening black eyes, large ears, and apointed snout. It is covered with thick,bluish-black fur that sheds water, is silkyto the touch, and — when properly cured— commands high prices.

Beguilers possess razor-sharp retrac-tile claws, enabling the creatures to climb

trees and wooden structures with ease.The hairless, prehensile tail of the Be-guiler aids in climbing, and can be usedto throw and/or wield weapons the sizeof a shortsword or smaller.

The creature’s four sets of claws eachdo 1-2 points of damage per attack, theBeguiler’s bite does 1-4, and the tail caninflict 1 point of damage by itself, or byweapon type if one is used. Any weaponheld or thrown by the Beguiler’s tail is at-2 “to hit.”

A Beguiler always sees with True Sight;i.e., invisible creatures or objects can beseen, and illusions are not seen and donot have the intended effect. The crea-ture can change the hue of its fur tomatch the coloration of its surroundingsfor 1-4 turns and remain absolutely mo-tionless during that time, hiding in shad-ows with the success of a 12th-levelthief. (Some spellcasters are rumored tohave maintained or recreated this abilityin the cured pelt of the Beguiler.)

The Beguiler’s most spectacular andmost feared (once it is discovered) abili-ty is the power to cast illusions. A Be-guiler can cast Spectral Force andShadow Monster spells as a 20th-levelillusionist. Different individuals of thespecies vary in spellcasting powers, hav-ing the use of from 4-16 such spells perday. Such illusions will cease wheneverthe Beguiler wills, but it need not con-centrate to maintain them.

Beguilers cannot be attacked by psio-nics. Their peculiar mental processescreate a continuous “scrambling” effectwhich makes psionic activity impossiblewithin 4” of the creature.

Beguilers are omnivorous. Beguilerbrains are highly prized by alchemistsand spellcasters alike, for they are a val-uable ingredient in several importantmagic items and potions.

9


Magenta’s CatCreated byRoger Moore

FREQUENCY: Very rareNO. APPEARING: 1 (5% chance of 3-6)ARMOR CLASS: 7MOVE: 12”HIT DICE: 1+1% IN LAIR: SpecialTREASURE TYPE: SpecialNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-4SPECIAL ATTACKS: PsionicsSPECIAL DEFENSES: Hiding, silence,

psionicsMAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardINTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: NeutralSIZE: SPSIONIC ABILITY: 170-220

Attack/Defense Modes: All/all

Several centuries ago a Wizardessnamed Magenta began experimenting totry to produce psionic ability in her famil-iar, a large black cat called (predictably)Midnight. Though she was successful inmaking Midnight psionic, an unintendedside effect caused the cat to be releasedfrom its obligation as a familiar, and itescaped.

Though Midnight was never foundagain, it would seem that the cat wasable to breed with others of the normalvariety and produce psionic and intelli-gent offspring. The special genes forthese powers are recessive, and thus theprobability that any cat today will pos-sess the powers of its ancestor is verylow (something like 1 in 1,000).

All known psionic cats(called Magenta’s Cats) arereputed to be of the samedeepest black color as theoriginal. About two thirds ofthese cats are female. Allhave exceptional night vision,allowing them to see well inanything but absolute dark-ness, and very sensitive hear-ing. These senses make thecats impossible to surprise.The silence with which theymove and their dark color al-lows them to surprise oppo-nents on a 1-5 in shadowedareas and at night.

Magenta’s Cats are intelli-gent in the extreme, and canapparently communicate withall feline creatures by meansof a sort of limited empathy/telepathy. They may speakup to three languages besidesthe feline tongue and thelanguage of neutral align-

ment. It is 90% likely that at least one ofthese other three languages will be thecommon tongue, and 60% likely thatanother will be elven.

Magenta’s Cats are aloof and some-what conceited; they all seem to feel theyare vastly superior to any other thinkingcreature, although they are not given to“broadcasting” their powers. It is likelythat any Magenta’s Cat aware it is beingwatched will act like a normal cat, notrevealing its true nature until it choosesto or is forced to.

Though these creatures usually travelalone, it is possible to run into a smallgroup of them, all adults, who have ga-thered to exchange information, feed, ormate. Singly or in groups, these cats areonly known to inhabit towns and cities.Litters have 3-5 kittens, with only a 10%chance of each offspring having thespecial powers of the psionic parent(s).The chance is the same whether one orboth parents are psionic.

The psionic powers of a Magenta’s Catare as follows: Each has the Minor Devo-tions of Invisibility, Body Equilibrium,Cell Adjustment, and Molecular Agita-tion. These powers are used at the sev-enth level of mastery. Psionic Invisibilitywill only be used as a last resort if thecat’s normal methods of staying out ofsight fail. Body Equilibrium explains whyMagenta’s Cats often leap from highbuildings and cliffs to escape pursuit,since they are able to slow their descentto prevent harm, and also explains whynow and then a confused peasant or tra-veler will report seeing a black cat walkacross a lake or pond and not get wet.Cell Adjustment removes any damage to

the cat (unless it was killed outright)completely in one round. Molecular Agi-tation is rarely used, but explains whythe homes of known cat-haters some-times burn down inexplicably. Most peo-ple believe this is the vengeance of theEgyptian cat-goddess, Bast, or a like-minded deity. Magenta’s Cats probablyknow differently.

A magic-user of true neutral or part-neutral alignment who has psionics mayreceive a Magenta’s Cat for a familiar ifthe spell Find Familiar is cast success-fully and a black cat is indicated as thetype of familiar received. The basechance is 5%, plus an additional 1% perlevel of experience of the magic-userover the first. For a magic-user of trueneutral alignment, this chance of suc-cess is unmodified; however, subtract2% from the figure arrived at if the magic-user is neutral good, neutral evil, lawfulneutral or chaotic neutral. Magic-usersof other alignments will not be able tofind a Magenta’s Cat for a familiar even ifthey are psionic.

In addition to the normal powers of ablack cat familiar, the Magenta’s Catmakes the magic-user impossible to sur-prise and can add its psionic strengthpoints to its master’s in multiple psionicoperations. The magic-user may like-wise add his or her points to the cat’s toextend its powers, but the magic-userwill not gain the cat’s psionic disciplinesas his or her own, or vice versa. If theMagenta’s Cat familiar is killed, themagic-user immediately loses twice asmany hit points as the cat had, perma-nently, and also loses all of his or her psi-onic powers forever. Like all other famil-

iars, the Magenta’s Cat gets asaving throw vs. magic whenthe Find Familiar spell iscast.

There is a 5% chance that aMagenta’s Cat will be actingas a familiar if encounterednormally. If so, it will belinked to a Wizard of 11th to18th level (d8 + 10, to gener-ate level randomly) who willreact with all powers possi-ble if his or her familiar isthreatened. There is a fairchance the cat will be wear-ing a jeweled (and possiblyenchanted) collar of consid-erable value, as determinedby the Dungeon Master.

A Magenta’s Cat acting asa familiar will be very near toits master or mistress, or tothe home of that character.Aside from this sort of “lair,”Magenta’s Cats have no lairsand collect no treasure.

10

February 1982 Dragon

Some say Medusa had wings of gold,tusks like a swine, and snakes for hair,and her clawed hands were made ofbrass. Older sources state she had thebody of a mare; still others praise her asfair-cheeked and beautiful (in a tragicstyle). All legends and sources agreethat to view her face was to be turned tostone.

The greek hero Perseus decapitatedMedusa, aiming his blow by looking ather reflection in the brass shield lent himby the goddess Athena. Medusa’s petri-fying face, the Gorgoneion, retained itspotency — it was used by Perseus, thengiven to Athena. From Medusa’s severedneck spouted her life blood and two liv-ing beings, both fathered by Poseidon:Pegasus and Chrysaor.

PEGASUSThe fabled winged horse is described

in the AD&D™ Monster Manual, albeitrationalized to fit a more general my-thos/cosmos. Pallas Athena gave theGreek hero Bellerophon a golden bridleso that he might tame and ride Pegasus.Thus able to work together, the twokilled the evil Chimaera, the grand-nieceof Pegasus.

After helping in several other virtuousacts, the immortal steed threw his master(who had become impiously proud) andflew to the heavens, to carry the thun-derbolts of Zeus and to become the con-stellation of Pegasus.

CHRYSAORHis name means “he of the golden

11


sword,” and Chrysaor Phorcides is laud-ed as a hero; yet any valiant — or das-tardly — deeds of his are unrecorded.Ironically, Bellerophon as a child wascalled Chrysaor — but he soon changedhis name to “Bellerus-killer,” a less anon-ymous appellation. Chrysaor’s only im-portant act was to wed the Oceanid Cal-lirhoe and produce two of the foulestoffspring ever born: Geryon and Echidna.

GERYONFREQUENCY: UniqueNO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: 4MOVE: 12”/18”HIT DICE: 100 hit points per body% IN LAIR: NilTREASURE TYPE: NilNO. OF ATTACKS: 3DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-16/2-16/2-16SPECIAL ATTACKS: Hurl rocks for 2-16

points damage each, up to 20” rangeSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 15%INTELLIGENCE: LowALIGNMENT: Neutral evilSIZE: L (10’ tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

Geryon’s three bodies are joined at the

Geryon is a three-headed, three-bod-ied giant — not to be confused with the

waist, and each body is complete — al-

Archdevil of the same name (and the

though he is also sometimes represent-

same basic temperament). The tenth la-

ed as having just two legs, which would

bor of Hercules was to capture the cattleof Geryon. He journeyed to Geryon’s

make him appear even more inhuman.

homeland, the island of Erythia, “thered” (called such because it is in the far

Measure lost hit points on each body

west, past the straits of Gibraltar, thus litwith the ruby rays of the setting sun). Inperforming his task, Hercules incidental-ly killed Geryon, his guard-dog Orthus,and his herdsman Eurytion.

separately; when a body goes belowzero hit points, it becomes a dead weightand may no longer attack. Geryon is notkilled until all three bodies are dead.Each of the three bodies may be entitledto save against spells, etc. individually,but Geryon has only one mind.

Geryon attacks and defends as a mon-ster of 12 hit dice. With his excellent vi-sion (tri-binocular?) and hearing, he isonly surprised on a 1.

Geryon is red-skinned with blood-rusthair and large, deep eyes of fiery garnet.He has six scarlet wings (a pair for eachtorso), and is clad in carmine cowhide.

GERYONEOEdmund Spenser, in his allegory The

Faerie Queene, has a wingless Geryonrepresent Charles V of Spain, and in-vents for him an identical son, Gery-oneo, portraying Philip II of Spain (and

the Spanish domination of the Nether-lands). As he would be used in an AD&D™adventure, Geryoneo is like his fatherexcept for movement rate (12”), percentin lair (40%) and treasure type (B, C, E).

Geryoneo’s lair is in the castle whichformerly defended the city of the wid-owed Lady Belge. This fortress is heavi-ly garrisoned; its seneschal, the Princeof Parma, is a 10th-level Lord (AC 2; +2long sword; potion of extra-healing; po-tion of longevity).

As one expression of his dispositionand nature, Geryoneo erected an idol inthe likeness of his father in a chapel out-side the city and forced the city’s inhab-itants to worship it. To know more of themonster guarding the fane of Geryon,we must first learn of the other — evenmightier and more malign — branch ofthe union of Chrysaor and Callirhoe:Echidna and her spawn.

ECHIDNAFREQUENCY: UniqueNO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: 7 (human body) or

0 (dragon body)MOVE: 12”/18”HIT DICE: 90 hit points% IN LAIR: 95%TREASURE TYPE: I, XNO. OF ATTACKS: 2 or 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 4-16/4-16 or by

weaponSPECIAL ATTACKS: See below

Echidna is an immortal half-woman,

SPECIAL DEFENSES: See below

half-dragon who may be encountered

MAGIC RESISTANCE: 75%INTELLIGENCE: HighALIGNMENT: Neutral evil

hunting far below ground or in the wil-

SIZE: L (40’ long)

derness on dark nights. For the most part

PSIONIC ABILITY: 150Attack/Defense Modes: C, D / F, G, H

she dwells in her lair on the darkest planeof Hades.

“... grisly Echidna,

days is ageless.”(Hesiod, Theogony, 304-5)

Anyone beholding Echidna must save(as if vs. a spell cast by a magic-user of

(Text continues on page 14)

“Echidna is a Monster direfull dred,Whom Gods doe hate, and heavens

abhor to see;So hideous is her shape, so huge her

hed,That even the hellish fiends

affrighted beeAt sight thereof, and from her

presence flee:Yet did her face and former parts

professeA faire young Mayden, full of comely

glee;But all her hinder parts did plaine

expresseA monstrous Dragon, full of fearful

uglinesse.”(The Faerie Queene, book VI, canto VI,

verse 10)

a nymph who never dies, and all her

WHO’S WHO IN MEDUSA’S FAMILY: Medusa (1), who was beheadedby Perseus, produced Pegasus (2) and Chrysaor (3). Chrysaor wedCallirhoe (4), producing Geryon (5) and Echidna (6). Geryon,according to Spenser, bred Geryoneo (7), whose mother is unknown.The offspring of Echidna and Typhon (8), were several foul monsters:Orthus (9), Cerberus (10), the Lernaean Hydra (11), and the Monsterof Geryoneo (12). Echidna and Orthus produced the Theban Sphinx(13) and Nemean Lion (14). The Hydra, whose mate is unknown, borethe Chimaera (15). Finally, the parentage of the Blatant Beast (16) isdisputed, being either the offspring of Cerberus and the Chimaera, orof Echidna and Typhon.

12


13


20th level) or else flee in panic. She hasinfravision and is unaffected by charmsof any sort.

Echidna can employ any of these threepowers, one at a time, as often as de-sired: Darkness, Silence 15’ Radius, andPlane Shift. Once per day she may castthe following spells: Continual Darkness,Lose the Path, Symbol (Hopelessness)and Symbol (Insanity, specifically me-lancholia). All of her magical abilities areperformed as a 20th-level spell caster.

The monster customarily fights withher two claws, but if forced to hunt in theopen she prefers a medium lance andlarge shield (improving the armor classof her human head and upper bodyaccordingly).

Echidna is solitary and resents any in-trusions. She is described by Hesiod as:

“... the divine and haughty Echid-na, and half of her is a nymph with afair face and eyes glancing, but theother half is a monstrous snake, ter-rible, enormous and squirming andvoracious, there in earth’s secretplaces. For there she has her cave onthe underside of a hollow rock, farfrom the immortal gods, and far fromall mortals.”

(Theogony, 297-302)

Echidna bred several monsters by Ty-phon (not the fratricidal Egyptian god ofevil, but a like-minded chaotic monster-deity, thrown by Zeus into the under-world and trapped there forever). Ty-phon was a humanoid, tall as a moun-tain, of earthshaking proportions andstrength; from his shoulders sprang 100serpent heads which spake the speechof gods, bellowed, barked, roared andwhistled in the name of “Typhaon, theterrible, violent and lawless.”

ORTHUS“First she bore him Orthus, who

was Geryones’ herding dog, ...”(Theogony, 309)

This is the two-headed dog of Geryon,killed by Hercules. To portray Orthus inAD&D terms, use the Monster Manualdescription of the war dog, with thesedifferences:

FREQUENCY: UniqueNO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: 4HIT DICE: 7NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-12/2-12SIZE: L

CERBERUS“... and next again she bore the

unspeakable, unmanageableKerberos, the savage, the bronze-

barking dog of Hades,fifty-headed, and powerful, and

without pity.”(Theogony, 310-2)

The number of Cerberus’ heads is var-iously 3, 5, or 50, according to differentsources; see the DEITIES & DEMIGODS™Cyclopedia for details of the beast as a3-headed (most easily playable) mon-ster. It was Hercules’ twelfth labor todrag Cerberus up from the Underworld.

THE LERNAEAN HYDRA“And third again she bore the

grisly-minded Hydraof Lerna, whom the goddess

white-armed Hera nourishedbecause of her quenchless grudge

against the strong Herakles.”(Theogony, 313-5)

Hercules killed the Lernaean Hydra,with the help of his squire Iolaus, as hissecond task. The monster is a water-snake rather than a legged reptile, butotherwise the creature conforms withthe Lernaean Hydra as described in theMonster Manual.

THE CHIMAERA“Hydra bore the Chimaira, who

snorted raging fire,a beast great and terrible,and strong and swift-footed.Her heads were three: one was

that of a glare-eyed lion,one of a goat, and the third

of a snake,a powerful dragon.”

(Theogony, 319-24)

This creature is essentially the sameas the chimera described in the MonsterManual, except that its movement rate is18”; that is, the beast has no wings butcan run as fast as a wolf.

King Iobates of Lycia, with his realmbeing plagued by the Chimaera, com-missioned the hero Bellerophon to slayher. Bellerophon succeeded, much toIobates’ delight — and survived, much tohis chagrin. The monarch had wantedBellerophon discreetly dead as a politi-cal favor to his majesty’s son-in-law,King Proetus of Tiryns. The inconven-ience of Bellerophon’s survival was sole-ly the result of Pegasus, instead of a mor-tal mount, having borne him into thebattle.

THE THEBAN SPHINX“But Echidna also, in love with

Orthus, mothered the deadlySphinx, the bane of the Kadmeians,

and the Nemeian Lion”(Theogony, 326-7)

The Theban Sphinx conforms closelyto the Monster Manual listing for the Gy-nosphinx. She dwelt near Thebes andspent her time harassing passing na-tives, baffling them with her riddle, andthen — while they were still in a confusedstate — pouncing upon and devouringthem.

14

February 1982 DragonShe was enraged when Oedipus gave

her the answer to her riddle. Rather thanadmit defeat, the Sphinx killed herself infury.

THE NEMEIAN LION‘“... the Nemeian Lionwhom Hera, the queenly wife of

Zeus, trained up and settledamong the hills of Nemeia, to be

a plague to mankind.There he preyed upon the tribes

of the indwelling people,and was as a King over Tretos

and Apesas and Nemeia.Nevertheless, the force of strong

Herakles subdued him.”(Theogony, 327-32)

The first labor of Hercules was to slaythe Nemeian Lion. Use the characteris-tics for the spotted lion given in theMonster Manual, except for:

FREQUENCY: UniqueNO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: Special (see below)HIT DICE: 50 hit pointsSPECIAL DEFENSES: See below

The Nemeian Lion is invulnerable toweapons except for its own claws; byphysical attack, the lion may only be suf-focated or drowned. It is vulnerable toany appropriate detection spells. Thebeast should be allowed a saving throwvs. Holy/Unholy Word or Time Stopspells; all other non-asphyxiating spellsare totally futile. The animal is surprisedonly on a 1. The Lion has no psionics,nor can it be harmed psionically. Uponhis death, the lion became the constella-tion Leo.

THE MONSTER OF GERYONEOThis man-eating devil, the creation of

Edmund Spenser, represents the Span-ish Inquisition. She lives under the shrineto Geryon, defending the heathen idoland devouring sacrificial victims. Untilthe noble paladin Prince Arthur defeatedher, no stranger had seen the monsterand survived.

“An huge great Beast it was, when itin length

Was stretched forth, that nigh fildall the place,

And seem’d to be of infinitegreat strength:

Horrible, hideous, and of hellish race,Borne of the brooding of Echidna

base,Or other like infernal furies kind;For of a Mayd she had the outward

face,To hide the horrour which did

lurke behinde,The better to beguile whom she so

fond did finde.Thereto the body of a dog she hadFull of fell ravin and fierce

greedinesse;

A lions claws, with powre and rigourclad,

To rend and teare what so shecan oppresse;

A Dragons taile, whose stingwithout redresse

Full deadly wounds where so itis empight;

And Eagles wings, for scope andspeedinesse,

That nothing may escape herreaching might,

Whereto she ever list to make herhardy flight.”

(The Faerie Queene, V, Xl, 23-4)

FREQUENCY: UniqueNO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: 5 (body)/2 (tail)MOVE: 6”/48”HIT DICE: 120 hit points% IN LAIR: 100%TREASURE TYPE: See belowNO. OF ATTACKS: 2 claws, 1 tailDAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6/1-6/1-10 or

1-6/1-6/1-6SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 30%INTELLIGENCE: AverageALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: L (body 8’, tail 22’)PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

Attack/Defense Modes: Nil; immuneto psionic attack

The Monster of Geryoneo has a wom-an’s face; the body of a giant dog; fea-thered wings of a Giant Eagle; leonineclaws; and a long, heavy, draconian tail,with a stinger (not poisoned, but strikesat +2).

The monster fights and saves as acreature of 12 hit dice. Her tail will eitherbe used as a thrusting weapon for 1-10points of damage or as a cudgel for 1-6points (50% chance of each). A success-ful hit by the tail in either attack modemay have a secondary effect, determinedby rolling d8: 1 = opponent stunned for1-12 rounds; 2 = opponent knockedprone for 1-8 rounds; 3-8 = no effect.(DM’s discretion: Alter the dice rolls ac-cordingly if the monster’s victim is cladin anything less sturdy than splint mailand shield, AC 3).

If both claws sink into the same target,the creature will either rend her victimfor 1-8 points of additional damage, or(25% chance) automatically disarm theadversary.

When a character is fighting with amagic sword of at least moderate power(DM’s evaluation, with +2 as a suggestednorm) and slashing at the body, a naturalroll of 20 “to hit” has killed the fiend bydisemboweling her. However, in such aninstance, the vapors which will spurt outof her remains are poisonous: Everycharacter closer than 30 feet to her at thetime of her death, or any character who

15

Dragoncomes that close within a span of 10rounds thereafter, must save vs. poisonor die.

The vapors are considered to havedispersed after 10 rounds, assumingcalm air and a sufficiently large volumefor the gases to dissipate into — eitherthe great outdoors or a vast undergroundcavern (such as the temple area is pre-sumed to be). The DM should modify theduration of the poison’s effect depend-ing on varying circumstances. A relative-ly small chamber with small openingswould serve to contain the poisonouscloud for more than 10 rounds, possiblyfor a number of hours. But if the creatureis killed in this fashion while outdoors,even the slightest of natural air currentswould carry the vapors away in less time.

The Monster of Geryoneo is only en-countered within the temple she guards,or in the grounds near the shrine. Theidol of Geryon which she watches over ismade of solid gold and mounted on amassive altar of ivory.

THE BLATANT BEASTThis creature is a great dog with iron

teeth and a hundred tongues, typifyingslander. The Blatant Beast is the truescion of the gorgons and unmistakableissue of Typhon; however, as befits theepitome of deceit, his exact lineage isdisputed. He is either the son of Cerbe-rus and the Chimaera, or of Echidna andTyphon.

This scurrilous cur delights in despoil-ing monasteries and churches, ravagingmaidens, causing chaos and pandemo-nium, spreading vile but unfoundedrumors, and other simple pleasures ofthe evil life.

FREQUENCY: UniqueNO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: 5MOVE: 12”HIT DICE: 50 hit points (11 hit dice)% IN LAIR: NilTREASURE TYPE: NilNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-12SPECIAL ATTACKS: Slander, festering

woundsSPECIAL DEFENSES: Only harmed by

iron weapons; regenerationMAGIC RESISTANCE: Invulnerable to

all magicINTELLIGENCE: Extremely cunning,

but very unwiseALIGNMENT: Chaotic evilSIZE: LPSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

Attack/Defense Modes: Nil; immuneto psionic attack

The Blatant Beast can make himselfunderstood to all creatures capable ofspeech, simultaneously, and will harassand slander anybody regardless of align-ment or station. Anyone or anything

within hearing and less than 4th level or 4hit dice must save vs. poison; failure in-dicates that the listener believes thebeast’s lies with fanatical conviction, andmust act accordingly. Those not abusedby the beast’s slanders and lies, andthose who appear not to believe thefiend’s claims about others, will be sav-aged by its physical attack.

“(he) ... spake licentious words andhatefull things

Of good and bad alike, of lowand hie,

Ne Kesars spared he a whit,nor Kings;

But either blotted them with infamie,Or bit them with his baneful teeth

of injury.”(The Faerie Queene, VI, XII, 28, 5-9)

Wounds caused by the beast’s rustyiron teeth will not heal normally but willbecome infected and fester, causing theloss of 1-3 hit points per day for eachwound so suffered. Magical cures willrestore lost hit points to a victim as usual,but will not prevent further festering andinfection on subsequent days. The onlyway to permanently cure these injuries isto:

“Abstaine from pleasure, andrestraine your will;

Subdue desire, and bridle loosedelight;

Use scanted diet, and forbeareyour fill;”

(The Faerie Queene, VI, VI, 14, 5-7)

In AD&D terms, this requires a greaterdegree of inactivity than described under“Recovery of Hit Points” on p. 82 of theDungeon Masters Guide. The victim can-not engage in combat, spell casting, orany other strenuous activity. Beyondthat, the victim must voluntarily quaran-tine and restrict him or herself: No activi-ty which brings pleasure to oneself isallowed, and only a minimum amount ofnecessary nourishment should be taken.Total bedrest and abstinence is neces-

Vol. VI, No. 8

sary, for a period of time long enough torestore any hit points lost (and not yetcured magically) from either the originalwound(s) or the festering and infection.After that number of hit points is re-gained, further rest and recuperationunder the less stringent requirements ofthe DMG will restore other hit points asusual.

The Blatant Beast will flee from anyhonest or courteous Paladin questing af-ter him, especially if the hero is of ob-vious nobility, unless cornered.

The monster may only be affected orconquered with implements and wea-pons of iron. It regenerates damagedone by iron weapons or implements atthe rate of 5 points per round, as its fa-ther/brother Cerberus does.

BIBLIOGRAPHYSpenser, The Faerie Queene, in 2 vols.,

J. M. Dent & Sons, London, 1910Hesiod, Theogony, trans. Lattimore,

University of Michigan, 1959Kerenyi, The Gods of the Greeks,

trans. Cameron, Thames & Hudson,London, 1951

Kerenyi, The Heroes of the Greeks,trans. Rose, Thames & Hudson, London1959

Bullfinch, Mythology, Avenel Books,New York, 1978 printing

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17


9th-level fighteror 9th-level archer

ALIGNMENT: Chaotic goodHIT POINTS: 98ARMOR CLASS: 6NO. OF ATTACKS: 3/2 or 3 arrow shots

per roundDAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type

(+3); arrows do double damageHIT BONUS: +1; +3 with bowMOVE: 15” (see below)PSIONIC ABILITY: NilSTRENGTH: 18 (02)INTELLIGENCE: 15WISDOM: 14DEXTERITY: 19CONSTITUTION: 18CHARISMA: 17

In ancient Greece during the time Ja-son was alive and sailed with the Argo-

nauts, a daughter was born to a man whohad been longing for a male child. Indisgust he left the infant in the wilder-ness to die; however, a she-bear foundthe girl and brought her up as its own.

Some hunters discovered the wild childyears later and completed her educationby teaching her the arts of archery andbattle. Atalanta, as she came to be called,developed into a courageous and daringwoman devoted to a life of adventuring.Set upon once by two rapacious cen-taurs, she slew them both with two un-hurried arrow-shots.

In the nearby country of Calydon, awild boar was sent by the goddess Arte-mis to ravage the land when the Calydo-nian king neglected to make the appro-priate sacrifices to her. The king calledupon all local heroes to show themselvesfor a hunt to destroy the boar. When Ata-

18

lanta came to the hunt wearing no armorand carrying only a longbow and an ivo-ry quiver of arrows, many of the otherheroes grumbled and complained. Theking ordered the hunt to proceed none-theless, and it turned out to be good forthe hunters that Atalanta went with them.

The giant boar surprised the companyof hunters in the wilderness. Three mendied quickly, either from the boar’s at-tacks or from wayward javelins cast byother hunters, before Atalanta made thefirst successful attack upon the boarwith an arrow. Another hero, Meleager,charged the slowed and wounded beastand ran it through the heart. Thoughtechnically Meleager slew the boar, thehide was given to Atalanta at his request,since she was the first to draw bloodfrom the beast.

Thereafter Atalanta’s career continued


Sage/Engineer-ArchitectALIGNMENT: Lawful neutralHIT POINTS: 31ARMOR CLASS: 7NO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACKS: By weapon typeHIT BONUS: NilMOVE: 12”PSIONIC ABILITY: NilSTRENGTH: 15INTELLIGENCE: 19WISDOM: 15DEXTERITY: 17CONSTITUTION: 15CHARISMA: 16

Daedalus was the greatest of the sagesof ancient Greece, a man possessed ofmatchless ingenuity and a restless curi-osity. An Athenian by birth, it is said thathe was responsible for the invention ofthe axe and the saw in the Grecianuniverse.

Early in his career he helped define theforms of the statues which mortals carvedof the Olympian gods: Whereas beforethe idols were rather formless and onlyvaguely resembled their representativedeities, Daedalus made them more hu-man in appearance, adding physical fea-tures like arms and legs.

In an argument with his nephew, a rivalarchitect in Athens, Daedalus killed hisrelative and fled Greece to the island ofCrete, to seek sanctuary in the court ofthe mighty King Minos. Minos chargedDaedalus with the responsibility of con-structing a prison for a monster that livedwith him in the palace. The god Posei-don, angered by being slighted by King

in the same heroic vein. Some legendssay she took part in the quest for theGolden Fleece led by Jason, but there isnot much evidence for this. At the funer-al games held for Jason’s uncle Pelias,after the Argonauts returned, Atalantatook part in the wrestling matches anddefeated the hero Peleus, who was to bethe father of Achilles.

Atalanta is tall and slim of build. Shedresses simply, in robes that do nothamper her movement, and her hair iskept in a sort of pony-tail knot.

Though she has apparently done littleto make herself more attractive to men,Atalanta’s ability at athletics seems tomake her all the more desirable, and shehas no end of suitors. This problem isone she has easily tackled by declaringthat she will only marry a man who canbeat her in a foot race. Atalanta has such

Minos, had caused Minos’ wife Pasiphaeto give birth to a creature that becamethe first and most powerful of all theminotaurs.

The Minotaur was a savage, man-eating beast, and required a place to livethat enabled it to be kept under control.Daedalus drew up plans for an enor-mous maze, or labyrinth, to be built tocontain the Minotaur. The maze was socomplex that not even Daedalus couldfigure out how to get out of it, and Minoswas much pleased.

As time passed, however, Daedalusgrew disenchanted. When the hero The-seus (see the DEITIES & DEMIGODS™Cyclopedia) appeared on Crete to slaythe Minotaur, Daedalus was approachedby Ariadne, Minos’ daughter, who hadfallen in love with Theseus and wished tohelp him on his quest. Daedalus gaveAriadne a ball of thread, and instructedher to have Theseus unwind it as he wentthrough the maze, thereby enabling himto find his way out again. Theseus did so,killed the Minotaur, and left Crete withAriadne and her sister.

King Minos discovered the plot andordered Daedalus and his son, Icarus,imprisoned within the immense labyrinth.This did not stop Daedalus for long. Ob-serving the flight of birds from a towerwindow in the center of the labyrinth,Daedalus made notes on their method offlight and soon constructed two pairs ofartificial wings for himself and his son.

After fastening the wings on with wax,Daedalus and Icarus leaped from thetower and flew to freedom. Icarus, how-ever, ignored his father’s warnings about

going too high and risking having thewax on his wings melt from the heat ofApollo’s chariot, the Sun. The wingsparted from the youth’s shoulders, andhe fell into the sea and drowned.

Saddened, Daedalus went on to Sicily,where he lived in the court of the kingthere.

