SPECIAL ATTRACTIONSIssue #178

Vol. XVI, No. 9February 1992

PublisherJames M. Ward

91 01 72 22 8

EditorRoger E. Moore

Fiction editorBarbara G. Young

Associate editorDale A. Donovan

Editorial assistantWolfgang H. Baur

Art directorLarry W. Smith

Production staffGaye O�Keefe Angelika Lokotz

Tracey Zamagne Mary Chudada

SubscriptionsJanet L. Winters

U.S. advertisingRoseann Schnering

U.K. correspondentand U.K. advertisingBronwen Livermore

3 24 15 05 77 17 47 98 28 6

9 41 0 21 1 4

4 FEBRUARY 1992

What Fighters Do BestAn up-close-and-personal look at the warrior�s world.

The Three Faces of Chivalry — Len CarpenterRole-play noble warriors in all-new ways�knight after knight.

Bazaar of the Bizarre � Mark GaleottiWho�s knocking at my door? Magical rams and more for the military.

Follow the Leader � Carl SargentPaladins need all the help they can get�and here it is!

In Defense of Polearms � Gregory DetwilerYou can�t eat with a fauchard-fork, but it does a nice job on cavalry.

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

What Not to Include � Arthur CollinsWho needs every dragon and elf species there is? Your world doesn�t.

The Voyage of the Princess Ark � Bruce A. HeardThe bonds of chivalry are stronger than blood and steel.

River�s Friend � fiction by Josepha ShermanYou would do anything for a friend, but how would you save a river?

The Role of Computers � Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk LesserThe foulest evil awaits deep beneath the surface of Pools of Darkness.

The MARVEL®-Phile � William TracyHaving leftovers for your next campaign? Try these two.

Role-playing Reviews � Rick SwanSieges, assaults, fortifications, catapults�all on your kitchen table.

Novel Ideas � The TSR Book DepartmentA year�s worth of high adventure is coming from TSR!

The Game Wizards � Steven E. SchendIt�s a brave new world for Spider-Man and the Avengers.

A Swing and a Hit � Gary Van BinsbergenSome disarming new combat techniques to put a choke hold on yourTOP SECRET/S.I.� campaign.

Where�s the Thief? � Michael GabrielThe thieves� guild joins the 2nd Edition BATTLESYSTEM� game!

Just Who Are These Folks? � Stephen SullivanIf you�ve got some catching up to do on The Twilight Empire, start here.

Through the Looking Glass � Robert BigelowLittle wars and little warriors in review.

D E P A R T M E N T S

5 Letters 67 Convention Calendar 104 Twilight Empire6 Editorial 92 Sage Advice 108 Dragonmirth

38 TSR Previews 98 Forum 110 Gamers Guide

COVERFantasy role-playing is full of great battles and brave warriors, but the still-smiling

dwarf in Jim Holloway�s cover for this month is obviously a front runner in theGreatest Victory Won By Just One Fighter contest. Jim said he imagines that thedwarf to the far left is pointing at the frozen dwarf and yelling, �Hey, this guy stillowes me five bucks!�

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

Tactical errata

There are indeed two errors in the armor-class calculations on page 28 of issue #169.Under the description of active defense, theranger’s shieldless armor class should be 7 (8 -1 = 7). Under the description of full defense, theranger’s shieldless armor class should be 3 (5 -2 = 3). In each case, your editor used the rang-er’s original armor class with shield whenmaking out the final calculations.

The statement about excluding all shieldbonuses was not well phrased. Magical bonusesfor shields are indeed added to the armor classof the shield bearer, after the +4 bonus forhaving a shield is accounted for. If a ranger inchain mail has a shield +2 and uses the fulldefense tactic, he will have a frontal armor classof -1(5 - 4 - 2 = -1); without this tactic, hewould have a frontal armor class of 2 (5 - 1 -2) = 2).

We did catch another typo in this article,which we corrected on page 6 of issue #170(“Errata”). Your editor was obviously not playingwith a full deck when he got into the cardgame, and he will try to do better. Sorry!

The first occurs under the description foractive defense. The ranger in the example hasan armor class of 7, due to wearing leatherarmor and wielding a shield. When using theactive defense tactic, his frontal armor classwould be 5 (7 - 2 = 5); this statement is correct.The next states that if the ranger did not have ashield, his armor class would be 6, but thisstatement is incorrect. Since the ranger does nothave a shield, his base armor class (leatherarmor only) would be 8. The +1 AC bonuswould put his armor class at 7, not 6.

I also found the example under the descrip-tion for full defense to contain this same sort oferror. What confuses me most about this exam-ple is the statement that says, �If he has a shield,he receives a +4 bonus on his armor class forthat round, excluding all shield bonuses.� Is thisstatement correct? Excluding shield bonus sortof defeats the purpose of defense tactics.

Dennis J. HudakMurrysville PA

I�m slightly confused about a few points in thearticle, �The Strategy of Tactics,� in DRAGONissue #169.

Dear Dragon,

DARK SUNTM errataDear Dragon,

You have made a mathematical error in thearticle, �Random Magic For Organized Minds,� inissue #173. Messrs. Brown and Connors splitspells in the DARK SUN world into three catego-ries: Common, Uncommon, and Rare. This is agood idea, but since there are more spells in the�Uncommon� list than on the �Rare,� each indi-vidual spell in the �Rare� list is much morecommon than any single �Uncommon� spell.

For example, if I were rolling a third-levelwizard spell for a scroll, the result would beblink 1% of the time (15% chance of getting the�Uncommon� list, then a 1-in-15 chance ofrolling blink). However, water breathing wouldbe the result 1.667% of the time (10% chance ofrolling on the �Rare� list, then a 1-in-6 chance ofgetting water breathing). As a result, morewizards in the DARK SUN world know waterbreathing than blink. A simple fix for this prob-lem would be to change Table 1 to read:

1d100 Frequency01-75 Common76-95 Uncommon96-00 Rare

Michael J. BuceWest Conshohocken PA

Nice work—thank you. If more spells wereadded to these spell tables, Table 1 might needto be readjusted; DMs should keep a calculatorhandy for figuring out probabilities if they aresticklers for accuracy.

Handbook errata

I would like to reply to David Howery�s article�Completing the Complete Fighter,� in issue#172. Mr. Howery�s article, while having someexcellent suggestions for fighters (especially theassassin kit, which I intend to adapt to mycampaign soon), has some incorrect informationin it.

First, he says that single-class fighters canspecialize in only one weapon. Mr. Howery goeson to say that this is written on page 52 of the2nd Edition Player’s Handbook, and that page 58of The Complete Fighter�s Handbook states anincorrect contradiction of this by saying thatsingle-class warriors can specialize in more thanone weapon. However, the Player’s Handbookstates on page 52, under the heading �WeaponSpecialization,� that specialization �is normallyannounced (and paid for with weapon proficien-cy slots) when the character is created. But evenafter a player character earns experience, hecan still choose to specialize in other weapons,provided he has the weapon proficiency slots

Dear Dragon,

(Continued on page 7)

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DRAGON 5

Last month, as you�ll recall, we talkedabout �kinkiness� in role-playing games.When you get right down to it, almost anyRPG is kinky in one way or the other.Some of the most popular and intriguingRPGs involve very weird concepts, such asan underground society run by a com-puter and completely populated by trai-tors (West End Games� PARANOIA* game);urban battlegrounds filled with punk orcs,troll mercenaries, and elven technologists(FASA�s SHADOWRUN* game); an alternatehistory in which space travel was discov-ered during the Victorian period (GDW�sSPACE: 1889* game); a transdimensionalinvasion of Earth by everything fromwizards to dinosaurs to cybernetic reli-gions (West End Games� TORG* game); andhigh-school life after Earth is invaded bywacky alien races (R. Talsorian�s TEENAG-ERS FROM OUTER SPACE* game). Thesegames are fun for their very uniqueness.

Games have also been created aroundkinky ideas that appeared in other mediaformats, such as pizza-eating reptiles whopractice martial arts in the sewers (Palladi-um�s TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TUR-TLES* game, from the comic book); evilgods and monsters from outer space thatattempt to conquer the Earth in the 1920s(Chaosium�s CALL OF CTHULHU* game,from H. P. Lovecraft�s tales); and an eccen-tric gentleman who voyages through timeand space in a police box (FASA�s DOCTORWHO* game, from the British TV show).Tolkien seems pretty bland, huh?

It seems to me that one of the most basicrequirements for �kink� in a role-playinggame is that it not include elements oftraditional fantasy role-playing games(particularly the AD&D® or D&D® games),which have roots in Tolkien�s Middle-earthtales, Robert Howard�s Conan stories, andMiddle Ages lore. Elves are probably themost-recognized elements of a traditionalfantasy game, so dumping elves is a step inthe right direction in creating a kinkyRPG. Different Worlds� EMPIRE OF THEPETAL THRONE* system and SkyrealmsPublishing�s SKYREALMS OF JORUNE*game present science-fantasy alien worlds

6 FEBRUARY 1992

That�s still pretty kinky!

with no elves (or even unicorns) at all, andthe TALISLANTA* game was advertised byBard Games as having no elves, too,though some of the many humanlike racesof Talislanta looked more than a little likeelves. TSR�s AD&D 1st Edition OrientalAdventures tome and FGU�s BUSHIDO*game, both based largely on Japanesemedieval culture and folklore, offeredentertaining no-elf worlds with the addedstamp of mythological authenticity. Youcould call them kinky, too, for theiruniqueness and appeal.

On the other hand, you can make evenelves kinky. I mentioned the techno-elvesof the SHADOWRUN game earlier, andspacegoing elves crew fleets of butterfly-shaped ships in TSR�s SPELLJAMMER�setting, but you can also have fun withmore traditional material. Chaosium pro-duced the ELFQUEST* game, in whichthere is almost nothing but elves; if that�snot kinky, it�s at least unusual (I haven�t, ofcourse, mentioned those elves� mate-finding practice called �recognition� �now, that’s kinky!). Some of the strangestpure-fantasy elves are probably those inthe RUNEQUEST* game�s GLORANTHA*universe (from The Avalon Hill GameCompany), who are religiously fanaticalecoterrorists; and the tall, nomadic,desert-dwelling elves of Athas, in theAD&D game�s DARK SUN� setting. Elrondthey�re not.

In my opinion, however, the kinkiest of

games are those that are not only rare andappealing, but funny. Humor is priceless,and any game that can offer rules thatpromote genuine laughter is my kind ofgame. The TEENAGERS FROM OUTERSPACE and PARANOIA games noted earlierare prime examples, as are TSR�sBULLWINKLE AND ROCKY� game andWest End Games� GHOSTBUSTERS* sys-tem. FGU�s BUNNIES & BURROWS* game,detailed in the last issue�s editorial, wasusually pretty humorous (I mean, youwere playing rabbits, after all). My all-timefavorite kinky funny game, however, isSteve Jackson Games� TOON* game.

In the TOON game, you can role-playanything. You can be a barbarian, a robot,a rock star, a cartoon-character rabbit, aplant, a microwave oven, your boss atwork, yourself, anything. You get a hand-ful of skills and powers appropriate to thekind of character you are. Then you dothe most stupid things, and you laugh untilyou can�t breathe.

The TOON game was reviewed inDRAGON® issues #92 and #144, and dis-cussed in #106 in an article on �bad� ideasand whether they can make good games. Iwon�t bother detailing the game�s simplemechanics; results are all that count, andthey�ve been the best. One of our mostmemorable adventures began when aduck with a bazooka destroyed the space/time continuum, and it ended when God-zilla stepped on everyone after TinaTurner got him to dance. In another gamesession, adventurers traveled across Marsin a balloon shaped like June Cleaver fromthe Leave It to Beaver TV show. Later, theD&D® Cartoon Show kids�Bobby, Presto,Hank, Sheila, you know the gang�had aferocious encounter with the Smurfs, thedetails of which a sense of decency forbidsme to mention.

And then there was The Greatest Role-Playing Adventure Ever Known. Every-one�s got one. Ours was the greatestGreatest, however. Lectroids from Planet10 (from the Buckaroo Banzai movie) hadtaken over the TSR building, and a teamcomposed of such greats as Darth Vader,

When I was a frequent game master, ithelped to take an occasional break fromthe regular campaign, whatever it was,and play something entirely different forone or two sessions. The TOON game wasthe perfect break-time game. Any othergame could do, but I would strongly rec-ommend that the game be humorous. Ahumorous or off-beat adventure using theoriginal game system would do, too; weonce role-played peasants who werecaught in the magical blitz that our origi-nal characters had flung against an invad-ing orcish army, and another time werole-played AD&D game deities whofought robotic war machines (see theeditorial in issue #156 for details). Takingthe time to run an oddball adventure ortwo keeps the original campaign freshwithout spoiling any of its flavor.

Kinkiness is a trait that you should learnto hunt for and put to use in your role-playing recreation time. Your players willthank you for it, and if you don�t alreadyhave a Greatest Role-Playing AdventureEver Known, one day you will4. Give ityour best kink.

the Road Runner, Doctor Who, Wile E.Coyote, Danger Mouse, the duck with thebazooka, and Tutu Monchichi (you remem-ber those cute little monkey-thingers,right?) tried to take the building back. Theadventure ended when Tutu Monchichiaccidentally destroyed the universe1 andeveryone went to Heaven2. I cannot de-scribe the rest of the adventure, as humancognitive structures are not meant towithstand such mind-distorting abuse3.

That was a kinky adventure, and that,for me, set the standard for kinky RPGstuff from then on.

Footnotes1. Famous last words: �I just know that

somebody somewhere will want to buya Happy Factory franchise!� Thanks,Laura.

2. Except Darth Vader, of course. Thanks,Margaret. Maybe the duck shouldn�thave gone, either, as he shot both theD&D Cartoon Show Dungeon Masterand the space/time continuum in thesame adventure, but we were beinggenerous. Thanks, Michael.

3. The group never did meet the GreatFlying Fish in the Hall of Mysteries.Bummer.

4. But it won�t be as good as ours was.

* indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarksowned by the companies publishing those products.The use of the name of any product without mentionof its trademark status should not be construed as achallenge to such status.

Let tersContinued from page 5

available." Fighters could specialize in only oneweapon in the AD&D 1st Edition game, not theAD&D 2nd Edition game. The reference in TheComplete Fighter�s Handbook on allowing single-class rangers and paladins to specialize in weap-ons is one I would leave to be decided by theDM running the campaign, since everything inThe Complete Fighter�s Handbook is optional.

Second, I would like to counter Mr. Howery�sbarring of elves and other demihumans fromthe assassin kit. Dark-elf characters, if allowedby the DM, would certainly have fighters withthe assassin kit. Evil dwarves do exist, so thisoption should be open to them, too. The assassinkit in The Complete Thief�s Handbook allows allraces to be assassins, although the DM can�forbid elven, gnome and halfling Assassins...since this profession is quite antithetical to theircultures.� This is a fantasy world, however, sono one character has to follow the dominantphilosophy of his race.

Other than these mistakes, the three kits listedare excellent, and I hope Mr. Howery will pub-lish more in the future.

Chris DanielsonHouston TX

Regarding your first point, a mistake wasindeed made�but not by David Howery, andnot by you (and, thank goodness, not by theeditor, either). You obviously have a first-printing copy of the 2nd Edition Player�s Hand-book. The very line you quoted was changed inthe second printing of this rules book, so thatthe corrected text now reads: �But even after aplayer character earns experience, he can stillchoose to specialize in a weapon, provided hehas the weapon proficiency slots available.� Inother words, a fighter can specialize with onlyone weapon, and no more. During the editing ofDavid Howery�s article, I took care to rewritepart of the second paragraph to reinforce thispoint, as many people had already been snaggedby this problem in the rules. The CompleteFighter�s Handbook is thus still in error. Individ-ual DMs can, of course, rule as they wish intheir own campaigns.

On the second point, David Howery originallyallowed humans, elves, and half-elves to beassassins. This was changed during the article�sediting, but you do make a good point, and I canaccept your reasoning about drow and dwarvenassassins. I would still keep other races fromadopting this kit in most campaigns, unlessthere is good reason to the contrary.

Fame errata

If you were happy before, you should be inHeaven now. Sorry about misspelling yourname. By the way, the other TSR staff membersloved your news clipping about the giant ham-sters in Kansas, particularly after they photo-copied my face onto the hamster and passed thepicture around the building.

have) shown all my friends that I, Tracy Great-house, have my name in DRAGON Magazine!

So, again thank you very much. I am honored,thrilled, happy, overjoyed, and generally ecstaticover this.

Tracy GreathouseBedford Heights OH

Hoopy froods

You�re welcome. Thank you, too, and thankyou to hoopy froods Joel Patton (Travelers Rest,S.C.), D. Mark Griffon (Kenosha, Wis.), SarahWhedon (Morehead, Mass.), and StewartStremler (San Diego, Calif.) for their assistanceon this critical matter. I made sure that I spelledyour names correctly (Side note to Joel Patton:I�m sure that if you want to name a sect ofhamster-revering gnomes after Ann Sheffieldfor her poem on giant space hamsters in issue#175, that would be fine with everyone. She�s ahoopy frood herself, for sure.)

And now I�m going home to rest and maybehave my head examined.

As I was reading DRAGON issue #175, I wasdeeply entranced by the editorial on giant spacehamsters. I noticed the editor�s remark on oneresponse near the end of the editorial on page100. The response read, �They�re so cool andfroody that you can keep ice on them,� and theremark read, in brackets, �Froody?�

First, I would like to note that �froody� is not aword. I resume the writer meant �frood.� Theterm �frood� comes from The Hitchhiker�s Guideto the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams. �Frood� is anoun, not an adjective as the writer uses it, asthe definition of �frood� is �really amazinglytogether guy.� However, the writer could haveused the term �hoopy� and possibly have gottenaway with it. �Hoopy� means �a really togetherguy!� Even better, the entire passage could havebeen written as: �Those hoopy froods are socool they can be kept on ice.� Being a hoopyfrood is the utmost desirable thing to be called,because it means you�re such an amazinglyamazingly together guy that it�s really amazing.

Thank you from a hoopy frood.Robb HowellBozeman MT

Dear Dragon,

Dear Dragon,I would like to thank you for the editorial nod

in my direction (issue #175, �Editorial�). How-ever, you did spell my name incorrectly. Fortu-nately, the thrill of being mentioned in myfavorite magazine more than makes up for theoversight!

I have been trying to get something publishedfor some time now, and to receive recognitionfor a contribution is an immense pleasure. Inissue #154, Alex Iwanow wrote a letter propos-ing a contest, to which the response was thatgetting published was in itself a contest. Theresponse went on to explain that although youdon�t pay for certain submissions, you do getthe fame of having them appear in the maga-zine. That is my point�the fame! I can (and

Resubscribe!Check your mailing label. If it’s time toresubscribe, fill out the reply cardinside this magazine, or write yourname and address on a sheet of pa-per, then send it along with your pay-ment to:

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Boston MA 02206DRAGON is a registered trademark of TSR, Inc.

©1991 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

DRAGON 7

Artwork by Robert Lessl

The Three Faces ofChivalry

by Len Carpenter

Ever since the publication of UnearthedArcana for the AD&D® 1st Edition game,players and DMs have debated the respec-tive roles of the paladin and cavalier class-es. The changes made in the AD&D 2ndEdition rules with the appearance of anew Player’s Handbook and The CompleteFighter’s Handbook have added moreoptions for the players of knightly charac-ters, but have also added to the muddle ofcontroversy.

For those having trouble distinguishingbetween the play of cavaliers and paladins,a look at how chivalry was actually viewedin the Middle Ages can prove helpful inreducing confusion and disputes. Thedifferent chivalric codes touted by medi-eval authors can aid players in portrayingthe forms cavaliers and paladins can as-sume in AD&D games, as well as inspirethe DM in creating the chivalric codesknown in the campaign world.

In his outstanding work, French Chival-ry, historian Sidney Painter argues thatthere never was a common code of chival-ry recognized in medieval times. Writingsthat survive from the Middle Ages de-scribe a wide variety of opinions offeredby knights, ladies, ecclesiastics, and trou-badours on which characteristics embodythe ideal of knighthood to be emulated bynobles. Painter groups this diversity ofbeliefs into three major categories, whichhe calls feudal chivalry, religious chivalry,and courtly love.

Feudal chivalryFeudal chivalry emerged from the ruins

of the western Roman Empire as a martial

code inspired by the warriors of Germaniclegend. Warfare was the chief occupationof the Teutonic and Frankish nobility, sothe nobleman was defined by those traitsthat make an effective soldier: personalbravery, physical strength, hardiness, skillat arms, and fortitude. To be preux, topossess martial prowess, was the mini-mum expected of every nobleman. In theviolent centuries following the fall ofRome, a nobleman who could not fightwas of little use to his feudal lord.

Loyalty joined prowess to form the twomajor qualities admired in the knight. Tothe feudal world, loyalty primarily meantupholding the personal obligations thatbound a knight to his liege lord and a lordto his vassals. A knight who couldn�t berelied upon to act as a trustworthy soldierin his lord's service was also useless, if notdangerous, to his feudal lord. Only byobserving the mutual contracts that heldfeudal society together could total chaos ina fragmented Europe be averted.

The knight was taught to faithfully servethe lord above him and in turn be obeyedby the vassals and peasants below him. Inreturn for the goods produced by thepeasantry, the knight provided protectionfrom external threats. When obligationswere ignored and internal dissentionpresent, a fief became ripe for plunder orconquest. The ethical duties of a knight tohis society proved crucial in a time whencompetition among rivals was fierce andthe disunited perished.

A tradition of knightly courtesy lateremerged with growing political stabilityand class consciousness among nobles.Courtesy was a matter of practical senseshown by noble to noble to preserve andprotect the members of an exclusive club.

A courteous knight, according to thefeudal code, should face a fellow noble onequal terms and should neither attack anunarmed knight nor take advantage of anunfair opportunity. A knight must alwaysbe ready to accept a defeated knight�ssurrender, to spare his life, and promptlyrelease him on parole.

A captor must treat a noble prisonerwith respect and must never demand anexcessive ransom from a vanquishedknight. (Haggling was little known, since aknight�s vanity was satisfied by the highransom he could command.) In return, aknight taken prisoner and then releasedon his word of honor must never violatethe terms of his parole and should pay hisransom in reasonable time.

The yearning for glory came to be asmuch a part of the nobleman as the desirefor land, plunder, and ransom. Everyknight dreamed of having his deeds live onbeyond him in song and story, just as theGermanic heroes of old did. The pursuit ofglory through the accomplishment ofheroic feats was declared the chief goal ofthe true knight; the earning of booty wasmerely a side benefit�at least, that�s whatknights said in public.

The virtue of generosity, lauded in earlyGermanic literature, was also valued inlater medieval times. Great honor could bewon by the open-handed noble who gavelavishly to his vassals and allies. Hungryminstrels and landless knights seekingemployment spread the message thatlargesse ranks high among the chivalricvirtues. A rich nobleman who lackedmartial prowess but who gave his wealthfreely could always find knights to fightfor him and minstrels to sing his praises.

The nobleman who lived within hismeans was despised by some medievalwriters. Often living on the edge of bank-ruptcy, a noble should think nothing ofmortgaging his lands to hold extravagantbanquets and to bestow costly gifts. Adisregard for fiscal responsibility came tomark the true nobleman from the frugaltownsman, who was always ready toexploit the poverty of knights in order tobuy or marry his way into the landednobility.

While warfare was considered the truevocation of knights, the tournament of-fered an acceptable substitute to break upthe monotony of peacetime. For a landlessknight with no steady source of revenueand no war to earn him regular pay andbooty, the horses and armor captured orransoms claimed through tournamentvictories provided an exciting way to earna living.

Tournaments brought prestige to thenoble who sponsored them. The spirit ofhospitality and social activities accompany-ing a tourney reinforced the feeling ofcomradeship among nobles, encouragedthe use of chivalric courtesies, and furtherseparated tournaments from the horrorsof war, in the process changing tourna-ments from a practical exercise of theskills needed in battle into a grand sport tobe enjoyed for itself.

The 13th-century knight William Mar-shal personified the spirit of feudal chival-ry. On one occasion, while Marshal waitedfor a tournament to begin, a young herald

DRAGON 11

asked William in song for a gift. Marshalpromptly overthrew the first knight hefaced and gave the loser�s horse to theherald, impressing all present with hisknightly skill and impetuous generosity.

At its core, feudal chivalry in AD&Dgame terms embraces the lawful-neutralethos. Feudal chivalry concerns itselfprimarily with the ethical contracts bind-ing society together, while also closelyregulating the rights, powers, and dutiesof the various classes of society. The mo-rality of the actions performed by individ-ual knights merits far less attention.

Religious chivalryReligious chivalry emerged as the

church tried, though with only middlingsuccess, to restrain the violence and greedof feudal knights. The church worked toreplace the knight�s sense of loyalty to hisfeudal obligations with an even higherloyalty to the church. A knight, clericsproclaimed, should serve the church firstand obey other worldly contracts second,devoting his life to serving the clergy andadhering to the edicts of the church in allmatters.

Knighthood is not an accident of birth,priests maintained, but a divinely insti-tuted order like the priesthood. The act ofconferring knighthood upon a noble be-came a holy ritual. The church taught thata nobleman, no matter how high his birth,betrays his knighthood if he follows anirreligious and immoral life.

The religious knight aspires to be hon-est, temperate, frugal, charitable, humble,and strictly monogamous, if not chaste. Healso shuns greed, luxury, extravagance,and the desire for worldly honors. Theonly deeds worthy of a knight are thosethat serve the church, not those per-formed to win glory in the eyes of others.

The feudal knight viewed his preroga-tive to make war on his neighbor as aninalienable right of his class. The churchstrove to curb this propensity for violenceby forbidding a knight from warring onhis fellow Christians. The church believedthe only war a Christian knight couldjustifiably wage was a religious crusadecalled by the church. Moreover, the noblewho failed to go crusading when calledupon was denounced as a worthlessknight and a false Christian.

The church also preached against thetaking of booty in war and the plunderingof the weak and innocent. Condemningthe seizure of goods from a fellow Chris-tian defeated in war or tournament, thechurch restricted the knight�s hunger forthe fruits of war to only those goods takenfrom the unrighteous while in the act ofenforcing justice against evildoers, neverfor the simple lust for profit.

Despite the church�s declaration that noknight could be saved who had not re-turned all the goods taken from others,William Marshal remained unrepentantfor all the wealth claimed from the 500knights he had vanquished in tourna-

12 FEBRUARY 1992

Courtly loveThe origins of courtly love have been

debated endlessly by scholars, but thechief ideals of the code emerged from thelyrical poetry of southern France in the11th and 12th centuries. The content ofromantic poetry varied widely as poetsthroughout Europe explored love in all itsmany forms: dreamy and mystical, coarseand bawdy, platonic and chaste. The mostflowery of poets described the sweetagony of longing from afar, never to befulfilled. Their poems recounted the un-questioning worship of and subservienceto a noble lady, and portrayed knight andlady as equals in the service of Lady Love.

Most poets did agree that love is a strongsource of goodness in the world. Lovemakes a knight more valiant, more noble,more preux. Where the feudal knightgains strength through devotion to hisliege lord and the religious knight throughdedication to the church, the romanticknight grows mighty through adoration ofa noble lady. A nobleman who has no high-born lady to love lacks the essence of trueknighthood. A lady who has no knight toworship her and no minstrels to praiseher should feel clearly out of fashion.

Knights were advised to practice thesocial graces and courtly arts to win thefavor of cultured ladies. A knight mustpossess charm, eloquence, taste, civility,and a ready wit if he wants to stay popu-

ments. He insisted on his deathbed thatthe church�s teaching was false and unfairto knights.

While a few ecclesiastics approved ofthe tournament as a training ground forthe necessary skills of knighthood, thechurch in general abhorred tournaments,where the seven mortal sins of pride,envy, hate, avarice, luxury, extravagance,and homicide thrived. The knight�s questfor glory was mere vainglory in the opin-ion of priests. The bloodshed inherent intournaments was repugnant to thechurch, and the seizure of the horses andarmor of fellow knights was decried as anunjust profit. The pomp and pageantrysurrounding the tournament was scornedas a wicked waste of resources betteremployed in more charitable ways.

Yet all the threats to excommunicate theparticipants in tournaments and to denychurch burial to anyone who died in atournament were in vain. The churchnever extinguished the love of roughmelees and splendid jousts in the hearts ofknights and commoners alike.

In the AD&D game, religious chivalrywill likely be allied with a dominant god orgoddess of lawful-good alignment, a deityconcerned with both the well-being ofsociety and virtuous personal behavior.The patron of paladins and many good-aligned cavaliers, this deity will charge hispriests to instruct knights on how to fol-low the path of righteousness, as well aschastise knights who lead an immoral orunethical life.

Gaming chivalryThese three chivalric codes should be

seen as separate and, in their entirety,

Courtly love at its most extreme, and asplayed in the AD&D game, describes achaotic system of ethics advocating loversto flout any laws or customs that hinderthe course of true love. The romanticknight owes loyalty to his paramour only;all other duties are shown to be meaning-less when the two fall under the spell ofLady Love.

lar at court. A knight who wishes to winthe heart of a lady of gentle birth shouldbe as adept at singing, dancing, playing amusical instrument, and composing poetryas he is at jousting and fencing.

Romantic literature described loyalty toone�s paramour as preeminent over allother obligations. True love places a knightand his lady above all laws of state orchurch. Nothing should stand in the wayof true love�not even marriage. In an agewhen marriages were arranged to forgepolitical alliances or because of economicnecessity, few persons married for love.As nobles often married young, the onlyladies available to be worshiped from nearor afar were already married. The intrac-table laws of the church and deeply rootedcustoms of feudal lords ensured that theideals of courtly love remained more thestuff of literature than of everyday life.

The most famous tales of courtly love,which recounted the affair between Lan-celot and Guinevere, broke sharply fromthe ideals of the past. Not only was Lance-lot�s adulterous love for his queen a sin inthe eyes of the clergy, it also violated Lan-celot�s sworn obligations to honor his lord,King Arthur.

In a romance written by Chretien deTroyes, Lancelot journeyed the land onincredible adventures for no better reasonthan the approval of Guinevere. During aquest to rescue his queen from a villainousknight, Lancelot lost his horse and wascompelled to ride in a hangman�s cartcarrying condemned criminals. Lancelothesitated a moment before boarding thecart and thus subjecting himself to a hu-miliating way for a knight to travel. WhenGuinevere later heard of Lancelot�s mo-mentary hesitation, she considered that aflaw in Lancelot�s love for her. Guinevererequired Lancelot to set forth on yet an-other series of adventures before shefinally forgave him.

In another test of Lancelot�s love, Lance-lot entered a tournament in disguise butGuinevere recognized her champion any-way. Lancelot defeated every knight hefaced until Guinevere sent him a noteordering him to fight poorly. Lancelotallowed himself to be soundly thrashedand driven from the field in disgrace. Hecontinued to fight badly the next day untilthe queen sent him another message com-manding him to fight at his best. There-after, no knight could stand againstLancelot.

irreconcilable standards of conduct. Feu-dal chivalry chafed at the moral restric-tions laid down by the church andregarded the beliefs of courtly love athreat to the proper business of arrangedmarriages, as well as a weakening influ-ence on the rigorous life a warrior shouldlead. Religious chivalry struggled to limitthe excesses and violence inherent infeudal chivalry while vigorously opposingthe wanton behavior of proponents ofcourtly chivalry. Courtly love sought tothrow off the prohibitions imposed byfeudal custom and religious doctrine togive freer reign to the passions of nobles.

While these codes could never be whollycombined into a single ideal acceptable toall, some medieval writers succeeded inmerging particular features of two or evenall three codes to form a composite model.The DM, too, will need to make compro-mises to blend aspects of each code toform the knightly codes that add color tothe campaign world.

The DM will typically find three types ofwarriors involved with chivalry. The firstis the cavalier, depicted as a characterclass in Unearthed Arcana and as a war-rior kit in The Complete Fighter’s Hand-book. Feudal chivalry will be the majorinfluence on these knightly characters.

Next is the pure paladin, drawn strictlyfrom the 1st or 2nd Edition Player’s Hand-book, whose abilities and attitudes arelittle influenced by any warrior kit he mayadopt. Like a Galahad radiating an aura ofotherworldly purity and holiness, thispaladin is driven exclusively by the princi-ples preached by the temple he serves.The concerns of class, politics, and world-ly ambition seem trivial to the pure pala-din when compared to the glory of servinghis deity.

Most complex of all is the paladin-cavalier, drawn from the paladin subclassof the cavalier class of Unearthed Arcana,or created when an AD&D 2nd Editiongame paladin fleshes out his backgroundby adopting the cavalier or noble warriorkit. This character is shaped by both reli-gious and feudal chivalry in roughly equalparts.

Most cavaliers will align themselves withthe cause of good. Many such cavalierswill draw on aspects of religious chivalryto add a needed dose of morality to thetraditions of feudal chivalry. UnearthedArcana properly reflects the benefits thataccrue to good cavaliers while penalizingcavaliers who follow neutral or evil align-ments. The Complete Fighter’s Handbook,however, mandates that all warriorschoosing the cavalier kit must be good. AsI�m inclined to ignore the noble warrior kitand instead mix parts of the noble warriordescription into a broadened cavalier kit, Isuggest that Dungeon Masters who use theAD&D 2nd Edition rules consider permit-ting cavaliers-even if only as NPCs�tofollow nongood alignments.

A campaign trying to capture the spiritof the feudal age should contain a high

The booty earned through conquest ortournament victories passes freelythrough the cavalier�s hands. Largesse isacknowledged as an important part ofwinning prestige. To maintain an aristo-cratic image, the cavalier will spend hismoney on appearance rather than crea-ture comforts. His clothing must be fash-ionable and extravagant, his jewelry topquality, his armor stunning, and his resi-dence opulent. �It is better to look goodthan to feel good� is a truism to the cava-lier. Never worry about saving for thefuture, the cavalier is told; frugality is forcommon merchants. So what if bank-ruptcy seems imminent? The next adven-ture will provide more wealth.

The pure paladin follows a different setof principles. The paladin doesn�t boast ofhis prowess as cavaliers do, but cherishesthe value of humility. Never confusingegotism with self-respect, the paladinnever duels merely to defend some pettypoint of honor. The pure paladin neverseeks glory for its own sake; he is moreinterested in tangible victories over evil.The only approval the paladin needs is thethanks shown by his temple for valiantservice to the cause of good.

The paladin never involves himself in anunjust war. Even in a just war, the paladindoesn�t lust after plunder, but collects onlywhat profits his temple deems acceptableafter the battle has been won. The paladinwill then donate most of this profit to histemple or other worthy charities. To dresslavishly and dine on rich foods while oth-ers go threadbare and hungry is a sin thatno paladin can condone.

To the cavalier, war is a splendid game;to the paladin, it�s a serious business, Thepaladin believes in getting the job done as

proportion of lawful-neutral cavaliersupholding the ideals of feudal chivalry.Other knights will drift over toward thetrue-neutral or chaotic-neutral alignments,or will descend into the moral abyss of theevil alignments. Meanwhile, heroic cava-liers vigorously oppose their wicked breth-ren. Nobles of all stripes must be presentto form a credible world.

Even a good cavalier with strong reli-gious values will respect the traditionalvalues handed down through generationsof feudal nobility. Always an avid adven-turer, the cavalier sees warfare as a thrill-ing game with glory its ultimate goal. Bestof all is a battle settled neither by alengthy siege nor by the intricacies ofstrategy and logistics, but by a courteouscombat between equal parties of knights,bringing honor to all participants.

The cavalier is always eager to joust in atournament or duel with a fellow knight inorder to defend his honor and to prove hisskill. The true cavalier never hesitates tothrow down the gauntlet before one whochallenges the cavalier�s reputation or whoinsults his paramour. Fearless in battle, thecavalier hopes his knightly deeds will liveon in the words of troubadours and theworks of artists.

The paladin strives to thwart evildoersand suppress hostile infidels no matterhow high their birth. A cavalier can toler-ate and perhaps even relish the companyof fellow knights though they worshipdifferent gods or serve foreign kings. Notso the paladin, as a pure paladin has littlepatience with neutral cavaliers and nonefor evil knights. Loyalty to temple alwayssupersedes loyalty to social class.

The paladin-cavalier is perhaps the mostdifficult of all characters to play. MoreRoland than Galahad, the paladin-cavalierserves not one religious cause only, butmany worldly duties as well. Both templeand liege lord demand his obedience, andhe struggles to serve each equally well.But when the character�s feudal and reli-gious obligations differ, and his soul feelstorn between conflicting drives, he mustultimately submit to his deity before anymortal. This internal conflict makes thepaladin-cavalier a real challenge to role-play well.

While the cavalier may too strongly lovethe privileges of his class, the paladin-cavalier pays more attention to the respon-sibilities and obligations a noble birthconfers. Noblesse oblige guides paladin-cavaliers (and the most lawful and goodcavaliers, for that matter) in every aspectof life. Respect and obedience cannotsimply be demanded: They must beearned. The paladin-cavalier thinks noth-ing of laying down his life for the mostlowborn of peasants for a just cause, orsharing his last loaf of bread with a hun-gry vassal.

Where the neutral cavalier sees peasantsas a resource to be exploited, the paladin-cavalier views them as beings of value.Charity to the poor always takes a highpriority with the paladin-cavalier, even ifhe must deprive his own manor of stylishfurnishings. The noble taste for luxury istempered by a moral drive to provide forthe needs of others before his own.

quickly and as humanely as possible torestore peace to the land, and as a resultwill study the strategies of warfare withthoroughness and intelligence.

Never taking prisoners for the sake ofransom, the pure paladin advocates thelawful judgment of evildoers by a court oflaw or military tribunal; some societiesmay give the power to judge to the paladinhimself. The paladin would sooner see adangerous criminal or vicious monsterimprisoned or executed than ransom backan enemy who is then free to wreak havoconce again.

The pure paladin decries the violenceand greed of the tournament. No truepaladin need prove his worth by fightingfor the amusement of a bloodthirstycrowd. By participating in a tournament, aknight risks committing the sin of homi-cide to satisfy a base craving for worldlyhonors and wealth. Besides, why wastetime on a frivolous tournament whenthere are so many wrongs to be rightedand villains to be undone?

DRAGON 13

Exposed to the thrill of jousting sinceearly childhood, the paladin-cavalier un-derstands how the tournament hones aknight�s skills. The paladin-cavalier maynot relish war as cavaliers do, but he doesrecognize the need to keep himself infighting trim for those times when histemple or lord calls upon him to engage ina regrettable but necessary battle. So longas a tournament is conducted in a civilizedand orderly manner�e.g., regulated joustsor a mock assault on a wooden castle torescue its �captive� maidens, rather than asavage melee�and the paladin-cavalier�stemple or lord doesn�t forbid his participa-tion, the tournament can be enjoyed.

Imagine, however, the misunderstandingwhen Lady Bess the paladin-cavalier un-horses Sir Brian the cavalier in a joust, yetshe doesn�t claim from him a ransom.She�s in it for the practice, after all, not theprofit. Sir Brian might believe she rateshim a knight of such poor prowess hedoesn�t merit a ransom, treating him like acommon foot soldier. To avenge the unin-tended insult, Sir Brian might turn thecourteous joust into a bloody duel ofhonor.

The ideals of courtly love will likelyinfluence most knights to varying degrees.Cavaliers will embrace courtly love for thesophisticated pleasure of the games ofcourtship or for simple bawdy fun.Whether a gracious knight adoring a ladyor a female cavalier courting a famousprince, the knight who can boast of cham-pioning a noble paramour and whoproudly wears the paramour�s scarf orkerchief in tournaments adds greaterglory to the knight�s name.

The courtly arts also mark the culturednoble as someone distinct from the com-mon townsman or yeoman farmer. Aknight with political aspirations will bewell served by mastering the talents thatcan win favor at court and attract theattention of high-ranking patrons.

Few cavaliers, however, will go so far asLancelot in placing service to a paramourabove their own pride as warriors. Mostlawful cavaliers will also not permit them-selves to fall so headlong into love that thetraditional practices of marriage are en-dangered by jealousy or the complicationsposed by bastard offspring.

A truly romantic knight will likely followthe chaotic-good alignment, believing thatdevotion to his paramour and to the gamesof courtly love represents the highestideals of knighthood. The romantic cava-lier will never let the ethics of a facelessand unfeeling society stand in his waywhen he sees the moral good of a person�sindividual liberty and happiness is threat-ened, especially when that person is hisparamour.

The chaotic-neutral knight, in contrast,practices the most selfish aspects of court-ly love. He views personal pleasure asmore important than respect for the tradi-tions of society or the feelings of thosewhose lives he touches.

Paladins and paladin-cavaliers will cer-tainly concede love is a tremendous powerfor good, but their romantic activities willbe guided by the tenets of their religion. Ifnot restricted to lives of chastity, they willstill honor their temples� teachings regard-ing courtship and marriage. They treatlove as a more serious matter than cava-liers typically do, and they respect com-mitment and honesty over frivolous gamesof flirtation, seduction, and courtlyintrigues.

Other codes of behaviorOf course, not all AD&D campaigns will

limit themselves to the milieu of feudalEurope. The DM whose campaign worldembraces a wide variety of colorful soci-eties should draw inspiration from thewarrior codes of many historical cultures.

The samurai, like the knight, was drawnfrom the lesser ranks of Japan�s highlycultured landed nobility. The characteris-tics and qualities of this exotic warrior,shaped by a different culture, will natu-rally differ from those of Western cava-liers. Bushido rather than Europeanchivalric codes is a better guide to the DMwhose world reflects an Oriental flavor.

Other societies of a fantasy world mayknow noble warriors inspired by Byzan-tine cataphracts armed with bow andlance, ancient Near East charioteers, orIndian nobles who waged war with ele-phants. Such warriors will likely obeystandards of behavior distinct from thoseidentified with the European heavy-cavalry lancer.

Consider, for example, a nation wherethe sons of the landed gentry are trainedto fight as traditional cavaliers. Aristocrat-ic daughters, using their smaller andlighter frames to their advantage, areinstead born and bred to fight as lightlyarmored horse archers. Equipped withasymmetrical composite long bows capa-ble of being fired from horseback, theyfavor maneuver over mass, firepower overshock power. While products of the sameculture, the siblings who master disparatecombat styles cannot help but reflectdifferent martial philosophies and conductthemselves according to different chivalriccodes.

Even more unusual are demihumancavaliers. Elven cavaliers might despise therigid legalities of feudal chivalry and in-stead throw themselves into the fun andgames of courtly love with more passionthan any human could muster. Viewingthe long bow rather than the lance as theultimate symbol of warrior nobility, elvencavaliers may not scorn fighting at longrange as human knights do and considerdiscretion an important part of valor.

Rejecting the frivolity of courtly love,dwarven cavaliers may abide by unyield-ing laws and traditions of dwarven chival-ry so fervently that human feudal chivalryseems lax in comparison. With combatfrom horseback so impractical for thedwarven stature, they may prefer the

thrill of driving a war chariot pulled bystout mountain goats or fierce rams. Char-iot racing and the exchange of axe strokeson foot may replace jousting in dwarventournaments.

