Issue #206Vol. XIX, No. 1

June 1994

PublisherTSR, Inc.

Associate PublisherBrian Thomsen

Editor-in-ChiefKim Mohan

Associate editorDale A. Donovan

Fiction editorBarbara G. Young

Editorial assistantWolfgang H. Baur

Art directorLarry W. Smith

ProductionTracey Isler

SubscriptionsJanet L. Winters

U.S. advertisingCindy Rick

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS

Printed in the U.S.A.

2 JUNE 1994

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Come soar with dragonsFly high on the wings of our namesake.Dragons: More Than Just Couch Potatoes� Thomas ReidThese mighty beasts should do more than lounge ontheir hoards.

The Dragon Project: Cerulean Glory OverseesTides � Sandy PetersenMeet the RUNEQUEST* dragon who wants to behuman.

Part Dragon, All Hero � Roger E. MooreHalf-dragon PCs, from the Council of Wyrms settingto all the worlds beyond.

FICTIONDefiance � Lisa SmedmanThere is more than one way to defeat a dragon.

REVIEWSEye of the Monitor � Sandy PetersenWhy are there no antique computer games?

Role-playing Reviews � Rick SwanSpice up your spellcasters with these magical supplements.

DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is publishedmonthly by TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756 (201 SheridanSprings Road), Lake Geneva WI 53147, United Statesof America. The postal address for all materials fromthe United States of America and Canada exceptsubscription orders is: DRAGON® Magazine, PO. Box111, (201 Sheridan Springs Road), Lake Geneva WI53147, U.S.A.; telephone (414) 248-3625; fax (414)248-0389. The postal address for all materials fromEurope is: DRAGON Magazine, TSR Ltd., 120 ChurchEnd, Cherry Hinton, Cambridge CB1 3LB, UnitedKingdom; telephone: (0223) 212517 (U.K.), 44-223-212517 (international); telex: 818761; fax (0223)248066 (U.K.), 44-223-248066 (international).

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1 1 2 Through the Looking Glass � Ken CarpenterApply Ken�s painting advice to your miniatures.

FEATURES3 2 Gunnar Thorson � Manui & Adams

A graphic miniseries debuts this issue from the creators of�Yamara,� with artwork by Ken Widing.

3 4 Campaign Journal: GREYHAWK® � Carl SargentSail with the Sea Barons.

4 2 Fiend Knights and Dark Artifacts � Carl SargentPCs should avoid these magical relics of the GreatKingdom.

6 2 Better Than Ever � The staffLearn more about the 1994 GEN CON® Game Fair�s specialguests.

6 5 �Karameikos, Ho!� � Jeff GrubbMake the acquaintance of Joshuan Gallidox.

7 1 The Dragon�s Bestiary � Spike Y. JonesThese new faeries will amuse and bemuse yourcampaign�s PCs.

7 6 Elminster�s Notebook � Ed Greenwood & Gary WilliamsYou really don�t want to meet Tashara of the Seven Skulls.

7 9 �I�d Like to Thank the Academy. . .�Vote for your favorite 1993 games, magazines, andaccessories.

DEPARTMENTS4 Letters 88 Sage Advice6 Editorial 103 Libram X8 First Quest 106 Dragonmirth

48 Forum 108 Gamers Guide52 Convention Calendar 120 TSR Previews

COVERJeff Easley�s �Lillehammer Dragons�

(as coined by our own Wolf Baur)typifies the majestic presence of ourfavorite fantasy creature. The beautyof that stark, frozen vista is enough tomelt even an editor�s heart.

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DRAGON 3

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

Quite a collection!

Where to start?

Dear Dragon,I am a new role-playing gamer, and I would

like to know how to get started in a relativelyinexpensive way I�d love to get into role-playinggames, but I don�t know what most of this stuffmeans. Can you make any suggestions? (I aminterested in giant robots.)

Jeremy M. PriceNo address given

The first thing to do, Jeremy, is to find somefolks (friends, siblings, parents, etc.) to playwith. Role-playing games (RPGs) are groupendeavors, and it�s always easier to �get into� anew activity with others who are interested,too. Some RPGs can get expensive, so gatheringseveral people who share your interest to chipin on purchases can defray the costs, too.

As far as TSR fantasy RPGs are concerned, Ican recommend two products. If you or yourfamily have an audio CD player; the new FIRSTQUEST� game is terrific. It contains an audioCD that introduces both basic role-playing andthe AD&D® game. If you don�t have access to aCD player, pick up the Classic D&D® game. Anewly revised version should be on the shelvesby the time you read this. Either of theseproducts will get you (and your group) up andrunning.

Since you stated interest in giant robots, Imust mention FASA�s BATTLETECH* boardgame. The latest version has basic rules fornewcomers like you, Jeremy, It�s not an RPG in-and-of itself (though FASA does produce theMECHWARRIOR* RPG rules, set in the BATTLE-TECH universe), but I think you�ll enjoy it. OtherRPGs you might want to examine include theSTAR WARS* game from West End Games, theTOON* game published by Steve JacksonGames, and the BUCK ROGERS®CLIFFHANGERS� game from TSR. If there is agaming or hobby store near your home, youalso could try to find old copies of the GHOST-BUSTERS* or the MARVEL SUPER HEROESgames. I hope that helps Jeremy, and welcometo the hobby!

A letter to a friendDear Dragon,

I've been an avid reader since I purchased On behalf of everyone you mention, Ian, IDRAGON® issue #32 in a small store in Sacra- sincerely thank you. I am hard pressed to thinkmento, Calif., nearly 14 years ago. (I was 11 at of higher praise for the magazine. DRAGONthe time.) I began subscribing with issue #54, Magazine is a group effort in the truest sense ofand have been a subscriber ever since. the words. Without all the gamers, writers, and

Though I've been silent all these years, I'd like artists who send in their ideas, there would beto take a few minutes and say "thanks" to no DRAGON Magazine.everyone at TSR, all the writers, and all the Ian included the photo you see here of hisartists who have contributed to the magazine DRAGON Magazine collection (from issue #1)over the years. DRAGON Magazine has always through #198�a complete collection at the timebeen more than a few dollars' worth of enter- he wrote the letter.) I am impressed. (My collec-tainment; it's been a source of ideas, which are tion only goes back to issue #50.) From talkingpriceless. to collectors over the years, I know that gather-

Ian McAfee ing a complete collection of DRAGON issues isRedmond WA an achievement. Congratulations, Ian!

Dear Dragon,There is a bond shared by the people in a

gaming group. They work together, solve prob-lems together, slay villains together, and gener-ally waste time together. Through all theadventures, the circle of players grows closer,the friendships binding.

Recently, our circle was tragically broken. It isalways a shock when a friend is lost unexpect-edly. But accidents happen and they take goodpeople away from those who love them.Through all the heartache, I was able finally tolearn why RPGs are so important to so manypeople.

Continued on page 20

4 JUNE 1994

Why we play

Like many players of role-playing games,I�ve often been faced with the somewhatdaunting prospect of attempting to explainexactly why I play these games, why Ichose role-playing games (or RPGs) as ahobby. I�ve addressed this topic withvarying degrees of success over my yearsas an RPG player. I think I�ll attempt again,with your indulgence.

Let�s first try to define what a hobby is.According to the Webster�s New CollegiateDictionary (©1981) on my desk, the wordhobby is defined as �a pursuit outsideone�s regular occupation engaged in forrelaxation." What I am trying to do in thiscolumn is discuss some of the attractionsof our hobby�a hobby that, according toestimates, up to 10 million people aroundthe world have tried at some time. I�m notarrogant enough to assume that I canmention every possible reason for playingRPGs, but I�ll try to cover some commonground.

Let�s return to the word �hobby." I definethe word as �an activity that one takespart in for pleasure and that engages skills

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or faculties one enjoys using." Thisdefinition separates some relaxationactivities from actual hobbies. Some formsof relaxation, such as zoning out in frontof the TV, do not engage skills or faculties.They are effortless. Even if you aren�tpaying attention, the TV drones merrilyon without you. Reading, on the otherhand, requires effort. Reading engagesskills and faculties: the intellectual skill ofassembling symbols on paper intocoherent ideas (which, by the way, you aredoing right now), and the imaginativefaculty of filling in the details of the ideasyou just intellectualized. If you look upfrom what you�re reading, those processescome to a screeching halt. Readingrequires conscious effort.

Okay, hobbies require effort.Recreational sports, playing guitar,reading, painting, writing poetry, andplaying RPGs all require exertion. Theexertion takes different forms, but it�sthere nevertheless. Since we enjoy theactivity, we don�t mind the exertion. To(very broadly) borrow a physics concept,

hobbies are �negative work." In theory,walking a staircase requires the sameamount of exertion regardless of whetheryou�re going up or down the stairs. But,gravity helps you go down the stairs byconstantly pulling you in that direction.Climbing stairs is work, descending themis negative work. The enjoyment of ahobby activity is like gravity helping youdown the stairs.

Playing role-playing games requiresmany of the same abilities that readingdoes; like reading, playing RPGs isfantastic mental exercise. The opportunityto flex those intellectual and imaginativemuscles is a primary attraction of thesegames. As RPG players, we enjoy theexperience of escaping into the gameworld and filling that world with theproducts of our imaginations.

Escaping into that make-believe world isanother aspect of a hobby that Webster�sdefinition obliquely refers to. Thedictionary states that a hobby is �outsideone�s regular occupation." Broadening this,a hobby allows one to escape the workadayworld. When engaged in a hobby, a personforgets the stresses and problems of theday, the concerns that we all must dealwith. What better way is there to escapethe humdrum world than by creating anentirely new and different world of actionand adventure? Some people derive thesame escapist joy that an RPG providesfrom watching a good movie or TV show,reading a good book, or going on a vacation(a literal escape from one�s normal life). Iguess hobbies are little mental vacations.

One essential aspect of any escapist fare,be it a TV show, comic book, novel, or1930s movie serial, is a clash of daringheroes and dastardly villains. In RPGs, theplayers actually portray the heroes(through the means of their gamecharacters) locked in a titanic struggleagainst the forces of evil. Few other mediaallow this intimacy with the heroes. Thehobby of reading, while a terrific way tospend time, allows you only to view theactions of the characters, although Iimagine most readers place themselvesinto the role of the hero while reading agood escapist story. RPGs allow the

Continued on page 20

FIRST QUEST is the title of TSR, Inc.'sAudio CD Introduction to Role-playing Game.This series is a feature where veterans ofrole-playing describe their first experiencesin the hobby.

�You mean fighters can�t use wands?�by Skip Williams

I had the good fortune to be born,raised, and introduced to gaming in LakeGeneva, Wis.�the birthplace of the D&D®game. In a few short years, I met andgamed with just about all the people whowere important to the D&D game�s devel-opment and who became involved in cre-ating the AD&D® game.

I cannot remember my first character,but I recall my first brush with the gaminghobby. Late in August, 1973, the localpaper ran a front-page photograph ofseveral people standing around a tablecovered with little plastic tanks, trees, andhills. The accompanying story describedwhat went on at the GEN CON® Game Fair,which was a tiny little event back then.The entire site, Lake Geneva�s Horticultur-al Hall, could fit comfortably in the cur-rent convention�s exhibit hall�walls, roof,and all.

At the time, the only board games I hadever played were Clue, Monopoly, Check-ers, Chess, Battleship and the usual assort-ment of childhood staples like Candylandand Mouse Trap. I was very much in-trigued by the little tanks, but the firstweek of 8th grade loomed before me andthey soon dropped out of mind. Almost ayear later, I spied a classmate peering at amap crudely drawn in pencil on a scrap ofnotebook paper. The map showed theWWII-era military defenses of a fictionalcountry, which the fellow was defendingagainst a series of determined assaults bycolumns of tanks. Several other studentsand I listened with rapt attention as myclassmate, Don Arndt, described a minia-ture tank battle that culminated with atank smashing through an abandonedhouse to evade and confound the enemy.Don was later to lend his name to a fa-mous artifact, the invulnerable coat ofArnd, because of his utter terror at themere thought taking any damage to hischaracter during a D&D game. At thetime, however, the D&D game had not yetappeared on the scene.

The following summer, I took part in amassive CHAINMAIL game in Don�s base-ment. Among the notables present wereRob Kuntz and Jim Ward, who were soonto co-author the Gods, Demi-Gods, and

8 JUNE 1994

Heroes supplement. (This was to be thefirst in a long series of game productsfrom Jim.) Later that summer, I attendedmy first GEN CON Game Fair. There wereless than a dozen events on the schedule,some of them held on the grass in theHorticultural Hall�s open courtyard.

The following autumn, another class-mate and fellow Game Fair attendee, Mar-cus Kurowski, began enthusiasticallytelling me about a brand new game pro-duced right in Lake Geneva, theDUNGEONS & DRAGONS® game. Afterbeing regaled with tales of moonlightbattles against orcs, subterranean treasurequests where undead monsters lurked inthe shadows, and similar feats of derring-do, I resolved to try the game as soon aspossible. Marcus and I began stealingspare moments to play; I was a lone (andunnamed) hero armed with a halberd anda torch and Marcus was the DM. Marcushad a set of rules, but no dice�he justdecided what happened as we went along.(At the time, I didn�t find that remarkable).Later, I joined my high schools gamingclub, where I played a series of wizardswho died swift deaths while I learned thebasics of the game. No one told me it wasprudent to cast spells from behind theparty�s first rank, and I had to find out thehard way that trolls aren�t affected bysleep spells. Survival in our group wasparticularly difficult, because we hadn�tquite grasped the concept of hit points.Instead of rolling hit points once and re-cording them on the character sheet, theDM secretly rolled everyone�s hit pointsbefore each game and kept them secret;nor were we told how much damage amonster had inflicted on a character.

Several referees at my high school rangames. The best ones were run by upper-classmen such as Joe Fischer, who createdthe original ranger class for the D&Dgame. Freshmen, and especially freshmenwho were gaming neophytes like me, werenot entirely welcome in the establishedcampaigns and my characters kept drop-ping like flies. It was not until the club�sfaculty advisor, Jim Erdman, began run-ning a game that I had any luck keeping acharacter alive.

My early failures did little to dim myenthusiasm for gaming, and one afternoonErnie Gygax (son of the D&D game�s co-creator, Gary Gygax) approached me andasked if I�d like to try another new game.Ernie and I had been in the first gradetogether and we hadn�t exactly gottenalong, but my gaming zeal erased anydoubts I had. Ernie and I soon wereswashbuckling our way through Warriorsof Mars, a set of TSR rules based on EdgarRice Burroughs� Barsoom books, which arebest described as Tarzan on Mars, with�radium� guns and flying ships mixed in. Ihad never read the books, but I was quickto do so. Warriors of Mars was destined tobe short lived, mostly because Burroughs�estate stepped in and gave TSR its firstlesson in copyright law�the 1970s werestill a time of innocence for the gamingindustry.

Before long, I felt ready to become areferee. I quickly sketched out a series ofcrude dungeons for the D&D game andstocked them with monsters, mounds ofgold, and magical items stacked up likecordwood. After 20 minutes in one of mygames, every character was decked outwith enchanted swords, wands, and othermagical goodies. The games were silly,uncontrolled, and occasionally deadly, butwe had a great time.

After hearing about my crude attemptsto run D&D games, Ernie invited me to hishouse, where his father ran games forseveral of the locals. Gary�s approach tothe game was, not surprisingly, considera-bly more sophisticated than what I wasaccustomed to. Soon, I was a regular visi-tor to Gary�s house, where we oftenwatched professional football games anddebated the properties of fireballs duringcommercials.

My new understanding of the game leadto a complete overhaul of my AD&D cam-paign, which I still run occasionally. Twoof the original players, Ernie Gygax andDave Conant, still have active characters,though I�ve lost touch with the rest of myoriginal group.

Using these awesome creatures as long-term campaign foes

by Thomas Reid

Artwork by Alan Pollack

Dragons are some of the most powerfulcreatures in fantasy gaming; so much so, infact, that their very name is an integralpart of the moniker, ADVANCEDDUNGEONS & DRAGONS® role-playinggame. They are the namesake of this verymagazine. Yet too often I hear gamers com-plain that dragons are too easy to kill andnot a challenge, or that they simply do notfit in with the �theme� of their campaigns.My response is, �Then stop thinking ofthem as couch potatoes.�

The dragon of the AD&D® 1st Editionwas beefed up for the 2nd Edition game. Interms of raw combat power, few creaturesmatch up to a full-grown dragon. This,however, is not what makes a dragon trulyterrible to confront. Dragons are intelli-gent. Dragons are cunning. Dragons areoften brighter than the most potent wiz-ards or the rulers of powerful nations.Worse, they know they are smarter. (Re-member, dragons can live for over 1,000years�try to imagine how much knowl-

edge and insight a dragon would gatherover that length of time.) Why, then, dowe so often see their roles in our cam-paigns reduced to nothing more thanpassive piles of hit points with low armorclasses and a few spells, waiting to beattacked and killed in their lairs?

With all that cunning in a dragon�s favor,it seems odd to me that they want to donothing more than lie around on theirtreasure, far from civilization. I would goabsolutely nuts if I spent most of the yearlounging in my bed. An intelligent, cun-ning mind can�t help but need to be stimu-lated. If you doubt this, then why do yousuppose we spend so much time playingrole-playing games? This same tenetshould hold true for dragons now andthen. After all, they don�t even have atelevision in their cave.

There are those of you out there whowould argue that this does not conform tothe dogma laid down in theMonstrous Manual, which state that drag-ons generally find human civilization to bepetty and beneath them. For your benefit,I simply direct your attention to the char-acter Drizzt Do�Urden, the drow elf with agood heart in the FORGOTTEN REALMS®campaign setting. He is a prime example ofwhat sorts of interesting things can hap-pen when the mold is broken. Not alldragons have to come from the samecookie-cutter template. In fact, it�s a ridicu-lous assumption that they are all the same.Each dragon is a unique personality, asvaried and as interesting as your favoritegroup of player characters.

Once we break the boundaries a little, itis logical to assume that at least a fewdragons would want to meddle in theaffairs of humans, if for no other reasonthan the sheer joy of getting away with it.Besides, if they plan it right, they couldcome away from the whole ordeal a tadricher. In order to do this effectively,though, a dragon must find ways to oper-ate in civilized areas without allowingothers to recognize the machinations�source.

Long-term foesIt has been my experience that the most

formidable opponents to characters, aswell as the most satisfying to players, isthe long-term NPC adversary. Powerfuland clever NPCs are always at the root ofplayer-character problems, popping up inthe middle of some crisis to taunt the PCs,cause them grief, and then slip away nomatter how hard the characters try tocatch them. Furthermore, these NPCsirritate the players to no end, so much sothat the players want nothing more fortheir characters than to be able to catchand exact revenge upon the hated villain.

To tie all this together, dragons can makegreat long-term NPC adversaries, especial-ly if the PCs do not know that the villain isa dragon, at least initially. Whether thedragon uses a few loyal or charmed fol-

12 JUNE 1994

lowers or chooses to do the dirty workitself, its schemes will be carefully plannedand meticulously carried out. Sometimes,these operations will take years. The drag-on will not mind; its lifespan is such that itcan afford to be patient.

If a dragon chooses to have others dothe actual work while it stays in the back-ground, then it is a relatively simple mat-ter to build what I call the nestingadventure. This type of campaign adven-ture introduces the PCs to the lowest levelor layer of an organization (in this case,the dragon�s). As the characters accom-plish their tasks and disrupt the NPCs ofthat particular layer, peeling it away, theydiscover other, more powerful agentsbelonging to the next layer, who in turnanswer to others, and so on. Only after along and complicated series of events,adventures, investigations, and sidetracksdo the characters get to the root of theproblem, the dragon itself. Even then,there will be minions to fight and severalfalse trails that mislead them before thePCs actually confront the dragon itself.

This is all well and good, but it stillmakes the supposition that the dragon iscontent to sit idly by while other individ-uals get in on the action. Suppose, instead,that the dragon wishes to get directlyinvolved? Then it must somehow interactwith humans without being recognized.What better way to hide among humansthan to become one? This is easily donewith a few carefully selected spells. It is afairly simple matter for a dragon to dis-guise itself as a human or demihumanusing a polymorph self spell, and deterothers from discovering its true identitythrough the use of various spells such asnon-detection, undetectable alignment,and so forth. To further supplement thesedisguising powers, magical items can comeinto play, especially for those dragons thatdo not otherwise have the abilities to castthe necessary spells. The reliable wand ofpolymorphing has obvious uses, while adragon that also has a hat of disguisecould play the part of many people in ascheme. An amulet of proof against detec-tion and location also could be very handyfor obscuring a dragon�s real identity.

In the AD&D game�s DRAGONMOUNTAIN� adventure, which I had theprivilege of editing, this was exactly howthe main adversary, a female red dragonnamed Infyrana, kept tabs on her domain.She would walk among her subjects dis-guised as one of them, just to see howloyal they really were. When adventurerstrespassed, she would insinuate herselfinto their group as a practically helplessprisoner of her servitors. In both cases,she used spells and cunning to great effectin passing herself off as someone else.

In essence, then, a whole campaign canbe based around a dragon that has itsclaws in many pies and is the driving forcein the background of several adventures.Perhaps a dragon has gotten word that anorb of dragonkind has been discovered,

and sets about immediately to find theartifact and either destroy it or hide itsafely away from those who would use itagainst her. For that matter, the rumorcould be about something as small as apotion of dragon control. The item mightnot even really be around; if the dragonthinks that such an item is nearby, then itwill take great pains to prevent the itemfrom being used against it.

Another possibility is that a dragonsimply wants to see what it can get awaywith. Maybe a dragon is the foundation ofa particular thieves� guild. The dragonmight simply be curious about humanityand walks among it disguised as an adven-turer. In that case, it wouldn�t even have tobe evil, but instead is simply at odds withthe PCs over a treasure hoard or politicalposition. Perhaps it has a personal vendet-ta against some individual or group and iscreating a very elaborate plan of retribu-tion. The possibilities are numerous, andrequire a bit of planning, but they makethe dragon a much more formidable foe.

A vendettaLet�s set up an example using the vendet-

ta idea. First, we need to come up with abackground story about who wronged thedragon initially. Then, we must come upwith an idea for the dragon to use in seek-ing the revenge. While we�re at it, we needto create the means for the dragon toaccomplish all this. Finally, we need todetermine how the player characters canbe worked into the scenario, and whatthey can do within it.

Long ago, a band of knights was adven-turing in the mountains on the fringe oftheir small and peaceful kingdom, when itcame upon and slew a mated pair of drag-ons. The two had one male offspring thatmanaged to escape. Vowing revenge, thisyoung dragon flew off to grieve and growpowerful. He spent many years collectingtreasure and learning what he could abouthumans and their nature. He also studiedmagic, gaining many spells and items. Henever forgot, however, the ruthless mur-der of his parents. Finally, when he wasold and wise enough, he returned to theplace where his parents had died.

We now have a decent background storyto work with, explaining what initiallyhappened to the dragon. I leave it up toyou to flesh out the various people, places,and groups in this story. For now, we needto move on and develop our dragon�snefarious scheme of revenge.

When he had grown in power sufficientlyto seek his retribution, the dragon returnedto the kingdom. Using a combination ofspells and magical items to disguise himselfas various humans, the dragon managed toassume three different alter-egos: one of theking�s advisors, a leader in the order of theknights, and a leader of an undergroundrebellion in the kingdom. By carefully ma-nipulating events from these three positionswhile never revealing who he really was, thedragon turned the kingdom in upon itself.

First, as the king�s advisor, he learned agreat deal about the political factionswithin the court, including who was popu-lar and who was not among the knightlyorder. He then began a subtle campaignagainst the knights, making them unpopu-lar with the people and persuading theking to begin passing legislation againstthem. While playing the part of the knight-ly leader that he had cultivated, the drag-on began to oppose the king more andmore vehemently, while secretly planninga coup. As the secret leader of the under-ground rebellion, the dragon pretended to�meet� with the knightly leader (actuallyhis other alter-ego), tying the two groupstogether by convincing the knightly orderto attempt a coup and the undergroundgroup to support it. Then, using his knowl-edge of the entire situation and his guiseas advisor to �expose� the coup to theking, the dragon effectively framed theentire order of the knighthood for treasonand started a civil war. As a result of thedragon�s machinations, the kingdom wasnear to collapse and the knightly order allbut dissolved. The dragon had its revenge.

Now, we plant the PCs in the middle ofthis situation. They might be members ofany of the involved groups, such as royalcourtiers, citizens dissatisfied with theking�s rule, or renegade knights of thebanned order. They also could be indepen-dent adventurers who have wandered into

the kingdom at a bad time. Either way,their adventures can revolve around re-solving all the strife in the kingdom, per-haps putting right what the dragon hasdone. If they are successful enough, thedragon might now include them on its listof lifelong enemies, continuing to pop upin other scenarios to torment and irritatethem before attempting to carry out theirutter annihilation.

You could argue that the above situationcould just as easily be done with a power-ful wizard, rather than a dragon, but thatstoryline line can get stale. How manytimes has there a been a mad, plottingwizard standing behind the throne, whis-pering in the king�s ear? Imagine howoverwhelming it would feel for players ofmid-level PCs to realize that they are upagainst one of the most fearsome crea-tures of legend. They have made them-selves an enemy for life, and they neverknow when he�ll rear his draconic headagain to trouble them.

ConclusionThe above shows just one example of

how to take the dragon from being a mere�monster� to becoming a worthy adver-sary for the characters over the course ofa long campaign. The other benefit ofdoing this is that a dragon can now have aniche in virtually any type of campaign, inany setting where they exist. No longer

does the complaint that dragons don�t fitinto the theme of a campaign really holdwater. If you want a dragon in your cam-paign, there is a way to work one in with-out worrying about the PCs having toconfront one directly. In fact, this newtype of dragon activity suggests someother more unusual scenarios. What abouta world where there is a completely secretsociety of dragons, all working in concert?They might be trying to overthrow hu-manity, or there might be multiple leaguesof dragons, vying with one another forpower. How about a world where dragonsdo dominate, and act as the ruling classover other species, like humans? Now thatyou see where this is going, the possibili-ties aren�t just numerous, they are limitedonly by your imagination.

It seems a shame to reduce a creature asmagnificent and powerful as a dragon tonothing more than a punching bag andtreasure dispenser for player characters.There�s so much more to them than that.Remember, if we as humans are smart andclever enough to create such interestingthings as fantasy gaming worlds, with alltheir endless variations and colorful back-grounds, then the dragons that dwellwithin those worlds should certainly besmart and clever enough to be a dominantforce there.

14 JUNE 1994

Cerulean Glory Oversees Tides

by Sandy Petersen

Artwork by Stephen Schwartz

Five centuries ago, during the DragonkillWar, one of the many dragons that de-scended upon the hapless human armieswas the entity named Cerulean Glory Over-sees Tides. Henceforth, we shall refer tothis being as simply Cerulean Glory, thoughthe dragon itself never abbreviates hisname, nor does he ever use pronouns suchas �I� or �me�. Instead, he uses his fullname at all times when referring to himself(e.g., �Cerulean Glory Oversees Tides hum-bly requests your indulgence.�)

Natives of the region have puzzled formany years over Cerulean Glory�s nature.Is he an immature true dragon? Or a per-manent dream dragon, formed from the idand spilled blood or seed of some sleepingtrue dragon? Is he a highly-evolved dra-gonewt that has retained contact with theworld for dark purposes of his own? Onescholar has written a work purporting todemonstrate that Cerulean Glory does notexist at all.

Those people who dwell in the areanear Cerulean Glory�s lair have no doubtsat all about the dragon�s existence andnature. Unlike most dragons, content tosleep and dream of past and future tri-umphs, Cerulean Glory has remainedawake and active. He dwells on the sea-coast, from whence he makes periodicforays that devastate the countryside.These forays are rare�sometimes themonster remains quiescent for fifty yearsat a time�but when they occur, the localfolk are impoverished.

His to ry Cerulean Glory has been an invincible

monster for hundreds of years. No oneknows that at the Dawn of the First Age,he was just an ordinary human rice farmer

16 JUNE 1994

for the RUNEQUEST* game

named Fang Leei. He lived in the lands ofthe East, in Kralorela, and worshiped theDragon Gods, as is still done today in hishomeland. One day, he was fortunateenough to save the daughter of the Emper-or from a serious accident. As a reward,the Emperor granted that after Fang Leei�sdeath, he would be reincarnated as an im-mortal dragon-like creature. After his rein-carnation, Fang Leei became one of theEmperor�s bodyguards.

After several decades as a bodyguard inthe Imperial Household, Fang Leei realizedthat he had no future among humankind,and left human lands. From there, he en-tered into the service of the Inhuman King,lord of all dragonewts. During this time, heevolved in mind and body, gaining won-drous magical powers and using the dra-gonewt�s metamorphic powers to changehis shape to better suit his condition. Dur-ing this period, his name was permanentlychanged to Cerulean Glory Oversees Tides.

Eventually, Cerulean Glory (formerlyFang Leei) became dissatisfied with thedragonewt teachings and doctrines, andleft once again, this time seeking out a truedragon. He met the Mottled Dragon of theHomeward Ocean, and became his devotedservant for five centuries. In return, theMottled Dragon taught Cerulean Glorymany secrets, and transformed his bodyeven more, into its current state. Once thefive centuries were up, Cerulean crawledinto a grotto and meditated there on thenature of the cosmos. There he stayed,ignoring wars, cosmic disasters, and thedeeds of mortals, until 1100, the year ofthe Dragonkill War.

At that time, Cerulean Glory, along withmany other dragons of the universe, wasrudely awakened and summoned to Drag-

on Pass to battle the apostate humans whowere trying to exterminate the last vestigesof the dragonewts. When the battle wasover, not one human in 1000 had survived.Some dragons had been slain as well, buthumanity knew who had won the war.Dragon Pass was unoccupied by humansfor many years.

Cerulean Glory remained awake, wan-dering through the newly altered world,until he made his way to his current home(which is up to the game master).

GoalsCerulean Glory has been a monster for

many centuries now. His form has meta-morphosed many times, and he has studiedthe teachings of many philosophers, kings,and dragons. Now, after thousands ofyears, he realizes all his philosophy andeffort has not made him happy or content.In fact, he looks back to the days when hewas an impoverished rice farmer in Kra-lorela, and remembers his wife, his daugh-ter, his cat, and his pig with painful tears.During his lengthy wanderings, the drag-ons, dragonewts, and emperors he haslived with have no understanding or sym-pathy with his longings.

No doubt but what Cerulean Glory re-members his days as a human throughrose-colored glasses. Still, the joys of hard-ship and seeking contentment throughservice to loved ones now seem desirableto him, far better than the sterile medita-tions and philosophies professed by theloveless dragonewts and their kin.

Cerulean Glory wants to go back. Hewants to shed his dragon form and be ahuman once more. His belief is that hemust do so in the same way he became adragon-by studying and acting like the

being he is trying to emulate. and generally trying to be a pal.It has been many centuries, and Cerulean Of course, the results are ludicrous.