Daedalus, in AD&D™ terms, may betreated as a Sage, as outlined in theDungeon Masters Guide. He has, like allSages, eight four-sided hit dice and at-tacks as if he was an 8th-level magic-user, probably using a staff or a dagger.There is a good chance (80%) that he willbe unarmed when encountered, and hehas no use for armor.

Daedalus has two minor fields of study,Humankind and Supernatural/Unusual.His major field is the Physical Universe,with special categories of Architecture &Engineering, Mathematics, and Physics.He will not take service with anyone,since he is already employed (by the Si-cilian monarch), but will be willing tohelp any adventurers (for the proper fee)should their business be considered im-portant enough by him and his king. Hecan construct artificial wings that willperform as if the user was under a Flyspell (with the same limits on duration).He will react poorly to people who threat-en him or set themselves up as rivals tohim in any way.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: New Larousse En-cyclopedia of Mythology (hardbound,Prometheus Press).

Written by Roger Moore

skill at running long distances that shecan beat any person she is racing againstso long as no “unfair” (magical) tacticsare used — and Atalanta will not marry oreven acknowledge the winner of a racethat was run unfairly.

Atalanta does not care much for loveherself, being immersed in the adventur-ing life. When grappling for sport or inbattle, she gains a +20% bonus to herbase score to grapple, and a +10% bonusto the grappling table score to determinewhat hold she has obtained.

Atalanta also may be treated as a 9th-level Archer (see DRAGON™ #45, p. 32-36). All abilities remain the same, but herbonuses to hit and damage with a bowand arrow are changed as follows (in-cluding all adjustments for strength andskill, and including the -2 and -5 penal-ties for medium and long range):

19

Point-blank range (1”-5”): +9 to hitand +7 to damage.

Short range (up to 21”): +8 to hit and+6 to damage.

Medium Range (up to 42”): +4 to hitand +2 to damage.

Long Range (up to 67”): +0 to hit and+1 to damage.

Atalanta is assumed to have made herown bow and arrows, enabling her toadd her strength bonuses into her point-blank and short range scores to hit anddamage. As Greek heroes and heroinesgo, Atalanta is perhaps one of the bestexamples of what an archer characterwould be like. Whether she can use anymagic-user spells or not is up to the DM’sdiscretion.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: Mythology (paper-back, Mentor Books) by Edith Hamilton.



16th-level clericALIGNMENT: Lawful goodHIT POINTS: 56ARMOR CLASS: 10NO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6HIT BONUS: NilMOVE: 12”PSIONIC ABILITY: 190

Attack/Defense Modes: D, E / F, H, JSTRENGTH: 13INTELLIGENCE: 17WISDOM: 18DEXTERITY: 13CONSTITUTION: 18CHARISMA: 16

In ancient times the word “Sybil” wasthe title of an order of priestesses ofApollo. Though there were small tem-ples to Apollo scattered around the an-cient world, the largest and best-knownwas the oracle of Delphi, where a numberof priestesses lived under the supervi-sion of highly trained priests. Often poorfarm girls, chosen for their strong consti-tutions, the sybils were trained fromchildhood for the rigorous task of givingthe God’s oracles. Occasionally, a par-ticular priestess would grow so wise inher old age that she would live as a her-mit and tend a shrine in a lonely spot.Such a priestess is the Sybil of Cumae.

Though this Sybil’s real name is Dei-phoebe, daughter of Glaucus, she hasserved her god for so long that she pref-ers to be known simply as The Sybil. Sheis a stout, muscular woman, with a faceheavily lined with age so that it resem-bles fine leather. She wears a long, sim-ple, white tunic, belted at the waist with astrip of plain cloth, and wraps her head ina white scarf to keep off the sun.

When she walks outside, she carries aplain wooden staff, ostensibly to helpher climb the rocky paths. At times,however, she gives foolish young peoplea good rap with the staff to make themthink or hold their chattering tongues.

In general, her manner is brusque andimpatient. Though she’ll turn away noone who needs her aid, she is so old andso wise that she almost always views thenormal concerns of men and other racesas a waste of her time and theirs. She canbe quite sarcastic. Once, when Aeneasthe Trojan begged her to show him theway to the land of the dead, she replied:“Getting down to Hell is easy — it’s find-ing your way back that’s the real job.”

The Sybil lives alone in the shrine ofApollo that she tends. Up on the side of ahigh cliff, overlooking the sea, stands athick grove of trees, sacred to Hecate.

Within them is the golden shrine of Apol-lo. The doors of the shrine open into ahuge cave, cut out of the cliff, and fis-sured with a hundred cracks, all echoingand booming with strange voices andthe noises from the sea far below.

The Sybil will aid parties of good play-er characters in the usual clerical ways.She will give oracles to any characters,though those of evil alignment will notreceive a very clear or helpful answerfrom Apollo.

The Sybil can, in special circumstan-ces, open gates to the outer planes andeven accompany parties there.

The DM may make up The Sybil’sspells to suit his or her campaign, orhe/she may employ this suggested list:

First level: Bless, Command, De-tect Evil, Detect Magic, Light, Re-move Fear, Resist Cold.

Second level: Augury, Chant,Hold Person, Know Alignment,Resist Fire, Silence 15’ Radius,Speak With Animals.

Third level: Animate Dead, Con-tinual Light, Cure Disease, DispelMagic, Prayer, Remove Curse,Speak With Dead.

Fourth level: Detect Lie, Divina-tion, Exorcise, Lower Water, Pro-tection From Evil 10’ Radius,Tongues.

Fifth level: Commune, PlaneShift, Raise Dead, Quest, TrueSeeing.

Sixth level: Find the Path, PartWater, Speak With Monsters.

Seventh level: Gate — but as aspecial spell, described below.

The Sybil’s psionic disciplines are themajor sciences of Astral Projection andDimension Door and the minor devo-tions of Precognition and Detection ofGood or Evil.

Although Apollo demands that theSybil give oracles to all who ask, he alsodemands a large donation to his temple.Anyone who tries to pinch coppers withthe god will receive a misleading andpossibly dangerous answer. The DMshould examine the party’s wealth andhave Apollo demand as much as theycan pay. (Oracles are an excellent way ofbleeding excess cash from a campaign.)A standard sort of gift at Delphi wasgolden bejeweled bowl, set on a carvedsilver stand, the whole worth about10,000 gp. A poor but honest farmer,however, can offer a dozen eggs and re-ceive treatment equal to a prince’s. IfApollo accepts the gift, the Sybil will giveone oracle per day, using the followingprocedure:

The Sybil leads the postulant alone tothe back of the cavern among the boom-ing voices. There she goes into a trance,which is broken when she cries out: “Be-hold the god!” Her whole body trembles;her hair stands on end; she throws her-self about and moans wildly. At this

20

point, the postulant must make a savingthrow, at a bonus of +2, as for a Fearspell, or he will run screaming from thecavern.

Once this first fit passes, the Sybil willspeak in a hollow male voice, unlike herown, and demand the question from thepostulant. She then answers it, as clearlyor as cryptically as the DM wishes. (Bearin mind the most famous Sybilline re-sponse: When the Persians asked if theyshould invade Greece, another sybil re-plied: “If you do, a great empire will fall.”The Persians, as rash as many an AD&Dcharacter, decided that of course shemeant the Greeks. She didn’t.)

The Sybil of Cumae has a specialpower not usual among sybils: the abilityto open gates to other planes. Since thispower is a special gift from Apollo, TheSybil’s gate ability is very different fromthe standard clerical Gate spell. For onething, it doesn’t attract the attention ofany dwellers on the plane in question.For another, up to three persons maycarry weapons, though the weapons mayor may not be of any use on the plane inquestion. Because of these differences,the DM should refer to this power byanother name than Gate, such as “TheRite of Opening the Other Worlds.”

Persuading The Sybil to open a gateisn’t as easy as asking for an oracle. Shewill never open one for what she consi-ders a frivolous reason, such as the sim-ple seeking of treasure, nor will she openone for any character not of good align-ment. She will cast a Know Alignmentspell to confirm this if necessary.

An eligible character has a base chanceof 20%, plus or minus his or her charismaadjustment, to persuade The Sybil toopen a gate. A number of modifying fac-tors are taken into account as bonusesor penalties to arrive at the character’schance of persuasion. If a number rolledon percentile dice is equal to or less thanthe chance of persuasion, the Sybilagrees to open a gate. The modifiers are:

Character’s alignment:Lawful good: +10%Neutral good: -5%

Character’s class:Paladin: +10% (not including

lawful good bonus)Cleric: +10%Thief: -10%

Character has been quested tovisit this plane by:Lawful good cleric: +15%A deity of good alignment: +20%Apollo himself: +50%

The journey will:save the PC’s life: +10%save the lives of others: +25%benefit others: +15%

The journey will defeat an evilpower: +25%

The character is willing toundertake a quest for Apolloin return: +50%

February 1982 DragonA lawful good character has a chance

of persuading The Sybil to accompanyhim or her on the journey. Make a se-cond roll of percentile dice, using a basechance of 15% and appropriate modifiers.

Characters whom The Sybil helps mustsupply sacrificial animals for the gateritual. These must be young, in perfecthealth, and without blemishes, and costtwice the usual prices for animals in thecampaign. Though Vergil is vague onthis point, presumably farmers livingnear the shrine make a good living sup-plying animals to characters. For gates toplanes of evil alignment, the animals areblack bulls; for neutral, gray sheep; forgood, white horses. The ritual requireseither 4, 8, 12, or 16 (d4 x 4) animals.

The gate ritual takes place at sunset onthe clifftop in a grove sacred to Hecateand Apollo. While the character holds abronze basin to catch the blood, TheSybil cuts the throats of the animals witha bronze knife. A fire is lit on the altar,and the choicest bits of meat are wrappedin fat and laid to burn as offerings. TheSybil then cries out: “Be far from us, ohye profane ones!” Anyone not passingthrough the gate must leave immediatelyor be struck mad, following the Insanitytable on page 83 of the Dungeon MastersGuide. After the area is cleared, The Sy-bil begins to chant. As the moon rises, the

15th-level centaur rangerwith clerical and sage-like abilities

ALIGNMENT: Lawful goodHIT POINTS: 125ARMOR CLASS: 2NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type (+3)HIT BONUS: +2 (+3 with missiles)MOVE: 18”PSIONIC ABILITY: NilSTRENGTH: 18 (71)INTELLIGENCE: 18WISDOM: 18DEXTERITY: 16CONSTITUTION: 18CHARISMA: 18

In ancient Greece, before the TrojanWar, lived an immortal centaur namedChiron who was good-natured and wise,unlike the marauding sorts of centaurscommon to the area at the time.

Chiron was educated by Artemis andApollo in the arts of hunting and medi-cine. His fame and skill increased to thepoint where he was universally reveredby gods and mortals alike; many peoplebrought their children to him to have himteach them in turn what he knew. Amonghis pupils were such heroes as the hun-ter Actaeon, the adventurer Jason, andthe warriors Peleus and Achilles. Anoth-er pupil, Asclepius, became a renowned

gate to the chosen plane opens beforethe character and the party.

Whether or not The Sybil accompan-ies them on the entire trip, she alwaysleads party members to the door of thedesired plane. In her presence, the AstralPlane appears a dark, damp cave withinsubstantial monsters lurking in thecorners. A good touch for the DM: Fill itwith the shades of all monsters the partykilled in previous adventures; classicalchimeras and minotaurs will do, howev-er. These monsters cannot harm the par-ty in The Sybil’s presence.

On the far side of the astral “cave” is agray, fast-flowing river. Wading throughit brings the party to the plane they seek.After the journey, as the party returns tothis river, they see The Sybil waiting onthe other side if she hasn’t accompaniedthem. No matter how long the adventurein the plane seems to take, it will be dawnof the next day after the ritual when theparty returns to The Sybil’s presence.

Since The Sybil’s shrine is filled withrich offerings, characters might be temp-ted to rob it. If anyone is this rash, orfoolish enough to insult or injure TheSybil herself, Apollo will take a personalrevenge. He afflicts not only the offend-ing character but also his or her partywith the curse of Apollo, a rotting dis-ease similar to bubonic plague. First the

doctor and healer, and learned so muchthat he was able to raise men from thedead. The Olympian gods took affront tothis, and Zeus slew him, though Asclepi-us later became the god of medicine.

Chiron may be found, if any AD&D™adventurers are able to get to ancientGreece, living in a triple-normal sizedcolony of centaurs which he rules. Nei-ther he nor his pupils are troubled in theleast by other centaurs, who respectChiron mightily. Chiron uses standardcentaur weapons as well as a shield; hisdexterity reduces his armor class fromthe front to the equivalent of plate mailand shield on a human.

Chiron functions in all ways as a ran-ger, though normal centaurs cannot op-erate in this class. His spells may bechosen by the DM, either at random orthrough purposeful selection.

As a healer, Chiron functions as a12th-level cleric, using only curativespells (but he cannot raise the dead). Hishealing abilities are not truly magicaland are manifested through the use ofnatural materials, drugs, ointments, andbedrest.

Chiron is very knowledgeable about avariety of topics. If pressed for informa-tion, he will function as a Sage with themajor fields of Humankind, Centaurkind,and Supernatural & Unusual. His minor

god strikes the animals and servants ofthe party with his black-tipped arrows.They sicken and die within 2-8 days.Henchmen are next, dying within 2-8more days. If the party is stupid enoughto misunderstand what’s going on, theysuffer the same fate if preventive mea-sures are not taken. At this point, TheSybil or another such priestess if TheSybil is dead, demands retribution.

If the party begs the god’s forgiveness,returns all stolen treasure, and offersatonement, the disease of the curse ismerely severe, not terminal, as on page14 of the DMG. Atonement includes alarge ransom to a temple of Apollo andundertaking a dangerous quest at thegod’s will. Since Apollo once slew themonster Python, killing a particularlyloathsome monster without gaining ex-perience points might also be a suitableatonement.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: The Aeneid of Ver-gil, Book VI, for Deiphoebe herself andthe rite of opening the Underworld. Twoparticularly dramatic examples of Apol-lo’s curse appear in the Iliad, Book I, andthe Aeneid, Book III. Par Lagerkvist’sshort novel, The Sybil, is an imaginativereconstruction of the life of another sybilat the Delphic shrine.

Written by Katharine Kerr

fields of study are in Flora, Fauna, andthe Physical Universe. Chiron may beconsidered to have as his special cate-gories the fields of Philosophy & Ethics,Weaponry & Warfare, Medicine, and Me-taphysics. He may have a wide collectionof teaching materials to aid him in hisclasses, gathered from all parts of theenvirons of Greece and its neighbors.

Any character who spends a year underChiron’s instructorship will gain onepoint of wisdom; if the character is amember of the fighter class, or a clerictype dedicated to a Greek deity, he orshe will also gain one level of experiencefrom the teachings. Chiron may acceptfavors or quests from characters in placeof monetary payment for his services.

Chiron is immortal; if poison enters hisbloodstream, it causes him great tor-ment though it will not kill him. Chironcannot be killed by any normal means(assume he regenerates all lost hit pointsat the end of each melee round, even ifhis total is reduced to zero or less duringthat round), and any who dare attack himrisk the wrath of the Olympian gods andgoddesses, as well as that of the entirelocal nation of centaurs.

BIBLIOGRAPHY: New Larousse En-cyclopedia of Mythology (hard bound,Prometheus Press).


21

Dragon


much as 150 pounds or sodue to their broad build andmusculature. Most peoplealso know that dwarves pre-fer living underground in cav-erns and mines, they valuegold highly, and they havebeards (female dwarves arealso said to be bearded).Their use of axes and ham-mers as weapons and their

As AD&D� playersknow, the dwarves are ahuman-like race, standingabout 4 feet high but weighing as

goals. Dwarves are clannish,more so than most other rac-es, and few make a habit ofspending a lot of time amongthe company of non-dwarvesfor long periods of time.

A strong streak of material-ism is present in the dwarvencharacter, and they are some-times notoriously jealous ofwhat the own. Dwarves tend

hatred of orcs and giants is also familiar.However, this limited amount of informa-tion is the extent of most people’s aware-ness and knowledge of dwarves.

Scattered throughout the AD&D booksand a number of other sources are otherbits of information regarding this poorlyunderstood race — information that maymean little in itself, but when put togeth-er presents in some detail an interestingportrait of a distinctly different race, onethat does not share our human valuesand feelings on the topics of life and liv-ing. Much of the difficulty in getting tounderstand dwarves is due directly totheir habit of separation from the affairsof other races. The dwarves are verymuch a race apart.

One of the most striking features ofdwarven society is the inequality in num-bers of males vs. females. Two out ofthree dwarves are male at birth, and thisratio continues to hold true as dwarvesget older. The effect this has upon themreaches into nearly every aspect of theirlives. Most male dwarves do not marry,but instead devote their lives to careersas craftsmen, miners, adventurers, andso forth.

Dwarves who do enter into marriagebecome exceedingly jealous and pos-sessive of their partners, restricting thefreedom each has in exchange for a lifeof devotion to each other and their child-ren. Yet, though roughly half of all maledwarves are destined to go through life

as bachelors, they do not appear overlysad or frustrated. Their careers fill theirdaily lives as completely as would thepresence of a wife, and appear to givethem much the same satisfaction (par-ticularly in the metal-working and jewel-er crafts, for reasons to be given later).

How would a human society cope withan excess of males such as this? Historyreveals that at times such as this, humansocieties turn to warfare or extreme vio-lence in order to bring the sexual imbal-ance back to normal. For dwarvenkind,however, a male-to-female ratio of 20 to1 is normal.

Some dwarves, male and female alike,would not marry even if they had thechance, so immersed are they in theirwork. The greatest heroes and heroinesof dwarvenkind have almost always beensingle, as marriage means the end of anyoutside occupations, especially adven-turing. For a married dwarf to adventureor otherwise spend a lot of time out of thehome is seen as a shirking of responsibil-ities and a disgraceful insult to the otherpartner of the lowest order, in effect say-ing that the partner (be it he or she) is notworthy of the other’s affections. Much ofthis feeling is caused and reinforced bythe basically lawful good nature of thedwarven fold.

By and large, dwarves are seen as pos-sessive, single-minded, perhaps havinga narrow range of interests, yet throwingall their energies into the seeking of their

to hoard their wealth, spending moneyonly to make more money, and are verywatchful of thieves, real and suspected.In dwarven society, there is but one pe-nalty for pickpockets and burglars, andthat is death — unless, of course, thethief is working for the dwarves againstsomeone else.

Many dwarves are rather vengeful, andremember slights or insults long afterthey have ceased to matter to anyoneelse. They may well take opportunities toredress the situation when their enemieshave been lulled into complacency. Lit-tle wonder that other races sometimesdistrust dwarves more than they do gob-lins. Who knows, they ask, what a dwarfis really thinking of you?

To other intelligent races, dwarves arehumorless, “dour and taciturn” (as theDMG puts it), and loveless except for alust for more and more gold. Such is nottrue; there is much joy in a dwarf’s life insuch things as the birth of a child, thecrafting of a beautiful jewel, or the forg-ing and finishing of a great suit of armoror a matchless weapon.

Yet, it is true that for the most part, thelife of a typical dwarf is fraught withceaseless toil and labor; the dwarves’work ethic makes the human conceptionof the same concept appear lackadaisi-cal. They pay a price for this drive, interms of the many lines that fill their fac-es as they age. This price, however, isseen as a badge of honor among dwarves,

24

February 1982 Dragonand adds in some sense to their satisfac-tion with themselves. Other races don’talways see it this way (especially theelves, who would be sorely distressed tohave to live such serious and hard-working lives). Those few who do admirethe dwarves and uphold their achieve-ments publicly will come to win theircautious gratitude, and in time may becounted in some manner as an “honor-ary dwarf” if they continue to activelysupport and champion dwarven causes.

Interestingly enough, there is someelement of humor in the dwarven charac-ter, of a nature particular to themselves.Whenever dwarves have been responsi-ble for the rescuing of persons of otherraces, there is inevitably some jestingand joshing to the effect that the victimswouldn’t have had to be rescued if they’dbeen dwarves, or that the dwarves fail tounderstand what was so awful about thesituation (regardless of how bad it was).Though two demons, a dragon, and anentire tribe or orcs be slain in the con-quest, and the dwarves be immenselyproud among themselves, they may puton a casual front to other races, andwould appear to treat the whole episodeas a light romp in the afternoon sun.

With all this in mind, one understandshow dwarves on the whole have such lowcharismas when interacting with otherraces. Yet, on the positive side, dwarvespossess a powerful tenacity, driving onwhen others have given up and left therace. Legends and tales abound ofdwarves who dared the greatest obsta-cles and dangers in reaching for theirgoals, either to emerge victorious or endup utterly destroyed. A thing is eitherdone or it is not, and there is no halfwayabout it. Dedication like this can oftenmake the difference between successand failure for adventuring parties. Suchan attitude can prove to be a great mo-rale boost for groups of adventurers,particularly lawful good ones. How couldone avoid winning, with a dwarf on one’sside?

The natural tendency to suspicious-ness in the dwarven nature has savedenterprises from disaster, much moreoften than it has led to the missing of agood opportunity. Dwarves take a greatinterest in seeing that the party and itsvaluables are secure from loss — a great-er interest than most other peoples canwillingly muster.

Dwarves abhor slavery and all forms ofinvoluntary servitude; they never prac-tice it among their own kind or againstother races. Foes are either made toleave the area, coexist peacefully if theyelect to stay, or else are slain. Those whomake a practice of enslaving dwarvesrun the gravest risks; other dwarves whofind this out will lay aside all differencesto unite and destroy them, in a fairlyshort time, if at all possible.

Dwarves are one of the toughest of

races, perhaps the most so. Poisonoussubstances don’t affect them as much asthey do other races. Dwarves do not useany magical spells, but this has proved tobe a saving grace at times — such aswhen cursed rings fail to function whenworn, giving them a chance of recogniz-ing the cursed enchantments. Magicalspells and magical effects of other sortsmay be more strongly resisted by dwarvesbecause of their non-magical natures.Their strength is also considerable andin battle serves to offset their shortheight. Though dwarves are not as agileas other races, this doesn’t appear to af-fect them greatly in any way.

Earlier it was said that dwarves are arace apart. Indeed, they were createdthat way. The god Moradin, the Father ofthe Dwarves, is said to have fashionedthem secretly of iron and mithral, in aforge in the fires at the heart of the world.No other god suspected what was hap-pening, it is told, and when dwarves ap-peared upon the world the event wascause for great surprise among the otherdeities. Being a solitary god himself, itmay be guessed that Moradin preferredit this way.

Moradin was able, through his skills,to give souls to the dwarves when hebreathed upon them at their creation(also cooling them as they were takenfrom the furnace). This sets the dwarvesin a group with only humans, gnomes,and halflings for company, of beingswith souls instead of spirits (see theDEITIES & DEMIGODS™ Cyclopedia forclarification of these terms).

Because they are built from the sub-stance of the earth itself, dwarves feel astrong affinity for the lands that lie underthe ground, and they base their lives onworking with the earth’s resources.

One is struck, in the study of dwarventheology, by the relationship betweenprocreation and metalcraft; perhapsmore than one dwarven smith has lookedupon a finished piece of work and felt asif he’d breathed life into the metal andgiven it a soul of sorts, as Moradin did solong ago. Some of the most populardwarven-told tales concern an ancientsmith who was able to do exactly that,somehow investing his creations with alife of their own. The story ends similarlyto the Greek tale of Pygmalion and Gala-tea, with the smith fashioning a femaledwarf from the most precious of metalsand having her come to life. Thereafter,of course, they were married and heceased to bother with his crafts, beingnow content.

Moradin is a proud and possessivegod, who owns a hammer and armor thatcannot be stolen or used by any otherdeity in the universe. It is clear that a partof him lives on in all dwarves. The em-phasis on materialism is difficult fordwarves to rid themselves of. They feelthat if they want a thing they must have it

25

Dragonbefore them, be it a person, object, orexperience. Fond memories do not suf-fice, and sometimes only serve to psy-chologically torture the dwarf, becausehe or she may be physically unable toobtain the thing again. Either a dwarf hassomething or he/she does not.

Lust for treasure motivates dwarventhieves more so than it does thieves ofother races; little do dwarves care whatwas done to get the item. Because of theunequivocal penalties for stealing fromother dwarves, dwarven thieves basemost of their livelihood on stealing fromother races (thereby worsening alreadytouchy relationships). The knowledgethat dwarves go through life only once(souls cannot be “recycled” as spiritscan be) may also fuel the desire to get allone can out of life before one goes. (Or,as an infamous dwarven thief once put it,“Ya gotta reach for all the gusto ya can.”)

When a dwarf dies, it is considered adishonor for the body to go unburied.Dwarven communities bury their dead ingreat stone vaults after ceremonial cre-mation, symbolically returning the bodyto the Forge of Moradin and then to theearth, while the soul is freed to make itsjourney to the outer planes. The burial ofweapons, armor, and magical items withthe ashes, as well as gold and jewelry, isnot common and is done only for dwarvesof great importance.

The long-standing rivalry betweendwarves and orcs, goblins, and giants,reflected in the combat skills dwarveshave against these types and races ofcreatures, doubtless points to older ri-valries between Moradin and the gods ofthose non-human creatures.

An investigation of theology revealsthat hill giants are probably the greatesttraditional dwarven enemies. For useagainst these huge folk, the clerics ofMoradin may manufacture +3 DwarvenThrower war hammers, something noother race can make.

In the DMG (p. 16) there is a commentto the effect that dwarves are more “for-ward” in their behavior toward femaleswithout beards, since dwarven womentend to be bearded too. This authorwould like to suggest that this statementbe disregarded. It was not clear whetherdwarven females or females of other ra-ces are being referred to, and in any casedwarves are not at all prone to mate withothers outside their race. Those personswho have had the audacity to ask dwarveswhether they like bearded or unbeardedwomen best have usually been givenstony stares — or, if the pollster is per-sistent and obnoxious enough, a first-hand demonstration of the high qualityof the dwarven-made battleaxe and theskill with which one can be wielded.Such information was not meant to be

Vol. VI, No. 8

spread about indiscriminately. It may beconjectured that such matters are left tothe personal preferences of each dwarf.

Two discrepancies appear in the var-ious AD&D volumes concerning dwarves.Though dwarves may become psionic,Moradin is not; this may be accepted asMoradin’s way of keeping his thoughtsto himself, however. There is also thequestion of whether dwarven clerics(who must be fighters as well) can reach7th or 8th level; this author strongly fa-vors the idea that truly exceptional dwar-ven clerics may reach the 8th level if theyhave an 18 wisdom. Otherwise they canonly become 7th-level clerics.

Information for this article was takenfrom the Players Handbook, the MonsterManual, the Dungeon Masters Guide,and the DEITIES & DEMIGODS Cyclo-pedia. Paul H. Kocher’s book, Master ofMiddle-Earth (Ballantine Books, paper-back), was also helpful, though it con-cerns J.R.R. Tolkien’s version of dwarvesand not the conception of them given inthe AD&D rules.

Dungeon Masters may use this articleto standardize the roles and personali-ties of dwarven NPC’s in his or her cam-paign, and players may use this informa-tion in role-playing their characters ifthey like. This article is a set of guide-lines for playing dwarven characters,and not a set of rules.

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DragonFebruary 1982

High Anvilof the Dwarves

by Roger E. Moore

The skill of the dwarven folk at metalcraft is legendary, andthrough the ages they have continued to find ways of improvingtheir abilities at smithing work. At some time within the lastseveral centuries, dwarves learned the methods of creating amagical device that would make them more skilled as armorers,weapon makers, and smiths. The great cost of creating a HighAnvil, however, has kept the number of these items down to asmall scattering; only a very large dwarven enclave can affordto possess one of its own. High Anvils will never be found in theshops of dwarven armorers, weapon makers, or smiths who arelocated in cities and towns, where the danger of theft or dam-age to the anvil is too great.

The High Anvil is a large, elaborately carved anvil forged froman alloy of adamantite and steel. It radiates a faint aura ofmagic. The anvil weighs about 175 pounds and cannot be easilymoved or carried; it is often fixed or welded to the floor of themain armory of a dwarven colony.

The workmanship involved in the forging and decoration of aHigh Anvil represents the best that the dwarves of the clan canoffer. The anvil is frequently adorned with depictions of greatevents in the clan’s history. While dwarves hold their HighAnvils to be beyond price, a realistic appraisal of one’s worthwould probably range from 30,000 to 60,000 gold pieces.

When used for metalworking, the High Anvil adds +50% to theskill level of dwarven armorers (Dungeon Masters Guide, p. 29),and doubles their efficiency, effectively halving the construc-tion time for any sort of metal armor.

Dwarven smiths using a High Anvil have their efficiencydoubled in the forging of any item, and weapon makers mayconstruct axes, swords, and the like at three times the normalrate by working them on the High Anvil.

Non-dwarven characters or creatures who use a High Anvil (avery rare occurrence, since dwarves are very protective of theirtreasures) will have +25% added to their skill as an armorer butwill enjoy no other benefits.

The increases in skill level and decreases in constructiontime are not permanent for the characters involved, and onlyapply when a High Anvil is being used. Mithril and adamantitealloys may be worked with greater ease on a High Anvil, andany materials forged on a High Anvil are certain to be of highquality.

A High Anvil is created by a long and involved process ofcrafting and enchantment. The physical work upon the Anvilwill take between 24 and 36 months, and can only begin afterthe members of the clan have taken 6-24 (6d4) months todecide on the anvil’s shape, design, and decorations. Once the

anvil has been forged, it must undergo a ritual blessing by themost powerful dwarven cleric in the clan, and 4-16 (4d4) otherclerical assistants. (The main cleric must be at least 6th level,and must be a member of the same clan as the dwarves whoforged the anvil.) This blessing takes 5-8 days altogether, andthe clan’s patron deity is invoked for aid as part of the finalenchantments.

A High Anvil is not commonly found in a treasure hoard. Itmight be discovered in the ruins of a dwarven stronghold, buteven if a clan had been destroyed or driven off, another clanwould attempt to keep the Anvil from falling into non-dwarvenhands. Dwarves who do manage to gain possession of a HighAnvil (from non-dwarves, of course, since dwarves do not stealfrom each other) will gain 10,000 experience points; the awardis half as great for non-dwarves who come to own one.

Helm of Subterranean Sagacity(Dwarven Detector)

This magical helmet comes in one size only, which fits anydwarf’s head tightly yet comfortably. It appears much like anormal great helm, and has some of the same basic characteris-tics (gives AC2 protection to head, but allows vision in only a60° arc to the wearer’s front). When worn by a dwarf, it bestowsupon the wearer the following benefits:

Quickness and efficiency in detecting facts about an under-ground setting are improved, so that a dwarf need only spendone round (at most) concentrating on detection of some fact,instead of as much as one turn. Any attempt at detecting aspecific fact (as per Players Handbook, p. 16) is made with abonus of +1 to the die roll. The chance of detecting “grade orslope in passage” increases to 100% (4 in 4 instead of 3 in 4), asdoes the chance of detecting “new construction or passage/tunnel.” The chance of detecting “sliding or shifting walls orrooms” is raised to 5 in 6, and the chances of detecting “trapsinvolving pits, falling blocks and other stonework” and of de-termining approximate depth underground are both 4 in 6 (used6, not d4, for these rolls).