In addition, paladins and paladin-cavaliers too may differ markedly fromcampaign to campaign. One worlds pala-dins serve a benevolent sun goddess, an-other world�s following a wrathful stormgod. Paladins across many campaignswield different spells, fight different ene-mies, practice different rituals, obey dif-ferent marriage customs, and preside overdifferent legal systems. Paladins in somecampaigns might even adopt unusualwarrior kits that make sense in their ownparticular culture. While rooted in histori-cal study, the chivalric codes of any worldmust be tailored to fit in with the cam-paign�s cultural environment-its institu-tions, mythologies, races, fighting arts,economic realities, and political struggles.

Putting it into practiceOnce the DM has fully developed the

chivalric codes of the campaign, he mustthen explain them in detail to the players.The DM can hardly fault a PC cavalier orpaladin for violating a subtle point of thecode the character professes to servewhen that code had never been outlinedto the players in the first place. The DMshould never assume the players know thesame historical facts he knows.

Historical research can prove valuablebut shouldn�t be followed slavishly. It�s theDM�s prerogative to remake fact into fan-tasy, to create societies whose elite war-riors embrace novel philosophies andtraditions in rulership, religion, andromance.

[Other articles on this topic have ap-peared in DRAGON® Magazine. Theseinclude:

�From the Sorceror�s Scroll: Good Isn�tStupid...." (issue #38, reprinted in TheRest of DRAGON® Magazine anthology,volume II);

�The Anti-Paladin� (issue #39, reprintedin The Rest of DRAGON® Magazine anthol-ogy, volume II);

�Leomund�s Tiny Hut,� �It�s Not EasyBeing Good:" and �Thou Shalt Play ThisWay� (issue #51, the first reprinted involume II and the second in volume III ofThe Rest of DRAGON Magazine anthology);

�From the Sorceror�s Scroll: The Chival-rous Cavalier� (issue #72);

�A Plethora of Paladins� (issue #106);�The Elven Cavalier� (issue #114);�Feuds and Feudalism� (issue #117);�The Code of Chivalry,� �Meanwhile,

Back at the Fief...,� "Lords & Legends,� and�Glory, Danger, and Wounds� (issue #125);

�Lords & Legends� (issue #127);�The Corrected Cavalier� and ��Good

Does Not Mean �Boring�� (issue #148);�The Making of a Paladin� (issue #154).

14 FEBRUARY 1992

Military magical items for the fantasy battlefield

Two things found at the heart of mostfantasy worlds are magic and war. Gen-erals and kings would no doubt have beenthe first to hit on the potential value ofmagic to their dreams of conquest. Whilethey would obviously use normal magicalitems to their fullest effect, they wouldalso look for items meeting the specificneeds of armies. Hence, there is goodreason to introduce magic that, thoughoften of only limited direct value to mostadventurers, has every reason to exist andcan be of great use to those with granddesigns of conquest.

No random table is provided for thesemagical items. The DM should place theseitems in his world with care since they areboth rare and much prized.

Battle standardsAll banners are special to those who

fight beneath them, but some are investedwith magical powers, either by enchant-ment or by the reverence of countlessgenerations of warriors. Magical battlestandards characteristically share certaintraits and have particular special abilities.They all have a base value of 3,000 XP andthey are typically 9�-12� long and weigh 20-80 lbs. Their other common features are:

1. They are tough and unfading, makingall item saving throws with a +3 bonus totheir rolls.

2. They are inspiring. Soldiers get a +1bonus to all saving throws and +3 bonusto morale checks while in the unit bearingsuch a banner (a �unit� is any organizedbody of troops up to 100 beings strong).

3. They are hard to steal or capture. Anyhostile soldier who manages to seize sucha banner finds it twice as heavy as itshould be and has a -2 penalty to all

by Mark Ga leot t iArtwork by Gerald P. Sawyer

saving throws while he carries it.4. Their powers wane and wax, depend-

ing upon whether they are being used for�legitimate� mass-combat purposes (i.e., theDM may declare the powers of a certainstandard will fade if it has been capturedby a group of adventurers). This effect isthe result of the gods withdrawing theirgoodwill toward such a device, the lack ofproper battlefield preparation and blessing,and other causes, as the DM chooses.

Most magical battle standards havespecific attributes in addition to the aboveabilities. Note that experience-point valuessupersede the previously given value forstandards possessing the following specialattributes:

Magic shield: All hostile spells castwithin 60� of this item have a flat 20%chance of being dispelled (including po-tions possessed by hostile beings), and allunit saving throws against spells cast byhostile forces are at +2. (XP value 5,000)

Ferocity: Friendly troops within 60�need not check morale, and save againstfear and mind-control attacks at +3. (XPvalue 4,000)

Terror: Enemies within 80� of thisdreaded flag must make an immediatemorale check. All their subsequent moralechecks in the zone of influence suffer a-1 penalty per 20� distance as they con-tinue to close in on the flag, to a maximumof -4. (XP value 4,000)

Protection: This banner provides allfriendly troops within 60� with protectionfrom one or more specific sorts of attack(fire, cold, electricity, gas, petrification,etc.). Saving throws against those attacksare at +3; successful saving throws resultin only one-quarter normal damage, andfailed saves result in half damage. (XP

value 3,000, plus 750 per specific form ofprotection)

Holy: This is a banner that gives a +2bonus to the saving throws of all friendlytroops within 60� who are of the align-ment to which the banner has been conse-crated. In addition, it turns (or commands,for evil-aligned banners) undead as woulda 12th-level cleric. All hostile clerical spellscast by clerics of a different alignmenthave a chance of being dispelled while inthe area equal to 20% minus 1% per levelof the caster. (XP value 6,000)

Bigby�s demanding ramA singular item manufactured by a

master mage of the City of Greyhawk, thisram is a 10� brass-sheathed battering ram,forged by dwarves from the farthestmountains. It was bathed in the boilingblood of a dozen yeti to give it strength,rune-etched with the acid of a black dragon, then tempered in a living volcano. Itshead was forged from a single wedge ofbronze brought from the elemental planeof Earth and carved in the shape of aclenched fist by six bound efreet. Finally, itwas invested with Bigby’s clenched fist,Bigby’s forceful hand, and wall of iron.The result is a battering ram that takes 10men of strength 13+ or the equivalent touse. On impact, it delivers a blow equiva-lent to triple the usual structural damageinflicted by a ram. (XP value 2,500)

Cask of the wind spyA breathtakingly beautiful, normal-sized

casket of clear crystal with a lid mountedon hinges of gold, this device has trappedwithin it a minor form of air elemental whowill act as a scout and spy for anyone know-ing the magic word of command. This word

DRAGON 17

must be spoken before the box is opened,lest the elemental fly out and return to itsnative plane. The elemental can be com-manded for a total of two hours before itmust return to the box for a full day.

The elemental is invisible and will notengage in combat, but it is intelligent andable to communicate in a high, liltingwhisper. It cannot draw maps but candescribe what it has seen. Though it can-not distinguish some details (mediuminfantry rather than heavy, spears ratherthan pikes, etc.), it can provide basic infor-mation of what and who it saw (infantryrather than cavalry, gnomes rather thanogres). If the casket breaks (which occursif an item saving throw is failed for crystalglass), the elemental is free to return to itshome plane (MV fly 24; AC 0; hp 24). (XPvalue 4,000)

Durimal�s philtersCharacteristically, this comes as a trio of

small bottles in a sturdy leather case. Eachbottle�s contents are magical and of ex-treme concentration. One quarter of abottle is enough for 20 men if diluted inwater or other drink. If more than a sip istaken in concentrated form, it is verydangerous: treat as a type I poison (DMG,page 73). The three philters all have differ-ent effects. (XP value: 2,400 for the set)

Durimal�s sovereign tonic: Those drink-ing this philter in its diluted form feel

18 FEBRUARY 1992

refreshed and alert for the next six hours,and any wounds they possess neitherfester nor become infected. To simulatethis, double the total natural healing forthe first day of this philter�s use only. Inaddition, a bonus of +2 is given to savingthrows against poison and nonmagicalattacks against a character�s health, suchas normal disease rolls. It also confers asaving throw vs. spells against the addi-tional damage from a sword of wounding,allowing one such save per round afterthe victim has been wounded.

Durimal’s potent draught: Any drinkerof this philter feels confident and strong.He makes all morale checks and savesagainst mind-affecting spells at +2 for thenext 24 hours or until a saving throw isfailed, whichever comes first.

Durimal’s merry blend: If mixed withalcohol, this philter will ensure that drink-ers will sleep well and awake fresh andclear-eyed, with no trace of a hangover,thus allowing a commander to let histroops have a celebration without impair-ing their combat readiness. Actual gameeffects are at the DM�s discretion; use ofthis potion usually improves morale andloyalty scores of troops for a short periodof time.

metal rod has a number of functions:1. On command, it will extend up to 12�

in length, while its surface roughens inalternating bands to allow the engineer touse it as a ruler and measure. This formuses no charges and is too slender andunwieldy to use as a weapon, thoughdoing so will not harm this device (nor willit cause damage, except to small insects).

2. This rod can always, using no charges,indicate magnetic north on command.

3. If rapped firmly against stonework,this rod can indicate to its user, by telepa-thy, the stonework�s thickness and compo-sition for no charges (this is useful forgauging the thickness of walls).

4. For one charge, the rod may cast a digspell with a one-turn duration.

5. The power of the rod can function asa move earth spell for two charges perturn, or three if the effect is to movefeatures rather than collapse them (asthough an earth elemental were beingused).

6. A wall of stone (at the 12th level ofexperience) may be created for onecharge.

7. For one charge, the user can summon10 unseen servants for one hour. Theyoperate as per the spell but are each twiceas strong as usual and hence can be usedfor stacking timber, grading roads, etc. (XPvalue 4,000)

Excellent rod of engineeringA much-prized accessory for a military

engineer, this plain, rechargeable, 2�-long

Fodder dustThis is the solution to many logistical

problems. A single pinch of this magicaldust, added to a gallon of water, balloonsout into a heap of vegetable fodder suffi-cient to feed 30 horses or the equivalentfor a day. It usually comes in a small, flatbox of 3d4 +1 pinches. A single dry pinch,if consumed inadvertently, expands to killthe imbiber in gruesome fashion: save vs.death magic at +1 or die (unless especiallylarge). (XP value: 200/pinch)

Ipsissimo�s black gooseA bizarre but cunning mage, Ipsissimo,

built this marvel to guard the camp of hisfriend and patron, Cosimo the Dark. Builtof some strange black metal, this constructis shaped like a 4�-tall goose. During theday it is completely immobile and veryheavy (200 lbs.). At sunset, it will whir to�life� and begin patrolling the outskirts ofa camp, house, or other dwelling or areaof less than 10,000 square feet, as directedby its owner.

If it comes across someone with 60�bearing ill will toward those persons it isprotecting, it will launch itself to the at-tack, all the while clacking and squawkingat the top of its mechanical voice. In com-bat, it has MV 15, AC 0, 40 hp, THAC0 13,and attacks once per round with its beakfor 2d4 hp damage; it is able to hit allnormal targets, as well as ethereal ones orthose susceptible only to magical weapons.Its attack causes NPCs to make a moralecheck, and it is immune to all forms ofsleep, charm, fear, death magic, mind-control spells or psionics, or illusion/phantasms. When down to 5 hp, it givesone last, deafening clack, then falls over.

The black goose detects its targets bytrue sight. During the day, it will regener-ate 5 hp damage per hour so long as it wasnot brought below 0 hp. If the goose isbrought below 0 hp, it will permanentlycease to function. (XP value 8,000)

Iron forge of the armiesThis is a great black iron anvil, em-

bossed with runes of power in gold andbrass. A competent smith will find non-magical tasks uncannily easy when usingthe forge. Bent swords will straighten witha single tap and will have lost none oftheir strength; horse shoes will be just theright size; and everything worked on thisanvil will have a little extra shine andfinish. In actual game terms, the smith willwork at six times his usual speed.

The anvil is too massive to transportexcept with the most elaborate methods,and using it is hard work. The smith musthave a minimum strength of 15 and is ableto work only as many days in one stretchas his constitution score divided by five(rounded down) before he must rest for alike period of time. (XP value 1,750)

Manual of stratagemsThis is a medium-sized book, bound in

seasoned leather for durability. A fighter,ranger, or paladin may consult it at anytime to try to find a cunning ploy in anysituation, with a chance of success equalto 80% minus 1d10% per use. Once thechance of success reaches zero, the bookis useless to that reader. The book coverspurely military tactics, not limited-scopeadventurer�s methods. It is for generalsand captains and will only be of rele-vance in situations with at least 20 combat-ants on each side. Its effects can besimulated by allowing the commander tochange one set of orders, movement, etc.,retroactively during a battle�that is, hewill know what will happen within oneturn (10 minutes) after making a certainmove, and he can make the move overagain to correct for any mistake or to takeadvantage of any opportunity. Therefore,a commander could thwart an ambush byretracting orders to move into the trap,but he could not decide that he didn�torder an unsuccessful attack once he was

several hours into the battle. If a characterof any class other than a fighter uses thisbook, the character gains nothing butmust save vs. spells at -2 or else becomedeluded for 1-4 hours into thinking he is afighter, acting in all ways as a front-linecombatant and refusing to use any spells.(XP value 6,500)

Quartermaster�s chestThese are huge, iron-bound chests that

need large, sturdy carts (pulled by large,sturdy animals) to be transported. Theycan provide theoretically limitless suppliesand equipment, albeit on a fairly erraticbasis, and they are invaluable whenmarching through barren lands whereforaging is not possible. Each day, thequartermaster can place gems of at least100 gp total value into it, slam the lid, thenopen it and see what the chest will providethat day: roll on the Quartermaster�s ChestTable. Whatever the result, the gems aregone forever. The goods will fill the chest,no matter how much space they wouldlogically take up, but they will disappear ifleft in the chest until the next morning.(XP value 2,500)

Talisman of mireThis is a 6�-diameter silver disk on

which is mounted a rather ugly gray-greenstone. This talisman allows the user to callup ground water to form sticky, unpleas-ant swampy areas, characteristically usedto protect a camp or flank since it takes solong to operate.

DRAGON 19

Quartermaster's Chest Table

Roll Produces01-10 Nothing11-5051-7576-7778-8182-8485-87

88-94

95-9798-9900

Tolerable but unexciting food for 100 men for one dayFodder for 100 animals for one day750� good rope30 planks of timber, each 6� wide and 3� longA bolt of coarse, strong, white cloth, 60� long and 3� wideAssorted bits and pieces: consult the Miscellaneous Equipment table in thePlayer’s Handbook, pages 67-68, and select 100 lbs. total of 1d3 itemsWater: 100 gallons; this will drain away in 10 minutes if not immediatelydecantedCheap wine: 100 gallons, as aboveStrong ale: 100 gallons, as aboveDM's choice: unusual foods, horse barding and equipment, foreign items(possibly from Oriental Adventures), alchemical glassware, etc.

Such a talisman has 40 + 1d20 chargesand is rechargeable. One charge will turna 40� X 40� area into shallow marsh, hin-dering movement on foot and makingmounted travel dangerous (both types ofmovement are at half speed). Attempts toride, run, or fight within the area requirea dexterity check on 1d20 every round, ora slip and fall results. Two charges makethe area all but impassable to those onhorseback and very hard to traverse onfoot. Mounts must save vs. paralyzation at-6 or fall; footmen attempting anythingbut the slowest, most careful walk (one-quarter usual speed, and no melee com-bat) must check against dexterity on 1d20or fall. Damage from falling off an animalis only 1 hp; the soft mud will usuallycushion any fall.

After activating the talisman�s magic, ittakes 10d4 minutes for the water to rise; itremains for six hours. In addition, thetalisman will not work in very dry areassuch as deserts, or on sheer stone surfacesand areas where the water is preventedfrom rising, such as areas having perma-frost. The effect will not cause buildings tosink into the ground, but will make themrather damp and dank for a while. (XPvalue 2,250)

20 FEBRUARY 1992

22 FEBRUARY 1992

Artwork by Gerald P. Sawyer

Follow

All-new followers forhigh-level AD&D®

game paladinsby Carl Sargent

the Leader

Paladins do not gain followers as fightersand rangers do in either edition of theAD&D® game. Fighters gain large num-bers of fighter and men-at-arms types, andrangers gain special assistants (woodlandcreatures and demihumans), but paladinsgain no such followers. This seems implau-sible for two powerful reasons.

First, it is clear that followers are at-tracted in part by the renown of the war-rior to whom they come to offer theirservices. The AD&D 2nd Edition Player�sHandbook makes this quite explicit. Afighter needs a castle or stronghold toattract his men-at-arms, but he must alsobe 9th level; having a castle and lands isnot enough. Why not? Because �it is onlywhen he reaches this level that his name isso widely known that he attracts the loyal-ty of other warriors� (PHB, page 27).You�ve got to have a reputation! Now, if a9th-level fighter can be assumed to have areputation, the 9th-level paladin will havea bigger and better one, because he needsmore experience points than a mere fight-er and must therefore be more accom-plished. The paladin�s deeds are also morelikely to be the stuff of legends than theadventures of most fighters, because thepaladin is a heroic figure of epic quests.This is one reason why a name-level pala-din should surely attract followers at leastas easily as a name-level fighter.

Second, there is the paladin�s tremen-dous charisma. Leadership is a strongaspect of this attribute, and it is a qualitythat inspires loyalty and affection from

those around the paladin. Charisma pow-

followers that the paladin may attract. In

erfully affects the loyalty of henchmen, sowhy doesn�t it attract followers?

I suggest that, both by virtue of hisdeeds (higher XP total) and strength ofpersonality (charisma), the paladin shouldattract followers just as other warriors do.The only counterpoint might be that of thepaladin�s lawful-good alignment. Perhapssuch a strict lord and master might not beattractive to many people. This suggestioncan be dismissed easily, however. Lawful-good fighters don�t find it harder to attractfollowers than other alignments, andneither do lawful-good clerics. Whyshould this be a problem for the paladin?The alignment of the lord, in the AD&Drules, doesn�t influence the number orquality of followers offering service. Ifanything, it might improve their honestyand integrity (no chaotic-evil hangers-onwill turn up!).

This article details who the paladin�sfollowers might be. These followers willturn up when the paladin reaches 9thlevel. As with the fighter, the paladinshould have a castle, stronghold, temple,or similar base before these followersarrive. In almost every case, he should alsohave lands that he wishes to (or is chargedto) protect, or else what need has he ofmen-at-arms and suchlike? I�ve also com-promised with the existing rules by mak-ing the human and demihuman followersof paladins fewer in number and weakerthan those of the fighter, because thefighter should keep some advantage overthe specialists in the game! Perhaps thealignment of the paladin is a little dauntingto less-lawfully minded vassals, after all.

In giving these details, I�ll also give somesuggestions for the roles and behaviors ofunusual followers, and also attempt topersonalize some of the more conventional

this way, the article should have some-thing of use for any player or DM who isdealing with PC followers of almost anyclass in their campaign. I hope to stimulateDMs into designing details of importantNPC followers with these suggestions andoutlines, because a player handed a dos-sier of his followers by a DM who hasclearly put some time and effort into thiswill appreciate this a lot.

Standard followersThis term is used to denote human and

demihuman followers the paladin attracts

spiritual succor and counsel to the paladin

at name level. Two of these are special andshould not be rolled up from tables.

The first of these special followers wecan term a "squire:" although this is notreally a fully appropriate term for a pala-din of 5th-7th level (1d3+4). The squire isthe leader of all the men-at-arms andwarriors who will arrive to serve thepaladin. He may have worked hard toassemble this group himself, having secret-ly admired the paladin-lord for some timeand having labored long in preparation forthe day when he can arrive offering hisservices. The squire should perhaps beyounger, and his family of slightly lowersocial standing, than that of his lord toavoid any embarrassment (paladins can betouchy about this sort of thing). Thesquire should possess some magical items,similar to the list given for the 7th-levelfighter in Table 16 on page 27 of the PHB.The squire will be ready and eager tocommand the defense of his lords strong-hold, by organizing the watches and pa-trols, recruiting replacements for slain orinjured soldiers, and being the Lord'sright-hand man in all military matters.

The second NPC is a cleric, often select-ed with care by the senior priests of thepaladin�s faith in the area, then sent to give

Table 1Men-At-Arms (Zero Level)

d100 Troops/Followers01-50 25 infantry, each with splint mail, shield, hand axe, and dagger; plus 10 infan-

try, each with chain mail, shield, long sword, and short bow51-75 30 infantry, each with splint mail, shield, hand axe, short sword, and dagger;

plus 2d10 infantry, each with chain mail, shield, long sword, and light crossbow76-90 20 infantry, each with splint mail, shield, hand axe, and dagger; plus 2d10

infantry, each with chain mail, shield, long sword, and dagger; plus 10 cavalry,each with studded leather, shield, light lance, and long sword

91-00 Any grouping above, but add 1d10 to each type in that group

DRAGON 23

and his warriors. This may be a youngeradventuring cleric (of levels 3-6; 1d4 + 2),but quite often an older cleric is selected,one whose adventuring days are over. Thiscloistered cleric will be a father-confessorfigure with many potential roles. He willbe literate and a man of letters, lookingafter the lords correspondence (and maydrag along a young acolyte-scribe withhim). He may teach the children of thecastle. At the DM�s option, he may have asage proficiency, usually in some sphere ofinterest of the deity that he and the pala-din follow (or else a field such as theolo-gy). It is an excellent idea to have this sageproficiency in some area where the DMcan feed adventure-related information tothe paladin through the cleric�althoughthis isn�t a freebie for the player. (�Yes,milord, I can find out where the tomb ofthe evil necromancer lies, but I must con-sult tomes, send out letters, and offer a

small consideration to my old friend Tas-saskil of Silverymoon for his help. All thiswill not be without expense.")

Other followers will be more standard-ized men-at-arms and warrior types. Rollonce on Table 1 for ordinary men-at-arms,then once on Table 2 for an elite ("house-hold guard�) group. The followers derivedfrom these tables will be human unlessstated otherwise, but the DM can alwaysintroduce a small proportion of demi-humans instead. For example, if the pala-din has provided sorely needed help to adwarven clan beset by evil in the past, it�squite reasonable for a small group of hisfollowers to be members of that clan,come to renew their fellowship and to payback their debt of honor. Such followersare likely to be highly loyal, and the DMcan reward good deeds in a practicalmanner here!

Table 2Elite followers

d100 Troops/Followers01-50 10 1st-level fighters, each with chain mail, shield, long sword, long bow, and

dagger51-75 As for result of 01-50, but 1d2 are 1st-level paladins, and 1d4 others each have

exceptional stats (-2 to AC and +2 hp/HD, due to dexterity and constitutionbonuses)

76-90 10 1st-level fighters, each with chain mail, shield, long sword, long bow, anddagger; plus 1d4 + 6 cavalry, each with chain mail, shield, medium lance, andlong sword; plus a light war horse (25% chance for chain barding)

91-99 As for result of 76-90, but add 1d2 1st-level paladins; each of the 10 fightershas a 10% chance of being 2nd level

00 As for result of 91-99, but add the following: a 1st/1st-level elven fighter/clericwith chain mail, footman�s mace, long sword, and long bow; two 2nd-levelfighters, each with plate mail, shield, bastard sword, dagger, and heavy cross-bow; and 1d3 1st-level rangers (in rural settings only), each with leather ar-mor, long sword, long bow, and dagger

Table 3Specialists

d100 Troops/Followers01-20 10 expert archers: 1st-level fighters specialized with light crossbows, each with

chain mail, short sword, dagger, and crossbow, all with dexterity scores of l5-18 (14 + 1d4)

21-30 10 expert heavy cavalry: 1st-level fighters, each with chain mail, shield, heavylance, long sword, and short bow, each with a chain-barded medium warhorse, specialized in the use of the long sword; all are also unusually finebowmen (dexterity scores of 12 + 1d6, no penalty for firing from horsebackwhen stationary)

31-40 Ballista crew: eight zero-level men-at-arms of great strength and constitution(12 + 1d6 per statistic) led by a 1st-level fighter (S 18/1d100, C 17)

41-50 �Night watch�: 1d4 + 4 1st-level half-elf fighters, each with chain mail, shield,long sword, and long bow

51-60 Ranger of 2nd-4th (1d3 + 1) level who is an expert animal handler; nonweaponproficiencies of animal training, animal lore, and hunting

61-70 Bard of 2nd-4th (1d3 + 1) level, NG alignment71-80 Cleric of 2nd-4th level (1d3 + 1), exceptional proselytizer (Ch 16)81-90 Half-elf fighter/cleric of 2nd/2nd level91-95 Half-elf fighter/wizard of 2nd/1st level96-99 Human wizard of 2nd-5th level (1d4 + 1)00 Roll once on this table and once on Table 4

24 FEBRUARY 1992

Specialist followersFirst, the DM should roll once on Table

3. This table has been carefully compiledto include groups of specialist warriors(heavy cavalry, a ballista crew, etc.) as wellas single NPCs of medium level. The DMshould consider choosing an entry fromthis table, rather than making a randomroll, to suit the circumstances of his cam-paign. For example, if the paladin has astronghold at the edge of dangerous,monster-infested wilderness, then extrawarriors would be most helpful; in a cas-tle, expert bowmen trained in firingthrough narrow arrow slits would be auseful resource. A castle in the countryside could do with a fine animal-trainingranger. A night watch of infravision-blessed half-elves will be prized by anycaptain of the watch. Finally, a paladincould do with a bard ready to composeodes eulogizing his master�s deeds.

It�s important for the DM to make somedetermination of why such specialistsmight arrive offering service. They mighthave been recruited by the squire or thetemple of the paladin, but they may havetheir own reasons, too. A young bard maysimply be seeking a warm hearth andhome with a famous master; a youngranger might admire the paladin�s wonder-ful war horses almost as much as thepaladin himself, and might wish to workwith them; a young cleric may come to aidin the process of converting the ungodly.For individuals in particular, such reasonsare important and should be individuallydetermined by the DM.

The DM should then roll on Table 4once, or twice only if the paladin is ofexceptional quality (as determined by theDM) in observing the tenets of lawfulgood. The creature denoted by this diceroll can be fairly exceptional, as a quickcheck through the table shows. Again, theDM may want to choose from these en-tries rather than use random choice. Theaim of Table 4 is to give the paladin a trulyexceptional follower, though the term�follower� is a misnomer here. The crea-ture indicated is a friend more than any-thing else. Other possibilities that couldapply in special cases; a paladin having acastle by a seashore could attract1d10 + 10 dolphins or 1d3 selkies, forexample. A special case is the moondog,for those who have the Monster Manual II.A moondog is an excellent guardian forkeeping watch around a paladin�s strong-hold, and one will arrive on a roll of 86-95on 1d100 (using Table 4) if you wish toallow this.

The nature of the association betweensuch a friend and the paladin is very im-portant. The creature isn�t a henchman ofany kind and may deeply resent any sug-gestion that this is the case; a dragon mayget extremely huffy about this! Rather, thecreature is attracted by tales of the pala-din, by an intuitive sensing of the paladin�spresence and aura, because it is sent byothers (dragons might send their young to

experience the lives of humans in a trust-worthy environment), or because thecreature is there when the paladin arrivesto set up his stronghold (as a brownie ortalking owl might be, for example).

It�s impossible to review every casepresented in Table 4, but here are a fewideas that should suggest alternatives forother cases to the DM:

�A guardian naga has been keepingwatch over hidden ruins infested with evil

and undead. The naga comes to the pala-din�s stronghold asking for help, in returnfor which she offers to keep watch overthe boundaries of the paladin�s lands orsome area the paladin needs watched orprotected.

�A ki-rin comes asking for help to driveoff neutral-evil cloud giants assaulting asky castle occupied by good creatures(giants, pegasi, aarakocra, etc.). If helped,it will serve as the paladin�s steed for one

Table 4Exceptional Followers

1d100 Follower01-10 1d2 brownies11-15 Couatl (20% chance for mated pair)16-20 Dragon, gold, age category 3-5 (1d2 + 3)21-25 Dragon, silver, age category 3-5 (1d2 + 3)26-30 Jann, NG alignment31-40 Cloud giant, NG alignment41-45 Ki-rin (optionally a young one, casting spells as 14th-level mage)46-50 Lammasu, lesser51-55 Lammasu, greater56-65 Naga, guardian66-75 Owl, talking (25% chance for mated pair)76-85 Pack of 1d6 + 6 mist wolves (see Monstrous Compendium, Greyhawk Appen-

dix)*86-00 DM�s choice or other* *

* Substitute another entry if you do not have this supplement.* * See article text.

adventure per year that is directly in theservice of lawful good.

�A juvenile silver dragon is dispatchedto the paladin�s castle by its parents, whowish it to learn of human history andreligion (subjects the paladin�s father con-fessor and resident sage are very knowl-edgeable about), or perhaps to develop itsuse of magic. In return, the youngster is tohelp protect the stronghold. The draconicparents offer some helpful magical item aspayment for looking after their somewhatimpetuous and freewheeling offspring fora decade or so.

�An old couatl is attracted by a magicalflux that allows him to find his way easilyalong the edge of an extensive curtain ofvaporous color (see the Manual of thePlanes) in the area of the paladin�s strong-hold (this means that the paladin doesn�thave to live in a jungle to gain a couatl�sfriendship). Drawn by the aura of thepaladin, he offers the paladin and hisfellows his plane shifting ability to assaultevil creatures on their home planes. Hecan only offer such help rarely, however,since he has many duties and responsibili-ties of his own. This is a natural way ofdrawing a high-level party into extra-planar adventuring, if this is what the DMwishes to do.

�Evil dao have become active in Under-dark lands that lie almost directly belowthe paladin�s stronghold. A jann comes towarn the paladin of this, and he can giveinformation on areas, enemies, specialcurses emanating from buried magicalstones, and the like. The jann wishes oth-ers of his kind liberated from magicalcontrol, in return for which he freelyoffers service for a fixed period (threeyears and three days, or however longseems reasonable depending on the scaleof the quest).

Every �follower� can bring its own storyand needs to the campaign, and it canbecome an important NPC in its own right.The DM should not worry about the ap-parent strength of creatures (such as agold dragon) if the principles of the associ-ation with the paladin are worked outproperly. Having a gold dragon in one�scastle seems a terrific idea�except thatthe dragon might want its existence keptsecret (only in human form, it feels, can itlearn about humans properly). This atonce places many restrictions on the drag-on�s role and keeps matters well withinbounds. Also, don�t underestimate theusefulness of apparently weaker brethren;brownies and owls can both be excellentspies, and through their kin they can learnof many happenings in the lands around.

A paladin deserves followers for hisforce of personality, charisma, and gooddeeds. A player who has role-played apaladin well deserves them, and any DMshould have fun designing them (as well asintroducing enough themes and leads forseveral adventures yet to come).

26 FEBRUARY 1992

28 FEBRUARY 1992

Artwork by Jim Holloway

by Gregory Detwiler

Improve your reach�and your damage�in AD&D® game combat

Of all the weapons given for the AD&D®game, polearms are the most neglected.(By polearms, I mean everything fromspears on up, including the trident; thequarterstaff is technically a polearm, butwe�ll skip it here as it lacks a blade.) This isan oversight, as polearms should be a vitalpart of any medieval-style fantasy role-playing game with even a moderateamount of combat in it. The many peculiarshapes and names of polearms add colorto the game. What would an illustration ofmedieval and Renaissance era armies bewithout the sight of massed troops bearingpikes and halberds? Of course, this visualeffect is absent in the game unless minia-tures or illustrations are used to portraycharacters or their foes. This article pointsout a host of reasons to retain and usepolearms in your campaign.

Military usagePolearms are extremely useful in many

types of combat. In some battle conditions,they are irreplaceable. DMGR3 Arms andEquipment Guide contains information onand illustrations of all polearms in thegame. The AD&D 1st Edition UnearthedArcana also has an illustrated appendixdescribing polearms (pages 123-128).

Polearms are at their best when ground-ed to receive a charge. Just about anyspearlike polearm is good at holding offshock cavalry when employed in a massedformation. When firmly grounded, themilitary fork, glaive, and the glaive-guisarme all do double damage againstlarge charging creatures. In addition, theawl pike, lucern hammer, partisan, ran-seur, and spetum do double damageagainst any charging opponent whenfirmly set in place. Thus, a glaive-guisarme(which so many people joke about) normal-ly does 2-12 hp damage against a largeopponent such as a gorgon, but does 4-24hp damage if firmly set against a charginggorgon. Doing more damage means killingthe enemy quicker, which among otherthings allows the victors to get at thetreasure quicker.

Most polearms do at least as much dam-age as most swords do; some do considera-bly more. What is more, they do iteconomically. The glaive-guisarme doesmore damage to large-sized foes than doesa broad sword, yet it costs exactly asmuch. Many polearms cost 10 gp or less,while doing just as much damage as more-expensive swords. For a new character

starting out with limited funds, the combi-nation of high damage and low cost shouldbe well-nigh irresistible. A spear costs just8 sp, compared to 2 gp for a dagger, anddoes 1d6/1d8 hp damage to the dagger�s1d4/1d3. Fighters who insist on sticking toswords from the very beginning shouldnot complain about the high cost of effec-tive weaponry.

In a game world where cavalry is com-mon, a polearm can dismount riders. Themancatcher, in the AD&D 2nd Editiongame, may be used for this purpose. Un-earthed Arcana also gave this ability to thefauchard, fauchard-fork, military fork,glaive-guisarme, guisarme, guisarme-voulge, and lucern hammer. When charac-ters are fighting on foot against cavalry,polearms are vital for evening out theodds. Many of them are cheaper than asaddle, let alone a war horse, and if land-based riding is a specialized proficiency inyour campaign, merely buying a horse andsaddle will not be enough. Buy a polearmfor defense against other horsemen, if forno other reason. When that knave comescharging after your hero with leveledlance, you�ll be glad you did.

Special usesThe primary advantage of polearms is

that they afford a longer reach for theirbearer, so you can gain initiative automati-cally in combat and strike your enemybefore he can get close enough to strikeyou. You also have a chance to catch theenemy�s weapon and parry it before hegets close enough to use it on you. Evenwhen parrying a sword or axe blow, jab-bing a polearm at the oncoming weaponmeans that the enemy will have to swingfrom a distance. Therefore, even if you failyour attempt to parry with a polearm, thefoe might not even be close enough to hityou with his blow.

Additionally, Unearthed Arcana allowedthose using either a spetum or ranseur todisarm foes on any roll sufficient to hit AC8. Other polearms in certain campaigns, atthe DM�s whim, can have this ability aswell, such as the trident, military fork, andcertain other complex polearms with�catching tines!�

When fighting an enemy at a distance,only missile weapons are generally superi-or to polearms�but polearms won�t runout of ammunition. There are a number ofspecial situations where polearms can bevery useful. Suppose you must cut the

nooses off the monster known as thehangman�s tree, preparatory to going forthe treasure lying beneath it. A slashingweapon like a voulge or fauchard wouldbe safer for the user than if he walkedright up to the thing with a sword. Howabout cutting or fending off the multipleheads of a hydra, or the tentacles of agiant octopus or squid? Or when you�retrying to get at a bear or giant wolverineholed up in its den, which can be reachedonly through a narrow passage or crawl-space? Thrusting polearms are made forfighting in restricted areas.

Another good use of these long weaponsis when your hero is a beleaguered de-fender with a vantage point above hisattackers. The defense of a fortified posi-tion such as a castle is a prime example.Nothing can equal the thrill when a char-acter with a bill hook snags a goblin andyanks him off a storming ladder, to fallscreaming to his death below. This worksin the defense of a ship against boarders.Boarding pikes were used throughout theAge of Sail, long after cannon and musketswere introduced. Polearms can forcesahuagin and the like back into the water,while the slashing versions can cut ropesand nets. When two ships are fightingside-by-side, those same slashing polearmscan be used to cut sails and rigging.

Thrusting polearms are also of greatvalue in an underwater environment.Indeed, aside from short swords and dag-gers, thrusting polearms are just about theonly regular weapons that can be usedunderwater, due to the resistance offeredby the liquid medium. If you anticipateunderwater duels, getting a polearm iscertainly safer than standing around hop-ing the DM will let you have a ring of freeaction, especially since blunt-weapon-equipped clerics have far more need of it.

Aside from the thrusting effects ofspears, pikes, etc., polearms have otheruses underwater. Races such as the tritonsand locathah go into battle mounted onwater creatures much as land warriorsride horses, so dismounting can still takeplace under water (damage from the fallwill be nonexistent, but the �fallen� crea-ture might need a round to get reorientedbefore combat). Not only that, but all thosefancy hooks and projections on polearmscan also be used to foul, cut, or pull offthe nets that so many underwater raceslike to use. The trident, of course, is prac-tically synonymous with oceanic warfare.

DRAGON 29

Finally, if you need a long lever to pryopen a giant clam, you�ll always have onehandy if you take along a polearm.

This polearm-as-lever tactic also workswell on dry land, too, which brings upanother aspect of these weapons. Pole-arms may be used for a number of utilitar-ian purposes as well as for combat. Whendungeon-delving, characters often like toprod the floor ahead of them to prema-turely set off any traps (or trappers, greyooze, lurkers above, and the like) thatmight be there. The main purpose of the10� pole on the equipment list is to checkout terrain in this manner, but a polearmwould be just as suitable�better, in fact,as it can serve as a weapon as well as aprod, thus insuring that its owner will notbe overloaded with gear. Granted, eventhe cheapest polearm, the spear, costsmore than a 10� pole, but try using thelatter to kill a dragon and you�ll get mypoint. Since many polearms were adaptedfrom pruning hooks, characters could usethem as such, as when they want to bringdown fruit from a tree too slick to climband too stout to shake. Mountain de-fenders can use them to set off a rockslidewithout exposing themselves to missile firefrom the attackers.

Polearms are used by many monsters aswell. If you remove or ignore polearms,you�ll have to come up with new weaponsand tactics for certain monsters (it wouldbe weird indeed for monsters to beequipped with polearms when playercharacters couldn�t have them). If you�rerunning a campaign with lots of combat,diversity in weapons and tactics is essen-tial to stave off boredom.

Finally, think of that grand occasion inadventuring: the bold improvisation, whenplayers are bereft of their usual weaponryand must improvise with mundane items.Stephen Inniss� article �Sticks, Stones, andBones,� in DRAGON® issue #97, is a mustin this case. In particular, check out TableE1 in that article, showing mundane toolsand other objects and their correspondingweapons, and note that only the machetemay be used as a substitute sword. If youlash various tools to the ends of poles,however, you can improvise other high-damage melee weapons, namely polearms.

With this system, a butcher�s knife at theend of a pole makes a type 1 voulge (usingInniss� system), while a carving knifemakes a glaive of equal quality. Scythe orsickle blades can be used for making sub-stitute fauchards, while the head of awoodcutting ax or hatchet can be used ina substitute pole ax of some sort. You don�thave to be restricted to using mundaneitems, of course. Improvise a spear with alashed-on dagger, or a fauchard with abroken scimitar blade. The DM will assignpenalties for hitting and damage due tothe inferior materials used, so fighters andmonks should reduce the pile of penaltiesas much as possible by having weaponsproficiency in some of these polearmtypes, as opposed to merely being allowed

30 FEBRUARY 1992

to use them. To be guilty of a cliche, it�sbetter than nothing.

Magical polearmsAnother DM tactic to introduce po-

learms is to tempt players with polearmtreasures that have special powers. Forstarters, DMs can create polearms thathave enchantments greater than + 1 onthem. Surely it can�t be that difficult tocome up with a partisan +2? You can alsoduplicate the effects of swords and otherweapons. What�s wrong with a fauchardof sharpness, a vorpal voulge, a glaive-guisarme that�s a flame tongue weapon, ora frost brand bardiche? Care for a lucernhammer of disruption, anyone? You alsoought to have polearms that have combatbonuses against certain foes; a tridentwith bonuses against aquatic creatureswould be a natural.

To set a good example, here�s a magicalpolearm weapon for low-level characters:a polearm rod. This thick rod is coveredwith push buttons. The owner will learn,by using identify spells or trial and error,that each button, when triggered, willextend and reshape the rod into a differ-ent type of polearm. Every type is repre-sented on the rod, each as a + 1 version,with a button to turn the thing into a rodagain, of course. When in plain form, itmay be used as a club + 1. As an addedinducement, since these are not �natural�polearms, the owner may use any versionof the rod as though he had a weaponsproficiency slot filled with the weaponversion being used. The XP value of such aweapon is 1,000.

Heroic traditionSome players may believe that, unlike

swords, polearms have no heroic traditionbehind them. What bardiche is as wellknown as Excalibur? Surprise! There are anumber of cases in human history inwhich the use of polearms by individualheroes made the legend book and, at leastonce, changed history.

During the wars of the Diadochi (Succes-sors), when Alexander the Great�s generalsfought over their deceased leader�s em-pire, his general Ptolemy was attacked bya rival while stationed in a fortified camp.The enemy used war elephants to break ahole in the camp�s outer wall, and the herdleader soon came lumbering in. While hismen gave way in panic, Ptolemy grabbed asarissa (a 21�-long Macedonian pike) andsingle-handedly fought the elephant. Thewounded beast soon turned and fled,panicking and carrying the rest of theherd with it. The stampeding elephantstrampled their way through the attackingtroops, notwithstanding the fact that theywere supposed to be on the same side.Ptolemy�s men rallied and won the battle.Eventually, Ptolemy grabbed Egypt forhimself and started his own dynasty,which ended with Cleopatra.

In 14th-century France, during the siegeof Mortaigne, the Sieur de Beaujeu was

among the defenders. He was armed withwhat was described as a spear with a hookbeneath the blade. Using this singularweapon to snag men and yank them offthe scaling ladders and into the moat, hedrowned more than a dozen men in oneday�s fighting. Though not important inthe sense of changing history, it should benoted that this was a French knight whowas using a polearm. Evidently, even thehaughty upper class could stoop to usingsuch weapons, at least in the case of siegewarfare when defending one�s castle.Perhaps DMs ought to relax the weaponsrestrictions against AD&D 1st Editiongame cavaliers in cases like this and let thesnobbish knights swallow their pride.After all, a lance is a polearm; if it can beused on foot like a spear, why not use aspear as well?

Derring-do with polearms is not restrict-ed to the Western world. Another histori-cal case took place in medieval Japan, thusproviding inspiration for Oriental Adven-tures players. In 1180, during one of manybattles between the Minamoto and Tairaclans, the Minamoto clans were reinforcedby warrior monks of the Mii-dera temple.Japan�s warrior monks were the real-lifecounterparts of the sohei of Oriental Ad-ventures. Historically, their favorite weap-on was the glaive-like naginata. The armiesfaced each other across the Uji River.Being the smaller of the two, the Minamo-to army was on the defensive, and to gaintime they tore up many of the planks onthe only bridge in the area. The Tairabegan trickling over anyway, and it wasobvious that someone among the Minamo-to would have to go face them.