Glory has forgotten almost everything about Cerulean Glory is no longer even remotelybeing human. When he encounters adven- human, and his personality is little-suitedturers willing to talk with him, he will tag to companionship. He should alternatealong, trying to learn as much as possible between draconic actions and attempts atfrom them, and trying in a rather pathetic humanity. For instance, when trying to beway to emulate them, trying to clutch a human, he may insist that he be given anknife and fork in his gigantic claws, roaring equal share of loot �the same as everyoneout the same songs as the adventurers sing, else�. On the other hand, during one of his

Cerulean Glory Oversees TidesRUNEQUEST game statistics

STR 120 CON 390 SIZ 82 INT 14POW 80 DEX 12 APP 20 Move: 4 crawling/24 flying

Fatigue Pts.: 510 Hit Pts.: 236 Magic Pts.: 80 Armor: 30 pt. scales

Hit Location TableLocationTailRH legLH legAbdomenChestR wingL wingRF legLF legHead

Melee Missile Armor/hp01-02 01 30/5903-04 02 30/7905-06 03 30/7907-08 04-08 30/9509-10 09-14 30/9511-12 15 30/5913-14 16 30/5915-16 17 30/7917-18 18 30/7919-20 19-20 30/79

Weapon SR Attk% DamageTail lash 4 20 6d6Bite 7 90 12d6Claw 10 50 12d6Undine spit 10 Auto. As per undine (see below)Acid spray 10 Auto. 1d6 Potency (see below)Magic sparkles 10 Auto. Dispels magic (see below)

Notes: Each combat round, Cerulean Glory gets a tail lash, a bite, and two simultane-ous claw attacks.

Special attacks: Cerulean Glory has three special attacks, but can use only one permelee round. He normally uses at least one of these attacks every round in additionalto normal attacks.

First, Cerulean Glory can choose to spit out an undine with a size of 1 cubic meterper magic point the dragon spends. Normally, he uses at least 10 magic points, to makenice big undines. This undine maintains its physical form and continues attacking forten minutes, after which it dissolves unless Cerulean Glory spends an additional magicpoint to maintain its existence (only one point is needed to maintain the undine, nomatter what size it is).

Second, Cerulean Glory can breathe a fine spray of acid by spending 10 fatiguepoints. The spray covers a cone 60 meters long and 20 meters wide at the end. Theacid has an intensity of 1d6, which affects every hit location of every creature in itspath. The spray damages armor first, and only after all armor in a given location isdissolved will it attack flesh.

Third and last, Cerulean Glory can emit magic sparkles from its scales by spendinghit points. These sparkles strike a specific creature targeted by Cerulean Glory, andcancel out every spell that the target has on him, his person, and his weapons. Add upthe total Intensity of sorcery spells, the magic-point cost of any spirit spells, and doublethe point cost of any divine spells. The dragon loses 1d6 hit points for every 10 pointsor fraction thereof that are dispelled.

For instance, if Cerulean Glory used magic sparkles against someone who had a 5-intensity Resist Damage spell (sorcery), a 4-point Bladesharp on his sword (spirit), and a3-point Shield spell (divine), the total points to be dispelled would total5 + 4 + (3 x 2) =15. Hence, Cerulean Glory would lost 2d6 hit points.

The magic sparkles cannot cancel out a creature�s natural ability (such as a JackO�Bear�s Harmonize), and Cerulean Glory loses no magic points in the attempt.

Healing: For each 10 SIZ points of animal or human flesh that Cerulean Glory eats, itheals one hit point of damage. This power will not heal Cerulean Glory beyond hisnormal hit-point total, but can be handy if he has engaged in combat recently. CeruleanGlory cannot be healed by eating vegetable matter of any type, including elves.

18 JUNE 1994

DRAGON 19

frequent relapses, he will succumb todragon�s greed, and insist on keeping allthe treasure for himself alone. Once hetakes it, he flies off to his secret mountainlair and stashes it away. The next day, hemay feel regrets about taking all the trea-sure, but he won�t bring it back. �What�spast is past."

In general, the game master shouldrealize that Cerulean Glory is an extremelycombat-effective creature, and thus mustexert herself to make the monster�s pres-ence unpleasant for the adventuring party.For instance, Cerulean Glory insists oneating all the food the party has. As adragon, he eats a lot, and doesn�t intend togo hungry for long.

Also, Cerulean Glory always refuses tohelp the party defend itself against attack-ing monsters, if the monsters are evenremotely humanoid, such as giants, darktrolls, or even manticores (human faces),because that would be �betraying hisnature�. In addition, do not forget thatCerulean Glory is also trying to rememberthe less-than-noble traits of being human,such as cowardice. He is likely to screamand run away when attacked by any verytough monster, because he is trying to apethe fear and panic that true humans suf-fer, though he no longer feels these emo-tions as a dragon.

It is unlikely that Cerulean Glory willstay with an adventuring party for long.An adventure or two, and he is off toreturn to the life of a marauding monsteronce more. Of course, a week, month, oryear later he may come seeking out theadventurers again, once more to palaround with his old friends, and maketheir lives miserable again.

DescriptionCerulean Glory is a quite peculiar-looking

creature, with large tattered wings and athin, spindly body and legs. His head some-what resembles that of a huge sea-horse,though it has large liquid eyes and tiny,mosaic-like scales. The body surface ofCerulean Glory is as smooth as marble, andmottled with an appealing blue and gold. Histail is long and mobile, prehensile with asensitive coiled tip. His four limbs look al-most insect-like in a thin jointed style, butthe feet at the end of the limbs are notinsect-like at all�they are rather bird-likeclaws with vast curling talons springingforth from the delicate-looking fingers.

Cerulean Glory is almost 25 meters (80�)from head to tail, though his silhouette isno more solid than that of a crane-fly.When his wings are fully unrolled, theyspan over 30 meters (100�) from tip to tip,with long ribbons and loops of tissue. Thewings appear to be almost more decora-tive than functional, and are highly color-ful, closely resembling the pattern of amonarch butterfly, with orange cells sur-rounded by black highlighting.

* RUNEQUEST is a trademark owned by TheAvalon Hill Game Company.

20 JUNE 1994

LettersContinued from page 4

convey. Our friend was someone who enjoyed

Our friends name is not important. Besides,there was more to our friend than a name could

life. You couldn�t help being caught up in hisenthusiasm for whatever project he was work-ing on. Comic books with his friends as models,stories with his buddies as the characters, andfantasy heroes who look strangely like the crewof a certain starship were a normal part of lifewith our friend.

We still play every week, but a lot of the hearthas gone out of the group. The absence of ourfriend is felt by all. In parting, let me say this:The game you�re playing isn�t important; it�s thecamaraderie that counts. Perhaps others canlearn this lesson without having to lose a friend.

Name withheld by request

GM advice

Dear Dragon,

their PCs� necks every time the characters get inover their heads. This can lead to problems

This letter is in response to the editorial in

when the time comes that the GM does not save

issue #202. As we all know, good GMs occasion-

the PCs� collective bacon. There is a solution to

ally ignore dice rolls, especially when a PCwould die if the dice were followed. This is allwell and good, but if you do it too often theplayers will come to rely upon the GM saving

this, however.I use a system in which each PC receives a

certain number of points (depending on the PC�srace). When a PC has a run-in with the GrimReaper, the player can spend one of thesepoints, and the fatal blow misses, the poisondart misfires, the 16-ton block doesn't fall, etc. Ifthe PC has no more points, then it�s time to paythe piper. The number of points I allocate is asfollows: Humans ld4; elves ld4 - 1; dwarves1d3; halflings 1d4; gnomes 1d4 -1; and half-elves 1d4.

Don HarrisPalmer PA

there’s a mechanic to fall back on if their acts of

Many RPGs use systems similar to the oneabove to help PCs survive. I like such systemsmyself, in that the characters often attemptmore daring or heroic deeds if they know

EditorialContinued from page 6

to create the character from scratch.

hobbyist not only to take the role of a

even to the point of playing

character in the unfolding story, but even

who cut you off on the freeway really a

Why are people attracted to heroiccharacters,

vile menace to the entire community?

them in RPGs? The answer to thatquestion could fill a lot more space than Ihave here, but I�ll take a brief shot at it.The real world is very complex. (Nowthere�s an understatement.) RPG worlds,for all their detail and wonder, are drawnin black-and-white. Simply put, there aregood guys (the players� characters), thereare bad guys (villains, sorcerers, giantmonsters, vampires, etc.), and it�s the goodguys� job to whack the bad guys arounduntil they stop being bad guys. The realworld, by contrast, is full of an infinitenumber of shades of gray. Is the person

self-pity, or guilt. RPG players know that

Probably not. He's likely someone who just

their characters are doing the right thing

wasn�t paying enough attention to what he

by tracking down that bad guy and givinghim the whacking he deserves. The

was doing. Few people in the real worldalways know, with certainty, the bestcourse of action to take. In contrast, fewRPG characters are wracked with doubt,

certainty that what your character isdoing is right is a very comfortable feeling.That feeling is another attraction of RPGs.

Camaraderie is a pretty straightforwardattraction of RPGs, and is the mostimportant. People get together with otherswho share their interests to spend time,

In this sense, there are two types of RPG

should be able to get together and have

tell jokes, eat junk food, and play a game.

players. One type of player socializes withfriends in order to play the game. Theother type plays the game in order tosocialize with friends. This helps explainwhy some players are very serious abouttheir game night, and why some are justas content to trade bad puns for theevening. In any case, all RPG players

derring-do don’t work out quite the way theyplanned. And hey, daring and heroism should be

fun for a few hours. That�s the final

a big part of any RPG!attraction�spending time with people youlike. Rather than expanding this point any

BUCK ROGERS is a trademark owned by The DilleFamily Trust and used with permission.

* indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc.

further, I instead direct you to this issue�s�Letters� column, specifically �A letter to afriend.�

I hope this helps those of you who havealways found it difficult to explain exactlywhy you play RPGs. The next time someoneasks you, �So, why do you play those gamesanyway?� you can tell him. If you still havetrouble putting your reasons into words,just hand the person this magazine, open tothis page.

In the beginning, there were only hu-mans and a handful of demihumans asplayer-character races in TSR�s AD&D®game. Sure, there were unofficial PC racesin the pages of DRAGON® Magazine, andUnearthed Arcana added some demi-human races, but that wasn�t enough. Play-ers wanted to step into the role-playingshoes of every being there was.

Then the DRAGONLANCE®, DARK SUN®,and SPELLJAMMER® campaigns appeared,and we had things like kender, half-giants,and xixchil PCs running around. (Xixchil?Look �em up.) Then came The CompleteBook of Humanoids, and everything fromaarakocra to wemics was ready for playersto play. You could almost forget that hu-mans were even around.

Yet the richness of the AD&D fantasyuniverse was hardly touched. With therelease of TSR�s Council of Wyrms boxedadventure in June, the frontiers of role-playing are expanded yet again, this timeby a huge margin. In this most fantastic ofall campaign settings, players can now be-come the mightiest of creatures�dragons.

Dragons! But there�s more. Players usingCouncil of Wyrms also can become half-dragons, the grown offspring of the unionof certain metallic dragons and their demi-human vassals. The boxed set providesmany details on the statistics and role-playing of these rare, unusual beings, butthe topic begs for more elaboration. Canthere be half-dragons in other campaigns?If so, how are they played, and what arethey like?

This article provides an expanded look athalf-dragons from other TSR campaignworlds. Dungeon Masters must decide

whether to bring this information intotheir campaigns, of course, but guidelinesfor its sensible use are presented.

Fantasy geneticsSome basic restrictions should be laid

down regarding half-dragons. There areimportant exceptions to these rules, butfor the most part they should be taken asbasic fantasy �truths.�

First, only male dragons and female hu-mans or demihumans can create half-dragon children; female dragons cannot beimpregnated by male humans or demi-humans, and beings other than humans ordemihumans cannot bear a dragon�s chil-dren. (An exception occurs with the Orien-tal dragons, as detailed later.) Demihumansinclude elves, half-elves, dwarves, gnomes,halflings, kender, and similar humanlikeraces (including drow). This category doesnot include giants, ogres, orcs, half-orcs,half-ogres, goblins, centaurs, and other�nonhuman� races; for now, we�ll assumethat these races are not fertile with drag-ons, or that dragons won�t have anythingto do with them.

Second, only those dragons with the in-nate power to polymorph themselves intohuman or demihuman shape can inter-breed with the latter while in the latter�sform.

Third, interbreeding is not possible whilea dragon is using a normal polymorph selfspell, so a red dragon or shadow dragonwith a fourth-level spell slot could not im-pregnate a human or demihuman female.

Fourth, some dragons that might havethe power to create half-dragon offspringsimply have no interest in doing so, and

actively avoid it. These are most commonlydragons who have little or no interest inhumanity or have strong prejudices againsthumans, demihumans, or mammals in gen-eral, greatly preferring the company ofother dragons alone. (This point allows usto eliminate the half-platinum, half-adamantite, half-radiant, and other poten-tially over-powerful types�not a bad thing,as these admittedly make little sense in acarefully considered campaign. ImagineZeus falling desperately in love with anoverly intelligent hamster and wanting thefuzzy little rodent to bear his children. Onemust draw the line somewhere!)

Council of Wyrms provides the rules forgenerating half-dragons in the Io's Bloodcampaign, and these rules are generallyfollowed here. However, not all dragons onall worlds are alike, as you will see-andthere are more sorts of dragons than justgold, silver, and bronze. As noted above,we also open up the world of half-dragon/half-human offspring.

General notesMuch of what follows applies to half-

dragon offspring whose dragon parentswere a metallic type. The material is basedon the principles set forth in the Council ofWyrms boxed set. The children of Orientaldragons, however, are much different innature and receive much different treat-ment.

Half-dragons are subjected to considera-ble prejudice in many lands on manyworlds, making the majority of them exilesand outsiders. The idea of creatures asdifferent as dragons and demihumans (ordragons and humans) having offspring is

Half-dragon characters,for the Council ofWyrms settingand beyond

by Roger E. Moore

Artwork by Arnie Swekel

considered repugnant by most individualsof any species, even within the Council ofWyrms setting. For example, half-dragonshave no official place in the Council ofWyrms setting itself, even though this iswhere they are most commonly found,and most half-dragons find themselvescast out of the societies of either parent.

Even among those dragons who willinglyengage in intimate relations with humanor demihuman mates, producing half-dragon young is basically unacceptable. Adragon may truly love a mate, but dragonsocieties of almost any land find the ideaof creating half-dragons intolerable. Thus,half-dragon young are quite rare.

Half-dragon infants take the physicalform of their human or demihuman par-ent. Few physical features identify a new-born babe as a half-dragon, though thereare telltale signs that a careful observercould not miss. (Fear of discovery thusleads most mothers to leave home, neverto return, to seek a secure wilderness areato give birth�often the lair of the dragonparent.) The half-dragon newborn usuallyhas eyes or hair that are the color of thedragon parent�s scales, such as gold, silver,or bronze.

As they reach adulthood, half-dragonsgrow tall and lean, no matter what humanor demihuman blood mixes with theirdraconic heritage. The dragon heritagethen begins to develop, overwhelming�lesser� genes. During adolescence, dra-gonlike powers manifest themselves.(These are called �discretionary abilities�in AD&D game terms, as they are chosenby the player during the character�s pro-gression.) These abilities become strongerand more pronounced with time and use,until a half-dragon grows to full power.Physical changes accompany the appear-ance of these abilities, eventually meta-morphosing the youth into a beautiful andunique being�but the beauty is an alienone, not entirely along human or demi-human standards.

A mature half-dragon looks like a verytall, slender humanoid with elflike fea-tures: a thin frame, lean muscles, longlimbs, and pointed ears. It does not matterwhich human or demihuman stock runsthrough the half-dragon�s blood. Skin hasthe look and texture of normal flesh,though with the pigmentation of the dra-conic parent (golden, silvery, or bronze-tinged, for example). The half-dragon�shair is luxurious and thick, of a deeper orricher shade of the flesh�s color. The fin-gers are long and thin, with nails liketalons. Yet the true mark of dragon heri-tage is in the face, which has a remarkablyreptilian appearance: snakelike eyes, elon-gated features, and a hint of horns pro-truding from above the temples. Half-dragons have no wings, no tails, and noscales.

Half-dragons do not automatically learnany language except for those taught bytheir parents. If the dragon parent is

24 JUNE 1994

present, whatever draconic languages thatparent knows may be learned, and thehuman or demihuman parent�s nativetongues also may be picked up. (TheKrynnish half-silver, detailed later, willnever start out knowing a dragon�s lan-guage, as the once-dragon parent lost theability to speak those tongues upon trans-formation.) Note the bonus languagespicked up by river spirit folk, the half-dragon offspring of certain Oriental drag-ons, as shown in the section �Half-dragonroster."

Beyond these generalities, half-dragonsof various AD&D game worlds have fewthings in common. A short look at eachworld follows, with appropriate notes andcomments.

GREYHAWK® campaignOerth is a more cosmopolitan setting

than many, its peoples long accustomed tomagical displays and unusual beings intheir midst. Individual power, both physi-cal and magical, is respected and sought;the people of the Flanaess are on thewhole practical, calculating, materialistic,and prone to looking out for their owninterests first. This dark flavor has pro-moted a certain freedom from bias amongits peoples, especially in the City ofGreyhawk. One wag has commented thata stranger can be as strange as he wants,so long as he obeys the rules of the game.

Interbreeding between dragons and two-legged mortals is thus not unheard ofhere, though it will provoke anything fromoutrage to sighs, pained looks, and a cer-tain rolling of eyes. Half-dragon offspringwho survive to adulthood encounter fewsocial stigmas in enlightened areas, whichunfortunately are few in the postwarFlanaess. Most half-dragons will in timecongregate in the City of Greyhawk, whichhas become a haven for them. Indeed, inGreyhawk, being the descendant of adragon gives weight to a half-dragon�ssocial and political status as the dragonparent is assumed to be available to per-form a favor or two or to offer advice,regardless of whether this is actually true.

A few half-dragon individuals appear inthe histories of the Flanaess and its na-tions. Rumors sometimes pass that onemember of the Circle of Eight had dragonancestors in his family tree. Still, becausethey look so different, half-dragons tend tobe loners and have very few associates(and fewer still trusted friends).

Of the dragon types mentioned in theCouncil of Wyrms set, only the gold andsilver dragons of Oerth can interbreedwith humans and demihumans. Bronzedragons of Oerth cannot assume humanor demihuman form, being restricted totaking the shapes of higher mammals only.

Half-gold and half-silver: The basicstatistics for these races are as described

Half-Dragon Characteristics(Male/Female)

Table 1: Height (Inches)Race Base ModifierHalf-Gold 78/72 2 d 8Half-Silver 76/70 2 d 6Half-Bronze 74/68 2d4Half-Silver, K. * *Half-Chiang Lung** 56/51 2 d 4Half-Shen Lung** 56/51 2 d 4

Half-Greyhawk 66/64 1 d 6H a l f - S t e e l 66/64 1 d 6Deep Dragon 56/60 2 d 4Half-Iron 76/72 2 d 8

*Use the statistics from the Player's Handbook, page 24, for human, half-elf, or elf,whichever form the PC's mother took.**As per 5' average size for river spirit folk.

Table 3: Age Range (Years)R a c e Max. Mid./Old/Ven.

Half-gold 300+5d10 150/200/300Half-Silver 250+3d20 125/167/250Half-Bronze 200+4d10 100/133/200Half-Silver, K. * *Half-Chiang Lung 1 2 5 + 3 d 2 0 62/83/125Half-Shen Lung 125+3d20 62/83/125Half-Greyhawk 1 7 0 + 4 d 8 85/115/170H a l f - S t e e l 1 7 0 + 4 d 8 85/115/170Deep Dragon 100/115 2 d 4Half-Iron 400+3d10 200/267/400

*Use the statistics from the Player's Handbook, page 24, for human, half-elf, or elf,whichever form the PC's mother took.

in Council of Wyrms. The half-gold type isextremely rare, only two being known inthe last 500 years (and they were twins).The half-silver is better known; one isrumored to operate alone in the domainsof Iuz as a ranger, acting as a combinationspy, saboteur, and guerilla fighter. Threeare rumored to live in the City ofGreyhawk, but little is known about them.

Half-Greyhawk: A unique dragon typefound only on Oerth is the so-calledGreyhawk dragon, which appears to berelated (probably by some common ances-tor) to the steel dragon of theFORGOTTEN REALMS® setting. The drag-on, described in the GREYHAWKMONSTROUS COMPENDIUM® appendixand GREYHAWK Adventures hardbound,loves human and demihuman company,living out much of its life in cities, particu-larly the City of Greyhawk for which itwas named. The Greyhawk dragon is saidto be almost as likely to have a nondragonconsort as a dragon one, which has giventhe city a slightly seedy reputation amongknowledgeable travelers. This preferencehas also given the city about a dozen half-Greyhawks at any particular time, nearlyall of whom find gainful employment withtheir draconic parents.

DRAGONLANCE® campaignGenerally speaking, residents of the

continent of Ansalon are idealists, for goodor evil. Their cousins on the continent ofTaladas are more practical and earthy, but

still prone to carry causes. More insularthan the peoples of most worlds, Krynnishfolk are slow to trust outsiders and do notmingle well with those who are not likethem. This caution easily crosses over intoprejudice, and half-dragons here cannotexpect easy acceptance, if they win anydegree of acceptance at all.

Of all the dragons of the world ofKrynn, only two sorts have the power toassume human or demihuman shape�goldand silver dragons. (Bronze dragons here,as on Greyhawk�s Oerth, can assume onlythe forms of mammals.) Of these two, onlysilver dragons enjoy taking the smallershape. Indeed, unlike the disdainful golddragons who hold themselves largely apartfrom the affairs of two-legged beings,silver dragons love human and elven com-pany. Legends are told of Huma and thesilver dragon who loved him, and ofSilvara and the elf-lord Gilthanis, whovanished from the world before the Coun-cil of Whitestone and were never heardfrom again.

Tragedy, however, inevitably scars anyloving relationship between mortal anddragon. Without transformation (ex-plained later), a dragon will far outlive itspartner, and the couple will bear no chil-dren. With transformation, the dragonloses almost all traces of its old identityand must confront the rapidly closingspecter of death that faces all humans anddemihumans. Worse, the enemies of gooddragons are many and have long

memories; evil forces would be only toohappy to strike back at a silver dragon, inwhatever form, through the dragon�sloved ones. The mortal lover eventuallymight even reject the transformed partnerfor any number of reasons, leaving theformer dragon devastated and alone�andperhaps with a child. (It must be addedthat this last possibility has never yethappened, thankfully.)

Most devastating of all, however, is thealmost universal opposition that Krynnishnatives�and dragons�have for any hintof intimate relations between dragon andnondragon. The discovery that a lovingpartner is actually a silver dragon hasbeen known to destroy a relationship, andeven an accepting human or elven partnerwill face horror, rage, and pity from oth-ers of his kind who learn of the situation.

Half-silver: There have never been anyKrynnish stories, from any source, of anyoffspring resulting from the union of asilver dragon and a human or demihuman.(The few tragic romances known to legendinvolved a human or elven male.) Thereare rumors, however, that a silver dragonwho loves a mortal can be given thechance to forever remain in mortal form,as a special gift from the dragon-god Pala-dine. Such was said to be the choice thatHuma�s lover faced, though she turned itdown so that Huma could find the dragon-lances and fight the evil dragons of theworld.

Any Krynnish silver dragon who mateswith a human or demihuman of the oppo-site sex will not be able to conceive chil-dren. However, a silver dragon who istransformed by Paladine into a mortal willbe able to have children normally. Suchtransformations are almost unheard of,and no examples are known of it. Thesetransformations, into human, half-elven,or elven form, would be done solely forthe love of a mortal human, elf, or half-elf,invariably of good alignment, who standsout as an admired champion of Good.

The child of such a union always ap-pears to have the normal characteristics ofits mother, whether she was originally ahuman, half-elf, or elf (or was transformedinto one). The child�s silver irises and hairare not particularly remarkable to mostpassersby, as some elven races have thesame features. However, the child willshow a lifelong aptitude at understandinganything said to it, in any language. Evenif spoken to in a foreign tongue, the childhas a 75% chance of making its answerclearly known. Additionally, the offspringcan reach considerable levels of ability inwhatever character class it adopts, per-haps less than a human could do but oftenbetter than a normal elf or half-elf.

Other than this, the Krynnish half-silverhas-no particular legacy, except for theundoubtedly shocking discovery that oneof its parents was once a dragon. Thismoment could be the one that casts the

DRAGON 25

Table 2: Weight (Pounds)Race Base ModifierHalf-Gold 180/170 4 d 8Half-Silver 160/130 3 d 8Half-Bronze 150/120 3d8Half-Silver, K. * *Half-Chiang Lung 90/70 3d6Half-Shen Lung 90/70 3d6

2 d 6Half-Greyhawk 130/1202 d 6Half-Steel 130/1202d4Deep Dragon 100/1154 d 8Half-Iron 170/150

*Use the statistics from the Player's Handbook, page 24, for human, half-elf, or elf,whichever form the PC's mother took.

Table 4: Thief Skill Racial AdjustmentsSkill H-Gd H-Sv H-Bz H-Gk H-St DD H-InPick pockets -5% � +5% + 5 + 5 -5 - 5Open locks +5% -5% � + 5

-5%- 5 -5 - 5

F/R traps � +5% - 5 +5+10%

- 5 + 5Move silently -10% � � +10Hide/shadows +10%

� �� +5% � + 1 0

Detect noise�

+10%�

-5% � +5 � �Climb walls -10%

+5-5% � � +5 -10

Read languages +5% � � +15�

+ 1 5 - 1 0 �Half-chiang lung and half-shen lung cannot become thieves, and so have no

thieving-ability modifiers. Those who become bushi have normal chances for purse-cutting, pick-pocketing, and so forth, though half-chiang lung avoid doing so if at allpossible. Krynnish half-silvers use whatever racial bonuses are appropriate to theirappearance (human, elven, or half-elven).

character out into the world as an adven-turer, seeking to learn more about itsparent�s lost dragon heritage while tryingto keep the same knowledge a secret frompotentially hostile strangers. Unfortu-nately, the character�s acceptance intosilver dragon society is hardly guaranteed.

FORGOTTEN REALMS® campaignThe people of the Realms are almost as

cosmopolitan as those of Oerth, but lessinclined to self-centeredness. They areoften idealistic as well, but still prone tomind their own business and avoid pryinginto the lives of strangers, who are gener-ally accepted and treated well but withsome reserve (at least in good societies). Ahalf-dragon, however, will face prejudicein some areas because of its strangeappearance.

A confusing element thrown into thediscussion of half-dragons in the Realms isthe issue of weredragons, a unique localrace described in DRAGON® issue #134and the FORGOTTEN REALMS adventure,FA1 Halls of the High King. This race isinterfertile with both dragons and hu-mans, but it is not (yet) suitable for presen-tation as a player character in the AD&Dgame, so we will skip further discussion ofit here.

Aside from the usual gold, silver, andbronze dragons (the latter of which canassume human or demihuman form in theRealms), a few other dragon types arepresent that can (and sometimes do) inter-breed with two-legged folk.

Half -gold, half-silver, half -bronze:These are all found in the Realms, thoughthey cannot possibly be called common oreven �rare." Even Elminster is pressed toname more than two dozen of themknown from the last thousand years ofRealms history, and some of these (wholed less-than-exemplary lives) are suspect-ed of fabricating their �draconic� parent-age to cover darker origins or to gain acertain notoriety or respect from peers.

Half-steel: The steel dragon of theRealms, called the Waterdeep dragon bysome because it is most often found in thatcity, appears related to the Greyhawkdragon through a rather recent commonancestor. The steel dragon (described inthe FORGOTTEN REALMS supplementDraconomicon) shares many of the charac-teristics and behaviors of the Greyhawkdragon. As would be expected, there arealso about a dozen or so half-steels inWaterdeep, loosely associated as a little-known group calling itself The Conflu-ence. Members of The Confluence aresupported by patrons who are usuallytheir parents, either dragon, human, ordemihuman. Half-steels travel in magicaldisguises or, at minimum, in all-coveringrobes to avoid drawing attention. They areoften called upon to undertake missionsfor their patrons, and they themselvesmight hire novice adventurers to performcertain missions, though without revealingtheir true natures.

26 JUNE 1994

Drow-dragon (half-deep): The evildeep dragons of the Realms� Underdarkhave only one two-legged ally: the drow.One can hardly imagine the potential forevil of which the progeny of a deep drag-on and a drow would be capable, and thisoutcome is indeed the case in nearly all�drow-dragons,� as they are called. Onlytwo have been known to recorded history;one was slain in its youth by jealous drowrivals, but the other gained considerablepower and may yet live somewhere in theUnderdark. It is speculated that a drow-dragon could become disenchanted withits life underground and become a seekerof good, but the chances of this are re-garded are minuscule.

Kara-Tur campaignBecause of the unusual powers and

status of the Oriental dragons of theRealms, they and their offspring are treat-ed here separately from the �western�dragons of that land and other worlds. Itshould be noted that thanks to spelljam-ming, Oriental dragons are well estab-lished on a variety of worlds in manycrystal spheres. Still, all that is said aboutthe half-dragons of Kara-Tur applies tosimilar beings elsewhere.

Certain types of Oriental dragons ofKara-Tur are well known to take humanlovers at times, either by design or whim.(Elves and other �western� demihumansare little known in Kara-Tur, and Orientaldragons are not particularly interested inOriental demihumans such as korobokuruor hengeyokai.) Highly respected royalfamilies and the lowest peasant clans areequally likely to have dragons as ancestors(possibly the same dragon), though suchan event is still quite rare. This doesn�tprevent some exaggerated boasts andoutright falsehoods from being handeddown through the generations by un-knowing descendants. Human ancestorswho were known to be the consorts ofdragons have a special notoriety in familyhistories, and are accredited with extraor-dinary beauty, leadership, rightful behav-ior, marvelous clothing, or other suchqualities. To be the partner of a dragon,under almost any circumstances, is often abadge of honor.

The reasons for such general acceptanceare not hard to fathom. The half-dragonoffspring of Oriental dragons, known asspirit folk, are quite beautiful by humanstandards. (Obviously, different laws ofgenetics apply to Oriental dragons thanapply to their western cousins.) The ap-pearance and mysterious natures of spiritfolk make them intensely attractive. Fur-thermore, Oriental dragons are a centralpart of the much-revered Celestial Bu-reaucracy of Kara-Tur, and any positiveassociation with them is widely sought,particularly by those whose livelihoods fallunder the sway of particular dragons inthe Bureaucracy.

Two types of Oriental dragons areknown to take human lovers, and either

bear or father children by them. Both areriver dragons: the chiang lung and theshen lung. Their half-human offspring areriver spirit folk, detailed in the OrientalAdventures volume and Kara-Tur appen-dix to the MONSTROUS COMPENDIUMsupplement. River spirit folk are easilyaccepted into their human parents� clansor families, though they also must obeyany directives, summons, or requests fromtheir dragon parents without question ordelay. They are also subject to moodswings based on the condition of theirhome rivers, as outlined in the two refer-ences named above.

Half-chiang lung: These are the mostcommon half-dragons of Kara-Tur, buthalf-shen lung run a close second. Thedaughters of the officious chiang lung findhumans fascinating, and often they as-sume human form and attempt to marrymen who have caught their fancy. Thesedaughters� fathers, however, are far frompleased at such liaisons, and might ordertheir daughters (even the married ones) toreturn to their river homes forever. It isnot unusual for such prohibitions to arrivetoo late to prevent the birth of children,however, and after a joint upbringing bydragon and human clans these youths arefree to go adventuring if they wish.

Such adventurers are invariably warriortypes, particularly samurai and kensaibecause of their high social standing andmartial excellence. The grown offspring ofchiang lung and humans are known (andsometimes feared) for their pursuit ofperfection, honor, and duty. Some eventu-ally lead their human parents� clans, anevent that the allies of those clans cele-brate and the enemies of those clans re-gard with great concern, if not terror.