It is possible for a gnome, halfling, or other small humanoidto put on the helmet. But because it doesn’t fit as tightly onnon-dwarves, the magically enhanced impressions are nottransmitted accurately. Gnomes, halflings, and other similarcreatures who attempt to use the helmet must subtract 2 fromdie rolls to determine success. Thus, a gnome wearing thehelmet has his chances (PH, p. 16) of successful detectionreduced to 60%, 50%, 40% and 30% respectively (use d10 for alldeterminations). A halfling wearing the helmet has only a 25%chance of success at determining an up grade or down grade (1in 4 instead of 3 in 4), and a 30% chance (use d10) of determin-ing direction.

The Dwarven Detector acts as a normal helmet at all timeswhen its subterranean detection powers are not being used.

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Why aren’t ettins mentioned among the bigger creatureswhich attack dwarves and gnomes at -4?

Ettins may be big and dumb, but they don’t suffer any penalty“to hit” against dwarves and gnomes because of the most ob-vious difference between ettins and other big humanoids: theirtwo heads. In the words of the Monster Manual, “One of theettin’s heads is always likely to be alert, so they are difficult tosurprise.” And, presumably, also difficult to sneak up on in anyother way.

* * *

Could an elf or dwarf who has reached the highest levelpossible use an Ioun Stone to gain further levels?

No. Ioun Stones do not contain powerful enough magic.None of the six stones which have the power to increase abilityscores can make them better than the mathematical maximumof 18. Although no similar limit is specified for the power of thepale green stone which “adds 1 level of experience,” it is un-reasonable to assume that this stone can exceed the prescribedmaximum (in this case, a maximum number of levels) when theothers can’t.

* * *

Are there any alignment restrictions for dwarves? The Mon-ster Manual says they are lawful good.

Many of the particulars of the Monster Manual description ofdwarves are intended only to strictly apply to non-player char-acter dwarves. Alignment is one of these particulars: Not allplayer character dwarves have to be lawful good, just like not allplayer character dwarves have to have just one hit die, and notall player character dwarves will be “Very” intelligent.

No player character race is restricted as to what alignment amember of that race can be. The only restrictions placed onraces concern what classes they can become — and some ofthose classes have alignment restrictions, but that’s a differentmatter.

A player character dwarf can be a thief, an assassin, or afighter, or certain combinations of those classes. If all dwarveshad to be lawful good, no dwarf would be able to be a thief orassassin. Player character dwarves can theoretically be of anyalignment, as long as it fits the rules for the class(es) theybelong to.

Non-player character dwarves, as described in the MonsterManual, are considered differently. NPC dwarves will be pre-dominantly, if not exclusively, lawful good in alignment. Virtual-ly all of them, except for leader types, will have no more than 1hit die, and virtually all of them will be above average in intelli-gence. Also note that the MM makes no mention of dwarventhieves or assassins being encountered in a large group; all ofthe higher-level dwarves in a group of NPCs are either fightersor fighter/clerics. If you play NPC dwarves “by the book,” there

can never be dwarven thieves or assassins, and if those charac-ter types are included in an adventure or a campaign, theMonster Manual information (at least with regard to alignment,armor and weaponry in this instance) will have to be “modified”accordingly.

* * *

What would be a reasonable spread of races and sub-racesfor adventurers and NPCs? For instance, what would be thechance of a PC dwarf being a mountain dwarf?

The chance of a player character dwarf being a mountaindwarf is 100% — if the player wants to be one, and if no circum-stances of the campaign prohibit such a choice. This decisionis one a player can make for his character, although the simpledesire to be a mountain dwarf is sometimes not enough toguarantee that the character will be a viable member of a groupof adventurers. If the player knows something about the DM’scampaign milieu beforehand, there may be obvious reasonswhy a mountain dwarf would not be a desirable character. Ifthere are no mountainous areas in the DM’s world, for instance,where (if anywhere) can a mountain dwarf call “home”? In aworld consisting of nothing but oceans, deserts, plains andforests, it might be hard to justify the existence of any type ofdwarves.

When the DM is deciding which races or sub-races his NPCsshould be, he must take other things into account besidessimple preference. First and foremost, for dwarves, the geo-graphy and topography of the environment will dictate whethera certain clan in a certain area is composed of hill dwarves,mountain dwarves, or maybe some hybrid of both. Other infor-mation gleaned from the rule books can be used to make things“fit” properly: For instance, if a band of halflings is located inclose proximity to a clan of dwarves, it would be quite proper todesignate them as stout halflings because of that sub-race’sknown affinity for dwarves. There are no “percentages” for thechance of a dwarf being a mountain dwarf, or a halfling being astout halfling, because no set of guidelines could be developedthat would be appropriate to every type of campaign.

* * *

Do dwarves rise to the 7th or 8th level of clerical ability? TheDEITIES & DEMIGODS™ Cyclopedia (p. 108) and the MonsterManual (p. 35) either state or imply that 7th is the maximum, butthe Players Handbook (p. 14) says 8th.

In his general article on dwarves in this issue of DRAGON™Magazine, Roger Moore suggests one logical answer to thisproblem: To resolve the discrepancy, it can be ruled thatdwarven clerics with 18 wisdom can ascend to 8th level, whileall others are limited to 7th level. In the final analysis, whether acampaign includes 8th-level dwarven clerics or not (regardlessof wisdom score) is a matter of choice and circumstance. Per-

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February 1982 Dragonhaps, if your campaign was begun with a pre-generated band ofdwarves that includes characters who have 7th-level clericalability (as per the Monster Manual), you might allow the possi-bility of those characters rising to 8th level. But such an ad-vancement, if it is even possible, would take decades of gametime to achieve. According to the age determination charts inthe Dungeon Masters Guide, dwarven clerics who are estab-lished as NPCs are already almost 300 years old. If a dwarf hasspent, say, 200 years rising from 1st level to as high as 7th levelin clerical ability, then the advancement from 7th to 8th level iscertainly not going to come about “overnight.”

* * *

Why is the dwarven deity Moradin non-psionic while dwarvescan be?

Again, Roger Moore tackled this problem in his article bysuggesting that Moradin simply doesn’t let on that he has psio-nic powers, preferring to keep his thoughts to himself. Withoutassuming so much about what kind of a guy Moradin is, thequestion can also be approached in this fashion:

Dwarves and halflings are the only characters besides hu-mans who can possess psionic ability, and only dwarves andhalflings of an “unusual” nature are eligible. “Unusual,” in thiscase, can be taken to include those dwarves and halflings whohave a small amount of human blood (due to some racial inter-mixing at some time in the distant past), which affords them theopportunity to have human-like psionic ability. (Why aren’tpsionics also possible for “unusual” gnomes, elves, half-elves,and half-orcs on the same basis? Because some factor whichexists only in the biological makeups of dwarves and halflingsmakes the “passing on” of psionic potential possible.) Ofcourse, any dwarf or halfling who is “unusual” in the geneticsense would also have to meet the standard qualifications forhaving psionics — intelligence, wisdom or charisma of 16 orhigher, and so forth.

So, to answer the question, based on those assumptions:Moradin isn’t psionic, just like the vast majority of dwarves arenon-psionic, because the god and most of the mortals whoworship him are full-blooded dwarves with no human blood intheir background.

* * *

Concerning Moradin: “Worshiper’s Align” for him is listed as“Lawful good (dwarves).” Does this mean that only lawful gooddwarves may worship him, or that all dwarves and any otherlawful good character may worship him?

Well, it can mean both of those things (not at the same time),and a few others besides. It depends on the circumstances ofthe campaign. If Moradin is the only dwarven god in the DM’spantheon, then dwarves don’t have much choice if they want(or feel a need) to worship a dwarven deity. Non-lawful, non-good dwarves, such as player character thieves and assassins,might have difficulty adhering to Moradin’s standards. Howev-er, if Moradin is the only dwarven god, and he knows he’s theonly dwarven god, and if those dwarven thieves and assassinsdon’t have another acceptable deity to turn to, then Moradinmight not look upon those dwarves with absolute disapproval,and could be expected to understand their plight. He is lawfulgood, after all, even if some dwarves might not be.

In a campaign with a more fully developed dwarven pantheon(possibly including those gods mentioned in the DEITIES &DEMIGODS Cyclopedia, and others; see the article on thefollowing pages), where dwarves of non-lawful, non-goodalignments can worship a more “agreeable” deity, then it isunlikely that Moradin would want to attract, or have to put upwith, any dwarves who aren’t lawful good.

General guidelines for how to run the deities of a campaignare virtually impossible to set forth because of the vast numberof variables involved. But it is probably safe to say that there are

no foreseeable circumstances where a non-dwarf (even a law-ful good non-dwarf) would worship Moradin. Likewise, the“right” to worship a certain non-human deity is generally limit-ed to members of that particular race (with exceptions andadditions as noted in the DDG book). But the prohibition can’talways work the other way: Dwarves, for instance, can certainlyworship human or other non-dwarven deities, if that deity’soutlook, alignment, etc., are in accordance with the character’s.So, while not all dwarves must necessarily worship dwarvengods, all the worshipers of any dwarven god will be dwarvesthemselves.

* * *

Can a dwarf use a long sword in one hand?A dwarf is too short to use a bastard sword one-handed. Can

a dwarf use it two-handed, and if so, does he strike every otherround with it?

Whether a dwarf can use or carry any sword longer than ashort sword is a matter of conjecture and contention. Certainly,a dwarf is capable of lifting and swinging a long sword, a broadsword, or a bastard sword. But the shortest of these weapons isalmost as tall as the average dwarf. This makes such weaponsunwieldy, even in the hands of a dwarf (or other diminutivehumanoid) with above average strength or dexterity. No dwarfin his right mind would try to carry such a weapon around withhim, unless he enjoys being overly encumbered and likes wear-ing his scabbard belt up around his shoulders. Any dwarf whotries to take a long sword down the dungeon steps is probablygoing to clank and clatter so much that he’ll be a walking lurefor wandering monsters. Other player characters aren’t goingto put up with this sort of situation for very long, if at all.

If a dwarf finds himself unarmed in the midst of melee andthere’s a long sword lying on the floor nearby, nothing’s toprevent him from grabbing it and flailing away. But he isn’tgoing to wield it well: For one thing, he can’t possibly be profi-cient in the use of such a weapon. And in addition to thecustomary penalty for non-proficiency, the DM might justifia-bly tack on penalties to the weapon speed factor, its adjustmentagainst certain armor classes, and its damage figure. Even if adwarf is able to manipulate a long sword or broad sword andscore a hit despite all the penalties attached to the attempt, hemight be unable to bring the weapon to bear on a target withany more effectiveness than if he were wielding a short sword— and perhaps the damage figure would be adjusted evenlower (for instance, a maximum of 1-6 per hit against any sizeopponent).

Whether or not a dwarf can use a long sword or a broad swordwith one hand, or a bastard sword with two hands, is a topic thatcalls for more interpretation by the DM. If you choose to allow adwarf to employ a long sword with one hand, then you’ll have tomake a different set of penalties for one-handed or two-handeduse of the weapon, and make the one-handed penalties stiffenough so that it’s highly advisable to use the weapon with bothhands if it is used at all. The penalties that might accrue to adwarf trying to use a bastard sword with both hands might be sogreat as to make it mathematically impossible for the characterto score a hit — but that shouldn’t prohibit him from trying. He’lllearn his lesson soon enough, if he survives that long.

In matters like this, where the rules provide no specific allow-ances or prohibitions, logic and common sense must rule. It isenough for a Dungeon Master to discourage the use of longswords by dwarves by administering logical and sensible pen-alties to the attempt, rather than issuing an outright proclama-tion against such activity. Let players do what they want, aslong as they’re willing to pay the price...

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nature and beliefs as the hu-man pantheons reflect thatof their human worshipers.In describing the dwarvenpantheon, several distinct dif-ferences are evident betweenit and usual human religions.

All of the greater dwarvengods are at least twice as tallas normal dwarves, rangingall the way up to Moradin’s20-foot height. Though some

One of the mostpowerful of all the non-human pantheons is that of thedwarven fold, and it well reflects their

Most of the lesser deitiesand demigods of the dwarvesare involved with the spheresof fighting, warfare, guard-ianship, the earth, metals,craftsmanship, earthquakesand volcanoes, fire and lava,the protection of the dead,medicines, and strength. On-ly very few, if any, deitiesknown in dwarven pantheonshave anything to do with the

symbol, either. Dwarves should take pridein their own achievements, and respectthe earth from which they came; thustools, weapons, and so on were deve-loped and used as religious symbols.

Five of the most commonly accepteddwarven deities are described in this ar-ticle. A description of Moradin, invaria-bly the ruler of all dwarven pantheons(though he may be known by several dif-ferent names) is found in the DEITIES &DEMIGODS™ Cyclopedia. There aremany dwarven gods and demigods, someof which may be connected with certainplanes or areas all their own. Every clanof dwarves has a pantheon that will varyfrom every other clan’s pantheon (leav-ing Dungeon Masters quite free to de-velop their own pantheons and not worryabout anyone else’s).

Some final notes about dwarven godsin general: All dwarven gods possessdouble charismas, one applying todwarves and other dwarven deities, andthe other to everyone else. Just as thedwarves hold themselves as a race apart,so do the dwarven deities keep them-selves generally aloof from the workingsand dealings of other pantheons (with afew exceptions, as will be seen).

human observers and reviewers havesaid this is an indicator of an inferioritycomplex dwarves have about their height,this claim is patently ridiculous. Morelikely it reflects the dwarves’ own senseof self-importance (perhaps a little ex-aggerated, from the human viewpoint).Dwarves refuse to see themselves as a“minor race,” and indeed, there is muchto support the view that the dwarves areone of the most powerful of all races(perhaps second only to humanity). Less-er dwarven gods are generally shorterthan the greater gods; demigods areroughly normal dwarven height, and nodwarven deity is taller than Moradin, theSoul Forger.

Another interesting aspect of dwarvenreligion is that the holy symbols used areinvariably non-living objects: tools, wea-pons, mountains, minerals, and so forth.This derives in large part from some ofthe teachings of Moradin, who ruled thatthe dwarves must hold no other raceabove them; having an animal as a sym-bol would then be a way of saying thatanimal was better than the dwarves.Likewise, Moradin said that the dwarvesshould not ever worship each other, sono dwarf or part of one is used as a holy

sea, the air and atmospheric phenomena(rain, clouds, stars, etc.), plant life andforests, comedy, any animal, or chaos.

Most dwarven pantheons do include atleast one lesser god, very obese and witha ratty beard — the god of alcohol andfermented beverages. These particularneutral gods could in some ways be saidto be comic gods, though few dwarveswould say so. Certainly the tales of theirantics are seen as comic by the otherdemi-human races. Dwarves who wor-ship these deities are probably heavydrinkers, and the usual way in whichthese beings are worshipped is to simplygo to the nearest tavern, get blind drunkand make a fool of oneself. The names ofthese deities are different from clan toclan, though there is some evidence thatmany of these names (Budwizr, Koorz,Mo-ghan Davit) may actually representthe same being.

Dwarves on rare occasions worshipdeities from other pantheons. In particu-lar, Goibhnie (of the Celtic mythos) andHephaestus (of the Greek) draw muchfavorable attention from dwarves, as theyrepresent powers of smith-work and theearth.

Sphere ofDeity controlMoradin all dwarvesClanggedin war, battleDumathoin secrets, earthAbbathor evil, greedVergadain suspicion, trickeryBerronar safety, truth

CLERICAL QUICK REFERENCE CHART

RaimentHeadsilvered helmwar helmbareleather caphelmetsilvered helm

Body Color(s) Holy dayschainmail earthy crescent moonchainmail silver before battleleather brown new moonleather red solar eclipseschainmail gold full moonchainmail silver new year’s day

Sacrifice/PropitiationFrequencymonthlybefore battlemonthlyannuallymonthlyannually

Formmelted metalsweaponsgems & jewelsblood & gemsgoldsilver

Information on Moradin’s worship was taken from the DEITIES & DEMIGODS™ Cyclopedia. None of these dwarvengods has a sacred animal. Moradin is worshipped at forges and hearths; Clanggedin is worshipped on the battlefield,and the rest are worshipped in underground temples carved from natural rock. Only male dwarves may become clericsof the male dwarven deities, and females become clerics of the female ones.

31

Dragon

FREQUENCY: Very rareNO. APPEARING: 1-4ARMOR CLASS: 2MOVE: 9”HIT DICE: 4% IN LAIR: 95%TREASURE TYPE: See belowNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-9 or by weaponSPECIAL ATTACKS: Insanity, loss of

directionSPECIAL DEFENSES: +1 or better

weapon to hit, invisibilityMAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardINTELLIGENCE: AverageALIGNMENT: Neutral evilSIZE: S (4’ tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

Attack/Defense Modes: NilLEVEL/X.P. VALUE: V/240 x 4/HP

A rapper is the undead formof an evil dwarven thief or as-sassin who died in an attemptto steal something. These be-ings typically inhabit oldmines and caverns, wherethey attempt to lure victimsin to their doom. Rappersappear to be pale-skinneddwarves with semi-translu-cent skin, dressed in ragsand carrying weapons ormining tools. They can goinvisible twice a day for 6turns, but will become visiblewhen physically attacking.

Rappers will hide in smallcorners of underground tun-nels and make a constant,

rhythmic tapping sound with their toolsor weapons against the tunnel wall. Thissound carries in a 120’ radius throughthe underground corridors and rooms; itis never very loud, but is annoying tolisten to. Within the 120’ radius this tap-ping noise will reduce the chance ofsuccessfully listening at doors by 20%(making it impossible for non-thieves tolisten at doors at all).

After listening to this tapping soundfor longer than an hour, a human ordemi-human or humanoid creature mustmake a saving throw vs. magic at +2, orelse develop a form of insanity (mono-mania; see DMG, p. 83, for effects).Those who saved the first time againstthis power must save again after listen-ing to it for a second consecutive hour,again after a third hour, and so forth.

There is a 20% chance that an affectedcharacter or creature will also developkleptomania (DMG, p. 83). Rappers cankeep up their tapping for an infinitelylong duration.

If they are located and attacked, rap-pers will attack in a crazed manner andwill howl and shriek loudly, possibly(40% chance) attracting additional mon-sters. Anyone struck by a rapper’s wea-pon or by the rapper itself must save vs.magic or be affected as if by the 6th-levelcleric spell Lose The Path for a full day.During this time the character will beunable to tell directions and must be ledby hand or by force.

Rappers guard their victims’ remains.For treasure, generate the number andtypes of magical items owned by 1-4random non-player characters of 1st

through 6th level, accordingto the tables in the DMG onpp. 175-176. Hide bodies andmagic items under rubble orelsewhere in the rappers’ lair.Assume each of the dead vic-tims possessed treasure typesJ, K, L, M, N, and Q as well. Avictim will not automaticallypossess any magical treasureor gems.

Clerics turn rappers thesame as wights. Holy waterdoes 2-8 points damage perhit. Raise Dead and Resur-rection destroy them, but theyare immune to all poisons,paralysis, enchant/charmspells, and cold attacks.

Greater godARMOR CLASS: -5MOVE: 18”HIT POINTS: 345NO. OF ATTACKS: 3/2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-30 (+10)SPECIAL ATTACKS: NilSPECIAL DEFENSES: Automatically

detects all trapsMAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%SIZE: L (10’)ALIGNMENT: Neutral (tends toward

chaotic neutral)

The patron god of dwarven merchantsand most non-evil dwarven thieves is thescheming Vergadain. He is said to be agreat poet as well, and may dispense

WORSHIPER’S ALIGN: All neutral align-ments, especially merchants andthieves (dwarves)

SYMBOL: Gold piecePLANE: Concordant OppositionCLERIC/DRUID: 12th level druidFIGHTER: 12th level rangerMAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: NilTHIEF/ASSASSIN: 18th level thiefMONK/BARD: 5th level bardPSIONIC ABILITY: IIIS: 22 (+4, +10) I: 23 W: 20 D: 23 C: 25CH: 18 (24 to dwarves)

clues to his worshipers on the locationsof great treasures. These clues are usual-ly hidden in a verse or rhyme of somesort. His bard-like talents also give him

32

Vol. VI, No. 8

the ability to carefully evaluate treasuresas to their true nature and worth.

Vergadain appears to be a huge dwarfwearing brown and yellow clothing. Un-derneath his suit is a set of +5 goldenmail, and he wears a necklace that allowshim to change his height at will betweenone foot and 15 feet. At his side is a +4sword that detects all treasures within 2”of his person whenever the hilt is grasped.

Most of Vergadain’s adventures con-cern the elaborate con games he hasplayed on human, demi-human, huma-noid, and giant victims in order to wintheir every belonging of any worth. He isnot above using any sort of trick to ac-complish his ends, and is eternally sus-picious of potential adversaries who


Greater godARMOR CLASS: -2MOVE: 9” (48”)HIT POINTS: 366NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK:

10-40 (+14)SPECIAL ATTACKS:

Summon elementalsSPECIAL DEFENSES:

+3 or betterweapon to hit

MAGIC RESISTANCE: 70%SIZE: L (18’)ALIGNMENT: NeutralWORSHIPER’S ALIGN: All

alignments (dwarves)SYMBOL: Gem

inside a mountainPLANE:

Concordant OppositionCLERIC/DRUID: 15th level cleric/

14th level druidFIGHTER: 16th level fighterMAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: Special/

14th level illusionistTHIEF/ASSASSIN: 12th level thiefMONK/BARD: NilPSIONIC ABILITY: VIS: 25 (+7,+14) I: 23 W: 25 D: 20 C: 25CH: 18 (24 to dwarves)

Dumathoin is said to hide the secretsof the earth until they are ready to beuncovered by the diligent and the de-serving. He is the protector of the moun-tain dwarves, the keeper of all metals. Helays veins of iron, copper, gold, silver,and mithril where he feels they will do

might try to trick him in return.Followers of Vergadain are usually

seen as suspicious characters; as a re-sult, few dwarves will willingly admit thathe is their deity. If a follower of this goddenies to others that Vergadain is thatperson’s true deity, the god will not beoffended (so long as the proper sacrifi-ces are made).

Vergadain himself is always out for hisown best advantage, and is a poor sourcefor obtaining the truth — he might evenlie to his own clerics, though not veryoften.

Nonetheless, the stories of his out-rageous exploits and his courage andcunning have heartened many a dwarffaced with adversity.

the most benefit to his followers whenfound. Dumathoin has never been knownto speak, instead keeping his wisdom tohimself (though he may send subtleclues to keen observers on the nature ofthe world).

When Moradin named him protectorof the mountain dwarves, Dumathoincreated a “paradise” for the mountaindwarves to enjoy. He was angered at firstwhen the dwarves started to “destroy”the mountains he had provided for them,but his anger turned to pleasure when hesaw the finely crafted metal items thedwarves produced from the ore they hadmined. His enemies are those (dwarvenor otherwise) who plunder the earth’sriches and take them away for unfair orselfish purposes. He does not object to

tunneling, mining or the keep-ing of treasures underground,however. Miners see him astheir patron, and often carrya small diamond or gemstonein their pockets (10 gp value)to attract the favor of thegod.

Dumathoin appears to be agigantic dwarven figure withhair and beard of gray stone,earth-brown skin, and eyesof silver fire. He owns a great+5 two-handed mattock ofsolidified magma. He maysummon 3-18 earth elemen-tals (16 hit dice each) at willinstantly; they will fight forhim to the death. Dumathoinmay also use all metal, earth

or stone-related magic-user spells at the30th level of ability, but cannot use anyother magic-user spells.

Unlike most other dwarven deities,Dumathoin maintains friendly relationswith non-dwarven deities, though only afew. Among his close allies is Hephaes-tus, whom he supplies with adamantiteore, and Grome, the lord of the earthelementals, who supplies him with ele-mentals at a moment‘s notice.

Other gods of metalcraft and the earthsometimes do business with Dumathoinand his representatives for metals andores as well. For these reasons, clerics ofthis god are sometimes involved in busi-ness ventures in the selling of metals andsimilar materials.

33


Greater godARMOR CLASS: 0MOVE: 12”HIT POINTS: 330NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-24 (+12)SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: NilMAGIC RESISTANCE: 50%SIZE: L (8’)ALIGNMENT: Neutral evilWORSHIPER’S ALIGN: Evil alignments

(dwarves)SYMBOL: Jeweled daggerPLANE: HadesCLERIC/DRUID: NilFIGHTER: 14th level fighterMAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: 11th level

illusionistTHIEF/ASSASSIN: 20th level thief/

15th level assassinMONK/BARD: NilPSIONIC ABILITY: IIIS: 24 (+6,+12) I: 22 W: 16 D: 24 C: 24CH: 8 (14 to dwarves)

At times, Abbathor has been the ally ofthe other dwarven gods, but his treacheryand lust for treasure make him a danger-ous associate. He will never help anynon-dwarven deity or creature. He can-not be trusted to do anything but evil,unless it suits his own purposes to giveassistance.

Abbathor was not always as devotedto evil as he is now. Originally, his sphereof influence concerned the appreciationof valuable gems and metals, not neces-

sarily at the expense of others. He be-came embittered when Moradin appoint-ed Dumathoin the protector of the moun-tain dwarves instead of himself, and fromthat day forward has become ever moredevious and self-serving in his endea-vors, in a continual effort to wreak re-venge on the other gods by establishinggreed — especially evil greed — as thedriving force in dwarves’ lives.

Abbathor’s greed manifests itself fre-quently. Should he set eyes upon anymagical item, or on treasure worth morethan 1,000 gp, there is a 40% chance thathe will attempt to steal it outright, or slaythe owner and then take it (50% chanceof either).

Abbathor wears leather armor and furs,made from the skins of beings and crea-tures who have opposed him in the past.He uses a +5 dagger with a diamondblade and jewels set into the hilt. Thedagger does a basic 2-24 points of dam-

age, and can detect the presence of pre-cious metals (kind and amount) in a 2”radius. Anyone but Abbathor who graspsthis weapon will suffer the loss of oneexperience level at once, and will loseanother level each round the daggercontinues to be held. Abbathor alsoowns a shield that casts one CauseBlindness spell per round (save at -6) atanyone within range. His home cavernsare said to be made of purest gold.

Abbathor’s servants consist primarilyof Rappers (see description on page 32),the undead forms of his worshipers whodied attempting to steal something.

Abbathor maintains an uneasy trucewith Vergadain (see page 32), with whomhe sometimes roams the Prime MaterialPlane in search of more treasure. If frus-trated when attempting to steal an item,Abbathor will try to destroy the item sohe will not be tormented by the memoryof his failure.

Greater goddess

ARMOR CLASS: -4MOVE: 12”HIT POINTS: 370NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 6-36 (+9)SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 80%SIZE: L (18’)ALIGNMENT: Lawful goodWORSHIPER’S ALIGN: Lawful good

(dwarves)SYMBOL: Two silver ringsPLANE: Seven HeavensCLERIC/DRUID: 15th level cleric/

12th level druidFIGHTER: 14th level paladinMAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: 16th level

magic-userTHIEF/ASSASSIN: NilMONK/BARD: Nil

34


Greater godARMOR CLASS: -4MOVE: 12”HIT POINTS: 375NO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-36 (+14)SPECIAL ATTACKS: Does

double damage vs. giantsSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 50%SIZE: L (17’)ALIGNMENT: Lawful neutralWORSHIPER’S ALIGN: All alignments,

especially warriors (dwarves)SYMBOL: Two crossed battle axesPLANE: ArcadiaCLERIC/DRUID: 12th level druidFIGHTER: 17th level rangerMAGIC-USER/ILLUSIONIST: 10th levelmagic-userTHIEF/ASSASSIN: NilMONK/BARD: 6th level bardPSIONIC ABILITY: VIS: 25 (+7, +14) I: 20 W: 19 D: 20 C: 25CH: 16 (22 to dwarves)

Bald and silver-bearded, Clanggedinlives in a vast mountain fortress mannedby the souls of the finest dwarven war-riors. He taught the dwarves many spe-cial methods of combating giant-types,and passed his knowledge and skills onto the gnomish gods as well.

In the many tales and legends abouthis deeds, the dwarves portray Clang-gedin as a fierce and resolute warriorwho never backs down from danger andwho refuses to surrender even when allseems lost, many times winning a victoryby only the barest of margins againstextreme odds.

Clanggedin’s most hated enemies are

Grolantor (the Hill Giant god)and the followers of that dei-ty. Giants attack Clanggedinat a -4 penalty “to hit,” as formortal dwarves. In the heatof battle Clanggedin is fondof singing, unnerving his op-ponents and increasing hisfollowers’ morale.

Clanggedin wields a +4 mithril bat-tleaxe in each hand. He throws the axeswith either hand up to 100 yards andboth will do damage to whatever they hitas if he’d struck the target by hand (withall bonuses to hit and damage).

His armor is +5 steel chainmail.

Although Clanggedin has magical spellability, he will usually only use suchpowers to indirectly affect a course ofevents. Not unless his existence on thePrime Material plane is at stake willClanggedin resort to the use of magicalspells or spell devices in a close combatsituation.

PSIONIC ABILITY: IIIS: 21 (+4, +9) I: 25 W: 25 D: 20 C: 25CH: 19 (25 to dwarves)

The greatest of all dwarven goddessesis usually held to be Berronar, who liveswith Moradin in the Seven Heavens atthe Soul Forge beneath the mountains.Berronar is seen as the patroness of mar-riage and love (but not necessarily ro-mance). Her name is often invoked insmall home rituals, for protection fromthieves and duplicity. Berronar is not apassive homebody, however; her own ef-forts to preserve and protect dwarvenculture and civilization have spannedmany planes and universes, and dwarvesof both sexes revere her name.

Berronar appears to be a huge dwarfwearing chainmail (+5) of bright silver.Her brown beard is braided into fourrows. If a braid is cut off, it will regrow in

a single day, and at the end of that day

Berronar wields a +4 mace of gold and

the lock of hair which was cut off will turnto gold (worth 10,000 to 40,000 gold pie-

steel that will slay evil thieves and all

ces). She sometimes gives locks of her

assassins on contact (save vs. death

hair to dwarven communities that areexceptionally poor or hard pressed andotherwise unable to get on their feet ec-

magic at -4). She wears two silver rings

onomically. This is an extremely rare oc-currence, of course, and must be in-

of great power; one prevents anyone

voked by a lawful good dwarven cleric ofthe highest level in the colony. If this

from knowingly telling a falsehood with-

gold or any part of it is used for otherthan good purposes, it will all disappear.

in 10” of her, and the other prevents theuse of all thieving abilities by any mortalwithin the same area, unless they make asave vs. magic at -2 in every round an

35

attempt is made to use the skill.Dwarves have a custom of exchanging

If a lawful good dwarven fighter ap-

rings with those for whom they feel ex-ceptional, mutual trust and love; this in-

peals to Berronar for aid for a particular

dependently parallels a human customused in marriage rituals. This dwarven

purpose and makes an appropriately

ceremony is not lightly given, almostnever undertaken with a non-dwarf ex-

large sacrifice, there is a 5% chance she

cept in the most unusual circumstances.

will bestow upon the individual the pow-

Both participants must be lawful good.Berronar is said to have inspired this

ers of a paladin of equal level for 3-6

practice, and several variations of it existin dwarven colonies across the worlds.

days. Only dwarves of exceptionally pureheart will be considered for this honor,and it may be granted only once every 10years to any individual.