Enter Tajima, a monk of the Mii-deratemple. Tossing the sheath of his naginatainto the river, he strode out alone on thedamaged bridge. The Taira archers imme-diately let fly at him. He dodged many oftheir shafts, and more were stopped by hisarmor, but he gained fame that day bycutting or knocking aside many arrowswith his naginata blade (clearly, he was aman of high dexterity). More men fromboth sides entered the fight, and the Tairaeventually won, but Tajima the Arrow-Cutter won a major place in Japanesemilitary annals. He is also an example forall Oriental Adventures sohei to emulate.Change a few names, and this examplecould have taken place in Kara-Tur. Awestern character with a glaive, fauchard,or similar weapon might be able to emu-late him, given sufficient dexterity andskill.

Here�s hoping that this article will con-vince you to use polearms more often inyour campaigns because of their unique-ness, variety, and utilitarian value. A medi-eval role-playing game just isn�t a medievalrole-playing game without the presenceand proper use of polearms.

WhatNot

to IncludeHard choices in campaign design

by Arthur Collins

There is an old joke (or piece of folkwisdom, if you like) that has someone aska sculptor if it�s hard to carve an elephant.The sculptor replies, �No, you just take abig piece of marble and chisel away every-thing that doesn�t look like an elephant.�

That is essentially what designing acampaign world is all about. Once youknow (even intuitively) what your world isto be like, you begin to define it as muchby what you leave out of it as by what youput in it. If you are planning a world,continent, or region where snow and iceare year-round things, you know thatpalm trees and camels would seem a littleodd. There would have to be very goodreasons to put them there. Remove thatreason, you would quickly throw thosethings out.

This point needs to be made, especiallyin light of the proliferation of monstersand character options in games like theAD&D® game and its relations. The temp-tation is always there, especially for youn-ger or less-experienced gamers, to try tosqueeze everything in and have it all. Theresult is a loss of creative power. Peopleget confused or bored when everything isincluded because the campaign then lacksfocus.

Aristotle once wrote about the dramaticUnities, observing that if a story was too

confused or included too many elements(such as characters, times, or places), theaudience couldn�t follow it and the resultwould be a dramatic flop. So it is withrole-playing games. If you try to put every-thing in one place, that place is unbeliev-able. Special creatures and practices losetheir uniqueness, too, when they are en-countered all the time.

This article is meant to help you betterdefine your campaign milieu. It is mythesis that good adventures are dependentupon good background design, good back-ground design is dependent upon main-taining consistency, and maintainingconsistency is as dependent upon whatyou throw out as what you include.

PeoplesGames such as the AD&D game have lots

of humaniform monsters (usually called�races�). In addition to humans, there arethe demihumans: elves, dwarves, halflings,half-elves, gnomes, etc. Then there are theso-called humanoids: orcs, goblins, hob-goblins, bugbears, kobolds, ogres, etc.There are giants of various sorts, centaursand other beast-men, and faerie and myth-ological types: pixies, sprites, nixies, dry-ads, satyrs, etc. Nor may one forget thevarious lycanthropes, merfolk, and subhu-man types (yeti, troglodytes, etc.). On top

of it all, many races�especially, for somereason, the elves�have a bunch of sub-races. What do we get out of having somany peoplelike monsters?

On one hand, many monster races aresimply easy caricatures of various aspectsof humanity. Rather than use race, cul-ture, or philosophy to differentiate onegroup from another, we just create a newspecies of humaniform monster. J. R. R.Tolkien did this somewhat in The Lord ofthe Rings. His hobbits and elves showed usdifferent sides of humanity when com-pared to the men of his world. This is anold and honored literary turn: Sometimeswe have to see the humane in the nonhu-man in order to appreciate it. However, italso spares us from having to seriouslyconsider some very divisive things, likerace, culture, and philosophy. It needs tobe pointed out that one�s campaign doesn�tneed a lot of humaniform species if one isgood at making believable societies.

On the other hand, the strangeness ofthe �other� is an important fantasy con-cept. Our worlds need nonhumans forcontrast with the humans and to increasethe sense of wonder one has when en-countering them. Just remember the Lawof Diminishing Returns: The more younormalize nonhumans, the less of a�Wow!� you�re going to get each time you

DRAGON 33

encounter them.The following suggestions apply, then:1. Limit the number of nonhuman types

in your campaign area. Make home�homey.� Your basic campaign area shouldbe where your player characters hailfrom; keep any strangeness around theedges (see #3 below). Develop the basicplot devices of your campaign using onlythose peoples who will allow you to main-tain consistency.

2. Develop cultures instead of races.Instead of using a new desert-dwellinghumanoid, put an orc or human in a bur-noose and have him ride a camel. Insteadof creating a race of snow-people, let yourhalflings adapt to the climate in Eskimofashion. I once designed a campaign areawhere the elves dominated the woodlandsin a manner not unlike the British raj inIndia. Their chief foe was the HobgoblinOverlordship. Instead of making hobgob-lins crude and violent, I saw them as cul-tured and violent, rather like Klingons orthe minions of Cesare Borgia. The hobgob-lins dressed well, spoke well, and weregreat sailors. They were also cruel andwarlike. They ruled all the lesser peoples(goblins, orcs, etc.) and despised them forbeing less than hobgoblins. Nevertheless,the hobgoblins had a sort of honor aboutthem. The only thing I had to changeabout the hobgoblins was their inability torise in level, and that was easily fixed.

3. Put the occasional extra race at theedges of your campaign. These extra typescan add the occasional spice the campaignneeds. Extra races can be put in the cam-paign area itself as long as they are hiddenin the shadows: rare trolls living in caves,a few wights in barrows, werewolves onthe lonely moors, and pixies that onenever meets by chance. Other creaturescan be placed in adjacent planes or sum-moned by magic for the occasional bigencounter.

4. Don�t let a player make you include acharacter race that doesn�t fit. Some play-ers want to play elves, halflings, or what-ever, and nothing else will do. If youhaven�t accounted for the presence ofcertain races in your campaign area, don�taccommodate the players. Tell them some-thing about your world, and give them achance to choose a different race.

Classes and powersA good campaign doesn�t need to include

all the classes and powers available toplayer characters. Not long ago, I ran anadventure for �little people� characters.The setting was all underground, and Ilimited the party to dwarves, halflings,and gnomes. Since none of those raceswere originally allowed to have clerics (atleast as player characters), I told the char-acters to stock up on healing potions andgave them a contact outside the dungeonfor handling serious injury. The fact thatthey had no cleric did not unbalance theparty. Rather, it had two benefits: it en-hanced the experience of playing an all-

34 FEBRUARY 1992

little-people party; and it made the playersfar more careful than they might havebeen (especially about the possibility ofmeeting any undead). Thus, the restrictionof one factor (no clerics) was tied to amatter of the campaign�s identity (all littlepeople). It was not arbitrary and thusenhanced the playing of the game.

Going in the opposite direction, someDMs like to get into class expansion. Forinstance, wizards might be very commonin one campaign, with a great deal ofattention being paid to specialists in thevarious magical schools. That�s okay, but itwould need to be accompanied by a re-striction elsewhere. If wizards are com-mon and specialized, fighters are probablyless common, particularly as rulers.

Some hints for maintaining consistencyfollow:

1. Don�t let your players talk you intoallowing classes you don�t want. If druids(or monks or wu jen) don�t fit into yourcampaign, don�t shoehorn one in just sothat someone can play the class. The cam-paign will lose focus if you come up withan arbitrary and far-fetched rationale forhaving an oddball class in the area. Tomaintain consistency, the oddball wouldhave to fend off shock or suspicion every-where he goes, and that, rather than theadventures you are designing, wouldbecome the focus of the game.

2. Make the nonadventuring types moreinteresting. Mayors, aldermen, charcoalburners, merchants, farmers, butlers,gossips, goose-girls, and so forth are notadventuring types, but they can all beused as encounters for the player charac-ters. If you make the people of your worldinteresting, they won�t need to cast spellsor swing two-handed swords. In the realmof politics and government, most noblesand sheriffs would be fighters or havesome warrior training, but they wouldn�tnecessarily do a lot of fighting�and theydon�t have to, to be interesting.

3. You don�t have to use all the spells inthe books. Clerics are particularly badabout wanting certain spells; since theyget their spells from otherworldly powers,clerics don�t have to find spells writtendown anywhere, as mages must. Playersassume that means their clerics can haveany spells they want. Don�t you believe it!There�s nothing wrong with a cleric�s deitysaying, �I�d rather you had spell X thanspell Y.�

Along the same lines, if there�s no one toteach a character a given proficiency, youdon�t have to come up with a way for himto acquire it. If you don�t want to useweapon specialization, leave it out. It�syour world.

CrittersIf you think there are a lot of humani-

form races in FRPGs, that�s nothing com-pared to all the other monsters in thegame manuals. New, bizarre critters arewonderful, but they have some problems.What about the ecosystem? Where do

these predatory things get their food? Dothey ever fight each other? How can civili-zation exist so close to such terrors?Wouldn�t a couple of dragons eat all thecattle in the district? Wouldn�t all the fight-ers wipe out all the dragons?

The old problem of the overstockeddungeon is not solved just by having a worldbeyond the dungeon. All you do in that caseis to shift the scale of the problem.

Some suggestions are in order:1. Make the normal exciting. I once

killed off a whole party of fighter-types byusing giant goats. Giant boars or a herd ofbison could be as deadly. You don�t evenneed wilderness to have danger lurkingabout. Farm animals (such as a crankybull) can be dangerous foes. For that mat-ter, you don�t need an exotic nonesuch tokill player characters. A friend of mine isrenowned for his use of giant centipedes(about the only monster he has ever beenable to kill a player character with). If youhave enough of them, this common nui-sance can be deadly.

2. Watch out for too many undead types;one dominant type per area is about nor-mal. Transylvania is known for vampires,Egypt for mummies, and a few types arefound all over (e.g., ghosts). Have yourcharacters go to new places to meet newkinds of undead. That way, the undead arealways surprising and challenging�andpart of the new adventuring environment.

3. You don�t need all those dragons. TheAD&D game loves dragons, and their ilkhas proliferated. Throw out the ones youdon�t want. No world needs more thanthree or four main dragon types, and nocampaign area needs more than one ortwo. After that, the existence of so manydragons calls into question how humanity(not to mention everything else) has man-aged to survive. If you keep dragons veryrare and restrict their appearances, theirimportance will be magnified when theydo appear. Conversely, never let yourcharacters pick on baby dragons. Suchthings exist, but players need to respectdragons. Unless the heroes are going to goto some out-of-the-way place stuffed withdragonkind, let the only dragons theyencounter in the world be the ripsnortingterrors they�re cracked up to be.

4. Some monsters are only ornamental.You can increase the quality of your players�experience by having them encounter ani-mals of no combat value. Describing the rat-a-tat-tat of a woodpecker or the grassyexplosion of a rabbit bolting from covergives the players the �feel� of their environ-ment, even though there is no initiative to berolled. Don�t use all big, dangerous monstersmerely to provide atmosphere. For thatmatter, things like mosquitos, ordinary leech-es, carrion left over from a wolves� kill, thesound of walnuts falling through the leafcanopy, or raccoons raiding the party�s foodbags can all be part of an adventure withoutendangering life and limb. This sets up thebig encounters that are related to the adven-ture�s goals.

PossessionsPossessions tend to fall into two broad

categories: tools and gear, and treasure.Once again, players are notorious forwanting whatever is in the rule books,while your campaign may not allow for it.Let�s say your campaign world is based onsubsistence agriculture, with a techno-logical/cultural base similar to that of theRoman Republic. Gold coins would beclose to nonexistent. Swords other thanshort swords would be unavailable. Re-member:

1. Treasure is what is valued. If you havea cash-poor economy where barter rules,your possessions may tend to be unwieldy.Bales of silks and such may be worth a lot,but it takes beasts of burden to transportthem, as they don�t fit well into your sad-dlebags. In some societies, most wealth istied up in real estate, in which case heroesmight be rewarded for their adventuringwith leases, rents, or feudal estates. Ofcourse, lust for goodies is a basic motiva-tion for adventuring, so characters willprobably always be very cash-conscious(more so, perhaps, than their societies).Nevertheless, if you want silver (or evencopper or brass) to be the main preciousmetal, for heaven�s sake, adjust the tablesany way you want. If it means that yourcharacters have to work harder to go uplevels, that may be just what you want.

2. Weapons are tied to technology. Ifyour world isn�t very metallurgicallyadvanced, then steel weapons are going tobe hard to come by; bronze is fine. Theonly time you have to worry about adjust-ing the tables is when a weapon fromanother technology level is introduced.For example, an iron weapon in a bronzeage culture would have a +1 to +2 bo-nus, while a steel one would have a +3bonus; conversely, a bronze weapon in asteel-making culture would have a -2 to-4 penalty. Similarly, if a particular weap-on hasn�t been invented yet in your world,you don�t have to include it just because aparticular player loves the damage itcauses.

3. Weapons are also tied to culture. TheJapanese of the 17th century knew goodand well how to manufacture and usefirearms, but they chose to outlaw them inorder to preserve the status of the samu-rai class. In some primitive cultures, hunt-ing arrows have feathers, but war arrowsdon�t; these people know that arrows withfeathers kill more efficiently, but war forthese people is about pride, not killing. Ina culture that prizes single combat, asbetween nobles, archery might be rele-gated to lowly peasants or even discour-aged as being a cowardly way to killsomebody. If you design the culture, youshould know which weapons are prizedby that culture, and you don�t have tointroduce others just to please the charac-ters. On the other hand, introducing anew weapon into a culture can cause quitea ruckus, and that might be just the thingyou want.

36 FEBRUARY 1992

ReligionsMost cultures tend to have a dominant

religion, one that might not be toleranttoward competitors. Where several reli-gions exist side by side in a situation ofcomparative strength, a tendency towardsyncretism exists. Syncretism is the prac-tice of equating similar things, smoothingover differences, and adding everythingtogether. The Romans were great syncre-tists, identifying Zeus with Jupiter, Herawith Juno, Odin with Mercury, etc. Theresult was the dilution of the distinctivereligions that existed before assimilation.In effect, this destroyed polytheism asmuch as the advance of Christianity did.Given too much accommodation, you windup with a religion that nobody can believein or care about.

Some things to think about, then, are:1. Maintain creative control. When you

decide on the religions of your campaignarea, you don�t have to include all thereligions and gods in the books. Pick theones you like. You don�t even have to allowfor all the nonhuman mythoi current inthe AD&D game. In Norse mythology,elves were followers of Frey, so you don�tneed all that elvish religion in the books ifyou don�t want it. Of course, this makespossible a wonderful conflict betweenNorse elves and �pure elven� elves whosee their Frey-loving cousins as culturallyenslaved�or even apostate!

2. Followers of the same religion don�thave to agree. Gamers tend to use align-ments as equivalent to religions, and reli-gions as equivalent to complicated schoolsof thought. It needs to be emphasized thatit is possible for people to disagree uponthe right approach to practicing theirmutual religion (e.g., chaotic good arguingwith lawful good over the best way to begood). It is possible for people to betray inpractice the ideals they profess with theirlips (religious bigots). It is possible forpeople to be official adherents of a religionwithout caring a fig for its beliefs andpractices (a thief who is a member of thestate religion). It is possible for conflictsbetween rival factions, organizations, andorders to be as nasty as any conflict be-tween different religions (Orthodox vs.Catholic, Avignonese papacy vs. Romanpapacy, or Dominicans vs. Franciscans, totake a few examples from the MiddleAges). In other words, you don�t need lotsof religions to have conflict; put in otherreligions only because they truly enhanceyour campaign world.

The official multiverseWhether one plays the D&D® game or

either edition of the AD&D rules, thereexists a lot of material about the adventur-ing worlds for your use. There are gazet-teers, modules, guides to Krynn and theForgotten Realms, the AD&D 1st EditionManual of the Planes, the RAVENLOFTTM

campaign set, and so forth. It�s very tempt-ing to take some or all of these books, and

the wonderful, well-thought-out materialthey contain, and say, �Well, I guess I haveto use all this.�

Don�t do it! Even the Manual of thePlanes provides rules for setting yourcampaign universe apart from all othercampaign universes. You don�t have to usewhat you don�t want, and your worldspower will increase as you discover withever-greater clarity just what it is you dowant to include.

Consider the possibilities:1. Where the drow live is up to you. In

the original AD&D giants-drow modules,the drow lived in an underground areacalled the Vault of the Drow. The concep-tion of their society as given there is dif-ferent from that embodied in the AD&D1st Edition Dungeoneer’s Survival Guide.Both those conceptions differ in someways from that embodied in R. A. Salva-tore�s Dark Elf novels, published by TSR,that have drow prominently featured inthem. Surprise! The drow live where youput them, and only if you want them. Youdon�t have to use the Underdark, the Vaultof the Drow, or anything else.

2. Who says the Outer Planes are eventhere? Manual of the Planes is a greatbook, but people are free to differ in theirmetaphysical constructs. Who says realityis divided up that way? Why, my charac-ter�s religion may even hold that all othergods are mere cosmic piddlers who havedeluded their followers; conversely, othercharacters may think my character�s deity(and his whole celestial estate) mere pie-in-the-sky, not really there at all. It�s okay tohave characters disagree about suchthings. It�s okay to send people out of thispresent existence, and not have it look likewhat they were expecting. Who knowsthese things, anyway?

ConclusionIn attempting to show the materials of

FRPGs as nonprescriptive, I am aware thatyou may see this article as too prescrip-tive. You might be afraid that your players(those real flesh-and-blood people you gettogether with) may take offense at a high-handed DM who says, �This is the way itis.� After all, the players give life to thecampaign world, too.

That�s perfectly true, but the DM can�tshirk his responsibilities. Just say, �It maybe our world to adventure in, but if I amthe DM, it is my world when people wantto put things into it that don�t belongthere.� The players define this world bytheir actions; the DM defines it by itsfurnishings.

The DM must sell his world to the play-ers. He must woo them and win them tothis strange new delight that he is present-ing. If the world has a distinctive flavor,the players will eat it up. Isn�t that whatyou wanted in the first place?

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Unless otherwise noted:® designates registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.™ designates trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.©1992 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

38 FEBRUARY 1992

by Bruce A. Heard

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

Burymir 23, AY 2000: No more thana day after the events in Robrenn wereconcluded, we reached a fortified citysouthwest of Eyf. According to the Sara-gón Gazetteers, this was the capital ofEusdria, a pious realm of knights andpaladins whose main enemies were thehumanoid tribes of Yazak. I sent Raman asan envoy to announce my visit, and hecame back before nightfall with a messageof welcome from the king.

Burymir 24: I ordered the PrincessArk to be made visible again and ap-proached the city�s main place. LadyAbovombe, Talasar, Myojo, and I were tomeet His Majesty, King Sigismund. A solidguard of knights awaited us, keeping thecrowd away from our lifeboat. They all

wore dull red armor with black and goldtabards. We were greeted by the castellanin the castle�s main hall, but as we pre-pared to enter the king�s hall, the knightsin red armor suddenly turned against us.

There was little we could have done; theknights were too many and too close, andresisting would have certainly cost thelives of my companions. I decided to goalong with things for now. Perhaps wewould soon discover the reason for thistreachery. We were placed in shackles inthe castle�s dungeons.

Shortly thereafter, our cell was visitedby a knight�a Heldannic knight! I shouldhave known. �It seems that what fiveWarbirds could not accomplish, a provin-cial ally did all on its own,� he said to us.�It is only a matter of time now before youwill pay for your villainies against theOrder.� He turned to Talasar and conclud-ed, �You, among them, will live the longest.You will wish you had died with that War-bird you destroyed. I shall take care ofyou personally.� He slapped Talasar in theface and walked away. Myojo hissed withrage.

There was no point in remaining hereany longer. The knights had failed to re-move all of my belongings; under mycloak, I still had a pouch that contained mywand of disintegration. Abovombe waskind enough to kick off her shoes andreach for the pouch with her bare feet.Eventually, she managed to get the wandand lift it to my hand. It pays to havedexterous toes!

The rest was easy. The knights expectedus to be in this cell, so I had the chance tofind the king and teach him a lesson. Myo-jo would remain with me, while Talasarand Abovombe were to return to the ship.

Unfortunately, the plan was only halfsuccessful. Shortly after Talasar andAbovombe escaped through a balcony ofthe main hall, a squad of guards surprisedand captured Myojo and myself. Thesewere well-trained guards, although differ-

ent from our earlier captors. They worenormal steel armor with blue tabards, andthey knew nothing about us. Immediatelyafterward, the knights whom we had firstmet came in, and an argument developed;there was clearly tension between theirtwo leaders. The captain of the guardarrived and inquired about the commo-tion. Eventually, it was decided that wewere to be kept under guard of the �bluetabards� until a council could be held. The�black tabards� seemed rather angry atthe decision, but bore it.

Burymir 24�Talasar, later thatday: The Princess Ark was gone when weescaped from the palace. Three Warbirdsswooped over, not seeing us, sailing fullspeed toward the southwest where wecaught a glimpse of the Princess turninginvisible on the horizon. She was ready forbattle, but we could not intervene.

We turned back to rejoin our compan-ions, but it became evident that the admi-ral and his aide had been captured again.We saw the guards take them upstairs inthe keep. Lady Abovombe and I agreed toinvestigate the situation further and freethe admiral from his captors.

Burymir 25�Haldemar: We spentthe night in rather spartan quarters in thecastle�s keep. It was a far cry from ourearlier dungeon cell, though. At least wehad some hope of discovering what wasgoing on.

The captain of the guard came in themorning and led us to the king: a kind andimpressive man. I could tell he had elvenblood in his ancestry. Fortunately, he hadheard of our visit in Robrenn.

Among the people in the king�s hall wereknights of different orders, including the�blues� and the �blacks.� I gathered thatthe �blues� were the king�s personal guard.Several nobles attended the hearing, in-cluding a few magistrates and, of course,the Heldannic envoy who visited us in thedungeon.

�Your Majesty,� I began, �how is it that avisiting prince from the Empire of Alpha-tia is treated in such dishonorable fashion?We came in peace and with a message ofwelcome from Your Majesty.�

�Silence, Alphatian dog!� the Heldannicknight interrupted. �You stand accused ofpiracy and murder!�

The king raised a hand. �Steady, HerrUlrich. There is the question of a certainmessage given to Prince Haldemar�amessage given in our royal name. We, Kingof Eusdria, would want this issue clarifiedfirst.�

The captain of the guard stood up andsaid �Your Majesty, someone indeed spokein your name. The royal mayor of thepalace received the prince�s messengerand arranged for the Knights of Harstal tocapture the prince and his retinue. Theroyal bailiff and the lord of the squireswill testify to this.�

The king signaled his guards. �Very well.Have the royal mayor arrested at once andbrought here for questioning. We shan�t

tolerate undue use of our Royal Seal:Several nobles muttered in anger as theking postponed the hearings. The king�sguard escorted us back to our quarters inthe keep. Our sergeant-keeper turned outto be a fine fellow. He explained that thepresence of his men were both to protectthe king against foreigners, but also toprotect us against foes. It seemed therewere long-lasting feuds among many ofthe factions in the palace. He requestedthat we swear on our honor to remain inour assigned quarters, and this we did.

Burymir 25�Talasar, later thatday: Lady Abovombe and I had hiddenourselves on the balcony that led to theHeldannic knight�s chamber. In the dark-ness of the evening, we began climbing thenorth side of the keep to find the admiral,hoping that no harm had befallen him.Soon we heard the Heldannic knight�sranting. We listened.

�What an outrage!� fumed the knight.�How dare they even speak against themayor! I�ll have the captain�s head for this.�We peeked in and saw the knight wasaddressing the men who had captured uson our first day here. �Once this Alphatianwizard is dispatched,� he continued, �beprepared to act. No matter what happens,keep Morgund near the throne. The kingmust be removed from power for yourorder to rise. You shall receive more redsteel, as agreed.�

This talk of treachery went on for sometime. We had to reach the admiral at once.Alphatia had no business in this affair, butanything benefitting the Heldannic Ordercould only mean trouble for Alphatia.

Burymir 26�Haldemar: The hearingstarted anew. Both the royal bailiff andthe lord of the squires testified against themayor of the palace, who was promptlysentenced to the dungeons. He wasdragged away, claiming he had beenframed by the captain of the guard.

The Heldannic Knight then stood andsaid, �Your Majesty, these people are noto-rious pirates. Clearly, they have come hereto seize Your Majesty�s treasure. Itwouldn�t be above this wizard�s ability toforge your Royal Seal or to have the may-or of the palace framed as a way to es-cape. It is a disgrace to see that the captainof the guard and his cronies are using thisopportunity to damage their rival�s long-standing reputation of loyalty to YourMajesty and to the Kingdom of Eusdria!�

�We are not pirates!� I objected vehe-mently. �We are a legitimate vessel of HerImperial Majesty�s fleet. We are here onlyto establish a diplomatic link between YourRoyal Majesty and the Empire. We are theones being stalked and attacked by theHeldannic Knights!�

The knight laughed. �Ha! Listen to thisfiend talk! He has become an outcast in hisown nation. He has been rejected by thevery Empress Eriadna herself and foreverexiled from his own empire. He treacher-ously attacked a Heldannic Prowler on amission of peace over the coast of Hule,

the Heldannic skyship being mercilesslyobliterated after it had stricken its pen-nants, thus murdering all aboard! Howcould anyone trust such a criminal? YourMajesty, I beseech you in the name of theHeldannic Order to have these brigandsexecuted at once!�

The king�s face became grave, �Is it true,Prince Haldemar, that you are guilty ofsuch an act?�

I nodded. �Heldannic vessels had beenstalking us for a long time. The HeldannicProwler refused to heave to after ourwarning shots, and then used a magicalpower that almost destroyed our vessel.We had no choice but to prevent thismagic from being used again. This wasindeed a tragic episode, Your Majesty, butin times of war, incidents such as this oneare bound to happen.�

The king sighed. �We see no evidence oftreachery so far. However, since you can-not prove your absolute innocence, youwill have to leave this kingdom at once.True justice cannot be rendered today.�

The knight stood up and said loudly,�Ah, but it can, Your Majesty! There is away! The Eusdrian Code of Chivalry al-lows trial by combat. The Immortals willsee that the culprit is punished. I demanda duel by the sword with this pirate!�

The captain of the guard raised a hand.�Your Majesty, His Highness, the Prince ofHaaken, cannot possibly defeat a knight bythe sword. There would be no honor inthis duel!�

The king was solemn. �Indeed. Well,then, the Code of Chivalry allows one whocannot fight to chose a champion! Whatsay you, Prince?�

Of course, I immediately chose Myojo.He would be more than capable in thissituation. The king accepted this and post-poned the fight until the next dawn.

Burymir 26�Talasar, from a lateraccount: It soon became evident that wecould not enter what we suspected to bethe admiral�s quarters. We spent most ofthe day trying to find a way to get aroundthe guards in the hallways, but the placewas too well guarded. Both the king andthe admiral seemed out of reach. At last,we decided to return to the Heldannicknight�s chambers. If all else failed, wecould capture him and trade him later onfor the admiral. The knight left the castlein the evening, and we followed him.

He went to a tavern where he spoke to awench wearing a hood. He gave her a vialand left. We attempted to capture him in aquiet street, but we discovered that hewas a good warrior; he resisted my magicand fought well. We wounded the man butdid not capture him. The noise of the fightattracted far too many bystanders, and wehad to retreat.

I could only think of one more thing wecould do. Razud had no following in theselands, but a land of knights must certainlyfollow some friendly Immortals. Therewere many temples in the city. PerhapsRazud would show us a path there.

DRAGON 43

Burymir 27�Haldemar: All partieswere at the site of the duel. Skittish horseswith jousting lances and barding wereready for both parties, but the Heldannicknight was nowhere to be seen when thetime came.

He arrived a bit later, with some helpfrom a squire. The man bore a bandagearound his chest and looked pale. �YourMajesty, I was treacherously attacked lastnight by followers of the pirate. I ampowerless against their poison, and thusunable to fight this day.�

�You must then choose a knight champi-on,� announced the king calmly. �The fightmust take place, for today the Immortalswatch!�

With a grin, the Heldannic knight re-sponded, �Your Majesty, I see only oneknight here whom I can trust. It is yoursword that will bring the truth. I chooseyou as my champion!�

There was an uproar. The captain of theguard begged the king not to fight, as itwould be to the death, but the king accept-ed. It was a matter of honor. The kingrequested and received a moment of peacein his tent so he could prepare for thebattle.

Indeed, the fight took place. Myojo wastremendously worried and embarrassed.He could not possibly bow out, yet he wasrequested to strike a king. The battlebegan. The king soon forced Myojo off hishorse and continued the combat on foot,where both displayed great swordsman-ship. This was a very short fight, though.No more than a few strokes into the battle,the king suddenly dropped his guard andMyojo�s blade hit him an inch above theheart. The king fell without a murmur asthe crowd roared. The captain rushed tohis help, promptly carrying him back tohis tent. We quickly learned that the kingwas dying�the second king whose deathwould be on my hands.

The Heldannic knight smiled tightly atme. �You seem to have won, wizard. Whata shame.�

A stuttering noble seized this tragicmoment to claim his right to the throne ofEusdria. Behind him stood the Knights ofHarstal, who wore the red armor. �The K-k-king is dead! I, C-count of Harstal, there-by c-c-claim my right to be the K-k-k- . . .my right to the throne!�

�Not so, dear count!� A knight who hadbeen standing on the sidelines since thebeginning of the duel now walked overand stood before the count. He opened hishelm. He was the king! What magic wasthis? How could he have died by Myojo�ssword, then stand here in a suit of armor?

Clearly the king understood everyone�sconfusion. �Indeed I died, count, but thereare many things in my power. You willhave to wait your turn to rule this land. Asfar as these �pirates� are concerned, HerrUlrich, my death warrants their inno-cence, since it proved you to be wrong. Iorder you out of my kingdom at once.�

Burymir 28�Haldemar: When at

44 FEBRUARY 1992

last I was allowed to see the king at thepalace, I discovered both Talasar and LadyAbovombe sitting near him. �Prince Halde-mar,� he said jovially, �you have two veryloyal friends. By chance, it seems, theyreached the Temple of Tiuz and revealedwhat they had overheard in Herr Ulrich�schambers. The temple reached me with amessage of warning against Morgund, myservant, who meant to slay me if all elsefailed. She was found in her chambers lastnight with a dagger and vial of bladepoison.�

He then offered Lady Abovombe andTalasar quarters in the palace where theycould rest. I was left alone with the king,and we relaxed as he explained at lengthwhat a predicament he was in. King Sigis-mund was very powerful from his use ofcinnabryl, whose potencies he detailed forme. The red metal gave him unusual abili-ties, such as the power to create an al-chemical ego that allowed him to dodgedeath. [For details, see cynnabry's alchem-ical ego power in DRAGON issue #172,page 48, Table 6.]

Through the Heldannic knights, the kingfound a steady supply of cinnabryl�buthe also suffered an unfortunate depen-dence upon the knights� services. Worse,the Heldannic envoys were gaining influ-ence among his knights by offering themred steel. If the Empire of Alphatia couldprovide the king with a cure for cinnabryladdiction, he would gleefully outlaw theHeldannic knights from the Kingdom ofEusdria. Otherwise, he could only strugglebehind the scenes to oppose Heldannicinfluence. His nobles were growing rest-less, and he could count on only a dwin-dling number of loyal knights for hisdefense.

Until such time as I could help him, Iwas to leave his lands, for he could notguarantee our safety within Eusdria. Hewas a wise and noble man, this King Sigis-mund, for he could see how his own thirstfor power was leading him to his doomand to the ultimate corruption of his gal-lant kingdom.

To be continued...

The Kingdom of EusdriaEusdria�Capital: Gundegard (Pop.:

25,200�humans, demihumans); Ruler:King Sigismund III the Great, son of Gode-gesil. Royal Domain includes the communi-ties of Othmar, Ingelhad, and Withimer.Patrons: Viuden and Tiuz.

The history of Eusdria is very similar tothat of its neighboring kingdom, Robrenn(see this column in DRAGON issue #177).The Eusdrians are descended from north-ern barbarians dislodged by Hule�s armies.They relocated in this southern region,hoping one day to reconquer the father-land. That day never came. Eusdrianscame to love this new land anyway andeventually established a medieval society.

In its past, Eusdria has had a number ofclashes with the Robrenn. The druids andclerics on either side always spoke against

all-out war, since both nations largelyhonor the same Immortals, although theycall them by different names. Eusdrianclerics are uncomfortable with the myste-rious and barbaric ways of Robrenndruids, just as druids distrust Eusdrianclerics� unnatural and self-serving ways.The two kingdoms have maintained aprecarious status quo, keeping up a bal-ancing act between cordiality and rampantaccusations of heresy.

The biggest difference between Robrennand Eusdria lies in the greater presenceand influence of elves in Eusdria, particu-larly in the Duchy of Frisonnia and theBarony of Savaria. A great deal of the finerEusdrian culture has come from the elves,including the alphabet, literature, architec-ture, and fine arts.

Eusdrians are fond of battle. They be-lieve that death on the battlefield is by farthe best way to die, for it opens the pathto the land of the Immortals. This ancientbelief dates back to their barbarian days inthe north. Before a battle, warriors oftencelebrate and drink beer mixed with hon-ey, thought to give them strength andcourage. Fortunately, the elven love forpeace and tranquility has toned down thisancestral predisposition to mere aggres-siveness. At the very least, it broughtorder and law to the impetuous Eusdrians.

The elven influence led the Eusdrians tocreate several orders of knights, includingpaladins. Instead of fighting for the sake ofbattle and destruction, the Eusdrianslearned to channel their battle fervorthrough military organizations with apurpose. The easiest ones to impressamong early Eusdrians were orders thatserved their rulers, particularly the kingof Eusdria and, later, orders that servedthe Immortals. This created a caste ofknights and paladins capable of defendingthe nation against any foe.

The present king, Sigismund III, is a half-elf paladin and a highly charismatic fol-lower of Tiuz. Sigismund is well knownfor his even-handedness with his domin-ions, both elven (Frisonnia and Savaria)and human (Harstal and Mohesia). Hedreams of ridding the Yazak Steppes ofgoblins and other monsters, and of ex-panding his kingdom into a holy empire inthe name of Tiuz. For the past 20 years ofhis reign, he has promoted a tradition ofchivalry among his people, aspiring tohave fewer but more competent warriorsrather than the massive barbaric hordesof the past. In knighthood, he also sees theestablishment of a highly mobile, elite,heavy cavalry whose loyalty would bringthe end of the marauding tribes of thesteppes. Dwarven crossbowmen from theCounty of Harstal also go to battle ridingtrains of heavy war wagons that providecavalry with mobile forts. All this allowsthe king to wage long-lasting wars withoutpulling common peasants off their fields tobe slaughtered in massive battles; such aloss would weaken the kingdom, as it hadmany times in Eusdria�s past, and bring

famine and pestilence to all.King Sigismund hasn�t unleashed his

knights upon the goblins because of acurious phenomenon affecting the Plain ofDreams at the northern limit of the king-dom. The tradition says that the ImmortalLokar lost a bet with Donar and wasforced to plant flowers throughout theentire plain. Lokar then cursed theflowers, giving them the power to putpeople and animals to sleep. These largebeds of amber lotuses release clouds ofsleeping pollen. The goblins seem to havefound a way to protect themselves andtheir mounts from the pollen, allowingthem to flee to safety after their raids intoMohesia and Frisonnia. As a result of theseonslaughts, villages and towns in thesetwo dominions are heavily fortified. KingSigismund is still hoping to find a reliabledefense against the pollen and to learnhow the goblins over came it.

King Sigismund is also famous for devel-oping a true school system for the young,supported by royal taxes. With this, hehopes to lead Eusdria to a golden age anda might comparable to that of farawayThyatis. This system, however, is largelyunpopular among the peasantry, sincetheir children are sent off to school in-stead of to work in the fields. The nobilityabhors this unique policy, since educatedsubjects are far more difficult to rule andcontrol, and higher taxes have to be sentto the king to support the construction ofthe schools, the purchase of books, andthe payment of preceptors (usually clergy-men). The clergy, however, strongly sup-ports the king and these measures, for theinfluence they provide over commonersand nobles.

The Heldannic knights established con-tact with King Sigismund not long ago.There are similarities and thus sympathybetween the two nations, but King Sigis-mund is more concerned about theHeldannic knights� conquest-minded views.He suspects their dark and treacherousways, and under a friendly composure hekeeps a watchful eye on their activities. Sofar, Heldannic knights have arranged forseveral Eusdrian orders to acquire de-pleted cinnabryl, through the TexeiranProtectorate south of Eusdria. The Heldan-nit knights gained the gratitude of thesechivalric orders, which worries King Sigis-mund to no end. The precious red metal isused especially to forge excellent platearmor and bastard swords, bestowingthese knights with a clear edge in combat(see �Red Steel� in this column in DRAGONissue #171, page 43).

Most Eusdrian trade is with the King-dom of Robrenn and the Texeiran mer-chant fleet. Eusdria has a small fleet inReslar and Withimer, but it is no match forexperienced Texeiran sea wolves. From theNiedegard Mountains, dwarven minersextract iron and copper, which are largelyexported along with beer, honey, furs,timber, and herring.

46 FEBRUARY 1992

The Eusdrian pantheonViuden: (alias Odin). The chief Immor-

tal of the Eusdrians pantheon, Viudenrepresents the sky, the storms, and au-thority in general.

Donar: (alias Thor). A patron of war-fare, Donar is as popular here as he isamong the more warlike folk in neighbor-ing Robrenn.

Eirys: (alias Eiryndul). Eirys is a patronof Eusdrian woodland beings and elves,but especially of elven wizards.

Lokar: (alias Loki) The patron of flames,mischief, and lies, Lokar is not honoredexcept by evil beings. His goals are thedestruction of Viuden, Donar, and Eirys.

Nyt: (alias Hel). As with neighboringRobrenn, Nyt is acknowledged as a part ofthe beginning and the end of all. Her inter-ests are death and reincarnation.

Tiuz: (alias Ilsundal). Patron of theelves, wisdom, law, and trust, Tiuz is oftenrepresented among Eusdrian clerics as awarrior whose right hand is missing.

Other Immortals are known in Eusdria,such as Kagyar, Fredar, and Fredara (thelatter two being Frey and Freyja).

Eusdrian royal dominionsDuchy of Frisonnia�Symbol: Tower;

Capital: Breimald (Pop.: l2,300�mostlyelves, some humans); Ruler: DuchessBeovilda the Blunt, daughter of Onulf;Typical NPC: urban elf warrior; Patrons:Donar or Tiuz.

County of Harstal�Symbol: Bear;Capital: Harstal (Pop.: 10,400�humans anddwarves, some halflings); Ruler: CountTheodamir the Stutterer, son of Althuin;Typical NPC: boisterous beer drinker; Pa-trons: Viuden, Kagyar, Fredar, and Fredara.

Barony of Mohesia�Symbol: Horse;Capital: Verdegild (Pop.: 6,600�mostlyhumans, some elves); Ruler: Baron Ar-thaulf the Forthright, son of Euric; TypicalNPC: righteous knights; Patrons: Donar,Tiuz, Fredar, and Fredara.

Barony of Savaria�Symbol: Fish;Capital: Reslar (Pop.: 8,500�mostly elves,some humans and halflings); Ruler: Baron-ess Utha the Fair, daughter of Aldaric;Typical NPC: elven hunter or fisher; Pa-trons: Eirys or Tiuz.

Common men’s names: Adaric, Althuin,Avigern, Atharic, Arthaulf, Childaric, Euric,Fredegern, Galamir, Godegesil, Guntheric,Gothamund, Hildebert, Leobald, Onulf,Rethismund, Rodulf, Sigebert, Theodamir,Theodaric, Theudebald, Thorisbert, Thrate-mund, Tregibald, Widemir.

Common women’s names: Auda, Avi-gerna, Bathilda, Beovilda, Brunehilda,Clothilda, Cunegund, Eleonora,Ethrelgund, Flora, Fredegund, Gudule,Guenevilda, Hilda, Hildegard, Ida, Isolt,Lotha, Mathilda, Morgund, Radegund,Theodora, Utha.

Elven class variantsElven clerics: Elven characters may

be created as clerics or druids who areable to retain some of their racial abilities(infravision, languages, detection, andimmunity to ghoul paralysis). All otherracial abilities are lost (fighter combatoptions, special defenses, and wizardlyspell-casting). Elven clerics use the ElvenExperience Table, but cast clerical spells,fight, and save as clerics or druids of thesame level. In all other respects, they haveall the normal abilities, restrictions, andobligations common to clerics. Druids canbe created using the same guidelines (seethis column�s details on the druids in theKingdom of Robrenn, in issue #177, forbackground; Eusdrian druids would honorthe Great Druidess Maud and have to go tothe Forest of Carnuilh as required). Theseelves must start as 1st-level clerics ordruids when first created.

Elven paladins/avengers: Between9th and 12th levels inclusive (or at AttackRank E), an elf may become either a pala-din, if Lawful, or an avenger, if Chaotic. Aswith paladins or avengers, the elf mustswear fealty to a church. When this isdone, the elf gains abilities, restrictions,and obligations specific to paladins andavengers; this includes clerical spell-casting if the elf has a Wisdom score of 13or better.

The elf retains all normal elven abilities,including attack ranks, special defenses,and wizardly spell-casting. He uses theElven Experience Table, with each newattack rank becoming the equivalent ofone new experience level for purposes ofclerical spell-casting. For example, anelven paladin with attack rank K would beable to cast spells like a 6th-level cleric, inaddition to his wizardly spell-casting.

The optional rules on page 266 of theRules Cyclopedia on unlimited demi-humans� experience could be used other-wise. They are simpler and fit the case ofthe elven paladin or avenger better, butshould be used from 1st level on.

Important: The elf permanently ceasesto gain new levels in wizardly spells uponswearing fealty to a church. The elf alsoloses one level of wizardly spells each timehe gains a new level of clerical spells,other than the ones gained upon swearingfealty.

For example: A 9th-level elf can normallycast fifth-level wizardly spells. Uponswearing fealty to the Order of Tiuz, thatelf becomes a paladin with the addition of1st-level clerical spells. When reaching12th level (or Attack Rank E), the elf wouldgain the ability to cast second-level clericalspells, but would lose all fifth-level wizard-ly spells.

This represents the effects of the timespent studying clerical scriptures, meditat-ing, praying, and acting as a paladin or anavenger, which inevitably alters the elf�sskills and experience in magic-use. Re-member that the elf can no longer swear

DRAGON 47

fealty at level 13 (Attack Rank F) or better.It is assumed the elf has lingered too longin the ways of magic and profane warfare,and thus can no longer faithfully embracethe ways of the church.

Using the optional rules, the best anelven paladin or avenger could everachieve is 12th-level clerical spell-casting,with four first-level spells and foursecond-level spells (or three first-levelspells if using the standard elven attackranks). This assumes the elf swore fealtyto a church at level 12.

An elf who swears fealty at 9th levelmust eventually lose all wizardly spell-casting ability and related skills. An elf whomakes this ultimate sacrifice, either willing-ly or because of the rules mechanics, per-manently gains enough Wisdom to reach ascore of 13, or gains one single extra pointof Wisdom (up to a maximum of 18). Oncelost, magic-use cannot be regained withoutpermanently losing the status and abilitiesof the paladin or avenger (including anyWisdom gains), and spending a whole gameyear in studies for each of the spell levelsoriginally lost. During that time, the �fallenchampion� may not gain any experiencenor learn any new spells.