It does happen, if a chiang lung male iswithout a partner, that he might be at-tracted to a human female of exceptionalbeauty or talent. This is very rare, how-ever, as male chiang lung try very hard todiscourage interbreeding of any kind. Inany event, river spirit folk born of chianglung and humans are quite welcome ineither society, and many is the chiang lungelder who looks upon the achievements ofhis spirit folk grandchild with pride.

Half-shen lung: Nearly all that is saidabove about half-chiang lung is true of thehalf-shen lung, who are also river spiritfolk. Most of those who go adventuringare chaotic but honorable bushi who donot care to submit themselves to aplethora of laws. It is also the case thatmale and female shen lung are equallyattracted to opposite-sex human partners.

Dragons from other worldsIt is difficult to say much about the wide

variety of dragons across the many crystalspheres and Outer Planes, regarding anyhalf-human offspring they might have.About all that can be said is that the singu-lar dragon types, such as the platinumdragon (variously known as Bahamut orPaladine) and the two adamantite dragons

of the Twin Paradises, is that they are tooconcerned with dragons to bother muchwith humans.

Only one type of dragon in Wildspace isknown to be able to naturally assumehuman or demihuman form: the radiantor celestial dragon. However, this dragondespises mammalian beings like humansand demihumans, at best regarding themas intelligent rivals for territory. There area few cases of radiant dragons beingfriendly to humankind, but these areisolated cases, and the dragons could notpossibly imagine taking a human as amate. (Remember what was said earlierabout Zeus and the hamster.)

Other types of dragons may exist onother worlds, however, that could inter-breed with humans and demihumans.Readers with access to DRAGON issue#170 will note the article on ferrous drag-ons, and in particular the iron dragon,which can assume human shape andseems to like humans a lot. This type isused here as an example of what a half-dragon with nontraditional parentagewould be like.

Down to detailsThe AD&D game mechanics for playing

half-dragons are generally like the onesgiven in the Council of Wyrms boxed set.All ability scores are obtained using any ofthe character-creation methods describedin the DUNGEON MASTER® Guide, thenapplying the appropriate ability-scoremodifiers (given here in the section oneach type of half-dragon).

Half-dragons use character-class Hit Diceand all standard rules for playing humanor demihuman characters. Characterclasses available to half-dragons are listedin the section �Half-dragon roster." Half-dragons of any type cannot become multi-classed or dual-classed. They may haveone class only. Tables 1-4 offer basic infor-mation on the appearance and thievingskills of various types of half-dragonsdiscussed here.

Half-dragons do not have to use kits, butkits are recommended for adding flavor tothe PCs. Kits require use of the proficiencyrules outlined in the Player�s Handbookand in Chapter Two of the Council ofWyrms boxed set�s Book One: Rules. Ahalf-dragon PC can use any kit allowed toits class and to its human or demihumanparent�s race (including kits from theComplete Handbook series), except thedragon-rider kit from Council of Wyrmsand any kit involving the slaying or harm-ing of dragons. A number of kits from TheComplete Book of Humanoids also areavailable: (Warrior) Sellsword, WildernessProtector; (Wizard) Hedge Wizard, Hu-manoid Scholar, Outlaw Mage; (Priest)Oracle, War Priest, Wandering Mystic;(Rogue) Scavenger, Tramp.

The offspring of Oriental dragons, riverspirit folk, almost never use these kits.Instead, they use kits reflecting their Ori-ental culture. The samurai kit was detailed

in The Complete Fighter�s Handbook (pag-es 31-32); the bushi and kensai kits wereunofficially updated for the AD&D 2ndEdition game in DRAGON issue #189, in�The Other Orientals� (pages 28 and 30,respectively). If this issue is not available,the DM can create similar kits using thematerial from the Oriental Adventuresvolume.

Krynnish half-silvers, because of theunusual nature of their campaign set-up,can become members of the Holy Order ofStars (if clerics) or the Orders of HighSorcery (if wizards). Details on these vari-ant classes are found in the Tales of theLance boxed set (World Book of Ansalon,pages 80-96).

Two new half-dragon kits were given inthe Council of Wyrms rules. They arerepeated here, adapted for use in otherAD&D game campaigns.

Exile kitThe exile is a half-dragon who was cast

out of the community into which he wasborn. His mother�s relationship with adragon was kept secret from all neighbors,out of justified fear of their reaction. Earlyin life, evidence mounted that hinted atthe young half-dragon�s mixed heritage.The half-dragon thus begins adventuringafter banishment from his homeland.Forced to fend for himself, he becomes aself-reliant wanderer seeking a place tocall his own, though shunned by many.

Settings: The exile is appropriate to theCouncil of Wyrms, GREYHAWK, andFORGOTTEN REALMS campaigns. Nochild of an Oriental dragon has ever beenknown to be an exile, though bizarrecircumstances might cause this. A Krynn-ish half-silver would be raised as a normalhuman or demihuman child, and alsowould avoid this fate.

Requirements: Any half-dragon canbe an exile, though members of the kit areusually thieves who had to steal to stayalive. Exiles are typically of neutral orchaotic alignment.

Role: Exiles wander the world. Theyfear the repercussions that come withbeing a recognizable half-dragon, for suchbeings are generally loathed by both sidesof their genetic heritage. Sometimes thefear is held at bay by hope, for exilesdesperately wish for a community to ac-cept them. Many also carry deep hatredfor those who banished them and for thedragons (and humans or demihumans)who produced them. Exiles have few or notrusted friends, and they are usually coldand aloof, often consumed with bitternessthough they secretly hope for acceptance.

A half-dragon exile never stays in oneplace too long, for eventually his true natureis revealed. Then trouble starts, and heprefers leaving on his own before beingbanished again. Most exiles perform oddjobs, carry news from location to location,steal, and do anything else it takes to survivein the netherworld between dragon andhumans or demihumans.

Not all communities display fear andhatred toward exiles, but most do. Thosethat allow them rarely make them feelwelcome, but they use the half-dragons totheir best advantage, such as to performspecial missions (item recovery/theft,spying, diplomatic go-between, etc.). Whileno exile enjoys being used, most will takeon this kind of work in lieu of stealing orremaining alone.

Weapon proficiencies: An exile usu-ally selects weapons much different fromthe traditional weapons (if any) of its non-dragon parent. Easily concealed weapons,such as daggers, saps, short swords, darts,and slings are common. Large weaponscommon to nobility or regular armies,such as lances, polearms, or two-handedswords are very rarely used.

Nonweapon proficiencies: Bonus�survival. Required- none. Recommended,general� direction sense, fire-building,fishing, weather sense. Recommended,warrior� endurance, hunting, running.Recommended, rogue� juggling.

Equipment: An exile can use anyweapons, armor, and equipment suitableto his class.

Special benefits: Exiles receive oneadditional nonweapon proficiency slot tofill when they are first created. Those whohave thieving skills also receive an addi-tional 15 discretionary skill points to dis-tribute at creation.

Special hindrances: Because of theuniversal dislike of half-dragons-andespecially exiles�members of this kitreceive a -3 penalty to encounter reac-tions when dealing with NPCs. Addition-ally, it is very unlikely that the exile willhave learned to speak any dragon lan-guage.

Wealth options: Exiles start play ex-tremely poor. They receive only 3d6 gpwith which to purchase equipment, but atthe DM�s option might have some itemsthey managed to scavenge or steal earlierin life.

Ward kitThe ward is a half-dragon who has a

wealthy patron�usually the half-dragon�sdragon parent, but possibly a governmentbody, guild, criminal organization, or non-dragon patron. This patron provides theward with wealth, a place to live, and tasksto perform. Some patrons provide assistancewithout ever revealing themselves; othersare known to the wards, but the relationshipis kept secret from others. A dragon patronprovides help either because it is responsiblefor the half-dragon�s birth or because itwants to use the half-dragon as a tool. Non-dragon patrons have their own reasons foremploying the half-dragon, but none do itout of charity.

Settings: The ward is appropriate forthe Council of Wyrms, GREYHAWK, andFORGOTTEN REALMS settings. This is acommon kit for half-dragons with silver,Greyhawk, or steel dragon parents, espe-cially those living in large cities like

DRAGON 27

Greyhawk or Waterdeep. It is not known As a starting character, the half-dragon PC various AD&D game worlds. Ability-scoreto be used by the children of Oriental has all the racial abilities of his demi- modifiers are used when half-dragon charac-dragons or by a Krynnish half-silver, who human parent (as detailed in the Player�s ters are generated. Alignment tendencies dowould be raised as a normal human or Handbook or other appropriate refer- not have to be strictly followed for PCs, butdemihuman child. ence), though the character of course most half-dragons of each type have leanings

Requirements: Nil. looks like a half-dragon as previously toward the alignments given.Role: When a ward is openly accepted described. Half-dragons with human par- Half-dragons can exceed the level limits

by her patrons, she has a place in the ents start with no racial abilities. for the allowable classes listed here if theypatron�s clan or organization, if any. She is As half-dragons increase in level, the have high prime requisite scores (as pre-tolerated by the dragon�s allies and subor- metamorphosis lurking within them be- sented in the DMG, page 15). What specificdinates for work purposes but might be gins to manifest. Half-dragons at this point class or kit they belong to does not matter.shunned socially. Some wards are helped are treated differently, depending on Discretionary and fixed abilities availablein secret; these wander from place to whether they have human or demihuman to each half-dragon type are listed below.place, though they do so with better re- parents. Note: This material does not apply Note again that not all these abilities aresources than exiles. to Krynnish half-silvers of to the offspring available to half-dragon/half-demihuman

Many wards live well. Often, all their of Oriental dragons. characters, as each such character usuallypatrons ask for in return is the same type At 2nd, 4th, and 6th level, the player of receives only three discretionary abilitiesof service their other servants provide; the a half-dragon PC with a demihuman par- and two fixed abilities, no matter whathalf-dragon is not so much �used� as sim- ent can choose one of the draconic discre- level of advancement is achieved. Theply employed. tionary abilities listed in the section children of Oriental dragons and trans-

Weapon proficiencies: A ward can �Half-dragon roster� and add it to her formed Krynnish silver dragons, however,select any weapon available for her class. character sheet. To balance this, the char- gain all the fixed abilities listed from the

Nonweapon proficiencies: Bonus� acter must lose one demihuman racial start of play.etiquette. Required� none. Recommended, ability; this ability has been supersededgeneral� artistic ability, dancing, riding and replaced by one of draconic origin, Setting abbreviations(land-based), seamanship, swimming. Rec- showing the character�s inevitable shift CW: Council of Wyrms boxed setommended, priest� ancient history, engi- toward dragonkind as her body matures. GH: GREYHAWK campaign (Flanaess conti-neering, healing, reading/writing. For example, a 2nd-level half-bronze nent, Oerth)Recommended, warrior� endurance, half-elf is about to take the water breath- FR: FORGOTTEN REALMS campaignhunting, running. Recommended, rogue� ing draconic ability. This replaces the (Western lands, Toril)appraising, gem cutting, juggling, musical character�s elven 60� infravision. A DM KT: FORGOTTEN REALMS campaigninstrument. Recommended, wizard� should decide beforehand if the player (Kara-Tur, Toril)spellcraft. gets to choose which ability is replaced, or DL: DRAGONLANCE campaign (Ansalon

Equipment: A ward can use any weap- if the decision is made through random continent, Krynn)ons, armor, and equipment suitable to her selection by player or DM. OC: Other AD&D campaignclass. Fixed abilities come into play here, too,

Special benefits: Wards have access to but they are not chosen and occur regard- Half-Goldthe wealth and knowledge of their pa- less of other factors. At 5th level, all half- Worlds: CW, GH, FR.trons. This does not mean that they are dragons with demihuman parents gain the Appearance: Normal half-dragon withprovided with unlimited funds and sup- ability to use their talonlike nails as claw dark brown-gold hair, golden irises, paleplies, but they receive aid when they most weapons. At 7th level, they reach their full gold skin.need it, seldom more than once per year. physical maturity and stop metamorphos- Ability-score modifiers: +2 Strength, -2Patrons also are likely to provide tips and ing. While still obviously humanoid, they Wisdom, +1 Charisma.quests leading to considerable rewards. are also obviously related to dragonkind. Ability-score ranges: Str 7/20, Dex 4/18,

Special hindrances: Because of the At 7th level, they gain the ability to use Con 6/18, Int 3/18, Wis 3/18, Cha 6/18.universal distaste often exhibited toward their half-dragon breath weapon. Each of Starting age: 14 + 1d4 years.half-dragons, members of this kit receive a these fixed abilities must replace one Alignment tendency: Lawful good.-1 penalty to encounter reactions when demihuman racial ability, just as happens Allowable classes: Cleric (10), fighterdealing with NPCs. Some wards are kept with discretionary abilities. (11), ranger (10), mage (14), thief (9).on a figurative short leash by their pa- A half-dragon with a human parent has Discretionary abilities: Water breathingtrons, who don�t wish the half-dragons to no innate racial abilities. The discretionary (at will); speak with animals (at will); blessgain too much freedom and perhaps strike and fixed abilities are received as de- (twice per day); detect lie (twice per day);out on their own. scribed above, but without the loss of any sleep (twice per day); dragon fear (three

Wealth options: Wards start play with other ability. Furthermore, discretionary times per day); immune to fire; immune to5d6 x 10 gold pieces to purchase equip- abilities continue to be received by the gas; 90� infravision.ment. At the DM�s option, some of this half-dragon at even-numbered levels be- Fixed abilities: Claw attacks (1d6/1d6);amount might be in the form of equip- yond the 6th, as the half-dragon/half- breath weapon (spray of fire 10� long,ment, such as weapons, armor, or other human character becomes increasingly damage 3d6, usable twice per day).materials. dragonlike with age. The receiving of

discretionary abilities ends only when Half-SilverDiscretionary/fixed abilities either the half-dragon has reached its Worlds: CW, GH, FR.

As half-dragon characters mature and maximum level within its character class, Appearance: Normal half-dragon withgain levels, they slowly become more like and thus cannot progress further and silver-white hair, silver irises, very paletheir dragon parents. These changes are receive new abilities, or when no further gray-white skin.reflected in the receiving of new abilities abilities remain for it to take. A half- Ability-score modifiers: +1 Strength, +1and powers as certain levels are reached. dragon/half-human character is likely to Constitution, -1 Intelligence.Two types of new abilities are involved be more powerful in the long run than a Ability-score ranges: Str 6/19, Dex 5/19,here: discretionary and fixed. half-dragon/half-demihuman character. Con 5/18, Int 3/18, Wis 3/18, Cha 5/18.

Players, with their DM�s permission, Starting age: 14 + 1d4 years.should decide which race (human, elf, Half-dragon roster Alignment tendency: Lawful good.dwarf, gnome, halfling, kender, half-elf, The following material presents all the Allowable classes: Cleric (14), fighteretc.) is mixed with their draconic heritage. major types of half-dragons known in the (10), ranger (12), mage (11), thief (14).

28 JUNE 1994

Discretionary abilities: Feather fall (onceper day); wall of fog (once per day); cloudwalk (one hour per level per day); dragonfear (twice per day); immune to cold; 90�infravision.

Fixed abilities: Claw attacks (1d4/1d4);breath weapon (spray of cold 8� long,damage 4d4, usable twice per day).

Half-BronzeWorlds: CW, FR.Appearance: Normal half-dragon with

dark metallic-brown hair bronze irises,warm bronze (light to medium brown) skin.

Ability-score modifiers: +1 Strength, +1Dexterity, +1 Wisdom.

Ability-score ranges: Str 5/18, Dex 6/20,Con 4/18, Int 3/18, Wis 4/18, Cha 4/18.

Starting age: 14 + 1d4 years.Alignment tendency: Lawful good.Allowable classes: Cleric (9), fighter (14),

ranger (14), mage (8), specialist wizard�illusionist (9), thief (11).

Discretionary abilities: Water breathing(at will); speak with animals (at will); cre-ate food and water (twice per day); ESP(once per day); dragon fear (once per day);immune to electricity; 60� infravision.

Fixed abilities: Claw attacks (1d4/1d4);breath weapon (bolt of lightning 8� long,damage 3d4, usable twice per day).

Half-Silver, KrynnishWorlds: DL.Appearance: Normal human, half-elven,

or elven body (as per mother�s race) withsilver hair and silver irises.

Ability-score modifiers: +1 to all rollsfor human, half-elven, or elven abilityscores.

Ability-score ranges: As per mother�srace.

Starting age (regardless of parentage orappearance): 15 + 1d6.

Alignment tendency: Lawful good.Allowable classes (regardless of parent-

age or appearance): Cleric-Holy Orders(14), fighter (15), ranger (17), specialistwizard-High Sorcery (17), thief (14).

Discretionary abilities: Nil.Fixed abilities: Ability to understand any

intelligent communication within 5� radiusand to communicate in previously un-known languages with 75% accuracy.

Half-Chiang LungWorlds: KT.Appearance: Normal human body,

though of great beauty, with light goldenor pale yellow skin, black hair, blue orgreen irises (as per river spirit folk).

Ability-score modifiers: Nil.Ability-score ranges: Str 6/18, Dex 12/18,

Con 6/14, Int 12/18, Wis 9/18, Cha 14/18.Starting age: 15 + 1d6 years.Alignment tendency: Lawful neutral,

lawful good, neutral good.Allowable classes: Fighter (unlimited

with bushi, kensai, or samurai kit), fighter(12 with other kit).

Discretionary abilities: Nil.Fixed abilities: Swim at normal movement

30 JUNE 1994

rate (12); breathe air and water equally well;bonus languages (fishes, Celestial Court,trade language, spirit folk); +1 bonus tosaving throws vs. all water-related spells,wands, staves, rods, and miscellaneousmagical items; -1 penalty to saving throwsvs. fire-based attacks; can lower water (asthe spell) once per day by 10�, for fiverounds; 120� infravision; all wounds anddiseases cured by bathing in home river.

Half-Shen LungWorlds: KT.Appearance: Normal human body,

though of great beauty, with light goldenor pale yellow skin, black hair, blue orgreen irises (as per river spirit folk).

Ability-score modifiers: Nil.Ability-score ranges: Str 6/18, Dex 12/18,

Con 6/14, Int 12/18, Wis 9/18, Cha 14/18.Starting age: 15 + 1d6 years.Alignment tendency: Chaotic neutral,

chaotic good, neutral good.Allowable classes: Fighter (unlimited

with bushi, kensai, or samurai kit), fighter(12 with other kit).

Discretionary abilities: Nil.Fixed abilities: Swim at normal move-

ment rate (12); breathe air and waterequally well; bonus languages (fishes,Celestial Court, trade language, spirit folk);+1 bonus to saving throws vs. all water-related spells, wands, staves, rods, andmiscellaneous magical items; -1 penaltyto saving throws vs. fire-based attacks; canlower water (as the spell) once per day by10�, for five rounds; 120� infravision; allwounds and diseases cured by bathing inhome river.

Half-GreyhawkWorlds: GH.Appearance: Normal half-dragon, with

dark gray hair, steel-gray irises, and lightgray skin.

Ability-score modifiers: +2 Intelligence,+1 Strength, -1 Dexterity.

Ability score ranges: Str 4/18, Dex 3/18,Con 4/18, Int 8/19, Wis 3/18, Cha 6/18.

Starting age: 14 + 1d4 years.Alignment tendency: Lawful neutral,

lawful good.Allowable classes: Cleric (8), fighter (10),

specialist wizard-enchanter (15), mage(14), ranger (10), thief (14).

Discretionary abilities: Cast cantrip(twice per day); cast friends (once perday); use dragon fear (once per day); +4bonus to saves vs. 1st-level wizard spells;+4 bonus to saves vs. poison; 60� infra-vision.

Fixed abilities: Claw attacks (1d3/1d3);breath weapon (spray of poisonous gasforming 10�-square cube in front of char-acter, -2 save vs. poison or die, usabletwice per day).

Half-SteelWorlds: FR.Appearance: Normal half-dragon, with

dark gray hair, light gray skin, and two-color eyes (one silver, one dark gray).

Ability-score modifiers: +2 Intelligence,+1 Strength, -1 Dexterity.

Ability-score ranges: Str 4/18, Dex 3/18,Con 4/18, Int 8/19, Wis 3/18, Cha 6/18.

Starting age: 14 + 1d4 years.Alignment tendency: Lawful neutral,

lawful good.Allowable classes: Cleric (6), fighter (11),

specialist wizard-diviner (15), mage (14),ranger (9), thief (14).

Discretionary abilities: Cast detect lie(twice per day); cast charm person (twiceper day); use dragon fear (once per day);25% magic resistance; ability to use anymagical item meant for mages/wizards; 60�infravision.

Fixed abilities: Claw attacks (1d3/1d3);breath weapon (spray of poisonous gasforming 10�-square cube in front of char-acter, -4 save vs. poison or must feigndeath for 2d10 turns as per the spell,usable twice per day).

Drow-DragonWorlds: FR.Appearance: Normal half-dragon, with

black hair, bright red eyes, and deep ma-roon skin.

Ability-score modifiers: +2 Dexterity,-2 Wisdom.

Ability-score ranges: Str 6/18, Dex 8/20,Con 4/18, Int 5/18, Wis 3/16, Cha 3/16.

Starting age: 14 + 1d4 years.Alignment tendency: Chaotic evil.Allowable classes: Cleric (12), fighter

(12), mage (15), thief (16).Discretionary abilities: Use detect magic

(at will); cast true seeing (twice per day);immune to charm, sleep, hold magic; usedragon fear (once per day); +4 bonus tosaves vs. and -1 on each die of damagefrom heat/fire/cold/ice spells; regenerate 1hp/turn; 120' infravision.

Fixed abilities: Claw attacks (1d3/1d3),breath weapon (spray of flesh-corrosivegas 5� long, damage 3d4, usable twice perday).

Half-IronWorlds: OC.Appearance: Normal half-dragon, with

black hair, dark gray eyes, and medium-gray or ash-black skin.

Ability-score modifiers: +2 Strength, +2Constitution, -2 Intelligence, -2 Wisdom.

Ability-score ranges: Str 12/20, Dex 3/18,Con 12/20, Int 3/18, Wis 3/18, Cha 3/18.

Starting age: 14 + 1d4 years.Alignment tendency: Lawful neutral.Allowable classes: Cleric (9), fighter (15),

mage (8), ranger (13), thief (14).Discretionary abilities: Immune to all

heat/fire attacks and spells; use dragonfear (once per day); cast heat metal (twiceper day); cast stone shape (twice per day);90� infravision.

Fixed abilities: Claw attacks (1d6/1d6),breath weapon (spray of sparks 10� long,damage 3d6, usable twice per day).

32 JUNE 1994

DRAGON 33

34 JUNE 1994

The Sea Barons

by Carl Sargent

Cartography by Dave Sutherland

Compiled by Wolfgang Baur

This is the second in a short series ofarticles for the WORLD OF GREYHAWK®setting. (The first appeared in DRAGON®issue #204.) These pieces were originallywritten for the Ivid the Undying accessory,and together they constitute a survey ofthe high and low points of the most dan-gerous "kingdom” of Oerth—the decayingremains of Aerdy, the Great Kingdom.

This installment examines the wild ro-vers of Spindrift Sound, and the powerfulships, magic, and treasures hidden in theirsecluded coves and island strongholds.

Also in this issue is the article, “FiendKnights and Dark Artifacts,” which detailsseveral items of dark magic and the dan-gerous fiend knight.

The islands of the Sea Barons wereamong the last to be settled by the Oeri-dians, and many smaller islands are stilllargely unsettled. The settlers are largely amix of Oeridians and the Flan. The over-king�s imperial charter established the islesas four Baronies: Asperd Isle, Oakenisle,Fairisle, and Leastisle. Patrolling the coastsof the Great Kingdom from Bellport far tothe south, much of the Great Kingdom�snaval power was concentrated here, andthe position of Lord High Admiral wasdetermined by the outcome of a navalbattle fought between the baronies. As-perd Isle won that battle, and Asperdi hasbecome the largest town and center ofpower in these isles.

Militarily, the Sea Barons simply stayedout of the Greyhawk Wars. With war farto the west, and Rauxes many hundreds ofmiles away, the old Lord High AdmiralSencho Foy decided that the threats of thenorthern barbarians were too dangerousto risk the isles� fleets in battles far fromhome. Dispatching navies to Relmor Bay tofight Nyrond would be suicidal, especiallysince the overthrow of the Lordship of theIsles left the southern waters of the AerdiSea more dangerous than ever.

The old admiral suffered one of thosesudden deaths so common among Aerdyrulers, and his successor is a stern andhard man, Basmajian Arras, who has thesupport of the barons of the two remain-ing isles, Fairisle and Oakenisle. All areaware that they are faced with increasedthreats and unknowns. The northernbarbarians, no longer at war on land, havemore time and resources to spend raidingthe Solnor Ocean. While coastal citiesoffer good targets, so do the wealthy landsof the Barons. To the south, the Scarlet

Brotherhood has sent its spies and agentsto Asperdi and Oakenheart. They havebeen rebuffed, but the Barons all fear thata naval invasion might be mounted againstthem from the Lordship of the Isles. Thenthere are the new elven lands of Len-dore�a complete unknown. Though nothreat seems to come from them, theBarons cannot learn what is happeningbehind the magical barriers there, and thismakes them insecure.

Divided landsPop.: 45,000 (plus 8,000 on Leastisle)Capital: Asperdi (pop. 7,750)Ruler: Lord High Admiral Basmajian ArrasCost Multiplier: 110% of PH cost

The divisions among the Sea Baronsheighten their insecurity. Most seriously,Leastisle fell to pirates and buccaneers atthe end of the Greyhawk Wars. Most ofthese freebooters were fleeing the easterncoastal cities of Aerdy, but they broughtenough mercenaries and seapower to sackVernport. They now sail widely, attackingany target that looks soft enough, fromNorth Province to Hepmonaland. Theyhave not raided the other isles of theBarons after one abortive attack againstPort Elder. The Sea Barons lack the will tostrike against the 8,000 or so ne�er-do-wells on Leastisle, because they fear thatthe men and ships they might lose in suchan action would leave them vulnerable toother enemies.

The other division is one of politics andtemperament. Arras favors an alliance, orat least a truce, with the barbarians andRatik. He argues that this would removethe greatest threat to the Sea Barons, andleave them better able to handle the oth-ers. However, the Barons of the other islesdo not agree. They point out that such anagreement might not go down well withthe eastern Aerdi cities with which the SeaBarons trade.

In the case of Rel Astra, they might getaway with it since barbarians rarely raidthat far south. However, the Five of Ro-land and the ruler of Ountsy would cer-tainly react badly, and the Sea Baronscould ill afford to lose those trade links.The temperamental division is with theyounger sea captains and young bucks ofthe baronies, who are more aggressiveand believe that, with their seapower stillintact, the Barons should be more enthusi-astic about raiding and piracy (not tomention retaking Leastisle). The old Mede-

gian lands offer a soft target and the Bar-ons raid there, but apart from theoccasional foray into Hepmonaland to lootthat vast land�s spices, ivory, and furs, theBarons� current exploits are very limited.

Arras and the other Barons want to keeptheir ships close to home for protection;the younger men want to sail the blue seasin search of adventure and bounty, freedas they now are from rulership by Rauxes.

Finally, Arras is well aware that therealways has been rivalry between the Bar-ons themselves, especially between Asper-di and Oakenheart. He must be sure thathe can count on the support of his fellows,rather than assassination by poison ordagger (the weapon he used to eliminatethe previous lord high admiral).

Trade and bountyThe isles are fertile and beautiful; the

climate is warm and mild, and whilegrains and livestock do not fare well here,the natural riches of the islands are con-siderable. Bananas, galda fruit, plantains,and figs grow in abundance. Rock iguanasare as common here as are rats in Rauxes,and unlike those vermin, their tails makeexcellent eating, marinated and roasted.Wild goats clamber the cliffs and are hunt-ed for their meat. Some islanders even tellthe visitor that the seagulls here tastebetter, less fishy and tough, than any-where else. But with the abundant seafoodavailable, few eat the birds. Clams (espe-cially the giant clams of Fairisle�s coasts),large striped tuna-like fish, and small squidare the staple seafoods.

These goods are in demand by the hun-gry cities of Aerdy, but the isles havefurther resources. Oakenisle is namedafter a unique species of fine oak thatflourishes in saline soil and sea breezes,and the superb wood it yields is excellentfor ship construction. The oaks grow veryslowly, however, so the wood is in shortsupply and thus commands very highprices.

Fairisle has many small wooded pocketsthat contain spice bushes, plants, andherbs much in demand by alchemists andherbalists. The strange Tar Hill of AsperdIsle yields a thick, resinous tar of excellentadhesive and waterproofing qualities;when treated with an ammoniac solutionit becomes as hard as steel, and thus has arange of obvious uses. The Sea Barons arerich men from their trade, and as a resultthey can afford the mercenary garrisonsthat secure their towns and forts. Those

DRAGON 35

mercenaries are part of the imports theSea Barons take in return for their goods,but they also take metal weapons andarmor for their defense (since the isleshave no ore deposits), worked utensils,coinage (from Rel Astra), and also stonefor construction.

Ruling the islesEach Baron administers his isle as his

personal fief. Interestingly, house affilia-tions count for little here; the separationof the Sea Barons from the mainland hasdivided them from their Houses in theremainder of the Great Kingdom, and theynow regard their blood relatives and loyalliegemen as an extended family. Most ofthe relatives have been in the service ofthe Barons and their ancestors for genera-tions. Captaincy of sea vessels usuallypasses from father to son (or, rarely, to adaughter) unless the offspring is conspicu-ously unsuited to it. In this event, talentednewcomers may gain a command if theyprove themselves as mates.

If the Barons show more indulgence andkindness to their immediate liegemen andretainers than many other nobles do, theydo not do so in the case of the common folk.Most people here are serfs, their bodies andlands owned by the Baron, and they aresubject to his wishes. Given the relativerichness and ease of life here (taxes andtithes are low by Aerdi standards), people

are not too unhappy with their lot. In anyevent, the lives of many serfs are eased bythe fact the Barons and their liegemen oftenhave slaves in their households, save inOakenisle. These slaves are humans takenfrom Hepmonaland for the most part. Thus,Barons do not make excessive demands oftheir serfs.

Dangers of the islesApart from barbarian raids, the isles of

the Barons have their own hazards. Poi-sonous snakes are common on most of theislands, and the deserted Serpent Isle isinfested with them. In the coastal waters,the nastiest hazards (and an excellentdiscouragement to diving for pearls orlarge clams) are the great rainbow-huedmoray eels. Their bites are vicious, andthe eels do not release a victim from theirjaws even when slain. However, the island-ers take a symbolic revenge on this enemyby their tradition of roasting morays overcharcoal fires during Brewfest and feast-ing on their flesh�an acquired taste, toput it mildly.

Sahuagin are the major sentient menaceof the coastal waters. They do not orga-nize themselves for more than opportunis-tic attacks on small fishing boats, butevery year a score or more lives are lost tothese predatory creatures. In the past twoyears, the sahuagin have grown bolderand even attacked a coaster recently, and

some fear that someone, or something, isorganizing and directing the creatures.Since their numbers and home lairs areunknown, people are increasingly anxious.

The waters and coastlines of the islesare not without their dangers. Strongcross-currents can send a small vessel withan inexperienced captain or fishing crewmany miles out to sea, with generallynorthern currents flowing up from thewarmer southern waters. Whirlpools ortsunami are, however, very rare events,and gale-force winds and massive down-pours are not too common. However, mostpeople recall the three-day storm of 578CY, which some laughingly called �Hurri-cane Ivid.�

Asperd IsleLargest of the islands, Asperd Isle has

been the dominant power of the Sea Bar-ons since Baron Asperd won that fatefulnaval battle centuries ago. Arras has threeocean-going galleons here, and a main fleetof 12 coasters (with a seaworthiness of70%). The isle�s fishing fleet of some 15vessels almost always stays within twomiles of shore.