Vol. VI, No. 8Dragon

36


Inthe

BAG

Fictionby

J. Eric Holmes

ion was slate grey and his face was covered withwrinkles so that it looked like a folded piece of linenwith a long, pointy nose sticking out. He was shorterthan Boinger himself. Some sort of gnome, the half-ling thought, out of the north, I suppose. Shorterthan a dwarf, taller than a Lilliputian ...

“Mayhap,” he replied, smiling at the toad-like fel-low. “You the proprietor?”

“Of this garbage?” The smaller one gestured totake in not only the leather-goods stall, but half ofthe town marketplace. “Faugh! Come with me.” Hehobbled away over the cobblestones, his legs, orwhatever, hidden by a heavy brown robe that touchedthe ground. He gestured with a knobby stick hecarried in his right hand.

“Right over here,” the stranger pointed. Boinger’seyes, attentive and appreciative of value like those ofany good thief, saw three heavy rings on the gnarled

erhaps the small master is looking for somethingspecial?”

The muscular young halfling put down the leatherbackpack he had been examining and looked at theperson who had addressed him. He was worth look-ing at, Boinger decided. For one thing, his specieswas not one the adventurer had ever seen before.The creature was obviously not human; his complex-

37


hand. Careful, my lad, he said to himself,this little person is richer and more pow-erful than he looks.

His guide led the halfling thief down aside alley, stopped at a low door, andrapped with his staff. Boinger nonchal-antly put his left hand inside his tunicand grasped the hilt of one of the daggersin the bandolier across his chest. Nor-mally right-handed, he had been traininghimself to use his weapons with his lefthand. He hoped he would not have topractice this art now.

The door opened to the little man’ssignal. The tall lizard man on the otherside stared at them with slit-like pupilsfor a long moment and then steppedaside to let them in. As Boinger entered,he saw that the saurianoid held a halberdin one scaly hand. He began to wish hehad not come, or at least had sent somestreet urchin on his way to Zereth with amessage.

“Sit here, sir,” said Boinger’s diminu-tive guide, “whilst I find the bag.” Hevanished into the next room. The halflingsat uncomfortably on a three-leggedstool in the center of the narrow roomand looked at the lizard man. That crea-ture stared back, expressionless.

When the little trader returned, he borea grey cloth sack about an arm’s lengthsquare, the mouth pursed shut with astout rope drawstring. He handed it toBoinger without speaking.

The halfling examined the sack cur-iously, wishing he had a magic-detectingspell or artifact of some sort about him.The sack was flat and apparently empty,but surprisingly heavy, as if the cloth (itfelt like cloth) were made of metal.

“Now,” said the other, “open it and seewhat it contains.”

The halfling untied the drawstring care-fully, pointing the mouth of the sackaway from his face so that if anythingflew out it would not strike him. Nothinghappened.

“Look inside,” came the voice. Cau-tiously, Boinger did so. There was around piece of wood at the bottom of thesack, although he could swear that it hadnot been there when he examined it fromthe outside.

“Pull it out, pull it out.” The halfling gota hold on the thing with difficulty. It ap-peared to be the cut, disc-like end of atree limb. As he pulled it from the sackand it came partially out of the mouth ofthe receptacle, he could see that it wasindeed a limb or trunk of a tree, and thelength of it filled the sack!

Boinger put the sack on the floor andpulled with both hands. When he got thecontents out, he had a pole, 20 feet long,wedged across the room.

“All right,” he said as calmly as hecould, “that’s pretty good. Now let’s seeit go back inside.”

“To be sure,” his companion said. “It’seasiest to slip the mouth of the sack over

the thing you want to hide and slide itup,” and he did just that. Boinger triednot to gape as the pole disappeared intothe mouth of the sack.

“I can see,” he said, “why you didn’twant to show me this in the bazaar.”

* * *

“So we’re to give him one quarter of allour take from the sack itself,” the halflingfinished.

Zereth held the limp, heavy cloth in hishands at a distance. “That’s all?” heasked.

“Yes. He would not sell it, you see. Toovaluable, says he, but he trusts us to di-vide our spoils with him every month.Very suspicious.”

“Very...” The elf sneered, his thin nos-trils wrinkled in disgust, as he tossed thecloth sack aside. “Why did you bother?”

“Well,” said the halfling defensively, “itimmediately occurred to me that thiswould be the way to pick up stuff like thecarved ivory chair we found in the lich’stomb...”

“True,” Zereth agreed. “It hurt youravaricious soul, my friend, to leave allthat ivory in the tomb, did it not?”

“Waste,” Boinger said, “I’m alwaystroubled by waste. You know that. But Ialso thought, this is the very thing for thestatue of Shaldana’s acolyte.”

“Ah-ha!” said the dark elf, startled. “Ihad not thought of that one.”

Shaldana was a sorceress of local re-pute who had lost her acolyte — actually,the man was well known to have beenher lover — in a misadventure in whichhe had been turned to stone. The stonestatue now graced the formal gardens ofLord Tethys, and he refused to give it up.The gardens of Lord Tethys contained anumber of such statues, stone effigies ofmen and beasts caught in the act of in-vading the Lord’s palace or otherwisebehaving in ways he disapproved.

Shaldana had offered a considerablereward to anyone who could purloin thestatue and bring it to her, but the Lord’sgarden was the grazing ground of a hugegorgon, and the members of the localthieves guild were loath to venture into it

and risk ending up as stone statuesthemselves.

Zereth wrinkled his brow. “Yes, let’sthink about that,” he said. “Get you overthe palace wall, find the correct statue...”

“Shaldana knows where her man’sstatue is —” began Boinger; then he in-terrupted himself: “Why me? Why notyou over the palace wall, tiptoeing onyour silent elven feet...”

“No, no,” said his friend. “After all, youfound this wonderful bag.”

* * *

In the end it was Boinger who madethe attempt. They waited for a moonlitnight, so the halfling could locate hisobjective among the close-cropped bush-es and lawns of Lord Tethys’ garden.Then they enlisted the help of Murray theMage, who threw a levitation spell on thelittle halfling, causing him to float upover the wall like a hot air balloon. Thelittle adventurer drifted out over the pa-lace garden on the end of a long silkencord while Zereth, holding the other endof the cord, ran along the top of the circu-lar palace wall to direct his flight. Watch-ing the landscape beneath him, Boingerdirected his friend by silently pointingleft, right or ahead with his hand.

“Don’t worry, Boinger,” Zereth whis-pered to him, just before he set him sail-ing in the midnight breeze, “if the gorgonturns you to stone, you still won’t weighvery much. The magician and I will pullyou over to the garden wall and hoist youout.”

“Lot of good that will do me when I’mstoned solid,” the little thief complained.“I’ve no intention of coming near theground if I see the monster awake.”

But see him he did, for the scaled, bull-shaped creature was patrolling the gar-den path. Silently Boinger floated overits head, hardly daring to breathe for fearof attracting attention. A moment laterthe thing passed behind some ornamen-tal trees and Boinger found himself closeabove the unfortunate acolyte’s petrifiedremains. Holding up a hand to signal Ze-reth to hold him motionless, he uncoiledanother silken line from his belt, adjust-ed the noose and, on his third try, las-soed the head of the statue.

Quickly he pulled himself down, handover hand, to the top of the figure. Thenhe unfastened his lasso and, while hold-ing onto the statue by wrapping both hisstout legs around its middle, tied theguide line to a bush at the base of thestatue. In the next moment, he pulled themagic sack out of his belt and loweredthe mouth of the sack over the top of hisprize.

As he pulled the sack further down andthe upper part of the statue “disappeared”inside it, Boinger suddenly found him-self staring into the moonlit visage of the

(Turn to Page 43)

38


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From an idea by Bill FawcettS

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PREPARATION

1. Separate the cardboard counter sheets from thecenter of the magazine by prying up the staples (ascrewdriver or table knife works well for this), liftingout the two pages, and bending the staples back downinto place.

2. Cut the counters apart carefully. Scissors willserve the purpose, but a better way to get a straight cutis to use a very sharp modeler’s knife and a straight-edge. Even if you’re in a hurry, don’t try to “double up”and cut through more than one thickness of cardboardat a time.

3. To store the spell counters in an organized way,use an egg carton or any other small container with asufficient number of compartments. SPELLMINDERSmust be sorted by class and level to be used for thepurpose of random spell selection.

4. Once you have read these instructions, it will

probably not be necessary to use all of the pages forreference. But keep the counter inventory chart handyin case some of your SPELLMINDERS are destroyed orlost.

5. Because SPELLMINDERS have printing on bothsides, the cardboard cannot be backed by a sheet ofstiffer material, to make the counters easier to handleand more durable, without covering the front (illustrat-ed) sides of the counters — unless, of course, thebacking material is transparent. It is possible to getalong without being able to see the fronts of the coun-ters, assuming that you’re familiar enough with themagic-user and cleric spell lists to tell one class of spellfrom the other. (The Light spell is a good example:Magic-users and clerics both have the spell, and it is afirst-level spell for both classes, but it’s not the samespell. If you obscure the fronts of the counters, becareful not to get similar spells mixed up.)

The best way to make a long-lasting set of spell

39


counters is to use two sheets of SPELLMINDERS and apiece of linoleum, tile, or stiff cardboard with adhesiveon both sides — making a sandwich with the backingmaterial in the middle. If most members of a playinggroup have their own copies of this magazine, they canpool their resources to make durable, good-lookingsets of counters without resorting to making photoco-pies of the counter sheets or buying extra copies of thismagazine. (You have permission to photocopy these

instructions and the counter sheets if necessary.)

6. Multiple sets of SPELLMINDERS can be pooled;there is certainly no reason why players and DMs needlimit themselves to the counter mix of one set. But iftwo or more sets are used and stored together, thesame backing/stiffening material (if it is used) shouldbe applied to both sets so that there is no way ofidentifying a spell counter by the front side.

UNDERSTANDING THE COUNTER SYMBOLS

feet (underground, where 1” = 10 feet) or 50 yards(outdoors, where 1” = 10 yards). Remember that spellrange is tripled outdoors, but a spell’s area of effect(which is not noted on the counters) remains at theunderground scale even in an outdoor setting.

The ranges of many spells will vary depending on theexperience level of the caster. These are denoted by anumber or pair of numbers, followed by “/L,” which isread as “per level.” Thus, “4/L” means 4” per level of thecaster, and “4 + 1/L” means 4” plus an extra 1” per levelof the caster.

Other range notations are “0” for zero, “T” for touch,“U” for unlimited, and “S” for special.

Asterisks: Unusual characteristics of a few spells aredenoted by an asterisk (*). These include the following:

The range of the first-level M-U spell Ventriloquismis 1” per level, but only up to a maximum of 6”.

Likewise, the range of the second-level M-U spellESP is ½” per level, but only up to a maximum of 9”.

The casting time for the eighth-level M-U spellSerten’s Spell Immunity is one round, but if more thanone character or creature is to be affected, the castingtime is one round for each recipient.

The second-level cleric spell Silence 15’ Radius islisted in the Players Handbook as having no savingthrow (“N”), but if the spell is cast directly on an unwil-ling recipient, that character or creature is allowed anattempt to save.

Casting time for the fourth-level cleric spell Exorciseis noted on the counter as “special” even though it isnot listed as such in the Players Handbook. The castingtime can be as short as 1 turn or as long as severalhours (more than 100 turns). Because of space limita-tions, the expression “1-100+ turns” (used in the PH)could not be printed on the counter. As with all other“special” notations, see the Players Handbook for a fulldescription.

The front side of each spell counter contains a sil-houette of a magic-user or a cleric in the act of castinga spell, plus the appropriate class name and a numberindicating the level of the spell — the only two bits ofinformation necessary to sort out SPELLMINDERS byclass and level. If you spread out the counters on a flatsurface to make random selections, this side of thecounter should be face up so that the name of the spellis unknown until after it is picked.

The reverse side of the counter contains the name ofthe spell in the center and four number/letter symbolsin the corners. Clockwise from top left, the symbolsdescribe the level, casting time, nature of the savingthrow (if there is one), and range of the spell.

Level: This number, in the upper left corner, is thesame one that appears on the front side of the counter,and is included on the reverse side as a convenience.

Casting Time: In most instances, the symbol in theupper right corner of the counter is a number (1 to 9)followed by a letter (s, r, or t) denoting the measure oftime in segments, rounds, or turns. When the castingtime cannot be expressed in this simple notation, it islisted as “S” for “special.” You will have to consult thespell description in the Players Handbook for particu-lars in such cases.

Saving Throw: The symbol in the lower right cornerof the counter is one of four types: “N” means that nosaving throw is allowed. (There may be exceptions tothis, as expressed in the particular spell descriptions.)“½” means that a saving throw is allowed, and if itsucceeds, damage from the spell is halved. “Y” meansthat a saving throw is allowed, and if it succeeds theeffect of the spell is negated. (This corresponds to a“Neg.” listing in the Players Handbook.) “S” stands forspecial, usually meaning that only certain charactersand creatures are entitled to a saving throw. Again,consult the Players Handbook for details on any “spe-cial” notation.

Range: The lower left corner of the counter containsa number, a letter, or a number-letter combinationdenoting the range of the spell. A number by itself isread simply as that many units in the AD&D groundscale: For instance, “5” stands for 5” in scale, either 50

Level Casting3s3 Time

LightningBolt

4 + 1 / L ½ SavingThrow

Range40


HOW TO USE SPELLMINDERS

1. As a record-keeping aid for players: If you areplaying a magic-user or cleric character, make yourspell selections as usual prior to starting an adventure.Take the appropriate SPELLMINDERS counters andkeep them in front of you as a record of which spellsyou have available. When your character attempts tocast a spell — whether or not the casting is successful— the proper counter should be turned in to the DM,who will put it back in the pool. If there is a reason whyother player characters should not automatically knowwhat spells you are carrying, then you should concealyour SPELLMINDERS from the eyes of other players.Otherwise, the counters can be kept in plain sight of allparticipants.

2. To randomly determine the contents of a spellscroll: The DM can use SPELLMINDERS in this fashionas an alternative to some of the die rolling which wouldotherwise be necessary. If a spell scroll is indicated bythe result of a percentile dice roll on Table III.B. onpage 121 of the Dungeon Masters Guide, follow thisbasic procedure to randomly determine its contents:

First, be sure your SPELLMINDERS are sorted byclass and level, not including any duplicates providedin the counter mix, so that each spell is only represent-ed once in the selection pool. (Alternatively, you mayinclude duplicates if you want a certain spell to have agreater chance of being on the scroll.)

If there is more than one spell on a scroll, all spellsmay be of the same level, or of varying levels within thelimits described in the column labeled “Spell LevelRange.” Whichever method you prefer (and you canfreely change from one to the other from scroll toscroll), you can use SPELLMINDERS to determine theparticular spell(s) and possibly also the level(s).

For example, suppose that a scroll of 3 spells isindicated, with a level range of 1-4, and you don’t nec-essarily want them all to be of the same level. With yourSPELLMINDERS sorted by level, you can roll a four-sided die three times to generate the level of each spell.Then select one spell counter from each appropriatelevel group. (It is possible to use SPELLMINDERS togenerate the spell levels instead of rolling a die. In this

example, you would put all spells of 1st through 4thlevel in a large pile and then simply pick three of themat random. This method has the obvious drawback ofmaking a mess out of your carefully sorted counters,but it is a possibility.)

3. To define the spell-casting capability of a non-player character or creature: As a Dungeon Master,you will frequently need to generate spell lists for NPCmagic-users or clerics and for creatures which havespell ability, such as dragons, rakshasas and ki-rins.SPELLMINDERS are suited for this purpose, both as away to select spells at random and as a record-keepingaid once the spells are chosen.

In most cases, some of the spell selection for a non-player character should be made purposefully. If youfeel it is logical and reasonable for a non-player clericto have at least one Cure Light Wounds spell, for in-stance, then simply assign that spell to the character.Other “vacancies” in a character’s spell list which neednot be occupied by certain spells can be filled random-ly from the spell counters of the appropriate level(s).

The spell-casting capabilities of magic-using drag-ons (as well as many other creatures) should be deter-mined by chance, as stated in the Monster Manual, withthe possibility of duplicate spells if the same die rollcomes up more than once during the generation pro-cess. You can simulate this with SPELLMINDERS evenif duplicate counters of a particular spell don’t happento be provided: Using a pile of spell counters of acertain level containing no duplicates, make a randomselection from the pile. Then, if more than one spell of acertain level is called for, note the spell which wasdrawn, replace the counter in the pile, and draw again.This way, there is a chance for any spell to be chosentwice even if there is only one counter for that spell.

You can use SPELLMINDERS to keep track of whichspells a non-player character or creature possesses inthe same way a player keeps a record of the spells forhis or her character. Except when you decide other-wise, the number and type of spells being carried by anon-player character or creature should not be re-vealed to players.

MULTIPLE SPELLS AND BLANK COUNTERS

In an attempt to allow for instances where a playerwants to take more than one spell of a particular type,many duplicate counters are provided — as many aspossible, considering space limitations and the ob-vious fact that each spell had to be represented at leastonce. (Multiple spells are denoted on the counter in-ventory chart on the following page.)

If a player wants to carry multiple spells of a type forwhich only one counter is provided, there are at least acouple of ways to solve this “problem.” The two blankcounters given for each class can be used as duplicatesof solitary spells. Or, it can be ruled that each counter

can represent one or two spells: The counter is dis-played in front of the player with the front (silhouette)side face up if it stands for two spells, and with the backside (containing the name) showing if it stands for asingle spell. When one of a pair of spells is cast, thecounter is turned over so that the back side is visible,and then when that one remaining spell is cast, thecounter is turned in to the DM.

There is a third solution, which is simply to combineone or more sets of SPELLMINDERS for use by all themembers of a playing group, thus guaranteeing at leasttwo counters for any spell.

41


SPELLMINDERS INVENTORY CHART

The chart below lists the quantity of each magic-user and cleric spell contained in the SPELLMINDERScounter sheets. The inventory chart can be helpful if any counters are damaged or lost, enabling you toquickly determine how many counters are missing and which ones they are.

The “Spell Number” given in the left-hand column of the chart corresponds to the numbered spell listson pp. 40-42 and pp. 125-126 of the AD&D Players Handbook. (This number does not appear on thecounters themselves.)

At the bottom of each column is given the total number of SPELLMINDERS counters of that spell level.This number will usually be larger than the number of different spells available per level, because ofduplicate counters.

MAGIC-USER SPELLSSpell Spell levelNumber 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th

1 1 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 12 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 13 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 14 1 2 2 1 1 1 2 1 15 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 16 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 17 1 1 2 1 2 1 1 1 18 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 19 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1

10 1 2 1 1 2 1 1 111 1 1

12 1 1 1 1 1 1

12 2 2 2 1 2 1 1 1 113 2 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 114 1 1 2 1 1 1 1 1 115 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 116 317 1

1 2 1 1 1 1 1 12 1 1 1 1

18 1 1 1 1 1 119 1 1 1 1 1 120 1 1 1 1 1 121 1 2 1 1 1 122 1 2 1 2 1 123 1 1 1 1 1 124 2 1 1 1 1 125 226 127 128 129 130 1

Total 39 33 30 27 27 25 17 16 12

SpellNumber 1st1 2 2 1 3 1 1 12 3 2 2 1 1 13 14 45

2nd

22

2 2

CLERIC SPELLSSpell level

3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th

21 1 3 2 22 1 1 22 1

23 1 2

6 2 2 2 2 1 3 17 2 2

21 2 1 1 1

8 2 2 1 1 1 29 1 2 2 2 3 1 1

10 2 1 2 2 1 2 111 2 1 212 2 2 2

Total 25 23 20 16 17 15 1442


In the Bag(Continued from page 38)statue. The sight gave him a start, for theeyes and mouth were open, in an ex-pression of horror, and the entire facereflected such terror that the halfling’sheart skipped a beat.

“Must soon get you out of here,” hewhispered, completely bagging the stonehuman and releasing his anchor line sothat he would float slowly up into the sky,carrying the still-collapsed sack.

All at once, he heard the clash of metalhooves on the stone path below. Boingerlooked down and back, and saw the hor-rible figure of the gorgon charging to-ward him. As he started to scurry up thelong rope, the monster reared up on itshind legs beneath him, and Boinger sawthat its mouth was opened to spew itsparalyzing, petrifying vapor upon him.

Outside the garden wall, Zereth beganpulling on the rope to reel his friend in asfast as possible. It was obvious to thehalfling, however, that he wouldn’t getout of range of the monster’s breath intime. There was no time to think twice.Holding the magic sack in his right hand,he drew his dagger with his left hand andcut the cord tied to his belt. His body,freed of all restraint, gave a little jumpinto the air. The gorgon breathed just asthe thief floated out of range and up intothe moonlit sky.

He heard his friend cry out below as hesailed off, blown by the breeze away overthe castle wall and out over the marsh.Spinning round and round, Boinger rosehigher and higher. He knew that the levi-tation spell would eventually wear off,but when it did he would plunge to theearth from a deadly height. He looked upand saw that he was already approach-ing the clouds. He had often thought ofvisiting the moon (the little thief was anincurable romantic), but he did not feelthat tonight was the time to make thetrip.

Boinger opened the magic bag andreached within. His fingers felt the roughstone base of the statue; slowly he with-drew it from the sack. In a moment hehad, in his hands, a stone as big as hisown head (the rest being still secreted inthe bag), and the weight of the stoneplummeted him downward. Quickly heshoved the feet of the petrified magicianback into the bag, the weight eased, andhe began to rise again.

A little experimenting enabled the clev-er halfling to fall, stop, fall again, andhover in the night air. All the while, how-ever, the breeze continued to waft himacross the countryside. He ended with acrash into the leaves of an oak tree.Grasping a branch with both legs, Boin-ger threw the statue back into the sack,then folded the sack into his belt, tiedhimself to the tree with the cut end of hisguide rope, and steeled himself to wait

for the spell to wear off or his friends toarrive, whatever came first.

“The wrong statue!” Boinger groaned,hardly able to believe what he had justheard. The sorceress only smiled.

“Horns of Holdar, lady,” cried Boinger.“I risked my life for this thing — to saynothing of carting it 20 leagues aftermaking my escape. I...”

Zereth placed a hand on his shoulder,quelling any further outburst by Boinger.

“Fair sooth, lady,” he said politely. “Mysmall friend took considerable chance tobring you this artifact. Art thou certain’tis not your own?”

“Certain, elf,” she answered, “for myown stoned acolyte was returned to meonly yestereve.”

* * *

“You could, you know, have made amistake,” the elf repeated for the thirdtime, as they strode down the hard-packed dirt street.

“Mistake, my hairy toes,” fumed thehalfling. Then he stopped in his tracks.The alleyway door had opened, thoughthey were still a hundred paces from it.There was a murmur of voices and a tallfigure stepped out into the street. Thepair approached, now at a more leisurelypace.

“Grink,” the man was saying as theycame within earshot, “’twas a bold deed,no matter how accomplished.” The twoadventurers crossed the road and passedby on the other side. In a glance, Boingeridentified the short, robed figure whostood just within the doorway. He couldnot hear what the one called Grink saidto his visitor, but he heard a metallicnoise which his thievish ears could notmistake.

In the lamplight he could recognizethe features of the tall man, though thelast time he had seen them they had beenfrozen in stone.

“What now?” asked Zereth, when theyhad turned a corner and gone down thenext alleyway out of sight. Boinger pulledthe magic bag from his belt, tossed it onthe ground, kicked it up with one toe andcaught it again.

“I was going to throw this thing in thecreature’s face,” he said, “but now I thinkI’ll keep it a while.”

“I’d advise you to get rid of it,” saidZereth. “I met a traveler once who toldme a tale of a bag which was actually aliving monster who devoured everythingplaced within its maw.”

“No,” said the halfling. “I think it maybe useful yet. Also, I’m not through withmy friend Grink, or whoever he is.”

“Well,” replied the elf seriously, “I havegiven you my advice. I want nothing todo with it, myself. It has already cost usfar too much, and I think it should beburned.”

“Cost us?” asked the thief.“We owe Murray the Mage five hundred

gold pieces for his spell,” the elf replied,“or had you forgotten?”

“Mithra’s mother!” Boinger cursedagain, tossing the sack into the air andkicking it higher than his head. “We’renot only poor again, we’re in debt again.”

“What we need,” said Zereth, “is notmagic bags, but another treasure map.”

“I suppose you know of one?”“As a matter of fact...” said Zereth, and

his friend picked up the abused magicalbag and followed him down the street.

* * *

The great grey tree roots covered andsurrounded the shattered piles of stone.Boinger climbed cautiously over the tree-girded rubble. The stones were wea-thered and defaced. He gently brushedthe surface of one stone with the sleeveof his leather jacket, and very faintly hecould see the hieroglyphs carved thereby the ancient builders.

“Zereth?” he said softly. Looking upfrom the stones, he found the dark elfstanding quietly only a few feet away.His friend’s face was not visible in thedim forest light, for he was gazing up-ward into the branches of the gigantictrees.

Boinger did not speak again. He feltsomehow more subdued here in thissun-dappled forest than he had at thebottom of many a dungeon. He knew hisfriend was communing with the forest insome way, and he knew better than tointerrupt.

Slowly he searched the ruins with hiseyes. Pile after pile of tumbled, shatteredblocks marked the positions of fallenbuildings, and over each of them, likeblood-sucking leeches, crouched thetrees. Every moldering pile of masonrywas firmly bound, strapped to the earthby the great grey roots. Farther out, to-ward the trail, the trees thinned out a bit,more sunlight leaked through the leavesand branches above. Olaf had tetheredthe ponies out there, where there was abit of grass growing.

The forest was still. Under the hugetrees no tiny creatures raced and played.No bird, no mouse, no lizard broke thethick silence with its scuttling feet.

Zereth shook his head, “I get an im-pression of age-old evil, but the trees— the trees will not talk to me.”

Boinger felt a shiver go up his spine.Legends told of the city that attributed itsfall to the angry forest gods. Looking atthese trees, he thought, made the leg-ends easy to believe. Certainly someforest god must now reign supreme. Theonce mighty city was toppled, its build-ings destroyed by the invading greenery.The masonry wall was already being in-vaded by tiny pale rootlets. Like slenderfingers, they would probe the shattered

43


wall, seeking a crack or crevice to growinto. Then, over years and years of time,the rootlets would expand, splitting thewall into fragments, leveling even theseremnants of civilization. All this is hap-pening so slowly, Boinger mused, that tohimself and his companion it seemed asif the partially buried city was static andunchanging. To the trees, he thought,each year must seem like a day, while thetask of breaking down the stones pro-ceeds slowly and relentlessly. The treesprobably simply ignored the creatureswho now flitted about their massive feet.

“They’ve destroyed the palace entry-way.” Zereth’s voice interrupted Boin-ger’s daydream. The elf pointed into thegloom of the deeper wood. “But the mapshows another entrance somewhere nearhere.”

“All right,” said Boinger. “I’ll findMurray.”

The scrawny magic-user was squat-ting on a mossy block of granite where alittle sunlight filtered through the darkgreen leaves. He had a pack of tarotcards carefully arranged on the stone infront of him. Approaching with noiselesssteps, Boinger looked over his shoulder.

“Play the knave on the Queen of Cups,”he said.

“Shut up,” snapped Murray. “I saw it.”“Zereth thinks he’s located the area of

the entrance. Come help him search.”“Very well.” The magician scooped up

his cards and stuffed them into a pocketin the sleeve of his gown. “Leave one ofthe fighting men on guard with the gear.”

“Of course,” said the halfling, bound-ing away.

When Zereth did manage to locate thehidden door, Olaf had to spend an hourchopping the underbrush with an axe toexpose the entrance. The stone panelslid aside at the elf’s touch. Dark gapedthe hole between two thick roots of theoverhanging trees, each thicker than aman’s body. The space between themwas barely large enough to permit theheavily built Olaf to squeeze throughsideways after stripping to his hose andleather jerkin. When the four adventur-ers had entered and all had regainedtheir gear, Boinger put flint and steel toone of their resin-soaked torches.

In the flickering orange light the tun-nel looked secure. Like most of the sur-viving ruin above, it was made of care-fully shaped blocks of granite, but downhere they were fitted together withoutmortar, their surfaces were plain andunornamented. Between the stone blocksran pale rootlets, and slender tendrils ofthem hung from the ceiling like a kind ofcobweb. The tunnel was quiet except forthe regular drip, drip, drip of moisture offthe dangling roots.

It was wide enough to walk two abreast.After a whispered conference, they setout with the elf and the fighting man in

front, Boinger and the magician behind,the halfling still carrying the smoky torch.They had gone half a league when thecorridor began to branch in all direc-tions. Their progress was slowed as theybriefly explored each passage and mark-ed them with chalk on the stones, andmade searches for more secret doors.

Boinger was first to notice the men-ace. A tendril of tree root hung downalong the wall in front of him, about asthick as heavy twine ... no, almost asthick as one of his own stubby fingers....No, thicker still ... the thing was growingat an alarming rate! In the short time ittook the halfling to call to his compan-ions, the root had grown until it was asbroad as a man’s torso — and it waswrithing across the stone floor at themlike a blind boa constrictor. Boingerdarted forward and thrust the torch at it.The root-thing sizzled but did not burn.

Olaf stepped forward; with four blowsof his two-handed battle axe he severedthe thing so that it lay like a log acrossthe passageway. Boinger poured oil onthe still-wriggling stump and set it afire.

“Two more coming down the corridorbehind us,” gasped Murray. The adven-turers looked back. Sure enough, likepallid worms the questing tentacles werefumbling into the torchlight.

“More oil,” said Olaf. The two of themclimbed over the downed root, andBoinger drenched it with the rest of theoil from the flask he had already opened.In moments the corridor was filled withhot, smoky flame and a smell like cookedcarrots. The advancing roots reachedthe fire, touched it, withdrew slightly,and remained a safe distance from theadventurers on the other side of theblaze.

“They still nearly fill the corridor,” saidBoinger as he peered through the flames.

“Nought to do but go on,” gruntedOlaf. “Any up ahead?”

“Not to be seen,” said Zereth. “Let usmove forward without delay. The pres-ence of such bizarre guardians maymean we are close to the treasure trove.”

“How much oil do we have left?” askedMurray, coughing in the smoke. A hasty

44

count turned up another four flasks.“How about a fire spell of some kind?”

asked Boinger.The magician glared at him from under

shaggy brows. “You want a fire ball inclosed space at such short range?” hesnarled. “We’d probably all be burned todeath in the blast.”

“Can you do a fire ball?” asked thethief, who genuinely wanted to see whatone looked like. They moved down thepassage away from the burning root.They found a side chamber which ap-peared empty. Probing a branching cor-ridor revealed it to be choked with amass of roots.

“Somethin’ behind ’em,” judged Olaf.“Perhaps,” Zereth agreed, “but we fin-

ish exploring the main corridor beforetrying to cut our way through that mess.There’s no telling how far it extends.” Allof them were thinking that their escaperoute might be barricaded by similarmasses of enlarging roots. But there wasnothing to do but go on.

I hope there’s more than one way outof this place, the halfling thought.

The corridor brought them to a seriesof larger stone-walled chambers. “Thislooks more like it,” Boinger said, his dis-position brightening at the thought ofloot.

The first room they entered was acrypt. The sarcophagi had all been brok-en into by the questing roots. They weresmall tendrils here, like long fingers fro-zen in the act of dipping into treasureboxes. They did not move as the adven-turers approached. The heavy stone cof-fin lids had been pushed aside; massesof pale rootlets filled each container, dis-rupting and displacing the bones within.Boinger raised his torch: still no move-ment. Olaf guarded the entrance whileZereth searched the far wall for anotherexit, and Boinger began to investigatethe burial vaults.