Elves may also become druidic knights,using these guidelines. See last monthscolumn for information about druidicknights� restrictions and background.

Knights: An elf can also become aknight in the service of a monarch. The elfcan do so upon swearing fealty, with noalteration to the basic elven character class.Elven knights prefer elven monarchs, butotherwise may swear fealty to a humanmonarch, although the latter is rare.

Half-Elves: Contrary to common belief,there is a race of �half-elves� unknown toAlfheim elves. These rare people liveamong elven and human communities inthe Savage Coast. Fredar and Fredara madethe characteristics of this mixture perma-nent and hereditary in an attempt to createa more homogeneous kingdom in Eusdria.The half-elven gene is dominant (thus, ifonly one of the parents is a half-elf, theprogeny has a 65% chance of being a half-elf). Although still rare in Eusdria, this raceis slowly gaining in numbers. Fredar andFredara are their usual Immortal patrons.

Half-elves have infravision but no otherelven abilities. They usually speak both thelocal elven and human tongues, and otherlanguages can be acquired through thenormal use of skill points. Half-elves havethe life-span of halflings; otherwise treathalf-elves as humans with slightly pointyears. All classes normally open to humansare available to half-elves. Half-elvesshould suffer a 5% penalty to their experi-ence because of their infravision andextended longevity.

LettersWhat happened to Bargle the Infamous

in DDA3 The Eye of Traldar?

48 FEBRUARY 1992

Author Carl Sargent suggested we sendhim off on vacation for a while, and usehis cousin Sverdloff in his place in themeantime. The Eye of Traldar was de-signed to help entry-level gamers get start-ed with the basics of adventuring in theD&D game. There would come a pointwhen the PCs might have run into Bargle,and either he would overpower them orthe PCs would fry his worthless hide.Either way, that was a problem. So Barglehas gone to Hule to have a serious littletalk with The Master. He’ll be back soon.You can count on it.

I think it would be greatly appreciatedby D&D-game players if TSR would bringout a �Best of� X-series of modules. Arethere plans in that direction?

No. Would anyone be interested in a“Best of” series? How about Gazetteerreprints? We are considering republishingthe collection in a series of big, fat, soft-bound books (in lumps of three Gazetteerseach). Anyone interested?

Are there plans to publish Expert, Com-panion, and Masters modules for the D&DRules Cyclopedia?

There will be modules for use with theCyclopedia, but they no longer follow theExpert/Companion/Masters structure.They will fall under the more-general“Champion” D&D-game category and willdiffer only by their game levels or thesetting used (HOLLOW WORLD™ setting,Known World, or other). The old “‘Basic”modules now connect exclusively with thenew D&D game’s boxed set, and they are arather different breed of modules. Simplerand shorter than the old Basic stuff, theyeach provide 3-D character stand-ups andfull-color 25 mm-scale dungeon maps.

Does a dragon roll against its opponent�sarmor class when using its breath weap-on, or does it hit automatically?

It hits automatically Remember that abreath weapon affects only those oppo-nents who are within its area of effect.Victims do get a saving throw. If theysucceed, they take half damage from thebreath weapons effects (rounded down).

Is it possible to publish a �wanted� noticein this column? I have been looking with-out success for a number of modules, andI would like to get in touch with possiblesellers.

No. Unfortunately there isn’t sufficientroom in this column or in the magazineitself for such a “Wanted” feature. You canpost notices in local hobby shops with theowners’ permission, however.

How do Combat Ratios work in GAZ10�s�Orc Wars� game?

You need to compare the value of theAttacker against that of the Defender. Addup the values of the counters on bothsides. Then, divide the Attackers total bythe Defender’s total. The “Odds” dependon the result you get:

A/D ratio Odds0.49 or less 1-3*0.50 to 0.65 1-2*0.66 to 0.99 2-3*1.00 to 1.49 1-11.50 to 1.99 3-2**2.00 to 2.99 2-1**3.00 to 3.99 3-1**4.00+ 4-1**

* Defender�s advantage.** Attacker�s advantage.

In other words, if you are the Attackeryou want your Combat Ratio to be as highas possible.

Why do paladins have to be lawful?After all, their main requirement is thatthey swear fealty to a church. What if it isa neutral church?

Good point. In the last issue, we present-ed the rather unusual druidic knight, butwe’re still missing an equivalent for anondruidic neutral order. All you have todo is call it something different, like aStalwart or a Defender, then give it thepaladins spell-casting skills and replace thedetect evil ability with remove fear* (re-versible). That’s pretty potent, but youshould disallow the ability to turn undead.Even better, you can exchange the de-fenders remove fear* ability for some-thing else that is more appropriate to thedefenders order. The same would be truefor specialty paladins and avengers. Keepit balanced though—nothing is free.

I�d like to know more about souls. Inkeeping with the idea of the five spheres,a creature�s soul could be made of Energyand Thought elements. When the creaturedies, these elements are dispersed into thePrime Plane. As the creature ages, entro-pic elements contained in its soul weaken,then vanish when the creature dies ofnatural causes. This would explain whyEntropy would be so preoccupied withdestroying rather than letting life run itsnatural course, since a violent deathwould then release a greater amount ofentropic elements in the Prime Plane.

This is a very interesting concept. Re-member that the five spheres aren’t likeouter planes or some sort of elementalfabric. These are similar to “spheres ofinterest” that explain the powers and goalsof the Immortals. It wouldn’t take much,however to stretch things a bit to makethis idea work. It is a very elegant one. Inthe same vein, the Spheres of Matter andTime would govern the physical body Isuggest that Entropy affect material bodiesrather than souls, since souls cannot “nor-mally” be corrupted!

ouchmant froze in the middle of rais-ing his horn of mead to his lips, star-ing. The banqueting hall of his lord,Prince Vladimir the Golden, wascrowded with laughing, singing, jest-ing bogatyri, the prince’s ownknights—but that hadn’t stopped the

domovoy, the house-spirit—small, stout, and hairy—fromscuttling out from behind one of the large tile stoves heat-ing the vast hall, hunting tidbits, secure in the knowledgethat no one could see him.

No one but Souchmant. The young bogatyr tensed as thehouse-spirit all at once became aware of him. It stared fora startled second, then grinned a wide, toothy grin, gavehim an impudent little wave, and disappeared under theroyal table. Souchmant took a swallow of mead, nearlychoking in his haste. When your own princely lord had agenuine terror of things magical, you hardly announcedthat, thanks to a quirky little strain of magic in yourblood, you had the gift of seeing Otherly beings. Nor didyou confess that when everyone thought you were goinghunting, you were actually passing the time of day withsuch old friends as Nieprad, the misty gray being who insome mysterious, almost frighteningly powerful Otherlyway was the vast River Nieprad.

You particularly didn’t announce such things when youwere the youngest of all those here, and of peasant bloodto boot. Souchmant stared moodily down into the goldendepths of the mead, remembering. He’d been the young-est son of five, yet another mouth to feed on that smallfarm. His parents had been kind if remote; Souchmantknew they’d never been quite comfortable with this oddson of theirs and his disconcerting talent for seeing theUnseen. That Unseen, powerful Nieprad, who could havedrowned a boy as easily as a man drowns a kitten, hadchosen instead—bemused, perhaps, or simply amused—tobefriend the lonely, dreamy child, telling him wonder talesof what befell along the river’s long banks.

It was Nieprad who showed me my first bogatyr, riding by allshining and splendid. God, how I wanted to be like that!

He’d nagged a crippled, bored old mercenary intoteaching him weaponry, practicing for hours with woodenstaves or the bow he’d made himself. His parents hadnever understood; even now, when he sent them coin inplenty—Vladimir was generous to his warrior-knights—they still seemed almost embarrassed by him.

Ah well, they do say you can never return home. Not that I fit inhere, really, either.

When he’d arrived at court, a peasant boy with a rustyold sword and eyes full of wonder, he’d never dreamed howdifficult it would be to prove himself among this glitteringcompany. No one had ever taught him, till then, that hisbirth made him “inferior.” But he’d learned quickly enoughas the bogatyri mocked him, calling him muzhik, peasant, fitonly for tending hogs. Still, Vladimir had been kind enough,in an amused, ever-so-slightly condescending way, to granthim a chance. And the time of testing had come in a skir-mish against Tatar raiders, when he’d saved the life of therenowned bogatyr Dobrynya.

And now I’m a bogatyr. And nothing has changed. Oh, I eat finefood and drink golden mead. But to the others I’m still the peasant boy

River’sFriend

by Josepha Sherman

Illustrations by Dan Burr

DRAGON 51

with dung on his boots. Oh, hell, I hate self-pity!The sound of shouting brought Souchmant back to the

present with a start. The other bogatyri, replete with goodfood, had been debating among themselves for some timeabout what service might best please a prince, an idleundercurrent of murmuring he’d been able to ignore sofar. But now the mead had heated their blood, and debat-ing was accelerating into outright arguing. Vladimir,sharp blue eyes half lidded, hands steepled against golden-bearded chin, was leaning back in his high carven chair,making no move to interfere, secure in the knowledge thatno one here was armed, nobody was going to get seriouslyhurt.

Souchmant couldn’t be so patient. Listen to them, shoutingat each other about the joys of war and bloodshed, of this feat ofarms and that, like so many little boys performing for Daddy!Suddenly overwhelmed by the lot of them-these linewarriors who’d never known a day of want—he sprang tohis feet, shouting:

“War isn’t some glamorous game! People die, crops gettrampled—”

“Oh, yes,” someone laughed, “the peasant boy wouldworry about crops.”

“So would you, dammit, if you had to watch your chil-dren starving! So would you if you and your family hadnothing to eat in the winter because some oh-so bravebogatyri had galloped by and crushed your wheat beforeyou could harvest it!”

There was a moment’s awkward silence. Some of thewarriors even had the good grace to look embarrassed.“What would you, Souchmant?” Dobrynya, seated thereat his side, asked gently. As Souchmant glanced hotlydown at the sensible middle-aged face, the bogatyr contin-ued, “I know you’re no coward, and I think the othersknow it, too. But if feats of arms aren’t the finest way aman may serve a prince, what is?”

“Why—I—” Souchmant floundered. “Any man canswing a sword. I would do something no one else hasdone.”

“Such as . . . ?”“I don’t know! Capture a—a swan for the prince’s

gardens, maybe—”“Any man with decent aim with a bow can do that!”

someone shouted derisively.“No!” Souchmant protested. “I didn’t mean kill it, I

meant capture a swan alive, without a single arrowwounding it!”

Ripples of amusement swept through the hall. “Ohcome now, Souchmant,” murmured Dobrynya. “Capturea swift, lively swan without even a net? Are you claimingyou can do that?”

“Yes! I’ve done it already, without a net, with—”Souchmant stopped short, because the one who’d

helped him catch that swan had been a coolly amusedNieprad.

“With what?” yelled fiery Alyosha from across the hall.“A bellyful of mead?”

“No! I—”But Souchmant got no further, because the hall erupted

into laughter. Reddening, the young bogatyr watched evenPrince Vladimir join in, and wished he could slink off as

unseen as the domovoy.“You—you do that, Souchmant,” the prince gasped out.

“You bring me that pretty white swan, alive, unharmed,” hisvoice hardened every so slightly, “within a week’s time.” Andnow Vladimir was no longer laughing. “Within a week’stime, Souchmant, or face imprisonment. I will have no fool-ish boasters at my court. Now, go.”

The others’ mockery still ringing in his ears, Souch-mant went. And he went with no intention of returning.

By the time he’d ridden blindly for a time, Souchmant’sanger had left him and only embarrassment remained.What had ever prompted him to blurt out such a ridicu-lous thing? Capture a swan alive, unharmed. That was atest out of his childhood, not anything for a grown man, abogatyr!

Ah well, his blind flight had taken him halfway to theNieprad River. If he ever did mean to return to court, ithad better be with that damned swan. Which meant he’dbest see if he could convince unpredictable Nieprad, asfull of whims and potentially dangerous as his powerful,perilous river was swift of current, to help a mere humanonce again.

But when Souchmant reached the river, he dismounted,staring in dismay. The Nieprad was a mighty river, wideand deep; Nieprad-the-being took enormous pride in itsstrength and richness. The Nieprad’s banks, thick withreeds, held their own richness, teeming with water fowl.Yet today those reeds stood dry and lonely, far above thewaterline and empty of life, while the normally clear,quick water lay shrunken in its bed, thick with mud.

“Nieprad,” Souchmant asked warily, “are you . . . allright?” wondering if it was possible for something soOtherly as a river spirit to fall ill. For all he knew, thebeing was at the far end of his vast domain, too far to hearhim, but the bogatyr tried again: “Nieprad?”

The water swirled in a faint eddy. A whisper of a voice,hardly louder than the rustle of the drying reeds, said,“River Friend . . . help me.”

“Nieprad!” Souchmant stared in horror at the fading,barely visible shape of the being who’d been so proud, sostrong. “What is it? What can I do?”

“My river was wild and strong . . . No man could fordit . . . It could not be bound.”

“I know that. Please, tell me—”“Warriors . . . have returned.”Something as purely human as nationality was mean-

ingless to an Otherly being. But Nieprad could hardlyhave meant the bogatyri; those, he tolerated. “Who?”Souchmant wondered uneasily. “Tatars? But—”

“With them is a man of Power. Twenty times theysought to bind me . . . bridge my river . . . Twenty timesI scorned them, tore their bridges down. But . . . they willnot . . . surrender . . . They are building anew with theman of Power’s aid . . . damming my river’s flow withiron bars, and I . . . I . . . no longer have the strength tofight them .”

Souchmant winced. How that admission of weaknessmust have hurt!

But there was another problem. Though Otherly Nie-prad neither knew nor cared about such human things, his

52 FEBRUARY 1992

unfordable river had always served as a line of defense forPrince Vladimir’s people. Now, if the enemy was able tosteal across before the bogatyri could stop them—

God, even a small force could infiltrate the city before anyoneknew it, take it from within, maybe even kill our prince!

“Nieprad, I—I’ll ride back for the others, and—”“No! There is no time. You must help . . . stop

them . . . tear down their bridge.”“One man alone? Look you, I’ll hurry—”“No,” the being insisted wearily. “By then I shall be

gone . . . I cannot live, bound.”And I can‘t live against a whole troop of warriors!There was no way around it: He would hurry back to

Prince Vladimir, gather the bogatyri, and hope they couldreturn in time to meet the enemy as they crossed the river.Of course Nieprad would be dead by then, but the riverwould still flow and—

Ah, Nieprad, no . . .How could he have forgotten, even for a panic-stricken

moment, the warm summer days of childhood spentswimming the fierce river, safely buoyed by Nieprad’swill? How could he forget waking alone and terrified be-cause no one in his family shared his odd little magicalgift, and stealing out of bed and down to the river’s edge?Nieprad had always been waiting, somehow sensing hissmall friend’s fears, comforting the boy with wonder tales,reassuring him that there was nothing evil about his gift,nothing demonic.

Friend, yes. Alien, unpredictable though the being was,Nieprad was his friend, as truly as any vow-sworn bogatyr.More truly, the young man thought wryly, and asked incompromise:

“Can I get upriver to where the enemy are, withoutthem seeing me?”

“The river will shield you.” If Nieprad was relieved,nothing of it showed in the wisp of voice. “Come, swimacross. I never yet have let you drown.”

Gasping—even with Nieprad’s aid, it was a longswim—Souchmant struggled up through mud to the farside, thankful the day was reasonably warm, then startedhis wary stalk upriver, only to drop to the ground, crouch-ing uncomfortably in the shelter of a clump of pricklyreeds.

His first guess had been right: these were Tatar raiders,no doubt about it. Even at this range there could be nomistake, for all that they wore long, sashed tunics with fulltrousers and high, soft boots even as he did, for all thatthe hair of many of them was lighter than his own. Onlywild Tatars would ever travel in company with thatfantastic, fringe-and-fur-robed figure hunched at the river-bank. A Kirgiz, Souchmant guessed, but the rest of whatthe stranger might be, Souchmant’s quirky magical sighttold him clearly: a shaman, this, who’d toyed too muchwith the darker side of his calling and been cast out of histribe for it. Hints of nasty little Others quivered and cir-cled about him even as he supervised the building of aramshackle bridge of rope and reeds.

And iron. Curse the man, he knew the effect of thatcold, magic-hating metal on the Otherly. Iron stakes im-paled the riverbed, an iron chain engraved with twistingsigils bound it, bank to bank, holding back the water as

surely as any dam.Souchmant sank back into his reedy shelter, trying to

ignore the dankness chilling him, the rank, sharp scent ofrotting vegetation heavy in his nostrils. Once across theriver, the raiders could steal by innocent twos and threesinto the enemy city, then cast open the gates to the others.He’d counted nearly twenty at the riverside and didn’tdoubt there were more back in the woods with theirhorses.

What in the name of all that’s holy am I going to do?His frantic brain was dragging forth scraps of memories

of every tale he’d heard as a child, tales of magic, tales inparticular that hinted at Otherly alliances, Otherly Power.

Souchmant tensed, realizing where his thoughts wereleading him. Oh, impossible! He was only human, notsome all-powerful hero from the ballads! Of course it wasimpossible, something only a child could believe—

But, panicked, he couldn’t think of anything else to doexcept whisper desperately, “Nieprad? Nieprad, listen tome.”

“I am here.” It was the softest whisper of water.“You call me River Friend, you and the . . . the other

Others have always welcomed me. You trust me, don’tyou, all of you?”

“As much as any human can be trusted.” A hint ofNieprad’s cool, alien humor rippled faintly in the words.“Why? What would you?”

“Remember the stories you told me, back when I was aboy? The stories about transfers of Power.” All at oncesensing a wary stillness about the being, Souchmantrushed on. “Look you, the only way we’re both going toget out of this alive is if those stories are true, if—if I’mgranted Otherly strength, just for a while.”

“No . . . it cannot be done.”But the being wasn’t actually denying such a thing was

possible. Souchmant glanced uneasily at the Kirgiz sha-man, who in turn was scenting the air as nervously as anywild thing, sensing him by the faint touch of magic inhim, the dark Others swirling about, hunting. They’dsurely locate him in the next moment. “It had better bedone,” the bogatyr whispered urgently, “unless you want todie a slave!”

There was a long, long pause, the faintest trembling ofthe air. Souchmant realized with a little prickle of wonderthat Nieprad could only be communicating in the fabledSilent Language, undecipherable by any but the Otherly,with those Others of Earth and Wood.

Oh, hurry, Nieprad! The shaman’s going to throw a spell at me,and I haven’t the vaguest idea how to stop sorcery.

But in the next moment he forgot fear, forgot name andeven humanity as wild, wild Power rushed into him,flooding every nerve and bone and sinew, the river’s ownstrength coursing through him till he could do nothing butscream out that wildness and surge madly forward. In theone small corner of his mind that remained human,Souchmant saw the shaman’s black eyes widen with hor-ror. Then the bogatyr was upon him, smashing him asidewith one blow and racing out onto the makeshift bridge,tearing up bar after iron bar, casting them back, heedless,at the astonished Tatars. He sprang back onto the river-bank with the last of the restraining bars in his hands,

DRAGON 53

54

laughing savagely with the force of the Power in him, andswung the bar, two-handed, at the one warrior who daredtry to close with him, feeling bones break, hurling the barand the warrior away. Still laughing, Souchmant turned torip free the restraining ropes of the bridge. As the stunnedshaman struggled to rise, calling his Others to him,Souchmant tossed the heavy mass of rope at him, buryingthe man beneath it. Ah, but Nieprad wasn’t free yet. Theiron chain remained to bar the river! The bogatyr grabbedthe chain in both hands, staggering at the touch of thedark sigils engraved on the links, and for a moment washuman, only that, terrified that the wild Power was morethan his mind and heart could endure, terrified that it wasgoing to kill him.

No! Not before Nieprad is freed!Souchmant tried to gather the river-strength to him

again, the Power greater than anything mortal, but nowthat he was conscious of humanity, he couldn’t hold it.Nieprad would die, and all this would be for nothing—

“No!” Souchmant heard himself scream insanely.“Damn you, Nieprad, I won‘t let you die!”

It was his last conscious thought for a time. With hishumanity swamped by the surge of will and rage andsheer, savage desperation, the creature that had been abogatyr pulled new Power to him, pulled both river-strength and his own strange, small, unique magic alltogether in one wild flood. The massive, sigil-woven chaintore free from the riverbanks in the grip of mingled Powerand went whipping about the creature’s head (impossible,oh impossible, for any mere human to wield such a bur-den), striking warrior after warrior, crushing them, sweep-ing them away till none remained and he could let thechain fly and crumple to the ground.

Slowly river-strength drained away. Slowly Power fad-ed. Aching, gasping, muscles burning as though he’dbeen torn on a rack, Souchmant came back into himself.He was alive, sane, but so thoroughly weary it was astrain simply to breath. Somewhere behind him, though,the Nieprad River was roaring in wild freedom. Suddenlyoverwhelmed by the urge to look at it, Souchmant pulledhimself, bit by painful bit, to his knees, struggling not tofaint or be sick from dizziness. Then, gritting his teeth, hemanaged to battle on up to his feet. Yes, the river wasunbound, and—

And sorcerous pain snapped its jaws on him, tearing athim with blazing knives! The shaman was still alive, be-spelling him in frantic rage, and Souchmant, trapped,couldn’t do a thing but stand wrapped in invisible flameand die.

“You shall not die!”The voice rang out like a battle trumpet, mighty as the

flood. A great wave arced like liquid silver out of the river,breaking over shaman and bogatyr, dragging them bothback with it into the torrent. White waves smashing allabout him, Souchmant dimly heard the shaman screamonce in terror, voice nearly drowned by the river’s roar,vaguely saw those waves pull the struggling man under.At once, the sorcerous fire vanished, and the bogatyr felthimself sob in relief. Only now was he able to appreciatethat none of the whitewater savagery about him wastouching him. Nieprad was bearing him gently as ever

FEBRUARY 1992

parent carried child, back downriver to where he’d firstentered. A soft wave lifted Souchmant up and left himlying on dry land.

It was suddenly all far beyond human bearing. Withouta word to Nieprad, Souchmant staggered once more to hisfeet, blindly hunting his horse, wanting nothing so muchas to be back among his own merely mortal kind in thesafety of the city’s walls. The frightened horse, its riderlying half across its neck, galloped straight for its stable,and Souchmant’s next conscious act was of straighteninghimself in the saddle with weary pride, because he’d beenbrought virtually to the gates of Vladimir’s palace. Andthe prince and his bogatyri were sitting their horses beforehim.

“Back so soon?” Vladimir asked wryly. “And withouteven the feather of a swan?”

Souchmant stared blankly for a moment, stunned bythe sheer anticlimax. Swan . . . ? Oh God, yes. “My Prince,I forgot about it. But for a reason—”

“The swan beat you in single combat!” bogatyr Alyoshajibed, and the others burst into laughter.

Souchmant glanced helplessly from face to laughingface. And all at once pure fury surged up in him, an echoof the wild river-strength. Had he survived all that to bemocked by this pettiness?

“No, damn you,” he thundered. “There was no swan—only Tatars!” As though a dam had broken, he heardhimself shouting, as though the words had nothing to dowith himself, all that had happened, all save the magic:the bridge destroyed, the enemy slain.

And then the burst of strength was gone. Souchmantsagged in the saddle and listened to his prince condemninghim for a liar and a braggart.

“Everyone said a peasant could never be a true bogatyr.Everyone said you should be beaten for even having daredto dream! But I refused to listen. Your courage touchedme. But that courage was a lie!”

“No, I—”“Silence! I raised you up from nothing—from nothing!

I trusted you. And this is how you repay me, makingfoolish boasts, claiming impossible deeds, trying to makeyour prince look a credulous fool! You have no courage,no honor, nothing at all!”

I don’t blame you, Souchmant thought wearily. My storysounds pretty impossible to me, too. Particularly since I don‘t daretell you about the magic.

Vladimir was ordering he be taken somewhere. Souch-mant didn’t care where, so long as it had a bed. Or even alevel floor. By now, he wanted nothing so much as to sim-ply lie down and sleep. “It’s true . . .” he heard himselfmurmur, “I think it is . . . I . . . think I killed them all.”

It was the last he remembered for a time.

Souchmant awoke with a jolt, starting up from the cotonto which he’d fallen, aching muscles complaining.Where was he? A bare little room, bars on the onewindow—

“Oh God.”He sank back to the cot, head in hands. This was Vla-

dimir’s own prison, where he dumped those who’d per-sonally offended him. While a stay here was meant merely

as humiliation, for Souchmant this marked the end of hisdreams.

I can‘t tell the prince what really happened. If I did, he’d banme as a sorcerer. But if I don‘t tell him the truth, he’ll never trustme again. The lying peasant boy: I’ll wind up banished from courtno matter what I do.

A murmuring outside the cell drove him to thewindow—Akh, too high! All at once excited though hecouldn’t have said why, Souchmant dragged the cot underthe window and stood on it.

He looked down onto the smoothly raked sand of thepalace courtyard, whitewashed stone walls all around, tosee his fellow bogatyri clustered about someone shrouded infull gray robes. A pilgrim, no doubt, come to—

No! Souchmant gripped the bars of the window sofiercely it hurt, his touch of magic responding to the sud-den sense of Other, his touch of Sight screaming that,illusion of gray robes or no, that figure wasn’t any meremortal soul: that was Nieprad!

What's he doing so far from his river? Nieprad, go back. You’llkill yourself!

But Nieprad didn’t seem to be in any particular dis-tress. As Vladimir joined the bogatyri, the being bowed ascourteously as any human, and Souchmant nearly chokedon a laugh, recognizing his own movements, amazed athow beautifully the boneless Nieprad was mimicking him.The being’s cool, whispery voice drifted to up to him:

“ . . . many dead . . . signs of a bridge . . . destroyed.”“I’ll go.” That was Dobrynya’s earnest voice. “My

Prince, I owe Souchmant that much. Let me go and see.”“No,” Vladimir said quietly. “I accused him. I must be

the one. Pilgrim, lead on.”Souchmant lost track of time after that. He slept and

ate and slept some more, and healed in body and mindfrom the strain of bearing all that Otherly Power. Heawoke feeling restored when the guards at last came torelease him. By this time, he’d convinced himself thescene in the courtyard, with Nieprad as a gray-robed pil-grim, had been part of his exhausted dreams. He wasrather pleased to be allowed to bathe and pull on freshclothing before being brought before the prince.

At least I’ll be cast out of the palace smelling clean!But to his utter astonishment, Vladimir’s first words

were, “I have wronged you.”It wasn’t a dream! Nieprad really was here and—“Oh no,

don’t!” Souchmant cried in an agony of embarrassment,for the prince was kneeling to him. “Please!”

Vladimir never stirred. “I went to the riverside, Souch-mant. I saw what heroic deeds you performed and knewhow falsely I had accused you. Do you forgive yourprince, bogatyr?”

“God, yes!”To his relief, Vladimir got to his feet and stood aside. In

the next moment, Souchmant was engulfed by a cheerful,noisy crowd of bogatyri. And for now, at least, they wereall equals.

“Nieprad?” Souchmant stood alone and nervous by theriver’s edge. “Can you hear me?”

“I can.” The misty gray shape rose halfway out of thewater. “You are reinstated, I take it?”

“Yes. Thank you.”“What’s this? Doesn’t it mean as much to you, being a

fine bogatyr?”“Oh, it does. It always will.” Souchmant hesitated.

“But after all that happened here, I realized something.Even while the others were finally accepting me as one ofthem, I didn’t really care what they thought. Do youknow something? All this time I wasn’t trying to provemyself to them, I was trying to prove myself to me. Doesany of this make sense to you?”

“Not much,” the being admitted. “This has somethingto do with human status, I take it? You’re no longerashamed of your origins.”

“I’m ashamed of having been ashamed.”The river swirled and eddied restlessly. “As if chance-

of-birth mattered!”“It matters to humans!”“Human ways, human folly. You didn’t come all this

way just to confess emotions. What would you?”“I’m grateful to you, I truly am. Akh, but Nieprad,

that was a damned foolish thing to do! Coming to court,drying out like that. You could have killed yourself! ”

“You could have killed yourself to save me,” Niepradmurmured. “Could I do less?” Amusement rippled thewater. “That was a fine disguise, was it not? I can be seenby mortals when I wish it. And mortals see only what theywant. Except for such as you, of course.”

Souchmant shook his head. “Why do you do it? Imean, I’m just a human, even if I can . . . see things.Why do you bother with me? Why did you ever befriendme in the first place?”

“Because I wished it.”“Yes, but why?”“Why? Why?” the being mocked in sudden impa-

tience. “To be human is to always ask ‘Why?’ To be Oth-er is to simply Be! I like you, silly, brave, amusing littlehuman! I like you. What more is there?”

“Nothing, I guess. But why—”A great cold wave came splashing down on Souchmant,

drenching him, making him gasp. A sound suspiciouslylike a chuckle came from deep within the river, and with aswirling of water, Nieprad was gone.

Dive into terror in the Pools of Darkness

KnightLineIf you enjoy simulation games, we rec-

ommend that you subscribe to a brand-new newsletter from the talented folkwho publish Questbusters. This new publi-cation is entitled Simulations! and willappear seven times a year. It will coverflight-, tank-, and world-simulation games.The cost is $8 a year for a third-class sub-scription to North America, or $15 a yearfor an overseas subscription. Write to:Simulations!, P. 0. Box 5845, Tucson AZ85703, U.S.A.

recommended entertainments for theirfamily and friends. However, to start sucha mail-order business and simultaneouslyinitiate our own game magazine requiresmore money than we can currently raise,

Computer games� ratings

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

To Richard W. Bruner in Hungary: Wewish we did have our own computer-gamecatalog for gamers wishing to purchase

Vapor Trail(Renovation)

Frontier (SSI); Secret Weapons of the

DRAGON 57

especially during this recession. As youare mainly interested in PC/MS-DOSgames, be aware that a number of system-specific publications occasionally run mini-catalog inserts from software distributors.The larger magazines, such as PC Worldand PC, might be available in Hungary.Always keep in mind the PC/MS-DOSgames you read about in DRAGON® Maga-zine that receive positive reviews.

The Software Publishers Association hasreleased its monthly top-selling computerand video games list for August 1991. ForPC/MS-DOS games, the top five (in order ofunit sales) are: Gateway to the Savage

Luftwaffe (LucasFilm Games); Castles (In-terplay Productions); King’s Quest V (Sier-ra); and Jetfighter II (Velocity).

Broderbund Software is moving to: 500Redwood Boulevard, P.O. Box 6121, NovatoCA 94948-6121, U.S.A. The telephonenumber is (415) 382-4400.

Strategic Simulations product supportcan now be found on the followingbulletin-board services: CompuServe,America Online, and GEnie. You�ll find notonly demos of SSI�s games but also productannouncements as well.

H.E.L.P.Todd Drexel�s request for assistance with

Dragon Wars, in DRAGON issue #174, hasreceived many answers. Randy Villeneuveof Upper Rawdon, Nova Scotia, reiteratedthe cure for obtaining the boots that hasbeen revealed in other columns. He addsthe following: �If you would like to makeyour characters better and faster, go toIrkall�s Domain and jump over the barrier.Save your game, then start the game over.Do this again and again. Every time youcomplete this action, you gain five skillpoints with which to raise your abilities.Go to the Underworld through Purgatoryto gain the fastest access to Irkall�s Do-main. Good luck!�

Aidan Doyle of Melbourne, Australia,needs some assistance with Maniac Man-sion, published by LucasFilm Games, andRise of the Dragon, published by Dynamix.�I am stuck in Maniac Mansion. The char-acters I have are Dave, Wendy, andBernard. I can�t open the lab door. I�veheard that the Meteor Game score offersthe combination but I can�t get the powerback on. Whenever I try to fix the wires,my character says �It�s kind of dark inhere� (even though I have a flashlight withfresh batteries from the radio.) In Rise ofthe Dragon, I can�t find anyone to inter-pret the parchment from Chen Lu�s safe. Ialso can�t get into Deng Hwang�s ware-house.�

Ryan Leathers of Elizabethtown, Ky.,needs help with DragonStrike, which hehas been playing for over a year. �I can�tget past either the SwordQuest or SuddenDeath missions. I�m desperate for advice!�

Andrew Mussell, of Brandon, Wis.,needs the answers to the following ques-tions: “Spellbreaker: How do I get the cubein the roc�s nest? What do I do in the Oc-tagonal Room?

“Demon’s Winter: What do I do with thecircle of light in the temple near the volca-no? Where is the boat that is guarded bygiants, and where is the cave near it?

“Ultima III: How do I get the ring fromthe Father on Planet �X�?�

By the way, there are so many gamerswith hints out there that it is hard to de-cide which hints to publish. However, wefind many letters are almost impossible toread. Although the hints in these lettersmay be the finest ever written, if theprinted page is unreadable we move toanother letter. If you wish to help others,

58 FEBRUARY 1992

check your letters before mailing them toensure that they are legible.

Reviews

Pools of Darkness * * * * *

Strategic Simulations, Inc.PC/MS-DOS version $59.95

Want a real challenge that leaves youwondering how you�re ever going to de-feat the bad guys? Want epic-scale quest-ing in alternate universes? Want to see ifyour characters can reach 25th level�andbeyond?

Using an interface identical to previousSSI releases, Pools of Darkness (POD) is thefinal volume in SSI�s FORGOTTENREALMS® fantasy role-playing adventuresdealing with Phlan and that scum-suckingLord Bane. Lord Bane is back, and hisminions are more fearsome than everbefore. Even if you bring your Secret ofthe Silver Blades characters into POD,you�ll see them hacked to shreds beforetoo many battles are finished.

The challenge in POD is humongous. Youinitially return to Phlan, that marvelouslittle city you liberated in Pools of Radi-ance. Because you defeated all of the evilin the earlier volumes, there isn�t much inthe way of missions for your attention.After you buy and sell weapons, spells,and the like, you agree to go with one ofthe council members, named Sasha, onher inspection of forces in the lands ofThar.

But, once you leave Phlan, Bane reap-pears. Not only is Phlan decimated asBane�s lieutenants take charge of the area,but a wizard pulls you into an alternatedimension that enables travel between thePools. He wants your party to defeat Baneand his beasties, and he�ll help all he can�as long as he remains alive, that is!

You agree, and the mage teleports youback to the Realms�but the land haschanged. Evil is everywhere! One of yourfirst missions could well be to help Vala ofthe Silver Blades defeat Avaasan troopsand their attendant undead and elementalforces. You are hounded and outmannedat every turn. It takes fortitude and anunderstanding of how to combat the dif-ferent forces before you see daylight inthe battles you fight. POD is not a gamefor those who don�t have patience or don�tlearn from their mistakes!

Allies can be encountered throughoutthe adventure. Your rewards for successare high, but your reward for defeat isdeath. You must strengthen your party ifyou are to fight the ultimate evil. Thisadventure is, by far, one of the most diffi-cult fantasy role-playing games we�veencountered and will test the stamina andwherewithal of your questers.

Now, some may ask, why does PODreceive a five-star rating and Gateway tothe Savage Frontier (reviewed here inDRAGON issue #177) only received fourstars? Simple: SSI enhanced its game sys-

tem with full VGA support, added a realis-tic method in which you must use the Restcommand to memorize spells as well asheal the party, and reserved the mostpowerful spells for magic-users with anintelligence of 18 or better, as it should be.The VGA support really is quite an im-provement.

We found that the characters you createfrom scratch here are better suited forthis adventure than other types. Also,keep in mind that human characters havea better chance of success in this game, asnonhuman characters will already be closeto their maximum capabilities when youcreate them.

POD is quite an adventure and shouldreally be a huge success with SSI adven-ture gamers. Its versions include VGA/MCGA, EGA, or TGA support, and it isplayable with AdLib, Sound Blaster, orTandy sound boards. You needn�t haveplayed any of the previous volumes, but itcertainly helps. We found POD to be ex-tremely challenging, and we are far frombesting Lord Bane. Jump in and help ridthe Realms of evil once and for all!

SimAnt * * * * *

Maxis SoftwareMacintosh version Price n/a

Few entertainment companies maintaina reputation as innovators. Maxis Softwareis one of the few that strikes out on itsown and produces such smash hits asSimCity, SimEarth, and now, SimAnt.SimAnt is certainly more than a game.Through your control of a black ant colo-ny, you learn more about how they live,work, and die than you could have everlearned from the Discovery Channel.Included with this game are several Helpfeatures, tutorials teaching you how antssurvive, and great animation and soundeffects.

Success is measured by how well youmanage to defeat colonies of red ants,control the yard around your home, andeventually drive the humans out of thelocal house (that�s the goal in the FullGame version). In the Quick Game, you aresimply out to defeat an opposing colony ofred ants. You can also learn from yourants by using an Experimentation mode inwhich you watch the effects of your inter-action with the ants.

Aside from red ants, other obstacleswith which to concern yourself includelawn mowers, rain, ant lions, spiders, andhuman feet. These you must avoid as yousearch for food for your colony. Withoutfood, your queen cannot survive; if shedies, she cannot produce workers, sol-diers, and breeders, allowing you tospread the wealth of your nests through-out the back yard of the humans� home.

You appear on-screen as a yellow ant.You can summon other ants to your causethrough your �signals,� and you can evenchange places with them. By holding downthe mouse button when your cursor isatop the yellow ant, several selections

appear in a pop-up menu. One of them isExchange. Once this command is selected,you can search for another type of antnear you and change bodies. For example,when hunting and retrieving food foryour nest, it is smart to remain a workerant. When you know the time is right togo on the hunt and defeat the enemy redants, it�s best to be a soldier ant.

One strategy we found to be most con-ducive to success included building thenest so that you have an ample supply ofworker and soldier ants. This is handledthrough the Caste selection system, whichallows you to determine how many ofeach type of ant will be brought to matu-rity from the larval stage. Once there areadequate numbers, call 50-100 ants toyour leader ant, then invade the localoutside food supply. With you calling theshots, the red ants suddenly find theirfood supply inundated with black ants.Through ferocious fighting, you�ll notethat the red-ant health graph bar on theleft side of the screen will slowly dropbelow that of the black ants.

As the red ants are starving to death,pick out a red-ant nest located away fromthe majority of the red-ant action, theninvade it. With a massive attack, you canseverely cripple the enemy. If their queensare killed, you succeed in winning anothersector of the yard. There are 256 areas toconquer, so you�ve got your work cut out.

Watch out for the Red Terminator ant.Controlled by the computer, this is thered-ant equivalent of you. He can also callfor reinforcements, lead attacks, andgenerally mess up your plans. There areHealth graphs, scent trails that you candrop to warn of imminent attack, and avariety of views that make SimAnt anextremely enjoyable environment.

We learned the game in about 15 minutesand won our first Full Game after aboutfour hours of play, with a score of over4,400,000, which is considered quite good.One great feature about SimAnt is that, nomatter how often you win, there is alwaysanother yard with an entirely new set ofcircumstances just beyond your nest. Enjoyyourselves, learn a lot about ants, and buySimAnt. It�s well worth the cost.

Gunship 2000 * * * * *

MicroProsePC/MS-DOS version $69.95

Once again, MicroProse demonstrates itsleadership in the flight-simulation arena. Ifyou�ve ever wondered what it would be liketo fly an Apache or other advanced battlehelicopter, Gunship 2000 is a must purchase.It supports VGA/MCGA only and uses soundboards from Roland, AdLib, Tandy, or IBM.A joy stick is recommended.

The graphics are awesome, and thesound (we used the Roland sound board)draws you into the simulation. Althoughnumerous, complex commands are re-quired to complete your missions, Micro-Prose allows you to set difficulty andreality levels, and includes training mis-

sions to bolster your self-confidence.When starting out, you can fly your mis-sions in the Persian Gulf or Central Europe(of course, due to the collapse of the SovietUnion, the latter setting is no longer asrealistic as it was when MicroProse origi-nally released this program).

You begin your missions after logging inat HQ and picking your area of operations.You attend a briefing mission and readthrough your mission orders, then adjustyour gunship�s weapons� configuration tosuit the conditions of your orders. Afteryou input a specific code from your man-ual, you enter your gunship cockpit andengage your rotors. With joy-stick control,you�ll soon learn how to fly your powerfulmachine.

This is not a simple �fly directly to anddefeat your primary and secondary tar-gets� game. The enemy is as sophisticatedas you wish it to be, but even at the lowestreality level it has several surprises instore for you. Surface-to-air missiles, in-fantry, tanks�you name it, they�ve got it.

A good idea is to study your instructionmanual after reading your mission orders.Learn all you can about what enemy unitsmight be in your target area and studytheir weapon systems. Also, learn aboutyour own weapon systems and determinethose that would be most useful againstboth known and suspected enemy defens-es. Perhaps you might want to take onyour secondary target first, destroy it witha set of offensive weapons, then fly to anadvanced fire base to refuel and rearmwith weapons better suited for your pri-mary target.

Study your flight map and learn whatgeographic formations might be used toyour best advantage. Flying behind hillsand in gulleys lessens the ability of theenemy to paint you with radar.

You�ve got both flares and chaff to defeatincoming missiles. You can also fly awayfrom incoming fire. Reading the strategy tips

is important if you are to survive even yourtraining missions. As you succeed in variousmissions, promotions occur. You can, eventu-ally, command several gunships.

Gunship 2000 is a totally realistic recrea-tion of helicopter warfare. The faster yourCPUs clock speed, the better the simula-tion will perform. When certain complexscenes are loading, you will note somestutter in the animation, but withoutdoubt, Gunship 2000 is the best helicoptersimulation we�ve ever experienced.

Police Quest III **

Sierra On-LinePC/MS-DOS version $59.95

Sonny Bonds is back, and this time hehas to face the Kindred. No, it�s not a hor-ror movie, but a new Police Quest adven-ture. Sonny�s wife has been stabbed, andhe must find and bring in the personresponsible for this atrocity�and he mustalso track down a crooked cop in his de-partment.

Police Quest III uses Sierra�s new icon-driven interface, which is far easier to usethan the old �type in� commands. All youhave to do is select the appropriate iconand click on the person or object to com-plete the needed action. Walking, looking,talking, inventory, and manipulating ob-jects are but a mouse click away.

The graphics are VGA, and the adven-ture includes digitized actors as well assound effects. Sierra continues its tradi-tion of featuring guest composers; thisgame offers the talents of the renownedJan Hammer, the composer of the MiamiVice TV show soundtracks.

The story is quite linear, and you have touse proper police methods when makingtraffic stops, arrests, and bookings. If youignore procedure, the result could be afine�or death. For example, when pullingover a vehicle, remember to approach thecar from the passenger side, or else Sonnycould wind up flattened under a passing

Police Quest III (Sierra On-Line)

DRAGON 59

adult subject matter.�We hope Sierra fixes the game-crash

problems for future releases. Police QuestIII is an entertaining game, but the systemproblems we encountered detracted fromits enjoyment.