By informal understanding with theeastern Free Cities, visiting Aerdi vesselsonly come to Asperdi through Ironport.Most trade is conducted by the Barons�ships traveling west, but sometimes aWinethan vessel or one from Roland will

travel here. Visitors may disembark only ifthey are personally known to the NavalPhalanx of Asperdi, if they have beeninvited by the Baron or a liegeman, or ifthey buy a visiting permit from the pha-lanx. This costs 150 gp, a price that dis-courages most visitors. The permitpurchaser also must be tattooed with thedesign of an iguana�s head on his leftforearm�relatively few casual travelersventure here. At least, if they do, theydon�t land in Ironport.

AsperdiAsperdi is a walled town, set back from

the coast, built of a hard reddish-brownstone taken from a long-exhausted quarryto the east. The capital of the isles is bus-tling and lively, with several large marketsand a strong line of armorers and iron-workers in addition to the more predicta-ble naval artisans. The townsfolk, and theislanders generally, favor the combinationof loose pantaloons and a baggy, wide-sleeved cotton blouse, though those ofprimarily Flan blood still use face-paintingas an additional decoration. Bright colorsare popular, so on a sunny day Asperdi is avivid sight, with its literally colorful peoplewalking in the shadow of the ornately-decorated city walls. Most townsfolk carrylong, heavy, curved daggers, equivalent toshort swords for the purposes of damage,weapon speed, etc.

Any town of seagoing folk has a rowdyquality, with violence not far from the sur-face. Asperdi is no exception. Arras� NavalPhalanx act both as a city watch and asjudge and jury in the case of offenses; this isa place of summary justice. The city prisonis greatly feared, since it is dilapidated andvermin-infested; in hot weather death fromdisease and infection is commonplace. Forthis reason, Asperdi doesn�t attract manythieves. The forbidding crenellated toweroverlooking the town is too visible a re-minder of where thieves die if they aredetected in their nefarious activities.

The main factions of Asperdi are theartisans� guilds and the priesthood ofProcan. Together with the commanders ofthe city watch�Arras� galleon captains�they form an advisory council to the Bar-on. The council also includes the wizardLivensten, a true eccentric who oftenturns up for meetings in partial states ofundress because he has forgotten to puton all his clothes. Livensten�s passion,however, is inventions and tinkerings. Thenew astrolabe he has just invented�andhis almanacs showing how to computelatitude and distances from the position ofsun and moons�is receiving considerableapproval from the galleon captains. Theseaids have helped the Sea Barons becometrue ocean-goers, in contrast to their tradi-tional role as coastal defenders.

This new freedom is a mixed blessing

for Arras, since it encourages his youngercaptains to do precisely what he doesn�twant them to do, namely to set off ongreat voyages of discovery far east acrossthe Solnor.

Finally, Asperdi is home to a small matri-archal group whose origins are in thebloodlines of the Rhennee, the bargegoersof the central Flanaess. How they camehere is lost in the mists of time, but thiscommunity has been here for so long thanno one really cares any more. With theirmixture of soothsaying, divinations, her-balism, and a few curses when it suitsthem, the women are much respected bythe superstitious men of the islands. Oneof the women, known as the rhenata, isalways asked to give her blessings to anyvessel on its maiden voyage, and usually toany ship about to leave port for longerthan a week. This precaution is alwaysdoubled by asking for the blessings of apriest of Procan, of course, so the cost ofsetting sail can be quite high at times.Blessings are not given gratis.

IronportThe only natural harbor along the rocky

shoreline of Asperd Isle, Ironport is amagnificent sight. The stone walls andcathedral to Procan built facing the bayare massive, nearly 100� high, with incred-ible decorations: arabesques, symbols ofProcan, stone anchors adorning the bases

DRAGON 37

of the walls, and the symbols of ropes andchains strung along below the battlements.Atop the very center is a 20� statue ofProcan himself, a forbidding and trulyimpressive sight.

Ironport is not large�only some 2,000folk live within the town. But it has agrandeur and sternness to its architecture,and its people are likewise thrifty, prag-matic, and (it must be said) relatively hu-morless souls. The naval quarter is walledoff from the rest of the city so that drunk-en sailors do not offend the sense of pro-priety of the rest of the town.

Tar HillTar Hill is a dangerous place; far more

dangerous than all but a very few peopleknow. Its surface appearance is strangeenough, for below the slopes of the 500�peak lie many pits of resinous tar whichare excavated for their special bounty. Thethick, gluey tar pits are littered with thebones of huge animals, dinosaurs and thelike, and some folk frighten rebellious ornaughty children with tales of how theterrible great lizards that still lie far belowthe hill, trapped alive in tar, will come andfeast on their flesh if they don�t stop be-having badly.

What very few know is that, below thehill, there is indeed a hidden terror; theCauldron of Night itself. Arras is the onlyone on the isles who knows of this, andthe entrance to the Cauldron�fully 600�below ground and accessed through wind-ing and dangerous mineshafts. It is pro-tected with very powerful glyphs andother warding spells. Nevertheless, Arrasmaintains a mercenary force of 100 well-armed and equipped warriors, with hismost trusted adjutant in command, osten-sibly to guard the tar pits (which yieldmuch money for him). Of course, they alsoensure no one enters the shafts leading tothe Cauldron of Night. In truth, anyoneunprepared to do so would meet a swiftand grisly end, either fried alive by de-tonating glyphs or consumed by the mon-sters that prowl the shafts, among whichxorn and earth elementals are perhaps theleast dangerous.

OakenisleOakenisle is a riot of vegetation, not just

the strange ancient oaks that give theisland its name, but thorny palm trees,hard-barked dwarf figs, and many succu-lents and scrub bushes. Travel across landis difficult; all movement rates are cut inhalf. The island also is alive with smalllizards and snakes, rodents and vermin,fruit-eating birds, and a wide variety ofinsects. The most dangerous are the giantdragonflies of the damper, eastern half ofthe island, land which is almost perma-nently shrouded in mist during the springand fall.

This is a wild, untamed island, despitecenturies of human occupation. The landis almost infertile if vegetation is burnedand cleared. Away from Oakenheart itself,

38 JUNE 1994

there are no settlements of even villagesize, only the wooden huts of foragers andtrappers.

Baron Jamzeen of Oakenisle is old now,having ruled this island for more than halfa century. His triplet sons create perma-nent problems, both for their old fatherand between themselves. The three areconstantly trying to outdo themselves withfeats of derring-do against barbarians, andit is a major surprise that they are all stillalive. They certainly know more about thebottom of empty rum bottles than they doabout naval warfare. The young and reck-less are in the ascendant here, for Jam-zeen increasingly lacks the will to bringhis fractious descendants to heel.

Because of Oakenisle�s impenetrabilityand wildness, sahuagin and other mon-sters prowl the coasts more often thanthey do the other islands. While Jamzeenhas a bounty of 50 gp per sahuagin headbrought to him, the crafty creatures aremaking inroads. Oakenisle is said to haveseveral old ruins scattered among its vine-infested rocky lands, all invested withmany rumors and legends. Few bother toinvestigate, but the paladin Karistyne ofthe Cairn Hills traveled here incognito twoyears past and looted the treasure-trove ofan unknown wizard on the east coast.What she retrieved, she has not revealed.(Karistyne is further detailed in DRAGON®Magazine issues #191 & 195).

Jamzeen is generally a staunch ally ofArras, but the one bone of contentionbetween them is slavery. While Jamzeen isas evil as any of the Sea Barons, he has aparticular distaste for slavery and beratesArras often on this score. Slavery is out-lawed on Oakenisle, which is not to saythat its captains do not take slaves and sellthem in Asperdi when the opportunityarises.

OakenheartOakenheart is the one natural harbor on

the island. Though the city has stone wallsand great bronze-coated harbor gates(magically protected both against corro-sion from salt and wind, and fire-basedattacks), much of the city is built from thewood of the great oaks for which theisland is famous.

Oakenheart has a more swashbucklingatmosphere than Asperdi, and in particu-lar it has the great shipyards of Walfren-den, the master shipwright of theisland�and the best in all Aerdy, it shouldbe said. Walfrenden�s vessels are excellentdesigns ( +10% to all seaworthiness rat-ings). His latest is a heavy caravel that theyounger captains of the city�s 17-vesselfleet (five galleons, 12 coasters) look uponwith real yearning. Starflier, the first ofthese new caravels, lies in harbor awaitingan inspired captain and devoted crewready to sail forever across the easternhorizons, the triangular sails allowing farmore freedom for the vessel to sail againstprevailing winds than the larger square-rigged galleons. Walfrenden is nearing his

80th year, and what keeps him alive islooking forward to the day when thecaptain of his pride and joy sails back intoOakenheart and tells him the wonders andstrangeness of the lands he has foundacross the endless azure miles of theSolnor Ocean.

More mundanely, Oakenisle is almost asealed city. Visitors are not admitted with-out good reason (trade or otherwise), andthe harborguards are not easily bribed.The Scarlet Brotherhood is feared here,since the assassination of two of the town�sfinest young sea captains six months ago iswidely believed to have been because oftheir agents.

FairisleNamed for its rolling, fertile hills and the

white sand beaches of the northwesterncoastline, Fairisle is more relaxed andinformal than the other towns of the isles.Baron Pamdarn is but 22 years old, and hedoes not have the sense of discipline andduty of the older Barons. However, he isnot rash or reckless, and since this islandis closest to the pirates of Leastisle, Pam-darn makes sure that his fleet of 10coasters and three galleons is always onthe alert. Pamdarn has hired three magesof Winetha (see DRAGON issue #204 for adescription of Winetha and its ruler) totravel on his galleons, having an arsenal offire-based spells at the ready to assault anypirate vessel he sees.

Fairisle also is famous for the colony oflarge wild apes in its northeastern wood-land. These creatures are not by-and-largeaggressive, but they are hunted for theirfurs by the islanders, who use blowpipesand nets to avoid ruining the valuable fur.Also, the island has some Suloise ruins onits southern tip, near Cape Rarn, althoughthey are avoided by island folk. Too manytales tell of the terrors of the Isle of Ser-pents for the islanders to risk venturingthere.

Port ElderBaron Pamdarn�s youth shows itself in

the lax application of laws in Port Elder. Ifa traveler seeks the riotous, swashbuck-ling seaport of the isles, this is it. PortElder is a free and open port, thoughanyone with Suel features is carefullywatched by the naval militia, known as theBlack and Golds on account of their uni-forms. The Lordship of the Isles, and itsSuel masters of the Scarlet Brotherhood,are too close for comfort here.

Pamdarn�s Admiral of the Squadrons,Yendrenn Harquil, is a dashing and charis-matic figure about town. His galleon, theSeawolf, bears Harquil�s own symbol (aseawolf, unsurprisingly) on its sails ratherthan the sea serpent that almost all otherSea Barons� vessels display. With hissallow-faced mage Rhennen aboard to giveaid with airy water; telekinesis, and othersuch spells, Harquil specializes in thediscovery and looting of sunken wrecks,several of which lie south of Fairisle and

on the eastern seaboards of all the islands.Harquil is always eager to learn of such

wrecks, if a diviner, bard, or sage knowsof any�and Harquil shares the bootyrecovered with his source. Though cha-otic, he always keeps his word in suchdealings, and his recent recovery of nearly40,000 gp worth of pearls and ingots ofprecious metal from the hulk of a Dux-chan ship sunk in 515 CY has brought himfame.

Port Elder�s city walls are beingstrengthened, given the threats to thesouth. From somewhere�no one is surequite where�Pamdarn has managed toimport a half-dozen stone giants who arebusy at work. Since no one on the islandsspeaks stone giant (save for Rhennen), andthe stone giants don�t converse in Com-mon, many wild tales are flying around,some saying that they are fiends in giantform and that Pamdarn has sold his soulto some Lord of the Hells or the Abyss.Few worry about such matters, however;since the repulse of the pirate raids on thecity some years ago, people feel moresecure behind strengthened city walls anddon�t much care who builds them so longas they get built.

LeastisleCaptured and sacked by seamen fleeing

the wars to the west, Leastisle is now ananarchic free-for-all. Half its populationlives in the ruins of Vernport, with spas-modic and ineffective attempts made fromtime to time to rebuild the town. About athird of the islands folk are indigenous,many of them slaves of the invaders, whohave become little more than pirates now.The booty taken from Vernport has mostlybeen spent, and the half-dozen vessels (allcoasters and cogs) in the harbor are inneed of repair. The pirates here lack anyleadership since Petreden of Torquann, aminor prince who masterminded the sackof Vernport, was slain in a drunken brawllast Ready�reat.

Vernport, and the scattered small settle-ments of the island, are a den of evil cut-throats and scum. Many people of realpower live here, warriors, thieves, andmages alike�for this is one of best placesto hide from enemies one has made on thecontinent. Somewhere on the island apriest of Nerull must be hiding in theovergrown huts or eastern sea caves, forsea zombies have been observed on thesouthern coasts. That puts great fear intopeople here, who tend to respond bydrowning it in rum and samberra, a bitter,dry spirit fermented from the juices ofsucculent plants.

Leastisle is a great place to get one�sthroat cut, but a vessel from Rel Astra oreven Ountsy will hazard it once in a while,especially to fish for the huge and tendersea clams that throng the western coast-line. Such vessels always bring a magewith them, if only to announce their arriv-al with a fireball or similar show ofstrength, warning the pirates to leave

40 JUNE 1994

them well alone.Leastisle is dangerous not just because

of the desperation, evil, and the unpredict-ability of its folk but because this is surelywhere the Scarlet Brotherhood, actingthrough Duxchan, could secure a base onthe southern flank of the Sea Barons. Itseems certain that they will do so beforelong.

The Isle of SerpentsThis small isle was never settled by the

Oeridians because of the extraordinarynumber of poisonous snakes and reptilesinhabiting its lush uplands. The isle is hardto reach in any event, with sheer chalkycliffs rising 250� or more in some places.Sea serpents are often seen around theisland, and nagas have been reported bythe handful of travelers who braved theislands hazards.

Such travelers also tell of a set of sunkencaves in the center of the island, and jadestatues of a Suloise snake goddess thatstand guard at the entrance. The statuesare said to animate and attack anyone whois not a pureblood Suel female, so thedepths of the caves have not been ex-plored.

However, a small 6"-tall jade figurine ofthe goddess was taken by a distant ances-tor of Pamdarn of Fairisle. He owns it still,though it is kept securely locked awaybecause of the curse it is said to bear. Onesage has speculated that the goddess maybe an aspect of Wee Jas, but the strangelyalien facial features of the goddess, withslanted almond eyes, and short-croppedhair do not resemble the usual portrayalsof that sinister power. Here is a mysterystill waiting to be explored, providing theadventurer brings with him priests able toneutralize poison.

Around the islesPirates, barbarians, the Duxchan fleets,

and sahuagin are offshore menaces to theSea Barons. However, other races andcreatures lurk in the waters around thecoasts. Seawolves have been reportedsome 50 miles north of Asperd Isle,though they have not yet entered thecoastal waters. They seem organized, orfamilial, since they are always seen ingroups of a half-dozen or so. Rumors saythey are somehow bound to the site oftheir sunken ship, said to have been bear-ing mages seeking seabed sites akin to theCauldron of Night. No one knows for sure,but several old salts have noted that Har-quil has not sought the wreck as he usu-ally would if hearing of such a lost vessel.

The Sea Barons almost never encountersea elves now. In the past, the adventur-ous members of sea-elf tribes would some-times trade and barter with the Barons ona fairly ad hoc basis, but they have notappeared in Asperdi for several years. Theelves are said to have retreated to thewaters around the transformed LendoreIsles.

Lastly, there are persistent tales of an

aquatic race of brownie-like creatures or seasprites, not nixies or their kin, on the east-ern shore of Oakenisle. These little folk areextremely elusive, but seem to be spying onthe island and sometimes acting as sentinelsor guards. What they are watching for, orwatching over, is a mystery.

The BaronsLord High Admiral Basmajian

Arras: 13th-level fighter (S 18/00, D 17, I16). AC -2 (chain mail +4), hp 85, AL LE.Arras is 40 years old, with coppery fairhair and brown-green eyes. He lacks truestature at 5� 8�, and is not a charismaticman, but his intelligence is high and heapplies it capably to the problems of ruler-ship. His natural Strength rating is 16; hisgauntlets of ogre power are one of his twomost prized magical items, the other beinga ring of swimming. Arras is extremelysensitive to the fact he can�t naturallyswim. The high admiral also wears a ringof free action and a richly bejewelled longsword +3.

Arras lives richly and well. He takes acut from virtually every deal in Asperdi,since he grants merchant licenses, andthey are only given if he gets a kickback.He is content with his lot, and he seeks topreserve his own strength. Arras doesn�twant the Sea Barons involved in anyoneelse�s troubles, and this finds favor in RelAstra in particular, since the protection ofthe Barons� coasters is not really neededthere.

Baron Jamzeen: 10th-level fighter(S 7, D 6, C 6, I 16, W 16). AC 3 (chain mail+3), hp 66, AL NE. Once a titan among

men, Jamzeen has been slowly reduced byage, he is 77. Lean as a rake, the stoopingfigure of the 6� Baron is still impressive,for he has a full head of crisp white hairand his gray eyes still express vigilanceand intelligence. Jamzeen was a notoriousrake in his youth, and still is; his tripletsons Jamair, Jaqiran, and Nandain are but19 years old. Jamzeen has had a succes-sion of �wives� in his long life. Other off-spring have left the isles, seeking theirfortunes elsewhere, or are dead, often atthe hands of jealous siblings.

Jamzeen always has been happy to beNumber Two. It made for an easier life.But now the old man�s grip is faltering;perhaps the death of Sencho Foy, a friendfor half a century and a man with whomhe had a long-shared past, has drained himof some of his will. He doesn�t resent Arrasfor killing Sencho; such things happen,and Jamzeen is philosophical about thesematters given his alignment. He supportsArras, whose conservative policy is one hefully agrees with, though he has differ-ences with him concerning barbarians andslavery. But Jamzeen grows tired, lesswilling to attend to the everyday practicali-ties of governing his island, and it maywell be that one of his sons will do thetime-honored thing and arrange his fa-ther�s burial rites (and those of his ownsiblings) before the realization of their

imminent demise has occurred to them.Livensten: 11th-level mage (I 18). AC 7

(ring of protection + 3), hp 27, AL NE.Livensten is 5� 5�, slim of build with darkbrown hair and hazel eyes. Unprepossess-ing of appearance, the 56-year-old mageneglects himself to the point of periodi-cally suffering eczema through not bath-ing properly. Standing next to him in hotweather is not a pleasant experience.

Livensten is obsessed with researchinginstruments and devices connected withtime and travel. He has a library of lore onsuch matters of startling breadth, includ-ing sacred works of deities like Labelasand Lendor. He constantly fiddles in hislaboratory with new ways of measuringand recording. His astrolabe is one of hismore successful inventions, and his foldingboat is a greatly prized item-he hires it tocaptains in return for very large securitydeposits. Livensten has Arras� support andpatronage, so he does not have to worryabout earning a living as such.

Baron Pamdarn: 9th-level fighter(S 17, C 17, I 15, Ch 16). AC 6 (ring ofprotection +4), hp 80, AL NE. Pamdarn isyoung and inexperienced in rulership, buthe is learning fast. He, like Jamzeen, dis-likes slavery, because somewhere insidehim a youthful love of freedom resents it,but he keeps quiet about this to Arras.Pamdarn knows that he has a certainamount of leeway in the court of the lordhigh admiral, and he doesn�t push his luck;he uses the tolerance he gets to allow hiscaptains greater freedom to sail the oceansthan those of the other Barons. Pamdarn isrelatively impoverished, since he has beensaving funds to purchase the caravelStarflier and has also bought instrumentsof Livensten�s devising.

Pamdarn is 6� l�, well-built, with veryfair hair and blue eyes. Some mutter thatthere is Suel blood in his veins (actually, hehas more Flan blood than anything else).His father died a year ago, and Pamdarn isjust emerging from mourning. The compa-ny of his friend Harquil has done much tocheer him.

Nonetheless, Pamdarn is no pleasantsoul. He is ambitious and unscrupulous. Ifhe has some idealism, he is also quiteunconcerned about how he achieves hisends. Because of his lack of monies, herecently had an Ountsy merchant exe-cuted on a trumped-up charge of seditionand arson, confiscating his vessel andgoods in the bargain. Arras forced him toreturn the vessel and most of the money,but this episode illustrates Pamdarn�spersonality quite clearly.

Walfrenden: 7th-level fighter (S 7, C 7,I 16, W 18). AC 10, hp 29, AL CE. Walfren-den is 78, 5� 5�, wholly bald with grayeyes and a notable tremor these days. Still,the old captain has a hungry energy with-in him. Maimed by a seawolf�s claw manyyears ago, so that his left leg is almostuseless and he walks with a heavy staff,Walfrenden took to the design and build-ing of ships. He rose swiftly in his profes-

sion so that he is now the mastershipwright of the barons.

All his life, Walfrenden has longed to setsail under the starry night skies and headforever eastward. He is a freedom-lovingspirit, and he chafed at having to patroland protect the Aerdy coastline. His cara-vel design delights him, for the vesselscombination of seaworthiness and smallsize, allowing it to navigate close to coast-lines and up estuaries, is perfect for ocean-going and the exploration of new lands.Secretly, Walfrenden longs to take the firstvoyage on Starflier himself, so he can endhis days under the stars with a chart ofnew lands explored in his hands. He hasreceived a down payment for the caravelfrom Pamdarn, and a condition of deliveryis that Walfrenden is allowed to travel onthe vessel.

Walfrenden knows the history of theeastern Aerdi lands well. He has met virtually everyone of any power in the islesover the years, and he has the finest set ofmaps and charts of the coastline anywhere. He has a set of seaman�s tales morevaried and outrageous than anyone�s, buthe narrates them with panache and a reallove of storytelling. Sea captains who, aschildren, sat on his knee and thrilled totales of savage Hepmonaland or the orcsof the Pomarj (Walfrenden has sailed all ofthe Azure Sea), are every bit as ready nowto bring the old man a tankard of ale andhear the same tales again.

Yendrenn Harquil: 11th-level fighter(S 17, D 17, I 16, Ch 17). AC 2 (ring ofprotection +5), hp 80, AL CN. Harquilmay be only 25 years old, but he has com-manded the Seawolf for seven years, andhis men regard him as the finest captainon all the seas of Oerth. A distant cousinof Pamdarn, he lost his own father a yearbefore the young Baron, and thus the twohave a shared experience and a strongbond. Harquil is handsome, fair of skinand hair, 6� 3�, and always well-groomed,with his silk blouse unbuttoned to thenavel. He is vain, but his vanity is notexcessive.

Harquil strongly loves freedom. He alsohas a real feel for history. He loves oldmaritime maps and charts; even if theyare inaccurate, he enjoys taking in theirsense of history, bygone days, and thesailors who drew them. He regularly begsWalfrenden for copies of his maps, and nolittle of Harquil�s gold has gone to the oldshipwright in payment for such charts.

Harquil also studies the myths and leg-ends of the islands, and has an encyclope-dic knowledge of them. If a travelerwishes to know about the hidden andsecret places of the islands, the captainwill determine if they hail from the south-ern lands where the Scarlet Brotherhoodmay have spies and agents. If they arefrom somewhere else, the captain is readyto share an ale or a jigger of rum withthem and talk of the islands� secrets longinto the night.

42 JUNE 1994

The malachite throne richly deserves itsnickname as the �Fiend-seeing Throne��Aerdy has closer connections to the Abyssand to the Nine Hells (Baator to thosefamiliar with the PLANESCAPE� setting)than any other land of Greyhawk exceptthe lands of Iuz the Evil. The throne thatthe Naelax overkings have ascended wascrafted between 443 and 446 CY from agreat crystal chunk found in the Cauldronof Night. The throne itself, fashioned bymages and priests, has many magicalproperties, including the ability to providea gate to the Hells.

Since Prince Ivid himself was an accom-plished mage who conversed with fiendsand considered long and hard how to dealwith them (and use them for his ownends), when he ascended to the throne itwas a perfect match. A complex web ofintrigues has spread out, with thehunched madman on his throne firmlyensconced in the center. Almost all hisplans depend on fiendish magic.

The arch-fiend Baalzephon has suppliedmany items of malign magic to Ivid theUndying, the Emperor of the MalachiteThrone, and to his supporters, includingthe dreaded fiend knights. The items ofthe latter are dealt with first.

Fiend armorWorn by more than a dozen command-

ing officers of the Companion Guard and ahandful of military leaders outside ofRauxes, these sets of armor were forged inhellish fires. Chain mail and plate mailversions are known to exist, though bothare wearable only by creatures of LE orNE alignments. Others donning the armorsuffer 1d4 points of burning damage perround, double this if they are of goodalignment. Fiend armors are worn bypowerful warriors in the service of evilmasters aligned with baatezu.

Fiend armor is usually of +2 or +3enchantment. It confers the same resist-ances to attack modes that all baatezupossess: half-damage from gas and coldattacks, and immunity to fire, contactpoison, and nonmagical iron weapons. Thewearer also gains magic resistance equalto 2% per experience level and becomesimmune to magical alignment change.Finally, the wearer can animate dead oncea week as an 8th-level priest.

Fiend circletA fiend circlet is given only to a spell-

caster who has made a formal pact ofservice to a baatezu lord (one of the DarkEight), and therefore are very rare indeed.The wearer gains a -2 AC bonus if notwearing armor, and the resistances toattack forms and magical alignmentchange as per fiend armor above. In addi-tion, the following powers each can becast from a fiend circlet, three times aweek: advanced illusion, animate dead,charm person, infravision, know align-ment, suggestion.

Malachite throneThe malachite throne is one of a number

of magical artifacts possessed by the over-king and those serving him. Such malignmagics are either crafted with the aid offiends, or have been revealed to the over-king and his mages through the guidanceof baatezu. It rests in the Palace of theOverking, a huge magical building at thecenter of Rauxes. Even getting anywherenear it would be a feat in itself, given theformidable forces in the palace compound.Only the highest-level PCs could hope toenter the palace and survive; the Throne�sguardians are listed below.

The palace was built using magical mor-tar between all the stonework, eliminatingall forms of magical scrying and move-ment from the outside. Likewise, it isimmune to fire, acid, or electrical attacks.

Surrounding the vast circular palace areeight circular guard towers, each 130�high (some 20� higher than the palaceitself). Barbazu and spinagon guards occu-py the top levels of these towers, and elitebowmen take up the middle floors. Sepa-rate staircases lead to the upper rooms, soat ground level charmed monsters withspecial magical attacks are kept penned,including basilisks, medusae, catoblepases,and chimeras. The doors to each towercan be magically opened from within thepalace and the monsters unleashed towreak havoc on intruders storming thepalace.

The palace houses many people andchambers other than those of the royals,of course. The great chancelleries andtreasure houses are found here. The trea-sury is largely empty, save for sealedchambers containing icons and relics ofancient civilizations that have great valuein normal times but which are almostworthless to the overking now. The trea-sury is heavily magically warded and hasmany golem guards.

Patriarch-General Pyrannden of Hextorhas chambers here and maintains a royalshrine to Hextor, disused since the procla-mation of the faith of Baalzy. Minor cer-emonial magical items, along with hordesof juju zombies, can be found therein. Ividprovides private rooms for generals andsenior officers of his armies, a war-roomwith great magical maps of the Flanaess,and such.

The new spymaster of the Aerdy, thehalf-elven mage-thief Inshalzen, also cow-ers in his offices here. He has no idea ofwhere his juniors are, since his predeces-sor was executed and he simply has beenexpected to know everything withoutbeing told. He is desperate to escape, butbeing only a 6th-level mage he lacks spellssuch as teleport to enable him to do this.

The Court of Essence is still a majesticchamber, but now is used solely for Ivid todrag forced �confessions� out of people heimagines to be traitors to the crown.

The combat mages of the overking de-serve special mention; they have chambersand laboratories on many second-floor

rooms with direct access to the eight pe-ripheral towers. This allows them to keepwatch over the magical monster guardstherein. There are some 30 of thesemages, of levels 7-14, and they have a fairnumber of defensive items including ringsof protection, cloaks of displacement,bracers of defense, and more. The magesare exceptionally well-equipped with of-fensive magical items, notably wands.They are under the command of Karoolck,and many of them make few bones aboutnot liking this at all. Those who couldteleport to escape do not do so for fearthat they would be pursued by fiends andinvisible stalkers or because there is sim-ply nowhere they know well enough, orwould feel secure at, to flee to.

The malachite throne itself rests withinIvid�s throne room, an enormous 40-yarddiameter circular chamber with the greatthrone set into the north wall. The thronecasts an invisible globe of invulnerabilityon the overking seated on it and grantshim true seeing. Once per week, if thecorrect command word is uttered, thethrone can open a gate to Avernus, theuppermost of the Nine Hells. But the mala-chite throne provides no protection,against any being entering through thatgate, and there is a 5% chance per use ofbringing insanity to the person openingthe gate.

Ivid himself wears lurid ceremonialrobes at all times�sometimes purple andblue, other times red and gold, or black,yellow, and rust. The colors depend on hismood, with the more dismal tones signal-ling that he is in a very foul mood. Of late,he has taken to wearing a full-face whitelacquered mask to hide a psoriatic skincondition that his wasting disease brings.He always bears his symbols of office,though their weight makes him stooped:the Staff of Naelax (a staff of thunder andlightning), the Orb of Rax (a brooch ofshielding that regenerates 20 hp of defen-sive value per day), and the Crown ofAerdy (a helm of brilliance).

Ivid also has the remnants of the royalfamily here, save for his second son,Prince Konshandin, who has fled to De-laric. Almost all the surviving royal princeshave been slain and resurrected as ani-muses. They are regularly administered acomplex alkaloid preparation by Hextor�spriests, that has the effect of dulling theirminds and keeping them loyal to the over-king (or at least being incapable of rousingthemselves to strike against him). Ivid hashad many of them executed as traitors, ofcourse.

Spear of sorrowThe powers of darkness have long been

providers of foul magics and even artifactsto the royal line of Aerdy, though exactlywho serves whom in the long run is opento question. The gifts of evil often turn inon themselves.

A typical example is the spear of sorrow,held by General Kalreth at the keep called

DRAGON 43

Permanence. Kalreth owns a magicalartifact of such power that most wizardswould rather face a rampaging tarrasquethan challenge the lord of the castle.

The spear of sorrow is a barbed,fauchard-like weapon, some seven feet inlength, made entirely of black stone. Itsexact origins are uncertain, but some saythat it was crafted in the Cauldron ofNight from whence the malachite throneitself came (the Cauldron of Night is de-scribed below). Karoolck gave it to Kalrethin the hope of warping him to his ownwill, given the magical control powers ofthe malign thing. But Kalreth was notovercome by it or its curse. He was, how-ever, aware of the potential of the spearand realized what a poisoned gift Karoolckhad given him.

If Karoolck had not shortly taken up hisrole as Ivid�s favored wizard, Kalrethwould have slain him. Details of the spearare given below.