The halfling spied the gleam of goldand gems in the first sarcophagus hesearched. Holding the torch high in hisright hand, he cautiously inserted his leftarm into the coffin and the mass of damprootlets. Still there was no movement, nosudden rush of growth by the roots.Boinger was horrified to see a root thathad grown through two jeweled rings sothat it wore them like an immensely long,pale finger.

“Murray,” he said, “you hold the light.I’m going to need both hands to get any-thing out of here.”

“Here’s another door,” said Zereth,opening the panel, sword in hand, as themage moved to assist the halfling in histhievery.

“Something coming down the corri-dor,” said Olaf. “Thor’s hammer, more ofthose giant roots!”

Boinger drew his magic dagger fromthe bandolier of blades across his chest.“Oil the floor at the door and keep them

February 1982 Dragonout,” he suggested. He cut a handful ofclinging rootlets and drew a gold-platedhelmet out of the sarcophagus.

“There is a hole in the ceiling of thisnext room,” Zereth reported, after peer-ing intently into the darkness. “It may bewe’ve found a way out.”

Olaf got a pool of oil ignited just as thepursuing roots reached the doorway. Asthe flames leaped up he withdrew intothe room and immediately began pokingwith his axe handle into the neareststone coffin. Almost at once, the rootswent into action, swelling and growing,pouring up out of the open sarcophaguslike an overturned pot of needles. Thefighting man cried out and jumped back,but the roots had taken possession of hisaxe. In no time, they twined about it insuch profusion that the heavy oakenhandle snapped.

Olaf drew his broadsword. Boingeressayed to cut that grisly finger-like rootand slip away with its jeweled ornamen-tation. But suddenly the coffin over whichhe knelt was acrawl with expanding root-lets. Barely did the little thief get hishands back out unsnared. The magiciancried out and jumped, dropping the torch.The flames from the oil cast flickeringshadows on the walls, exaggerating themovements of the masses of rootlets si-multaneously descending from the ceil-ing and boiling up out of the sarcophagi.

“They are closing in on the door,”called Zereth anxiously. “Out, and bequick about it!”

Boinger caught up the torch droppedby the fleeing magician. Peering into thenext open coffin, he glimpsed an ambervial tossed upon a sea of rising rootlets.He paused....

“Boinger!” Zereth’s voice was muffled.By the time the halfling leaped the lastfour feet to the door, the portal was co-vered with roots bigger around than hisarm.

“Zereth!” he cried. Boinger heard ananswering shout, heard the clatter ofsteel against wood. The halfling backedaway from the clogged doorway, pursuedby half a dozen twisting, writhing roots.

Backing up to the fire-filled oppositedoorway, striking at the questing ten-drils with his magic dagger still clutchedin his right hand, Boinger fumbled for hislast flask, tried to surround himself with aring of burning oil. As the flames in thedoorway died down, he saw that thegreat mass of the giant root beyond itclearly filled the passage. At the far doorthe shouts of his comrades grew fainteras the roots there thickened and twinedin amongst each other.

The ring of flames he created gave thetrapped halfling a moment’s respite. Hetook off his backpack, his quiver andbow, his coil of rope, and his shield andput them at his feet. Then he set himself,magic dagger in one hand and flamingtorch in the other, to battle for time as

best he could. What plan of rescue hiscompanions would concoct, he couldnot imagine. But he hoped their fertileminds would come up with somethingsoon. Now, as his burning oil was dyingdown, the entire room seemed to fill withmassive growing roots, pressing evercloser and closer to Boinger until he wasforced to crouch, his face still protectedand illuminated by the smoldering torch,with pale, scorched roots forms all abouthim.

And now the stone floor began tobuckle under his feet as the mighty rootsbored into cracks and crevices. Therewas only one thing left to do. Boingersheathed his dagger and reached intothe bottom of his pack for the magic bag.Quickly he thrust all of his gear into themouth of the bag, took a last look around,and pulled the sack over his head.

* * *

He seemed to fall a long way in dark-ness. Then he was able to see; some-thing bounced and caught him, and he

was lying on a thick net of ropes. The nethad broken his fall, and he was apparent-ly unharmed.

Boinger was in an irregular stone-walled chamber, probably a cave. A dim,fitful light from a primitive lamp gave himquick glimpses of the details of his sur-roundings. Crates, boxes, bales of goodsand wooden tubs covered most of thefloor. Boinger hung suspended in the nethalfway up one wall; beneath him it wasat least a twenty-foot drop to the cavefloor.

“Hey! Visitors!” a gruff voice boomedout.

Two ugly gnomes appeared amidstthe storehouse of goods on the cavernfloor. One carried a slender ladder, theother a spear.

“It’s a halfling!” one of the little crea-tures laughed. “Hey, shorty, shinny ondown this.” He raised the ladder andpropped it against the ropes on the edgeof the net, and Boinger descended wari-ly. But when he reached the floor, theother gnome pushed the point of thespear between his shoulder blades.

45

“Awright, runt,” said the gnome. “Dropyer pack and yer belts, we ain’t takin’ nochances with you.”

“Let’s talk,” suggested Boinger. “I’mmost glad to have escaped being squeez-ed into root beer. I’d be glad to arrange asuitable reward...”

“Suitable reward of silence,” said thegnome, digging the sharp point of thespear between the links of the halfling’schain mail jacket, “is best preserved bysudden death!”

But instead of killing him, the twognomes locked Boinger in a stone cellwith an iron grill for a door. The littlecave contained nothing but the filth leftbehind by its previous occupants. One ofthe gnomes brought him a tin cup ofwater and a piece of stale bread.

“Why don’t we discuss what you mightdo with me?” asked the halfling, but thegnome only grunted and walked away.Boinger waited to see if either of themwould return, but he heard only the faintmurmur of voices at the far side of thecave by the net. After searching his celland eating the bread crust, the little thieflay down on a fairly clean area of thestone floor and took a nap.

* * *

“Here he is, Grink.”“You!” the ugly bag dealer cried in

surprise. “You! Where’s my magic sack?”Boinger explained, finishing with a

question of his own: “And where’s mystolen statue?”

Grink’s homely face melted into a grin.“Sold. We turned a nice profit on thatone. But now you’ve gone and lost mymagic sack, you idiot.”

“I’d be glad to go back and get it foryou,” the halfling offered.

“No, my thoughtless thief,” sneeredGrink, “The slave market at Mar’koosh isa good fate for you — you’ll end your lifechained to a galley oar.”

“Just don’t sell me to the harem of theAmazon Queen,” pleaded Boinger withhope in his heart, but his tormentor hadalready turned away.

“Or perhaps I’ll notify the temple ofDagon,” said the evil gnome. A chilltrickled up Boinger’s spine. This hasgone far enough! he thought to himself.Fun is fun, but Dagon is no joke.

As soon as Grink was out of sight be-hind a bale of silks and furs, the halflingpulled an iron wire out of the top of hisboot and went to work on the lock of hiscell door.

He was out in ten minutes, but by thenGrink had apparently left. Creeping quiet-ly among the stores of goods, Boingerlocated his two guards. They were seat-ed at a low table playing dice, and behindthem was a narrow passage in the rockthat looked invitingly like an exit fromthe cave.

Under the table, however, was a large


dark shadow that moved as Boingerwatched. I should have, he thought,never even suspected that Grink wouldleave this place guarded by a pair ofstupid gnomes. Two fiery red eyesopened and fixed their gaze on his hid-ing place.

Boinger jumped up on the nearestcrate. With a hideous snarl the greatblack hound leaped out from under thetable. There was not a weapon anywhereto be had, so the halfling jumped downon the far side of the crate and ran backtoward the big net.

“What?” said one gnome. “Who?” saidthe other. The huge hound was gone intothe shadows. They gathered their wea-pons and a torch and followed.

Boinger slowed briefly to pick up aheavy box — probably gold and jewels,he thought, but it was nailed shut. Hethrew it at the hound. The beast openedhis pitch black jaws and a blast of flamecame out. Boinger rolled sideways, es-caping the direct effects of the flame butgetting singed all down one side. Hejumped up again and ran as though thevery hounds of hell were at his heels.

Now Boinger was against the far wall,with no place to hide. He began to climbthe wall. The hound neared the wall,skidded to a stop and opened his eviljaws to breathe once again.

Then abruptly there came a thump inthe net, a sharp exclamation, and thetwang of a familiar bow. A silver arrowappeared in the hound’s throat; anotherburied itself in its hairy chest. The beastcoughed smoke and fire.

Boinger was out of reach of the houndby now, clinging to the lowest strands ofthe net. The gnomes yelled in panic, andone shrieked in pain as another of theelf’s arrows found its mark. Boingerclimbed into the net, burned, exhaustedand joyous.

“Oh, Zereth, Zereth,” he chortled. “Youarrived in the very nick of time.”

“Take this,” snapped his dark friend,pulling his sword from its sheath andpassing it over, “while I find a few moreshafts for your pet there.”

“I should have known you’d followme.”

“Of course,” said Zereth, balancingdelicately on the swaying net to nockanother arrow. “You left with all the lootin your pockets, after all.”

Eight arrows and a brief hand-to-handfight later the duo found themselves inpossession of the cave. Now Boingercould ask his friend how he had gottenback to where the bag was.

“Well,” said the elf, “I remembered

46

how valuable you thought it to be....” Thehalfling gave a snort of disgust.

“We’d better arrange a surprise for ourfriend Grink before he returns,” he said.

“You can tell me the whole story whenwe’re settled.” Boinger smashed openthe chest he had thrown at the hound. Itwas filled with jewelry. “At least we’ll beable to pay back the magician,” he said.

* * *

“The magician levitated himself outthe top of the underground room with arope,” said Zereth. “Olaf and I followedup the rope just ahead of the tree roots.On the forest floor, though, it was ob-vious which of the trees grew above theroom where you were trapped. I per-suaded Murray to fireball the tree trunk,which stopped the root growth, at leastin the immediate vicinity. Then all wehad to do was go back down and chopour way into the burial chamber.”

He smiled slightly. “It took all day, and,of course, you were gone when we gotthere, but the bag was still there. It wasn’thard to guess what had happened.”

“Zereth, I cannot ever...”The elf cut off Boinger’s words of ap-

preciation. “Just don’t borrow any moresacks,” said Zereth, “unless you knowwhat’s at the bottom of them.”


Aiming forrealism inarchery:

Longer ranges,truer targets

by Robert Barrow

Archery is an aspect of combat in D&D® and AD&D™ adven-turing which is often misunderstood or neglected. The follow-ing guidelines are suggested for players to improve their char-acters’ use of the bow and arrow inside and outside the dun-geon. The main emphasis of this article is on the practical(non-magical) use of archery.

The range of rangesReasonable range figures are needed to measure a weapon’s

effectiveness. The game rules establish an outdoor maximumrange of 210 yards; however, a modern hunting bow is onlygiven an effective range of “about 60 yards.” (EncyclopediaBritannica, p. 265)

To help resolve this apparent discrepancy, consider the fol-

lowing information on scores from English archery tourna-ments. English archers use a 48-inch-diameter target in tour-nament competition. Since a 48-inch target is about the sametarget area as a man’s body, these archers’ scores can beexamined and compared for use in game terms.

A compilation of the twelve highest tournament results dur-ing a one-year period shows that the “hit” percentages of Eng-land’s finest archers at three ranges were: 92% hits at 60 yards,81% at 80 yards, and 54% hits at 100 yards distance. The bestarchers for an entire year of tournament competition stillscored complete misses 46% of the time when firing at a targetthe size of a man at 100 yards range (Archery, p. 240). And thesescores were achieved using slow, deliberate fire at a stationarytarget.

To more closely reflect the reality described by those tour-nament results, the following table is offered as a more accu-

47


rate way of determining missile fire resolution results for man-sized targets.

“To hit” table for arrow fire(Roll d% according to range)

Range % Range % Range %10 yds 140 100 yds 54 190 yds 920 130 110 48 200 430 120 120 43 210 340 110 130 38 220 250 100 140 34 230 160 92 150 29 240+ (see)70 86 160 24 below)80 81 170 1990 67 180 14

Assuming that very powerful bows are used, the followingsystem can be used to produce “to hit” chances for longerranges:

At 240 yards, a roll of 10 or higher on d20 must first be made;then roll percentile dice and use the 1% figure listed for 230yards. At 250 yards, the number needed on d20 increases to 11or higher — and again, if that roll is made, then a “to hit” roll ismade with percentile dice as for 230 yards. As the range in-creases by 10 yards, the number needed on d20 increases byone, until the upper limit of 340 yards (requiring a roll of 20) isreached.

If the dice roll yields the indicated percentage or lower, a hithas been scored, and combat is resolved normally from thatpoint on. For instance, At 70 yards a roll of 86 or lower isrequired. If 87 or higher is rolled, the arrow missed the target.

Some of the percentages at extremely short range are greaterthan 100 percent. In these cases, an arrow is fired using thenormal combat tables, but if a miss results on this “to hit” roll,the remainder over 100% from the above table is now used togive the archer a “second chance.” For instance, if an archertakes a shot at a target 20 yards away and does not get a highenough number on his normal “to hit” roll, there is still a 30%chance (the difference between 130% and 100%) that the shotwill score a hit anyway. If a roll of percentile dice is 30 or lower,the shot scored a hit after all, and damage is calculatedaccordingly.

This table assumes a stationary target. If the target moves,some penalties should be counted to the shooter’s chance tohit. The Leomund’s Tiny Hut column in issue #45 of DRAGONmagazine has some excellent suggestions on adjusting oddsfor motion. A suggested range would be from –2 (–10%) forwalking figures up to –7 (–35%) for targets astride a trottingmount.

The 210-yard maximum range given in the game rules is aquite reasonable limit for normal men. The added ranges out to230 yards (and to 340 yards for extra-powerful bows) are in-cluded to reflect the Robin Hood type archer. A table such asthe one above simply limits the odds of hitting something at thelonger ranges. At long range, an archer would not fire at any-thing less than a small army in close formation.

Firing at very long rangeMany claims are made about the greatest distance an archer

can accurately fire an arrow. A modern hunting bow (for use inbagging wild game) can fire an arrow almost 300 yards; howev-er, it has an effective range of only 60 yards. The 300-yard shotsrequire special arrows and near-ideal weather conditions. Thisevidence is in sharp contrast with other sources claiming thatan English longbow archer could hit a man at 400 yards.

An investigation into long-distance shooting promptly raisesgrave doubts about shooting at a man standing 400 yards away.As one source says, “Actual distances normally shot by Englisharchers is between 60 and 265 yards, with most of them cluster-ing between 160 and 200 yards.” (Native American Bows, p. 36)

Also, consider the conditions under which competitions arejudged: “At present the usual outdoor range at which the Royal

Company practice is 180 yards; one prize is shot for at 200. Allarrows landing within 24 feet of the target count.” (Archery,p. 220) These archers count points for just getting their arrowswithin a 24-foot-diameter circle at a range of 200 yards. It seemshighly unlikely that archers of even such high skill as thesewould endanger a man at 400 yards.

Practical testing on long-distance shooting with an Englishlongbow proved that an average man could shoot almost 300yards (using modern arrows which go about one-third fartherthan their ancestors), and that a man of exceptional physiquemight attain a further 50 yards after considerable practice.(Archery, p. 340)

These tests were conducted under nearly ideal weather con-ditions, and with special lightweight arrows custom-made forthese long-distance shoots. “Many men who shoot with somesuccess at the 180 and 200 yard targets are in the habit of usingordinary target arrows; but there is no doubt that to shoot anylonger distance an arrow of lighter make, and offering lessresistance to the wind, is required.” (Archery, p. 251)

Target sizesA target about the size of a man is some 6 feet by 2 feet in area.

A humanoid target twice as tall (12 feet) would be about 4 feetwide (48 square feet in area) to stay in perspective. Mathemati-cally speaking, if you double the size, you quadruple the targetsize, A man 18 feet tall would be three times as tall and threetimes as wide as a normal man, or 9 times larger in terms oftarget area. Targets smaller than the standard figure (a 6-footman) will vary by an inverse proportion. An object that is half astall will be only one-fourth of the target area.

The Leomund’s Tiny Hut article in DRAGON #45 contains achart that is mathematically inaccurate. For instance, the chartindicates that a man 12 feet tall is only 175 percent of the targetsize of a 6-foot man. As described above, the correct figuresshould be 400% for the 12-foot man, 100% for the 6-footer.

48


Mathematically correct figures for various target sizes arelisted in the first table following. The table immediately follow-ing the size factor table lists compromise figures between thoseproven by real life and those proven by mathematicalcalculations.

When these tables are used, the basic subtractions of –2 “tohit” at medium range and –5 at long range, as given in the rules,do not apply. The table already reflects the necessary targetsize and range adjustments.

Target Percent of human size Mathema-height DRAGON tically(feet) issue #45 accurate

24211815131210½976½65432½21½

525% 1600%375-500 1225%300-350 900%

225-275% 625%200% 467%175% 400%150% 313%125% 225%110% 133%105% 117%100% 100%

90% 70%75% 45%50% 25%40% 17%30% 11%20% 6%

1 10% 3%5% 1%2% .25%.5% .03%

½ (6 in.)¼ (3 in.)1 inch

“To hit” percentages according to target size and rangeTarget Veryheight long

24 60%21 45%18 32%15 23%13 18%12 15%

10½ 13%9 8%7 6%

6½ 5%6 4%5 3%4 2%3 1%

2½ 1%2 0%

1½ 0%1 0%

½ (6 in.) 0%¼ (3 in.) 0%1 inch 0%

Long Med. Short92% 124% 172%81% 117% 164%71% 110% 156%63% 103% 148%57% 96% 140%52% 89% 132%47% 82% 124%42% 75% 116%37% 68% 108%33% 61% 100%29% 54% 92%25% 47% 84%21% 40% 76%17% 33% 68%14% 26% 60%10% 19% 52%6% 12% 44%3% 5% 36%2% 3% 28%1% 2% 20%0% 1% 12%

Pointblank232%225%215%205%193%181%170%160%148%137%126%116%105%

94%83%72%61%49%39%28%17%

Note: The ranges in the above table are measured asfollows: very long = 176-230 yards; long = 120-175 yards;medium = 81-119 yards; short = 26-80 yards; and pointblank = up to 25 yards.

The arrow during a melee roundIn almost every combat situation, an arrow either hits or

misses before the melee turn or round is completed. A meleeturn in the D&D rules lasts 10 seconds; an arrow only stays inthe air for eight or nine seconds at best. (Archery, p. 89) Thearrow travels so fast — between 120 and 200 feet per second(Encyclopedia Britannica, p. 260) — that the flight of an arrowaimed along a fairly flat trajectory at a target typically not veryfar away does not consume measurable time.

A trained English longbowman could fire an arrow aboutonce every three seconds. This rate is some three shots permelee round. All of these arrows would arrive during the turn orround when they were fired. The sole exception would be athird arrow fired at a very long range target.

The archer and all his weaponsThe bow is for use at a distance. Close combat calls for

another weapon. In hand-to-hand fighting conditions, anarcher drops his bow and seizes a hand weapon. Historically,archers used other weapons: Bowmen often selected an axe ora leaden maul for combat. (Archery, p. 114-115) Cutting wea-pons were also frequently employed.

Nevertheless, an archer’s main weapon is the bow and arrow.A very powerful bow is not required (ABC’s of Archery, p. 117).A normal male uses a bow with about a 45-pound pull. A heavybow requires about 60 pounds of force to draw the arrow back.A heavy bow is needed for shooting at very long range.

The bow has proven a highly effective weapon of war forthousands of years. Limited in range, it is very deadly within thelimitations. With rules to reflect these limits, archery can be amuch more instrumental part of D&D or AD&D combat.

Suggested reading listEncyclopedia Britannica Vol. 2, William Benton, publisher,

Chicago, London, Toronto, 1959C. J. Longman and H. Walrond, Archery, Frederick Ungar

Publishing Co., New York, 1894T. M. Hamilton, Native American Bows, George Shumway

Publishers, York, Pa., 1972G. Howard Gillelan, ABC’s of Bow & Arrow, Stackpole Com-

pany, Harrisburg, Pa., 1967

49


Bowmanshipmade moremeaningful

by Carl Parlagreco

There is a certain simplicity to the rule systems for, bows andarrows in the D&D® and AD&D™ games which I have foundrather irksome, especially in light of my own (admittedly meag-er) experience with archery. The first problem is the relativeease with which characters pick up the ability to use a bow. TheEnglish yeoman must begin training as a boy, but the 4th-levelfighter who decides to obtain expertise in a bow can pick it up inthe time it takes to gain a new level — certainly nowhere nearthe amount of time the English yeoman put into it.

To make acquisition of bowmanship skills more difficult,triple the normal non-expertise penalty for bows. Each timesomeone takes expertise in a bow, the penalty is reduced by 1plus their dexterity bonus to hit (if it applies), with a minimumreduction of 1 in all cases. So a fighter with an 18 dexteritywould gain a 4-point reduction of the penalty each time he orshe took expertise, while a fighter with a 5 dexterity, whospends a lot of time fumbling around with the thing, won’t get asgood as quickly, and the non-proficiency penalty will be re-duced by only 1 each time.

This penalty is not applicable to elves, since elves seem tohave the same sort of relationship with bows as they have withmagic — a very close one.

The next subject is how much strength is needed to properlyoperate a certain type of bow. To be sure, this has been ac-counted for somewhat in the range factors, but still there issomething missing. What happens if adventurers pick up the

A longbow isn’talways astrongbow

The chart printed with this article wasdeveloped from an idea submitted toDRAGON™ magazine by Robert Bowling,who suggested to us that the AD&D™weapon statistics could be expanded toallow for bows of varying strengths. Ro-bert provided a chart which listed bowsaccording to the pounds of force neededto use the weapon effectively, the min-imum strength required for a characterattempting to employ a bow of a certainstrength, and the amount of damagedone by a hit with an arrow from thatbow.

It was a good idea, which staff memberGali Sanchez made even better by revis-ing and expanding the bow statistics intothe chart which appears with this text. Itshould be noted that the figures pre-sented here are not designed to be usedwith all of the information in the otherarticles in this section. In some cases,statistics from two of these articles mayactually contradict each other, and atsuch times it is left to the reader to makethe final judgement about which systemis better suited to his wants and needs.

Classifying bows — specifically thecomposite long bow — in terms of thestrength of the bow is justified from thestandpoint of realism: Bows of varyingamounts of “pull” do exist. According toan authority on archery we spoke to, amodern-day archer of average abilitywill be able to capably operate a bow inthe 45-70 pound range when hunting ortarget shooting. The minimum strengthneeded for a fighter or assassin to usethe least powerful average-type bow (45-pound) is 12. Fighters with a strength

50

lower than 12 will have to settle for profi-ciency in a bow of below-average power,resulting in penalties for the determina-tion of ranges, “to hit” and damage fig-ures. An arrow fired from a bow of 40pounds or less will only do 1-4 points ofdamage instead of the standard 1-6.

On the other end of the chart, onlyfighters with exceptional (18/01 or great-er) strength will be able to operate a bowof more than 100 pounds. Bows withgreater power benefit the user by offer-ing longer range capability, less severe“to hit” penalties at medium and longrange, and gradually improved damagepotential. However, note that a characterusing a bow under this system does notreceive a bonus to damage by virtue ofabove-average (16 or better) strength.Instead, the damage adjustment given inthe chart is added to the base 1-6 pointsdone by the arrow. Archers with strengthof 17 or greater will enjoy an even betterdamage adjustment than is provided forin the AD&D rules, because the increaseis a function of the improved quality ofthe bow rather than the muscle powerused to operate it.

The damage-adjustment rule can workin the other direction for a character whoisn’t using the most powerful bow he canpossibly employ. For instance, a fighterwith 18/51 strength and a fighter of 11strength will both do only 1-4 points ofdamage if they’re firing from 30-poundbows, and will abide by the same rangeand “to hit” requirements even thoughtheir strengths are drastically different.With a system like this, a fighter or as-sassin is well advised to shop around for

February 1982 Dragonbow of Odysseus? A great weapon, but who could string it?How much trouble would someone with a strength of 3 havetrying to string a very powerful longbow? To deal with thissituation, use the following table:

Bow typeBow, composite, longBow, composite, shortBow, longBow, shortCrossbow, heavyCrossbow, light

Strength needed(min.) (max.)16 18/7615 18/5012 18/01

8 1516 18/0015 18/60

The strength maximums and minimums can be thought of inmuch the same way as racial limitations. They are not fixedpermanently; these are just the values I came up with. If some-one prefers the short bow to be strength 3-9 and the long bowstrength 10-18, for instance, those changes can easily be made.

To be able to use a bow effectively, a character must have astrength at least equal to the minimum on the chart. If thecharacter is weaker than the bow, hit probability is seriouslyaffected, by a factor of –2 for each point of strength lower. (Toomuch effort is going into drawing the bow as opposed to aimingit.) Optionally, crossbows may be cocked readily enough byanyone with a strength as much as 2 lower than the listedminimum. Mechanical cocking devices would eliminate strengthconsiderations entirely in cocking the crossbow (or you could

the strongest bow he’s capable of using.And, although comparative prices andmanufacturing times aren’t discussed inthis article, it is logical that 60-poundbows would be much more abundant onthe shelves of weapon shops, and mucheasier to obtain, than those of substan-tially greater power.

The 60-pound bow was the norm be-fore modification of the range, “to hit”and damage figures. Statistics for thattype of bow are the same as the figuresgiven for the composite long bow in theAD&D rules. Figures for bows strongeror weaker than 60 pounds are graduallyaltered to provide a definite differencebetween each bow and the ones adja-cent to it on the chart. For instance, the50-pound bow differs from the “official”60-pound bow by having its maximumlong range cut from 210 to 200 yards,and the 70-pound bow is slightly super-ior to the 60-pound bow in that the “tohit” adjustment at long range is only –4instead of the customary –5.

The maximum effective range of themost powerful longbow is 300 yards. Itmay seem unrealistic to assume that anyarcher — even one with 18/00 strengthand a 150-pound bow — could hit whathe was aiming at from a distance of 3football fields away. However, target-shooting contests have taken place inthe real world with contestants firing atobjects from that distance. Granted, realarchers may not be able to hit a man-sized (or even monster-sized) target atthat distance once in 10 tries — but thenagain, there aren’t any archers in the realworld with 18/00 strength, either.

Minimumstrengthrequired

L910 5 --11121314151617 2218

18/0118/5118/7618/9118/00

Poundtest

203040455060708090

100110120130140150

S5

6666667777777

Range“To hit” Damage

adj. adj.

M L S M10 15 –1 –310 18 –311 19 -- –211 19 -- –212 20 -- –212 21 -- –212 21 -- –212 21 -- –213 -- –213 22 -- –213 23 -- –214 24 -- –214 26 -- –114 28 -- –114 30 -- –1

–6–6–6–6–5–5–4–4–4–4–4–4–4–4–4

(1d4)(1d4)(1d4)(1d4)

------

+1+1 (+2)+2 (+3)+2 (+4)+3 (+5)+4 (+6)+5 (+7)+6 (+8)

have your ogre friend do it for you, but what happens when heisn’t around?). Once the crossbow is cocked, a character of anystrength would have no problem firing it.

The strength ratings can be used to determine which charac-ters can use which bows. The strengths can also determine hitprobability for the bow. I use the easiest method: The hit proba-bility for a bow according to its strength is the same as the hitprobability for a character of the same strength, with bonusesto damage also applied when they pertain.

Used individually, these two revisions in the rules could un-balance a game. Used in tandem, they counteract each othersomewhat. The first revision, by making bow expertise so hardto get, would make things tougher for player characters. Thesecond, which effectively gives a very good hit probability bo-nus to the bowman, gives players an advantage (of course,everybody has the same advantage and disadvantage, but myplayers tend not to see that). Expertise in a bow is hard to get,but once you’ve got it, you have a very useful skill.

With this revision, what happens to magical bows? Why wor-ry about a magical +1 bow in that dragon’s hoard when you canget an 18 strength bow that hits better for more damage? Hereis where the last revision comes in: Magic bows can be made tohave a new nature. Some of them always hit their target, but an18/00, or even 19 or 20 strength, is needed to draw them! Othersmay have a 15 or 17 strength for hitting and damage purposes,but may be drawn by anyone of any strength.

Good luck with your new breed of bowmen and keep yourbowstrings dry!

51


52


53


S W O R D SS L I C I N G I N T O A S H A R P T O P I C

B Y D A V I D N A L L E

For many, fantasy conjures up the im-age of a brawny barbarian brandishing aburnished blade. Alliterations aside, thesword was usually the weapon of choicefor hand-to-hand combat, be it a switch-blade or a great sword.

And, regardless of changes in designand use, the parts of the sword remainedbasically the same from the beginning ofthe Middle Ages to the present.

The blade was the essential compo-nent of a sword. Sometimes referencesto a sword include only its blade, theirreplaceable and lasting part of the

weapon. The other parts are termed ac-coutrements, which could be removed,changed or replaced.

A medieval blade usually had two cut-ting edges; ranged between 30 and 70inches in length; was pointed; and oftenincorporated design features such as ablood runnel. The blade bottom ended inthe tang, a metal spur used to attach theblade to the rest of the weapon. The tangwas thinner than the blade, usually fourto 12 inches long and an inch or so wide.On early swords the tang was welded tothe blade, but these types tended tobreak off; later, the tang was forged as anintegral part of the blade. The tang wasdesigned so that a tang nut could behammered, shrunk, or screwed onto theend to attach the pommel and hold itonto the hilt.

The guard was a forged iron cross-piece attached perpendicular at thejunction of the blade and the tang. It var-ied in size and shape, and the final formin the Middle Ages was from five to 14

inches in length. It served to keep theweapon of an opponent from sliding upthe blade and cutting the wielder’s hand.During the Renaissance guards becamemuch more complex, protecting the handfrom lighter, pointed swords.

The hilt was a covering over the lengthof the tang from the guard to the pom-mel. It was usually made from cloth orleather, textured with string or wire for abetter grip.

The pommel changed with fashionand can be used to date swords. It wasdesigned to keep the sword from slidingfrom the the wielder’s hand and also bal-anced lighter swords. It was attached tothe tang and sometimes served as a tangnut. The pommel usually was heavy me-tal, sometimes covered with cloth. Atfirst it was just a ring or crossbar, thoughlater pommels were often sculpted, or ingeometrical shapes. This most visiblepart of the sword was ornamented in anyof a number of ways. Heavy pommelsalso could be used as clubs.

Smith’s mark

Tang

GuardBlade

Tang nut

Hilt

The parts of the medieval sword, asillustrated on a typical long sword.

Note that the top drawing includes theblade and tang only; the bottom draw-

ing shows the accoutrements generallyfound on swords during the Middle

Ages.Pommel

55


Four different types of swords used bynorthern European warriors: The longsword as used by the Vikings (top left),the German spatha (top right), thebroadsword, an offspring of the spatha(bottom left), and the pointless Celticsword (bottom right).

Swords changed history and werechanged by history. The bastard sword

(top left) and two-handed sword(bottom left) were responses to

improved armor, while the falchion wasmore practical for archery units than

the broadsword (bottom right).Damascene-type swords, such as the

scimitar (top right), were prizedpossessions, while Rome’s legions

spread the gladius (bottom center).