Swamp Gas Visits the UnitedStates of America * * * * *

Inline DesignMacintosh version Price n/a

Rarely do we discuss games that aremeant as educational offerings, as this isan entertainment software column. How-ever, Inline Design has produced a marvel-ous and entertaining Macintosh game toassist students with their knowledge ofUnited States geography. After departing amothership that hovers far above the map,your highly energetic alien flies his UFOaround the U.S. As he �hovers� abovevarious states, he is quizzed about thename and capital of each state. If youguess correctly, you can enter the AlienArcade. The three nonviolent arcade segments are exciting and provide relief fromgeography.

When you start the game (as many asfour geography-hungry people can play),you view the Mission List using a pop-upmenu. When you successfully visit a loca-tion, it disappears from the list. Some-times, due to a malfunction on themothership, you�ll face a Close Encounter.One, for example, is a skunk that jumpsinto your saucer. To remove the fetidcreature from your vehicle, you mustcorrectly answer a multiple-choice ques-tion regarding your current location.

With fun graphics and sound, SwampGas should be of interest to anyone who

Police Quest 111 (Sierra On-Line)

vehicle�s radial tires. We enjoyed makingtraffic stops and arresting a variety ofpeople.

One problem we experienced was that ifcertain steps are not finished, you couldend up stuck in the game without a cluethat you�ve missed completing a necessaryaction. We wasted an hour before findingout on Sierra�s game-hint bulletin boardsystem that we overlooked making animportant phone call. Because the callwasn�t made, we couldn�t continue thegame.

Crashes�game, not car�were also adefinite problem. We crashed the gamethree times in the same location beforeresorting to a different set of actions thatlet us continue. Crashes are not the bestthing to have happen to a gamer who hasbeen playing the adventure for an hour orso without saving the game. We wonder ifSierra rushed on its game testing in hopesof making the Christmas crunch.

If you enjoy a law-enforcement environ-ment and want to solve serial killings, buythis game. Don�t purchase this adventurefor young children, as the label on the boxis quite accurate: �This game contains

wishes to learn more about the geographyof the United States. Additional �SwampGas Visits� games are in the process ofcreation. Try it: You�ll find geography canbe an enormously fun experience!

Shining in the Darkness * * * *

Sega of AmericaSega Genesis version Price n/a

Do you want a game to satisfy yourappetite for role-playing adventures whilewaiting for the next Phantasy Star? Shin-ing in the Darkness is just enough to fillyour adventuring soul without leavingheartburn.

You are Mortred�s son. Your father disap-peared in the labyrinth with a princess aday ago, near the castle. You must con-front your own fears as you face ninelevels of monsters, mazes, and puzzles.

Only one town is provided. The tavern isfull of friendly folk who can provide youwith help, depending on the time of dayyou appear. Food can be purchased hereas well as a room in order to spend a nightor two recovering lost hit points. Theshrine allows you to be resurrected, recov-er from paralysis or poison, or save theadventure to one of three available batteryback-up positions. Finally, the shops canprovide you with armor, shields, weapon-ry, and trinkets, for a price. Sometimesdeals are available, and we suggest that ifa decent deal is offered, accept quickly.

All movement occurs with an animatedfirst-person perspective. All action issmoothly handled through the use ofgraphic icons. Screens allow you to viewyour statistics, items, hit points, experi-ence points, and magic points. Though youcannot employ magical forces, two othercharacters you may find during yourjourney will be able to aid you in yourquest by using their mystical powers.These two NPCs can wear armor and useweaponry you cannot utilize, and they cangain levels of experience.

When beasts or monsters appear, youcan either attack, activate an item, usemagic, or run. When a monster attacksyour party, it is fully animated. An on-screen message reveals how many hitpoints you lose, if any, in the combat.There isn�t full animation when you hit amonster, however; the creature only vi-brates a little.

When the battle is done, you can seehow many experience points, gold pieces,or items you have gained. This game com-bines the icons and combat of PhantasyStar III, the first person perspective ofPhantasy Star I, and the great close-upgraphics of Phantasy Star II. The combatcan sometimes be tedious without thebattle animation so well programmed inPhantasy Star II. For Genesis owners want-ing another role-playing game, Shining inthe Darkness should be more than enoughto meet your immediate needs.

Swamp Gas Visits the United States of America (Inline Design)

60 FEBRUARY 1992

Vapor Trail * * *Arcus Odyssey * * * *RenovationSega Genesis versions Prices n/a

Two new games have been released forthe Sega Genesis by a third-party devel-oper: Renovation.

Vapor Trail: As part of Operation VaporTrail, you must stop an evil terrorist orga-nization from destroying the world. Youcan fly one of three different planes, eachwith its own strengths and weaknesses.For example, one plane can be poweredup to have the best firepower, but it can-not fire backwards and has a lack of mo-bility. You can pick up typical power-upsduring the game that increase this ship�sfirepower.

At the end of each stage, a boss must bedestroyed, much as is the case in mostother shoot-�em-ups. Vapor Trail is not agreat action game, and it suffers fromblinking sprites every once in a while.There are better shooter games available,but this offering isn�t the worst one toselect, either. The animation and soundare decent, and two players can embarkon a quest to destroy the enemy together.

Arcus Odyssey has one of the best Gene-sis openings we have seen. The Dark Sor-ceress, Castomira, was defeated byPrincess Leaty a thousand years ago. Now,minions of the Dark Sorceress have takenher sword and plan to transport it to thelocation where the sorceress is trapped.You must recover this ancient artifactbefore Castomira returns.

The action takes place from a three-quarters-overhead view. You and a friendcan select one of four different soldiers totackle this quest. Each warrior has a dif-ferent weapon as well as different ways ofattacking the enemy, including differentsystems of magic. Jewels can be foundthat upgrade magical abilities and weapon-ry. Other items can be found that healyour wounds or help destroy the enemy.

Allies can be located in the dungeons aswell. Some merely give you words ofwisdom, while others help fight the evilyou face. If you succeed, a 12-characterpassword appears, allowing you to returnto the game later on.

This is an in-depth version of the Gaunt-let arcade game. Power-ups, various magi-cal items, and allies make this a morerole-playing oriented game. Add in a char-acter�s individual strengths and weakness-es, plus maze puzzles to solve, and thisshould keep action and fantasy gamerssatisfied.

The only problem is that this game suf-fers from graphic flickering when manysprites are present on the screen simulta-neously. A few gamers might not enjoyhaving to explore twisted caves in order toattain to the next higher level; hackerswould probably prefer to blow everythingto bits. Although this product is not entire-ly original, Renovation is offering con-sumers quite a successful game in ArcusOdyssey.

62 FEBRUARY 1992

Game conversions

The Immortal * * * *

Electronic ArtsPC/MS-DOS version Price n/a

What an adventure! You must find yourmagic-using mentor, Mordamir, who hasbeen captured and imprisoned in thedungeons. This is no easy quest. Will Har-vey and his programming crew have notonly put together a graphically pleasingentertainment, but they�ve made darnsure it�s going to take gamers some time tofigure out exactly how to succeed.

One disappointment is this game�s lackof a usable save-game feature. Should youfail in your quest, you must start the gameover again from the very beginning, fromthe start of your current level, or from alevel you have previously completed.When you do complete a level, you areawarded a certificate code. You must copythis code down, as it is the only method bywhich you can reenter that level (this isextremely frustrating). You cannot savethe game at all during your investigations;you either gain the level or you lose it andmust start over. Granted, you are sup-posed to learn from your mistakes, but itwill take several attempts, especially onthe more difficult levels, to wend yourway to victory. You should pay strict atten-tion to your dreams when you sleep torecover your health.

When engaged in combat, a separatecombat screen appears that enables you toparry or attack. By watching the opposingparty�s animated attacks, you will soonlearn how to take advantage of positioningto strike well. Plus, should the beastiesbecome too tough to conquer, you�ve al-ways got your own magic to work�if youfind the spells, that is.

Vapor Trail (Renovation)

The Immortal is frustrating and quitedifficult, and it does not offer full VGAgraphics. It does support EGA and MCGA/VGA 16-color graphics, using Roland orAdLib sound boards.

Wing Commander I & II: TheUltimate Strategy Guide * * * * *

By Mike HarrisonOrigin Price n/a

If you are as addicted as we are to all ofthe Wing Commander games, this book isfor you. We recommend you read thechapters that relate to your current statusin the games first, then apply what youhave learned to your missions. Withcharts, tables, and screen shots, this publi-cation will certainly be an asset to yourWing Commander career.

Clue corner

Bane of the Cosmic Forge (Sir-TechSoftware)

1. Don�t put a handy healing potion inyour character�s off hand. You�ll find thatyou�ll eventually throw it at monsters.Shields make sense for your fighters untilabout the fifth level, then use two weapons.

the entrance, you will be killed.2. ZO-KATH-RA creates a Zokathra spell.3. To free the Power Gem, touch it with

a Zokathra spell. Then touch the PowerGem with the Firestaff.

Sam CarterMontara CA

Secret of the Silver Blades (SSI)1. There is a Ring of Fire Resistance in

the first level of the mines. Give this ringto all characters as it makes all users im-mune to red dragon breath.

2. In the dungeons, you must solve eightriddles. The answers are: your heart, yourword, your breath, river, water, silence,wind, and fire.

3. Tell the blind mage, �Against.�4. In the drider base, don�t give Sir Deric

anything too valuable; you won�t be able toget it back.

5. In the Western Crevasses, you can runfrom almost all of the battles. However,instead of turning and running, you canselect Run, then turn back in the directionyou were traveling and continue on.

6. In the castle, you should attack onlySargatha.

7. The password to get past the irongolems is �steeleye.�

8. In the sanctum, the first time youmeet the Dreadlord, let him attack first.

9. Use the keys in the following order:silver, gold, brass.

10. The answer to the riddle is �Oswulf.�Bo Bruen

Altamonte Springs FL

The Magic Candle (Mindcraft)1. The temple of Kalb in Daklund is at

101,11. The temple of Pax in Rosus is at87,31. The temple of Hissen in Kherbel isat 97,98. The temple of Sur in Shertuz is at46,35. The temple to Paladin is at 123,97.The temple in Uberion is at 31,36. Thegods aboveground can be found at 105,112and at 84,9.

2. There are three elven maidens withspecial songs in Deruvia: Ellidrin is at132,35 and knows the swan song; Aellin isat 20,87 and knows the river song; Suerfinis at 98,66 and knows the sparrow song.

3. The Green Ring of Order can be ob-tained from a unicorn on the Isle of Heav-enly (34,86). You may teleport there fromthe Isle of Fubernel or work your waythrough the dungeon Khazan. In order tosummon the unicorn, you must useSherro�s High Call, which Gilondo of Thel-dair will tell you about.

4. In order to get the Shir-aka Ash fromthe grove in Shiran, you must first get theCirclet from the ogre king. To get theCirclet, you must traverse the levels of thetower of Shadrum (you may wish to talkto Dinera first), and ask the ogre king forit. After doing this, don�t try to follow yourpath back out; just take the portal on theother side of the ogre king�s room.

5. To get the Blue Ring of Power, youmust journey to the top of the Mad Wiz-ards Tower, near the city of Knessos. Ask

Arcus Odyssey (Renovation)

Michael BookerKnoxville TN

Defender of the Crown (Cinemaware)1. If you rescue a ward who has been

captured, a Saxon lord will give you all ofhis lands.

2. Always seek Robin�s help before at-tacking one of the Norman�s home castles.

3. Buying knights and castles is foolishbecause of the cost. You can easily beat thegame with a catapult and a horde ofsoldiers.

4. The best character is Wolfric theWild, because with his jousting ability youcan become a strong leader.

Sam CarterMontara CA

Dragon Wars (Interplay Productions)1. To pass the tests in the College of Magic,

you need magic. The first test can be over-come by freezing the fire. The second test isan illusory wall of fire. Dispel it, then takethe appropriate action when you see its truenature. To get past the gaze monster, be-come invisible by cloaking yourself with aspell. Kill the Philistine. You must disarm thetrap or eliminate the block by softening it.When the wizard asks to see somethingnovel, just walk past him and claim yourtreasure.

2. Dragon Eyes are twice as powerful asDragon Stones.

3. The most powerful weapon is theFreedom Sword, which can do up to 100points of damage.

Kaoru TakanashiGuelph, Ontario

Dungeon Master (FTL Games)1. Once you obtain the Firestaff, do not

go back to the surface. Once you arrive at

2. There are two types of books in thegame: magical and informational. To reada book, go to the Review screen and Usethe book. The game instructions tell youthis but don�t tell you that if you try to Usea spell book in combat, it simply acts like aone-shot scroll. Using the book from thereview screen lets you learn that spell. Bythe way, the Book of Ramm�s poem isactually a set of instructions, and theKing�s Diary can�t be deciphered until theend of the game.

3. As the rules imply, don�t kill NPCs.4. Don�t worry about the pirate�s den

early in the game. You�ll find it a long timebefore you�ll have the ability to get into it.

5. There�s no significant use for thealchemy lab. Just blow it up.

6. To get the idol of Mau-Mu-Mu, remem-ber the opening to Raiders of the Lost Ark

7. Say �No� and �Yes� to the Amazuluqueen, then give her a small trinket.

8. When you find ashes, see that theyare all given to the person who is askingfor them. This will be very rewarding.

9. Don�t waste the red mushrooms whenthey are given to you; you absolutely musthave one later on.

10. The Faerie Queen knows how to talkto Delphi. Ask her.

DRAGON 63

him about the Blue Ring repeatedly untilhe finally gives it to you.

6. Elven Dream Dust can be obtainedfrom the elven sorceress Somona, but shehas mysteriously disappeared. However,should you venture into Bedangidar(148,67), you will find her in the secondhighest level.

7. Crystal Dust is relatively easy to get;you must simply conquer every one of thebaddies in the dungeon of Crezimas belowthe Crystal Castle. The queen can updateyou on your progress.

Don Isaak and Ryan DormanSeattle, WA

Mean Streets (Access Software)A complete list of the eight passcards

and passwords needed to destroy theNexus Computer follows. The Nav. Code ofthe passcard�s location is included as wellas items needed to obtain the passcards.

1. The blue passcard password is Bishop.It is found in Carl Linsky�s lab (NC 4675). Akey is needed from Linsky�s apartment.

2. The orange passcard password isCheckmate. It is found in Cal Davis� lab(NC 3720); the card is in the gorilla cage. A10� pole (obtained from Greg Call�s lab) isneeded to reach it.

3. The green passcard password isPawn. It is in John Klaus�s possession (NC7012). Just ask him for it.

4. The yellow passcard password is

Queen. It is in Sam Jones� possession (NC0021). Threaten him!

5. The red passcard password is Stale-mate. It can be found in Ron Morgan�sbeachhouse (NC 6470) and is hidden in thepiranha tank. Use the piranha food todistract these toothsome fish.

6. The purple passcard password isKnight. It is found in Greg Call�s lab (NC8911) and is on a plant on a ledge. Glovesfrom Bosworth Clark�s lab (NC 9932) areneeded to avoid the thorns.

7. The black passcard password is Rook.It is found in a bus station locker (NC5194); the key from Slade�s apartment (NC4605) is required.

8. The gray passcard password is King.It is found in the safe of the Law andOrder Headquarters (NC 5037).

9. The Nexus Computer itself is locatedat NC 4550. When you are in the furnaceroom, you must find the key under theboxes, then open the panel to find a gasmask. With the gas mask, you can openthe furnace door (using the automaticcontrols) and rush out the door when themaintenance robot appears.

Aidan DoyleMelbourne, Victoria, Australia

Pools of Radiance (SSI)1. In the northeast corner of the second

room south of the northeast corner ofSokal Keep, there is an illusory wall.

Search this hidden room.2. Short of money? Go to the training

hall, remove a character, create a newcharacter, add him, trade his money tosomeone else in the party, drop the newcharacter, then add the character youinitially removed. You can do this anynumber of times and obtain all of themoney you need.

Iain MurrayWaterford, England

Spellcasting 101 (Legend)1. In the University, be certain to visit

the frat parties.2. Gretchen Snowbunny has the key to

the president�s house.3. In the president�s house, you�ll find a

spell box.4. The Skonn spell is used on the statue

in the library.5. The moat in the Sim can be crossed

by casting Gub on the tree, Zem on your-self, and crossing the tree.

6. In the Sim, hit the dragon with yoursword, then cast Gub on the ivy.

Aidan DoyleMelbourne, Victoria, Australia

That�s all for this issue. Please, continueyour courageous assaults on all softwareentertainments, send in your hints, andgame on!

64 FEBRUARY 1992

Convention Calendar Policies

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

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

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

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

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

where additional information and confirma-tion can be obtained.

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

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

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

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

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

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

BSC�s WRATH OF CON, Feb. 14-16 NYThis convention will be held at Ketchum Hall

on the State University of New York collegecampus in Buffalo, N.Y., featuring role-playinggames and dealers� tables. Registration: $4/weekend preregistered, and $5/weekend at thedoor. Single-day and Saturday & Sunday passesare available. Write to: Michael Desing, Tower 3,Room 730C, SUCAB, P.O. Box 5119, Box 730C,Buffalo NY 14213-5119; or call: (716) 878-6374.

CHIMERA CON VIII, Feb. 14-16 NCThis SF/fantasy convention will be held at the

University of North Carolina Student Union inChapel Hill, N.C. Events include panels, work-shops, games, and an auction. Registration: $15.Write to: CHIMERA CON VIII, 6H KingswoodApts., Chapel Hill NC 27516.

CONTINUITY V, Feb. 14-16 ALThis SF&F/gaming convention will be held at

the Parliament House in Birmingham, Ala.Guests include Harry Turtledove, Brad Strick-land, David & Elissa Martin, and Jerry & SharonAhern. Activities include role-playing, board,miniatures, and computer gaming, with a hospi-tality suite, a video room, an art show, a dealers�room, a costume contest, a dance, and panels.Registration: $25; dealers welcome. Write to:CONTINUITY, 620 80th Place S., Birmingham AL35206; or call: (205) 836-6460.

DUNDRACON XVI, Feb. 14-17 CAThis convention will be held at the San Ramon

Marriott, in San Ramon, Calif. (Mention DUN-DRACON for special hotel rates.) Events includeover 120 games using virtually every systemnow in print. Other activities include seminars,board games, miniatures games, a flea market, aminiatures-painting contest, a dealers� room,and open gaming. Registration: $25/weekenduntil Feb. 1; $30/weekend or $15/day at thedoor. Write to: DUNDRACON, 386 Alcatraz Ave.,Oakland CA 94618.

ORCCON 15, Feb. 14-17 CAThis convention will be held at the L. A.

Airport Hyatt Hotel in Los Angeles, Calif. Eventsinclude all types of family, strategy, and adven-ture board, role-playing, miniatures, and com-puter gaming. Other activities include fleamarkets, an auction and an exhibitors� area.Write to: STRATEGICON, P.O. Box 3849, Torr-ance CA 90510-3849; or call: (310) 326-9440.

VISIONQUEST 2, Feb. 14-16 MOThis convention will be held at the Quality Inn

North in Springfield, Mo. Events include RPGand WRG tournaments, plus WARHAMMER40,000* games, open gaming, Star Trek activi-ties, a dealers� room, and costume and figure-painting contests. Registration: $12.50 before

Jan 31; $15 at the door. Send an SASE to: VI-SIONQUEST, 3821-D S. Campbell, SpringfieldMO 65807; or call: (417) 886-8482, 2-8 P.M. only.

ECLECTICON VI, Feb. 15-17 CAThis SF/F convention will be held at the Sacra-

mento Hilton Inn in Sacramento, Calif. Guestsinclude George R. R. Martin and Delight Pres-cott; the dead guest of honor is Mary Shelley.Activities include panels, seminars, workshops,and a blood drive on Feb. 16. Registration: $40.Write to: ECLECTICON VI, #176, P.O. Box 19040,Sacramento CA 95814.

CYBER-CON III, February 21-23 COThis convention will be held at the Lory

Student Center on the campus of Colorado StateUniversity in Fort Collins, Colo. Events includeBATTLETECH*, DARK CONSPIRACY*, AD&D®,B-17*, and ROLEMASTER* games, with a deal-ers� room, a costume contest, two video rooms,open gaming, and a con suite. Registration: $3/day or $5/weekend before Feb. 14, or $5/day or$7/weekend afterward. Write to: Bill Keyes, Box412, Lory Student Center, CSU, Fort Collins CO80523; or call: (303) 493-3652.

TOTAL CONFUSION VI, Feb. 21-23 MAThis convention will be held at the Best West-

ern Royal Plaza Hotel in Marlborough, Mass.Events include AD&D®, GURPS*, BATTLE-TECH*, SPACE HULK*, DIPLOMACY*, CHAMPI-ONS*, CALL OF CTHULHU*, CAR WARS*, andAXIS & ALLIES* games. Other activities includeRPGA� Network events, a miniatures-paintingcontest, and a costume competition. Registra-tion: $22/weekend or $8.50/day preregistered;$10/day at the door. Write to: TOTAL CONFU-SION, P.O. Box 1463, Worcester MA 01607; orcall: (508) 987-1530.

CON*FUSION 1992, Feb. 28-March 1Formerly listed as TOURNAMENT IN

*

SHADOW, this SF&F/gaming convention will beheld at the Student Union on the Univ. of Alber-ta campus in Edmonton, Alberta. Events includeAD&D®, SHOGUN*, PENDRAGON*, CHAMPI-ONS*, BATTLETECH*, STAR TREK*, TRAVEL-LER*, CYBERPUNK*, MUSTANGS &MESSERSCHMITTS*, WARHAMMER FANTASYBATTLE*, and TALISMAN* games. Other activi-ties include a video room, panels, sports cards,movies, and a miniatures-painting workshop.Registration: $6 (Canadian)/weekend preregis-tered or $8/weekend at the door. Write to:CON*FUSION, UAPGC, Box 46, Students UnionBldg., Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta,CANADA T6G 2J7; or call: (403) 492-2134.

JAXCON �92, Feb. 28-March 1 FLThis gaming convention will be held at the

Radisson Inn at the Jacksonville InternationalAirport in Jacksonville, Fla. Events include role-playing, board, and war games. Write to: JAX-CON �92, P.O. Box 4423, Jacksonville FL 32201;or call Kathy at: (904) 778-1730.

WESCON II, Feb. 28-March 1 CTThis gaming convention will be held at the

Holiday Inn in Cromwell, Conn. Events includeRPGA� Network tournaments, with MIGHTYEMPIRES*, BLOODBOWL*, TALISMAN*,GURPS*, and AD&D® games. Other activitiesinclude board games, war games, SCA demos, ahuman chess game, a miniatures-painting con-test, dealers, an art exhibit, and an auction.Guest artist is Batton �Wolff & Byrd� Lash.Registration: $15/weekend before Jan. 31, or

DRAGON 67

$20 thereafter. Send an SASE to: Games & Stuff,501 Main St., Middletown CT 06457; or call:(203) 344-8895 during business hours.

OWLCON XIII, March 6-8 TXThis gaming convention, sponsored by WARP

and RSFAFA, will be held on the campus of RiceUniversity in Houston, Tex. Events includeRUNEQUEST*, CALL OF CTHULHU*, PARA-NOIA*, CAR WARS*, TRAVELLER*, DIPLOMA-CY*, ILLUMINATI*, CIVILIZATION*,BATTLETECH*, ASL*, and STAR FLEET BAT-TLES* games. Open gaming and other tourna-ments will be held. Registration: $12/weekendbefore Feb. 25; $14/weekend or $5-6/day at thedoor. Registration is at Sewall Hall. Write to:WARP, OWLCON Prereg., P.O. Box 1892, Hous-ton TX 77251. Make checks payable to WARP.

PLATTECON EPSILON, March 6-8 WIThis convention will be held at the Student

Center on the campus of the University ofWisconsin-Platteville in Platteville, Wis. Eventsinclude AD&D® games, a miniatures contest, aLAZER TAG* tournament, and a special guest.Registration: $5/weekend or $4/day preregis-tered; $8/weekend or $5/day at the door. Writeto: Platteville Gaming Assoc., Student Center, 1University Plaza, Platteville WI 53818.

SCRYCON �92, March 7 NYSponsored by the Seekers of the Crystal

Monolith, this convention will be held at theOakwood School in Poughkeepsie, N.Y. Eventsinclude AD&D® games and other RPGA� tour-naments, a miniatures contest, and a used-gameflea market. Registration: $6 preregistered; $8at the door. Send an SASE to: SCRYCON �92, P.O.Box 896, Pleasant Valley NY 12569. Seating islimited: please preregister!

BASHCON �92, March 13-15 OHThis convention will be held in the University

of Toledo�s Student Union Auditorium in Toledo,Ohio. Special guest is Michael Dorn. Eventsinclude RPGA� tournaments, with AD&D®,PARANOIA*, and other games. Other activitiesinclude panels, anime and SF films, a dealers�room, and miniatures and board games. Regis-tration: $3/weekend, or $1-2/day. Games are$.50 each. Send an SASE to: Student ActivitiesOffice, UT-BASH, 2801 W. Bancroft St., ToledoOH 43606.

CALCON 7, March 13-15 *This convention will be held in the Sandman

Inn in Calgary, Alberta. Events include tourna-ments in role-playing, board, war, and minia-tures gaming. Other activities include a dealers�room, computer gaming, a games auction, and aminiatures-painting contest. Registration: $8before Feb. 14. Write to: CALCON 7, Gulf Cana-da Sq., RPO 401, 9 Ave. SW, Box 22206, Calgary,Alberta, CANADA T2P 4J6; or call Brian at: (403)282-0945, or Paul at: (403) 275-0761.

DEMICON III, March 13-15 MDThis gaming convention will be held at the

Holiday Inn Chesapeake House in Aberdeen,Md. Events include AD&D®, WARHAMMER*,SHADOWRUN*, CALL OF CTHULHU*, PARA-NOIA*, BATTLESYSTEM�, BATTLETECH*, CARWARS*, and TALISMAN* games, with a dealers�room, a miniatures contest, and seminars.Registration: $16 before Feb. 15; $20 thereafter.Write to: DEMICON III, Hartford AdventureSoc., c/o Strategic Castle, 114 N. Toll Gate Rd.,Bel Air MD 21014; or call: (301) 569-4025.

HEXACON 2, March 13-15 A ZThis gaming convention will be held at the

Celebrity Hotel, 3333 East Van Burne, PhoenixAZ (call: 602-244-8244). Events include 24-hourgaming, a dealers� room, a used-game auction, aminiatures-painting contest, seminars, panels,and food, with role-playing, board, computer,and miniatures games. RPGA� Network andother events will offer prizes. Special guestsinclude DRAGONLANCE® saga author TracyHickman, SHADOWRUN* game creator TomDowd, and author/game expert Michael Stack-pole. Registration: $10 in advance, or $15 at thedoor. Write to: HEXACON 2, P.O. Box 11743,Phoenix AZ 85061; or call: (602) 220-9785.

SIMCON XIV, March 19-22 NYThis convention, sponsored by URSGA, will be

held at the University of Rochester�s Rivercampus in Rochester, N.Y. Events include CY-BERPUNK*, STAR FLEET BATTLES*, CHAMPI-ONS*, STAR TREK*, TRAVELLER*, and fantasyrole-playing games. Other activities includeboard, tactical, and 15-mm and 25-mm historicalminiatures games. Registration: $7 beforeMarch 2; $10 thereafter. Write to: SIMCON XIVc/o URSGA, CPU Box 227146, River Station,Rochester NY 14627-7146.

LUNACON �92, March 20-22 NYThis convention will be held at the Rye Town

Hilton in Rye Brook, N.Y. Events include 24-hour-a-day open gaming, RPGA� tournaments,and the state�s premier SF convention. Registra-tion: $25 before Feb. 22; $35 at the door gainsadmission to all convention events. Write to:LUNACON �92, P.O. Box 338, New York NY10150-0338; or call: (908) 721-1537. No collectcalls, please.

SPRING OFFENSIVE III, March 20-22 ILThis convention will be held at Illinois Central

College in East Peoria, Ill. Events include Napole-onics, ADEPTUS TITANICUS*, CHILL*, ASL*,and other role-playing, board, and miniaturesgames. Registration: $3/day or $5/weekend, and$1 per game. Write to: Tri-County GamingAssoc., 116 Walnut St., Washington IL; or call:(309) 444-4640.

AGGIECON XXIII, March 26-29 TXThis convention will be held on the campus of

Texas A&M University in College Station, Tex.Guests include Barbara Hambly and David Drake.Activities include a dealers� room, game shows, acostume contest and ball, an art show, children�sprogramming, SCA demos, Japanimation, SFfilms, a party room, RPGA� tournaments, and 24-hour open gaming. Registration: $13 beforeMarch 1; $16 thereafter. Write to: AGGIECONXXIII, MSC Cepheid Variable, Box J-1, CollegeStation TX 77884; or call (409) 845-1515.

MAGNUM OPUS CON VII, March 26-29 SCThis convention will be held at the Greenville

Hyatt and the Greenville Holiday Inn in Green-ville, S.C. Guests include Marion Zimmer Brad-ley, Lois McMaster Bujold, Chelsea QuinnYarbro, Roger Zelazny, Robert Asprin, andSergio Aragones. Activities include panels, acostume contest, a dealers� room, a fashionshow, fencing, gaming, and a talent show.Registration: TBA. Send an SASE to: MAGNUMOPUS CON VII, P.O. Box 6585, Athens GA 30604.

IANUA FANTASY III, March 27-29This convention will be held at the �Istituto

Brignolo� in Genoa, Italy. Events includeAD&D®, D&D®, CALL OF CTHULHU*, STARWARS*, 2300 AD, CYBERPUNK 2020*, RUNE-QUEST*, SPACE: 1889*, and MERP* tourna-ments, in Italian and English. Other activities

include a costume show and a miniatures-painting contest. Prizes will be awarded for alltournaments. Registration: $4/day or $10/weekend until March 1; $6/day at the door.Lodging is available. Write to: LABYRINTH, VicoS. Antonio 5/3A, 16126, Genoa, ITALY; or call:(10) 291788 at GMT +1.

MIDSOUTHCON XI, March 27-29 TNThis SF&F convention will be held at the

Airport Hilton in Memphis, Tenn. Guests includeMargaret Weis, Beth Willinger, Glen Cook, andBelinda Anderson. Activities include AD&D®,CHAMPIONS*, CALL OF CTHULHU*, CYBER-PUNK*, ROBOTECH*, BATTLETECH*, RIFTS*,SHADOWRUN*, and board games, plus panels, adealers� room, an art show, an auction, filking, acon suite, and open gaming. Registration: $25.Write to: MIDSOUTHCON XI, P.O. Box 2279,Memphis TN 38122; or call: (901) 353-9439, or(901) 274-7355.

ABBYTHON 10, March 28-29 KSThis convention will be held at the Commu-

nity Center in Abbyville, Kans. Registration: $10preregistered only. Players will receive materi-als to create their own ABBYTHON characters.Prizes will be awarded to top ten players. Writeto: ABBYTHON Adventure Guild, P.O. Box 96,Abbyville KS 67510; or call: (316) 286-5303.

DREAMCON �92, March 28-29 MOSponsored by the NMSU Fantasy Club, this

convention will be held at Ophelia Parrish Hallon the campus of Northeast Missouri StateUniversity in Kirksville, Mo. Events includeAD&D®, CHAMPIONS*, and PARANOIA* games,with a movie room, a costume contest, mer-chants, and more games. Proceeds will benefitthe Dream Factory of St. Louis. Write to: NMSUFantasy Club, SUB-NMSU, Kirksville MO 63501-4988; or call: (816) 785-5152.

POCON, April 3-5 PAThis convention will be held at the Holiday

Inn in Bartonsville, Pa. Events include role-playing, board, miniatures, and war gaming,with a painting contest. Registration: $6/day or$10/weekend, no game fees. Write to: Ed Dow-gaillo, P.O. Box 390, Effort PA 18330; or call:(717) 629-7218.

ROUND CON �92, April 3-5 SCSponsored by the Round Table Gaming Socie-

ty, this convention will be held at the RussellHouse on the campus of the Univ. of SouthCarolina, in Columbia, S.C. Events includeAD&D®, CHAMPIONS*, VAMPIRE*, CALL OFCTHULHU*, SHADOWRUN*, JAMES BOND*,RIFTS*, STAR WARS*, BATTLETECH*, andPARANOIA* games, as well as an AD&D® gamebenefit for the Richland County Children�sHospital. Other activities include many boardgames, a competitive miniatures session, afiction-writing contest, movies, and a dealers�area. GMs and dealers are welcome. Registra-tion: $7 until March 15; $10 thereafter. Gamefees are $1/event and $5 for the benefit tourna-ment. Send an SASE to: ROUND CON �92, USC,P.O. Box 80018, Columbia SC 29225; or callTrella at: (803) 779-1924.

FANTASY FEST SPRING �92, April 4-5 PAThis gaming convention will be held at the

Days Inn in Shamokin Dam, Pa. Events includeAD&D®, BATTLETECH*, WARHAMMER40,000*, and SHADOWRUN* games, withRPGA� Network events, board games, aminiatures-painting contest, a dealers� area, andopen gaming. Registration: $15/day or $20/

weekend preregistered; $20/day or $25/weekend at the door. Make checks payable toA&B Entertainment. Write to: A&B Entertain-ment, P.O. Box 645, Shamokin Dam PA 17876; orcall: (717) 743-4146.

POINTCON XV, April 10-12 NYThis convention will be held at the U.S. Mili-

tary Academy in West Point, N.Y. Events includeAD&D®, BATTLETECH*, WARHAMMER FANTA-SY* and 40,000*, JOHNNY REB*, and micro-armor games, with RPGA� Network events, aminiatures-painting contest, an auction, com-puter games, and open gaming. Registration: $8preregistered, or $10 at the door; no event fees.Write to: Cadet Robert Williams, P.O. Box 3643,West Point NY 10997.

CONVENT, April 11-13 W VThis convention will be held on the campus of

Marshall University in Huntington, W. Va.Events include an RPGA� Network D&D®tournament and scads of other games. Guest ofhonor is Richard Tucholka. Registration: $5/tournament or $3/nontournament for the week-end. Write to: Chuck Puckett, 821 HolderbyHall, Marshall Univ., Huntington WV 25955; orto: Steven Saws, 558 Aspen St., MorgantownWV 26505.

HYPOTHETICON, April 11 CTThis convention, hosted by the Univ. of Con-

necticut SF Society, will be held at the Univ. ofConnecticut, Storrs branch Student Union.Events include CALL OF CTHULHU*, TOON*,and AD&D® games, with panels, Japanimation,movies, and dealers. Registration: $7. Write to:HYPOTHETICON, c/o Anne MacFadyen, Rm.128B Shippee Hall, Univ. of Conn., Storrs CT06269; or call: (203) 427-4985.

RU-CON �92, April 11-12 PAThis convention will be held at the Holiday

Inn in Williamsport, Pa. Events include manygaming events (some RPGA� Network-sanctioned), tournaments, and dealers. Registra-tion: $15/weekend before April 1; $12/day or$20/weekend at the door. Send a business-sizedSASE to: The Role-Playing Underground,Woolridge Hall, Box 39, Lock Haven Univ., LockHaven PA 17745-2396; or call: (717) 893-3237.

AMIGOCON 7, April 24-26 TXThis convention will be held at the Sunland

Park Holiday Inn in El Paso, Tex. Guests includeJennifer Roberson, Patricia Davis, and MelWhite. Registration: $15/weekend before April1; $18/weekend or $6-$9/day at the door. Writeto: AMIGOCON 7, P.O. Box 3177, El Paso TX79923.

How effective was your convention listing?If you are a convention organizer, pleasewrite to the editors and let us know if our“Convention Calendar” served your needs.Your comments are always welcome.

Out of Supplies?

Write for a free catalog from theMail Order Hobby Shop, c/o TSR,Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI53147 U.S.A.

DRAGON 69

70 FEBRUARY 1992

MARVEL

T by William Tracy

HE MARVEL-PHILECastaways III: A god of lightning and a clone of thunder

classic, for your MARVEL SUPERHEROES� game campaign. It�s so packed,in fact, that these two powerful beings justwouldn�t fit�broad shoulders, you know.Since they both asked so nicely, however,we decided to include them in our �casta-ways� crew. (How do you refuse a Celticgod and a clone of Thor?)

For more current Marvel information,turn to Steven Schend�s �Game Wizards�column in this issue, and read about thenew direction we�re taking with the 1992product line for the MARVEL SUPERHEROES game.

Listed here are the last two castaways,Leir and Nobilus, from MU7 The Gamer’sHandbook of the MARVEL UNIVERSE*,1991 Character Updates. This 128-pagebook is packed with the best and thebrightest Marvel characters, both new and

Isles. The Celtic gods live in an otherdi-mensional realm known as Avalon. Formany centuries, a feud has existed be-tween the Celtic and Asgardian gods basedon racial tensions and wars between theirworshipers. Recently, the Heliopolitan(Egyptian) god of death, Seth, sent a num-ber of large, black-winged lions to ravagethe countryside of Avalon. Seth also sentone of the beasts to Asgard, where it killedan innocent family. The last dying memberof this family asked Thor to avenge theirdeaths. Thor followed the beast through adimensional portal into Avalon. Uponarriving, some of the Celtic gods accusedThor of killing a family who had actuallybeen killed by Seth�s beast. Leir arrived onthe scene and began to battle Thor.

Thor�s friend, Hogun the Grim, hadfollowed Thor to Avalon. Just as Hogunarrived, Seth�s beast appeared. Realizingthat the monster was the real killer, Leirhelped Thor and Hogun battle the beast.Mortally injured, the beast fled backthrough the dimensional portal. Thor andHogun followed, to discover that the beasthad finally been killed by Fandral andVolstagg. Feeling that he owed a debt toThor, Leir led a number of Celtic gods intoAsgard when it was invaded by Seth�sarmies.

With the aide of the Celtic gods, theAsgardians were able to beat back theinvasion force. While he was in Asgard,Leir saw the goddess Sif and fell in lovewith her. Leir later returned to Asgardwith a friend, Caber, hoping to get Sif tomarry him. He was able to get to Asgardeven though Asgard was at that time float-ing in the Negative Zone, and the RainbowBridge was broken. (The Celtic god ofdruids and wisdom, Dagda, was able tolocate Asgard and form a gateway fromAvalon to Asgard.) Leir found Sif there andasked her to marry him. Sif was intriguedby the fact that Leir was able to enterAsgard, even though Asgardians were notable to leave Asgard. She promised tomarry Leir if he could get her to Thor, andif Leir could beat her chosen champion incombat. Leir agreed and helped her findThor, who was in the Black Galaxy at thetime.

LEIR™Celtic god of lightning and the spear

F UN(100) Health: 270A EX(20)S MN(75) Karma: 42E MN(75)R TY(6) Resources: EX(20)I TY(6)P RM(30) Popularity: 0 (50 w/

Celtic gods)

POWERS:Invulnerability: Like most gods, Leir has

Excellent (20) protection against physicalattacks, heat, cold, radiation, poisons,aging, and disease. He also has Typical (6)resistance to energy attacks.

Lightning: Leir can create spears ofelectricity, which he can hurl. These elec-trical spears can do up to Unearthly (100)Energy damage and have Unearthly range.He can also wield his electrical spears inmelee combat.

TALENTS: Leir is a Weapons Specialistwhen he is using any kind of spear, includ-ing his lightning spears.

CONTACTS: Leir can depend on supportfrom most of the Celtic gods. He has alsoaided Asgard in the past and can dependon the Asgardian gods in times of need.

HISTORY: Leir is one of the leaders ofthe Celtic gods, who were worshiped bythe ancient Celtic people of the British

DRAGON 71

MARVELLeir then brought them all back to

Asgard just as Ragnarok began. Leirhelped the Asgardians during Ragnarok.After Ragnarok was averted by the brav-ery of Thor, Leir attacked Thor, mistaken-ly believing that he would be Sif�s chosenchampion. To Leir�s surprise, Sif chose tobe her own champion. She easily defeatedLeir and humiliated him. It is presumedthat the embarrassed god then returned toAvalon.

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Leir is basicallya good being, but his arrogance tends toirritate the people around him. Leir thinksthat he is the best warrior of all the godsand that he cannot be beaten. He is alsoslightly chauvinistic when it comes tofemales. He has not visited Earth in mod-ern times, so he is extremely confused bymodern machines and cultures. Leir has aquick temper that causes him to jump toconclusions at times.

NOBILUS�New Immortal

F MN(75) Health: 245A EX(20)S MN(75) Karma: 16E MN(75)R TY(6) Resources: FE(2)I TY(6)P PR(4) Popularity: 0

POWERS:Invulnerability: Since Nobilus was cloned

from a sample of Thor�s skin tissue, he hasthe typical invulnerabilities of a god: Excel-lent (20) resistance against physical at-tacks, heat, cold, radiation, poisons, aging,and disease, and Typical resistance toEnergy attacks.

Berserker Rage: Nobilus was clonedfrom a sample of Thor�s skin tissue whileThor was infused with the essence of theevil god, Loki. As a result, each round thatNobilus is in a stressful situation such ascombat, he must make a Psyche FEAT roll.If he fails the roll, he goes into a berserkrage, adding + 1CS to his Fighting andStrength scores. This does not increase hisHealth score, however. He will attackeveryone and everything within reachwhile he is berserk. This will continueuntil he makes a successful Psyche FEATroll-check once per round after Nobilusenters his berserker state.

TALENTS: None known.

CONTACTS: Nobilus can depend on aidfrom his creator, the High Evolutionary.

HISTORY: Nobilus is the result of one ofthe High Evolutionary�s experiments. Re-cently, the High Evolutionary and Herculessupposedly evolved to a higher state afterthe High Evolutionary�s abortive attemptto artificially accelerate the evolutionary

72 FEBRUARY 1992

rate of all beings on Earth. The New Menof Wundagore contacted Thor and askedhim to help rescue Hercules and the HighEvolutionary from the Black Galaxy, ahuge stellar mass made of organic materi-al. Thor agreed, and they managed to freethe two immortals from their imprison-ment (they had been captured by a RedCelestial). During the encounter, the HighEvolutionary was able to get a cell samplefrom Thor.

It seems that, during the rescue, Thorwas aged by a strange organism in theBlack Galaxy that caused him to grow abeard. Upon arriving back at Wundagore,Thor used the facilities to shave off hisnew beard. He cut himself during theshave, and one of the High Evolutionary�sNew Men took the razor and got the cellsamples off of it. Unfortunately, at thetime Thor was infused with the evil es-sences of Loki, which had happened whenThor, Odin, and Loki protected Asgardfrom Surtur by themselves. The threegods had to share their essences so thatthey would have enough power to stopSurtur.

The High Evolutionary returned to theBlack Galaxy and began to create a newrace of gods. He created Nobilus fromThor�s cell samples and the biological soupof the Black Galaxy, hoping his creationwould become the mightiest of his NewImmortals. Unfortunately, Nobilus some-times goes into mad, berserk rages, causedby the taint of Loki within him.