General Kalreth: Animus with abilitiesof 15th-level fighter (Str 18/00, Dex 17).AC -6, hp 100, AL NE. Kalreth is only 5�9� tail, but he is massively muscled andpowerful of stature. His brown curly hairis cut short, and he has a very lined fore-head above the thick, bushy eyebrows thatdominate his face. Kalreth is a general ofthe Companion Guard, and he hunteddown Osson in Medegia and razed muchof that land. He regards anything other

than complete fealty to Ivid as treason,and he is uncompromising and brutal.

Kalreth�s character has been changedirrevocably by his ownership of the spearof sorrow. This artifact has the followingmagical properties: confers a base AC -4(to which no magical bonuses can be add-ed), immunity to cold-based attacks andillusion/phantasm spells below fifth level,regeneration of 1 hp/round during com-bat, and the ability to use the followingpowers once a day each at 18th level ofmagic use: cone of cold, ice storm, Oti-luke�s freezing sphere, sink. The artifact isNE and only can be used by a NE warriorof at least 13th level.

The spear will attempt to control any newuser up to three times; in game terms, theuser must roll 10d10 below the total of hislevel, Wisdom, and Constitution to resistcontrol. If this roll succeeds three times,however, the spear does not attempt controlagain. However, it has powers of mentalinsinuation, tormenting its owner with night-mares of fiends, destructions, and fates worsethan death in stark and barren lands anddungeons of torment the dreamer cannotplace. It is a cursed weapon, of course, butonly a priest or wizard of 18th or higher levelcan free the owner from the spear�s effects.

The special purpose of the spear, whichmay lie dormant for many years, is tolocate and revivify temples and sleepingguardians devoted to the god Tharizdun.

In campaign play, it will be an oneroustask to prevent the spear from locatingany such places or beings, or to destroythe weapon.

Cauldron of NightThe second wild card of the royal house

and the Fiend Knights of Aerdy is theircontrol of deposits of rare magical ores inOerth�s crust. The dweomerstones andrelated magical gems around the Nyr Dyv(see luz the Evil) are one example, butOeridian mages and priests are unequalledin tracking down fragments of magicalmeteorites, stones, or crystals�somemagically shaped by the divine might ofpowers and avatars when they still walkedOerth�s lands.

In some places, such as the Causeway ofFiends, whole blocks of such ores could beextracted and enchanted. The most felland dire of these magical deposits, ofcourse, is the Cauldron of Night fromwhence the malachite throne itself wascrafted.

Though some mages trembled at dealingwith such evils, the combat mages of theOeridians were only too ready to use anysource of power if they felt they couldcontain and channel it. That the darkerenergies might escape that control over aperiod of decades or longer was a long-term possibility that mages in the serviceof aggressive generals did not bother toomuch about.

The Cauldron lies hidden in the hinter-lands of the Isles of the Sea Barons, under-neath Tar Hill. Deep below the earth, it is agreat natural amphitheater of ebonystone, with a central depression 50� acrossand seemingly endlessly deep, for it isfilled with a magical darkness no scryingspell can penetrate. Radiating intense evil,the Cauldron is almost a sentient thing.Mages of great power who have comeseeking stone for making artifacts havehad the very marrow in their bones fro-zen and their bodies shattered into dusthere, while others of much lesser attain-ments have been able to take one of thespine-like stalactites of the Cauldron bysimply reaching out and breaking it off.

The Cauldron almost seems to choosewho it will allow to harvest its dark richesand craft them into works of evil power.Yet, those mages who take something fromthe Cauldron always pay a heavy price forit, driven insane by their own creations ordragged off screaming by some gloatingfiend, to endure untold horrors in theAbyss. Anything powerful enough to cre-ate artifacts is too powerful for the wise totamper with.

The DM may craft additional artifacts ashe wishes, using the ones described hereas a benchmark. Other artifacts should notbe overpowering, however, and they willonly be held by rulers, priests, or mages ofgreat power. See The Book of Artifacts fortips on successful artifact design.

44 JUNE 1994

Fiend Knight

ORGANIZATION:ACTIVITY CYCLE:DIET:INTELLIGENCE:TREASURE:ALIGNMENT:

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

GroupConstant (do not need rest)NoneVery (11-12), rarely higherNilAny evil

Variable10 (unarmored), see below12, 24 mounted4d10 to 10d10 +VariableBy weapon type +3 or betterNilImmune to sleep, charm, holdspells and illusion/phantasm spellsbelow fourth level

MAGIC RESISTANCE: NilSIZE: M (6�+)MORALE: Fearless (20)XP VALUE: Variable

The Fiend Knights of Doom are an elite squad of warriors cre-ated from normal men by spellcraft on the part of both Ivid Vhimself, and Xaene, and also using mind-controlling magicscrafted from baatezu relics. These servants are utterly, mind-lessly loyal to the overking.

Combat: Fiend knights have the same number of hit dice asthey had levels when mortal fighters. For example, a 5th-levelfighter would become a 5-HD fiend knight. Nearly all fiendknights are 10th level or below, with three exceptions�leadersof 11, 12, and 15 HD. These three leaders, and some dozen oth-ers, wear fiend plate mail +3. Others are 5% per level likely towear magical plate mail (roll 1d10: 1-8 plate mail +1, 9 platemail +2, 10 plate mail +3), else nonmagical plate mail. Fiendknights always employ two-handed weapons, usually two-handed swords, and composite long bows. Again, they are 5%per level likely to have magical weapons (use the table above,independently for each weapon type). Leaders are alwaysarmed with magical weapons, and the 11 + HD leaders all pos-sess powerful ones: a two-handed sword of cold +3 and a two-handed sword +3, giant slayer.

The fiend knights have high ability scores. All possessStrengths of 18/01 or better, and have minimum Dexterity andConstitution scores of 15. No ability ever has a score below 9.

Habitat/Society: The current composition of the fiendknights, in addition to their leaders, is approximately 80 cavalry,20 of whom ride undead steeds, the other 60 riding normalheavy warhorses. Treat the undead steeds as heavy warhorseswith immunity to sleep, charm and hold spells. These troopshave heavy lances, again with a 5% chance per level for a magi-cal lance, and they employ footman�s flails in addition to two-handed weapons.

The 120 heavy infantry each carry a long spear and a varietyof polearms in addition to other weaponry. They have a 2%chance per level for a magical polearm.

As currently organized, the fiend knights wear gold visorsand bear a heraldic emblem etched on their armor over theheart. For cavalry, the emblem is a tan horse, and for infantry, itis a bronze baboon. The infantry are known as �The Howlers,�for when they go into combat they howl and scream, hoping tostrike fear into the hearts of their enemies.

46 JUNE 1994

DRAGON® #206

©1994 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Ecology: Fiend knights are not undead, and have none oftheir weaknesses: they cannot be turned, harmed by holy wa-ter, and so on. They are simply wholly controlled humans loyalto Ivid, created by a precursor of the malign rituals thatbrought the animus to Oerth. The unfeeling, �programmed" na-ture of the fiend knights, make them feared by all. Even Ivid�sother troops hate and fear them, and loathe having to servewith them.

"Forum” welcomes your comments andopinions on role-playing games, In theUnited States and Canada, write to: Fo-rum, DRAGON® Magazine, P.O. Box 111,Lake Geneva WI 53147 U.S.A. In Europe,write to: Forum, DRAGON Magazine, TSRLtd, 120 Church End, Cherry Hinton,Cambridge CB1 3LB, United Kingdom. Weask that material submitted to “Forum” beeither neatly written by hand or typedwith a fresh ribbon and clean keys so wecan read and understand your comments.We will print your complete address if yourequest it.

This letter is in response to the �Forum�letter in DRAGON issue #199, in which aDM asked for help in dealing with a playerwho completely rejected role-playing andopted instead for a �hack-and-slash� styleof play that is hurting the game and alien-ating the other players.

To the unnamed DM: you say that youhave no objections to this since you enjoythis style of play but that the other playersin the group are the ones affected. If thatis so, why not let them deal with it, since itis their problem? Their PCs could teachthis character a lesson by withdrawingfrom a fight and leaving him to �hack-and-slash� alone, perhaps getting him killed!Their characters could betray this loutishclod by paying a local mage to cast somenasty spell on him. They don�t need toworry about hurting his feelings, becauseafter all, they would only be role-playinghow they think their characters wouldreact to this uninteresting �hacker� char-acter. They could approach the playeroutside of the game and tell him that theyare frustrated with his playing style andask him (nicely) to change. There aremany options open to them other thanignoring him, which is what you say theyhave been doing.

On the other hand, since you seem towant to take the problem upon yourselfand deal with it in your own way, then trya different approach. You say that youspoke with him outside the game and heresisted your options for how he couldchange. Why not do something within thegame? Since the other players are workinghard at role-playing and interacting withNPCs, grant them experience points fordoing this well, then point out to him thathe has earned no such points since heattacks most of the NPCs. Perhaps you

48 JUNE 1994

could have this character thrown in prisonfor disturbing the peace in one of yourcampaign towns, which would leave theother characters free to adventure with-out him for a while. That would teach himto think before he attacks. Create a sub-plot to the game in which the only way hecan survive a certain situation is by doingsome clever role-playing and interactingwith NPCs. Such a situation might includethe suggestion above about being locked ina jail cell with no weapons. If the charac-ter talks to the guard outside the door, hemight discover that the man is sympa-thetic to his cause, and may let him out�but only if he does some role-playing andartfully persuades this NPC to do so.Chances are, once he gets a taste of howmuch fun it is to role-play, he�ll want to doit more often.

You did mention the character�s align-ment, but it seems that he is playing achaotic one, since he chooses to kill NPCsinstead of talk to them. Chaotic charactershave a way of getting themselves killed,especially when they rush in with swordsdrawn before carefully evaluating a situa-tion. Make sure that the consequences ofthis character�s actions are appropriate tohis behavior. After all, if you kill everycleric who wants to be paid for healing,eventually you are going to make someenemies. Get creative.

Finally, I would suggest that you get holdof the AD&D® game�s DMGR1 CampaignSourcebook and Catacomb Guide. It is fullof great tips for the DM about how to dealwith different personality types in gaming,and how to make sure that everyone getsthe most out of each game. Don�t just sitback and ignore this guy, letting him de-stroy the fun of the game. You are the DM,after all, and you have a responsibility tothe other players and to yourself not toallow one player to ruin the game.

Kathryn BernsteinMilwaukee WI

To the nameless �Forum� writer inissue #199:

While it has been a while since I havejudged a campaign in the FORGOTTENREALMS® setting, I can say with reason-able assurance that either your campaignwill fix itself or end. You have to be willingto play (pardon the pun) it through. Theseare several of my experiences:

1. Last year I was a player in a large

(twelve-player, two-judge) CHAMPIONS*campaign. It began primarily as role-playing, but gradually degraded into ahack-and-slash campaign. There were tworeasons. One, the two most dominantplayers had participated only in hack-and-slash gaming, and were therefore unableto participate in the role-playing �action.�Two, �power-gaming� was allowed (power-gaming makes hack-and-slash significantlyeasier on characters; they butcher theopponents).

2. This year I have begun my own cam-paign in a comic, fantasy setting. While itbegan as a basically hack-and-slash cam-paign, it has evolved into a role-playingcampaign (probably because one of myplayers is an actor, and the other two arepoets) in two sessions (we have yet tocomplete the first adventure).

3. Sometimes characters are made forhack-and-slash gaming. I know that I�vehad them. One of my super heroes, namedInertia, could do nothing but fight andcrush things; even though I tried to playhim as a well-rounded character, he stillcould only fight and crush things. Anothercharacter, a fighter called Luzrek, wentberserk anytime he got close to anythingnew. One of my friends has a characterthat kills anything that lives indoors, nomatter what. (Listen closely, I think this isthe only advice I give.)

Try offering to trade some combat profi-ciencies for noncombat proficiencies, oreven giving him some (although you willhave to give the other characters the sametreatment) so that he will be able to inter-act successfully with NPCs and PCs with-out killing them.

4. Sometimes it is impossible not to role-play. Put the character in a position wherehe has no choice. During the summer agroup killed a blue wyrm using 4th- and5th-level characters. (It was the samewyrm that killed their 12th- and 13th-levelhackers and slashers.) First, they flatteredit (dragons are vain). Then, they offered itall their treasure (rather foolish since itincluded all their weapons and armor). Itthen got very nice, thinking that it hadsome new lackeys. After two or threemissions for it (and three experiencelevels), they drugged the fish that they hadcaught (the dragon always eats freshfood). The dwarf tasted it, told the dragonit was fine (it is very hard to poison adwarf with a 17 Constitution score). The

dragon ate the fish and passed out.No name or address given

I would like to respond to the letter inDRAGON issue #199 about the DM who ishaving a problem with a player who pre-fers to play hack-and-slash rather thanjoining the others in �role-playing.�

I think the best thing to do, though youmay not think so, is to tell that player toleave the group. Explain to him that hisstyle of play is disruptive to the others andthat you would like him to leave until hecan play a character that is not so violent.

This sounds harsh, but when you aredealing with players that have minds oftheir own and they continue to play char-acters that play this way, the best thingyou can do is dismiss them.

Another option you can try is every timehe does something that steps out of linewith his character�s alignment, have adeity, or avatar, appear and talk to thecharacter. If nothing else, the charactermay be taken to the deity�s plane to servethe deity until the PC learns better man-ners. This takes that character out of thegame for a while and allows the player tocreate another character, hopefully withan alignment and attitude that is better forthe group.

Another option is to have the others inyour group take the hack-and-slash playeraside and talk to him. If he still refuses tolisten, then have the others play charac-ters that will not take this kind of attitudeand have him, the hack-and-slasher, con-victed of the violent crime he seems tocommit constantly in the game. Again, thiswill take that character out of the gamefor a while.

The main thing to remember is that thisis your game and if a player is disruptingthe game-play for others, then he shouldbe dealt with. Sometimes we all have to dothings that are unpleasant, but they needto be done.

B. J. TomkinsNo address given

I would like to respond to the anony-mous letter in DRAGON issue #199 con-cerning a certain type of uncooperativeplayer.

I have had similar conflicts (the old hack-and-slash vs. role-players and problem-solving players in the same group) withone particular player. I have had this prob-lem in every one of my six or seven AD&Dcampaigns I have run since 1983. Thisplayer, when originally introduced to thegame, insisted on playing an assassin. Atfirst this was okay, as I was new to thegame, and, quite frankly, the role seemedto fit. But almost every game sessionwould end with a PC free-for-all when theassassin would see to it that he was de-serving of the most choice bits of anytreasure. The �good� PCs who thoughtthrough all the dangerous traps, talkedtheir way around the evil warlord, andfought only when it seemed to be the best

50 JUNE 1994

course of action, were constantly watch-ing their backs against the skulking assas-sin, who, it seemed, would always startthe fight, always run to the back to theparty when it got nasty, and alwayspushed his way past the others when themonsters were killed to get the treasure.As time went on, I restricted his choices ofclasses and he played the fighter. (Thankyou very much for leaving the assassinclass out of the 2nd Edition game.)

His attention span for planning, analyz-ing options, and gathering informationfrom my carefully created NPCs and cryp-tic clues grew incredibly short with theinclusion of several new friends into mylast campaign. I had always thought thathis playing style was his problem, until,after his last character (the only fightertype in the party) was killed because hegot bored when the other PCs were chat-ting with an important NPC, and ran off tobe ambushed by a troll. I noticed that heconsistently put the others in a bad situa-tion by his actions. Often, this can beentertaining and we get a good laugh afterthe fighter impulsively does somethingself-destructive.

The other players really didn�t think itwas so funny, though. Their fun was seri-ously diminished. One player openlysnapped at him. I sometimes get the feel-ing that the spell-casters were memorizingspells such as silence 15� radius and holdperson to be cast on the fighter in criticalsituations. The other players made at-tempts to get into the background materialthat I had worked out, and had fun fittinginto my campaign world. While the fighterdecided his birth place (�some mountaincave�), race (a half-orc) and social standing(a half-orc!) and played the same character,he had played ever since we first playedthe game some ten years ago.

Suddenly, I was just as frustrated as myfriends.

The first thing I did was begin to tailorsome encounters to his temperament. Iinformed the other players, but not thefighter, of this change. Most game situa-tions remained the same, replete withlocal history, politics, internal consistency,and interesting plot twists and stages, buta number of encounters would be simpleslugfests specifically designed for thefighter. No NPC background would beincluded, just an ugly opponent who at-tacked the party without reason or naturalsurvival instincts. In other words, I sentmonsters at the party who acted just as hischaracters did.

His comments ranged from somethinglike, �What a stupid monster," to �Well,that was fun," and �Where�s the gold?�Afterward, I asked him what kind of en-counter or plot he would like to see mecreate for the next session.

He and I got together one afternoon andI gave him exactly what I thought he want-ed: an ultra-simple, randomly-designeddungeon with a very small number oftricks and traps, no plot, nothing to learn,

no puzzles to solve, with a steady streamof randomly placed monsters and trea-sures and an unhelpful NPC fighter whocharged into every battle before he knewwhat he was fighting. It was great. It re-minded me of some of my first dungeonswhen I didn�t know a DM was allowed toprepare in advance for a game session. Isimply rolled the dice to see what kind ofmonsters and treasures were found in aDisneyland of dark underground rooms.The solo session lasted less than twohours, but I kept getting strange and dirtylooks from him.

�That was a lame dungeon,� he said,when I asked how he liked it. Well, theconversation went back and forth with metrying to explain that this was the way theother players and I saw his playing style. Itried to explain that the work I do duringthe time between our game sessions wasbeing wasted if the fighter just wanted anassortment of silly, random monsters, anda Monty Haul romp.

That experience did not completelychange his gaming style. I would havebeen very naive to think that it would. Idid not want to degrade his enjoyment ofthe AD&D game in general, just open hiseyes to what his actions were costing theothers in the group. I think he might be alittle more aware of how the others gleanenjoyment from my complicated NPCs,traps, and plots, and will be a bit morepatient. He has been making some prog-ress.

Be patient and talk with your players.They have a variety of opinions on whatmakes a good game session, so try to ac-commodate them. Also, it does a player aworld of good to know what the otherplayers think about the game, what theylike and don�t like about the campaign.After all, even the fighter�s player wants tohave a good time with his friends, playingtheir favorite game. As DM, let them knowwhat you want, too. You�re the one work-ing on a whole world of possibilities. Ifyou do, I believe the vast majority of play-ers will respond . . . eventually.

Lee J. BallardTigard OR

Give us the word!What do you think of this magazine?What do you like best or want to seechanged most? What do you want tosee next? Turn to “Letters” and seewhat others think, then write to us, too!

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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.

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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-

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

52 JUNE 1994

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Important: DRAGON® Magazine nolonger publishes phone numbers for conven-tions. Publishing incorrect numbers is al-ways possible and is a nuisance to both thecaller and those receiving the misdirectedcall. Be certain that any address given iscomplete and correct.

To ensure that your convention listingmakes it into our files, enclose a self-addressed stamped postcard with your firstconvention notice; we will return the card toshow that your notice was received. You alsomight send a second notice one week aftermailing the first. Mail your listing as early aspossible, and always keep us informed ofany changes. Please avoid sending conven-tion notices by fax, as this method has notproved to be reliable.

FANFAIRE �94, June 9-12 SCThis convention will be held at the Holiday Inn

in Greenville S.C. Guests include Ardath Mayhar,Holly Lisle, and Ruth Thompson. Events includerole-playing, board, and miniatures games. Otheractivities include an art show and auction, prizes,contests, and a charity auction. Registration: $20before April 30; $25 thereafter. Single-day rates$10 on site. Write to: Fanfaire Prod., P.O. Box 1801Greenville SC 29602-1801.

CAMELOT VI, June 10-12 ALThis convention will be held at the Radisson

Suite Hotel in Huntsville, Ala. Guests includeClyde Caldwell and R. A. Salvatore. Eventsinclude role-playing, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities include a banquet.Registration: $25. Write to: CAMELOT VI, P.O.Box 14223, Huntsville AL 35815.

RECONN �94, June 11-12 CTThis convention will be held at the Ramada

Plaza Hotel in Stamford, Conn. Events includerole-playing, board, and miniatures games.Other activities include dealers and a videoroom. Write to: Gaming Guild, c/o Jim Wiley,100 Hoyt St. 2C, Stamford CT 06905.

SAGA �94, June 11-13This convention will be held at Glebe high

school in Sydney. Guests include Ed Greenwood,Events include role-playing, board, and minia-tures games. Other activities include freeforms.Write to: SAGA, c/o Dennis, P.O. Box 881 Bur-wood, NSW 2134 AUSTRALIA.

CON*TRETEMPS 8, June 17-19 NEThis convention will be held at the Ramada

Inn in Omaha, Nebr. Guests include RobinBailey, Nick Smith, and Roger Tener. Eventsinclude role-playing, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities include panels, videos,

filking, dealers, and gaming. Registration: $25.Write to: CON*TRETEMPS 8, P.O. Box 4071,Omaha NE 68104-9998.

WYVERCON �94, June 17-19 WAThis convention will be held at the Skagit

County Fairgrounds in Mt. Vernon Wa. Eventsinclude role-playing, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities include a costume con-test, dealers, and a miniatures contest. Registra-tion: $20. Daily rates available. Make checkspayable to SVGA. Write to: WYVERCON �94, P.O.Box 2325, Mt. Vernon WA 98273.

CAPITALCON X, June 18-19 ILThis convention will be held at the Prairie

Capital Convention Center in Springfield, Ill.Events include role-playing, board, and minia-tures games. Other activities include aminiatures-painting contest, an auction, anddoor prizes. Registration: $10. Write to: JohnHoltz, 400 E. Jefferson St., Springfield IL 62701.

ARCHON 18, June 24-26 ILThis convention will be held at the Gateway

Center in Collinsville, Ill. Guests include JackChalker and Martha Soukup. Events includerole-playing, board, and miniatures games.Other activities include dealers, masquerades,videos, and gaming. Registration: $22. Write to:ARCHON 18, P.O. Box 483, Chesterfield MO63006-0483.

DALLAS GAME EXPO �94, June 24-26 TXThis convention will be held at the LeBaron

Hotel in Dallas, Tex. Events include role-playing,board, and miniatures games. Other activitiesinclude dealers. Registration: $10 preregistered;$15/weekend or $5/day on site. Write to: DALLASGAME EXPO, P.O. Box 824662, Dallas TX 75382.

NEW ORLEANS SF&F FESTIVALJune 24-26 LA

This SF&F convention will be held at the NewOrleans Airport Hilton in Kenner, La. Guestsinclude C. J. Cherryh, George Alec Effinger, andJohn Steakley. Other activities include panels,movies and videos, dealers, and 24-hour gaming.Registration: $25 on site. Write to: NEW OR-LEANS SF&F FESTIVAL, P.O. Box 791089, NewOrleans LA 70179-1089.

SKIRMISHES �94, June 24-26 MOThis gaming convention will be held at the

Americana Hotel in Kansas City, Mo. Eventsinclude role-playing, board, war, and miniaturesgames. Other activities include miniatures-painting contests and dealers. Registration: $25.Write to: SKIRMISHES, c/o 812 N.E. Terr., KansasCity MO 64155.

LEGENDS-ROME �94, June 25-26 GAThis convention will be held at the Riverbend

Mall in Rome, Ga. Events include role-playing,board, and miniatures games. Other activitiesinclude dealers. Registration: $2. Write to:Legends Entertainment Group, 514 Broad St.,Rome GA 30161.

PAXCON �94, Juue 25-26 MD include scores of role-playing, board, and minia- THOMAS COLLEGE MICRO-CONThis convention will be held at the Best West- tures games. Write to: ORIGINS �94, P.O. Box July 9 GA

ern Maryland Inn in Laurel, Md. Events include 3100, Kent OH 44240. This convention will be held on the Thomasrole-playing, board, and miniatures games. College campus in Thomasville, Ga. EventsOther activities include RPGA� tournaments POLARISCON 3, July 8-10 MN include role-playing, board, and miniaturesand dealers. Registration: $12 preregistered; $15 This convention will be held at the Thunder- games. Other activities include dealers, videos,on site. Write to: Chesapeake Games, P.O. Box bird Hotel and Convention Center in Minneapo- and open gaming. Write to: MICRO-CON, c/o13607, Silver Spring MD 20911-3607. lis, Minn. Events include role-playing, board, Michael Taylor, 123 Greenleaf Lane, Thomasville

and miniatures games. Other activities include GA 31792.PHENOMENON �94 seminars, demos, videos, dealers, an art show,June 25-27 and a masquerade. Registration: $25. Write to: DRAGON CON �94, July 15-17 GA

This convention will be held at Karabar high POLARISCON 3, c/o Time, Space, & Fantasy, This convention will be held at the Westinschool in Queanbeyan. Guests include Ed Green- Inc., P.O. Box 8908, Lake St. Station, Minneapolis Peachtree Plaza Hotel in Atlanta, Ga. Guestswood. Events include role-playing, board, and MN 55408. include Barbara G. Young, Harlan Ellison, Kris-miniatures games. Other activities include tine Kathryn Rusch, and Clyde Caldwell. Eventsfreeforms. Write to: PHENOMENON, P.O. Box V-KHAN, July 8-10 CO include role-playing, board, and miniatures308, Belconnen ACT 2616 AUSTRALIA. This convention will be held at the Holiday

Inn North in Colorado Springs, Colo. Guestsgames. Other activities include panels, seminars,demos, computer games, movies, and comics

WAR!ZONE SOUTH �94, July 1-4 FL include Andrew J. Offutt. Events include role- programming. Registration: $45. Write to:This convention will be held at the Sheraton playing, board, and miniatures games. Other DRAGON CON �94, P.O. Box 47696, Atlanta GA

I.T.T in Ft. Myers, Fla. Events include role- activities include dealers, a miniatures-painting 30362-0696.playing, board, and miniatures games, Other contest, plus an art show and auction. Registra-activities include dealers, a flea market, an tion: $15 before June 30; $20 thereafter. Write NONCON �94, July 15-17

auction, and open gaming. Registration: $19/ to: V-KHAN, 695 South 8th St. #55, Colorado This convention will be held at the Queens-weekend or $7/day on site. Write to: WAR!ZONE Springs CO 80905. land University of Technology in Brisbane.SOUTH, c/o Wolf Entertainment, P.O. Box 1256, Guests include Ed Greenwood. Events includeDeLand FL 32721-1256. WINDSOR GAMEFEST XII, July 8-10 role-playing, board, and miniatures games.

This convention will be held at the University Other activities include freeforms. Write to:ARCANACON XII, July 7-10 of Windsor in Windsor, Ontario. Events include NONCON, P.O. Box 328, Carina, Qld, 4152 AUS-

This convention will be held at the Col- role-playing, board, and miniatures games. TRALIA.lingwood Education Centre in Melbourne. Registration: $11 (U.S.)/weekend or $6/day.Guests include Ed Greenwood. Events include Write to: Windsor Board and Role-playing Soc., QUINCON IX, July 15-17 IL

role-playing, board, and miniatures games. c/o University of Windsor, 401 Sunset Ave., This convention will be held at the SignatureOther activities include freeforms. Write to: Windsor, Ontario, CANADA N9B 3P4. Room at Franklin Square in Quincy, Ill. EventsARCANACON, P.O. Box 125, Parkville, Vic, 3052 include role-playing, board, and miniaturesAUSTRALIA. LEGENDS-KNOXVILLE �94, July 9 TN games. Other activities include RPGA� events

This convention will be held at the Holiday and special guests. Registration: $12/weekend orORIGINS �94, July 7-10 CA Inn-Northwest in Knoxville, Tenn. Events in-

clude role-playing, board, and miniatures$5/day. Send an SASE: QUINCON IX, c/o Mark

This convention will be held at the McEnery Hoskins, 1181 Pratt St., Barry IL 62312.Convention Center in San Jose, Calif. Guests games. Other activities include dealers. Registra-include Larry Niven and Steven Barnes. Events tion: $2. Write to: Legends Entertainment

Group, 514 Broad St., Rome GA 30161.

GOBBLECON 3, July 16 PAThis convention will be held at the Easton Inn

in Easton, Pa. Events include role-playing,board, and miniatures games. Other activitiesinclude dealers, a games raffle, contests, anddoor prizes. Registration: $8 before July 10; $10thereafter. Send a long SASE to: Mike Griffith,118 S. Broadway, Wind Gap PA 18091.

GRAND GAME CON �94, July 16-17 MIThis convention will be held at American

Legion Post #179 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Eventsinclude role-playing, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities include RPGA� events.Registration: $12/weekend or $6/day preregis-tered; $7/day on site. Write to: John Edelman,31 Carlton SE, Grand Rapids MI 49506.

ARCEECON �94, July 23 ILThis convention will be held at Leisure Hours

R/C Raceway in Joliet, Ill. Events include role-playing, board, and miniatures games. Otheractivities include demos, a silent auction, andJapanimation. Registration: $5, game fees: $2.Write to: Leisure Hours Hobbies, 2872 PlainfieldRd., Joliet IL 60435.

CON-DOME �94, July 29-31This convention will be held at the Danish

Technical University Lyngby. Events includerole-playing, board, and miniatures games.Other activities include a painting workshop.Registration: 80 Danish kroner. Write to: CON-DOME, c/o Mark Denninger, Kollegiebakken 1-C212, DK-2800 Lyngby, DENMARK.

LEGENDS-NASHVILLE �94, July 30 TNThis convention will be held at the Shoney�s

Inn in Nashville, Tenn. Events include role-playing, board, and miniatures games. Other

activities include dealers. Registration: $2. Writeto: Legends Entertainment Group, 514 Broad St.,Rome GA 30161.

UMF-CON XIV, August 1-3 METhis convention will be held at the University

of Maine-Farmington in Farmington, Maine.Events include role-playing, board, and minia-tures games. Registration: $8 preregistered; $12on site. Single-day rates vary. Write to: TableGaming Club, 5 South St., UMF, Farmington ME04938; or e-mail: if15159@maine.maine.edu (besure to include your mailing address).

GAMEFEST XV, Aug. 10-14 CAThis convention will be held at Old Towne in

San Diego, Cal. Events include role-playing,board, and miniatures games. Other activitiesinclude trivia and figure-painting contests.Registration: $20 before July 30; $30 on site.Write to: GAMEFEST, 3954 Harney St., SanDiego CA 92110.

BUBONICON �94, Aug. 26-28 NMThis convention will be held at the Howard

Johnson East in Albuquerque, N.M. Guestsinclude Mike Stackpole, Liz Danforth, andSimon Hawke. Events include role-playing,board, and miniatures games. Other activitiesinclude panels, an art show, readings, films, anda masquerade. Registration: $21 before Aug. 10;$25 on site. Write to: NMSF Conference, P.O.Box 37257, Albuquerque NM 87176.

DEMICON 5, Aug. 26-28 MD This convention will be held at the Sheraton

Conference Hotel in Towson, Md. Events includerole-playing, board, and miniatures games.Other activities include seminars, a gamesauction, dealers, and a painted-miniature con-

test. Registration: $20 before June 30; $25thereafter. Send an SASE to: Harford AdventureSoc., c/o The Strategic Castle, 114 N. Toll GateRd., Bel Air MD 21014.

OMEGACON 2, Aug. 26-28 FLThis convention will be held at the Howard

Johnson Universal Tower in Orlando, Fla. Eventsinclude role-playing, board, and miniaturesgames. Other activities include an artists� work-shop, dealers, videos, and door prizes. Registra-tion: $5 preregistered; $10 on site. Send anSASE to: John Martello, OMEGACON 2, 3415Silverwood Dr., Pine Hills FL 32808-2847.

GEN CON is a registered trademark owned by TSR,Inc. ©1994 TSR, Inc. All rights Reserved.