EDGED EVOLUTION

The sword, which slowly evolved fromthe Greek spear, first came into popularuse during the Roman Empire. Threeearly types of swords developed: theCeltic sword, the Roman gladius, andthe German spatha. Though different indesign, aspects of each were eventuallyincorporated in the weapons associatedwith the age of chivalry.

From about 400 BC to AD 100 the Cel-tic sword was popular with Celtic andTeutonic tribes spread from Scotland toTurkey. (Their main concentrations werein the British Isles, the Balkans, andFrance.) The broad, flat-edged Celticblade had no real point, and was usedexclusively for cutting or hacking, mak-ing it similar in function, if not appear-ance, to the battle axe.

The blade was about 30 inches longand two inches wide. The point was

rounded to a width of about 1½ inches.There was no blood runnel, and theguard and pommel were usually eitheran iron bar or a bronze ring, usually notvery large. The function of this swordwas very similar to that of the battle axe.

The spatha was a longer sword usedmainly by the Gauls and Germans. Aspatha was usually about 50 inches longwith a three-inch-wide blade. It was acutting weapon with two edges. Somehad points, though these were usuallynot used.

The Germans spread this ancestor ofthe broadsword around Europe whileserving as mercenaries for Rome. Theblade was generally four-sided, with adiamond-shaped cross section. The pom-mel and guard were usually bars of met-al, or metal-bonded wood or bone.

The gladius was one of the finest fight-ing weapons of the period, mass pro-duced and spread by Roman legion-naires. The typical gladius was some-what less than 30 inches in length, withthe greatest blade width about 1½ inches.The blade was four- or eight-sided, verystiff, and had a sharp point.

The Roman shortsword shown in themovies is much more similar to the Celticsword than to a historical gladius. It was

56

a stabbing weapon for use against lightlyarmored troops. The guard was usually asmall bar, and the pommel was of varia-ble shape, though it was usually a heavybar or block. The cross-section of theblade was either a triangle or a squashedoctagon.

European tribes used these three earlyswords until the 9th century, when Ulf-berht, a Teuton bladesmith, developedthe broadsword, the dominant blade ofthe high Middle Ages. This was a longer,better-balanced version of the Celticsword and incorporated the length of thespatha and the point of the gladius.

Ulfberht’s sword was originally intend-ed for use against chainmail and had apoint for thrusting and an edge for cut-ting. As plate armor came into greateruse in the 13th century, Ulfberht’s designwas expanded to form the three basicsword types of the high Middle Ages: thebroadsword, the bastard sword, and thetwo-handed greatsword. Length andweight were increased in these swordsto increase cutting ability.

The broadsword followed the originaldesign. It was about 50 inches long andweighed around two pounds, and wassingle- or double-edged. The bastardsword was similar, but was intended to be


used with either one or two hands toallow a heavy double-handed blow. Bas-tard swords were about 60 inches longand weighed some four pounds. The hiltwas lengthened to leave room for twohands. The greatsword had a very longhilt to accommodate two hands withease, as it was always used with twohands. It tended to be 70 inches long andweighed up to seven pounds. Theseswords usually had triangular bladesand points, though these were omittedon some longer blades that were imprac-tical to thrust with.

(A bit of clarification to reconcile gam-ing nomenclature with historical usage:The double-edged broadsword describedabove translates into the longsword ofAD&D and D&D rules; the gaming broad-sword has a single-edged, triangularblade. The Celtic sword and gladius bothcorrespond to the short sword as de-scribed in the rules. The bastard sworddoes damage as its gaming counterpart,but only when swung with two hands.When used one-handed, the bastardsword does damage as a long sword.Lastly, the spatha should be considereda long sword for gaming purposes.)

Changes in armor design and the styleof combat prompted changes in sword

construction and the sword adapted tostay the most versatile and practicalweapon for the medieval warrior. If gun-powder had not changed warfare so rad-ically, heavy swords and armor mighthave stayed to this day. But, when thegun made armor obsolete, the swordchanged again to the light, pointed formof the post-medieval period.

After the Roman Empire, most swordswere made in Scandinavia or Germany.The most noted swordsmiths of this pe-riod were Ulfberht, Ingelrud, Romaric,Ranvik, and Eckelhardus. It was not untilthe later Middle Ages that towns insouthern Europe and the Middle Eastbecame famous for their swords. Even-tually, the Syrian city of Damascus be-came legendary for the quality of thesteel in its swords. Toledo did not achieverenown until the 15th and 16th centurieswhen higher heats allowed duplicationof Damascus’ quality.

Most swords were not made at famousforges by smiths remembered by histo-ry. Every smith had his mark, and swordsbearing hundreds of different marks sur-vive. Every town had a swordsmith andsome, like London, were large enough tohave a guild of bladesmiths and one ofhiltyers as well. Wherever knights and

57

men at arms needed weapons, smithswould be. The craft of sword forging waswidely known throughout Europe, al-though some smiths had more skill thanothers. The process was unreliable,enough so that any smith might make agreat blade, though some might neverdo so.

FORGINGTHE SWORD

In the Middle Ages swords were madefrom various grades and types of ironand steel by a number of different me-thods. Ore — and the way it was refined— and the skill of the smith determinedthe quality of the sword.

The fall of the Roman Empire alsobrought the end of its European mines.Early medieval smiths found ore wherethey could, mostly in bogs or other areasneeding little or no excavation.

Ore found in bogs contained many

Dragonimpurities that made for poor iron unlessremoved. Smelting under high heatburned some foreign matter; the smithremoved the rest by working with the hotiron.

During smelting, ore was sealed in aclay furnace that was broken up after-ward. The metal was heated to around500 degrees Centigrade, much coolerthan the 1,100 degrees used today. Aftersmelting, the remaining slag was workedout by the smith to produce wroughtiron. If too many impurities remained,the iron was resmelted.

The smelting and working methodswere not completely effective, and muchof the iron of the Dark Ages and the earlyMiddle Ages was so poor as to be worth-less in combat.

The goal in forging a sword is stiffnessand a good edge. The dangers are mak-ing the blade too stiff, softness, or brit-tleness. Western European swords tend-ed towards softness, while Easternswords were often brittle.

Swords made from plain wrought ironwere much too soft, so steel was madeby treating the hot iron with charcoal.This carbon hardening process requiredgreat care, because too much carboncould make the the sword brittle. Theideal carbon content was about .7%.

Hardness and flexibility were enhancedby tempering, the process of alternately

heating and cooling the blade. Thisdraws the carbon to the surface of theblade and spreads the carbon by ex-panding and contracting the metal. Manysubstances were tried for cooling thesteel. One quality smiths looked for wasa high boiling point, so the coolantwould not boil away when it touched thehot metal. Some of the most popularcoolants were water, oil, urine from goats,molten lead, honey, radish juice, moistclay, or, in the east, human blood. Themost effective of these were probablyurine, oil, and radish juice.

The carbon content of the blade wasoften proven during the tempering pro-cess. Blades with too much carbon couldshatter when cooled. Most smiths lostseveral swords due to this reason foreach one they completed.

The two main methods for forgingquality swords in the Middle Ages useddifferent approaches to the problem ofgenerating relatively uniform hardnessand flexibility in the blade. In the east, atechnique called Damascene was domi-nant, while a simpler method called pat-tern welding was popular in the west. Athird system called clay casing was alsoused to forge lower-quality swords.

Each of these methods leaves a dis-tinct pattern in the blade from the depos-it of carbon in the tempering process.This pattern is especially clear after a

Vol. VI, No. 8

number of years when the carbon ishighlighted by the rusting of the metal.Both Damascene and pattern weldingwere complex techniques and difficult toperfect. Damascene produced a some-what better blade, but more failed bladeswere produced in the process; patternwelding was quicker and more reliable.Clay casing was used mostly for produc-ing mass-market, single-edge bladessuch as the falchion. It was faster thanother methods, but the product was farinferior.

None of the techniques was reallyquick. A smith needed from 40 to 70hours to make a good sword, and onecommissioned by a special client mighttake weeks. In the Middle Ages, it wasimpossible to make a truly fine bladequickly.

Clay casing was a simple process. Ablade was beaten from a piece of hotsteel. The back of the blade was thencoated in clay with the edge left bare.After the clay was applied the blade wasfired again and cooled. The result wouldbe the tempering of the edge of the bladewhile the clay-covered back remainedflexible. This gave a good edge and re-tained some flexibility. The relativelysimple process took only a few hours foreach blade. The product was rather un-reliable and poor against armor. Claycasing left a distinct line of discolora-

58

February 1982 Dragontion down the length of the blade, mark-ing the high-carbon area from the softermetal.

Damascene resulted in a very highcarbon content, and a hard, sharp blade.This was achieved through repeatedtempering and working the red-hot me-tal. A Damascene blade was temperedtwice as many times as other blades,sometimes with different coolants. Temp-ering might be done as many as 25 times,with carbon content usually between.7% and 1.5%. To reach this high levelcarbon dust was added to the hot metal,melted and mixed in with the metal.

The smith worked the red-hot blade todisperse the carbon into small pocketsall through the blade. The metal wasbeaten into thin strips of different carbonlevels that were melded together in lay-ers, with the most carbon on the outside.The final working of the complete bladefixed the carbon in place as much aspossible. The ideal pattern of carbonpockets was in 40 rows running up theblade forming the “Mohammed’s ladder.”Swords with a perfect ladder fetchedremarkable prices.

In the final step the Damascene bladewas etched and polished with a mineralcalled “Zag,” then fitted with hilt, guardand pommel. Lesser blades were shippedfrom Damascus to be accoutered andsold by local smiths.

Pattern welding was the preferred tech-nique of western European smiths. Thiswas a fast and effective method of forg-ing, but in many ways was uneconomi-cal, wasting more than half of the steel inthe sharpening process.

The smith divided the hot iron into fourlong, thin bars, which were put in boxesof carbon dust. The metal absorbed thedust, becoming hard on the outside, butkeeping a soft core. This resulted in highexternal carbon content, but an overallcontent of only .2% to 1%. Next, the fourbars were heated and twisted together to

THE SWORD IN THEFANTASY CAMPAIGN

When a player asks for a special swordto be forged, the DM needs an idea of thelong and rigorous process involved inmaking a fine weapon. Swords weren’tjust stamped out by the hundreds. Eachone was a unique work, embodying theskill of a bladesmith. Swords of qualityshould not be sold cheaply and are awarrior’s mark of success. Granting afirst-class sword to a vassal is a sign ofgreat favor. because of the symbolic

produce a long cable that cooled into asingle piece and was hammered flat afterit cooled. This cable-like affair was thenfiled down to about 40% of original sizeand an edge put on. The twisting left acandy-stripe pattern of carbon lines in acriss-cross design.

The final step was to treat the bladewith acids, usually urine, acetic acid, ortannic acid, to give a good finish. Tannicacid was the best finishing acid as ithelped prevent rust. After this the accou-trements were fitted, and the blade wasready for sale.

purpose of the weapon and its great ex-pense. A lord had such a blade made as areward to his bravest general or knight.

The fine sword is a weapon of kingsand conquerors. The right to bear oneshould be reserved only for the finest of arace and should be a mark of valor.

The sword is not just a weapon, butrepresents the product of a complex andexacting art. No mere lump of iron, it cangive life — or take it away.

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Convention scheduleDUNDRACON VI, Feb. 13-15 — The famed Dunfey Hotel in SanMateo, Cal. is the site of this convention, which features SF andfantasy role-playing games. For more information, write: Dun-draCon VI, 386 Alcatraz Ave., Oakland CA 94618.

MAINECON ’82, Feb. 12-14 — All types of gaming events areplanned for the next running of this annual convention, to beheld in Portland, Maine. Persons interested in more informationshould contact John Wheeler, Mainecon ’82 director/, 245 WaterSt., Bath ME 04530.

ORCCON 1982, Feb. 13-15 — Southern California’s largeststrategy game convention and exposition. To be held at theSheraton-Anaheim Hotel, next to Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif.Wargames, fantasy games, SF games, and family game tour-naments will be featured, along with industry exhibitors andmany special events. Admission is $12 at the door for threedays, or $8 at the door for one day only. Further information isavailable from OrcCon, P.O. Box 2577, Anaheim CA 92804.

VICTORIA FANTASY & SF FAIR, Feb. 27 — A one-day eventsponsored jointly by the University of Victoria Science FictionAssociation and the Victoria Star Trek Club, to be held at theStudent Union Building at the University of Victoria in BritishColumbia, Canada. Scheduled attractions include showings ofthe films Silent Running and the original Nosferatu, a Super 8film workshop, two AD&D competitions (beginners and ex-perts), panel discussions, and trivia quizzes. Noted SF writerJack Williamson will be the guest of honor. Registration fee is$6 (Canadian) paid in advance, or $7 at the door. Interestedpersons should contact Karl Johanson, 1594 Mortimer St., Vic-toria, B.C., Canada.

FANTASYLAIR ’82, March 13-14 — Ponca City, Okla. is 2 hoursfrom Wichita, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa, and 6 hours fromDallas and K.C., according to the sponsors of this event, theNorthern Oklahoma Dungeoneers. The convention will featurecontinuous gaming of all types, including an official Pentetournament, an AD&D Open, and several other smaller AD&Dtournaments. A “Monster Mash” ball featuring a costume con-test will be held on Saturday night. Admission is $4/day formembers, $6/day for non-members, and $10/day after Feb. 1.Write: Northern Oklahoma Dungeoneers, P.O. Box 241, PoncaCity OK 74602.

STELLARCON VII — QUASICON, March 26-27 — A mini-convention scheduled for the University of North Carolinacampus in Greensboro. Films, guest speakers, a costume con-test, computer demonstrations, and many types of gamingevents will be on the agenda. For more information, send aself-addressed, stamped envelope to SF3, Box 4 E.U.C., UNC-Greensboro, Greensboro NC 27412.

MAVCON ’82, April 2-4 — A gaming convention offering fanta-sy, science fiction, and wargaming competitions. The site willbe the University of Texas in Arlington. More information isavailable by writing to MAVCON ’82, Box 19348-50, Universityof Texas, Arlington Station, Arlington TX 76019.

SPRING REVEL, April 3-4 — More fellowship and fun from TSRHobbies, including all of our — and your — favorite games,food, etc. Just drop in at the American Legion Hall, 735 HenrySt., Lake Geneva, Wis., or for more information write: SpringRevel, c/o TSR Hobbies, Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI53147. Admission prices are $3 for the weekend or $2 for oneday.

SCIENCE FICTION WEEKEND, April 8-11 — This will be alarge exposition at the Registry Hotel in Irvine, Calif., to beconcerned primarily with science fiction literature and games,but also scheduled to include tournaments for D&D players andgamers of other persuasions. The salesroom will have morethan 50 tables of merchandise which should interest SF andfantasy fans. Several special programs, panel discussions, andan awards luncheon are on the schedule. Full-time member-ships are $12 apiece in advance or $17.50 at the door. One-dayadmission prices are $5 for Thursday and Sunday and $7.50 forFriday and Saturday. Contact: Science Fiction Weekend, c/oFantasy Publishing Company, 1855 West Main St., AlhambraCA 91801.

MUNCHCON II, April 16-17 — To be held in Corbly Hall on thecampus of Marshall University in Huntington, W. Va. Guestspeakers will include Richard and Wendy Pini, Jean Lorrah,and (tentatively) L. Sprague and Catherine deCamp. Seminars,D&D tournaments, films, and an art show are on the schedule— and admission is free! For details, send a SASE to MarshallUniversity Science Fiction Society, Memorial Student Center,Marshall University, Huntington WV 25701.

CONTRETEMPS, April 23-25 — A science-fiction conventionto be held in Omaha, Neb. Further information is available bywriting to: Ship to Shore, P.O. Box 12373, Omaha NE 68112.

MARCON XVII, April 30-May 2 — The University Hilton Inn,3110 Olentangy River Road, Columbus, Ohio, is the site ofthis convention, which features guest of honor Hal Clement.Admission prices are $12.50 through April 1, $15 at the door.For more information, write to Marcon XVII, P.O. Box 2583,Columbus OH 43216.

LEXICON I, May 1 — Role-playing games, wargames, comics,and lots of other subjects will be part of this one-day event inthe Bishop Kearney High School hall in Rochester, N.Y. Formore information, write to Mike Bovard, President of the Bi-shop Kearney Gaming Association, 24 Leonard Crescent, Pen-field NY 14526.

CONQUEST III, May 28-30 — SF author Norman Spinrad willbe the guest of honor at this gaming event, to be held at theContinental Hotel, Kansas City, Mo. Tournaments are sche-duled for AD&D and TFT players, among others, and a gameroom will be open round the clock. Registration is $9 until April30, $12 thereafter. Contact: CONQUEST III, P.O. Box 32055,Kansas City MO 64111.

GRIMCON IV, May 28-31 — A fantasy and SF gaming gatheringto be held at the Oakland Hyatt House, Oakland, Calif. Theschedule includes all the usual convention attractions: films,dealers, demonstrations, and lots of tournaments. Pre-registra-tion cost is $14 for all four days. At the door, a four-day ticketwill cost $17, and single-session admission at the door is $7.More information is available by writing to GRIMCON, P.O. Box4153, Berkeley CA 94704.

M.I.G.S. III, May 30 — The Military Interests and Games Societywill stage this event at the Kitchener-Waterloo Regional PoliceAssociation Recreation Centre in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada.Tutorials, seminars, painting contests, a flea market, board-game competitions, and miniatures tournaments are amongthe events on the schedule. Contact: Les Scanlon, President ofM.I.G.S., 473 Upper Wentworth St., Hamilton, Ontario, CanadaL9A 4T6.

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by Glenn Rahman Since it can be fun to play the bad guysometimes, this variant of the second

The standard rules of the KNIGHTS edition KNIGHTS OF CAMELOT rulesOF CAMELOT™ Game encourage a play- will outline the method by which a braveer to increase his virtue and his skill at knight may depart from the paths ofarms until he can convince King Arthur virtue.to dub him a knight of the Round Table.Yet, readers of the legends of Arthur will Beginning the gamebe aware that few knights met the stand- Until the player decides to make hisards of those who aspired to Camelot. character a Knave, the standard rules areMany rough, ill-natured knights spent in effect. Where the Knave differs fromtheir days robbing, slaying, and chal- the Knight is in his indifference to thelenging the honor of British maidenhood. glow of Camelot, in his desire to beIn the course of their lives, they expe- feared in Britain, to reap fortune andrienced excitement and peril equal to pleasure by means fair and foul.any known by the knights of the Round Even after the character becomes aTable. If the knights of Camelot did not Knave, all the rules hold except wherehave these knaves to foil and chasten, stated otherwise. For example, althoughthe legends of Arthur would have been the character is a Knave, it is probableso impoverished that only a few experts that he will earn various amounts of Chi-would have bothered to read them at all. valry and Virtue Points. He will be likely

61

Dragonto compete in Tournaments and partakein Adventures. Except where abrogatedby this variant, all the usual awards andpenalties apply to the Knave.

How to win as a KnaveA player wins as a Knave if his charac-

ter is the first Knave to acquire ten KnaveVictory Points (KVP) by committing Actsof Villainy.

There are several different Acts of Vil-lainy. A Knave may commit a single typeof Act any number of times, but he ispenalized for his lack of variety; that is,the number of times he must commit thesame Act in order to earn another KVPkeeps doubling. For example, if a Knaveslays a good Knight, he chalks up one

Vol. VI, No. 8

KVP. But this same Knave must slay twomore good Knights to earn a secondKVP with the same Act. Should he wishto earn a third point by killing goodKnights, he must slay four more. If hehopes to earn ten KVP’s solely by thissingle type of Act of Villainy, the Knavewill have to slay 1,791 good Knights — ahopeless task, as there are only 75 non-player Knights in the game. Clearly, aKnave will win more quickly if he com-mits as many different types of Acts ofVillainy as he can.

The Acts of VillainyA. Distressing a Lady: If a Knave in-

tends to Distress an encountered Lady,he must first defeat any companionswith her. If the Lady is not accompanied,the Knave makes a Luck Roll. If it fails,one Knight will hear the Lady’s screamand combat the Knave in her behalf.

When there is no one left to defend theLady, she will defend herself — first byEnchantment attempt (if an Enchantress)and then, if necessary, by using onecombat die.

Since the Knave’s wish is to distressand not to slay, he must defeat her bare-handed (one die). However, since Ladiesdo not use shields, he receives a +2 com-bat add. Performing the Act of Villainycosts the Knave a 6 VP penalty.

A defeated Lady may be forced to ac-company a Knave to one of his Castlesand be Imprisoned.

B. Imprisoning Persons: A King,Knight or Lady whom the Knave person-ally defeats may be forced to accompanyhim to one of his Castles and be thereinImprisoned (see “Player Jailors,” page22 of the rule book). The Act of Villainy iscompleted when the prisoner enters thecontrolled Castle.

If another Player Knight or Knave (PK)wishes to free any of the Knave’s prison-ers, he may do so as per “Rescuing aPrisoner,” page 22 of the rule book. A PKreceives 6 VP for each prisoner he frees.Additionally, he wins the friendship ofthose he rescues.

Should a Knave happen to Imprisonthe Lord or Lady of another PK, that PK

immediately receives the Message thathis “Lady (Lord) is Imprisoned” (page 23of the rule book). Until he or she is freed,the Imprisoned Lord or Lady cannotgrant Requests.

A Knave may free his own prisoner.However, this action will erase his creditfor an Act of Villainy for taking theprisoner.

C. Looting a Shrine: To commit thisAct, the Knave must enter the Shrine andannounce his intent to Loot it. A die isrolled; on a 1-3, that number of Knightswill appear to defend the Shrine; on a4-6, no one will appear. To bring off thisact successfully, any defenders must bedefeated. Looting a Shrine penalizes theKnave 12 VP.

D. Piracy: A Knave who turns piratecommits an Act of Villainy if he attacksand defeats any non-pirate ship uponthe seas. This includes any non-pirateship carrying another PK, as well as non-player Merchant Ships.

To encounter a non-player MerchantShip, the Knave player rolls the Sea En-counter dice (Page 27 of the rule book).If the result is “No encounter,” the pirati-cal Knave may read it as “Merchant ShipSighted.” If it comes up anything otherthan “No encounter,” the standard rulesare followed. Non-player Pirates may at-tack a Knave-pirate’s Ship.

To determine the strength of the Mer-chant Ship, the Knave player draws arandom Ship counter. On the basis of itsprinted strength, the Knave must decidewhether or not to attack it.

Only after he has committed himself tothe attack may the Knave player roll twodice to determine what passengers maybe on board the Merchant Ship:

Dice Merchant Ship PassengersGhost Ship: no passengers, nocrew. The superstitious pirates arefrightened and maroon the Knavefor a Jonah. Treat as a “Shipwreck”(page 27 of the rule book).

3 Druid; attempts to Enchant.4 1-6 Knights (determine number at

random).5 Possible Knights. Roll 1 die and

subtract 3, yielding 1-3 Knights, orno Knights at all.A Dwarf.No passengers.A Lady; possible Knights (see #5).A Priest; treat him as a GoodlyHermit Man.

2

6789

10 Disguised pirates. Combating thisship is not an Act of Villainy. Draw7 Brigand chits to serve as the pi-rate ship crew.King with 0-5 Knights. Roll one dieto determine number of Knights;on a roll of 6, the King is alone.Magic Ship. The PK is immediatelywhisked away to Faerie alone. Theusual 12 VP award is not given tothe PK.

11

12

62

February 1982 DragonWhen a Knave-pirate attacks another

vessel, his Ship fights first, then himself,then his companion Knights. The Knave’sship is not eliminated until the Knave hasfought and been defeated. If the PK pref-ers to fight before his Ship (perhaps towin CP’s, VP’s or SP’s), he may; but whenthe pirates of his crew see both theKnave and his knightly companions de-feated, they will leave the PK behind andflee.

If the Knave-pirate is defeated, he willcontinue on with the enemy ship to arandomly determined port or coast,where he will disembark. Any Knight’sFate which could not be enacted uponthe sea will be put into effect immediate-ly upon landing. If the Fate is to be Impri-soned, the Knave is placed in a Castle atonce.

If there is no Knightly character to givethe Knave his Knight’s Fate, the defeatedPK’s Fate is automatically Imprisonment.He is placed in the Castle of the King orProvincial Lord of the area in which theShip lands. If sent to “Logres-5” (nocoast), the Ship’s destination is random:1-2, Brittany; 3-4, Gaul; 5-6, Benwick.

The kings of Britain resent Piratespreying on their coasts, so it is wise forthe Knave to keep moving. If a Knavecaptures a non-piratical vessel in a SeaArea and then remains in that Sea Area,the next Merchant Ship he encounterson an Encounter roll of “7” will be a war-ship dispatched to fight Pirates — and itwill contain 1-6 Knights. Combat withthe warship is compulsory.

E. Seizing a Castle by Storm: Suc-cessfully Storming a Castle (see page 22of the rule book), if done for the purposeof controlling the Castle in future gameturns, is an Act of Villainy.

The Knave may not Storm the Castleof his own Lord or Lady. Otherwise, anyCastle may be Stormed. Camelot will bedefended by 2-12 Knights; any Knavewho successfully Storms Camelot mustdeal with an automatic counter-storm by1-6 Knights on each turn when he doesnot make a successful Luck Roll. TakingCamelot and holding it for three com-plete turns earns the Knave an additional1 KVP.

If the lord of the Castle is a King, thatKing will defend himself in his throneroom. The use of horses or lances isprohibited in interior fighting of thistype. If the lord is a Lady, she will defendherself with 1 combat die, and may beDistressed. Any defeated King or Ladymay be Imprisoned.

The loot a Knave takes from a Castleallows him to hire non-player Knights todefend his own Castle. Determine a ran-dom number from 1-3 and draw thatnumber of Knights from the deck. TheseKnights perform no other function thanto defend the Castle against attacks.Other Knights (those whom the Knavepersonally defeats) may be sent to the

Castle to reinforce its hired garrison. ACastle guard defeated in Combat ceasesto be a Castle guard.

The Knave may treat a Castle he takesby Storm the same as one which he re-ceives from his Lord by request. Howev-er, the Castle taken by storm can only betaken away by force. If player or non-player Knights storm it successfully, it islost. If a PK defeats the Knave in battle,the Knave must surrender control of hisCastles upon demand. (They are res-tored to their original Lords; the con-quering PK does not win control fromthe Knave. Neither does he gain VP forthe automatic release of any prisonersheld in the Knave’s lost Castles). TheKnave also loses the Castles he won byStorm if he is defeated in combat by anArthur Knight who gives him a Knight’sFate with a number greater than 4.

A Knave who successfully Storms theCastle of a Knave automatically releasesthe first Knave’s prisoners. He cannotclaim any Act of Villainy by keepingthem Imprisoned.

F. Slaying a good Knight: It is an Actof Villainy to deal out the Knight’s Fate ofdeath to a good Knight. But it is not pos-sible to know before hand that a foe’sdeath is undeserved. Follow the proce-dure given under “Slaying” on page 12 ofthe rule book. If the test dice call for theloss of 15 CP and 6 VP, the Knave hasalso committed an Act of Villainy.

G. Slaying a Goodly Hermit Man:Slaying a Hermit is an Act of Villainy,unless he is a druid in disguise. With aWL of 1 and only one combat die, theHermit is an easy target. To make thisvariant more interesting, any GoodlyHermit Man or druid has a possibility ofplacing a dying curse upon his slayer.

Upon slaying a Hermit, the Knaveplayer makes a Luck Roll to determinewhether he is cursed. The nature of thecurse, if one is indicated, is establishedby a second die roll, reading the resultfrom this list.

Die1

2

Hermit’s “Dying Curse”The Brittle Lance: The Knave’slance will break if a 10, 11 or 12 isrolled on the three attack dice.The Faithful Encounter: The Knavereceives a Prophecy he will en-counter 1-6 Knights. They attackhim on sight. If defeated by theseKnights, the Knave will be slain.The Prophecy of the Beast: TheKnave receives a Prophecy that hewill encounter a Monster.The Mark of the Knave: The Knaveplayer must subtract 1 from anyencounter reaction dice he rolls.The Life of Misfortune: The Knaveplayer must subtract 1 from all his“Luck of the Day” rolls.Doleful Retribution: Increase anyKnight’s Fate the Knave suffers by2 in severity.

3.

4.

5.

6.

63

DragonCurses 2 and 3 are treated as Prophe-

cies of Adventures. To remove a curse,the Knave must get a friendly reactionfrom a Goodly Hermit Man or an ArthurKnight and be able to secure a “Lift En-chantment” or a successful “Heal.” Thenthe Knave will be granted a pilgrimage toRome. When he reaches Rome, the curseis annulled.

Lord and Lady ServiceIt is usually a bad master who has a

bad servant; here is why. After the Knavehas committed his first Act of Villainy, heis apt to be looked upon with scorn bythose of higher moral values. If he is anArthur Knight already, he is dismissedfrom Arthur’s service. No Knave mayserve Arthur.

When Summoned by his Lord or Lady(see Messages, page 23-24), The Knave’srecent activities are reviewed (immedi-ately upon reaching the Castle of hisLord or Lady). If the Lord or Lady has alower Virtue Level (VL) number than theKnave, one die is rolled. If the result isgreater than or equal to the VL number ofthe Lord or Lady, the Knave is spurnedand cast out from his service of that Lordor Lady. This applies only if the Knavehas committed a new Act of Villainysince his last Summons and review byhis Lord or Lady.

Should the Knave approach a King orLady to request service, the same kind ormoral judgement is made as above, withone die compared to the VL of the Lordor Lady. Only if the result is happy for theKnave will the character permit him tomake a request for service: However, aKnave who enters a Lady’s servicethrough Seduction does not undergoany type of moral review. After he is inthe Lady’s service the rules above applyto any Summons his new Lady issues.

Should a Knave not heed his Lord’sSummons, a second Summons will notonly cost him 6 VP, but the Lord willrevoke any Castle that he happens tohave given the Knave earlier.

Encounters with Arthur KnightsSince Arthur Knights customarily ride

around the countryside vanquishingKnaves, a Knave cannot expect to bewell received by an Arthur Knight. If anArthur Knight or a group containing anArthur Knight encounters a Knave, 1 issubtracted from the result of their Reac-tion dice roll. Additionally, if a Knavecommits an Act of Villainy while accom-panied by a friendly Arthur Knight, thatKnight will make a moral judgement.One die is rolled: If the result is greaterthan or equal to the VL number of theArthur Knight, that Knight, will imme-diately leave the company of the Knave.

Encounters with BrigandsIf a Knave encounters Brigands, they

will not attack him if the player can make

a successful Luck Roll. If the Luck Roll ismade, the Brigands will accept the Knaveas their leader.

Brigands will travel with the Knave atthe foot-movement rate. The Knave maymount his Brigands with horses robbedfrom defeated Knights and from Castleshe controls. Mounted Brigands fight withswords (2 dice +1); the only CombatEvents they heed is “horse killed” or“unhorsed.”

In large Knightly combats, the WL’s ofthe Brigands are not totalled with thoseof the Knave’s party. In this and all othercombats, the Brigands fight before theKnave, should he wish them to fight atall. If the Knave is defeated in combat,any Brigands he leads will run away. Ifthe Brigands defeat another PK, theKnave player may administer the Knight’sFate.

Knave-led Brigands may not enter anyCastle unless it is controlled by theKnave. Neither may they take passage

on Ships. If a Knave enters a Castle andleaves his Brigands outside, they willvanish at the end of the third completeturn afterward. If the Knave makes asuccessful Luck Roll, the Brigands willbe waiting when he comes out.