Thor and Hercules arrived on the HighEvolutionary�s ship while answering asummons from the Celestials to return tothe Black Galaxy. They were followed byStellaris, an alien in a armored battle suitwho had sworn vengeance on all Celestialsfor destroying her planet. Stellaris gotaboard the ship and talked Nobilus intohelping her, then stole data concerning thelocation of the Red Celestial in the BlackGalaxy and took off with Nobilus. Thor,Hercules, and Juvan (one of the High Evo-lutionary�s New Immortals) followedclosely behind. Stellaris and Nobilus ar-rived and began to observe the Red Celes-tial. Thor and the other arrived next.Upon arriving, Hercules was once againimprisoned in a huge metal box by the RedCelestial. Thor rushed to the attack, as didthe Celestial-hating Stellaris and Nobilus.

The Celestial hit Thor with a beam ofenergy that physically separated the latterfrom his other self, Eric Masterson. By thistime, the High Evolutionary had arrivedwith more New Immortals. It was soonrevealed that the Black Galaxy was actu-ally the birthplace for a new Celestial.Stellaris flung herself at the new Celestial,destroying herself in the attack and pro-viding the final energy for the Celestial�sbirth. Nobilus looked on helplessly duringthe new Celestial�s birth.

The High Evolutionary had connectedhimself to a special analyzing device dur-ing the birth. Overwhelmed by what he

saw, the High Evolutionary had a mentalbreakdown. Nobilus and the other NewImmortals helped him back to his ship,then left the Black Galaxy. Before leaving,Thor and Nobilus came to a silent under-standing of peace between them.

ROLE-PLAYING NOTES: Nobilus is abeing constantly at war with himself. He isusually a gentle and noble being, but heoften goes into his berserk rage, makinghim a sincere but unreliable ally at best.

The MARVEL-Phile’s Marvel characters and the distinctivenames and likenesses thereof are trademarks of MarvelEntertainment Group, Inc. and are used with permission.Copyright ©1992 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All RightsReserved.

74 FEBRUARY 1992

Tripping the tabletop fantastic�again

©1992 by Rick Swan

Say you�re a first-timer at the GEN CON®game fair, and you want to give the folksback home an idea of what all the fuss isabout. Camera in hand, you dutifully snapphotos of the role-players, the auction, andthe exhibit hall, even though it�s painfullyobvious that what you�re recording doesn�tamount to much more than a bunch ofguys staring at paper or holding up boxes.You can already hear yourself feebly ex-plaining to your buddies that it�s a lotmore fun that it looks, no kidding, really,you just had to be there.

Then it dawns on you that if you reallywant to capture the splendor of the con-vention, there�s no better place to do itthan the miniatures gaming room. Therethey are, in all their tiny glory: hundredsof colorful lead figures marching acrossvast landscapes of green felt, plastic for-ests, sprawling villages of matchbox-sizedhouses, and cardboard castles rendered inexquisite detail, right down to hairlinecracks in the mortar and drawbridgechains with links no bigger than a needle�seye. This, you think, confidently snappingaway, will knock their socks off�andyou�d be right. It never fails.

Judging from the crowds in the minia-tures room, one might conclude that min-iatures games are as popular as spoons ina pudding factory, but that�s not the case.Though fantasy miniatures games havetheir share of devoted fans, the flash-bulbpoppers and rubberneckers invariablyoutnumber the actual players by a consid-erable margin. If I could have either themoney from the sales of miniatures gamesat the GEN CON game fair or the process-ing fees of photos taken in the roomwhere they�re played, take me to theFotomat.

So, if there�s such a fascination withminiatures games, why aren�t more peopleplaying them? Conventional wisdom has itthat role-players resist the games becauseof the number of lead figures required.

Since some games involve upwards of ahundred or more figures, we�re talking asizeable investment in money and time (ifthey�re all to be prepped and painted).However, while it�s undeniable that minia-tures games are more fun with actualminiatures, the figures are by no meansnecessary. Role-players are perfectly hap-py using paper wads or spare dice torepresent their characters in RPG adven-tures, so who needs entire armies of leadfigures for miniatures games? More oftenthan not, I use painted poker chips, coins,or cardboard chits, and the games playjust fine.

It can�t be the rules. If anything, a typi-cal miniatures game is a lot easier to learnthan a typical RPG. I�ve seen GEN CONgame fair miniatures games with a only apage or two of rules, taught on the spot toutter novices.

I think role-players resist miniaturesgames for a very basic reason: The gamesare not much fun�at least, the early onesweren�t. The first generation of fantasyminiatures games (including Games Work-shop�s WARHAMMER FANTASY BATTLE*system, Ral Partha�s CHAOS WARS* game,and TSR�s 1st Edition BATTLESYSTEM�game, all covered in �Role-playing Re-views� in DRAGON® issue #142) promisedmore than they delivered; they felt lesslike fantasy games than conventional wargames with fantasy elements tacked on asan afterthought. The unique attributes ofelves and other fantastic creatures werereduced to lifeless combat bonuses. Fire-ball spells came off as just another type ofartillery. Where were the magical weatherstorms, levitating terrain, battlefield tele-portation portals, and phalanxes of evilwizards conjuring gargantuan monstrosi-ties to swallow up enemy infantries in asingle gulp? Strip away the whistles andbells, and most of the first batch of fantasyminiatures games played like World War IIsimulations, only with dragons anddwarves instead of Spitfires and Nazis.

Well, pioneers are always penalized, I

guess, and it takes a while for game de-signers to get it right. The new generationof fantasy miniatures games, the best ofwhich are reviewed here, are more suc-cessful in blending fantasy and wargamingthan their predecessors, making themmore attractive to role-players. The de-signs are still a little on the tentative side�no levitating terrain yet�but we�reheading in the right direction. If you�veavoided miniatures games in the past, dustoff your lead figures (or round up somepoker chips) and give these a try.

FANTASY WARRIORS*game * * * 1 / 2

Boxed game with 56-page rule book, 102plastic miniatures, 51 plastic shields,150 order counters, reference card,various play aids, dice

Grenadier Models, Inc. $30Game design: Nick LundDevelopment: Mark Copplestone and Doug

CowieMiniatures design: Mark CopplestoneBox and counter art: Ian SmithRule book illustrations: Ian Symonds

A solid effort from a company knownmore for quality miniatures than gamedesign, the FANTASY WARRIORS gamecombines conventional war-gaming sys-tems with a number of modest but imagi-native fantasy elements to produce anengaging miniatures game. What makes itespecially appealing is its completeness;because the FANTASY WARRIORS gamecomes packaged with over 100 plasticfigures (two complete armies, one dwar-ven and one orcish), you can put awayyour paper wads and poker chips and diveright in.

I�m not a great judge of figure design,but these look pretty good to me. Flowingbeards and drooping moustaches give thedwarves a stately appearance, while longfangs and scowling eyes make the orcslook appropriately vicious. I was too lazy

DRAGON 75

to paint them, but dots of fingernail polishworked fine to distinguish individual units.

The basic game is a snap to learn, thanksto the well-written rule book, liberallyillustrated with examples of play andstrategy tips from anonymous dwarvenand orcish heroes (�Provided you keepyour spear-armed units organized, theycan effectively stand up to larger crea-tures like ogres, trolls, and giants.�). Set-upinvolves establishing the size of the battle-field (a dining room table is about right)and selecting armies, based on point allo-cation. Players receive, say, 1,000 pointseach to spend on units, each costing aparticular number of points; for instance,a warchief might cost 80 points, while 120points buys you an entire squadron of 10dwarven archers, including a leader.

Every unit type has a set of statistics thatmust be recorded on a roster sheet. Thereare 11 statistics in all, ranging from theobvious, such as Strength and Movement,to the questionable, such as Resilience (justanother combat modifier, of which thereare plenty already) and Worth (�the mea-sure of any creature in terms of man-power,� whatever that means). Becausethere are so many statistics to keep trackof, the FANTASY WARRIORS game worksbetter with small numbers of figures; 20to 40 per side is about right. Large-scale,convention-type spectaculars aren�t practi-cal unless you�re playing with teams.

Before play begins, each side has achance to scout the opposition, whichyou�d think would involve sneaking afigure or two into the enemy camp andreporting back with reconnaissance infor-mation, but actually consists of nothingmore than a few dice tosses to determinewho gets to deploy their units first anddecide when the battle begins. Quick, tobe sure, but not very satisfying. Better isthe boasting option that allows the war-chief of each side to make an outrageousdeclaration that may have profound ef-fects on an army�s morale throughout thegame. If a warchief declares, �I will stayupon this spot, immovable like a rock, forthe entire battle,� his army gains a Com-mand Test bonus (essentially, a modifierthat makes friendly soldiers less likely topanic) as long as the warchief figure staysput. It�s a risky but irresistible option, andit�s a lot of fun.

The combat rules aren�t significantlydifferent from standard war-gaming sys-tems, with each side taking turns firingmissile weapons, moving, engaging inmelee combat, and checking for panic.Before combat gets underway, leadersissue orders to their units, directing themto either Attack (charge the nearest enemyand initiate melee combat), Hold (remainin place), or Oppose (maneuver to themost advantageous defensive position) byplacing the appropriate marker next to theindicated figures. Units are obligated tofollow their orders unless the warchief ora courier moves close enough to deliver anew one before the engagement ends.

76 FEBRUARY 1992

The combat rules work quite well,though the avalanche of modifiers re-quired to execute the more sophisticatedconcepts of the game are likely to intimi-date novice players, as are the seeminglyendless number of special cases. (A typicalexample: �Foot figures armed with po-learms may choose to fight in two ranksusing spear weapons factors, providedthat they are not disorganized and are notgoverned by shaken or bloodlust reac-tions.� Try dredging that one out of the oldmemory banks in the heat of battle.)

The most entertaining element of theFANTASY WARRIORS game is the magicsystem, which leavens the occasionallystodgy tone of the game with a generousdose of whimsy. Priests, for instance, cancall on the gods to undo the result of aprevious event, forcing the enemy playerto re-roll. Soothsayers can divine omensfavorable to the friendly army, makingthem less likely to panic. Wizards receive afixed number of magic points, expended tocast powerful spells, such as hasten day/night, to move the clock backwards orforwards, and banish magic, which pro-hibits the casting of spells anywhere onthe battlefield for several hours of gametime. However, there are only 10 spells�aploy, perhaps, to market a magic supple-ment somewhere down the line? Thoughthe magic system may be superficial, it�salso clean, simple, and goofy. Too badthere�s not more of it.

Evaluation: If the FANTASY WARRIORSrule book had been stripped of about halfits combat modifiers and special rules, it�dearn an enthusiastic recommendation. Asit stands, I give it three stars for gamemechanics and a half-star bonus for thefigures. Improvements necessary to boostthe game from good to great are: morespells, imaginative scenarios (there aren�tany scenarios, imaginative or otherwise),and judicious editing. These will presum-ably appear in forthcoming supplementsor a revised edition. Meanwhile, there�sstill a lot to like, particularly in the boast-ing rules, what there is of the magic sys-tem, and all those nifty plastic orcs anddwarves. [For another perspective on thisgame, see “Through the Looking Glass,” inDRAGON® issue #177.—The Editors.]

AD&D® 2nd EditionBATTLESYSTEM�Miniatures Rules * * * *

128-page softcover bookTSR, Inc. $15Design: Douglas NilesEditing and development: Kim Mohan, Jon

Pickens, Dave SutherlandPhotography: Michael Weaver, Ral Partha

Enterprises, Inc. (battle scenes); DickKahn Studio, Inc. (rules diagrams)

Figure painting: Dave SutherlandCover: Glen TarnowskiInterior art: Jeff Easley, Keith ParkinsonGraphic design: Stephanie Tabat, Dave

Sutherland

AD&D 2nd EditionBATTLESYSTEM� SkirmishesMiniatures Rules * * * 1 / 2

128-page softcover bookTSR, Inc. $15Design: Bruce NesmithEditing and development: Steve Winter,

Annette BumgarnerFigure painting: Dave HoppackTerrain scenosquares: Duke Seifried, Crea-

tive Design, Inc.Photography: Photography Unlimited

Graphic design: Stephanie Tabat

For starters, both of these books are flat-out gorgeous, two of the best-lookingproducts TSR, Inc. has ever published.Both feature page after page of glossy, full-color photos of exquisitely painted minia-tures, many of them staged in elaboratebattlefield dioramas. Their merits as rulebooks aside, the BATTLESYSTEM andBATTLESYSTEM Skirmishes books maketerrific guides for figure painting and area pleasure to thumb through, even forthose with only a passing interest in minia-tures games.

Players frustrated by the tentative sys-tems in the first-edition BATTLESYSTEMgame (from 1985) are in for a pleasantsurprise with the second edition, a com-plete overhaul that�s as impressive as the1st-to-2nd Edition transformation of thePlayer’s Handbook and Dungeon Master’sGuide. Gone from the original game arethe math-heavy combat tables, the awk-ward base sizes, and the quarter-page unitrosters; they�re replaced by streamlinedbookkeeping systems, cleaner attack pro-cedures, and a plethora of clever options.

Particularly welcome is the reduction ofrelevant statistics from a dozen-plus to amere five. A figure represents either: 1) 10infantrymen or cavalry, or 2) a single heroor other special individual, rated for At-tack Dice, Armor Rating, Hits, Morale, andMovement, all derived from their corres-ponding statistics in the AD&D game. Acharacter�s THAC0 and maximum damage,for instance, determine his Attack Dice,while his armor class determines his Ar-mor Rating. Compromises, of course, areinevitable, and the hardcore AD&D fansmay wince at having to lump characters ofarmor classes 2 and 3 into identical ArmorRatings of 6. Overall, the conversions aresound, if a bit convoluted, and produceacceptable results on the battlefield.

Players willing to swallow the compro-mises inherent in the system will find thebasic rules elegant and satisfying. A fig-ure�s Attack Dice rating indicates the typeof die it uses when attacking, from a lowof 1d4 to a high of 1d12. In general, eachfigure in an attacking group is allowed oneattack die; a group of eight figures with anAttack Dice rating of 6 rolls 8d6. Thehigher the roll, the more hits inflicted. Thedefending player rolls a number of diceequal to the number of successful hits;every roll exceeding the defender�s Armor

Rating cancels one hit. All hits not can-celed by the Armor Rating rolls are takenas casualties. Obviously, the game requiresa lot of clattering dice�two or three dozenrolls to resolve a single combat engage-ment isn�t unusual�but the system ispreferable to the dreary bookkeepingrequired by too many miniatures games.

Less successful is the magic system,which doesn�t translate from the AD&Dgame as well as the combat rules. In a 128-page book, the magic chapter is only aboutseven pages long, most of it devoted tosketchy descriptions of spell effects. Thespell list is woefully incomplete (fewerthan 20 wizard spells are discussed). Whilethe BATTLESYSTEM rules applications areadequate, the effects are predictable andnot particularly exciting; fireballs inflictdamage within a given area, stinking cloudresults in a morale check, haste increasesmovement allowances, and you can proba-bly figure out the rest yourself. What�sneeded, I think, is a whole new way tolook at magic; last year�s Tome of Magichardback introduced the concept of coop-erative spells, in which groups of priestscombine their abilities with spectacularresults, hinting at the possibilities of mass-combat magic.

The BATTLESYSTEM Skirmishes bookcovers much of the same territory as theBATTLESYSTEM book, albeit on a smallerscale. Unlike the BATTLESYSTEM rules,where one figure can stand for 10 charac-ters, BATTLESYSTEM Skirmishes figuresalways represent a single character. Oneinch represents 10� in the BATTLESYSTEMSkirmishes rules; an inch equals 10 yardsin the BATTLESYSTEM game.

Of course, procedures already exist inthe AD&D game for resolving combatbetween individuals, and theBATTLESYSTEM Skirmishes rules don�t somuch replace these procedures as stream-line and amplify them. Core concepts suchas armor class and THAC0 will be familiarto AD&D game players, with the majordifference involving the replacement of hitdice with simple �hits.� A dragon with 14HD in the AD&D game has 14 hits in theBATTLESYSTEM Skirmishes game; whenthe hit total is reduced to zero, good-byedragon. No big deal, really, and while it�sless precise, the hit system is much easierto use in multicharacter battles than stand-ard AD&D combat mechanics. Expandedrules cover movement variants (flying,climbing, levitating), special attack forms(aerial combat, mounted miniatures,breath weapons) and war machines (battlewagons, caravans, chariots), all clearlyexplained and thoughtfully presented.

Magic receives a more thorough treat-ment here than in the BATTLESYSTEMrule book. Dozens of spells are discussed,as well as the effects of a number of magi-cal items, but the lists are by no meanscomplete; for example, wands of negationand paralyzation are included, but notwands of conjuration or illusion. As in theBATTLESYSTEM rules, there are few

surprises, and the magic system remainsthe books most disappointing feature.

Evaluation: Even though it emphasizesthe military aspect more than the magical,the BATTLESYSTEM game scores as a first-class miniatures game; engaging, challeng-ing, and-considering its scope�surprisinglyeasy to manage. The BATTLESYSTEMSkirmishes game succeeds in smoothingover the rough spots in the AD&D combatrules, but it reaches the point of diminish-ing returns in battles approaching severaldozen figures per side; at that point, youmight as well use the BATTLESYSTEMrules. For its versatility and sheer volumeof material, the BATTLESYSTEM book hasthe edge over the BATTLESYSTEM Skir-mishes rules, but both books are recom-mended to AD&D combat aficionados andespecially to students of figure painting�these photos are real knock-outs.

BLADESTORM* game ** * *Boxed game with 64-page rule book, 160-

page sourcebook, 32-page scenariobook, 8-page painting manual, 32-pagecolor guidebook, 22 X 17 double-sidedcolor map, dice

Iron Crown Enterprises, Inc. $30Game design: Coleman CharltonSource book design: Tim Taylor, Pete

Fenlon, John RuemmlerEditing and development: John Ruemmler,

Pete Fenlon, Coleman CharltonCover: Angus McBrideIllustrations: Michael Hernandez, Sandy

Collora, Ellisa Martin

I suspect that self-contained fantasyminiatures games are more difficult todesign than those based on existing role-playing rules, such as the AD&D-game-derived BATTLESYSTEM rules. That is,they�re harder if the designers accept thechallenge of creating a game world fromscratch. Most designers aren�t that ambi-tious, lacking the imagination (or the budg-et) to come up with compelling settings,histories, and magic systems. The combatrules may work just fine, but all too oftenthe background material is derivative atbest, nonexistent at worst.

The BLADESTORM game is an exception,a remarkable design that not only featuresan elegant set of game mechanics but afully developed fantasy world in which touse them. Skillfully written, richly de-tailed, and endlessly replayable, there maybe a better self-contained fantasy minia-tures game than the BLADESTORM rules,but I�ve never seen it.

As in the BATTLESYSTEM Skirmishesgame, the BLADESTORM game�s figureseach represent a single creature or charac-ter. In the basic game, requiring only sixpages of rules, figures are rated for Move-ment, Melee Attack, Melee Damage, De-fense, and Endurance, essentially thenumber of damage points a figure canabsorb before biting the dust (a punygoblin may have only 10 Endurance

Points, while a good-sized troll may have50 or more). If a figure is within range ofan enemy, the owning player may attackby rolling a number of dice equal to thefigure�s Melee Attack rating; a 3d6 ratingmeans he�s allowed three six-siders. Ifnone of the die-rolls exceed the enemy�sDefense rating, then the enemy suffers nodamage. Otherwise, damage is inflictedaccording to the attacker�s Melee Damagerating; a rating of High means that thedefender loses a number of EndurancePoints equal to the attacker�s highest dieroll (if his Melee Attack rating was 3d6,and he rolled a 2, 4, and 6, the defenderloses six Endurance Points.) Since bothattack success and damage results aredetermined at the same time, combat isquick and simple, minimizing the need forcharts and complicated formulas. Bravo!

The advanced rules build on the con-cepts introduced in the basic game, addinginteresting twists instead of needless com-plications. For instance, the advancedmelee combat rules utilize a black �DeathDie:� rolled as part of a normal attack roll.If a 1 comes up on the Death Die, thedefender automatically suffers damage,regardless of the circumstance. Targetsmay take advantage of shields or coveringterrain to boost their Defense ratings,while sneaky attackers can stage surpriseassaults by sprinting at three times theirnormal movement rates or climbing ropesto fire missiles from above.

The superb magic system involves theexpenditure of Power Points to castdozens of spells specifically designed formass combat, such as extended terrain (analready existing stretch of forest or otherterrain is increased by four square inchesper two Power Points expended), massfrenzy (targeted figures are forced tocharge and attack their closest enemies),and illusionary troops (before starting agame, a friendly figure is placed in theenchanted area; the figure isn�t revealed asan illusion until an enemy figure ap-proaches or attacks it). Wizards may en-hance their abilities by acquiring PowerHues, which give them additional PowerPoints when the sky turns a particularcolor. In one of the game�s most inventivefeatures, wizards may generate powerfulenergy fields called bladestorms, manifest-ed as expanding rings or rampaging tor-nados that inflict massive damage onfriend and foe alike.

The nature of bladestorms is explainedin the Bladestorm Sourcebook, a compre-hensive campaign guide describing thehistory and denizens of Folenn, the cha-otic world in which the game takes place.In addition to elves, dwarves, and otherstandards, Folenn is home to an impres-sive array of original nasties, among themthe apelike Karku and the loathsome Ulca-thu, quasi-humanoids with siphons formouths and syringes for claws. Detailedstatistics, along with painting suggestions,are provided for all relevant characters.The book concludes with an impressive 26

DRAGON 77

scenarios, complete with army rosters,historical background, special rules, andbattlefield maps.

Evaluation: Though rules are providedfor large-scale battles, the BLADESTORMgame is better suited to small engagementsinvolving a handful of figures, as clashesbetween immense armies require tediousamounts of bookkeeping. Many of theoptional rules are likewise cumbersome,particularly those involving formationchanges and advanced missile combat (I'ma little fuzzy, for instance, on how missileparrying complements normal defensiveactions). That said, the BLADESTORMgame is terrific fun, a stylish integration ofclever mechanics and sparkling back-ground material, highlighted by the bestmass-combat magic system on the market.The BLADESTORM game doesn�t easilyadapt to standard role-playing systems; itwould take a lot of tinkering to fit this intoan AD&D campaign, for example, but ifyou�re curious about miniatures gamesand are comfortable with stand-alonesystems, you can do no better than this.

WAR LAW* game * * ½Boxed game with 160-page rule book, 24-

page summary sheets book, four8 1/2� X 11� plastic hex grid overlays,two 22� X 17� color maps, 476 die-cutcounters

Iron Crown Enterprises, Inc. $30Design: Ron Goral, David Eubanks, Col-

eman Charlton, Tim Taylor, Lem Ri-chards, David Blank, Ross Henton

Editing and development: ColemanCharlton

Cover: Angus McBrideIllustrations: Jeremy Raben

I like to think I�m a reasonably intelligentguy. I went to college. I took calculus. Ieven managed to follow an X-Men storyline for a whole year. But the ROLE-MASTER* game, for which the WAR LAW*set is the miniatures combat supplement,is just about more than I can handle.There are RPGs more complicated thanthis-the brain-splitting AFTERMATH*game from Fantasy Games Unlimitedcomes to mind�but the ROLEMASTERsystem is neither for casual players norfor the faint of heart. To give you an ideaof what you�re up against, consider thatthe final 60-plus pages of the WAR LAWrule book consist of nothing but chartsand tables; the Flail Unit Attack Table, topick one at random, contains more than1,600 entries, and there�s plenty more justlike it. Scary.

The basic WAR LAW system uses die-cutcounters, included with the game, to rep-resent units of 50-100 individuals. Unitsare rated for Offensive and DefensiveBonuses, Armor Type, Level, Movement,and Morale, recorded on status sheets thatalso feature boxes that are checked off totrack casualties. The game includes twolarge hex maps of sample terrain that can

78 FEBRUARY 1992

be cut apart and rearranged into a varietyof playing surfaces. Though the hexes helpregulate movement, they also limit op-tions, making the WAR LAW game muchless fluid than most miniatures games.

Game turns consist of preparation, mis-sile fire, movement, defensive missile fire,melee, and morale phases, which all soundsimple until you actually try to executethem. Making a melee attack, for instance,requires the computation of OffensiveBonuses, modified by OB stats, parryamounts, formation state modifiers, mo-rale state modifiers, casualty state modi-fiers, leader modifiers, and positionbonuses, checked against the DefensiveBonus and a roll on the SG Luck Table toobtain an Attack Mod that generates a NetMod that�s cross-indexed with the de-fender�s Armor Type on the appropriateUnit Attack Table. Got that? Wait till youget a load of the advanced rules.

The magic system is similarly convolut-ed, and wizards without calculators are infor a hard time. Casting a fireball spellrequires determining the area of effect (insquare feet), the number of enemies af-fected (a factor of their Density Ratings),and the attack resolution (more modifiers,more tables, more headaches). I had tolimit the use of matter-affecting spells inmy games, because I couldn�t do the math;it says here that it takes 68 castings of thepowder stone spell to generate the48,600,000 hits needed to destroy11,664,000 cubic inches of a granite wall, Ithink.

Evaluation: This one�s a tough call. Forfans of the ROLEMASTER system�andthere must be a lot of them, judging fromthe number of supplements spawned bythe original game-the WAR LAW gamedelivers the goods. This comprehensivemass combat system is fully in tune withthe spirit of the ROLEMASTER system,impressively flexible (the advanced gameallows players to choose their own unitsizes and time scales), and meticulouslydetailed. Those unfamiliar with the ROLE-MASTER game, however, should proceedwith caution. With its hex grids, die-cutcounters, and war-gaming concepts suchas zones of control, the WAR LAW rulesfeel more like a military board game thana fantasy miniatures game. Tackle theROLEMASTER system first, and if you�renot intimidated by the investment of time,effort, and brain cells, then take a look atthe WAR LAW game.

Short and sweetAD&D Trivia Game, by Richard Borg.

TSR, Inc., $25. Sort of a bar exam for ruleslawyers, this features a mind-bendingcollection of trivia questions delved fromthe pages of the AD&D® 2nd Edition Play-er’s Handbook, Dungeon Master’s Guide,and the first two Monstrous Compendiumvolumes. The clever rules, involving theplacement of �skull markers� on charactercards (representing wizards, warriors,priests, rogues, and monsters), distinguish

this from most other TRIVIAL PURSUIT*game descendants, even though there�s nomeaningful difference between the char-acters (wizards die as quickly as warriors).Questions are sorted according to levels ofdifficulty, with Level One questions beingrelatively easy, to Level Five maddeninglyobscure. If you can answer most of theLevel Three questions (�How long will atypical torch burn?�), you know the gamea lot better than I do. If you can answermost of the Level Five questions (�Whichtwo spells in the Player’s Handbook re-quire only a somatic component?�), I sug-gest you get outside more often.

Fatal Experiments, by Watts, Love, Mill-er, Bullman, Detwiler, Ross, Isinwyll,Dunn, Gibbons, Geier, Triplett-Smith.Chaosium, Inc., $19. Another first-classcollection of short scenarios forChaosium�s CALL OF CTHULHU* game,each based on a research project mostdefinitely not FDA-approved. The sce-narios are full of surprises and are delight-fully disgusting, particularly �The Lurkerin the Crypt,� which features an expeditioninto the ghoul tunnels of New York�s Stan-ton Street Cemetery (without giving awayany of the plot, let�s just say that afterreading it, I had a strong urge to take abath with two bars of soap).

GURPS Wild Cards* supplement, byJohn J. Miller. Steve Jackson Games, $17.Recommended to super-hero fans in gen-eral and GURPS SUPERS* game enthusi-asts in particular, this exceptionalsupplement discusses the world of theTakisian wild card virus in fascinatingdetail, addressing many of the questionsleft unanswered in the Bantam Spectranovel series, such as exactly how the virustriggers human mutations, the history ofthe Shadow Fist Society, and the mysteri-ous link between the Wild Cards phenom-ena and baseball. Game statistics andbackground dossiers are given for theGreat and Powerful Turtle, Sewer Jack,and dozens of other memorable charac-ters, along with useful suggestions forcreating player-designed mutants. Thesection discussing actual role-playing isdisappointingly skimpy. GMs are prettymuch on their own when it comes tocreating adventures, and the artwork isadequate at best. Otherwise, this is a ter-rific effort. Be forewarned that, like thenovels, this supplement is not intended forchildren.

(The answers to the trivia questions are30 minutes, and shadow door and misleadspells. You didn�t think I�d leave you hang-ing, did you?)

* indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarksowned by the companies publishing those products.The use of the name of any product without mentionof its trademark status should not be construed as achallenge to such status.

1992: A year to remember�and read

Great reading is coming your way onceagain from the book department at TSR.In addition to our continuing book lines,we have some exciting new things comingup in 1992.

Monumental quests, nefarious dragons,and heroic deeds�the first DUNGEONS &DRAGONS� novel, in bookstores this Octo-ber, offers that and much more. TSR isalso producing its first-ever hardcovernovel. Written by R. A. Salvatore, it is aprelude to an upcoming trilogy andbridges the Icewind Dale and Dark Elftrilogies, with more exploits of DrizztDo�Urden and friends. Finally, after a four-year hiatus, the original DRAGONLANCE®book and game team of Weis, Hickman,Williams, Moore, Niles, and others is backin a new series of anthologies.

D&D® novelsThe Tainted Sword, by D. J. Watry, is the

first volume of the Penhaligon Trilogy. Ittells the story of an aging knight�once theembodiment of glory and honor, but whohas fallen into disrepute�as he reluctantlytakes on a waif who has proclaimed her-self his squire and a young man whodreams of becoming a mage. To restore hisgood name, they must confront the treach-erous green dragon who has dedicated hislife to destroying the knight�s fame.

As the first novel to explore the KnownWorld, the official campaign setting for theDUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game, TheTainted Sword will feature a double coverwith art by Larry Elmore, and full-colorinterior maps, a first for TSR�s book lines.If you�re a fan of the Known World, this isthe book you�ve demanded; if you�re anewcomer to the magical kingdom ofPenhaligon, come see what all the excite-ment is about.

DARK SUNTM novelsIt�s been called gritty, dangerous, and

barbaric�and those are the complimentarythings one can say about Athas, the DARKSUN campaign world. In the Prism Pentad,Troy Denning tells the tale of three heroesas they fight for survival and search for thesecret to their world�s misery.

Having defeated the vile sorcerer-king ofTyr in The Verdant Passage, the first bookof the series, the heroes go their separateways, each intent on carving a place in thehistory of Athas. In April, The CrimsonLegion reveals how Rikus, the man-dwarfgladiator, is spurred on by his success

by the TSR Book Department

against Tyr�s sorcerer-king. He sets offwith a ragtag army to battle the forces ofUrik, a neighboring city-state, but hisbrawn and skill as a warrior may not beenough to save his forces from annihila-tion.

Book three of the Prism Pentad, TheAmber Enchantress, focuses on Sadira, theseductive sorceress. Hoping to learn moreabout her own magical abilities, Sadiratravels across the wastes. But the VeiledAlliance, self-proclaimed champions ofbeneficial magic on Athas, and the canni-bal halflings of the weird jungles atop theRinging Mountains are each hunting theyoung magic-wielder for their own rea-sons. The Amber Enchantress will reachbookstores in October.

FORGOTTEN REALMS® novelsFebruary marks the release of the first

FORGOTTEN REALMS novel of 1992, Poolsof Darkness. Three years in the making,this sequel to the best-selling Pool of Radi-ance once again sees the city of Phlan indire straits. Torn from the surface ofFaerun by a power-hungry mage, Phlanfinds itself battling hordes of monsters inan underground cavern. The warrior-cleric Tarl, the sorceress Shal, and thefamous ranger-thief, Ren O� The Blade,fight to save the city and unlock the se-crets of the Pools of Darkness. James M.Ward teams up with co-author Anne K.Brown to weave this fast-paced tale basedon the SSI computer game.

Prophet of Moonshae is the first book inthe new Druidhome Trilogy, a sequel se-ries to the popular Moonshae Trilogy.Author Douglas Niles picks up the serieswith the children of High King Tristan andQueen Robyn, who work toward rightingthe one great wrong that remained at theconclusion of the original series. Book oneis on sale in March. The series continuesin September with The Coral Kingdom. Ahigh princess is pitted against a savageundersea race that holds her father pris-oner. Her quest leads far beyond theshores of her island kingdom and climaxesin the dark depths of the Sea of Moonshae.

The Cleric Quintet, set in theFORGOTTEN REALMS fantasy world andwritten by New York Times best-sellingauthor R. A. Salvatore, follows an eccen-tric young scholar-priest named Cadderlyas he fends off the hordes and trickstersof Castle Trinity to save his home, hisfriends, and his life. In Sylvan Shadows, on

sale in April, is the second in the series.Cadderly has overcome the chaos cursethat beset the Edificant Library, but theevil triumvirate of Castle Trinity isn�t fin-ished with its plans for regional conquest.The young scholar and his friends mustsave the inhabitants of the beautiful elvenforest, Shilmista, where a new opponentleads an army of vile monsters. But noteven Cadderly�s powerful companions caninsulate him from the trials of characterand courage that he must face. NightMasks follows in August. Cadderly has runto the city of Carradoon for solace, but hefinds himself besieged by the residentassassins, the Night Masks. He and hiscompanion, Danica, must uncover thekillers� latest activities and put a stop tothem. But the young priest learns morethan he wanted to know.

Next comes The Legacy. Life is good forDrizzt Do�Urden, better than it ever hasbeen for the beleaguered dark elf. Hisdearest friend, the dwarf Bruenor, hasreclaimed his throne, and Wulfgar andCatti-brie are to be wed in the spring.Even the halfling Regis has returned. Allthe friends are united in the safety andprosperity of Mithril Hall. But Drizzt hasnot achieved this state of peace withoutleaving powerful enemies in his wake, oneof whom has vowed to take vengeance onhim. The Legacy is on sale in October.

This year also sees the release of thenext two novels in the Harpers Series.Each novel in this continuing line tells anindependent story, complete in itself.

The Night Parade heralds the return ofauthor Scott Ciencin to the Realms (betterknown to you as the scribe of Shadowdaleand Tantras under the pen name RichardAwlinson). In this dark-fantasy tale, Myr-meen Lhal, the seductive ruler of Arabel,enlists the aid of the Harpers. She hasbecome embroiled in a war against theNight Parade, a shadowy group of crea-tures that gains sustenance from humanfear and misery. If she loses the fight, shemay never find her daughter, thought lost14 years before. Look for The Night Pa-rade in June.

The sixth Harpers novel, The Ring ofWinter, tells the tale of Harper-adventurerArtus Cimber and his search through thejungles of Chult for a fabled artifact.Those of you familiar with the Realmsknow that Chult is a land of lost civiliza-tions, strange magic�and dinosaurs! Ifthat doesn�t present enough of a problem

DRAGON 79

to our lone Harper, the villainous Cult ofFrost has followed him to Chult, intent oncapturing the ring and using its might tobring a new Ice Age down upon theworld. James Lowder, author of Crusadeand Knight of the Black Rose, spins thisadventure yarn in November.

DRAGONLANCE® novelsThe Tales II Trilogy reunites many of the

writers of the first Tales Trilogy for alineup of powerful and exciting shortstories set on the DRAGONLANCE worldof Krynn. On sale in April, The Reign ofIstar is built around the history precedingthe Cataclysm, a seminal and fascinatingtime in Krynn lore. A new novella byMargaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, andshort stories penned by Nancy VarianBerberick, Richard A. Knaak, Roger E.Moore, Douglas Niles, Nick O�Donohoe,Dan Parkinson, and Michael Williams tellwondrous tales of Krynn in the legendarytime of the Kingpriest. A kender becomesa Solamnic Knight (almost); an ogre emerg-es as an unlikely savior of the dwarvenrace; and gladiators compete in the bloodsport of Istar.

Volume two, The Cataclysm, details thetime in Krynn lore when the gods threw afiery mountain down on Istar and plungedKrynn into centuries of chaos. This vol-ume continues to fill in material pertinentto the original Legends Trilogy and ispacked with poetry, comedy, stark drama,love stories, and key battles, and featuresa novella about Lord Soth. The Cataclysmgoes on sale in July.

Volume three, The War of the Lance, ison sale in November. This anthology�stheme is built around the history of Krynnduring the War of the Lance. The war wascovered from one perspective in the best-selling Chronicles Trilogy, and now read-ers will be treated to tales that reveal thefates of some of the most popular support-ing characters of that epic series.

The immensely popular Meetings Sextet,which tells the stories of the Companionsof the Lance prior to their fateful meetingat the Inn of the Last Home, wraps upwith three brand-new exciting adventures.

In The Oath and the Measure, on sale inMay, we finally learn the true story ofSturm Brightblade�s early years: how hefaced the challenge of the enigmatic LordWilderness, learned the fate of his long-lost father, and came to understand thetrue meaning of honor. The author isMichael Williams, whose understanding ofthe nature of Solamnic knighthood is soall-encompassing that we sometimes sus-pect he may actually be a knight.

Volume five, Steel and Stone, by EllenPorath, sets forth the tale of the meeting ofthose two stormy lovers, Tanis Half-Elvenand Kitiara Uth Matar. Tanis is forced intoan unwilling alliance with a rival for Kit�saffections when an old enemy seeks re-venge against Kitiara. The dispute leadsthem across the continent of Ansalon to thefrigid wastes of the Icereach. Watch for

80 FEBRUARY 1992

Steel and Stone in September.The Companions completes the Meetings

Sextet with its appearance in January1993. Written by Tina Daniell, The Com-panions brings together Flint, Tanis, Tassle-hoff, Kitiara, Raistlin, Caramon, and Sturmfor the first time since the ChroniclesTrilogy to face a foe who personifies theultimate in evil. The quintessential adven-ture of the Companions that sets the moldfor all relationships and adventures tofollow, The Companions is a �must� readfor DRAGONLANCE saga fans.

RAVENLOFT� novelsThe RAVENLOFT novel series continues

with more stand-alone fantasy-horror talesof the mysterious Dark Domains. Raven-loft is a netherworld of evil, a place ofdarkness that can be reached from anyTSR world�but escape is an entirely dif-ferent matter.

Christie Golden, author of the firstRAVENLOFT novel, Vampire of the Mists,returns to the Dark Domains in July withDance of the Dead. Larissa Snowmane is adancer aboard a magical riverboat. Whenthe boat arrives at the zombie-plaguedisland of Sourange, she finds herself danc-ing to chilling music, indeed. After discov-ering the captain�s sinister secret, Larissamust rely upon the swamp beings and themagical Dance of the Dead to save herown soul.

December sees the release of the firstwerewolf story in the RAVENLOFT line,Heart of Midnight, by J. Robert King. Evenbefore he�d drawn his first breath, Casimirhad inherited his father�s lycanthropiccurse. The young werewolf fled; now, 10years later, Casimir must embrace his darkheritage to ward off his own murder andgain revenge against his monstrous father.

SPELLJAMMERTM novelsThe Cloakmaster Cycle follows Teldin

Moore�s search for answers to questionsabout the mysterious cloak he�s been be-queathed. Throughout this series, set inthe SPELLJAMMER space-fantasy setting,he discovers creatures and places he couldnever have imagined, both friend and foe.

In the third book, The Maelstrom’s Eye,Teldin Moore learns more about his cloakspast and its potential powers from anelven admiral at the Rock of Bral�but hedoesn�t count on being caught up in thehurricane of the second Unhuman War.Vengeful humanoids rampage through theKnown Spheres, and they�re on the trail ofTeldin Moore, who himself is now huntingfor the ultimate spacefaring ship of all: themighty Spelljammer. Teldin allies himselfwith a gypsy kender and is reunited withan old friend on their search for a giganticgenius slug in order to learn more aboutthe cloak. Teldin gets caught between scroand elven space forces, converging to sealhis fate. The Maelstrom’s Eye is written byDRAGON® Magazine editor Roger E.Moore and goes on sale in May.

In book four, The Radiant Dragon, on

sale in November, Teldin Moore is stilllooking for the great ship Spelljammer. Aradiant dragon also possesses a key tocommanding the great ship but needsTeldin�s help to take control. Meanwhile,an elven ally named Vallus Leafbower triesto convince Teldin to aid the elves in thesecond Unhuman War. A group of elf-hating bionids and insectares trade withgoblinoids for a secret weapon against theelven Imperial Fleet, and someone inTeldin�s inner circle is pulling all partiestoward a major battle. The Radiant Drag-on is written by Elaine Cunningham, au-thor of the FORGOTTEN REALMS novel,Elfshadow.

XXVc� novelsThe BUCK ROGERS® XXVc novel line

kicks off a new series, Invaders of Charon,which ultimately deals with an alien inva-sion that threatens the entire solar system.Volume one, The Genesis Web (May), tellsthe story of Black Barney�s creation andintroduces two undercover NEO agentswho aid him in his escape from his crea-tors. It is written by newcomer C. M.Brennan.

In volume two, Nomads of the Sky (Octo-ber), NEO undercover agent Vincent Pirelliis captured by the warlike Space Nomadsand must fight a ritual duel for his life. Inthe process, he discovers the Device, amissing RAM artifact that may provide aclue to the meaning of the garbled messagereceived from Buck Rogers in deep space.Nomads of the Sky is written by veteranscience-fiction author William H. Keith, Jr.,whose credits include DOCTOR WHO* andBATTLETECH* adventures.

TSRTM BooksThe popular TSR Books line features the

best in fantasy, science fiction, mystery,and horror. Thorn and Needle leads offthe list in March. Two intriguing adventur-ers journey to a perfect city in whichmiracles are commonplace. Their goal: tomurder the mysterious god known as TheFact, who makes possible the marvels ofthe wondrous city. Thought-provokingscience fantasy with surprises from begin-ning to end, Thorn and Needle is writtenby Paul B. Thompson, who has co-authored four best-selling DRAGONLANCEnovels.

In 1991, TSR published L. Dean James�sfirst fantasy novel, Sorcerer’s Stone. Manyof you were so caught up in the tale ofGaylon Reysson and the magical land ofWynnamyr that you wanted to see more.In June, you�ll get your wish when werelease Kingslayer. If you haven�t readSorcerer’s Stone, don�t worry; this newnovel can be read and enjoyed on its own.For a millennium, the Red Kings haveguarded the magical sword Kingslayer, sonamed because it has twice killed its royalwielder. Now Gaylon Reysson, the newking of Wynnamyr, must take up the

(Continued on page 118)

The cry that once signified majorchanges in the Avengers� lineup seemsappropriate in talking about the 1992product schedule for the MARVEL SUPERHEROES� game line. Great changes areoccurring both in the comic books and inTSR�s game line as we launch brand-newpackages for the MARVEL SUPER HEROESgame. Everything will be bigger and betterthan ever, with more maps, art, and excite-ment than ever thought possible.

First and foremost, the changes in theMarvel game don�t involve the rules or theplayability of the system; it�s still thefastest-paced super-hero game around,and we don�t want to change that. Thechanges we�re making consist of tighteningthe continuity between the comic booksand our game line, expanding supplemen-tary information to widen the Marvelcampaign base, and, through copiousresearching, making sure you have everyshred of information we can add to ourown little corner of the MARVEL UNI-VERSE®. By providing more supplements,our 1992 products provide more informa-tion for your game campaigns, and thismaterial would definitely be of interest toMarvel Comics readers, whether they playthe game or not. We�re out to makeMARVEL SUPER HEROES game productsmore useful, informative, and fun to read,as well as fun to play.