GEN CON® Game Fair 1994Join over 20,000 gamers in Mil-

waukee, Wis., Aug. 18-21, 1994.This is the world’s largest multi-media game fair featuring four daysof games and events. The game fairincludes computer, military, role-playing, strategy, miniatures, virtualreality, video, arcade, and boardgames—over 1,000 events in all.

The GEN CON® Game Fair alsofeatures a million-dollar art show,dozens of celebrities, a costumecontest, Star Trek guests John deLancie and Majel Barrett, comic-book/SF writer Peter David, Japani-mation, a 200-booth exhibit hall, and$10,000 in prize giveaways.

For information, send an SASE to:GEN CON® Game Fair, P.O. Box 756,Lake Geneva WI 53147 U.S.A.

Elderly computer games?

Computer and video games have theshortest lifespans of any entertainmentform yet invented. To this day, we watchplays written hundreds or even thousandsof years ago. (Anyone who�s seen a play byAeschylus, Shakespeare, or Moliere raise ahand.) We still watch and enjoy moviesfilmed three-quarters of a century ago (oreven earlier). Reruns of TV shows thatwere cancelled almost thirty years ago arestill popular (Gilligan�s Island, the originalStar Trek). Even in the realm of boardgames, old standbys still are popular�MONOPOLY*, CLUE*, and RISK* are asfun now as they ever were.

Role-playing games are pretty new, butthe first one ever published is still goingstrong, as witness the continued existenceof the very magazine this column is ap-pearing in. No other RPG has done as wellthe AD&D® game, but there are severalrole-playing games out there that are overa decade old.

But there are no elderly computer games.The reason behind this is that computersbecome obsolete very quickly. Once a com-puter is gone, the games designed for itvanish, too. In addition, computer games,more than other entertainment forms, arehighly limited by the medium. Until aboutthree years ago, computer games werelimited to only 16 colors. A little beforethat, games were restricted to what couldbe fit onto a floppy disk�hard drives werevirtually unknown. Ten years before thatgames used ASCII characters to displaytheir activities.

The advent of cartridge-based systems(Sega & Nintendo) has made it possible forgames to become �classics�. Since thetechnology supporting a Super Nintendodrive does not change over the years, agame that was good several years ago isstill good today. Hence, games like Zelda,Sonic the Hedgehog, or Super Mario havemanaged to make their way into the realmof popular mythology.

It�s not clear yet whether the MarioBrothers will survive another two or three decades, but if they do, it would appear

at computer and video games may fi-nally have made their way into art.

©1994 by Sandy Petersen

Computer games� ratings

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

Reviews

LUFIA * * *

Super Nintendo Taito

This is a new role-playing game by Taito.It is very similar to Final Fantasy II, and ifyou liked that earlier game, as I did, you�llprobably like this one. If not, avoid Lufialike the Black Death. It has all the flaws ofFinal Fantasy, and is, alas, short on someof the virtues.

There are many such games in Japan. It

is nice to see some of them finally makingtheir way across the ocean. Lufia, if mysources are accurate, is actually the sixthin a series of adventures.

As you travel across the countryside, orthrough one of the dismal caverns orgloomy towers scattered across the world,wandering monsters occasionally appearas the world fades into obscurity behind.The monsters stand before you, and youare placed into a formal duel with yourcharacters at the bottom of the screen andthe monsters at the top. Alongside each of

DRAGON 57

your characters is a status bar giving youtheir hit points, magic points, etc. Just likeFinal Fantasy II, Lufia seems to follow theprinciple of �delayed gratification." Yourvarious characters activate during their�turn,� based on their agility, and youchoose what you wish them to do; attack,use an item, defend (increased defensiveability), or cast a spell. But the characterwon�t usually perform his action untilmuch later in the combat, but occasionallyif he is fast enough, and his action not toodifficult, he�ll do it right away. The mon-sters politely wait for you to take yourturn, which is nice. The combat systemisn�t really all that great, and the anima-tion for the monsters is very simple. Theydon�t even have special attack animationsfor the monsters�they just flash the mon-sters and then flicker their image backand forth to simulate an attack. I guessthey were trying to save money on art or,more defensibly, on chip space.

There�s nothing wrong with the graph-ics, but there�s nothing particularly re-markable about them either. I didn�t seeone thing that amazed me. The music wasfine, with a non-repetitive, wallpaper-jazzsound.

The game has a rather amazing openingsequence. You play the four ancient heroeswho originally destroyed the dread Sinis-trals of Doom Island. You must questaround Doom Island, fighting megafrogsand worse monsters until you encounterthe Sinistrals themselves. Then you mustfight and destroy them. Since you don�tknow how to manage your warriors yet,it�s a pretty hard fight. With luck and skill,ultimately you�re able to win, at whichtime a fixed sequence shows two of yourheroes dying heroically (is there any otherway?) while the other two escape. Thetime then switches to 90 years later, andyou get (at last) to see your own characteras a little boy. Then the time switches tonine years later, when you�re a Knight ofAlekia, and you get to start on your game.

As the game progresses, you pick upyour various followers, one of whomrapidly becomes your girlfriend (there�s noprovision for running a female characteras your own). Further occasional cut-scenes show your characters interacting,sometimes productively, sometimes justplaying jokes on one another. The jokesare pretty lame�perhaps this is the result

58 JUNE 1994

Lufia (Taito)

of translation from Japanese to English.The manual tells you what you�re sup-

posed to do early on in the game, and ispretty good, though I spotted a number ofmistakes in both it and the quick chartprovided with the game. Unlike somegames of this ilk, Lufia goes to some effortto prevent you from going somewhereyou�re not supposed to travel yet. It is sohard to explore �illegal� areas that I wasvery proud on the two or three occasions Iactually managed it.

The game was plenty long, almost toomuch so. Eventually it decayed into anendless series of wandering monsters,dusty dungeons, and mysterious treasurechests. The game stayed pretty balanceduntil near the end, when I was able to beatalmost every monster I met (though everyonce in a while I was still bested, so Iguess I wasn�t so tough after all).

Up to three games can be saved at atime, but you can only save at a town.

Game tips1. Heal your characters whenever one of

them is at less than half full strength.Doing otherwise risks death.

2. When you meet a Mimic or Redcore,attack it at all costs, expending all yourenergies to kill the darn thing before itflees, regardless of its companions. Killingone of these monsters provides you withan enormous amount of experience points,well worth the trouble taken.

3. When you�re slain, you lose half themoney you�re carrying. It�s best to invest itin goodies, than to carry it around as hardcash.

4. If you�re not sure what to do next, justtry leaving the town you�re in and travel-ing onward. Sometimes this stimulates the

game to move on to the next stage. Also,sometimes taking an action causes some-thing to change elsewhere in a tower orcave. If you seem to be at a dead end, lookaround the place some more.

ISLE OF THE DEADIBM & compatiblesDesign: A. Sean GlaspellProgramming: Bruce J. Mack, Bryan

KolschArt: Myk Friedman

I like sleazy horror movies a lot. Thatsaid, I naturally like zombie movies (theessence of the genre). Isle of the Dead isbased on those movies. You are the lonesurvivor of a plane wreck on a mysterioustropical island, which unfortunately teemswith zombies under the control of an evilmad scientist. With this as the premise, Iwas all set to enjoy this game. I was hop-ing for a bloody, action-packed, free-for-allwith tons of gore and fun. Boy, was Iwrong.

This is an action/adventure game thatrequires a fairly fast computer. Its manyfailings are slightly mitigated if you have asound card.

The game initially resembles other 3-Daction spectaculars such as Wolfenstein3-D, Blake Stone, and Ken�s Labyrinth. Butit is much less competently done. Forexample, the blocks used for some wallsdon�t even tile properly, so that they visi-bly repeat in an irritating fashion. You cansee gaps in other walls, revealing blankwhite screen beyond. Pretty pathetic. The3-D movement is reasonably fast (it betterbe, with the compromises they were will-ing to accept in the art), and you wanderover the landscape picking up goodies and

like most other games in this genre, inwhich you automatically snag anythinguseful you walk over, in Isle of the Dead,you must choose to pick up an object bytapping the space bar when near it. Youcan store objects for future use, which israther nice.

On occasion, you wander into a scenethat is not 3-D. Here, all you can do is turnback and forth, using the mouse to clickon objects you want to grab. At the start,for example, you must enter the burningplane and get the wire clippers and themachete�without the machete, you standabsolutely no chance of survival.

There are a few features of the gamethat are far from obvious, but most of thetidbits you can pick up simply by play. Youcan save and load the game in a dandyfashion, and I recommend that you do thisvery often.

The game art is done in an interestingcartoonesque fashion. This helps mitigatesome of the horror of using flesh-eatingzombies as your antagonists, and actuallylooks pretty good, except for a few zom-bies that are simply drawn too poorly.Still, the basic theory here was a good one.Each time you are killed, an exciting andviolent death animation occurs, afterwhich the evil mad doctor cackles withglee. Even if you just quit out of the gameto go back to DOS, you get a violent death

keen death animations, different for eachzombie.

The place this game really chews is inthe game play. The zombies are incrediblydeadly. In practice, what this means is thatin order to kill them, you have to stand ina corner with your back to a wall whilethey line up and come at you one on oneand you shoot or chop them down. If youtry freewheeling through them in thetraditional exciting zombie-movie fashion,you�re an immediate hors-d�oeuvre. Simplyput, fighting the zombies is dull, hardwork. Sigh. What�s the point of a game likethis if the basic activity is simply not fun?

Another major problem is that whenyou clear out an area, then leave the areaever-so-briefly, and then return, all themonsters of the previous area have beenresuscitated and are ready to fight youagain. This means that you�ve got to fightyour way through places you�ve alreadyproven your ability to conquer again andagain. I suppose the designers did this tomake the island a little harder to beat. Itdoes make it a lot harder to beat, butunfortunately, it makes it a lot more tedi-ous, too. I wish designers would learn thatit�s not fun to keep doing the same stuffover and over,

Avoid Isle of the Dead even if you�re azombie buff. I was, and it didn�t do me anygood.

ARCHON ULTRA *

IBM & compatibles S S I

Design: Jon Freeman, Paul ReicheProgramming: Anne Westfall, Fred FordGraphics: George Barr, Jon Freeman,

Douglas Herring, Mark Johnson, KarenMangum, Paul Reiche, John Xu, BillYates

The single-star rating above may bejudged by some as overly harsh, but I wasextremely disappointed by this game.Several years ago, the original Archoncame out on various old-style machines(the original Atari, for example). It waspretty fun. I had hopes that the new ver-sion, Archon Ultra, would be fun, too.

Archon Ultra was done by the originaldesigners of Archon. It has all the flaws ofthat original game, but does not have anyof the originality and little of the fun.Archon Ultra superficially resembleschess, but instead of rooks, bishops, andknights, your units are unicorns, shape-shifters, trolls, valkyries, and other fantasybeings. One side represents Light, theother Dark. The board is divided intosquares, some pale, some dark. Creaturesof Light are boosted on light squares, andCreatures of Dark receive similar benefitson dark squares. As the game progresses,some of the squares gradually changefrom light to dark and back again. Power

DRAGON 59

points scattered over the board act astargets for both sides to aim for. The chiefunit of each side is a magician (Wizard forthe White, Sorceress for the Dark) whocan cast spells to benefit each�s forces.

When you move one of your units ontoan opposing square, you switch to a close-up view of that square (complete with lavapools and other terrain), and the two unitsengage in combat mano a mano.

But with this promising foundation�anundoubtedly excellent concept on whichto build�the game falls down in almostevery respect thereafter. The graphics aredisastrously inadequate, and look likesomething from six years ago. The inter-face you must use to control your units isclumsy and frustrating. Feedback receivedduring combat and play is far from clear,and the computer�s AI is an annoyingcombination of the predictable and dull,yet hard to beat (because the computerdoes not suffer from human failings dur-ing the melee combats).

I disliked this game a lot, and so dideveryone I showed it to. I think what wentwrong was that the original designers gottogether and thought that, since the origi-nal Archon did so well, they could quicklyhack out a second version, little improved,and have an instant success. This game isclear testimony to the fact that the stand-ards of computer games have improvedduring the last decade. If the designers

had spent more effort looking at the state-of-the-art, perhaps Archon Ultra would beworth buying.

That said, there is still one situation inwhich I would recommend this game: ifyou have a modem. This game does sup-port modem play, and that�s a blessing. Itdoesn�t improve the graphics or interfaceany, but at least your opponent suffersfrom the same drawbacks you do.

If you really, really liked Archon, andyou own a modem, I recommend thisgame, but not otherwise.

EPIC PUZZLE PACK * * *

IBM Epic Megagames & XlandDesign: Janusz PelcSupport: Maciej Miasik, Pawel Wyrzycki,

Marek Kubowicz

This is a collection of three differentgames: Robbo, Heartlight, and Electro.They are pretty fun, though each is verydifferent.

Robbo is a simple little puzzle game inwhich you must maneuver a robot aroundsimple mazes, avoiding monsters, shootingbombs, and finding bolts. It was fun andeasy to get into. Sometimes arcade skillsare required, as you must outrun pursuersor dodge cannon shots. The only flaw inthis game as a puzzle was the fact thecannons fire their shots randomly, so youmust sometimes just make a move hoping

that they won�t shoot. This was unfair in apuzzle, because you can be kil led ina situation where it wasn�t really yourfault. You had to run across that openspace, and your death was just bad luck.Still, it�s a minor cavil in an otherwise funlittle game.

Heartlight looked a lot like a game I sawsome years back on the Macintosh, Lepre-chaun. In this game, you must pick uphearts, and shove bombs, bricks, andballoons around. The game is totally logic-based, with no randomness at all. Intheory, you could solve each problemsimply by looking at the game for a longtime, then moving your little elf spriteproperly. The game has a peculiar flawthat stymied me for a long time�when itstarts out, you are presented with puzzlenumber 70 (out of 70), which is nigh-impossible to solve. There is no indicationgiven of how to get to another puzzle (like,say, the first). You must hold down thespace bar and press the right or left arrowkey to move the screen sideways to an-other puzzle. I was stumped for an embar-rassingly long time before I blunderedupon this little undocumented tidbit.

In Electro, you play a gun-toting su-pertrooper who battles robotic nasties. It�srather like Duke Nukem and other gamesof that ilk. If you liked those, you�ll likeElectro.

* indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc.

60 JUNE 1994

Don�t miss the 1994 GEN CON® Game Fair

Better Than EverOnce upon a time, at a GEN CON Game

Fair long, long ago, the most sophisticatedelectronic device to be found was a wallsocket, and the names on the guest listwere known only to the small group ofpeople who enjoyed role-playing games.

Times have changed. Boy, have timeschanged. . . .

The 1994 GEN CON Game Fair will befilled to overflowing with high-tech gam-ing equipment and high-profile celebritiesfrom the worlds of science fiction andcomics as well as the realm of gaming. Theshow runs from August 18-21 at theMECCA Convention Center in Milwaukee,Wis.�and it's not too late to register inadvance. (See the end of this article fordetails on how to get your own pre-registration booklet.)

John de Lancie

Science-Fiction SaturdayAfter getting off to a spectacular start at

last year�s Game Fair, Science-Fiction Satur-day returns this year with an even largerlineup of special guests and activities.Among the headliners are John de Lan-cie (�Q�) and Majel Barrett ("LwaxanaTroi�), two of the recurring guest stars onboth Star Trek: The Next Generation andStar Trek: Deep Space Nine.

Majel Barrett has been part of the StarTrek phenomenon from the very start. Sheportrayed Number One in the first pilotepisode of the original series and was laterseen on a regular basis as Nurse Chapel.Now she plays the unpredictable LwaxanaTroi on the two spinoff series�and hasalso served as the voice of the computeron all three shows. She was married formore than 20 years to Star Trek creatorGene Roddenberry, who died in 1991.

John de Lancie has appeared in severalrecent films (including The Fisher King,The Hand that Rocks the Cradle, and BadInfluence), but has reached new heights ofpopularity for his portrayal of the omnipo-tent and troublesome bad guy known onlyas Q. Both he and Ms. Barrett will signautographs on Saturday afternoon, andeach of them will conduct separatequestion-and-answer sessions.

We�ve just received word from Science-

Peter David

Fiction Saturday organizer, Sue Weinlein,that another Star Trek star is joining theGame Fair�s guest list. Carel Struycken,who plays Lwaxana Troi�s manservant, Mr.Homn (and the butler, Lurch, in the twoAddams Family movies), also will be ap-pearing.

Another famous science-fiction guestwill be Timothy Zahn, an award-winning writer with a trilogy of best-selling Star Wars novels to his credit,including The Last Command. Tim alsowill do an autograph session and a Q&Aseminar on Saturday, as well as taking partin other special events.

Most of the activity associated withScience-Fiction Saturday will take place inand around the section of the MECCAExhibit Hall known as Starbase 1. Amongthe attractions will be the Alien Archives,a mini-museum packed with SF film propsand other memorabilia, and the KlingonJail �n� Bail, a popular charity event thatraised nearly $2,000 in donations last year.Other Science-Fiction Saturday gamingevents and seminars are detailed in thepre-registration booklet.

Super-Hero SundayIf any act could possibly follow Science-

Fiction Saturday, it�s Super-Hero Sunday,when the world of comics takes center

Plan to attend the GEN CON® Game Fair now

stage. The extra-special guest is PeterDavid, the author of hundreds of comicbooks including work on The IncredibleHulk, Spider-Man 2099, Atlantis Chroni-cles, and Aquaman. Recently he has addedto his fame with many Star Trek novels,the most recent of which is Q Squared.

Famous names from the world of comicart will also be on hand for Super-HeroSunday, including Jeff Butler, Phil Foglio,Tim Bradstreet, and literally dozens ofother artists and writers. If you can�t findone of your favorites among this group. . . well, you just don�t have enough favorites.

The convention also features a host ofscheduled game events, seminars, andworkshops on comics and super-herogaming, many of which take place earlierthan Sunday. If comics and crimefightersare up your alley, you�ll find plenty ofevents to take up your time on all fourdays of the Game Fair.

Games on the edgeAs the technology of gaming moves

forward, the GEN CON Game Fair stays onthe cutting edge. Many of the top manu-facturers of interactive electronic gamesand virtual-reality simulators will bringtheir equipment and their knowhow to theconvention. You can strap on a virtualhelmet and step into Suki Cyberium�s VRring to compete against other opponents,experience the explosive action of theBattleTech �mechwarrior combat simulator,and try out the Dactyl Nightmare VR com-petition

If on-line gaming is your forte, you cansign up for MPG-Net�s 50-player Kingdomof Drakkar game. For a different kind of

Timothy Zahn

interactive experience, check out Cap-Com�s new four-player arcade game,D&D® Tower of Doom game. Or, if youprefer a �simple� human-vs.-computermatchup, you can sit down and try dozensof computer games, video games, andarcade games, including many of the new-est releases as well as a wide selection ofold favorites.

Guests galoreAside from the special guests highlighted

above, the roster of celebrities who plan toattend the Game Fair includes more thanthree dozen other �stars of the show�ranging from game designers to popularauthors to famous illustrators to topflightmilitary experts�and that�s just a prelimi-nary list, which is sure to grow by thetime the show gets under way. Spacedoesn�t permit us to list all their names,but a complete collection of all the celebri-ties can be found in the pre-registrationbooklet.

Other attractionsThe largest feature of the Game Fair, as

always, is the Great Exhibit Hall which isthe worlds biggest game, comic, book, andhobby store. Hundreds of companies willhave displays in the 75,000-square-footexhibit area, showing and selling everytype of game product you can imagine. . .

If it�s not for sale in the Great ExhibitHall, chances are you can pick it up at theGame Fair�s Auction, where for 35 hoursover three days you can bid on out-of-print goodies, one-of-a-kind relics, andnewer products that their owners arewilling to part with for a fraction of theiractual price.

Another longstanding Game Fair tradi-tion is the Fantasy Art Show, which keepsgetting better with age. Many of the mostfamous artists in the field will have theirbest work on display, and many of thepieces being shown also will be for sale,either as originals or as prints.

Also back for return engagements arespecial activities such as the Game Fair�sMasquerade, offering prizes for the bestcostumes in 10 categories, and the TSRModel Shop, featuring a model construc-tion contest jointly sponsored by TSR andRevell-Monogram. It�s a cliche, but it�s true:There truly is something for everyone atthe Game Fair.

Register nowTo have the best chance of signing up

for all the events you want to take part in,write or call today for your free Game Fairpre-registration booklet, which includes116 pages of information about the con-vention. The deadline for pre-registration

is June 30th, so there�s no time to waste.Send your name and address to GEN CONGame Fair, P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI53147, or phone (414) 248-3625, ext. 424 toput in your request�and we�ll see you inAugust!

Majel Barrett

DRAGON 63

The Black Eagle Barony

Karameikos, Ho!by Jeff GrubbCartography by John Knecht

The visitorThe visitor sat in my office chair, glanc-

ing about as if appraising my belongingsfor possible later resale. He was short anddumpling shaped, with a child-like faceand bare, fur-covered feet that swung teninches off the floor.

A halfling. It had to be a halfling.Still, I tried to put the best face on it,

�How can I help you, Mr. . . ."�Gallidox," chirped the small creature,

�Joshuan Gallidox. You can call meJoshuan, or even Josh." He beamed a che-rubic smile, �I�m here about Karameikos."�Ah, you mean the new campaign setting

for the AD&D® game," I replied, warming tothe discussion, �We have taken the original

D&D® game world, which dates back to thedawn of gaming history and has been richlydetailed in the Gazetteer series and alma-nacs, and brought it up to date in the AD&Dgame system. Not only that, we�ve includedan audio CD adventure by TSR editor Thom-as Reid, playable by long-time gamers as well

as newcomers whose first experience withthe game was through the FIRST QUEST�game. There�s a 128-page adventure book, a32-page adventure book, the audio CD, twofull-sized maps, character cards. . . ."

The halfling waved his hands at me,�Enough with the product promotion al-ready," he harrumphed, �I�m talking aboutthe real Karameikos�the down and dirty.From someone who knows who rules and

who thinks they rule. An agent in the field.Someone who knows the backwaters anddarker side. It�s all too easy to think of Kara-meikos as this high-faluting, white-knightkind of fantasy kingdom, what with goodKing Stefan and all that. There�s danger inKarameikos as well, from the streets ofMirros (that�s old Specularum) to the vaultsof Fort Doom. . . ."

�Halag,� said I, �After they kicked out theBlack Eagle Baron, they renamed it Halag."

The halfling harrumphed again, �The barony is now called Halag, but the castleof the Black Eagle Baron, and the townbeneath it will always be known as FortDoom. And I know all about the fall ofFort Doom, because I was there!�

DRAGON 65

I raised an eyebrow, and the halflingnodded towards my computer, �You write,I�ll tell you about it.�

Presented below is what he told me.Statistics and other gaming informationcan be found after the narrative.

Ludwig Von HendriksThe trouble (for Halag at least) came

with Stefan Karameikos� cousin. The Em-pire of Thyatis had claimed the territoryof Karameikos over a century ago, andabout forty years back a Thyatian noble-man (who would become Good King Ste-fan) traded his family lands in the empirefor this frontier territory. Now, Stefan wasa good man, but showed bad judgment inchoosing some of his friends, particularlya cousin named Ludwig Von Hendriks,who was to become the Black Eagle Baron.

Von Hendriks was enfiefed with a largebarony in western Karameikos, near theborders of the halfling nation of the FiveShires, centered on the existing town ofHalag. Von Hendriks took the title of �TheBlack Eagle� (based on his family coat-of-arms) and the new domain became knownas the Black Eagle Barony.

The town of Halag was renamed FortDoom after the large fortification that VonHendriks erected there. In theory, thishulking edifice of stone situated atop acliff was to serve as protection from half-ling pirates. (The narrator made a digres-sion this point into the nature of halflingpirates being smarter than any human-built pile of stone, but we�ll pass on thisfor now.) In reality, Fort Doom was usedas Von Hendriks� power base to oppressthe native population.

And oppress them he did. Von Hendriksreduced the townspeople to the status ofserfs, unable to trade or even leave theirland without baronial permission. To en-force his laws and collect exorbitant taxesto fund his plans, Von Hendriks brought inmercenary units and encouraged hostilenonhuman tribes to enter his service.Units of orcs, hobgoblins, and goblins soonappeared in the Black Eagle�s �specialservice." He also encouraged a criminalorganization of slavers and assassins, theIron Ring, to operate in the barony. Lastly,Von Hendriks took into his service anextremely mad and extremely evil Kara-meikan wizard, one Bargle the Infamous,who used the Ludwig�s captives for hisown bizarre experiments. The Black Ea-gle�s eventual goal was independence fromthe rest of Karameikos, or wresting theentire kingdom away from Stefan.

Throughout this, Von Hendriks wascareful to avoid censure by Stefan orinvestigation by his agents. Rumorsabounded as to his iron-fisted rule, but as

66 JUNE 1994

long as the Black Eagle Baron could con-vince his liege that these were mere ru-mors and exaggerations, his seat wassecure. On those occasions when Stefanvisited the Black Eagle Barony, he was metby smiling, happy villagers. He did notknow about the hostages kept by VonHendriks to assure his people�s coopera-tion. Von Hendriks continued to oppresshis people, and, more importantly to thisstory, allowed his nonhuman troops toraid the neighboring nation of the half-lings regularly.

The halflings' warThe land to the west of Karameikos was

occupied by a small humanoid race thathumans call halflings, but among them-selves are known as the Hin. The continualraiding by the Black Eagle�s nonhumantroops created great suffering among thehin along the Karameikos borders, buttheir complaints (led by their ambassador,Jenkin Flintfoot) fell on deaf ears. KingStefan was unwilling to believe that hiscousin was the evil varlet that others madehim out to be.

In desperation, a group of halfling ad-venturers kidnaped his majesty, rollinghim up in a rug and unceremoniouslycarrying him to the Black Eagle Barony foran impromptu (and unannounced) tour.Confronted with the plight of his people,and the enormity of Von Hendriks� treach-ery, the King broke all ties with his cousin.

Stefan was still unwilling to split hiscountry by civil war. This was when Am-bassador Flintfoot stepped forward andvolunteered the services of the halflingarmies of the Five Shires. The hin peoplehad more than enough reason to wish tocapture and punish Ludwig Von Hendriksfor his genocidal tendencies, and a foreignincursion had the potential for removingthe evil Black Eagle without excessive lossof loyal Karameikan Life.

The halfling assault was a two-prongedaffair. A large force of light skirmisherscircled through the Achelos woods anddescended on the Barony from the north,with the intention of drawing off the bulk ofthe Black Eagle�s troops. Meanwhile, the bulkof the halfling troops landed to the south,brought by the very halfling pirates FortDoom was built to withstand. With the bulkof the barony�s armed forces chasingshadows along the shores of the BlightSwamp, the Black Eagle was unprepared foran assault from another direction.

Ludwig could have withstood the attack,had he the support of the villagers. How-ever, with the halfling invasion, a popular

uprising, encouraged by such Ludwig-hating humans such as Yolanda and LadySascia of Luln, cut off Fort Doom from its

troops. Ludwig�s nonhuman armies andmercenaries were unaware of the attackon the Fort until it was too late.

During the assault, the Karameikanarmy was placed on a full defensive alert.The Riverfork Guard Battalion of the 5thDivision (�Fury in the West�) was orderedto prevent any halfling movement north ofthe joining of Cruth and Magos river.Similarly, the Radlebb Guard Battalion ofthe 5th Division (�Baator�s Jailers�)advanced as far of Luln. This force, com-manded by the Karameikan Minister ofWar, General Zandra Sulanov, wascharged with preventing any furtherhalfling incursions east of the Black EagleBarony, aiding refugees, and preventingthe flight of the Baron�s nonhuman troopsinto central Karameikos. While Baator�sJailers did not enter Fort Doom, they didacquit themselves well against a unit oforcs under gnoll leadership (�Rakash�sReavers�) who, upon hearing of FortDoom�s fall, attempted to capture Luln as anew base.

Fort Doom was breached and partiallyburned. Ludwig was captured by thehalfling forces and immediately shippedback to the Five Shires for trial (though helater escaped). Bargle the Infamous fled inthe face of the invasion, abandoning hismaster. The Iron Ring fled to smaller basesthey had set up inside the barony. Thehuman mercenaries, seeing which way thewind was blowing, laid down their arms inexchange for safe passage out of the bar-ony. The bands of bugbears, orcs, hobgob-lins, and gnolls fought when they had to,fled when they could, and many are stillsurviving (in reduced circumstances) inwestern Karameikos.

Fort Doom todayKing Stefan has appointed a Castellan to

oversee the Barony until such a time that aworthy candidate appears. The Castellan isone Milo Korrigan, the nephew of AlexiusKorrigan, who is another cousin (though amore pleasant one) of King Stefan. Milohas proved to be a diligent and caringindividual, but is overwhelmed by the sizeof the task presented him. *

The Black Eagle�s removal has done littleto alleviate the suffering of the people,who are now embattled and raided by thevery nonhuman troops that used to �pro-tect� them. The Iron Ring is still in opera-tion, and there are regular rumors thatBargle the Infamous has been seen on theborders of the Blight Swamp. The peoplehave the hope of a better tomorrow, buttheir present is unpleasant indeed.

The halfling finished his narration andlooked quite pleased. I read back what I

had typed and he nodded in approval.I sighed, �Bargle the Infamous, the Iron

Ring, nonhuman tribes�it looks like theBlack Eag- the Barony of Halag is truly inneed of adventurers to set things right.�

�Exactly my point," said the halfling.�Exactly.�

* Note to potential DMs: The Black EagleBarony is a potential fief for higher-levelcharacters, and is available for use bythem. Milo Korrigan gladly will turn overthe reins (and the reign) of this trouble-some piece of property to anyone who willtake them.

The townThe town of Fort Doom is a good-sized

town of some 10,000 people, with another5,000 or so scattered through small ham-lets and villages throughout the barony.The town is clustered around the base of abasalt cliff know as Duumtor in an olddwarven tongue, a hard, rocky spur thattowers some 150� above the surroundingland. There had been a number of castlesand forts built on the cliff-top over thecenturies, and there are legends of under-ground passages, secret lairs, and losttombs within its rocky fastness. Duumtor�spale gray cliffs face south and west, butthere is a winding road from the east thatleads to the top and Fort Doom itself.

Fort Doom: The largest complex ofstructures ever built on Duumtor, thefortification was erected with the purpose(or rather, the excuse) of protecting thevillage of Halag and the nation of Kara-meikos from western invasions and raids.In reality, it was used as a power base forLudwig to impose his will on the town.

Fort Doom consisted of a 20� deep moat,a nearly circular curtain wall, 15� high,dominated by a pair of massive 30� talltowers on the southern flank. The towersframe an impressive, skull-faced gate-house, heavily defended and decoratedwith the shield of the Von Hendriks familyon the gate lintel. Within the walls were awell-furnished keep for the baron, bar-racks for Ludwig�s personal bugbearguards, a 40� tower used by the wizardBargle the Infamous, and a gaol, used tokeep hostages (to ensure cooperation fromthe villagers) and suspected terrorists(anyone who disagreed with Baron).

During the Halfling�s War, the hin ig-nored the barricaded gatehouse and in-stead used a magical device (believed to bea horn of blasting) against the easternwall, reducing it to rubble. The main keepwas looted but left fairly intact, but thebarracks, Bargle�s Tower, and gaol wererazed to the ground (the last after all thehostages and terrorists were freed).