Turning PirateIf a Knave encounters Pirates they will

not attack his Ship if a successful LuckRoll is made. The Brigand chits that re-present the Pirates are exchanged for aShip counter of a strength equal to orless than the combined strength of theBrigands. The other Ship on which theKnave was riding (unless the Knave isalready a Pirate) is removed from themap. A Knave may command any numberof Pirate Ships.

Vol. VI, No. 8

CombatA Knave would not be much of a knave

if he had to fight fair all the time. Hence, aKnave is never forced by the rules tofight without advantage. If he fights un-chivalrously and wins, he earns “Scoun-drel Points” (SP) equal to half the WoundLevel of any Knightly opponent he de-feats. If defeated while fighting unchival-rously, he earns 3 SP. A Knave’s WL isequal to his CP plus his SP, divided by10. This explains how some wickedKnights have large WL’s.

Many things a Knave is expected to dowill cost him CP penalties. However, theKnave’s lost CP is merely converted toSP on a one-for-one basis. A Knave can-not lose (convert) CP he does not have.

Knaves who defeat Kings unchival-rously do not win their friendship.

A Knave RepentantIf for any reason a PK no longer wishes

to be a Knave, the character must go to aShrine and there spend (in meditation) anumber of turns equal to the number ofKVP he has acquired. Afterwards hemust renounce all his Scoundrel Points(and undergo the consequent WL reduc-tion). At that point he must randomlydetermine an Adventure and accomplishit successfully.

If he succeeds, he is no longer aKnave. If he fails, and still wants to re-pent, he must go to a Shrine and deter-mine a new Adventure. A repentantKnave may backslide any time he wishesprior to completing his required Adven-ture. To do so, he need only take backthe SP (and WL) he previously renounc-ed. This does not rule out attempting torepent later on.Once the PK attempting to repent hassuccessfully completed the Adventureasked of him, he is no longer a Knave; hisSP are permanently lost. If he later wishesto revert to Knavery, he must build up hisKVP’s and SP’s from scratch.

Being an ex-Knave will not prejudiceArthur against a Knight.

Interaction of Knights and KnavesThe Knave variant may be played si-

multaneously with other players usingthe standard rules. A non-Knave PK whovanquishes a Knave in combat receives aVP bonus of +6.

In a mixed game there will be a Knave-winner and a Knight-winner. The objec-tives of the two types are too divergent tobear logical comparison.

These guidelines will allow players ofthe KNIGHTS OF CAMELOT Game tosimulate the most important activities ofthe wicked knights of romance and le-gend. Now go forth, ye knaves, dastardsand caitiffs! Pillage, besmirch, damageand despoil; all of Britain waits tremblingbefore you!

64


Anything but human

by Jon MattsonThere is little or no information concerning intelligent alien

beings in the original TRAVELLER™ books and supplements.One can only guess that, in the minds of the game designers,man has pervaded all reaches of the known galaxy and no otherbeings are to be found. Yet it is illogical to assume that in anarea of such great size as that covered by the Imperium (over11,000 worlds), the only intelligent life form is man.

The accompanying charts were designed for creating non-humans, either as players or as non-player characters, in aTraveller campaign. To use the charts, you must first know thevital statistics (especially the atmosphere and hydrographicpercentage) of the aliens’ home planet, using the system inTraveller Book 3. Once these have been determined, simply gothrough the charts in order, rolling percentage dice and modify-ing the results where necessary as explained for each table.

The charts are for determining the statistics of entire alienraces; they are not used for each individual of one race. Theycan be used in one of two basic ways: Either the referee can rollup all of the alien races in his sub-sectors (noting their varia-tions from standard humans on a sheet of paper) and let playerschoose from these when they want to be aliens, or he can allowplayers to roll up their own alien statistics for themselves whenthey first make their characters (creating a whole new race atthe time), thus saving the ref the trouble of working them all outhimself. As a referee, I prefer the former method, but it is onlygood if you have quite a bit of time to spare.

1. BASIC TYPE

Dice roll01-0203-0506-1617-3031-48

49-7879-8081-8283-8889-9495-9697-00

TypeMollusk/AmoeboidPlantInsectoidReptileMammal: 01-15: Feline

16-30: Canine31-40: Bovine41-47: Ursinoid48-55: Equine56-60: Marsupial61-70: Rodent71-90: Anthropoid91-00: Other *

HumanoidExotic (roll on Chart 1A)PlantAvianAmphibianMollusk/AmoeboidAquatic

Attributemodifiers

-10% / +7%-9% / +6%-7% / +4%-7% / +4%-5% / +3%-5% / +4%-7% / +6%-7% / +6%-6% / +5%-4% / +4%-3% / +3%-2% / +1%Variable *NilVariable-8% / +5%-10% / ----8% / +4%-8% / +6%-10% / +6%

1A. EXOTIC TYPES(Use this table only if the result from Chart 1 is “Exotic.”)

AttributeDice roll Type modifiers01-15 Crystalline -12% / +5%16-40 Mechanical (Robot) -5% / ---41 -50 Polymorph † Variable †51-65 Gaseous ‡ +5% / ---66-80 Energy ‡ +8% / -4%81-00 Other * Variable *

Notes for Charts 1 and 1A:DMs: For Chart 1 only, subtract the planet’s atmosphere

times two from the roll, and add one-quarter of the planet’shydrographic percentage.

* — Referee’s and/or player’s discretion.† — Roll once more on Chart 1 for basic (true) type, but the

alien is able to change form at will to any of those listed here. Aresult of “polymorph” on the second roll for basic (true) typeindicates that the creature has no real type of its own; it musttake the form of another creature to retain its identity (andsanity).

‡ — Don’t roll on Chart 2 for basic shape — it doesn’t haveone.

The column labeled Attribute modifiers shows the DMs madeto the percentage dice roll when consulting Chart 3A. The firstnumber (before the slash) applies to the roll when checking tosee which attributes a race gets bonuses to; the second number(after the slash) applies to the roll when checking to see whichattributes a race get penalties to (see Table 3 for moreinformation).

2. BASIC SHAPE

Dice roll Shape (limbs) Speed01-05 Amoeboid (limbless) One-quarter/One-half06-08 Monoped One-Half/Normal09-16 Biped One-Half/Normal17-25 Triped Normal26-70 Quadraped Normal/Double71-80 Hexapod Normal/Double81-86 Octoped Double/Triple87-92 Tentacles (2-12) Normal93-94 Non-functional wings * ---95-99 Functional wings * Double/Triple00 Unusual † ---

Notes for Chart 2DMs: None; however, the referee may wish to limit certain

possibilities — wings will not be common on airless worlds, and

65

Dragonmulti-legged creatures (more than four legs) are often found onhigh-gravity planets, etc.

* — Roll again for other limbs, with another result of “wings”indicating that these are the only limbs (non-functional wingsare then considered functional).

† — Referee and/or player’s choice. Some possibilities:wheels, gas or air vents for hovering power, spines, etc.

The column labeled Speed shows a creature’s speed(s) withthe number of limbs in question; use like the Basic AnimalCharacteristics speed column (Traveller Book 3, page 29).

Diceroll

0102-0304-0607-1011-1516-2021-2526-3132-3839-46

2A. AVERAGE SIZEAverage Dice

size (cm) roll20 * 47-5640 * 57-6560 * 66-7380 * 74-80

100 81-85120 86-90140 91-94160 95-97170 98-99175 00

Averagesize (cm)

180185190200220240260 †280 †300 †325 †

Notes for Chart 2ADMs: Plus 2% x (Planetary Size -6).* — Roll 2D6: on a 7+, the alien receives +1 dexterity and -1

strength in addition to other attribute modifiers determined onChart 3.

† — As for “*” (above), but alien receives -1 dexterity and +1strength on a roll of 7+.

Dice roll01

02-0405-0809-1011-2021-2425-2627-3637-4041-5051-6061-6465-7475-7677-8081-9091-9293-9697-99

00

3A. ATTRIBUTE MODIFIERSAddition/ Score

Subtraction affected4 Strength3 Strength2 Strength3 Endurance1 Strength2 Endurance3 Dexterity1 Endurance2 Dexterity1 Dexterity1 Social Standing2 Social Standing1 Education3 Social Standing2 Education1 Intelligence3 Education2 Intelligence3 Intelligence4 Intelligence

Notes for Chart 3ADMs (all cumulative) are as follows:

1. For Basic Type: the exact modification for the race inquestion is found on Chart 1 (or 1A) under “Attribute Modifi-cations.” The number before the slash is used when check-ing for additions; the number after the slash is used whenchecking for subtractions.

2. For Tech Level: DM = 2% x (Planet’s Tech Level -7). ThisDM is added to the roll when finding additions, and subtract-ed from it when finding subtractions.

3. For atmosphere type: DM = 1% x (Atmosphere -7). This

Vol. VI, No. 8

When two speeds are specified, the first applies on a roll of 7+;otherwise the second applies. Note that this will also give anidea of how many limbs are used as legs; For example, a hexa-pod could have four legs and two arms, or two legs and fourarms. If its speed was “double,” the former would probably bethe case; if it was “normal,” the latter would most likely apply.

The terms above apply to all limbs, not just legs. Thus, ahuman would be considered a quadruped in this case, not abiped. Also, note that all Avians have functional wings automat-ically (and may have other limbs as well).

3. ATTRIBUTE MODIFIERSDice roll Number of Number of

additions subtractions01-25 0 026-35 1 036-45 0 146-65 1 166-70 2 171-75 1 276-85 2

32

86-89 290-93 2 394-00 3 3

Notes for Chart 3Roll percentage dice once and consult this chart to deter-

mine how many times to roll for additions and subtractions toattributes on Chart 3A. The chart is designed to insure that arace will not have too many more additions than subtractionsand vice versa, so that no race is too superior or too inferior toanother.

DM is added to the roll when finding subtractions, and sub-tracted from the roll when finding additions. It is counted asa positive integer in any event.Procedure: To use Chart 3A, first roll percentage dice and

consult Chart 3, using the information there as explained in thenotes for that chart. Then roll percentage dice once and modifythe result with the appropriate DMs once for each addition andsubtraction indicated on Chart 3. All results are cumulative, sotwo rolls of “+1 strength” would result in +2 strength.

Example: Rolling percentage dice and checking Chart 3, youget 68, indicating two additions and one subtraction. Youwould then roll percentage dice three times, modifying theresult as previously indicated, on Chart 3A — twice for addi-tions and once for subtractions. Say you rolled 34, 75, and 36,and there were no modifications to those rolls (the being washumanoid from a planet with a 7 tech level and 7 atmosphere);this would indicate +1 endurance, +3 social standing, and -1endurance. (It is good to have a standard procedure: Alwaysroll for additions first and then subtractions.) Since the +1endurance and -1 endurance results cancel each other out, thatrace’s only attribute modification would be +3 to social standing.

3B. PSIONIC RATING MODIFICATIONSNote: This chart is not affected by Chart 3; all beings roll once

and once only on this chart.Psionicrating

Dice roll modifications01-03 -304-10 -211-25 -126-75 Normal76-90 +191-97 +298-00 +3

66

February 1982 DragonNotes for Chart 3B

DMs: The only DM is based on the race’s average intelligencescore (equal to 7 plus or minus any additions or subtractionsfrom Chart 3A).

Note: Psionic Rating cannot go below zero because of thismodification, but it can go over the usual limit of 11.

4. SPECIAL ABILITIESConsult the sub-chart immediately below to see how many

special abilities an alien has. Then roll on the main chart todetermine specific abilities.

Dice roll Special ability Notes

01-20 None for this roll21-25 Natural armor Roll 2D6 (no modifications)

and consult Animal Wea-pons and/or Armor Chart,Traveller Book 3, page 32(Same as above)As per gogglesAs per gogglesHear high frequencies, nev-er surprisedSimilar to bat; can “see”by radarCan breathe under water *Plus 1-3 dexterity; needs toeat often

46-50 Gills *51-52 High metabolism

53-54 Low metabolism

55-56 Shape changer57-60 Natural telepathy61-63 Natural clairvoyance64-66 Natural telekinesis67-68 Natural teleportation69-70 Natural regeneration71-72 Instant regeneration

73-75 Suspend animation

Minus 1-3 dexterity; plus 1endurance; needs to eatless oftenSee “Polymorph,” Chart 1 ALevel 1-11 (2D6-1); no costLevel 1-11 (2D6-1); no costLevel 1-11 (2D6-1); no costLevel 1-11 (2D6-1); no cost1 point healed/hour; no costAll wounds healed once perday; no costAs per awareness ability; nocost

76-77 Energy absorber †

78 Energy reflector †

79 Laser beam eyes

Absorbs 1-6 dice of damageper combat turn †Reflects 1-6 dice damageper combat turn back at at-tacker †

80 Life force vampire ‡

81-82 Ethereal form

83-85 Illusion caster

86-87 Mind controller

88-90 Charismatic empathy

Fire as per Laser Carbine,every 2nd combat turnDrains 1-6 endurancepoints per touch (hand orclaw), added to own totalAble to turn “ghost-like” for1-6 combat turns once perhour; invulnerable to attackduring that timeCreate illusion of anything;save vs IQ on 2D6 or believeit (with ref-imposed DMs)Can control one other crea-ture, if alien’s IQ is higherand victim fails a save vs. IQ(2D6), up to one hour/day.Instills peace in others; plus3 to reaction rolls (page 23,Book 3)Ref’s and/or player’s choice91-92 Unusual ability

93-97 Roll twice, ignoring results over 9298-99 Roll three times, ignoring results over 92

00 Choose one ability listed here

26-30 Natural weaponry31-34 IR eyes35-38 LI eyes39-42 Ultrasonic hearing

43-45 Radar hearing

Average IQ Modification3 -25%4 -15%5 -7%6 -3%7 Normal

Average IQ Modification8 +39 +710 +15%11 +25%

Dice roll No. of special abilities01-40 041-70 171-85 286-95 396-00 4

Notes for Chart 4* — Note that 75% of all Aquatic beings and 25% of all Am-

phibious beings have gills automatically.† — Applies only to energy weapons (lasers, etc.), of course.‡ — Points taken from wounds come off these vampiric

points first. These extra points fade away after 24 hours.

We are about to create the inhabitants of the planet Yori in theRegina subsector (Yorians). Its Universal Planet Profile isC360757 D.

First, the check for Basic Type (Chart 1) yields a result of 34.The planet’s atmosphere is 6, so we subtract 12 from the roll (2 x6), and its hydrographic percentage is 0% (Yori is a desertworld), so the final result is 22, meaning that Yorians are reptili-an in form.

Next the roll for Basic Shape (Chart 2) yields a result of 53.This is not modified at all, so Yorians are quadrupeds. A roll of2D6 for speed results in a 6, meaning that Yorians move atnormal speed, so they probably have two legs and two arms,rather than four legs.

Following this, we check for size (Chart 2A). A 42 is rolled, soYorians stand about 170cm (5’8”) tall on the average. (Re-member, 6 is subtracted from the actual roll to get a final resultof 36, because the planet’s size is only 3.)

Next is the check for attribute modifiers (Chart 3). A roll of 77indicates that Yorians get two subtractions and two additions totheir attributes. For each addition, there will be a DM of plus 4%(DM of -7 for race, plus DM of +12 for tech level, plus DM of -1for atmosphere), and for each subtraction there will be a DM of-7% (DM of +4 for race, plus DM of -12 for tech level, plus DM of+1 for atmosphere).

The two rolls for additions on Chart 3A are 98 and 75, in-creased to 102 (counts as 100) and 79 with DMs, and the tworolls for subtractions are 45 and 70, decreased to 38 and 63 withDMs. According to Chart 3A, we see that Yorians get (in order):+4 intelligence, +2 education, -2 dexterity, and -2 social stand-ing. Thus, a Yorian’s UPM (Universal Personality Modifier)would be 0/-2/0/+4/+2/-2.

Now comes the check for psionic modifications on Chart 3B.An average IQ of 11 (7 + 4) gives a sizable DM of +25%. A 52 isrolled, giving a final result of 77, so Yorians get 1 added to theirbase Psionic Rating.

Finally is the check for special abilities on Chart 4. A 63 isrolled, so Yorians have one special ability. Then, a roll of 65indicates that this special ability is natural telekinesis.

Using the tables given here we have determined that Yoriansare intelligent, if somewhat clumsy and unpopular, reptilianquadrupeds with high average psionic abilities and naturaltelekinesis. They stand about 170 cm tall on the average and areprobably fairly bulky judging by their race, planet of origin, andlow dexterity. The referee can fill in any other details aboutthese beings that players want to know, based on the informa-tion given here and common sense.

EXAMPLE

67


Runequest aid is big — and goodReviewed by Bill Fawcett

Griffin Mountain is billed as a com-plete wilderness campaign for Runequest.This is no exaggeration. The 200-pagesupplement is packed with more infor-mation than some role-playing systemscontain in their entirety.

Griffin Mountain’s complexity is morethan mere length; it is by no means anintroductory campaign. Familiarity withthe Runequest system is essential. Be-fore attempting this campaign refereesshould read the Cults of Prax and Gate-way Bestiary, which explain conceptsand critters referred to in Griffin Moun-tain. Players should also know the Rune-quest system. This is a middle level areaand beginning players (and characters)should gain experience in more forgiv-ing environments. Even a good playerwith an experienced character is chal-lenged and in dire straights fairly often.

The book begins with a short back-ground of Glorantha, the planet whereRunequest is set, and a history of the cityof Balazar and the Elder Wilds, where thecampaign takes place. All Runequestitems share a history that is interesting toread; this is no exception. Next are de-tails about Balazar and its residents andleaders.

The next chapter discusses the cara-vans travelling through Balazar. Besidesexplaining how they are equipped, a di-agram shows how one is arranged on theroad. This chapter also gives several ex-amples illustrating how players interactwith the caravans.

Chapter 6 demonstrates how playersobtain information, ranging from out-right falsehoods and vague rumors tovery accurate facts purchased from reli-able sources and researchers. This in-formation can be the beginning of ex-tensive adventures, and the next section,nearly 60 pages, describes the who,what, and how of wilderness encounters.A variety of creatures, men, trolls and thelike are discussed, with information giv-en for both types (e.g. trolls) and a largenumber of individuals. With the latter, asection giving the personalities of all thegroup’s members precedes the exten-sive statistics used in play. The summarygives a lot of information in a shortspace, but the separation of the generalfrom the specific leads to a lot of pageturning.

The eighth and last chapter includes40 pages of “Points of Interest.” Many ofthese are small modules in themselvesand include maps, descriptions of moreindividuals to encounter, and treasures.These generally can stand alone and areall integrated nicely into the overall at-mosphere of the wilderness.

Finally, and thankfully, a three-page and are consistent with the earlier Glo-index ends the book. A fourth page con- rantha information available from Chao-tains smaller indexes of specific types of sium and other sources like Judges Guild.information a judge might need to look Runequest is different from other sys-up such as Rune spells and maps. tems, and a direct conversion is difficult.

By sheer size alone Griffin Mountaindeserves a look. Besides its length andtruly impressive scope, the book is gen-erally well written and clear to anyonefamiliar with Runequest. Many people,places, and challenges are presented; allfit nicely into the environment created

But dozens of ideas here are worth read-ing and adapting to any system.

If you are a Runequest player you maynot be able to resist this offering. If youare new to Runequest it may prove a bitmuch for your character, but the back-ground alone makes interesting reading.

If you like SF and judgesReviewed by Bill Fawcett

Star Patrol is a science fiction role-playing game set in the far future. Like allrole-playing game systems, a multitudeof tables and charts helps figure players’abilities and their actions. Like most SFsystems, Star Patrol is open-ended andstrongly influenced by the judge’s deci-sions. This allows a wide range of possi-ble actions and scenarios, but can causeproblems as well.

Most activity occurs on planets, andthe rules reflect this. Starship types andship-to-ship combat are included, butmost of the rules cover activities thattake place on a planet or at least withinthe hull of a ship. After this the largestand most detailed sections describe phys-ical and mental abilities of the charactersand the skills they can develop.

A player character can be human orany of a dozen of alien races. The physi-cal attributes are Strength, Dexterity,Luck, Constitution, Personality (charis-ma), and Mentality (which relates moreto the ability to learn and adjust than toraw intelligence). Most characters shouldbe humanoid but the charts allow verybizarre aliens if desired. Other character-istics that can be created or rolled in-

68

clude shape, cyborg replacements, andgeneral profession. This book has one ofthe best treatments of cyborg parts (a la$6 Million Man), but even this is not veryextensive. Psionics are also included,albeit in only one page.

As for player characters, the variety ofNPCs that can be generated by this sys-tem is limitless. One chart that virtuallyall science-fiction gamers will find ex-tremely valuable is called simply “Aliens.”It includes abilities and sources for sev-eral dozen found in literature: Klingons,Groaci, Kzinti, Ythri, and even Wookies.By each one is the author and a shortdescription along with modifiers to fitthem into the game system. With this youcan find your merchant ship engaging innegotiations with a puppeteer or armwrestling a Jinxian (a serious mistake).

An array of tables describes weaponsand armor that range from the primitive(a dagger) to the sophisticated (heavyblaster). Other tables allow you to de-sign the vital systems of a starship.

Starship movement uses a vector sys-tem takes some adjusting to. Includedare the plans for a “Vector Ruler” to mea-sure movement. Ship-to-ship combat isof the missile and beam weapon variety.Defenses run from “flecto chaff” to full-

February 1982 Dragonfledged deflector screen. This wide rangeof possible opponents in randomly gen-erated encounters can cause seriousmismatches. The ratings for ships likethe USS Enterprise and the Hooligan arealso included.

This leads to one of the two largestflaws in this system (and incidentally inmost SF rules). First, the range of topicsrequires judges to use a lot of discretionin modifying what is used. This is espe-cially true where ships are taken fromliterature. Just consider what the USSEnterprise could do to a ship smallenough to be in a player character’s fullcontrol. This is hardly a fatal flaw to thejudge who wants a skeleton to build hisuniverse around (it could be a fascinat-ing place), but it will lead to a lot ofjudgemental decisions during play. Theresimply is a lot to cover when you aresetting up rules to handle all that happensin the whole universe.

Another almost generic fault of thisand most role-playing systems is the or-ganization of the rules. The table of con-tents helps, but all systems need a goodindex. On the positive side, the rules areclearly written and there is no more prob-lem in finding a particular rule than ex-ists in most role-playing rulebooks.

Included with the basic rulebook areseveral scenarios, a set of ship plans fora “Pioneer” class starship, some colorfulcardboard cut-outs, and a large, num-bered hex sheet, which is all that is ne-cessary to begin a campaign.

If you are interested in SF gaming, youwill probably want a copy of these rules.If you plan to start a campaign, they areworth considering, for either a base orsupplemental use, especially the liter-ature-based information.

Adventure 5from GDW

Reviewed by Tony WatsonTrillion Credit Squadron, Traveller

Adventure 5 from GDW, takes a quitedifferent approach from its predeces-sors; rather than posing a tactical levelmission or adventure for a group ofcharacters, it places the players in the“role” of naval commanders designing,maintaining and maneuvering large fleetsof starships. Interpersonal, character-oriented role-playing is replaced by whatis essentially a strategic space navycampaign. Ideas for integrating the cam-paign with basic Traveller are given buttouch the larger naval actions only tan-gentially. This is not to say Trillion CreditSquadron is not a good effort; to the con-trary, the game carries on the high stand-ards GDW set with the Traveller line.However, its use for role-playing is limit-ed, and players expecting somethinglike Twilight’s Peak will be disappointed.

TCS provides the framework for set-ting up a star navy campaign using shipsdesigned according to the rules in HighGuard, book 5 of the Traveller rules, sothis rulebook, in its 1980 second edition,is essential for use with TCS. High Guardprovides all the rules for designing ships,lists of components and a set of some-what abstracted rules for deciding star-ship engagements. TCS helps translatethis into a campaign.

Each player gets a specified number ofcredits (usually the amount granted in atrillion, hence the name of the adven-ture) for constructing a squadron. Otherparameters are technological level, jumpdrive performance, and pilot allowance.Given these limits, the players get outtheir copies of High Guard and createtheir ships, using photocopies of the de-sign worksheets provided.

Once the ships are designed, the cam-paign begins, and the book addressesthe various factors that obtain in such asituation. A formula calculates planetaryrevenues for use in building and main-taining squadrons and a constructiontimetable explains the time needed toturn out the desired fleet. The ongoingproblems of refit, maintenance, repairsand refueling are provided for. One ofthe basic foundations of Traveller limitscommunications to the speed of star-ships. Thus, news of events in distantsystems takes weeks to arrive, creatingimmense communication problems forcommanders who must operate on in-formation that is often weeks old. Thisfactor is nicely simulated with a set ofelaborate rules for written orders.

To help players along, a sample cam-paign, dealing with the Islands Clusterssubsectors is detailed. Maps are pro-vided, as well as an extensive history.

GDW plans on using the Trillion CreditSquadron concept as a regular tourna-ment at major gaming conventions. Par-ticipants will construct fleets accordingto the rules before the convention andthen pit them against one another inelimination rounds.

Trillion Credit Squadron was designedby Marc Miller and John Harshman. Itsells for $4.98 and is available in mosthobby stores or direct from GDW, 203North Street, Normal, Ill., 61761.

More worlds, ifyou want them

Reviewed by Tony WatsonJust like the DUNGEONS & DRAG-

ONS® game fostered a number of smallercompanies that turn out accessories andgame aids, GDW’s popular Traveller SFgame also has its offspring. One of themost promising of these little companiesis Paranoia Press. Their Scouts and As-

sassins was intelligent and useful, andnicely presented. Recently, PP offeredsome new Traveller- products, includingBeyond and Vanguard Reaches.

The booklets’ names are space sec-tors, and the worlds of 16 subsectors ineach are presented. Essentially then,these booklets fulfill the same role asGDW’s own Spinward Marches, provid-ing a pregenerated area of the galaxywhere adventures take place. The book-lets begin with background on the re-spective sectors and explanations of thecodes and terms used. Veteran Travellerplayers will note the expansion of theworld characteristics code from Book 3;there are more stringent law levels, newatmospheres such as methane and ra-dioactive, and some expanded diametercodes (code J is a diameter of 93,000,000miles, to accommodate a ringworld!).The bulk of the books is devoted to sub-sector listings: planet name, characteris-tic codes, short remarks, and trade indi-cators. General information on the sub-sector as a whole is included, with that inBeyond more extensive. Maps are se-parate from booklets and fold out toshow the entire sector. Unfortunately,this method of presentation does not al-low placing planet names directly on themap; players must rely on their listings topick out the names and characteristicsof a given world.

The maps are fleshed out with interest-ing library data sections at the end of thebooks. Entries are made on pertinentshipping lines, important personages,political bodies and alien races. The li-brary data in both books contains a hostof interesting ideas for aliens, politicalgroupings and the like.

The authors attempted to merge theircreation with GDW’s. The locations ofthe sectors are given relative to theSpinward Marches, and the history is thesame as that provided in GDW products.Aliens such as the Aslan and Varg, andthe Zhodani as well, appear in bothbooks. New aliens also are introduced,such as the Eslyat, a sort of water-dwelling sub-race of humanity, and theMal’Gnar, descendants of early Terranhuman stock transported and genetical-ly altered, perhaps by the mysteriousAncients. All in all, some very interestingconcepts.

These play aids are nicely done andwell thought out, but are they neces-sary? Subsectors are available from oth-er sources, and one wonders if more arereally needed. On the other hand, I wasable to pick up some good ideas for myown campaign.

Beyond was written and designed byDonald Rapp, while Chuck Kallenback IIauthored Vanguard Reaches. The booksare 8½” by 5½” and number 29 and 26pages respectively. Each sells for $3.50from Paranoia Press, P.O. Box 12614,Fort Wayne, Ind., 46864.

69


70


Off the Shelf

Not a good book — a great bookby Chris Henderson

THE PRIDE OF CHANUR C.J. CherryhDAW Books $2.95 UE1694

Occasionally, C.J. Cherryh takes abreather. In these periods she does thingsa little slower, a little differently than inthe past. The pieces she produces atthese times are good, but not fabulous:workman-like, readable, and interesting,but not great. No one can write a greatbook every time. Cherryh is smart enoughnot to strain to make every book great,sometimes settling for being good.

This time she is not good, but great.Once again, Cherryh pulled out all of

the stops. A master of creating alien rac-es, she presents six fairly interesting newraces under one set of covers.

The story is of Captain Pyanfar Chan-ur and her crew. They are hani, a lion-like race of space-going aliens. The sto-ry opens as their ship, the Pride of Dhan-ur, is invaded by a scared and friendlessalien spacer. He speaks no known lan-guage; he is a biped, and obviously intel-ligent. His name is Tully, and he is no-thing any of them have seen before: He ishuman.

Tully was captured along with hisfriends by the kif, a ruthless species thatkilled his friends and tortured him tolearn where they came from. The kifwant to be the first to trade with the hu-mans; first contact with another racecould ensure the kif an entirely new em-pire, one they could use to crush theirneighbors.

But Tully escapes, finding the haniship. The hani take him in and attempt tohelp him, not knowing who is after him orwhy. Once they understand, their prideforces them to stand by Tully and therest of unseen humanity.

And, although the premise sounds likejust another space opera, as anyone whohas ever read anything by Cherryh willknow, it is far more. Cherryh has takenanother seemingly simple tale and evolv-ed it into a masterful piece of literatescience fiction. It is her special talent.

Cherryh stories are never simple. Likemany of her past works, The Pride ofChanur is heaped with multiple layers ofintrigue. Who is on whose side? Will oth-er hani join the crew of the Pride? Willother races stand with them? Who willside with the kif? What deals will bemade by whom, and who will try to play

whom off against whom, and who willstand back and pick up the pieces?

Cherryh’s taut intergalactic drama hasan intriguing set of interwoven sub-plots.In snippets and asides, all of the stories’strata are revealed in a jumble, forcingthe reader to puzzle out who can andwho cannot be trusted. Since Cherryh’saliens and their motives are so often un-fathomable by the normal human mind,this is no easy task. Unlike those of DocSmith or Jack Vance, a Cherryh alien ismore than just a creature with a differentskin hue or a superficial morals trans-plant. She creates entire cultures, com-plete with religions, games, ethical codes,and everything else a society needs tofunction. This is not done in a burden-some way. Her books are fast paced, butinformation comes more through osmo-sis than lecture. Indeed, parts of ThePride of Chanur move so quickly, withsuch skillfully mounted tension, that thereader must either put the book down totake a break, or go back and re-read thepassage for fear of having gone throughit too quickly.

The Pride of Chanur is a solid, wellpaced novel that should be at the top ofeveryone’s must list. Although parts ofthe sequence on Pyanfar’s home-planetare a trifle bogging, they do not disturbthe overall flow. For the most part, ThePride of Chanur is a great book to startthe new year with. Nothing delivered inthe first few months of this year is better.

At least it’s overGUARDSMAN OF GOR John NormanDAW Books $2.95 0-87997-664-0

For those who revel in the adventuresof Jason Marshall, boy hero, the bignews is here: John Norman has finallywritten the 16th, and last, episode to hispopular and controversial Gor series.

“Last” might be too strong a word.Similar material may be forthcomingfrom Norman under a different title —with at least name changes for the char-acters or some such modifications. (Insome of the Gor novels, the only readilyapparent change was adding an “I” or“II” behind Marshall’s name). So, it maybe safer to say that Jason Marshall’s sto-ry has come to an end.