SourceboxesThis year will premiere the MHR series,

our supplemental sourceboxes on a varietyof hot topics. Each sourcebox provides:

�a 32-page full-color Watcher�s Guide,containing lots of information on the box�stopic, establishing solid backgrounds fornew and old characters alike (this bookletis geared toward the nongamer whowants to find out about characters andtopics without having to understand anygame mechanics);

�a 64-page Grandmaster�s Log, withnotes and information narrated in parts bythat immortal gamer himself (this logcontains all the game-specific informationyou need, from character and technologystatistics to adventures and additionalrules to enhance the game);

�card sheets providing full-color charac-ter fold-ups and other props for the game;

�two poster maps for use with thegame adventures; and

�one full-sized poster of original art,depicting your favorite Marvel comiccharacters in exciting action scenes!

Comics as referencesWe�re also providing more direct comic-

book references, so when you read some-thing about Hero X or Villain Y in ourMARVEL SUPER HEROES game products,you might be able to find its originalsource material in your collection of com-ics with the references we�ll provide. Thisimproves game play; finding a comic-bookillustration of certain game weapons inuse, for example, would add to the overall

action during a game. It also makes ourgame sourceboxes and books more usefulto comics collectors, since you have all theinformation on the heroes and villains inone sourcebook and can find the originalcomic books using our detailed bibliogra-phies and references.

New product lineupI could go on for hours on the change in

focus on the MARVEL SUPER HEROESgame line, but that�s not what you need tohear. This year will be an exciting one forour established fans, and people whohaven�t given our line a look should noticethe high-quality products we�re putting onthe shelves. If you currently enjoy MarvelComics or the MARVEL SUPER HEROESgame, keep an eye out for these releasesand tell your friends.

MHR1 X-Forces: The Mutant UpdateDesign: Scott Davis and Anthony HerringEditing: Caroline Spector

Ready for release in April is MHR1X-Forces: The Mutant Update, our firstsourcebox on the ever-popular mutants ofMarvel. Useful on its own or as an updatefor our 1990 X-Men campaign set, thissourcebox provides detailed histories forall the X-Teams from the �Fall of the Mu-tants� to the �Mutant Agenda� story lines,and attempts to explain the reasons be-hind the sudden proliferation of all-mutantteams in the MARVEL UNIVERSE. The twobooks in this sourcebox provide lots ofrole-playing information on what it�s liketo be a mutant and gives you a betterunderstanding of the �Mutant Menace�phenomenon, All the current members ofthe X-Men, X-Factor, X-Force, and Excali-bur are catalogued (as well as their foes,like the New Brotherhood of Evil Mutantsand the Mark V Sentinels). Informationupdates are provided, including the time-tossed X-Man, Bishop! One map shows anurban area that can be added to mapsfrom the Basic and Advanced Rules sets;the other map, as a tie-in with the adven-tures, depicts a full Cerebro-scan of theU.S., so your players can track down anumber of all-new mutants specificallycreated for the MARVEL SUPER HEROESgame. The sourcebox also includes charac-ter fold-ups of all the X-Teams, their vil-lains, and a special 3-D fold-up of theX-Men�s Blackbird. Best of all, there is aspecial action-filled poster of Marvel�smutants in this sourcebox, done by Marvelartist Tom Morgan (Alpha Flight), availablenowhere else!

Lands of DR. DOOM� campaign setDesign: Scott Davis and Anthony HerringEditing: Steven E. Schend

Our biggest product of the year, theLands of Dr. Doom campaign set is a 1� -deep box that ships to stores in June 1992.Commemorating Dr. Doom�s 30 years asMarvel's master villain, this box contains192 pages on Dr. Doom and the Balkancountries of the MARVEL UNIVERSE:

Latveria, Symkaria (home to Silver Sable),and Transia (birthplace of the ScarletWitch, Quicksilver, and the Puppet Master,and base of the High Evolutionary). Withthis boxed set, the Marvel game goes be-yond the United States and gives youdetailed settings for your games in theheart of Europe. These countries all havedetails never before seen, and even re-ceive entries and commentary from theMarvel standard for world travelers, VanDyne�s Guide to Europe. Best of all, thereis a new poster map of Doomstadt, thecapital of Latveria, suitable for use ingame battles and adventures.

As well as providing campaign settings,the Dr. Doom set provides a full examina-tion and explanation of the man calledDoom. We have produced the most com-plete and fully detailed history for Dr.Doom ever compiled. Our history of Doomencompasses his birth, his rise to power,his exiles from the throne, and more, upto his published appearances throughearly 1992. Coupled with the history is acomplete bibliography (organized bothalphabetically and chronologically) ofevery major appearance of Dr. Doom fromFantastic Four #5 to the Infinity Gauntletmini-series and beyond. This is the onlyplace to find this information, so don�tmiss it!

Doom is a great inventor, second only toReed Richards (but don�t say that in frontof him). Acknowledging that, we�ve alsocompiled a catalogue of nearly every in-vention, weapon, android, and robot cre-ated by Dr. Doom over the past 30 years.All items are fully referenced in MarvelComics and are fully detailed for theMARVEL SUPER HEROES game. Thisboxed set is bound to become a collector�sdream!

Last, but not least, this box reintroduceseven more villains and heroes and charac-ters to the Marvel Universe. Full gamestatistics are provided for Doom and all ofhis friends, allies, pawns, and lackeys. Thisis the set to own if players want theirsuper heroes to go head-to-head with theMaster of Latveria!

MHR2 Webs: The SPIDER-MANTM

DossierDesign: Scott DavisEditing: David Wise

No, this isn�t Peter Parker�s collection ofSpider-Man photos, though it shares thesame title. MHR2 is an in-depth look at thenon-mutant hero, his battles and his life,and just what makes him a hero. Thebooks provide personal views of Spider-Man and Peter Parker from the views ofhis wife, his friends, and his foes. Com-bined with a detailed history, this is theplace to go to find out about this amazingarachnid-based hero.

A character catalogue completely coversSpider-Man�in all his incarnations includ-ing his six-armed version and his CaptainUniverse incarnation�and his supportingcast, with a rogues� gallery that includes

DRAGON 83

Dr. Octopus, Electro, three Green Goblins,two Hobgoblins, and many more. Thereare maps of the Daily Bugle city room anda battle map of downtown New York thatfits in with maps from the MARVELSUPER HEROES Basic and Advanced Sets,complete with character fold-ups ofSpider-Man, Peter Parker, and all hisfriends and foes. Adventures within thissourcebox include solo and team-up sce-narios for hours of excitement and fun.Finally, for those fans who have alwayswanted an actual piece of the MARVELUNIVERSE, you can put together yourvery own fold-up replica web-shooters!

MU8 Gamer�s Handbook of the

Continuing an annual tradition since

MARVEL UNIVERSE�, 1992Character Updates

1988, the Gamer’s Handbook of the

Design: by Scott Bennie, John Elliott, andDavid Pulver

MARVEL UNIVERSE presents its latestcharacter updates! The format�s the sameyou�ve known and loved for years, withall-new characters for your reading andgaming enjoyment. These are the onlyloose-leaf Marvel character references thaprovide full character histories in greatdetail, making them as useful to comic-book readers and collectors as they are forplayers using them in the MARVEL SUPERHEROES game. This year�s version reveals

the statistics and secrets of many ofMarvel�s newest characters, such as theAcolytes of Magneto, Bishop, Deathwatch,Infinity Watch, Omega Red, Rancor, andthe Shadow King. Don�t miss it!

MHR3 Go West: The AVENGERS�ArchivesDesign: by Steven E. Schend

Many current Marvel readers were

The books describe the history and

introduced to areas outside New York Cityby the Avengers West Coast comic book.

details of the western United States, pro-

However, Marvel has published materialon parts west of the Mississippi for over

viding information and campaign bases in

40 years, and has established a comic-book-universe time line covering 300

different times. Experience Marvel Earth

years! The Go West set unfolds the fullhistory of the West from 1692, with the

in the Old West with the Two-Gun Kid, the

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premier super-hero team.

the West in the early years of the AtomicAge, when the Hulk rampaged across thedeserts. Examine the trouble spots thatconfronted the Champions of Los Angeles,Johnny Blaze and the first motorcyclingGhost Rider, and the Avengers West Coast.All major characters and technologies will

be fully catalogued and ready for play inthe MARVEL SUPER HEROES game.

Shipping in December, this product willunearth secrets long lost underneath thesands of the western deserts and the foot-hills and crags of the Rockies, secrets ofprime interest to comic-book readers andgame players alike. Find out the locationsof New Salem, the valley of Woodgod andthe Changelings, long abandoned bases ofthe Leader and the gamma-ray caves ofthe Hulk, and the Mound, the home of thePantheon. Readers can find details of themany magical artifacts in the possession ofAgatha Harkness and Daimon Hellstrom,as well as the mystic heirlooms of the RedWolf and the Phantom Rider.

Adventures within the sourcebox set upthe player characters as reserve Avengers,who must travel across time to rescue theAvengers from the new Masters of Evil!Full-color character fold-ups are providedfor the Avengers and the major westerncharacters, and players receive individualAvengers� ID cards for their characters.There�s even a 3-D fold-up Avengers� Quin-jet you can construct yourself. Two full-color maps are included with a full-colorposter of the heroes of the West, from pastto present.

As we�ve said before, 1992 will be anexciting year for fans of the MARVELSUPER HEROES game, so be sure to checkour line out. Former players of the gamemay want to look at the system again�you�ll like what we�ve done to enhanceeveryone�s enjoyment of the game. And, ifyou�ve never played the MARVEL SUPERHEROES game but do read Marvel Comics,give us a try! I guarantee you�ll like whatyou see. Once the 1992 products hit theshelves, send a letter to me and let meknow what you think (Steve Schend, c/oTSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI53147, U.S.A.). Your input, and responsehave made our games what they are today,and we want to hear what you have to sayabout the MARVEL SUPER HEROES game.Thanks for listening, and we hope youenjoy the games!

MARVEL, Marvel characters, and the distinctive names andlikenesses thereof are trademarks of Marvel EntertainmentGroup, Inc. and are used with permission. Copyright ©1992Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Free Catalog!

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

84 FEBRUARY 1992

DRAGON 85

Additional combat techniques for the TOP SECRET/S.I.� game

A Swingand a Hit

by Gary Van Binsbergen

The hand-to-hand fighting styles in theTOP SECRET/S.I.� game allow for bothrealism and variety. Agents are able tolearn Boxing, Oriental Martial Arts, orWrestling talents. Each of these fightingstyles has several special techniques foragents to use. The Combat TechniquesChart found on page 78 of the Player�sGuide lists 14 different techniques thatwill cover most situations in the game.

This list, however, is not complete. Se-cret agents always find themselves inpredicaments that are not covered by the

rules. It is then up to the Administrator toresolve the situation at hand. One way todo this is to design additional combattechniques that are well balanced and addexcitement to your game.

This article offers several new tech-niques to add to your campaign, eachdealing with a variety of situations notdealt with in the Player�s Guide. For exam-ple, what if an agent is defending himselfagainst the wielder of a spear and decidesto break the spear in half? What if anagent psyches herself up for a battle to the

death? What if an agent wants to fake outhis opponent in the middle of a fight?Some sort of bonus should be given to-ward each agent�s attacks.

These situations can be dealt with byadding new techniques to your campaign.The format used in this article is takenfrom Bruce Onder�s article, �Up Close andPersonal,� found in DRAGON® issue #135.Unlike the presentation of combat tech-niques in the Player�s Guide, both Bruce�sarticle and this one have inclusions forLucky and Bad Breaks. In order to deter-mine which fighting style each techniquefalls under, the Combat Techniques Charton page 78 of the Player�s Guide has beenreproduced here for your convenience.The new techniques are listed with thosefrom the earlier article, �Up Close andPersonal.�

Choke hold: This technique enablesthe agent to render an opponent uncon-scious, and eventually dead, by graspingthe person around the throat and applyingpressure. The opponent must be on theground in order to use this technique.

The choke hold is attempted at a -30%penalty to the attacker�s chance of success.Once grasped, the victim suffers 1d6points of CON damage. Each turn the holdis applied, a successful skill check at fullability must be made in order to inflictanother 1d6 points of damage. If the skillcheck is failed, 1-3 points of damage areinflicted that turn.

When enough damage has been inflictedto reduce the victim�s CON score to halfnormal, the victim must make a CONcheck at his CON�s current total. If thischeck is failed, the victim falls uncon-scious; if not, the struggle continues.When the character�s CON reaches one-quarter normal, another CON check atthat level is made. If the roll fails, theopponent finally falls unconscious. If theCON check is successful, the victim con-tinues trying to break the hold. Should thevictim�s CON reach zero, he dies.

In order to break the hold, the victim isallowed a one-quarter skill check everyturn, using either Basic Melee, Boxing,

Artwork by Jim Holloway

86 FEBRUARY 1992

Oriental Martial Arts, or Wrestling. Theresults follow:

Success: The escape is successful, and1d6 points of CON damage are inflicted onthe attacker.

Lucky Break: The victim escapes andinflicts 2d6 points of damage on the attacker.

Failure: The escape attempt fails com-pletely, or 1-3 additional points of damageare inflicted by the attacker.

Bad Break: The escape fails, and thevictim loses his orientation, taking a turnto recover.

Crushing Blow: This technique isused to break materials such as wood andbrick. For every 1� of wood or every 1/4�of brick through which the agent muststrike, the agent suffers a -10% penaltyto his attack roll. When striking suchmaterials, the agent suffers one point ofbruise damage to either his hand or foot,whichever the agent used. For every 1� ofwood or every 1/4� of brick beyond theinitial amount, another point of bruisedamage is taken.

Success: The agent breaks the desiredmaterial.

Lucky Break: The agent breaks thematerial and suffers no bruise damage.

Failure: The agent fails to break thematerial.

Bad Break: The agent suffers twice theamount of bruise damage and fails tobreak the material.

Disarm: This technique allows the agentto disarm another person by knocking aweapon out of his opponent�s hands. Theagent might be using a weapon himself.

If the agent uses a weapon to disarm anopponent, the skill check is calculateddifferently. Because the agent is using bothhis weapon and a close-combat fightingstyle, inclusion for both skills must bemade. Add 1/2 his weapon skill and 1/2 hisclose-combat fighting style together. Apenalty of -20% is then subtracted fromthis total (this penalty is the usual inclu-sion for using a special technique). Anagent cannot disarm an opponent if theagent is not skilled with the weapon he isusing. The agent cannot use the weapon atdefault or use the Basic Melee skill withthis technique.

If the agent does not use a weapon todisarm his opponent, a successful skillcheck at a -20% penalty must be made. Ifsuccessful, the agent must use either hishands or feet to knock the opponent�sweapon away.

Success: The agent disarms the oppo-nent, and the weapon lands 2d6 feet awayfrom its wielder.

Lucky Break: The agent disarms theopponent as per �Success.� The opponentis so surprised that he may take no actionon the following turn.

Failure: The disarm attempt fails, andthe opponent retains his weapon.

Bad Break: The grip on the agent�s ownweapon, if any, is lost, and that weapon

lands 1d6 feet away. If the agent wasn�tusing a weapon, the agent throws himselfoff balance and must take a turn to recover.

Feint: An agent using this technique isattempting to fake out his opponent on thefirst turn, then follow up the next turn bystriking with total surprise. The feinttechnique itself does no damage, but theattack made on the following turn receivesa bonus.

The feint technique is attempted at a-20% penalty to the agent�s chance ofsuccess. If successful, the agent follows itup on the next turn by using anotherspecial technique. This second techniquedoes not suffer its normal penalty, butinstead is performed at a +10% bonus.The player must announce that this spe-cial technique will follow the feint prior tousing the feint technique. The feint is notuseful until the agent has mastered 2ndlevel in his melee style.

Success: The feint works, and the agentmay use the upcoming technique at a+10% bonus.

Lucky Break: The feint works so wellthat the upcoming technique may be at-tempted at a +20% bonus.

Failure: The feint technique fails, andthe agent must attack the following turnusing the technique previously announced.This technique is attempted at its fullpenalty listed within its description.

Bad Break: The feint fails so badly thatthe agent loses the next turn and mustspend the time getting repositioned.

Incapacitate: The agent using this tech-nique weakens his opponent�s joints, suchas the knees, elbows, and shoulders, bydelivering smashing blows to those areas. Asuccessful attack causes the opponent tomake all further attacks and defenses at a-10% penalty. Using this technique severaltimes in a row has cumulative effects. Theeffects of each use of this technique lastone to two turns, plus additional turnsequal to the agent�s level. The technique isapplied at a -20% penalty.

Success: The attack succeeds, and theopponent must attack and defend with theabove penalty.

Lucky Break: The attack succeeds as per�Success.� The duration of the penalty isdoubled.

Failure: The agent fails to make a suc-cessful attack.

Bad Break: The attack misses, and theagent�s next initiative is made at a -5penalty.

Meditation: This technique may beused before and after a fight by thoseagents with Oriental Martial Arts skill. Ifused before a fight, the agent must spendat least one hour in a meditative state. Atthe end of the meditation, the agent must

DRAGON 87

make an Oriental Martial Arts skill checkat a -30% penalty. If successful, the agentmay make all subsequent Oriental MartialArts attacks in the next hour at a +10%bonus. If any special techniques are used,they are preformed at half their normalpenalty. The duration of a fight is at theAdministrator�s discretion. If may be asingle fight or a series of brief encountersin one extended battle.

When this technique is used after afight, it allows the agent to heal damagetaken. If the agent must make a successfulskill check at a -30% penalty, he is able toheal 1d6 points of bruise damage or 1d3points of wound damage to any area de-sired. The player may decide whetherwound or bruise damage is healed. Thishealing may only be used once per fightand will never heal more damage than wastaken in that particular fight. This tech-nique may only be used to restore theagent�s hit points, not another persons.

Success: The meditation works and hasthe aforementioned effects.

Lucky Break: The agent�s attacks aremade at a +15% bonus, as opposed to theusual +10% bonus, or all special tech-niques are attempted at a -5% penalty. Ifthe special technique being used has anormal penalty of -10%, the technique isattempted without penalty. If the LuckyBreak is rolled when restoring damage,the agent heals an extra two points of

damage.Failure: The meditation fails and pro-

vides no bonuses to the Oriental MartialArts skill checks, or the agent fails to healany damage sustained in the fight.

Bad Break: The agent is preoccupiedduring the fight and makes all OrientalMartial Arts skill checks at a -10% penal-ty. If the agent attempts any special tech-niques, an additional -10% penalty isapplied. Agents who try to heal themselvesfail. Bruise damage of 1d6 points requiresan extra hour to heal, or wound damageof 1-3 points requires an extra day to heal.

Weapon: The technique allows theagent to use a weapon against an oppo-nent while employing the Oriental MartialArts skill. The agent is able to attack twicein one turn, once with the weapon andonce with the Oriental Martial Arts skill.

Because he is using both a weapon andan Oriental Martial Arts, inclusion for bothskills must be made. Add 1/2 his weaponskill to 1/2 his Oriental Martial Arts skill;the result is the agent�s chance of success.

The player must announce prior toinitiative which attack will come first andwhich will be second. The first attack ismade at a -20% penalty, and the secondattack is made at a -30% penalty. Whenthe Oriental Martial Arts attack is made,no special techniques are allowed; onlynormal punches and kicks are performed.

88 FEBRUARY 1992

The agent must be skilled with theweapon he employs; he may not use aweapon at default or with the Basic Meleeskill. The Administrator must determinewhich weapons are usable with OrientalMartial Arts. No ranged weapons areallowed because the agent is in hand-to-hand combat.

Success: The attack is successful.Lucky Break: If the Lucky Break occurs

on the first attack, the second attack ismade at a -20% penalty instead of -30%.If the Lucky Break is rolled on the secondattack, the opponent suffers a -5 penaltyto the next initiative roll.

Failure: The attack misses, and the sec-ond attack is still allowed at its normalpenalty.

Bad Break: If the Bad Break occurs onthe first attack, the agent has overextend-ed and loses his second attack. If the BadBreak is rolled on the second attack, theagent suffers a -5 penalty to his nextinitiative roll.

Weapon display: An agent using thistechnique is able to twirl his weapon incircles, over his head, under his arms, andbehind his back in an attempt to impressor intimidate their enemy. The agent mustbe skilled with the weapon being used.Weapon Display cannot be used at defaultor with the Basic Melee skill. In order todetermine the agent�s chance of success,add ½ his Oriental Martial Arts skill to ½his weapon skill.

This technique is attempted at a -20%penalty. If the agent�s skill check is success-ful, the opponent must make a WIL checkto resist watching the weapon display. Ifthe WIL check fails, the opponent mustwatch the entire display, which takes 2d4turns. If the WIL check succeeds, theopponent may ignore the weapon displayand attack the agent without pause. Theagent may then discontinue the display,and initiative is determined normally.

In the event that the WIL check fails, theagent proceeds with the weapon display.Once the display is over, the opponentmust then make a ½ WIL check in orderto enter the fight right away. If this ½ WILcheck is failed, the enemy is not able toattack or defend for another turn, ena-bling the agent to attack or perform someother action during that time. If the ½WIL check is successful, the opponentmay enter the fight immediately.

Success: The agent has either intimi-dated or impressed the enemy and de-layed that person�s actions as above. Asuccessful roll also allows the agent a freeattack or other action if the enemy�s ½WIL check is failed.

Lucky Break: The opponent is so intimi-dated that not only is the entire displaywatched, but the person will not takeaction against the agent until a successful½ WIL check is made. The opponent isallowed a ½ WIL check every turn. Oncethe check is made, the individual mayreact normally.

Failure: The agent fails to impress orintimidate the opponent. The individualignores the agent�s efforts and attacksimmediately.

Bad Break: The opponent attacks, andthe agent must spend a turn repositioning

the weapon. A skill check at full abilitymust be made. If failed, the agent dropsthe displayed weapon, and it lands 2d4feet away.

Withstand blow: This technique al-

TOP SECRET/S.I.TM Revised Combat Techniques Chart

TechniqueAttack/DefendBlind fightingChoke holdCrushing blowDisarmDropFeintHoldIncapacitateInstant defenseInstant standKnock downLeapMeditationMulti-attacksMulti-defenseStunSurprise actionThrowVital areasWeaponWeapon displayWithstand blow

BoxingX

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Wrestling

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

Martial arts

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

X

lows the agent to be mentally prepared fora blow, thereby taking less damage. Thistechnique is most useful for agents whohave no other alternative and are unableto defend themselves, such as duringinterrogation when the agent is tied up.The agent is not able to take any otheraction during this turn.

The technique is attempted at a -20%penalty. If successful, the agent suffershalf damage from the blow (all fractionsare rounded downward). If multiple at-tacks are made against the agent withinthe same turn, the player is able to choosewhich attack the agent attempts to with-stand. When this technique is used againstanother technique, damage is halved asabove, as is any duration of the effectsfrom that technique.

Success: The agent suffers half damagefrom the opponent�s blow.

Lucky Break: The agent makes one-quarter damage from the attack.

Failure: The agent takes the damagerolled on the die.

Bad Break: The blow was not preparedfor, and the agent was struck for an addi-tional two points of damage.

90 FEBRUARY 1992

by Skip Williams

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

Join the sage for the second in his two-part travelogue on Athas, the world of thenew DARK SUN� campaign setting. TheRules Book and the Wanderer�s Journalare found in the DARK SUN boxed set.

The Ranger�s Followers table inthe Rules Book, pages 25-26, doesnot give levels or races for fol-lowers with character classes. Whatare they?

I suggest rolling 1d3+1 for level. TheDM should pick races according to Table 3(Rules Book, page 4). For random genera-tion, I suggest: Preservers must be human,elf, or half-elf (roll 1d3). Thieves should behuman, dwarf, elf, or half-elf (roll 1d4).Druids should be human, half-elf or thri-kreen; roll 1d3. Independent muls are ex-slaves and not inclined to becomefollowers. Halflings are distrustful andgenerally not trusted; they make suitablefollowers only for other halflings. Like-wise, it seems to me that nobody but ahalfling or an adventurous human wouldfollow a halfling.

Are the character kits from thevarious Complete Handbooks availa-ble to characters on Athas?

The material in the Handbooks is alloptional and available in any campaignwhere the DM thinks it will be useful. Notall the character kits, optional rules, andnew equipment will fit into DARK SUNcampaigns, but some surely will. The DM,however, has final say.

Does the water-find proficiencywork in any terrain? If not, what is

92 FEBRUARY 1992

the difference between it and thesurvival proficiency? Can a charac-ter use both proficiencies in thesame area?

The water-find proficiency works in anyterrain, but yields only water. Survivalworks in only one type of terrain, but ityields both food and water. If a characterwith both of these proficiencies tries oneand fails, the DM probably should allowthe character to try the other one; failingthe check doesn�t necessarily mean thereis no food or water to be found in thearea, just that the character can�t find it;using a different approach often is thebest way to solve a difficult problem.However, if the character succeeds withone proficiency the DM would be quiteright to rule that the second fails or has ahefty penalty; there�s only so much foodand water in the wilderness.

Do a half-giant�s weapons do anextra die of damage like a giant�sweapons do? Half-giant equipmentcosts twice as much as a human�s;does a half-giant�s food and watercost twice as much as a human�s?

Some of the giants described in theMonstrous Compendium gain an extradamage die, sometimes two extra dice, fortheir oversize weapons. Athasian half-giants don�t have this ability.

An Athasian half-giant needs the samesort of food and water as any human, buthe has to buy twice as much as a humanor demi-human does.

Considering a thri-kreen�s fourclaw attacks, can a thri-kreen usefour melee weapons, one in eachhand, or two two-handed weapons?Can they use four-handed weapons?What are the game statistics forfour-handed versions of commonweapons?

An armed thri-kreen can use at most onetwo-handed weapon, or two one-handedweapons, just as a human or demi-humancan. Just because a thri-kreen can attackwith four claws does not mean it cancoordinate four weapons at once. Beforesomebody writes and asks: No, this doesnot mean thri-kreen cannot hurl more

than two missiles each round; they get thefull rate of fire listed in the rules for dartsand similar hand-hurled missiles (but theycan�t use their extra hands to get a rate offire better than that listed in the rules).Statistics on four-handed weapons are upto the DM; however, I suggest that limitson thri-kreen strength and coordinationmake such weapons no more effectivethan two-handed weapons. Note also thatthri-kreen can bite while wielding weap-ons, but they cannot claw while doing so. Isuppose a kind DM might allow a thri-kreen to use a claw as a secondary weap-on under the �Attacking with TwoWeapons� rule in the PHB, page 96.

What advancement table do gladia-tors use?

They use the paladin/ranger table.

Can bards backstab?No. Bards don�t have time for the ana-

tomical studies that allow thieves to usetheir backstab ability.

Do the inactive characters on acharacter tree get an extra die ofceramic pieces when they advance alevel?

This is up to the DM, but giving high-level characters a little extra cash is a darngood idea unless you want a lot of experi-enced but poor adventurers coming intothe campaign at critical points in the storyline. Generous but fiscally conservativeDMs might want to add an extra +1 to theroll, rather than a full die for each extralevel gained.

Wood, obsidian, and bone weap-ons have a percentage chance ofbreaking. Are enchanted weaponsmade from these less likely tobreak, or are they immune to thebreakage rule?

Are we reading the same set of ruleshere? The �breaking weapons� section inthe Rules Book (page 51) doesn�t use per-centages at all. Considering how unlikelybreakage is�a 1-in-20 chance when a hitdoes maximum damage�I can�t see anyclean, workable way to give enchantedweapons a bonus. The DM might decide tomake enchanted weapons immune tobreakage, or he might give an enchantedweapon a chance to resist breakage bymaking a save vs. crushing blow (DungeonMaster’s Guide, page 38-39) instead ofbreaking automatically when the dreadedroll of 1 comes up.

How much damage does a personcaught in a sandstorm take? Howlong will it take a person buried bysand or dust to suffocate?

Only extraordinary sandstorms actuallycause damage. The worst effects of blow-ing sand are reduced visibility (Rules Book,page 84) and the fact that sand tends toget into everything, like clothing, armor,equipment, and provisions. Athas, how-

ever, probably has more than its share ofextraordinary sandstorms. The DM willhave to handle these on a case-by-casebasis. I suggest that characters escapedamage altogether if they have shelter ofany sort (a tent or the lee side of any bar-rier such as a boulder, hill, or stand ofcactus). Characters exposed to the fullforce of the wind might suffer 1-2 six-sided dice of damage per hour, turn, orminute, depending on how ferocious thestorm is. Blowing dust might force charac-ters to save vs. poison or suffer minordamage if they don�t breathe through acloth or filter.

According to the Wanderer�s Journal, acharacter buried in the dust of the Sea ofSilt can stay alive for about four minutes(see page 40, �Wading�). To determinesurvival time more accurately, use therules on �Holding Your Breath� in the PHB,page 122.

Since the �normal� animals onAthas would be considered prettynasty monsters on most otherworlds, how useful on Athas arespeak with animals and the variousspells that can affect or summonanimals? Will they also work onmost �monsters�?

In the strictest terms, a speak with ani-mals spell won�t work on many of themost common Athasian �animals,� as thesereally are fantastic creatures. Neverthe-less, Athas does have small lizards, snakes,mammals, and birds that are true animals.Athas also has great cats, bats, and anassortment of other mundane animals�enough normal fauna to make the variousanimal-affecting spells worthwhile. Speakwith animals also works on commonlydomesticated creatures of Athas, such asmekillots, inix, kanks, and erdlus.

Why are there so few creaturesincluded in the DARK SUN world?The list in the rules, even whenaugmented by a Monstrous Compen-dium many times larger than thevolumes TSR has been putting outrecently, is pretty small for playersand DMs accustomed to the hun-dreds of creatures available in theregular AD&D game. Is such a vol-ume coming out?

Athas has very few species because it�s asite of a worldwide ecological disaster. Adying ecology means lots of extinctionsand very few surviving species.

There is a DARK SUN Monstrous Com-pendium in the works. Look for it in Feb-ruary 1992; it will be 96 pages long.

Why are the psionically powerfulmind flayers absent from Athas?What about beholders?

I can�t think of one good reason why anysane mind flayer would remain on thesurface of Athas when it could escape byplane shifting or travelling astrally. Thescorching heat alone would be enough to

discourage a mind flayer, not to mentionthat fact that almost everything thatmoves has psionics, something that tendsto render the mind flayer�s psionic abilitiesindifferent. As for beholders, I can thinkof at least three reasons why they aren�tlisted in the rules: 1) They�re all dead,because Athas is a tough place; 2) Theynever were there in the first place; notevery world boasts all the species de-scribed in the Monstrous Compendium; 3)They are around, all right, but are veryrare and still lurking deep underground,waiting for a few unlucky Athasians toshow up for dinner. (Maybe the mindflayers are lurking down there with them.)

How does Athas fit into theSPELLJAMMER universe?

The official TSR position is that Athaslies within a closed crystal sphere; it can-not be reached by spelljammers.

Does Athas have the equivalent ofOerth�s or Toril�s Underdark?

This is unrevealed but unlikely. Thereare dungeons and subterranean ruins onAthas, but the vast majority of the actiontakes place on the surface.

How much do thieves� picks andtools cost on Athas?

Good thieves� tools are primarily metallicand sell for the listed price on Athas (30

gp). Less-durable tools cobbled togetherfrom cactus spines, bone, and other mate-rials sell for 3 sp; however, these probablyneed frequent replacement. Hard-mindedDMs might apply the breakage rule onpage 51 of the Rules Book whenever arogue fails to pick a lock or remove a trapusing cheap tools.

How many attacks can a characterwearing wrist razors deliver eachround? Can a thief wearing wristrazors on each arm attempt twobackstabbing attacks in one round?

The normal melee rules apply to wristrazors. A character wearing one set getshis normal allotment of melee attacks. Acharacter wearing two sets gets his nor-mal attacks, plus one extra attack for thesecond set (see �Attacking with Two Weap-ons,� PHB, page 96). A thief wearing twosets of wrist razors can attempt a backstabonly with his first attack.

And one miscellaneous question:

Is there a reason why the old DMGtable for naturally detecting invisi-bility (page 60) was omitted from theAD&D 2nd Edition rules?

You�ll find a streamlined set of rulescovering this situation in the descriptionfor the invisibility spell in the new PHB,page 142.

DRAGON 93

Artwork by Gerald P. Sawyer

Sneaking around in the AD&D® 2nd Edition BATTLESYSTEM TM game

BATTLESYSTEM Skirmishes miniaturesThe 2nd Edition BATTLESYSTEM� and

rules are very playable systems for hostinglarge- and small-scale fantasy battles in-volving monsters, troops, and spell-casters.What these games lack, though, are ade-quate rules dealing with thieves. Thievesare popular characters in the AD&D®game, and players who prefer them willnot want to be left out of the fun in theminiatures battles, so more rules detailingthem are necessary.

Table 1Thief Hits in BATTLESYSTEMgames

Thief Thief�s gamelevels hits1-3 14-6 27-9 310-12 413-15 516-18 619-21 7

Since rules covering combat and otherThieves on battlefields

skills must be somewhat condensed inorder to be easily used in miniatures bat-tles, thief skills must be revised as well.

The first step in converting thieves foruse in BATTLESYSTEM games is to convertAD&D game levels to BATTLESYSTEMhits. This is done by using the rules in theBATTLESYSTEM rule book on page 106,treating thieves just as priests and wizardsare treated, thus giving the figure 1 hit forevery three levels that the character pos-sesses and rounding all results up (seeTable 1).

The next step is to convert thief skills toa form usable in BATTLESYSTEM games.The pick-pockets, hear-noise, and read-languages skills can be dropped, since theyhave little applicability to battlefield condi-tions. Backstabbing rules are covered inthe Skirmishes book on page 107, but arefurther developed later. The thief�s climb-ing, trap-detection, and stealth skills haveobvious battlefield uses and are shown inTable 2. Adjustments for nonhumanthieves are given in Table 3. These adjust-ments are added to the thief�s basic chanceof success. In no case will the chance of

Table 2Thief Skills in BATTLESYSTEM games

Thief hitsSkills 1 2 3 4 5 6Lock picking 4 4 6 7 9 9Find/Remove traps 3 5 6 7 8 9Stealth attack 3 5 7 9 9 9Stealth move 2 4 6 8 9 9Climbing 9 9 9 9 9 9

success be greater than 90% (a roll of 10 isalways a failure). Battlefield conditions arenot the most favorable for charactersaccustomed to urban living.

When one of the allowable skills is used,1d10 is rolled. Any result equal to orlower than the number listed signifiessuccess; rolling above the listed numberindicates failure. A roll of 10 is always afailure, regardless of modifications. Eachskill roll is made during the thief�s move-ment phase.

Lock picking�This skill allows the thiefto open a locked door without the need ofbreaking it down. It will not affect a for-tress gate or a portcullis. This skill may beattempted as often as desired.

Find/Remove traps�This skill allows thethief to locate any trap within 1�. Anytrap found may be harmlessly deactivatedif a second successful roll is made duringthe thief�s melee-combat phase; failure onthe second roll indicates that the trapremains armed.

Stealth attack�This skill allows the thiefto approach an enemy unit at 12� speedand employ a backstabbing attack duringhis movement phase. The thief must bebehind the enemy unit at the beginning ofhis movement phase in order to employthis attack. If the stealth-attack roll issuccessful, the thief then attacks and doesdamage according to the backstabbingrules in Skirmishes, page 107. If thestealth-attack roll fails, the thief mustcomplete his move but makes only anordinary attack that is resolved during themelee-combat phase. All attacks from therear receive the usual +4 penalty to thetarget�s armor rating (AR). Any figure canbe the target of a backstabbing attack.

Stealth move�This skill allows the thiefto move as if he were invisible. (For theeffects of invisibility, see the spell descrip-tion for mass invisibility in the

Table 3Skill Adjustments For Nonhuman Thieves

RaceDwarfElfGnomeHalf-elfHalfling

Lock picking+1

0+1

0+1

Find/Removetraps

+20

+10

+1

Stealthattack

0+1+1

0+1

Stealthmove

0+2+1+1+2

Climbing-1

0-1

0-1

DRAGON 95

BATTLESYSTEM rule book, page 92.) Themovement cost while performing a stealthmove is 4� for every 10� moved. A skill rollmust be made each time the thief wishesto move, with failure revealing the thief.This skill cannot be used while the thief isin contact with an enemy unit.

Climbing�This skill allows the thief toclimb walls or cliffs without the aid ofladders or grapples, at the rate of 2� forevery 10� climbed; this allows the thief tocross obstacles at the same rate. The thiefcannot attack or use stealth move whiledoing this.

Units of thievesEntire units of thieves can be created, if

desired. A standard unit of thieves mightlook like this: AD 6; AR 9; Hits 1; ML 11;MV 12�. Groups of these units will be ableto function as irregular units or skirmish-ers. All the commanders of these units will

be thieves. Thief units may also take partin missile combat if equipped with slingsor short bows:

Thief archers: AD 6; AR 9; Hits 1; ML 11;MV 12�; Range 5/10/20

Thief slingers: AD 8/6; AR 9; Hits 1; ML12� ; Range 5/10/20

Thief units might also use poison. If theyare using poison on their hand weapons,raise their AD from AD 6 to AD 8. Thiefarchers using poisoned arrows will haveAD 8 in missile combat. Thief slingers can-not poison their missile weapons. Thievesusing poison are assumed to have enoughof it to last throughout a given battle.

The basic point cost for thief units is 6.Adding short bows costs 5, adding slingscosts 6, and adding poison costs 2. Noother weapons or armor may be added.

Thieves and trapsA scenario that features thieves will also

be likely to feature traps. Traps are nor-mally placed inside a building by the de-fenders before play begins; their locationand description must be noted accuratelyon a piece of graph paper. Agreementmust be reached by the players before thebattle as to what sort of traps are to beallowed. No piece is placed on the field torepresent any given trap, and no trap cango off more than once. Table 4 detailstypes of traps that can be used inBATTLESYSTEM games.

Using these rules, you can use thieves asmilitary auxiliaries, particularly whenattacking fortresses or urban areas. Youcould also create a scenario of a majorattack on a thieves� guild or bandit gang.Whatever scenario you decide on, thievescan now play a bigger role in your AD&Dminiatures battles.

Table 4Trap Types in BATTLESYSTEM Games

Types of traps: ArrowsDamage: d6Creates obstacle: NoPoint cost: 1

Ballista Deadfalls Pitsd12 d12 d6No Yes Yes2 2 1

96 FEBRUARY 1992

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

I am writing in response to Bradley Wadle�sletter in �Forum� in DRAGON® issue #167. AsMr. Wadle stated, the energy-draining attacksfrom the Negative Material plane are extremelyunbalancing in AD&D® game terms. I agreewith Mr. Wadle that it is improper to drainlevels; I think it would be more suitable to drainstrength, constitution, and dexterity points. Thenumber of points drained per successful attackfrom the character should depend on the crea-ture, as follows:

�Wight or wraith-l point each fromstrength and constitution.

�Spectre�2 points each from strength andconstitution.

�Vampire�2 points each from strength andconstitution, and 1 point from dexterity.

Ability-score losses should have to be cured byrestoration (one restoration spell cures the lossof two ability points from one or two abilityscores). For example: Narg, an 8th-level fighterwith S 16 and C 12, gets drained by a spectre,lowering his ability scores to S 14 and C 10. Tworestoration spells must be cast on him to allowhim to regain his initial ability scores.

John CummingsArmonk NY

I�ve been keeping up with the recent lettersabout the game realities involved in the use oflevel-draining undead. There have been severalsolutions proposed as alternatives to the perma-nent loss of memory, abilities, and experience.None of these have the ability to inspire the fearthat the loss of hard-earned levels does.

My idea on how to handle the level-drainingabilities of undead concerns making the leveldrain a temporary thing. As every playerknows, a 5th-level fighter character who istouched by a wight loses 1d4 hp plus one levelof experience. The loss of the level of experi-ence also causes the character to lose 1d8 hpmore and makes him less competent at his class,as shown by his poorer THAC0 score and savingthrows. In most cases, this is the end of thematter unless the character can find a 14th-level

cleric willing to put himself through the troubleand unnatural aging of casting a restorationspell for the unlucky fighter. Finding a clericwilling to do this shouldn�t be easy at all.

In the world I run, level drains are temporary.As long as a character doesn�t either lose all hislevels or die of the total damage done by theundead, he will recover from the draining. Thelost levels will return at the rate of one level perday. This allows for the characters to regaintheir nerve, shake off the unworldly chill ofbeing touched by a form of death, and regain orrebuild the energy reserves inherent in a heroor heroine. On the other hand, if the characterdies during the encounter, things proceed justas in the AD&D 2nd Edition rules. If the charac-ter dies of the level drains, he becomes anundead of the type that drained him. If he diesof the hit-point loss, he is simply dead. Thissystem is simple, easy to handle, kind to thecharacters, just as scary to the players, andfollows the legends about the effects of thetouch of undead much better than the standardtreatment in the AD&D 2nd Edition rules.

There is also an item I would like to bring upto the collected DMs who read �Forum,� andthat is the subject of monsters that have beendesigned in such a way as to act as spoilerswhen they affect the characters. I use the term�spoilers� because these particular monstershave an affect on characters that is dispropor-tionate to the monsters� importance in the game.An example of a spoiler is the level-drainingundead: One undead touch can destroy a yearof careful play.

The troglodyte, with its stench, is also unbal-anced. . . . The effect of the troglodyte�s muskattack, according to the AD&D 2nd EditionMonstrous Compendium, is that characters�failing their saving throws vs. poison are sorevolted as to lose 1d6 points of Strength. Thisloss remains in effect for 10 rounds.� This ispatently unfair to any character who is strongenough to have an attack or damage bonus. Acharacter with average (11) strength, on anaverage roll of 1d6, would drop to a strength of8. This weakens him, but he doesn�t lose any-thing from his attack or damage modifiers, as hehas none. A character with an 18 strength, evenwithout exceptional strength, loses a lot more.An average roll of 1d6 drops him to a 15strength, and he loses all attack and damagebonuses. This is ridiculously unfair to thestronger characters in the game.

My way of handling this is to use a rule fromthe D&D® game. In that game, a character whofails his saving throw against the troglodyte�smusk attack takes a -2 penalty on his attack

rolls and nothing more. This penalizes everyonethe same amount and removes the troglodytefrom the spoiler category.

Ivy K. RyanSpringfield OR

I write in answer to Mr. Michael Repka�s letterin DRAGON issue #165. I can understand hisDM perfectly well, since I�ve been a GM for twoyears and also have my own PCs. Yet the wayMichael�s DM is using his character is verydisruptive and will eventually destroy the game,because his PC is much too powerful. My ownPC career started out when I was DMing agroup with only two players, using a ranger anda fighter. Since then, I�ve had various charac-ters, one of them being an extremely powerfulmage with only one small problem: He washunted by a god, and using his magic wouldhave told the god where he was. Additionally,the players became suspicious, resulting in someof the most realistic scenes we had. Thus, Iwould like to provide a few guidelines for DMswho would like to play PCs without destroyingthe game balance:

1. Don�t use fighters. It�s very boring forplayers to hear about the damage your PC did,and it destroys the fluidity of your fight. It�sbetter to use mages, bards, scholars, etc.