Castellan Milo Korrigan has taken pos-

session of the keep, and, after an attackfrom the basement crypts by undeadcreatures, ordered any entrances discov-ered into the lower crypts and cavessealed. He intends to have these areascleaned out eventually, but by individualsmore used to risk than him. There arecontinual rumors circulating about otherentrances to the mazework carved withinthe Duumtor, as well as lost treasures (andescaped prisoners or evil minions) stilldown there.

Freedom Palisade: This is a newconstruction, built since the war, keeps thenonhuman tribes no longer in Von Hen-drik�s service at bay. The palisade is atemporary measure until a true fortifica-tion wall can be afforded. The Palisade is15� high and made of shaved oak poles. Athin walkway 2� wide is located 10' up onthe side. Wooden gates to the east andwest allow carts to pass into and out of thetown, and there is a smaller postern doorin the south for foot traffic. There are notowers.

The Rising Mist: The Rising Mist is thelocal �Adventurers Bar,� the place wheremost of the wandering swordsmen andwizards seeking employment or adventurehang out. Before the war, this tavern wasthe headquarters of smugglers who evad-ed Ludwig�s iron rule, and the groundbeneath it is said to be honeycombed withold passages. The current tavern keeper isa recent arrival, however, and deniesknowing anything about it. Thetavernkeeper and owner is one KerminDilandrov, a 4th-level warrior who hadserved in Luln during the war. The Mist isalso a popular watering hole with thehalfling population, since Kermin hasinstituted a �Half-sized, Half-price� policyon his drinks. The Mist offers no roomsfor rent, but is surrounded on three sidesby boarding houses that do a good busi-ness in adventurers and merchants.

Fisherman�s Hall: The bulk of Halag�spopulation survive by fishing the nearbygulf, bringing in shad, mackerel, and tunafrom its rich waters. As a result, the Fish-erman�s Hall is the largest building in thetown of Halag, dominated by a great cen-tral vault with an arched roof. The hallwas used as troop quarters by Ludwig, butnow has returned to its original purposeas meeting place, dance hall, and, in thewinter time, a gathering spot to repair thefishing nets.

Old Public Gallows: Situated outsidethe Fisherman�s Hall, the public gallowswas at one time framed by stocks andimpaling poles. All these have been de-stroyed after the war, but nothing hasbeen built on the site yet.

New Temple: With the overthrow of

Ludwig, the native religion, the Church ofTraladara, resurfaced in Halag. It current-ly maintains a small church made from aconverted warehouse, and has a staff ofsix�a bishop, two assistant priests, andthree full-time warriors. The bishop is ahuman female named Calianna, and is a7th-level priest. The two assistants areeach 4th level, and the warriors are all 3rdlevel, dressed in chain mail, and carryswords.

Calianna is a devoted priest who believesher first duty is to the community, and to�outlanders� second. Currently, she istrying to locate certain holy relics of theformer temple of Traladara which Ludwigseized, and which were not recovered inthe war.

The Once-Great Gulp: Another publichouse of Halag, this one only opens itsdoors after dark, and has a reputation intown as a dangerous place. It has a quiet,smoky, and dark public room, and a largenumber of back rooms used for �privatebusiness.� The Gulp is reputed to be afront for the Iron Ring, and whether it istrue or not, agents of the Ring often usethe place for meetings with new clients.The owner of the Gulp is unknown, butthe evening bar-keep is a large, powerful-looking man called Omak the Silent. Omakdoes not speak, and scars along his neckindicate that he lost this capacity as aresult of an unsuccessful hanging. He asksquestions of his customers by a handful ofwell-thumbed cards.

Finster�s Goods: Some of the humanvillagers supported Ludwig�s reign ofterror, and most of these found some-where else to live after the rebellion. Onewho remained was Ivan Finster, the keep-er of Halag�s only �general store.� Finsterhas most items needed for successfulfarming and adventuring, and what hedoes not have he can order from the capi-tal at a �modest surcharge� (double price).Lean, oily, and avaricious, Finster fawnsover newcomers (well, over newcomers�money sacks). He is universally hated bythe other villagers.

Five Shires Consulate: This is theofficial representation for the Five Shiresin town, and is usually used as a hin hang-out by the rising number of halflings whohave emigrated to Halag after the war.Rumors state that the consulate is theheadquarters for a new thieves� guild,dominated by halflings. The consulatedenies this, pointing out that for thieves toexist, there has to be something worthstealing.

Duum Beach: A broad, sandy beach onthe Gulf of Halag, Duum Beach is used bythe town�s fishermen, who pull theirshallow-drafted boats up on the sands in

DRAGON 67

the evening. It is located about a mile fromthe village proper. Guards are posted inthe evening to prevent nonhuman raids ofthe boats, and there is discussion of erect-ing another palisade around the beacharea, and building a true dock.

The beach is fairly well-sheltered, andsome merchant craft moor in its deeperwaters, sending supplies in on smallerboats. Most merchants using Halag as aport have Ierendi and Five Shires registry,as larger and more prosperous craft by-pass Halag and sail directly for Mirros.

The Child in Darkness: Anothertavern, this one run by Igon and EgonTrakador, twin brothers, one of whom hadfled into exile, the other captured andimprisoned by Ludwig�s forces. Both areserious, angry young men, and dedicate alarge part of their activity to trackingdown and reuniting families separated bythe Black Eagle�s rule. The Child has thesupport of a number of powerful Kara-meikans, including the famous entertainerYolanda of Luln. Adventurers seekingready (if not always profitable) employ-ment should know that the Brothers Tra-kador have more leads and rumors thanthey can handle.

Ostler�s Yards: This was the site ofmore barracks for Ludwig�s troops, and allthat remains of those structures are a fewburned-out husks. It is now used to quar-ter horses and caravans (there are nostables inside the palisade walls). Theostler is a man named �Lanky� Nibbs, atall, thin, talkative, merry man of middleage who claims to hail from Glantri City.Nibbs is a hopeless gossip, and often getshis information almost correct.

Osaga the Boatman: The Osaga familyare the best boat builders in the barony, andthere are craft over 100 years old built bythe family still in service. Most of the familyfled the Black Eagle, but Osaga the Elderremained. He seeks his grandson to carry onthe business, but no luck so far.

Militia Bell: Erected on the site of (andmade of the metal from) a bronze statue ofBaron Hendriks, this bell is rung in timesof emergency, to mobilize the populationin the face of fire, nonhuman attack, orother dire event. There is a similar bell(with a lower tone) on Duum Beach.

The Iron RingThe Iron Ring is a criminal organization

with agents throughout Karameikos, andwas, until recently, operated under thewatchful eye of Baron Ludwig. Built uponsmall groups known as cells, with ultimateruler is unknown to the general public.Stomping out one cell of the Iron Ringdoes not destroy the organization, and thesurviving members can rebuild the organi-

68 JUNE 1994

zation when wounded in this fashion.The Iron Ring is a brutal organization

that makes it profits through assassinationand slavery, and as such is actively soughtby agents of the Karameikan government,which approve of neither activity. Most ofthe slaves taken by the Iron Ring areshipped to other lands that tolerate orencourage human slaves, including theBroken Lands and the Shadow Elf king-dom of Aengmor. The bulk are shipped tothe nearby Empire of Thyatis.

Until the Halfling�s War, Fort Doom wasa terminus for Iron Ring slave wagons.These wagons are often disguised as com-mon carters carrying barrels. In one spec-tacular case, the Iron Ring wagon wasdisguised as a traveling magician�s show.Once at Fort Doom, slaves would be bun-dled onto ships and sent to buyers else-where. In exchange for their cooperation,Ludwig and Bargle would get first choiceof unusual or interesting prisoners.

With the fall of the Black Eagle, the IronRing has lost an important outlet. They arecurrently examining ways to re-institutetheir influence in the Halag area, while atthe same time seeking out new ventures inMirros and Threshold.

Nonhuman tribesIn the wake of the war, most nonhuman

military groups have broken down tosmall bands under one leader or another,but some larger organizations survive.These organizations survive as severalbands of 100 members or more. All sur-vive by raiding small hamlets and caravanspassing through the area. The make-upand symbols of these tribes are as follows:

The Blood Reavers: The Blood Reav-ers are orcs with gnoll leaders, and are theremains of Rashak�s Reavers after theirdisastrous assault on Luln. Their symbol isa blood-red skull, and the orcs paint theirfaces red before a raid.

The Night Seekers: These are goblinarchers originally employed by Ludwig ashunters and assassins, and are accompa-nied on their hunts with large, black wardogs. Despite local legends, the NightSeekers do not ride their dogs as mounts,but rather use them to track and herdtheir prey. The Night Seekers dress inblack, and have no official symbol.

The Pit Fiends: Despite the name,these are hobgoblins with delusions ofgrandeur. Their symbol is a pit fiend withblood dripping from its claws, and theirleaders wear full-face masks in the shapeof a pit fiends head.

The White Death: One of the oddergroups that found service with Ludwig,the White Death is a mystic society ofgoblins and orcs who have taken a vow of

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silence in combat. They use talc on theirfaces and arms to make themselves lookghostlike, and believe themselves invulner-able when in this state.

Bargles� Bughears: One of the mostorganized nonhuman units remainingafter the fall of the Black Eagle, thesebugbears often recruit or impress othersmall tribes into service. They venerateBargle�s memory, and claim the wizard willreturn to lead them back to greatness.(The evil mage�s current location is un-known.)

The good, the bad, and the clumsy

by Spike Y. Jones

Artwork by Chris Farris

Faeries come in all shapes, sizes, andtemperaments, but because of the almostalien thought processes and motivations ofthe members of the faerie world, there isoften disagreement when it comes todeciding which faeries should be classedas harmful and which as harmless. Insome cases, however, there is a consensus.The following represent three types offaerie creatures: the good, the bad, andthe clumsy.

DRAGON 71

Bramble

CLIMATE/TERRAIN:

FREQUENCY:ORGANIZATION:ACTIVITY CYCLE:DIET:INTELLIGENCE:TREASURE TYPE:

Subarctic to temperate/Grasslands, hills,and prairiesRareNomadic bandDayOmnivoreVery (11-12)O, Q

ALIGNMENT: Neutral Evil

NO. APPEARING:ARMOR CLASS:MOVE:HIT DICE:

2d82 (8 without armor)32 hp

THAC0:NO. OF ATTACKS:DAMAGE/ATTACK:SPECIAL ATTACKS:SPECIAL DEFENSES:MAGIC RESISTANCE:SIZE.MORALE:XP VALUE:

1911d8PoisonMinor spell use5%T (3� tall)Steady (12)65 (175 with poison)

DRAGON® #206

So tiny that they might not appear dangerous, brambles are among themost aggressive and vicious of all faeries. Although currently breedingtrue, rumor has it that the first brambles were individual outcasts from�polite� faerie society (their size, name, and fixation with pointy thingsmakes the Gorse their likely ancestor; see �Dragon�s Bestiary� inDRAGON® issue #180).

Brambles look like tiny, dried-out people, with dark, wrinkled skin,long, pointed finger- and toe-nails, ears that come to points much sharp-er than those of elves, and sticking out of their backs are a brace ofspines that look like they should support miniature dragon-wings, butwhich are unadorned. Still, most of these features are usually hidden bythe plate-mail armor that they wear under normal circumstances, andeven the wing-spines that come out of holes in the armor�s backplate caneasily be mistaken as longer versions of the artificial spines covering therest of the bramble�s armor.

Combat: The spine-covered armor of a bramble is both its best defenseand its strongest attack. The armor provides AC 2 protection, and thebarbs on its surface prevent other creatures from coming too close tothe wearer; any animal that attempts to bite or eat a bramble suffers anautomatic 1d6 damage, as would any humanoid trying to pick up abramble with bare hands. Attackers wearing armor get to make a save,attempting to roll above the AC value of the armor covering their hands(Dexterity and shield bonuses do not apply) on 1d12 to avoid injury.

In order to turn the armor into an offensive weapon, a bramble mere-ly has to hurl himself against a target, rolling attack and damage normal-ly. When faced with opponents close to its own height (1� or less), abramble will attempt to wrestle, causing 1d6 points damage per roundin addition to any damage as a result of the wrestling (see Player�s Hand-book, pages 97-98).

One bramble in ten has another weapon to use in combat; poison. Thewing-spines of these brambles secrete a strong poison that causes a pain-ful burning sensation ( -2 on attack and damage rolls for 2d10 rounds,with additional doses having cumulative effects) on anyone hit by them(either as an attack or automatically as a result of picking up the bram-ble) unless they make a save vs. poison with a -3 penalty, in which casethe effects and duration are both halved. As these brambles are perfect-ly willing to use this poison on dissenting members of their own bands,they are generally the leaders in any bramble group.

Finally, and most strangely, brambles are often found riding a peculiarselection of animals. It is not uncommon to come upon a band of bram-bles riding a collection of porcupines, hedgehogs, al-mi�rajs, and othercreatures, looking like bizarre pixie-knights as they search for food andfights They control their mounts with a charm mount spell that eachcan cast once per day. When so mounted, brambles also carry barbedspears (that do 1d6 damage on a hit) that they use as lances. (Statisticsfor these creatures can be found in individual monster listings, underthe �Mammal, Small� entry in MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM® 2 or in theMonstrous Manual.)

The final special ability of brambles is one that makes them especiallydangerous to flying prey such as small birds and flying faerie creatures.

72 JUNE 1994

©1994 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

One in ten brambles (not necessarily the same brambles that possess thepoisoned spines) can cast a special anti-flying spell once per day, which,causes any one Small flying creature within 10� to be magically ground-ed (whether the creature flew as a result of magic or natural ability) fora period of 6d6 rounds (unless a save vs. spells is made, in which case noeffects are felt). While this can be used in hunting, brambles especiallylike to cast anti-flying on pixies, sprites, and other faerie creatures, sothat they can have the cruel fun of chasing them through the woods onthe ground.

Habitat/Society: Brambles are nomadic creatures, constantly on themove searching for food and fights. When they rest, it is in camps hid-den in thorny bushes and other natural protection, with their mountsposted as guards. As with other faerie creatures, bramble infants arenever seen, but when a band grows too large, it splits in half with thetwo groups heading off in opposite directions.

Brambles sometimes will pick up small amounts of easily-transportedtreasure that they use to bribe other creatures into manufacturing theirspecial armor for them. Despite their small size, brambles are su-premely confident, even when dealing with humans and other �giants."They would think nothing of challenging a �giant� to a wrestling match,especially as they would have no intention of honoring any bets theymight place on the fight. They speak their own language, as well as thelanguages of most other faerie creatures. Their knowledge of elvish isslim, but it should suffice to make business deals with, and to offer chal-lenges to those forest-dwelling �giants."

Ecology: There are few ways in which a bramble can benefit anothercreature. The average bramble doesn�t have enough meat on its bonesto make a good meal for anything larger than an owl, and those withpoisonous spines are also discomforting to eat as their flesh has the sameeffects on the eater as their poison.

A poisonous bramble�s spines could be drained by a hunter to makeblade poison but one bramble would only provide enough poison for asingle arrowhead or dart; it would take ten or more poisonous bramblesto provide enough of the substance to coat a long sword. The armorthey wear is often beautiful in a dangerous way, and some collectormight pay 2d8 x 10 gp for an complete, unoccupied suit.

Dobie DRAGON #206

©1994 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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

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

Temperate ruralRareTribalNightHerbivoreAverage (8)NilNeutral Good

2d45 (9)91/2201By weaponSpellsSave as 9th-level priestAs aboveTiny (2� tall)Average (8-10)120

Dobies are small humanoids, similar in appearance to their cousins,brownies. They live peaceful, reclusive lives, and when they encounterhumans or other civilized creatures, they try to be helpful neighbors tothese �big folk," with mixed results.

Dobies resemble small elves, with brown eyes and hair, and work-a-day clothing to match. Their features are generally plain; they have earsthat are only slightly pointed (as opposed to the extreme points ofbrownies), their faces are more reminiscent of tired farmers thanbright-eyed children, and while they move with a free gait, no onewould describe them as nimble. In fact, the image ones gets of them ismore in line with �country bumpkin� than �mischievous faerie."

While they converse among themselves in the language of brownies,all dobies also know the Common tongue, and that of at least one otherfaerie creature (such as sprite or pixie).

Combat: Dobies are inoffensive creatures, and if threatened, prefer towalk or sneak away than to fight. Still, they are very protective of theirbig-folk neighbors, and will fight to defend them and their propertyagainst all comers.

The drab colors of their tough clothing combines with their size andactivity level to help them hide in any natural setting, giving them aneffective AC of 5 outdoors, or in a building furnished in natural materi-als. In strange environments, a dobie�s armor class goes down to 9.

In combat, a dobie prefers to cast the wizard spells confuse languages(the reverse of comprehend languages), grease, forget, fumble and rayof enfeeblement (once per day each at the minimum level to cast eachspell) to confound and confuse opponents. A dobie also can use a tool,such as a hoe or hammer, as a makeshift weapon doing 1d2 points dam-age on a hit. If they come across a real weapon, such as a dagger or shortsword their inexperience means that they still only do 1d3 damage onhits. Although their features and size varies, female and young dobies allfight and cast spells with the same skill, so the figure given for NumberAppearing includes women and children.

Unlike some other faeries who can see through illusions, dobies areparticularly gullible, and they suffer a -3 penalty on saving throws ver-sus illusions and charms.

Habitat/Society: Small families of dobies live in crude cottages madeof twigs and thatch hidden in the thickets at the corner of a farmer�sfields. If there are more than four dobies on one farmer�s property, theywill be split into two or more households at the corners of the fields.Like brownies, they glean food from the fields of farmers after the har-vest, but they are far from efficient, and the end result of their gleaningswon�t be the perfectly clean fields of their cousins, but something moreakin to the natural habits of birds and rodents.

As good creatures, dobies feel obligated to pay for the food they gleanand the land they live on, and they offer payment in deed, such as tem-porarily guarding treasure or doing household chores. Because of theirreclusive nature, the dobie won�t ask what sort of chores need doing,and normally will perform his favors at night or when there�s nobodyaround to see him, but his labors seldom go unnoticed.

Unfortunately, their desire to be helpful usually outstrips their ability,

and they almost always botch the favors they try to perform. If theymilk the farmer�s cows, they forget to close the barn door afterwards,allowing the cows to wander afield. If they rescue the wayward cows,they are likely to break fences and trample gardens as they lead thecattle back to the farm, etc. If their �landlord� knows that dobies are thecause of the accidents, and berates them about it, the dobies will miscon-strue the criticism as a complaint about the amount of work done, andthey will redouble their efforts to make good on their debt. While onecannot fault their intentions, if it weren�t for the times that their fum-bling accidentally works for the benefit of dobie�s landlord, one couldalmost consider them a curse, instead of a blessing.

One of the few times that a dobie�s fumbling becomes a blessing iswhen thieves, brigands, or other hostile beings (including wild animals)appear on the property. Dobies are protective of their adopted families,and will try to defend the goods and lives of their landlords against at-tack, especially if the farmer isn�t there to defend it himself. The sceneafter a typical fight with a dobie family will be a jumbled mess of brokenfurniture, smashed crockery, and the like, but at least the lives and ma-jor goods of the farmer will have been safeguarded.

Unlike brownies few dobies ever take the step of becoming �housedobies," actually living in the big folks� home and performing services forthem on a daily basis. This is not because they don�t want to be close totheir neighbors, but because the inadvertent damage they do is likely toconvince the family they adopt that their house is haunted by some pol-tergeist, forcing them either to take drastic measures to remove the do-bie, or even making them move away from the area, which would spelldoom for the dobies living off their land. On the other hand, it is difficultto offend a dobie enough to make him leave �his� farm; they are as obliv-ious to insults as they are to the proper workings of a big folk family andfarm.

Ecology: Dobies live on the margins of civilization, neither helping theenvironment nor hurting it in any major way. They are strict vegetari-ans, but they are unable to cultivate land of their own; it must first beplowed and seeded by �big folk," after which they do their part to carefor the growing plants.

DRAGON 73

Faerie Fiddler DRAGON #206

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

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

Any inhabited by other faeriesuncommonSolitaryNightNilAverage (10)NilNeutral Good

10121200NilFiddlingImmune to enchantment/charm magic25%T (2� tall)Elite (15)270

The faerie fiddler is a strange icon of faerie society. Always found in acommunity of faeries, there is never more than one faerie fiddler percommunity. The faerie fiddler�s motivations are to protect other mem-bers of the society and to make the world more pleasant, according to itsunderstanding of the term.

In appearance, faerie fiddlers are among the most human-looking offaeries. They resemble nothing so much as old, diminutive human males(there are no female fiddlers), dressed in somber, archaic clothes (suchas a battered black top hat and tails), and playing a most exquisite, tinyfiddle. For all of their aged appearance, they are always in apparentgood spirits, and while so skinny that it is a wonder they can keep thefront and back of their coats apart, they are apparently spry and lively.

Combat: Faerie fiddlers never begin a fight, but they are quite able todefend themselves and others if one breaks out. The fiddler�s primarydefense is his high armor class, the result of its constant, capering danceand small size. As a faerie creature, the fiddler is naturally resistant tomost forms of magic, and considering the nature of its magics, it isn�tsurprising to find that they are completely immune to the effects of allspells from the enchantment/charm school.

The faerie fiddler has the ability to play a number of magical tunes onhis fiddle, both for enjoyment and in combat. The least of these magicaltunes is one that prevents hearers from experiencing hunger, thirst, orfatigue while dancing, a tune that is woven through the melodies of com-mon dancing songs to provide dance music for faeries and the non-faeries they invite into their circles. As this spells effects can be felt onlywhile the hearer is dancing, it will provide benefits only in combat if thehearer has the Dancing nonweapon proficiency and thus can alter thesteps of the dance to allow fighting at the same time. Coincidentally, allfaeries in a community with a faerie fiddler will have the equivalent ofthis proficiency, which means that they will spin and whirl as if dancingwhen in combat, and they will never tire from their efforts. A savingthrow vs. spells will negate the effects of this tune, but only if the hearerspecifically wants to resist its charms.

If the fiddler or his friends are threatened with physical harm by anyoutsider, he can change his tune to target one person per round with anOtto�s irresistible dance spell having a range of 30 feet, with savingthrow vs. spells negating the tune�s effects. As the irresistible dance onlylasts five rounds, the fiddler may have to renew the spell if he faceslarge numbers of opponents. The fiddler will use this spell to assist hisfaerie friends when they fight intruders, to cover the escape of thosewho are unable or unwilling to fight, and to cover his own escape whenhe finds it necessary to leave the field. Because of the fiddler�s courage,he is willing to lay down his life if it will allow other faerie-folk to escape,so he will depart only after all other faeries are secure.

The most powerful tune that a faerie fiddler can play is used on some-one who offends faerie sensibilities without overtly attacking the faer-ies, such as someone who refuses to dance with them, who claims not tobelieve in their very existence, or especially someone who tries to cheata faerie in some way. This tune has the same fatigue-banishing effects ofthe first tune, but combines with it a powerful time-distorting effect,like an exaggerated time stop spell. For every hour spent dancing, a year

74 JUNE 1994

will pass in the outside world, and as the fatigue-banishing effects of thetune make one capable of dancing for a long time (i.e., if a human underthe effects of this magical tune has danced for four hours, four yearswill have passed in the real world when he returns to his home, proba-bly to find it long-sold after his �mysterious disappearance�). Again, asaving throw vs. spells will negate all effects of the spell, but the hearermust consciously desire to resist or receive no saving throw at all.

This time stop tune can be played only once per month, on the night ofa full moon, and as mortal offenses against faeries can happen at anytime of the month, a fiddler who wants to use this spell on an offender atsome other time of the month will have to lure him back to the faeriecircle. The common method to achieve this is for the fiddler to pretendthat he failed to notice the offense, and then to invite the offender backto the circle a few days hence for a celebration that promises to be aonce-in-a-lifetime experience for the mortal invitee. Other ruses will betailored to the personality of the offender, such as �accidentally� lettingslip the fact that a precious faerie treasure will be on display during thefull moon if the offender is a thief, or challenging the offender to return(�You wouldn�t dare come back here and do that again on the night of thefull moon!�) if he is a belligerent sort.

Habitat/Society: Faerie fiddlers have no society of their own, as theyare never seen with others of their type. They dwell among communi-ties of faerie creatures, and provide a number of services for them, mostespecially fiddling at their convocations, parties, and gatherings. Natu-rally, they speak the languages of every type of faerie folk, and those ofany nearby human or demihuman community.

Ecology: The fiddle of a faerie fiddler isn�t magical (all its effects are thenatural magic of the fiddler being channeled through the instrument),but it still has a resale value of 3d20 gp for its fine quality and miniaturesize.

Tashara of the Seven Skulls

This sigil and items belonged to Tasharaof the Seven Skulls; I�ve evidently stum-bled upon one of her abodes or storagecaches�long plundered, whatever it was.

Tashara�s tale is one that bears record-ing, lest all knowledge of such hiddenthings be lost with me, in times to come.

Tashara was a beautiful woman, and alsoa grasping and ambitious one. She mas-tered small magics early in life, and usedher looks and glib tongue to carry her intothe hearts and trust of men who shouldhave known better. At first she simplyslew them while they slept, taking whatmagical items they possessed; when shehad enough of these to pay for tutoringand still defend herself against treachery,she took up with mages, and learned whatthey could teach her before killing themand going on to the next.

This was long ago, just after Myth Dran-nor�s fall, and Tashara seems to have comefrom what is now Chessenta, or lands tothe south of there.

Tashara was brilliant at magecraft; shehad the rare knack of being able to com-bine the enchantments of others into morepowerful spells that hung together bythemselves. Her power grew with greatdispatch, until she mastered a means(doubtless by practicing on talentlessfarmers and later minor magelings, whoultimately became servants and guardiansof her various abodes�and may survivestill, in remote places around Faerun) ofcreating undead that retained their wits,yet were under her control.

Tashara perfected this undeath in theform of a flying, disembodied skull accom-panied by animated skeletal hands�theformer able to speak and cast spells, andthe latter able to gesture and carry small,light items.1

Then she set about seducing the mostpowerful mages she could find, going farafield in Faerun to places where none hadheard of her.

She succeeded with uncanny skill, be-coming consort and apprentice to onearchmage after another. When each washopelessly in love with her, she �discov-ered� a means of lichdom and helped themto attain it�always ending up with a flying

76 JUNE 1994

by Ed Greenwood

Artwork by Gary Williams

skull that retained all of its wits and magic,was hopelessly in love with her, and thatshe could control if need be. This shecontinued until she had seven skulls ofmagical might serving her. This seems tothe maximum she could control, or per-haps she wearied of the seductions, or ranout of mages who could teach her any-thing and were likely to be receptive toher. Time has taken the truth from us, aswell as losing the names of all but one ofthe Seven Skulls: Alisker Lathundown ofNuel. (Nuel is a town on the shores of TheLake of Steam that is now lost.) Just whichof the skulls he became is unknown.

Tashara had seven undead mage-skullsthat were devoted to her, vied for heraffections, and cast spells at her command.She could go into battle ringed by thesespell-hurling undead, and always sleptwithin a floating, ever-watchful ring ofthem. It is said she mastered spells thatallowed her to drain the life-force of folkand feed it into the skulls�but this may beonly legend born of fear-fed rumors.

So armed, Tashara set out to work herwill upon the Realms. She fought the RedWizards of Thay to a standstill, destroyingthree of them. She smashed an enclave ofPhaerimm, and destroyed The Ring ofEyes, a beholder cabal that ruled what isnow eastern Amn, herding the humansand wemics who dwelt there like cattle tobe the eye tyrants� food and slave-workers.

It seemed none could stand againstTashara. So in the end, of course, she grewtoo bold. It was her wont to wrest magicalitems and spell knowledge from those shedefeated. She decided to ransack The HighHouse of Wizardry, a temple dedicated toAzuth that stood in what is now Tunland.Overmatched in battle, the high priestcalled on Azuth for aid, and The High Oneheard. He appeared, strode through all thespells Tashara hurled at him, and em-braced her.

Screaming, she burned to ashes in hisarms, her will and her soul were suckedinto him, as the energies of all her items,spells, and contingency magics raged likewildfire around the temple.

The building was thrown down, one of

the seven skulls burst apart from themagic that suddenly flowed into it, and theother six were hurled helplessly acrossFaerun, howling as they were scatteredfrom their �love.�

I believe these six skulls still survive;what I�ve been able to learn of them is asfollows:

One inhabits Skull Gorge, where it hasgathered many powerful monsters andmagical items around it. It can hurl spellsthrough a scrying artifact that also canproject a giant image of itself, so that thespells emanate from the giant skull.

One inhabits the ruins of Myth Rhynn(an overgrown ruin in the depths of TheForest of Tethir), where it studies andamasses magic in a shattered tower. Itlures adventurers to it by magically-sentvisions and rumors of rich treasure, togain their magic.

One roams Thay, stirring up revoltagainst the Red Wizards, manipulating oneRed Wizard against another and trying todestroy one whenever possible. Over theyears, it has succeeded twice, and hasadopted many magical guises in its work.It loves the spice of danger, and has be-come a legend among the Red Wizards,who call it �Old Thun, the Doom of Wiz-ards.� Some folk in Thay�even, it is whis-pered, some Red Wizards�have begun toworship it in secret.

One wanders Faerun, aiding adventur-ers. It delights in helping the underdog,spreading chaos and destruction, andhelping beautiful females who resembleTashara.

One is trying to found a kingdom ofundead centered in the remote, ruinednorthern city of Ascore. It controls theundead by means of new spells it hasdeveloped.

One stays hidden in various humanguises, possessing and then taking theshape of powerful rulers. It is adroit, buttales of this or that king or satrap being intwo places at once (one the controlledbeing, the other a guise assumed by theskull) betray its activities from time totime. It loves power and intrigue, and isthought to be in Amn, working behind the

Continued on page 100

Turn the page and you�ll find the final ballot for theORIGINS� Awards for gaming products published in 1993.

The vote is open to all gamers everywhere. The staff ofDRAGON® Magazine suggests you make a photocopy of theballot, vote for your favorite gaming rules, accessories,supplements, figures, computer games, board games, and soon from 1993, and mail the ballot by the listed deadline.There even are spaces for write-in votes if a favorite 1993product of yours didn�t make the final ballot. Congratulationsand good luck to all the companies with products nominated.May the best games win!

ORIGINS IS a trademark of the Game Manufacturers’ Association.

82 JUNE 1994

©1994 by Rick Swan

Photography by Charles Kohl

Role-playing games' ratings

Not recommended

Poor, but may be useful

Fair

Good

Excellent

The best

Bland spellcasters? Spice them up with magic supplements

It seems perfectly reasonable to me thatspinach makes Popeye strong enough tojuggle dump trucks. I don�t need any fancyexplanations. I can see what happens withmy own eyes�spinach causes atomicturbines to swell up inside his muscles.The sun gives Superman his powers?Sounds good to me. Peter Parker cancrawl up walls because a radioactive spi-der bit him? Of course. Count Dracula canlive forever if he drinks enough blood? Sayno more.

I feel the same way about magic supple-ments for role-playing games. Spare methe causes; just give me the effects. Youcan save the long-winded essays abouthow magic really works. I don�t care aboutthe physical composition of a fireball. I justwant to know how many bad guys I canincinerate at the same time.

Bring on the spells!