Guardsman of Gor is designed for Gorfans. Like a Lin Carter Conan story, itdrags on, battle after battle, until finally

71

Cherryh hits again ...

... Norman Gor’s us — again

GUARDSMANOF GOR

THE SIXTEENTH BOOK OF THE COUNTER-EARTH SAGA

JOHN NORMAN


the narrative calms down enough for thestory to officially be over — for a while.

No better or worse than any of the oth-ers, Guardsman is now on your neigh-borhood stands.Rush right out.

THE DEATH OF A LEGENDRobert AdamsSignet $2.50 0-451-11126-5

In the same vein, but on an infinitelybetter scale, is the newest of RobertAdams’ Horseclan novels, The Death ofa Legend. Many of Adams’ old puzzlepieces are present, but as usual, none ofthe previous novels must be read to un-derstand the plot. Thinner than its pre-decessor by a good fifty pages, this isnonetheless one of Adams’ best works.

As with most series, it’s unnecessaryto spend much time describing the latestinstallment — the work is either better orworse than the rest. In the case of Nor-man’s Gor books, things just seem to getworse and worse. With Adams and hisHorseclanners, things just seem to getbetter and better.

For anyone who has not read a Horse-clan novel, The Death of a Legend is agood place to start. It is a must foranyone who knows and loves the series,as so many already do.

THE DARK BETWEEN THE STARSPoul Anderson Berkley Books $2.250-425-04291-X

Collections. More of them are usuallyaround than the public knows what to dowith. Since most claim to be the “best” ofsomething or other, how do you decidewhat to buy, unless you plan to keeptaking them all?

Surprisingly, one collection that is thebest makes few such boasts on its wrap-per. The Dark Between the Stars is agathering of Poul Anderson’s space sto-ries. More than simple adventures in thebrave out-there, these are subtle tales.Even at his shlockiest, Anderson is amaster manipulator of human feelings.Each of these tales is an example of hiswell practiced hand.

Anderson, unlike so many science fic-tion or fantasy writers, thinks not only ingenre terms. He writes for everyone withthe nerve to try and understand what heis really saying. The stories, collectedfrom a 20-year span of the author’s ca-reer, show a steady growth in his abilityto tell adult tales. Anderson is a savage-ly mature writer, and The Dark Betweenthe Stars is one of the best collections ofhis work.

WHISPERS III Stuart David SchiffDoubleday Science Fiction$9.95 0-385-17162-5

Stu Schi f f has edi ted Whispersmagazine for a number of years. It isentirely his magazine, so he always doeswhat he wants within its pages. What hewanted since the start is good stories.

He rarely fails, the reason Whispers isthe top horror/fantasy magazine in thecountry. Winner of the World FantasyAward, it undoubtedly publishes the bestin American fantasy and horror stories.There is also no doubt that when Schiffskims the top layer of his magazine to getthe cream for one of his collections, theresult is top-drawer stuff.

Going into the merits of each individu-al story is not important. The collectionitself is important — in this case veryimportant. Whispers III is highly recom-mended reading. So are Whispers II andWhispers I if you can find a copy. Goodluck if you try.

FANTASY ANNUAL IV Terry CarrTimescape Books $3.50 0-671-41273-6

Every year Terry Carr gathers togetherwhat he feels are the best fantasy storiesavailable, combing the entire year for se-lections. Every year, he succeeds in find-

ing a number of the best fantasy storiesever written.

This annual, while not covering thesame range of story types as last year’s,is still a great grouping of top fantastictales, both whimsical and terrifying. Ste-phen King leads off this volume with“The Monkey.” It is a truly horrific taleabout an innocent toy, a wind-up mon-key stamped “made in Hong Kong” onthe bottom, which becomes a playmateto evil. This is a top-notch King outing, inboth subject matter and style.

Next are a number of the most bizarrestories of the past year, from Tom Disch’stale of five abandoned appliances thatplot revenge (“The Brave Little Toas-ter”), to a story of a modern day vampirewho asks a psychiatrist for help adjust-ing to the changing world around him.Like so many of Suzy McKee Charnas’tales (this one a Nebula award winningnovella), ‘Unicorn Tapestry” is a highlyimprobable tale which reads more likeyesterday’s news than wild imagining.

And, this is how most of the stories inany of Carr’s “Fantasy Annuals” read. Ashrewd judge of stories and their worth,Carr has put together another winner.

SCARLET DREAM C. L. Moore $20Don Grant, Publisher 0-937986-42-9

Scarlet Dream is more than a col-lection of stories. It is an opportunity,and for many, a dream come true.

In 1933, C. L. Moore sold the first of herNorthwest Smith stories to Weird Tales.“Shambleau” was instantly recognizedas a classic. Unlike much of what wasprinted and passed off as science fictionor fantasy in those days, “Shambleau”was a story with real characters. It was astory with a great deal more depth thananything else on the stands. More thanbug-eyed monsters, it was a human tale;one where the hero was not perfect butdriven by less than perfect ideals; where(as in the real world) mistakes must bepaid for. It was also a huge success.

This was all the more amazing, for C. L.Moore is a woman, and women were notwriting science fiction at the time.

Besides stories about her other con-tinuing character, Jirel of Joiry (collect-ed in a Grant companion edition entitledBlack God’s Shadow), Ms. Moore turnedout a number of tales featuring herscrappy, sometimes stupid space pilot.Don Grant took the ten best NorthwestSmith tales (picked by Ms. Moore per-sonally) and bound them with ten full-page, color illustrations by Alicia Austin.The book is a collector’s delight, and thefirst anthology of the Northwest Smithtales. Although “Shambleau” was reprint-ed a number of times, most of these im-portant stories were neglected until now.

Scarlet Dream is a book long overdue.Better late than never.

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Cleric(Continued from page 7)

Explanation/Description: The clericcan pick up any small stone (up to aboutthree real inches in diameter) and placea magic aura on it. The stone cannotalready be magical; if it is, the cleric willinstantly take 2-16 points of burn dam-age. The stone can be thrown up to adistance of 4”, taking into account anyobstructions. It will be -2 to hit at anyrange between 2” and 3” and -5 to hit atany range from 3” to 4”. The cleric’sphysical strength and dexterity do notaffect the “to hit” probability. Beyond 4”the stone will lose its dweomer and im-mediately fall to the ground. The stonewill be as a +1 weapon for all “to hit”considerations (for instance, creatureshit only by magical weapons are vulner-able to it), though it will not add that +1 tothe chance to hit. Only the cleric himselfcan throw the stone; if another characteror creature touches it the magic is in-stantly lost.

The stone does 1-4 points of impactdamage. If it does damage of only 1 or 2points to a spell caster it might not breakhis or her concentration if he or she is inthe middle of casting a spell. A singlepoint of damage has a 30% chance tobreak concentration, and with 2 points ofdamage there is a 70% chance to breakconcentration. A greater amount ofdamage (3 or 4 points) will always breakconcentration. Those with a magic re-sistance may apply it at once, and if thatroll is successful the stone does no dam-age and will not break concentration.

The following spells and devices makea character immune to the effect of thisspell: Shield, Protection From NormalMissiles, Protection From Magic, MinorGlobe of Invulnerability, Globe of In-vulnerability, a Brooch of Shielding anda Cube of Force (the DM may includeother spells or items).

The spell will enchant one stone perapplication; the stone can then be re-tained for as long as 6 rounds plus 1round per level of the cleric. At the expi-ration of that time, the stone must bethrown or the magic is lost. When thestone is thrown, whether it hits or not, itsmagic is lost.

A cleric of at least 5th level can magicktwo stones with one spell. A cleric of atleast 11th level can magick up to threestones at one time. However, regardlessof how many stones a cleric might becarrying, due to application of multiplespells or because of being higher level,only one stone may be thrown by thecleric in one round and no other spellaction will be allowed in that round. Nostone can be thrown in the round whenthe stone(s) is made magical. Note: Someorganizations may forbid Magic Stonesas missile weapons for their clergy. Somedruids, especially halfling (NPC) druids

who might be encountered, may knowthe spell Magic Stone.

Magical Vestment(Conjuration/Alteration)Level: 1Range: TouchDuration: 6 rounds/levelArea of Effect: SelfComponents: V, S, MCasting Time: 1 roundSaving Throw: None

Explanation/Description: Via this spellthe cleric can turn his vestments intomagical armor equal to chain mail (AC5). The vestment cannot be worn withany armor, Bracers of Defense, or anytype of protection item or spell. Thus, ifthe cleric is under a Bless spell, wearing(not just possessing) a Ring of Protec-tion, under a Protection From Lycan-thropes scroll, etc., he or she cannot usea Magical Vestment spell: Nothing willhappen when he or she casts it. Howev-er, if the vestment is worn alone, it willbecome +1 for all purposes for every fourlevels of the cleric up to a maximum of+4. All magic cast at the cleric will entitlethe cleric to the appropriate saving throwof from +1 to +4.

This spell can only be cast in the cler-ic’s own temple or in a temple, church,abbey, etc., including the cleric’s privatequarters, if he or she has a small, approp-riately consecrated (q.v.) altar in thatroom. The cleric must be awake for thevestment to stay magical. If the cleric isthen Blessed or Cursed or in any wayputs on magical protection, the vestmentwill lose its dweomer at once. Thosewearing a Magical Vestment are immuneto Magic Missile and Magic Stone spells(q.v.). Once the cleric sets foot out of hisor her temple, the vestment will lose itsmagical protection.

Note: When in a temple or church, it isuncommon for a cleric to be wearing ar-mor or shield of any kind. Clerics do notperform services dressed in armor andshield.

the Portent is complete. For example, ifthe DM rolls (or chooses) 11, then the11th action (either a “to hit” roll or asaving throw) will be the object of thePortent. This count is suspended for anyactivity the figure might try to undertaketo sidestep an ill Portent; i.e., only “to hit”rolls and saving throws made in actuallife-and-death situations count in thistally.

The cleric will use some random-gen-eration item as a material componentsuch as dice, a spinning numbered wheel,sticks, cards, tea leaves, etc. He will try to“read” the significance of the materialcomponent’s prediction.To determine the kind of Portent, the DMrolls d6; an odd-numbered result indi-cates an ill Portent and an even-num-bered roll indicates a favorable Portent.The character should be told whetherthe Portent will be good or bad, but notwhen it will occur or how effective it willbe. If an ill Portent is called for, the op-ponent’s armor class will improve by theamount of the Portent, from 3 to 2 forexample. If a saving throw is called for onthe action when an ill Portent takes ef-fect, the spell recipient will subtract fromthe die roll. If the Portent is favorable (forthe cleric or other beneficiary of thespell) the opponent will worsen his orher armor class, e.g. from 5 to 7. If asaving throw is required on a good Por-tent, the spell recipient will add to thesaving throw die. An armor class ad-justment to an opponent only applies for“to hit” determination for the recipient ofthe Portent, and not for any other mem-bers of the party.

Second Level

The amount of the Portent will berolled on d4, so that a bonus or penalty of1-4 will be added to or subtracted fromthe Portent roll (for a saving throw) orthe opponent’s armor class (for a “to hit”roll). Remember that only the DM knowswhich roll is the Portent roll. These spellstend to make characters brave or cow-ardly, and are a genuine mixed blessing.

Portent (Divination) Death Prayer (Invocation)Level: 1 Level: 2Range: Touch Range: TouchDuration: See belowArea of Effect: Figure touched or selfComponents: V, S, MCasting Time: 1 turnSaving Throw: None

Explanation/Description: Via this spellthe cleric attempts to tell something ofhis or another’s future “luck.” This luck istranslated into “to hit” probability or aspecific saving throw that will occur atsome time in the future. The DM will rolld20 and determine which “to hit” roll orsaving throw will be the object of thePortent or simply take several in succes-sion, up to a limit of 5, 7, 9, 11, or 13. Theplayer or the DM must note all “to hit”and saving throws of the character until

Duration: PermanentArea of Effect: One corpseComponents: V, S, MCasting Time: 1 turnSaving Throw: Neg.

Explanation/Description: By sprinklingholy water or unholy water (if the cleric isevil) over a corpse killed by an undeadwhile chanting the spell, the cleric redu-ces the probability that the corpse willrise as an undead at some later time.Further, it protects the body from thespell Animate Dead that might be cast onthe remains at some later time.

The corpse is allowed a saving throwbased on its level in life, but not to bebetter than 12 on d20 in any case, even

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Dragonwith modifications due to spells or magicitems. Corpses failing the appropriatesaving throw rise as the appropriate un-dead in the normal manner. If the savingthrow is made, the corpse crumbles intodust and be forever useless for any pur-pose. This applies to the victims of wights,wraiths, spectres and even vampires, inaddition to ghouls, ghasts and other un-dead that “procreate” themselves.

While under the protection of the DeathPrayer, the victim cannot be contactedvia Speak With Dead unless the caster ofthat spell is of a higher level than thecleric who originally cast the DeathPrayer. If Speak With Dead is successful,the protection is cancelled and cannotbe replaced. While under this protection,the victim suffers a -25% penalty to thechance of success of a Raise Dead orResurrection spell. Dispel Magic will notremove the protection, but Wish or Li-mited Wish will. The fact that the spell is,in fact, in place cannot be detected byanything less than Limited Wish or Wish.

Detect Life (Divination)Level: 2Range: 10 feet/levelDuration: 5 roundsArea of Effect: One creatureComponents: V, S, MCasting Time: 1 roundSaving Throw: None

Explanation/Description: Via this spellthe cleric can tell if a creature is dead oralive. Thus, it will reveal the subject of aFeign Death spell or someone in a comaor death-like trance or state of suspendedanimation. It will show that a figure en-gaged in astral travel is still alive. Life canbe detected in both plants and animalsvia this method. However, the spell’srange will be reduced if as little as a one-inch thickness of stone or wood comesbetween the cleric and the subject of in-vestigation. In such cases, range is re-duced to only 1 foot per level of the clericfor the first inch of thickness, plus eachadditional inch or part of an inch. (Seeexample below.) A metal barrier of anytype totally blocks the spell. Mental pro-tections or magic items such as a medal-lion versus ESP will totally block thedetection.

Example: A 5th-level cleric is 20 feetaway from a two-inch-thick woodendoor. He wants to know if there is lifebehind the door. His normal range wouldbe 50 feet, but the door reduces therange to 32 feet: 20 feet to the door, twofeet beyond it (using 1 foot per level foreach of the two inches of thickness), and10 more feet beyond that. A living figuremust then be within 12 feet of the otherside of the door and in a straight “line ofsight” from the cleric. Thus, someonebeside the door, and thus protected by

Vol. VI, No. 8

the adjacent stone wall, would not bedetected. The cleric must chant the spellaloud while holding his holy symbol inthe exact direction of detection, and maynot turn during the five-round durationto face in any other direction. Someonebehind a door, for example, might hearthe cleric speaking the spell aloud. If thecleric’s concentration is broken due totaking damage or some other action, thespell immediately ends.

Holy Symbol (Conjuration/Summoning)Level: 2Range: TouchDuration: PermanentArea of Effect: Item touchedComponents: V, S, MCasting Time: 1 turnSaving Throw: None

Explanation/Description: This spellblesses a new holy symbol to replace acleric’s or her lost or damaged symbol.The new symbol, which is the spell’smaterial component (and, obviously, isnot destroyed in the casting), must becrafted of appropriate material (depend-ing upon the religion or deity in ques-tion) and must be of the proper shapeand design; i.e., the cleric cannot justpick up any item and make it into a holysymbol. The cleric may possess twosymbols at any one time.

The magic of this spell cannot be used

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February 1982 Dragonto bless the symbol of any other deity,even another deity of the same pan-theon. If the symbol is to be given toanother cleric of the same religion andthe exact same alignment, the benefi-ciary must be present at the time of thecasting of the spell and must hold thesymbol-to-be throughout the casting pro-cess. The holy symbol of a cleric willradiate a dim aura of good or evil, but it isnot magic per se. Neutral clerics’ holysymbols have no aura.

Messenger (Enchantment/Charm)Level: 2Range: 2”/levelDuration: 1 hour/levelArea of Effect: One creatureComponents: V, S, MCasting Time: 1 roundSaving Throw: Neg.

Explanation/Description: By castingthis spell the cleric can call upon a singlesmall creature of at least animal intelli-gence to act as his or her Messenger.Those animals that are “giant” versionsof other animals, or those with a measur-able intelligence (3 or above) are im-mune to the spell. The cleric, using sometype of food desirable to the animal, willcall it to come to him or her (assuming itis within the range limit). The animal isallowed a saving throw based on its hitdice; if it makes the saving throw it willnot come and the spell is ruined. Ananimal that fails the saving throw willcome to the cleric and will await his orher bidding.

The cleric can communicate with theanimal to tell it where to go, but direc-tions must be simple. He or she can at-tach some item or note to the animal, andit will move at its full movement rate tothe place it has been told to go. It willwait at that location until the spell dura-tion expires. The would-be receiver of amessage from such a Messenger may ormay not be looking for an animal or birdas a courier, and may ignore the carrier.

Once the spell duration runs out, themagic is broken and the animal or birdwill go about its own business. The re-ceiver of a message cannot communi-cate with the animal, except via SpeakWith Animals or another similar means.

Third LevelDust Devil (Conjuration/Summoning)Level: 3Range: 3”Duration: 1 round/levelArea of Effect: SpecialComponents: V, SCasting Time: 3 roundsSaving Throw: None

Explanation/Description: Via this spellthe cleric conjures up the weakest of airelementals. The summoned creature hasonly 2 HD, AC 4, move 18”, no effectiveattack, and it can be hit by ordinary wea-pons. Magical weapons of any type cause

it double damage. Creatures of the Ele-mental Plane of Air can dismiss the DustDevil at will. The Dust Devil must remainwithin 3” of the cleric at all times.

When the spell is successfully cast, asmall whirlwind is produced that has a5-foot-diameter base, a 10-foot top di-ameter and stands 15 feet tall. Its windsmove at about 30 miles per hour. It canhold a gaseous form or gaseous cloud atbay and can push one away, though itcannot dispel or damage the cloud, up tothe 3” range limit. Its winds are sufficientto put out small campfires and torches,as well as exposed lanterns and smallopen flames of non-magical origin.

In areas of loose dust, sand or ash, thedust devil picks up and disperses theseparticles in a cloud 30 feet in diameter.Those looking into the cloud cannot seebeyond. Those in the cloud are blindeduntil getting out of the whirling dust.This blindness will make them -3 to hitany target in hand-to-hand melee.

Spell casting is virtually impossible in-side the whirlwind, whether some solidsubstance is caught up in the whirlwindor not. A spell caster in the whirlwindmust make a saving throw vs. magic tocast any spell. If he or she makes thesave, the intended spell may be cast, butreduced visibility might affect targetingif dust or sand or ash is present. If thespell caster fails the saving throw, thespell is ruined and lost from memory.

Creatures from other planes of exist-ence are not affected by the Dust Devil.Those with magic resistance will cancelthe spell and its manifestation upon theDust Devil’s contact with their bodies.

Enthrall (Enchantment/Charm)Level: 3Range: 3”Duration: SpecialArea of Effect: 90-foot radius of clericComponents: V, SCasting Time: SpecialSaving Throw: Neg.

Explanation/Description: A cleric us-ing this spell can bind and enthrall anaudience that can fully understand his orher language. Those of the cleric’s racesave at -4 against the power of the spell,those races that have bad relations withthe cleric’s race save at +2, and all otherraces do not adjust their saving throws.Enthrallment cannot occur to figureswho are 4th level or higher, have morethan 4 hit dice (as a monster) or whohave a wisdom in excess of 15 (thus,almost all clerics/shamen are immune toanother’s Enthrall spell). The castingtime and duration are variable: As longas the cleric can keep speaking. No ef-fect can occur until the cleric has spokenwithout interruption for one full round.

Those who fail their saving throw vs.the spell will treat the cleric as if he or shehas a charisma of 21 (just as a minordeity). They will stand and listen to the

75

cleric’s words, but they will not act onthem as if a Suggestion spell were cast.When the cleric stops talking, the spell isbroken and the audience’s minds be-come their own again. Any form of attackon the cleric will instantly negate thespell, as will any attempt by the cleric tocast another spell at the same time.

Those who make their saving throwwill view the cleric as having a charismaof 0 and will hoot and jeer, or they willpick up small objects and begin to castthem at the cleric, possibly breaking thespell (50% likelihood for either action tohappen). Actions of either sort causenew saving throws for those who failedtheir first save. It is very unwise for acleric to preach about an opposing reli-gion or the aims of a different alignmentthan that of the audience, because thatallows a new saving throw — at +5 — toeach listener at once.

Remove Paralysis (Abjuration)Level: 3Range: 1”/levelDuration: PermanentArea/Effect: 1-4 creatures in 2” × 2” areaComponents: V, SCasting Time: 6 segmentsSaving Throw: Neg.

Explanation/Description: This spell letsclerics remove paralysis before the dura-tion of the paralysis has expired and alsocancels Hold spells (Hold Person, HoldAnimal, Hold Monster). The Remove Pa-ralysis spell is stronger than Dispel Mag-ic for this effect. By pointing a finger, thecleric can unparalyze a victim or victimswithin the spell range, if no physical ormagical barrier stands between casterand recipient(s). All victims must bewithin the square area of effect. Eachvictim gets a new saving throw vs. paral-yzation based on the victim’s level/hitdice. That saving throw is at +3 if onecharacter or creature is affected, at +2with two recipients, and at +1 with threeor four recipients. If an intended recip-ient fails this saving throw, the durationof the paralysis doubles regardless ofthe cause of the malady. A subsequentRemove Paralysis cast upon such a crea-ture causes 4-16 (4d4) points of damagewhether the save is succeeds or not.

Note: It is very evil to throw continuedRemove Paralysis spells on a held orparalyzed victim to cause pain and dam-age. It is not a chivalrous way to killsomeone in any case. Paralysis causedby touch (as from a ghoul) cannot beremoved by Dispel Magic in any case.

Water Walking (Alteration)Level: 3Range: TouchDuration: 1 turn/levelArea of effect: Creature touchedComponents: V, SCasting Time: 6 segmentsSaving Throw: None

DragonExplanation/Description: Via this spell,

the cleric or a creature he or she touches,up to the size of a ogre, is empowered towalk on water as if he or she wore a Ringof Water Walking. The recipient of thespell may carry 500 pounds of materialwith him or her, over and above his or hernaked weight. Weight in excess of 500pounds will cause the spell to fail within2-5 minutes. Thus, the person and thatwhich he or she carries might be in themiddle of a body of water when the spellfails. Weight in excess of 750 poundscannot be carried at any time for even amoment.

Fourth LevelMeld Into Stone (Alteration)Level: 4Range: TouchDuration: 8 + d8 roundsArea of Effect: SpecialComponents: V, S, MCasting Time: 7 segmentsSaving Throw: None

Explanation/Description: By holding asample of the like stone as a materialcomponent, a cleric can meld into stonewithin seven segments. He or she merelystands next to the stone (which must belarge enough to accommodate his or herbulk in all three dimensions) and thenblends into it. If the dimensions are notlarge enough to accommodate the entire

body of the cleric and all of his or hernon-living gear (not to exceed 100pounds in weight aside from the cleric inany case), he or she will be instantly ex-pelled from the stone.

The spell lasts for 8 + d8 rounds. Dur-ing that time the cleric may step out fromthe stone the way he or she came into it.He or she may not exit from any otherface of the stone; thus the spell is notsimilar to a Passwall or Phase Door.

If the duration runs out before the cler-ic voluntarily leaves the rock, he or shewill be expelled and will absorb 8-32(8d4) points of damage. In such a case,all carried items must save vs. petrifica-tion or be turned to stone. If the clericsteps out of the stone before the dura-tion is expired, then items carried are notharmed in any way. Artifacts and relicsnot meld into stone in the first place butwill stay behind.

While in the stone the cleric is aware oftime (but never knows the exact spellduration, which the DM rolls for secret-ly), but the caster cannot see or hearthough he or she can smell and taste.The following spells aimed at the rockholding the cleric will harm the cleric: AStone to Flesh will expel the caster in-stantly, with the usual 8d4 damage, butitems need not save. A Dig spell will do8-64 (8d8) points of damage, and thecleric must save vs. death or die instant-

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Vol. VI, No. 8

ly. Transmute Rock to Mud kills the cler-ic instantly and permanently. StoneShape will deal out 4d4 points of dam-age, but the cleric can stay in the rockwithout suffering further harm.

Negative Plane Protection(Abjuration)Level: 4Range: TouchDuration: 1 turn/levelComponents: V, S, MCasting Time: 1 roundSaving Throw: NoneArea of Effect: One Prime Material

creature

Explanation/Description: By holdinghis or her holy symbol while casting thisspell, the cleric protects himself or her-self from Negative Plane undead. He orshe partially opens a contact to the Posi-tive Material Plane.

When the recipient of the spell istouched by a Negative Plane undead(shadow, wight, wraith, spectre or vam-pire), the positive energy will cancel thenegative aura to some extent and mayprevent the draining of a level from thecleric or the figure he or she protected bytouch.

The spell recipient gets a saving throwvs. death; if the save is made, he or shetakes normal physical damage from theundead’s touch but does not lose onelevel of experience. (If the undead drainstwo levels per touch, one level is lostinstead of two.) The spell is then can-celled so that the next touch, if there isone, will be without benefit of a savingthrow. The undead creature will auto-matically take 2-12 (2d6) points of dam-age when touching a protected charac-ter who makes the saving throw.

If the saving throw is failed, the clericor figure touched takes double physicaldamage plus loss of the level as well (aspectre or vampire would drain two lev-els as usual). Instead of absorbing pointsof damage, if the spell recipient’s savingthrow is failed the undead may add thatamount (2d6) to its hit-point total, up toits normal maximum.

All such Positive/Negative Plane con-tact will cause a bright flash, and athunder-like crack of sound will be heard.No damage is caused by the flash orsound. The protection will last for oneturn per level of the cleric or until thecleric touches a Negative Plane undead.

The spell will cause the cleric to ex-plode (instant and irrevocable death) ifhe or she dares to cast it while on theNegative Material Plane. The spell willnot function at all on other planes of ex-istence besides the Prime Material.

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(Continued from page 4)great game. So, I understand, is the high-levelversion. Of course they appeal to differenttemperaments. Mr. Luna (Out on a Limb,issue #52) prefers the high-level version, whileMr. Fox (#55) has a temperament better suitedto the low-level version. Your editorial policyseems to favor the lower levels, probably be-cause Mr. Gygax and TSR invented the low-level version, and the high-level version is“just” an offshoot which you still regard as anaberration and not the legitimate variation itis. (Or is it just that you don’t receive manu-scripts on the high-level version, and, as youoften say, you can’t print articles that nobodywrites?)

May I urge you to close your letters pages tothis pointless slurring of two good games bythose who prefer one over the other? They aretwo different games, two legitimate games,and two good games — and that should be allthere is to be said on the question!

Ralph SizerProvidence, R. I.

You deserve credit, Ralph, for trying to set-tle this question diplomatically. And we’reoften tempted to do as you suggest and cut offdebate on the subject. But that doesn’t solvethe problem.

I can’t speak for Mr. Gygax or TSR, and Iwouldn’t presume to try. But if I were to try, Iwould probably say something like this:

Mr. Gygax and TSR didn’t invent the “low-level version” of the AD&D™ game — theyinvented the game itself, and there is only oneversion of it. The AD&D game has rules andregulations, just like softball or poker or anyother game, and people who play the “high-level version” (if I understand your definitionof the term) aren’t playing by the rules. Okay,maybe there’s no harm in rolling up andequipping a party of high-powered playercharacters for a special purpose, to enjoy aone-shot adventure or a commercial moduleprepared specifically for super-characters.But players involved in a long-running cam-paign (which is the best way to get the mostout of the AD&D experience) should not beallowed — and should not even desire — tostart off with characters that have six-figureexperience point totals and enough magicitems to set up their own store.

Your observation about different kinds ofsoftball and different varieties of poker is avalid one, up to a point. But neither type ofsoftball is higher or lower in “level” than theother, and likewise for the various sorts ofpoker. If there was a version of softball thatallowed both teams to start every inning withthe bases loaded, and counted singles asthough they were home runs, then you’d beable to compare high-level softball and low-level softball. If there was a type of pokerwhere everybody anted up their life savingsand you needed four kings or better to open,then you’d be able to discuss the relative mer-its of high-level and low-level poker. If thesetypes of softball and poker did exist, and had

universally recognized rules, then the “playwhichever way you want to” argument wouldhold up.

I suppose we’d be willing to let well enoughalone if the low-level people and the high-level people stayed in their own worlds anddidn’t intrude on each other: The trouble is,they don’t. When a high-level DM tries tomoderate a group of low-level players, or viceversa, the result is friction and animosity, andultimately the breakdown of the playing group.That, more than anything else, is what we’retrying to prevent and avoid.

Your assumption about why we don’t pub-lish manuscripts on the “high-level version” isessentially correct: people apparently don’twrite that sort of manuscript. And that’s justas well, because as far as we’re concerned,the “‘high-level version” isn’t a game. KM

‘Helping DMs’Dear Editor:

Regarding Wayne A. Langguth’s letter inissue #55 of DRAGON: Great idea!

I don’t mean his suggested method for sav-ing throws under certain conditions, for it isup to every DM who reads it to decide whetheror not it is a good idea. I mean the idea ofhelping other DMs on sections of the rulesthat were either forgotten, not thought of, orpurposely left out of the books to avoid un-neccesary complication. Many parts of AD&Dare vague and seem to be missing semi-essential parts, notably, in this case, savingthrows that player characters should not im-mediately know the results of. Every DM mustfill in these gaps with his or her own rules, butnobody could possibly cover them all. So, it isa great idea to make public some tried ideas,so that DMs can use them in their campaignsif they like them or discard them from theirmemories if they don’t.

Here is my idea, and I hope that other ideaswill follow to benefit all DMs. One fault in thegame is the detection of magic in weapons

and armor. To quote the DMG, “Most swordsof magical nature shed light when drawn fromtheir scabbard,” and “For game purposes allmagical armor should be considered as beingvirtually weightless — equal to normal cloth-ing.” I think it is much more interesting if,when players find magic weapons or armor,they do not know immediately, whether byseeing if it glows or how heavy it is, that it ismagic. The players in my campaign, whenev-er they discovered something that may bemagic, would shout simultaneously, “Does itglow?” I quickly became bored with this, andhave playtested and been very successfulwith the following “rule”: Not all swords thatglow are magic, and not all magic swordsglow; and not all armor that is extra light ismagic and not all magic armor is extra light.

This is accomplished by placing enchant-ments on magical and non-magical items,such as a perfectly normal sword with a Con-tinual Light spell on it, or a magical suit ofplate mail that appears normal until struck inbattle, when it displays its magical properties.I find it much more interesting when playershave to cast spells, use devices, or even hireNPCs to find out if their treasure is magical.

Nathan BrownNewark, Del.

Nathan has the right idea: Whether or notyou agree with the particulars of his “magic”proposal, and whether or not you agree withWayne Langguth’s saving-throw system, isimmaterial. This letter, and Wayne’s letter be-fore it, can at least be used as food forthought. And if only one DM is stimulated tothink of some way to improve his game in asimilar fashion, then the space we used toprint the letters was space well spent. — KM

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