2. Don�t use characters who are too powerful.Make them the same (or lower) level as yourplayers� PCs. If you want to use ultra-characters,see that they can�t use their abilities freely. Letthem be hunted by something more powerful orsimply be unwilling to reveal their true identity(think of Fizban in the DRAGONLANCE® novels).

3. Give your NPC an aim aside from amassingwealth and power. It makes him more distinctiveand less interfering with the players� purposes.

4. Keep your NPC out of important decisions,except if the players have forgotten a vital detailthey are supposed to remember, if they are tooclose to the solution too early in the game, or ifthey are too far away late in the game.

5. Most importantly, don�t transfer yourknowledge to your NPC. He cannot know thatthis door is trapped, or who�s the murderer.

By using these rules, a DM�s NPC can be avaluable addition to any game.

After all, there is only one person who cantruly unbalance a game, and that�s the DM. Butremember, DMs are only human and as long asnobody tells them what�s wrong with theirgame, they won�t know and thus, they won�tchange it.

Sabine VolkelKorb, Germany

98 FEBRUARY 1992

I have just finished reading the letters reply-ing to Robert Rodger�s request for assistance inhis �Monty Haul� STAR WARS: The RPG* cam-paign (from West End Games), and I found manyresourceful and imaginative ideas on how tohandle Red-eyes, his armor, and his wealth. [Seeissues #163, 170, and 175.]

Another way to cause Red-eyes some griefwith his armor is to use other PCs or NPCs toirritate him. A kid may decide he wants to seethe inner workings of the armor (�Gee, Mr. Red-eyes, all I wanted to do was see how yourarmor worked. I took it apart and when I put itback together, there were all these extra circuitsan� gizmos an� stuff.�) A Tongue-Tied Engineermay decide that he can make the armor moreefficient with several adjustments (�Just holdstill. If I can just depolarize the power pack, Ican�� several ominous electrical pops follow,then silence while Red-eyes lights up like alanding beacon), or the Ewok the group acciden-tally picked up on Endor may decide to playsome practical jokes on Red-eyes (a few icecubes, small insects, or rodents down the backof the armor should make Red-eyes squirm for awhile).

Perhaps when Red-eyes bought the armor heunknowingly purchased some second-handarmor sold by the former owner due to somebugs in the system. An excellent quirk to playout in the armor could be a short in the powerpack, causing a 45%-50% chance of failure.Another could be an annoying squeak in thejoints that cannot be repaired or remedied,making it difficult to surprise enemies. Yetanother could be the fact that the former ownerenjoyed using phosphorescent paints, and after24 hours of exposure to sunlight, the armorglows like a beacon in the dark, making Red-eyes an easy target for Imperial troops hiding inthe shadows. A serious defect could be that the

where he has to willingly abandon his preciousarmor in order to save the life of a friend ( or hisown life) should definitely give his player anidea of how much trouble the armor is, especial-ly if you administer the penalties on evasionsand speed-related actions mentioned before.The armor could also have serious setbacks aswell, such as not being able to fit in a starfightercockpit or a one-man escape pod. The armor mayeven have effects after Red-eyes takes it off,such as fatigue from supporting the armor forsuch a long period of time (effectively raising alldifficulty numbers for Strength rolls by one ortwo for a short time until he recovers) or evenmore serious problems that are best left to theGM's imagination. The armor could also be thetarget of an attack from greedy crimelords whowish to steal and sell the armor to the hightestbidder or reproduce it for their own evil pur-poses.

As for his incredible wealth, I enthusiasticallyagree with those who suggested having the

Empire closing down banks at which Red-eyesmay have accounts, reducing the number ofcredits on dead or unconscious NPCs, andforcing Red-eyes to pay taxes to the Empire. Ifyou allow the players to use predesigned tem-plates, do not allow any more credits thanare printed on the templates. If they wish tobuy extra equipment, allow them to do so aslong as they don't get greedy. If the players aredesigning their PCs from scratch, allow them5d6x10 credits after they finish selecting theirequipment (always stress the basic necessities�a blaster, commlink, medpac, armor or a pro-tective vest or helmet, syntherope, etc.). Aftereach adventure, inform the players that theirPC's will receive certain number of credits inaccordance to how well they did in the adven-ture (like the system for skill and Force points);the credits they have may be used to buy re-placement equipment or to have equipmentmodified or repaired, but the credits cannot besaved or hoarded. If you wish, you can alsoinform the players that if theirs PCs do not usethe credits on themselves or their equipment,that they can donate the money to the Alliance,which would increase their chances for betterequipment and would make the Alliance HighCommand look upon them more favorably (thisdoes not mean, however, that the missions willbe easier for them).

Mr. Ewing's idea of an encumbrance systemfor the STAR WARS system (from issue #170) isa great idea, but it would be a large undertakingfor a GM, as different races move at differentrates, not necessarily the regular five-meters-per-round rate or humans. Also, gravity (be ithigher or lower than normal) would affectmovement and the ability to carry certainamounts of equipment and armor, and thatwould further complicate the system. Mr.Ehret's idea about using sonics against armor isalso a �sound theory,� but one that must be usedwith discretion as some races, such as theXi'Dec (see Galaxy Guide 4: Alien Races fordetails), who have very sensitive nervous sys-tems and are especially susceptible to sonicattacks. A standard sonic rifle would probablyhave the range of a blaster rifle and wouldproduce stun damage anywhere from 2d to 4d.Increasing the effects of such a weapon would

be detrimental to the user if he is not taking theproper safety precautions and possibly even tothe structure of the weapon itself.

Dale MeierHolstein IA

armor is resistant to blaster fire, but when hitwith a bullet from a black-powder pistol orslugthrower, or takes a blow from a meleeweapon, the armor is easily dented or pierced,causing normal damage to Red-eyes (who, ofcourse, would not get the bonuses of the armoradded to his Strength roll due to this defect).Other defects for second-hand equipment couldbe devised using the tables from the article�Magic Gone Haywire,� in DRAGON #163, as anexample.

An additional way to get the attention of Red-eyes� player is to assign movement penalties, notnecessarily with normal actions but with speed-related actions and evasions, regardless of thedexterity enhancements. Raising the difficultyfor movement should tell Red-eyes� player thateven though the armor is protecting his charac-ter, it can be harmful due to the hindrances itcauses as far as movement is concerned. Also, afew squads of Stormtroopers led in group fireagainst Red-eyes by a very competent com-mander, such as Mar Barezz (see the hardcoverSTAR WARS: The RPG rule book, ChapterThree, Adventure Section, for further details onthis ISB agent) could give the player a picture ofwhat kind of trouble the armor can cause. Youcan allow Imperial troops or bounty hunters tohave a personal ion cannon or EMP carbine (asper the stats in The Imperial Sourcebook, modi-fied for extra stopping power if you�re reallynasty) to use against Red-eyes� armor. Thedamage caused by such weapons may not stopRed-eyes, but it should effectively lower theprotection it gives him for a short time, allowingthe Stormtroopers or bounty hunters time totake further action against Red-eyes and hisfriends.

Placing Red-eyes in a life-or-death situationSince the publication of the AD&D 2nd Edi-

tion game, I have been overjoyed at the revision

of nonweapon proficiencies. I really wasn�tinterested in them before. I know you try to becomplete and flexible, so you can�t try to makeeverything a proficiency. However, I do thinkone proficiency should be added, especiallyafter the publication of the Complete Priest’sand Wizard’s Handbooks. As most people know,most of the priests� and wizards� first few yearsof class-related experience comes from pouringover hundreds (maybe thousands) of tomes andprayer books. They learn about different cul-tures, different religions, different spell-castingmethods, and countless other tidbits of knowl-edge. They would have had enough experienceto warrant a proficiency I call researching: theability, knowledge, or skill to go into any libraryusing a written language the PC knows and beable to scrape together some sort of informa-tion. I find some pride in being able to findinformation where others were clueless. Mycharacter, a scholar priest (from The CompletePriest’s Handbook) lives to read and glean infor-mation. What�s more, he is a priest of Denier. Hehas achieved a rank of Duly Appointed Travel-ing Scribe, a position held by only nine others inhis parish. Those knowledgeable about Denierknow about the stockpiles of knowledge suppos-edly gained from a scribe�s work.

A character with this proficiency must havespent long hours reading books, scrolls, andother forms of the written word. Thus, thisproficiency is allowed only to wizards andpriests and will be fairly costly at two slots. Acharacter proficient in researching could go intoa library he has already visited and research asubject he already knows with no modifier. Ifthe subject is a variant on a known topic, theability scores are modified by a - 1. If the topicitself is fairly new to the researcher, the modi-fier is increased to -2, and so on. For each levelof difficulty beyond that (as determined by DM),the modifier is changed by - 1, to a maximummodifier of - 5. If the library is new to the PC, adifficulty modifier is set by the DM using a scaleof - 1 to - 5. These modifiers are then addedtogether. A modifier could be as small as - 1 oras great as - 10.

Just think of it this way: How many timeshave you studied a particular problem or situa-tion in an AD&D game and gone to your booksfor the answer? You probably knew just aboutwhere to look or knew enough to guess whereit might be. That�s basically what you are doingwhen you do research, using your old knowl-edge to gain new knowledge.

Obviously, with the low number of librariesexisting in fantasy worlds, one must alreadyhave access to a library to use it. Not manypeople in that world would feel enough at homein any library to put it to good use, except for acharacter who is a wise wizard or an intelligentpriest.

James Lawrence KightWinston-Salem NC

There was an article in DRAGON issue #169,entitled �New Weapons for Old,� written byJordan Clarke Hayes. In this article, Mr. Hayeshas made a mistake. The basilard that he de-scribes is in no way a basilard except in itslength. The weapon to which he is referring isthe katar. The katar was a Hindu thrustingdagger with the H-shaped handle that Mr. Hayescredits to the basilard. The katar had a straight,short, broad, 12� (rarely 27�) double-edgedblade that was either ribbed or fullered(grooved). The point of this blade was slightlythick and very sharp, so as to pierce chain mail.This blade was made in India in the 18th and19th centuries and was never found in Europe.

DRAGON 99

As a result, characters in D&D and AD&Dgames should find this weapon very hard to getand slightly on the expensive side at 100 gp.

The basilard, on the other hand, was quitecommon in Europe and should be easy to findand buy at 50 gp each; it was made throughoutthe Middle Ages from the 13th to 15th centu-ries. It had an I-shaped handle that varied fromcountry to country. In Italy, the pommel andguard were both made the same length andstraight across; in other European countries, theguard and pommel were different, the guardbeing markedly more curved and longer thanthe pommel. The basilard was first made in thetown of Basel. Its length was between that of ashort sword and a dagger.

I recommend The Complete Encyclopedia ofArms and Weapons, published by BonanzaBooks and distributed by Crown Publishers Inc.(copyright 1979). Thank you for listening.

Marcus WagnerLong Valley NJ

I will start this by saying that I have hadseveral mage PCs who reached high levels, butthey mostly survived on their wits and not somehigh-powered magic staff, rod, or wand. Theyhad rings of protection, but not too many asonly so many rings can work at the same time.They managed to avoid the trap of relying onmagical items.

On my world, the wand of wonder is a one-only item and an NPC owns it. He uses it in thearena between fights to amuse the crowd (theylaugh when seeing butterflies attacking theman). A flame-tongue sword +3 is created onlyfor the creature it is meant to be used upon,and it will either destroy itself as it kills its fatedvictim or it will compel its owner to hunt downthat type of creature and attempt to kill it,thereby destroying itself. If a PC insists onbringing into my world some magical item givento her by some other DM, she will find that itwill not help as much as it did on the other DM�sworld. Magical items are few and far betweenbecause they require so much time and effort tomake that few mages would be willing to makethem for others. Any items that mages make forthemselves would be guarded so well that nothief could get to them and live to tell the tale.

Artifacts should be as hard to find as they arein our own world. The finder should have toexpend as much time and energy, if not money,as any archaeologist. Granted, some people havestumbled across artifacts in this world, but thatis a very rare happening and the finder rarelyknows what she has found (some even use theirfinds as doorstops).

The point of this letter is that magical itemsshould be very hard to get, and they should costas much as a small castle to buy. Rings would bethe exception, along with some amulets ofprotection and some of the lesser protectivejewelry, such as might have been made by amagic-user for family and friends.

J. B. CoburnSacramento CA

Psionics�the third mystical power (along witharcane and divine magic), as it has been namedby gamers in my area�has a few unbalancingresults when played to its full potential. Thepsionicist, as described in the PHBR5 The Com-plete Psionics Handbook, clearly has severaladvantages over the other character classes.

One of the advantages of the psionicist isdistance. While the vast majority of wizard andpriest spells require line of sight to a target (ifnot touch), the psionicist has more freedomwith his range. A psionicist who wishes to

�contact� a nonpsionicist may do so by using thecontact ability (TCPH, page 80) with a virtuallyunlimited range. No touch or line of sight isrequired. The psionicist doesn�t even have to beon the same planet. All he needs is a name or animage, possibly gained through ESP or someknowledge of the person or creature he istrying to contact. Once contact is established,the target is at the mercy of the psionicist.There are several abilities with an unlimited

range that the psionicist may use: mindlink,daydream, empathy, ESP, false sensory input,identity penetration, incarnation awareness, andothers. Worst of all, the target does not usuallyhave any way to detect or know that anything iseven being done to him!

Unlike wizards and priests, the psionicist�spowers are not automatic. There is a chancethat the power might not work because of afailed power check. However, also unlike thewizard and priest classes, the ability to use thepower is not wiped from the mind of the psioni-cist. He can try again and again until he gets itright. It works something like the old �powerpoint� systems that gamers once used for wiz-ards to give more freedom to their spell-casting.The limitation of having to roll a power check isnot so great a hindrance when that is taken intoconsideration. So what if he failed his powercheck for contact several times before he wasable to link up with someone�s mind? The victimnever knows that the psionicist failed, much lesshow many attempts were made. Few if anywizards or priests can boast of influencingenemies from such a distance.

Psionicists also have an advantage whenencountering creatures that have magic resist-ance. While wizard and priest spells have apercentage chance of not taking effect (and stillbeing wiped from the caster�s mind, eliminatingfurther attempts to use them), the psionicist�sabilities are not so restricted. As noted on page110 of TCPH, anti-magic shell, globe of invulner-ability, and several other magic-hamperingspells have no effect against the vast powers ofa psionicist. Even a psionicist who has been heldimmobile by a hold person spell may still use hismind. His powers do not require the use ofverbal or somatic gestures. These powers evenwork underwater without restriction!

Psionicists can harbor great power even atlower levels. By choosing his powers wisely, apsionicist at 3rd level can use the dominationability that takes a wizard at least nine levels toattempt its use, and the wizard is not guaran-teed to obtain the spell then. By sixth level, thepsionicist can use the ability of psychic drain(TCPH, page 101). This ability can be deadly ifused offensively. Imagine a psionicist of only 6thlevel planning to attack an entire party of l0th-level characters. He waits in a barroom andwatches the party, familiarizing himself withthem before they go to their rooms at the inn.The psionicist patiently waits until he believesthey are asleep, maybe even using ESP or someother ability to make sure. Once the party isasleep, the psionicist contacts each party mem-ber one at a time and uses psychic drain onthem. Even if the party member makes hissaving throw, he still will have his intelligence,wisdom, and constitution reduced to three ifover 90% of the victim�s psionic potential is lost.The psionicist is at complete liberty to drain asmany points as he desires, then to convert thedrained points into PSPs, for use with psychicdrain against other party members! He nevereven had to leave the barroom downstairs.When the dirty work is done, he simply goesupstairs and relieves the dead or weakenedparty of any gold or items that he desires. The

closest a wizard can come to such power wouldbe a fifth-level feeblemind spell (10th-levelwizard required) that only affects intelligencecompared to the psionicist�s ability to affect notonly intelligence but wisdom and constitution,as well as requiring a save vs. death. The sixth-level death spell is a better comparison, but itrequires a wizard of 12th level to cast.

I have only covered a few of the game-unbalancing effects psionics can have. A singleuse of psionic blast can keep the oldest of drag-ons from flying. Automatic saving throwsagainst phantasms (TCPH, page 110) and a +2bonus against enchantment/charm spells (betterthan a specialist mage) are just a few other sucheffects for psionicists.

Rather than remove psionics from my cam-paign, I have devised a means of toning downand balancing out the psionicist. Despite theclaims (TCPH, page 109) of psionics and magicbeing completely different, I have discoveredthat in some cases they need to be treated thesame. Creatures with magic resistance shouldhave an equal chance to resist psionic abilities.This would prevent low-level psionicists (whocan have 100% cover) from defeating dragonsand mind flayers, while high-level wizards (whomust be somewhat exposed to the dangerousbeasts) have their powers reduced by magicresistance.

Of all the psionic abilities, the one that causesthe most problem is contact. By allowing non-psionicists a chance to fight off contact, theother powers in the telepathic discipline are alsolimited. My suggestion is this for nonpsionicistsonly: Take the average of intelligence, wisdom,and constitution of the target (or the average ofintelligence and hit dice for monsters) andsubtract five, using the resulting number for atype of psionic combat. The psionicist rolls hispower score to try to establish contact, usingwisdom or less modified by distance. The targetrolls his �power score� or �psionic savingsthrow� (the average of intelligence, wisdom, andconstitution minus five) or less, modified bymagical bonuses for protection, high wisdom,etc. Another modifier could be a bonus orpenalty due to the difference in level betweenthe target and the psionicist, much the sameway that the dispel magic spell works for wiz-ards and priests. The highest number that didnot exceed his power score wins the combat.Only one contact needs to be made againstnonpsionicists. Contact could not be usedagainst other psionicists (standard attack modesmust be used, as per TCPH, pages 22-26).

With these few suggestions in effect, it shouldgive the rest of the world a fair chance. I per-sonally like psionics and believe they have thepotential to add a whole new dimension into theAD&D game. But when a 3rd-level characterhas the potential to defeat dragons, somethingshould be done to balance it all out. I invitehelpful comments or suggestions about psioni-cists and their abilities.

Geof GilmoreArlington TX

* indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarksowned by the companies publishing those products.The use of the name of any product without mentionof its trademark status should not be construed as achallenge to such status.

100 FEBRUARY 1992

Just Who AreThese Folks?

A recap of �The Twilight Empire: Robinson�s War� story line

©1992 by Stephen Sullivan

The good guys

Robinson S. Edgar�Our heroRob is a man from Earth�New Hamp-

shire, to be precise. He woke up one after-noon in a fantastic new world. How he gotthere is a mystery, as Rob has partial am-nesia. He�s currently on a quest to regainthe rest of his memory and get home. Weknow Rob is a novelist, is divorced, has aten year-old daughter, and is a goodswordsman. He was carrying a number ofitems from our world when he awoke(including a driver�s license, a cigarettelighter, and a gun) but these were tossedoff a cliff in Robs first encounter withKleg. The lighter and license have sinceturned up in the hands of Rob�s enemies.

Brenna DuDevan�Forest healerBrenna is the first friendly person Rob

met in the new world, and she has taken itupon herself to help Rob and be his guide.She has an owl companion named Galen.Brenna is skilled in healing and someminor forms of magic.

When, in the course of comic events, itbecomes necessary to bring new readersup to date on our current graphic feature,you can count on the designer and editorsto do so. If you have just started reading“The Twilight Empire,” or if you havemisplaced the last two years of DRAGONMagazines in your collection, we presentyou with a quick catch-up on the currentsituation. Enjoy!

Bill, a.k.a. Maximillanus Xantho III�A griffon

Bill is a talking griffon who claims to bean enchanted prince, though there is somequestion as to whether he�s telling thetruth. Bill has an eye for human ladies, asharp wit, and a general dislike for thingsmost griffons love�like horse flesh.

Finella Ciri�Elfin warriorFinella (Fin) rescued Rob from some

muggers, then promptly landed him in jailby starting a fight in a bar in Midlan. Shetook an immediate liking to our hero andhas been helping him in his quest. Fin isextraordinarily skilled as a fighter and adeadly shot with a bow. It was recentlyrevealed that Finella is a princess (thoughshe�s 27th in line for the throne).

Quillian Ciri�Fin�s brotherThere are a number of mysteries sur-

rounding Quill. Foremost among these iswhether he had any part in the plot toassassinate Laird Randall Cameron. An-other is why he was posing as a minstrelnamed Reynard. Quillian is a deadly shotwith a bow and has shown some aptitudewith magic.

Jimmy Fitzpatrick�Quill�s squireJimmy is Quillian�s young companion.

He�s a normal kid who has demonstratedno special abilities whatsoever�so far.

Laird Randall Cameron�Hilandchief

Randall is the chief of the hill countryknown as the Hilands. He�s been smittenwith Finella since he first saw her, thoughshe seems ambivalent about him. Someonetried to shoot Randy with a magical cross-bow bolt, though there is still some debateabout who this actually was.

102 FEBRUARY 1992

Aalandria�Elfin advisor to LairdCameron

Aalandria is worried about war spread-ing into Laird Randall�s Hilands. She isvery single-minded about this concern andis otherwise regarded as a ditz.

The bad guys

Kleg�Half-ogreKleg is a thug working for Lord Ugo

Redhand. Unfortunately for Rob, Kleg wasthe first person Rob met upon awakening.Kleg stripped Rob of many of his posses-sions and dropped our hero off a cliff.Their relationship hasn�t gotten any bettersince. Kleg leads a large band of Jenratmercenaries.

Jenrats�Scum warriorsMany of Kleg�s best friends are Jenrats,

which tells you as much about them asabout him. Jenrats are short, greenishrelatives of goblins (though less nasty).They hail originally from the mythical cityof Jenn. Lord Redhand uses them to bol-ster his army and press gangs.

Lord Ugo Redhand�Ambitiouswarlord

Ugo, the leader of a small country, wasbent on conquering lands to the east (per-haps including the Hilands and the FreePlains) when he himself was attacked bythe forces of the Witch Queen. This put

his plans of conquest on hold as he foughta losing war on the western front, until hisalliance with the Witch Queen. Ugo hatesFinella Ciri for some past offense andwants the pleasure of killing her with hisown hands.

Horton�Master of MidlanHorton is the mayor of the small city of

Midlan. He�s been aiding Lord Redhandand is something of a sycophant.

Shandara�The Witch QueenShandara is the Witch Queen of Ferron

and a princess of the mysterious TwilightEmpire. She recently proposed an allianceof her forces with those of Lord Redhand,in exchange for some of the items that Roblost to Kleg. Why she would want these isunknown.

Kalil�Shandara�s generalKalil is one of the Witch Queen�s top

military men, most recently her envoy toLord Redhand. His powers and skills areunknown at this time, but he seems to beuniversally feared. He rides a black, bat-winged stallion.

The story so farRob awoke one afternoon in a strange,

new world, with a headache, a dry mouth,and almost total amnesia. Before he couldrecover his wits, he was seized by Klegand dropped off a cliff for fun. Brennarescued Rob and decided to help himregain his memory. She turned Rob overto Bill while she drove Kleg out of herforest. Rob lost some personal items in theencounter with Kleg.

Bill and Rob went to the town of Midlanto find help for Rob, but Bill was turned

away at the gates. Inside the town, Finellahelped Rob defend himself from somemuggers, but Fin then led Rob straightinto a barroom brawl (accidentally, ofcourse). Rob and Fin won the fight butlanded in jail. They escaped with the helpof Osgood (one of Brenna�s friends) andleft the city with Brenna.

Lord Redhand, who has a grudge againstFin, was delighted to learn of her capture,but his delight vanished when he discov-ered that Midlan�s mayor, Horton, hadallowed Fin to slip away. Enraged, LordRedhand sent some men to capture ourheroes. When Ugo�s men found ourfriends, a terrible fight ensued. Rob, Fin,and Brenna were saved by the timelyreappearance of Bill. All but one of Ugo�smen were killed.

Meanwhile, the Witch Queen, Shandara,sent Kalil to get Ugo to surrender. LordRedhand refused, but Kalil spotted Rob�sdriver�s license (which Rob had lost in hisfirst fight with Kleg, but which was recov-ered by Ugo�s forces). Lord Redhand no-ticed the enemy generals interest. Uponlearning that Rob was traveling with Finel-la, Ugo sent Kleg to recapture Rob and hisfriends.

Our heroes discovered that the wizardMalik Magnus might be able to help Rob.On their way to the city of Weston, wherethe wizard lives, they stopped at HilandCastle. There, they met Aalandria, LairdRandall Cameron, and Finella�s brotherQuillian (who was posing as a minstrelnamed Reynard).

Randall fell for Fin, which was fortunateas she then saved him from an assassina-tion attempt. Rob, Fin, Bren, and Bill leftthe castle shortly afterward, soon hookingup with Quillian, now minus his Reynarddisguise. The group was overtaken andambushed by Kleg and his band of Jenrats;after a ferocious battle, the Jenrats laydead and Kleg had escaped.

Arriving in Weston, Quill and Jimmy leftthe group while the rest sought MalikMagnus� sanctum. Meanwhile, Kalil hadcarried word of Rob�s driver�s license backto Shandara. She ordered the elf to returnto Lord Redhand and offer him an allianceif he would turn over Rob�s items to her.Lord Redhand agreed.

At Magnus� sanctum, it was revealedthat Rob was from our Earth and that adragon, Worlik, knew the secrets of di-mensional travel. Magnus suggested thatthe group gain possession of a magicalcrystal, the Eye of Estal, which couldcompel Worlik�s cooperation. As the partyjourneyed to the Sunken City of Valdor,the resting place of the Eye, Quillian wascaptured by agents of Laird Cameron.Jimmy escaped and followed the others toValdor. And here our story continues. . .

THE TWILIGHT EMPIRE is ™ and ©1991 by Steve Sullivan.Art ©1991 J. Hebert. All Rights Reserved.

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DRAGON 105

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DRAGON 109

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DRAGON 111

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©1992 by Robert BigelowPhotography by Mike Bethke

Warlords and warriors galore

Welcome to February. This issue�s themeis on warriors and combat, so I�ve pickedout some interesting military figures andcombat units to review.

I also want to remind everyone thatwinter is a good time to catch up on minia-tures painting, but this kind of work re-quires special care. The most commonarea in which people paint figures is in abasement or other confined indoor areawithout the benefit of ventilation. This is adangerous practice, whether you usewater- or oil-based paint. Oil-based paintgives off fumes that are hazardous tobreathe and can ignite when open flamesare present. Open flames can come fromsuch ordinary things as furnaces andwater heaters that are gas-fed and have

pilot lights. Kitchens are not exempt, ei-ther, as many people have gas stoves.Primers or sealers also give off fumes thatcan give you a headache or worse inclosed-in areas, and they might explode ifopen flames are nearby. Always haveproper ventilation or use a spray boothwith new, clean filters; this will improveboth your health and your finishedproduct.

Miniatures� product ratings

PoorBelow average

AverageAbove average

Excellent

The air war continuesLast month, we covered the beginning of

the 1991 air war in Operation DesertStorm and how we gained superiority inthe sky. In the first days of the campaign,huge numbers of sorties were flown byaircraft from many different countriesand branches of service. The Free KuwaitArmy flew Mirages and A-4 Skyhawks,some of which were rebuilt and on theirthird lives (the original model was 30 yearsold). These pilots were fearless, as theirgoal was to retake their country. TheSaudi Air Force fought with distinction,using F-15s of all models (one pilot was adouble ace), but also F5Es, Tornados, andearly-warning E-3 aircraft. Other PersianGulf nations provided F-16s, Mirages,Alpha Jets, and Jaguars to assist in theassault.

British forces flew Tornados (their pri-mary plane) and Jaguars. Buccaneersacted as laser designators for high-techweaponry. French pilots flew Jaguars andMirage 2000s. Italians flew Tornados in thetheater and had 104s in Turkey. Canadasupplied fighter escorts for strikes andgulf protection using CF-18s. All of theseaircraft contributed to the cause, but theBritish suffered almost 10% of their Tor-nados as casualties in their raids to de-stroy Iraqi bridges and airfields.

The U.S. provided F-14s (for intercep-tors), A-6E Intruders, A-7E Corsair IIProwlers, and FA-18s. The U.S. Air Forceprovided F-111s, B-52s, F-15Es, and F-16sfor its frequent heavy bombing raids, F-117A Stealth bombers for special missions,and EF-111s and F-4G Wild Weasels, whichprovided electronic countermeasures tojam ground units. The bombers flew manystrikes against the Iraqi army and heavilyshielded ground targets. Fighter cover wasprovided by F-16s and F-15Cs.

These aircraft insured that the Coalitionhad complete air superiority and allowedthe ground-attack aircraft to fly withalmost no resistance. The A-10s ranged allover Iraq, using their cannon and hugeammo, missile, and bomb loads to chew upground targets even though they werenever meant to be used as deep penetra-tion aircraft. C-130 gunships prowledfreely, and even the OV-10 Bronco, intend-ed as a forward-observation plane andlight-strike craft, got in its licks. Gun-filmfootage provided graphic proof that almostno target was safe from today�s precisionmunitions, even if the target was heavilyarmored and protected, if you had airsuperiority.

A number of rule sets are available forthose wishing to engage in either air-to-airor air-to-ground miniatures combat based

114 FEBRUARY 1992

on the Persian Gulf war. The FLIGHTLEADER* game, by The Avalon Hill GameCompany, is easily converted for use as aminiatures rules set even though thisrequires some room for play. The AIRSUPERIORITY* and AIR STRIKE* gamesfrom GDW are good board games, and theJET EAGLES* game from Nova Games putsyou into the pilot�s seat as well.

Now, on with the reviews.

Reviews

Folio Works7 Hazel Grove, DuffieldDerbyshire DE6 4GPUNITED KINGDOM(In the U.S., contact the Berkeley, Chessexor Greenfield game and hobby distributorsfor dealers)

Warlords FW 8/1 Dwarfcrossbows * * * * 1/2

The rules and figures for the FANTASYWARLORD* game have become morereadily available in the U.S., and the latterseem to be quality figures with a fewextras. This line offers separate weaponsencased in a close-fitting wrap; theseshould be removed carefully from thewrap as they can break and bend easily.

These lead figures are more 25-mm scalethan 28-30 mm, standing 20 mm base-to-eyes at a total height of just under 25 mm.Their bases are not wide and conform toeach figure�s stance, but the bases are toothick, which adds to the illusion of eachfigure being much larger than it really is.

Figure one wears boots with fold-overtops, and chain mail that covers him fromshoulders to boots, with a disk on his rightelbow. The figure is weaponless but posedas if firing a crossbow, which would begrasped by the leather gauntlets he wearson both hands. His surcoat is open butheld together by a belt with pouch andknife. A very well-done beard frames hisface. His head is covered by a stocking capcomplete with tassels and a fringe on thebottom. The crossbow must have its stockcut off to fit correctly (this is true of allthree figures).

Figure two is much like figure one butlacks the disk on the elbow and the pouchand knife. His beard is short and clippedstraight; facial detail is very good (as it ison all three figures). This dwarf wears ahelmet on his head with a raised visor.

Figure three seems to be a composite ofthe other two figures. The pose and dressare identical to figure two, except for apouch and shoulder strap attached to thebelt. The most noticeable difference is thehair plume rising from his helmet.

These figures compare favorably withdwarves from Ral Partha. This three-figure set lists for $6.99, however, and atthat price it will be a long time before itoffers any true competition to figureselsewhere. These are recommended for

detail but not for price. If you want themto fit better with your 25 mm troops,simply file the bases down.

Alternative Armies6 Parkway CourtGlaisdale Parkway, NottinghamUNITED KINGDOM NG8 4GN(Available in the U.S. through ArmoryDistributors)

VNT4 The Risen Dead * * * *

Alternative Armies� figures are licensedfor use with the FANTASY WARLORD*

game but seem to be geared toward largerscales than true 25 mm. This pack of fig-ures contains five lead figures ranging inheight (base to eyes) from 26 to 30 mm. Allof the figures have thin, slightly oval basesthat require some trimming and cleaningup, and all show slight detailing but withmold lines. Each figure is a different un-dead creature.

Figure one looks like a bald elven vam-pire that wears long robes bound by abraided rope. Over this is draped a longcape with a simple hoop clasp at the neck.The figure appears to be wringing hishands, glaring from slightly slanted eyes

DRAGON 115

unfortunately not as a fighter-mage. Thereis no flash on the figure.

8112 White Knight * * * *

This heavily armored figure is dressedcompletely in jointed plate with underly-ing chain mail from head to toe; overthose two layers of armor is a surcoat.Two wide belts with simple buckles cinchthe surcoat and support a sheathed longsword and a small pouch. Both hands gripa two-handed sword. The face is coveredby a full helmet that closely resembles thehelmet worn by European fire fighters. Ashort double-feather plume rises from thehelmet.

This figure is excellent as a knight, buthe doesn�t quite match the legendaryappearance of a �white knight.� There wassome flash between the legs and along thesword, but it was easily removed. Thisfigure is recommended.

8120 Berserker in Wolf Skin * * * * 1/2This figure is almost a classic two-sword

barbarian figure. He stands slightly off-balance, as if getting into a fighting stance,wearing high boots held on by wrappings.His groin is covered by an elaborate fur,and his right thigh supports a knife andsheath. His face is solemn, with an openmouth and a short cropped beard. Therest of his body is uncovered, except forclumps of wiry hair and a long wolf-skincape whose head covers the figure�s head.Flash was between the arms and torso andin the groin, but muscle tone was excellenton this figure. This figure is highly recom-mended.

8121 Dark Paladin * * * *

This figure�s evil look is accented by thejagged, barbed sword in his right handand a horned helmet with glaring eyeholes and rivets. He is covered by jointedplates over chain mail like the WhiteKnight noted earlier, but he has a full-length cape that falls to the top of hisboots. He clutches a shield in his righthand and stands with feet apart as ifbraced against an attack.

The figure has many molding flaws,There is flash along most of the mold linespresent and along the front of the shield.The two sides are slightly off, so extracare must be used to avoid damaging thefigure when flash is removed. I recom-mend a small file set for best results.

8108 Fighter with Sword andShield * * * *

This figure is completely covered withjointed plate mail, as are the other knights,but more chain mail shows around theedges of the plate. A simple sword andshield are clenched in his hands, obviouslyset against some opponent. Two beltssupport a large, sheathed dagger andeither a water flask or buckled pouch. Ahelmet with full visor covers his face.

This knight is much closer to 25-mmscale than the other knights, as he is just

above high cheekbones. There�s a protu-berance from his mouth, but I�m not sureif it is a tongue or bad detail work on hisincisors.

Figure two is a humanoid figure bentforward in a position more like that of amonkey than a man. His only clothes con-sist of a diaperlike garment, and his skin isrough as if damaged or beginning to rot.His right hand holds a curved knife high,and his left holds what looks like an oldskull. His hair runs unevenly from high onthe crown to his shoulder blades. Thisfigure could pass as a zombie.

Figure three wears a long set of rottingrobes pulled tight by a long braided rope.The figure stands almost 35-mm tall, withno feet visible and no face under its hood.The hands appear to be shapeless, withthe right hand stretching out. I think thisis the equivalent of a wraith.

Figure four looks like it may have beenfemale when it lived. The hair is tatteredand matted, sticking straight back inclumps, while the face shows the pinched,tight skin seen in mummification. Themouth is set in a rictus pulled back toexpose rotted teeth. Rotted clothes fallaway from the body, with visible ribs andstrips of flesh. The right hand holds asharpened stick, while the left is almostshapeless. On the figure�s back is a sectionof metal that, with a little work, could bemade to resemble a rat at a final feast.

The last figure has definitely been in thegrave for a long time. With careful model-ing work, you could show muscles andholes in the face. The teeth are fully ex-posed, and the clothing is in rags. Largestrips of flesh are missing from manyparts of the body, but the feet don�t matchthe body�s general level of decay.

These are interesting figures that havepotential. All the figures had flash on themin different places. All had detail, somesharp but a lot that was not well defined(but could be brought out by painting).

116 FEBRUARY 1992

Remember that these figures are for thebigger 28-30 mm scale but might make aninteresting diorama. The package of fivesells for $6.99.

Grenadier Models, Inc.P.O. Box 305Springfield PA 19064

Grenadier Models UK Ltd.19 Babbage RdDeeside, Clwyd, WalesUNITED KINGDOM CH5 2QB

Grenadier seems to be taking a two-levelapproach to fantasy figures. One line offigures seems geared to true 25-mm scale,and the other packs are geared to thelarger European scale. We will cover true25-mm scale figures first.

All of these lead figures have slightlythick, oval-shaped bases with mold linesrunning prominently through them. Thesebases are undetailed and slightly beveledat the edges; some need trimming to standflat and level, and some require work toremove their mold lines. All single packscost $1.50 each, and the larger grouppacks are $5.99 each.

#8113 Half Elf Warrior Mage * * * * 1/2This figure is almost perfect as an elf in

the AD&D® game. I say �almost� becausethe figure is clad in chain mail, which isforbidden to wizards. This figure wearsregular clothes under his chain mail, along cape, and knee-high boots. The figurehas a long sword in his right hand andgestures with his left as if casting magic;he wears gauntlets. His belt supports acomponent pouch on his right and a knifeon his left, under his cape. A headbandholds his hair, which drops to his shoul-ders in waves. His mouth is open as ifvoicing a spell with a look of anger. Thisfigure is recommended as a fighter but

over 26-mm tall. The two halves of thefigure are slightly offset and require youto work not only on the figure but on thebase. Flash was heavy between the bodyand shield and under the raised right arm.This is a simple figure but will require alight touch and a good file-and-knife set, asthe mold line runs right up its middle.

1422 Elven Lords * * * * 1/2

This pack is the first of the larger-scaletroops. It contains three miniatures repre-senting elven battle chiefs, each measuring30 mm from the top of the base to the eyes.

Chief number one is heroically posed,his sword thrust high into the air whilegripped tightly in his right hand. His lefthand holds a small, round shield withdecorations on the front. His chest andback are protected by plate armor joinedby straps and held at the waist by a (possi-bly magical) girdle that also supports apouch. His arms are bare, except forgloves and arm rings, and he seems to bewearing leggings, as his legs are smoothand lack muscle detail. The muscle detailis otherwise good, as is the facial detail,which includes a grim look, high cheeks,and visible eyebrows. His hair is long,peaked in front, and braided at the sides,falling onto his feathered cape. My figurehad flash between its shield, body, andlegs, with a large amount of flash on thecape and under the sword arm. The basealso needed work.

The mounted chief, number two, isriding a large horse with full tack, includ-ing a blanket, a saddle, a bit, and largereins. The horse has a tall, ruffled maneand a long, twisting tail that falls to theground as the horse rears up. The horsehas large amounts of flash on its legs.Mold lines appear between its hooves;between its head, body, and reins; and onits tail and rump. My figure needed a lotof cleaning up, but the horse is impressivein its simplicity and majesty. It is worth the

work you will put into it.Elf number three is dressed and molded

almost the same as number one, but hiscape is smooth and flows out behind him.The sword is simple, and this figure�s faceis thin and much less angular than chiefnumber one�s. His hair flows out behindhim and lacks the first figure�s ridge andbraids. This figure also lacks all of theflash seen on the other two figures.

These figures are recommended in spiteof the flash and small flaws. This is a nice,simple leader or champion pack.

1421 Fighting Men withHalberds * * * *

This pack of larger-scale figures containsfive figures representing a section of cityguards. All figures are armed with swordson their left hips and halberds in theirhands, differing slightly in armor andposition. All the figures have some flash,and most have obvious mold lines thatmust be cleaned up.

Figure one is standing and thrusting hishalberd forward. He wears hose and lowboots, a cloth shirt, and padded armor. Hisface is set in a glare and framed by a chinstrap from his bowl-shaped helmet. Hairextends beyond the edge of the helmetand falls to the top of his padded armor.

Figure two has padded armor, withchain mail showing beyond the bottom,and high boots with cuffs. Hose covers hislegs, and extra armor is on his arms. Hisbelt holds a sack. A bassinet helmet withstuds rests on his head; his face has analmost vacant look to it.

Figure three wears breast and backplates on top of padded and chain armor.Fully jointed plate protects his legs; gaunt-lets cover his hands. The face, except forthe chin, is covered by a full helmet thathas a ridge up the center. He also has asmall pouch on his right rear.

Figure four has studded plate and bil-lowing cloth sleeves ending in bare hands.

DRAGON 117

The figure wears trousers that are slightlybunched at the knees, with low boots. Hismouth is open as if screaming or growling.The face and head are protected by ahelmet with cheek guards. A pouch liesunder his right hand. Flash can be foundin all spaces that have tiny breaks and inthe groin. Mold lines are unobtrusive onthis miniature.

The last figure wears hose, short boots,and studded plate on his chest and back.Chain mail sleeves extends from beneaththe chest plate, and a shirt with sleevesextends from beneath the chain mail. Theguards mustachioed face is plainly visible,set in a mask of concentration. His breast

plate is held together by clasps. There waslittle flash except in the groin area.

This is an excellent start on a unit, asthese figures have the same arms yet haveenough differences to give the unit anindividual flavor. This set is recommendedin spite on the work needed to bring thefigures to the priming and painting stage.

* indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc. Most product names are trademarksowned by the companies publishing those products.The use of the name of any product without mentionof its trademark status should not be construed as achallenge to such status.

Novel IdeasContinued from page 80

mystical blade. With it, he may capture aglorious victory for his people�or destroyhimself and the world he hopes to save.

On sale in August is 1992�s third TSRBooks novel, The Nine Gates, by first-timenovelist Phillip Brugalette. When Gopal,the carefree prince of Goloka, sees histeacher burst into flames and themany-armed Virabhadra rampage throughthe sacred Temple of Durga, he isconvinced the gods have turned theuniverse inside out. He must learn toaccept responsibility and perform a vidhi,a test beyond imagination. In order tosurvive, he must secure help from acenturies-old mystic named Vyasa anddiscover the elusive City of Nine Gates.

Half-Light, a mind-bending adventure inspace by Denise Vitola, makes itsappearance in December. After witnessingthe savage killing of her fiance by thebatlike Benar, Commander Ariann Centuricontracts a terminal disease. Her onlyhope is to wed the Viceroy of the GalacticConsortium of Planets, who may be able tosave her through his strange priestly skills.Placed deep in a trancelike state as part ofher treatment, she must journey to astrange twilight plane called Half-Light inorder to rescue her new husband.

The future will be here before youknow it�and with it will be great readingpleasure from TSR!

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BUCK ROGERS and XXVc are trademarks used underlicense from The Dille Family Trust. ©1991 The Dill FamilyTrust. All Rights Reserved.

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LOOKING FORMORE GAMERS?

You may think you�d have to travelto another planet to find a gameconvention. Finding friends whoare also gamers can be a problem,too. Put your scoutsuit away andturn to the Convention Calendar inthis magazine. There may be agame convention closer to yourhome than you think�and conven-tions are a great place to findfriends who share your interests.Whether you like board games,role-playing games, miniature wargames, or just browsing around, agame convention can be all you�vehoped for. Plan to attend one soon.

118 FEBRUARY 1992