The Wizard�s GrimoireARS MAGICA* game supplement176-page softcover bookWhite Wolf Game Studio $18Design: Jarmo Ahosola, Shannon Appel,

John Carey, David Chart, Ken Cliffe,Michael D. Dunn, Kevin Hassall, Geof-frey Hopcraft, Mark Keavney, Chris-tophe Lefebvre, David I? Martin, MarcPhilipp Messner, Max Rible, RachelThomas, and Julian Wiffen

Development: Ken CliffeEditing: Alara RogersIllustrations: Jeff Menges, Thomas Darrell

Midgette, David O. Miller, Joshua Ga-briel Timbrook, Bryon Wackwitz, andAllan Williams

Cover: Larry Elmore

If you think swords are for wussies andyou've never met a magic wand you didn'tlike, then I urge you to run, not walk, toyour nearest game store and pick up acopy of the ARS MAGICA game. A star-tlingly original treatment of a familiartopic, the ARS MAGICA system focusesexclusively on magic-users, casting themas daredevil pseudo-scientists tinkeringwith forces they can barely control. Withits state-of-the-art PCs and unique magicsystem, the ARS MAGICA game is wizardlyrole-playing at its finest.

The folks at White Wolf claim that afterthe rule book itself, The Wizard�s Grimoire�is the most important supplement in theARS MAGICA line." While that�s an over-statement�a lot of us have managed tostruggle along just fine without it�it certain-ly makes the game more interesting.

Unfortunately, the material that playersare likely to turn to first�the charactertemplates and spells�is also the mostdisappointing. The ten new templatesinclude Alchemist, Astronomer, Bard,Diplomat, and Teacher. Each comes withstatistics, a spell roster, and a portrait, but

they�re woefully underdeveloped, withlittle in the way of background notes orrole-playing tips. I�m willing to take thedesigner�s word that a mage can be a Bard,but how about explaining the connectionbetween magic and music? The Personali-ty Trait assignments seem arbitrary. Whydoes an Astronomer receive a Dedicated+3 and the Alchemist a Curious +2? Is amage who studies the stars more devotedand less curious than a mage who mixespotions? The designers also skimp on theSkill and Knowledge descriptions. TheAstronomy Knowledge includes �the abili-ty to predict how the movement of thestars affects the lives of people upon Myth-ic Europe . . ." Exactly how does the As-tronomer pull that off? It doesn�t say.

The spell lists comprise hundreds of newFormulaic and Ritual castings, with namesas whimsical as they are evocative: vio-lence of the longly calmed beast (whichsoothes anxious animals), eve of the wiz-ard�s swamp, (hard ground turns to mush),and absent mind of snapped fingers (thevictim forgets the next action he intendedto perform). A set of Faerie spells, availa-ble here for the first time, enables anymage with the Faerie Magic Ability tocreate animal-like servitors and temporari-ly increase the rating of Faerie auras. Aparagraph of background informationaccompanies each spell. We�re told, forinstance, that absent mind was inventedby Tuska of Tremere to mess up the mem-ories of townsfolk who accused her ofwitchcraft. The background paragraphsnot only add texture, they also may inspireadventures. Who knows? Maybe Tuska is awitch.

Though the sheer number of spellsseems impressive, a closer look revealsthere�s less than meets than eye. Many areminor variants of standard effects, applica-ble in only the most specific of circum-stances. Heating the frigid hall does justthat�it warms up a dining room. Fisher-man�s wooden island conjures a rowboat.If this is all it takes to invent an ARS MAGI-CA spell, I could whip �em out all day. Howabout create wagon? Create pencil? Createblender? Others are stupifyingly trivial.Cook�s special cuts meat into thin slices.Tears of the crocodile makes the victimweep. Hairless hound causes an animal�sfur to fall out. All too often we�re short-changed about the game effects. Maybetears of the crocodile blurs the victim�svision or makes him depressed, but you�dnever know it from the description: �Thisspell brings tears to a person�s eyes, creat-ing the appearance that the target is cry-ing or has recently been.� The Grimoirealso features what may be the lamest spellof all time, lips of the sky. It turns thevictim�s lips blue.

The best material is tucked away in thechapter on magic theory and the appen-

dix. Intriguing new rules tell how to de-sign magical items that can learn skills,how to make a PC�s body function like atalisman, and how to perform the ritualsnecessary to attain lichdom. A lengthytreatise on laboratories describes unusualequipment (such as Terren�s Blanket, atransparent cloth that protects the wearerfrom explosions), and tells how to createhomunculi (don�t forget the badger spittle).An overview of manuscript preparationrecommends the best inks, binding, andscript styles. Despite a tendency towardovercomplication�it takes almost a fullpage to explain how to determine a char-acter�s age�the material is well-conceivedand thoughtfully presented.

Evaluation: The Wizard�s Grimoire isso tied to the ARS MAGICA game�s com-plex magic system that it�s all but uselessfor other games. The mechanics defysmooth translation; I don�t know whatAD&D® game players could do with in-structions like: �An Intellego CorporemLab Total of 30 + is required for you tomake your potion, and two pawns of rawvis must be spent for every five years ofyour current age.� But for fans of thegame, all this vis- ness should be music tothe ears; they�ll find the Grimoire to be anindispensable source of ideas.

The Grimoire has the potential to be aclassic, but not without an overhaul. If thebook makes it to a Second Edition, I hope aruthless editor sifts the junk from thegems. It takes a lot of determination towork through the spell list when you keepstumbling over so many entries that areunderdeveloped, insignificant, or just plaindumb. It�s enough to make your lips turnblue. Note that Wizards of the Coast (seebelow) recently acquired all rights to theARS MAGICA system.

The Compleat Alchemist(Second Edition)71-page softcover bookWizards of the Coast $11Design: Cathleen Adkinson, Anthony Pry-

or, and Beverly Marshall Saling (FirstEdition design by Stephan MichaelSechi and Steven Cordovano)

Development: James E. Hays, Jr.Editing: Beverly Marshall SalingIllustrations: Daniel Frazier, Daniel Gelon,

Jeff Menges, Christopher Rush, andAndi Rusu

Cover: Jesper Myrfors

If you�re familiar with TSR�s CompleteHandbook line (The Complete FightersHandbook, The Complete Bard�s Hand-book, and so on), then you�re familiar withthe concept of kits as collections of skills,benefits, and limitations that define arche-types associated with a particular charac-ter class. The Compleat Alchemist isessentially a single kit, albeit an immense

DRAGON 83

one, focusing on the medieval chemistwho employs both scientific and supernat-ural techniques to concoct magical elixirs.Not affiliated with a particular system, thematerial can be adapted to any RPG.

Based on the original Bard Games re-lease from 1982, the book addresses whatthe designers consider to be �a glaring gapin the make-up of most Fantasy Role-Playing systems and campaigns.� Ofcourse, there�s a reason other RPGs ha-ven�t given much attention to thealchemist�he isn�t all that interesting. Heprefers blackboards to battlefields, testtubes to treasure chests. While his buddiesare out dungeon crawling, I get the im-pression he�d just as soon be in bed with abook. This is not exactly the stuff of epicadventure.

Still, if you�re got an opening for analchemist in your campaign, The CompleatAlchemist does a good job of getting himoff the ground. Intended as a universalsupplement, the book keeps statistics andreferences as general as possible. Keyattributes include Strength, Intelligence,Dexterity, and Health, which the designerscorrectly assume that most RPGs use insome form. Attributes are rated by adjec-tives instead of numbers; a Low attributeis considered to be in the lowest 25% of itspossible range, a High attribute in thehighest 25%.

But to accommodate everything fromAD&D game to the TUNNELS & TROLLS*game, the rules have to be vague. Conse-quently, I�m not always sure what theymean. An Expert skill rating, for instance,is supposedly held by the top 20% of thecharacters in the game world. How do youfigure out who�s in the top 20% in yourAD&D campaign? Fifth-level wizards?Tenth level? If you�re using a level-basedsystem, you�re supposed to give alchemiststhe same combat skills and hit points asother magic-using characters, but whichones? Mages? Clerics? Unless he has com-bat training, an alchemist doesn�t knowhow to use a shield. Why not? Though it�simplied that alchemists are wizards,there�s not much about spell-casting. May-be you don�t have to modify your magicsystem to make it compatible with TheCompleat Alchemist, but that�s just aguess.

More troubling than the vague rules isthe virtual absence of role-playing materi-al. There�s little about the alchemist�s per-sonality, no meaningful adventure hooks,no compelling reasons why alchemistswould be more fun to play than, say, apriest or a paladin. The suggestions foroperating laboratories and finding men-tors consist mostly of number-laden gamemechanics. (�Fairly poor or average mas-ters will have a single-story building with400-2,000 square feet of space and equip-ment appropriate to their status.�) It�d takea real-life alchemist to transform thesecharacters from cardboard to fresh andblood.

But while The Compleat Alchemist falls

84 JUNE 1994

short as a rule book and role-playingguide, it makes an excellent reference.Drawing on historical sources, the bookdescribes alchemical processes in meticu-lous detail and includes voluminous lists ofsupplies. The ingredient lists contain morethan 200 plant, animal, and mineral sub-stances, each with its identifying feature,cost per ounce, and magical properties.The candlewick plant, for instance, hasgreen stalks, grows in graveyards, andgrants courage; an ounce will set you back1,250 gold pieces. Leprechaun hair makesyou invisible, powdered satyr�s pipe makesyou fall asleep. The Processes chapteroffers formulas and techniques for al-chemical concoctions, complete with com-ponents, preparation times, and theall-important chances of explosion. Plaguepowder, pacifism dust, and ghoul venomare among the dozens of possibilities.Don�t worry about the formulas fallinginto the wrong hands; unless your littlebrother has access to an alchemy lab and adram of contrary vine, the odds of himwhipping up an actual batch of plaguepowder are remote.

Evaluation: I can�t picture fist fightsbreaking out around the game table overwho gets to be the alchemist. He doesn�thave much to do, and the rules encouragehim to stay home (when out in the world,he earns half the number of experiencepoints as other characters). However,referees should find The Compleat Alche-mist to be an invaluable resource foradding color to their campaigns and creat-ing oddball treasure items. Ghoul venom,anyone?

GURPS Magic(Second Edition) GURPS* game supplement128-page softcover bookSteve Jackson Games $17Design: Steve JacksonAdditional material: Marc Janssen, Walter

Milliken, S. John Ross, Steffan O�Sul-livan, W. Dow Rieder, Brett Slocum, and

Daniel U. ThibaultIllustrations: Dan Smith with C. Bradford

Gorby, Dan Panosian, George Webber,and Charlie Wiedman

Cover: Kirk Reinert

Steve Jackson has more good ideas be-fore breakfast than most designers haveall week, which is why it�s always a treatto see a GURPS book with his by-line.GURPS Magic has all of Jackson�shallmarks�a sound foundation, elegantrules, imaginative flourishes by the car-load, and flawless writing. It�s requiredreading not just for GURPS players, butfor anyone who wants to see what goesinto a first-rate magic system.

GURPS Magic builds on the magic rulesintroduced in the Basic Set; the world-specific material has been teleported toother volumes (particularly GURPS Fanta-sy). Magic draws from mysterious energycalled mana, manipulated by characters

with the Magical Aptitude advantage.Among the system�s features:

Anyone can learn spells, as long as theymeet the statistical requirements.

*Qualified characters can learn any typeof magic they like. A typical mage mightknow Fire, Animal, Illusion, and Necro-mantic spells, drawn from any of thesystem�s 21 colleges (analogous to theAD&D game�s schools).

*Spells have no components, verbal,material, or otherwise. Jackson assumesthat whatever substances mages need towork their magic are always available. Inother words, mages can get on with thebusiness of spell-casting and not worryabout scrounging up bat wings and toadsweat.

*Most magical items serve as spell depos-itories, giving mages access to spells theydon�t know. Basically, a physical object�agem, a ring, a weapon�holds a particularspell until somebody decides to use it.

*The GURPS system considers magic tobe just another set of skills. Characterslearn spells more or less the same way asthey do skills, acquiring them in accord-ance to their IQ ratings. (In GURPS-speak,spells are Mental/Hard or Mental/VeryHard skills). Most spells have prerequisites,ranging from a minimum Dexterity scoreto the knowledge of a related spell at skilllevel 12 or higher.

To resolve a spell, the player throwsthree dice and compares the result to theapplicable skill level. If the roll is less thanor equal to the level, the spell succeeds.Each spell belongs to one of eight classes,such as Blocking, Area, Missile, or Infor-mation. A skill roll may be modified by thespell�s class. A Missile spell roll requirestwo rolls; one to see if the spell works, theother to determine if it hits the target. Thereferee makes an Information spell roll insecret, so he can lie to the player aboutthe quality of the information if the roll isreally bad. For any type of spell, a roll of18 means disaster; the Critical Spell Fail-ure Table determines if the spell producesa useless flash of light or if a vengefuldemon appears to attack the caster.

For GURPS veterans, spell-castingcouldn�t be easier, as it derives from a setof mechanics they already know. Thesophisticated system accommodates magesof all persuasions, allowing them to cus-tomize their spell arsenals just about anyway they like. Dice-tossing takes a backseat to role-playing, meaning that refereescan spend more time with their story lineand less with the rule book.

For players wanting more detail, Jacksonoffers several sections of optional rules. Inworlds where magic is inherent ratherthan learned, characters may be born withspell-like abilities called knacks. Knacksfunction automatically when the usertouches the victim, requiring no prerequi-sites or special rituals. Experienced play-ers may want to experiment withimprovised spells, where any effect amage can dream up can be created sponta-

neously. Rune magic enables mages toinscribe scrolls with symbols that producesupernatural effects when properly read.The alchemy chapter, with its logical andconcise suggestions for creating elixirs,beats The Compleat Alchemist at its owngame.

With more than 400 entries, the spelllists are satisfyingly complete. In additionto the expected fireball, telepathy, andinvisibility spells, the lists include manyappealing originals. Curse missile allows amage to throw a pain or strike blind spelllike a baseball. A mage casting shape dark-ness can mold shadows as if they weremade of clay. A few duds muddy the wa-ter. Repair arrow isn�t much differentfrom the repair spell, while mollusk con-trol is as trite as it sounds. It�s an excellentcollection, well-balanced and clearly ex-plained overall.

Evaluation: Jackson made a few designchoices that may not be to everyone�sliking. In order to pack in as many spellsas possible, he occasionally skimps ondescriptions. For example, sense emotion�lets the caster know what emotions thesubject is feeling at the moment.� Butwe�re not told how the emotions are per-ceived. (Does the referee tell the casterthat the victim�s angry, or does he describethe victim�s thoughts and let the castercome to his own conclusions?) Nor does hedictate how much detail the spell provides.(Can the caster tell the difference betweenangry and furious?) The magical-item rulesmake it difficult to create off-the-walloddities favored by AD&D mages, like theportable hole and bag of beans. Also, thesmall amount of new material�a systemfor limiting the power of wizards, flowcharts that show the prerequisites forspells from all colleges�barely justifies asecond edition; owners of the first editioncan put their money away. These arenitpicks though, irrelevant to the overallimpact. A dazzling performance by avirtuoso designer, GURPS Magic is aknock-out.

Earth, Air, Fire, and WaterADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®game supplement for the DARK SUN®settingOne 96-page bookTSR, Inc. $11Design: Shane Lacy HensleyEditing: Doug StewartIllustrations: Tom Baxa and BromCover: Brom

As far as I�m concerned, cleric charac-ters got the shaft in the original DARKSUN set. Wizards could become flashypreservers and defilers. Fighters got tooperate siege towers and command arm-ies. Meanwhile, clerics were saddled withfrustrating weapon and spell restrictions.Their special powers didn�t amount tomuch, either. If an Earth cleric managed tomake it to 7th level, he learned how to

make a cubic foot of stone appear. Big deal!Earth, Air, Fire, and Water (EAFW)

changes all that. A top-to-bottom touch-up,the book expands the cleric�s role by add-ing a host of new goals, duties, and abili-ties. In short, EAFW transforms the stodgyDARK SUN cleric into the setting�s mostintriguing character. It turns out thoseEarth clerics can do a lot more than playwith rocks.

As detailed in the DARK SUN rules,Athasian clerics don�t worship gods. In-stead, they receive spells from the fourelemental planes. EAFW clarifies thepremise, explaining that clerics form pactswith elemental entities who demand abso-lute devotion and obedience. A Watercleric may be compelled to protect certainwater sources. A Fire cleric may be re-quired to reforest burned-out woodlands,but only so his lord can have the pleasureof setting fire to them again. To curryfavor with his elemental patron, a clericmay save a piece of land from a defiler�smagic by absorbing the damage himself(the land remains unharmed, but the clericsuffers one hit point of damage for everylevel of the spell he absorbs). The patronexpresses his appreciation by nudging himtowards the next level (the character earns100 experience points for every lost hitpoint).

Most clerics fill one of four roles in thecampaign world, serving as Wanderers(wilderness advocates of the underprivi-leged), Guardians of the Shrine (protectorsof sacred edifices), Priests of the Cities(urban dwellers, friends of the commonman), or Shamans (mysterious primitives).Each has his own responsibilities andspecialties. An Earth Wanderer may spendhis days teaching agricultural techniquesto nomads. An Air Shaman may functionas an astrologer, witch doctor, and medi-cine man. A cleric�s race also affects hisrole; mul clerics tend to work with Airentities, thri-kreen priests are mostlyShamans and Wanderers, working withany elemental powers but Fire.

EAFW shifts into high gear when clericsreach 20th level. Such clerics have twooptions: they may continue to advance inlevel, or they may become elementals.Either choice moves the game in radicalnew directions. Clerics who continue toadvance gain access to the powerfulSphere of the Cosmos. They also tap intothe para-elemental planes of Silt, Sun,Rain, and Magma, which grant mind-boggling abilities. A Rain cleric can controllightning bolts; a Sun cleric can gate inbeams of pure sunlight. Clerics who be-come elementals say good-bye to theirhumanity, relocating to the inner planeswhere they spend their days walking onclouds and dodging fire geysers.

Two chapters briefly address druids andtemplars. A druid forms a pact with theelemental powers, much the same as acleric, though he�s denied the cleric�sgranted powers. He also must choosebetween humanity and elemental transfor-

mation (becoming a �spirit of the land�)when he reaches 20th level. A templardraws magic from the elemental planes,but must funnel his request through asorcerer-king rather than contact theentities directly. At seven and six pagesrespectively, the druid and templar chap-ters seem like afterthoughts; these guysdeserve their own volumes.

A strong selection of new spells roundsout the book. Speak with water enablesthe caster to strike up a conversation witha pond. Oil spray causes fountains offlammable oil to spurt from the ground.Perhaps the strangest is channel stench,where the caster expels a cone of noxiousvapor to gag his victims. That�s right�magical bad breath!

Evaluation: Earth, Air, Fire, and Wateris so stuffed with ideas that it may take awhile for referees to figure out whichmaterial best suits their campaigns. Withall their granted powers, high-level clericsmay find the encounters in a typical ad-venture a bit too easy. The deck seemsstacked against the Water cleric; he has toempty his canteen to recharge his spells, atough requirement considering the chron-ic water shortage in Athas. Still, for play-ers who�ve thus far avoided Athasianclerics, EAFW is a revelation. It�s spoiledme�I don�t see how a credible DARK SUNcampaign could be run without it.

Short and sweetCreatures of the Night, by Scott Paul

Maykrantz. Steve Jackson Games, $17.RAVENLOFT® Monstrous Compendium®Appendix II: Children of the Night, byWilliam W. Connors. TSR, Inc., $11. Thy-stram�s Collectanea, by Stephan MichaelSechi. Wizards of the Coast, $15. Role-players seem to have an insatiable appetitefor monsters. The sound you hear is thatof publishers scraping the bottom of thebarrel for new ones. Creatures of theNight, a GURPS supplement, offers brine-furies, corpse kissers, and river wretches.Children of the Night adds living brains,bardic liches, and half-golems to theRAVENLOFT roster. Thystram�s Collecta-nea, for the TALISLANTA* game, servesup axe-heads, bog devils, and tundrabeasts. They�re all interesting, but I bet if Iread you the descriptions, you�d be hard-pressed to tell which monsters belonged towhich system. Maybe the best way toevaluate these collections is to price themout. GURPS creatures go for about 25cents each, while RAVENLOFT entities sellfor about twice that much (though itshould be pointed out that some of theRAVENLOFT entries fill four pages). Adollar will buy you about nine TALISLAN-TA* monsters�there�s the bargain.

When the Cat�s Away, by CatherineDeMott, James L. Walker, and Rick Loomis.Flying Buffalo, Inc., $9. If you think soli-taire scenarios only come packaged incheesy multi-path paperbacks, have I gotnews for you. For years, Flying Buffalo has

DRAGON 85

been publishing classy solo books for theirTUNNELS & TROLLS* game, nearly all ofthem terrific. The latest (volume 24) is oneof the finest. The title adventure sends awizard�s apprentice on a memorable ex-cursion through his master�s sanctuary.Sorcerer Solitaire challenges the player tosolve the riddle of the mysterious VaningManor. Best of the bunch is Solo for theIntellectually Challenged, which casts theplayer as a shepherd who discovers adragon�s lair in the side of a mountain. Ifthe shepherd remains with his flock(choice #2) instead of exploring the lair(choice #3), the designer reprimands him:�No, no, no. This is an adventure for stu-pid people. People who make intelligentchoices are not allowed to play thisadventure.�

Eyewitness, by Mike Nystul. FASA Corpo-ration, $10. The last batch of SHADOWRUN*game adventures have struck me as soformulaic that I�ve had a hard time remem-bering which ones I�ve already read. ButEyewitness stands out, thanks to the satiricalsubtext added to the usual mix of fantasyand cyberpunk. A preppie investment bro-ker stumbles on the corporate ladder whenhe�s goblinized by his own genes. He thenphases out his company�s human employeesand replaces them with ghouls (insert yourown joke here). To untangle the mess, theplayer characters must navigate a gauntlet

of thugs and assassins. The adventure cli-maxes with a showdown against an army offeral flesh-eaters in a grim industrial com-plex. Nystul balances the chills with chuck-les, and his rollicking plot should leave evenin the most jaded SHADOWRUN-ners gasp-ing for breath.

Leaves from the Inn of the Last Home,edited by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hick-man. TSR, Inc., $19. First published in1987, this delightful collection ofDRAGONLANCE® essays, legends, andrecipes (!) perfectly captures the fairy taleambiance of the original novel trilogy.Astinus of Palanthas discusses the creationof Krynn, Bertrem explains the differencebetween kender and gully dwarves, andLord Gunthar shares his notes on dragontactics. A short story by Weis and Hickmansheds light on the first meeting of Flint,Tanis, and the other DRAGONLANCE®companions. As for the recipes, Flame-strike�s Soup tastes like a beefy minestro-ne, bland but filling. Also, I�d substitutemelted baking chocolate for the powderedcocoa in the Nuitari cookies.

Star Wars Adventure Journal, edited byPeter Schweighofer. West End Games, $12single issue, $35 four-issue subscription.The first issue of this ambitious magazinedevoted to the STAR WARS* game featuresa scenario set on the water world of Spira,

a solitaire adventure by ace designer KenRolston, and an enlightening interviewwith novelist Timothy Zahn. The produc-tion values are impressive, the writing topof the line. A must-read for STAR WAR-riors. (Subscription information: West EndGames, RR 3, Box 2345, Honesdale PA18431-9560.)

CREDO* game, by Chris V. Gidlow.Chaosium Inc., $15. Tired of the same oldreligions? Why not invent your own? Inthis addictive card game, players arrangeArticles of Faith and Firm Beliefs on theirDoctrine Layouts, then beef up theirflocks by refuting, proselytizing, and per-secuting their fellow evangelists. The firstplayer to acquire 11,000,000 followers ornail down 117 votes in the Council winsthe game. Considering the meagercomponents�four paper display sheets,two eight-page booklets, a few flimsy carddecks�this is way overpriced. But there�sno denying the play value. Heavenly!

Rick Swan has designed and edited nearly50 role-playing products. You can contacthim at 2620 30th St., Des Moines IA 50310.Enclose a self-addressed stamped envelopeif you’d like a response.

* indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc.

86 JUNE 1994

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 writer�sguidelines for the magazine).

This month, the sage looks at spells inthe AD&D® game.

Why does a priest�s locate objectspell last eight hours when the wiz-ard�s version lasts only one roundper level?

You�ve found an error. Both versions ofthe spell have the same duration: oneround per caster level. Note that the spell�sreverse, obscure object, lasts eight hoursfor both wizards and priests. This correc-tion is official, and will be included in theupcoming AD&D Players� Screens and infuture reprints of the Player's Handbook.

Is there in error in Table 5 in thePH (page 17)? Priests with Wisdomscores of 19 or higher wind up withmore bonus 4th level spells thanbonus 3rd level spells.

Yes, there is an error. Wisdom 19 grantsa bonus first and a bonus third-level spell,not a first and a fourth-level spell. This isan official correction.

Is there any way for a non-thiefcharacter to disarm a trap? If agroup of PCs encounters a trap andknows where it is, can they avoid itby triggering it from a safe distance,or does the party thief have to locateand disarm it?

Assuming that the party already knowswhere a trap is, the thief find-traps abilityis already pretty much irrelevant. There isno hard and fast rule for non-thievesdisarming traps by triggering them. First,the DM has to decide if a trap can bedisarmed at all. There�s not much anybodycan do with a 10-foot pit. Then there aretraps such as tripwires, that can be trig-gered safely as long as the character mess-ing with it has enough reach to stay out ofthe way (or course, the trap might beloaded with multiple shots). Then thereare traps that non-thieves might be able todisarm, such as poison needles in locks,scything blades, and the like. Any charac-

88 JUNE 1994

ter who correctly guesses the trap�s work-ings could have some chance to break it(by bending the needle, wedging the blade,etc.). It is best to decide the chance forsuccess ahead of time; thieves with theremove-traps skill should get a substaneialbonus. It is also fine to salt your dungeonswith a few traps that can be foiled only bythieves or utter destruction. (No matterhow flexible a poison needle is, it won�twork after the mage has blown the door itguards to flinders with a lightning bolt.)

How long does an undead creaturestay away from a party after beingturned by a priest?

In the original AD&D game, a turnedundead creature stayed away for 24 hoursminus the minimum score needed to turn,so 6th-level priest would turn away aghast for 14 hours. This formula works inthe current game as well.

What�s to prevent players fromusing the enhance spell from Leg-ends & Lore to circumvent the lim-its on using wishes to increaseability scores? Wishes cannot raiseability scores over 16, but enhancecan raise a score to 22. The wizardcasting enhance loses a few pointsof Constitution, but wishes can beused to restore the loss. Isn�t theenhance spell overpowered?

There�s nothing in the rules to preventPCs from doing what you�ve described.Note that this spell is intended for NPCs;most campaigns don�t have wizard PCs of16th level or higher running around. Nomatter how powerful the PCs are, mostNPC wizards are not going to cast thisspell for the PCs. The enhance spell-casteris going to need at least two�and possiblyfive or more� wishes to recover lost Con-stitution points from each spell. If the PCsin your game have access to that manywishes, you should be glad that the worstthing you have to deal with is PCs runningaround with ability scores of 22. Even ifthe PCs are using this spell themselves, theone-week rest period required after eachenhance spell and the three years of magi-cal aging for each wish spell should putthe kibosh on the whole deal sooner orlater. Even if you�ve done something silly,such as let the PCs circumvent the magicalaging, a few evil NPCs and monsters show-ing up whenever an enhance spell goes offwhile the party wizard is incapacitatedshould persuade the PCs to find a newscam. Note also that wishes can raise anability score higher than 16; it just takes

10 wishes to improve the ability score onepoint if it is higher than 16 but less than20. If the ability score is 21 or higher ittakes 20 wishes to increase the score onepoint (see DMG, pages 11-12).

If you still feel the enhance spell is aproblem, don�t let your PCs have thespell�you don�t have to use a spell in yourcampaign just because it appears in a rulebook.

The descriptions for imps, quasits,and pseudodragons in theMONSTROUS COMPENDIUM® saythat these creatures can becomefamiliars. Funnily enough, the findfamiliar spell doesn�t mention them.Are these creatures among the �ani-mals� the DM can substitute fromthe standard list, or is theMONSTROUS COMPENDIUM errone-ously referring to the find familiarspell from the original AD&D game?

Yes, quasits, pseudodragons, and impscan become familiars in the AD&D 2ndEdition game. Note that imps will serveonly lawful evil characters and some neu-tral evil characters; quasits will serve onlychaotic evil characters and some neutralevil characters; pseudodragons will serveonly good characters. In any case, thechance to get such exotic familiars as theseshould be very small, perhaps only on aroll of a �1� or after the character castingthe find familiar spell has taken extrasteps to locate and attract the creature.

I�m having trouble with the spelldescriptions in the Player�s Hand-book. Many spells have savingthrows such as: Neg., None, ½, andSpecial. What do these terms mean?

�Neg.� means the spell has no effect at allif the subject makes a saving throw (checkout page 129 of the PH for more details).�None� means the spell has no savingthrow; barring magic resistance and otherspecial protections, the spell always workson the subject. �½� means the spell worksat half strength if the subject makes asaving throw; damage-inflicting spells suchas fireball generally have this kind ofsaving throw. �Special� means that thesaving throw is unusual in some way andnot easily summarized. The type of savingthrow might vary according to the condi-tions under which the spell is cast, or thesaving throw might depend on the type ofsubject, a specific action on the subject�spart, or an ability check. Whenever yousee a �Special� saving throw look in thespell description for the details.

Is there any way to remove theacid from a Melf�s acid arrow beforethe spell duration expires? Can aspell-caster cast spells while takingacid damage from the spell?

The acid can be washed off, magicallydispelled, or removed in other ways at theDM�s discretion (such as hastily removingthe victim�s armor or clothing).

As �Sage Advice� has pointed out before,continuing damage from any source usu-ally prevents spell casting, though the DMmight allow the caster to make an initia-tive roll to ignore the damage and cast aspell anyway, see DRAGON® issue #198 forthe particulars.

Are liches immune to harm spells?I think so, because harm is a diseaseand undead creatures aren�t subjectto disease.

Yes, liches are immune, but not becauseharm is a disease (it�s not). Heal, harm, andall the various cure wounds spells andtheir reverses are ineffective against unliv-ing, incorporeal, or extra-planar creatures.

When fighter/mages are castingspells that requires touching thetarget (making an attack roll), canthey use their fighter THACOs?

There�s nothing mysterious or magicalabout touching a creature to deliver aspell, the caster completes the spell, thentouches the target. A multi-classed casteris allowed to use the best available THACO.

Page 120 of the Dungeon MasterGuide says an invisible character isinvisible to everyone, includinghimself. Page 83 of The CompleteWizard�s Handbook says invisibilityis an illusion and the invisible char-acter can always see himself be-cause he disbelieves the illusion.Which book is correct? If invisibilityis an illusion, do beings with Intelli-gence scores of 20 or higher auto-matically see invisible creaturesbecause they are immune to first-and second-level illusions? Can aninvisible spell-caster cast a spellfrom a scroll, or is the scroll alsoinvisible because it is on the charac-ter�s person? If a creature makes asuccessful save to notice an invisi-ble creature, does it actually seecreature well enough to know whatit looks like or does it just have avery good idea of where the invisi-ble creature is?

The DMG is correct. Generally, the mostrecently published material takes prece-dence over older material, but in this casethe Complete Wizard�s Handbook iswrong. Note that not all Illusion/Phantasmspells can be disbelieved. Spells that haveno saving throw, or that are negated by anormal saving throw, such as invisibility,hypnotic pattern, and mirror image, donot use the disbelief procedures.

The invisibility spell is an illusion; as

such, creatures with 20 + Intelligencescores are immune to it. Such creaturesalso are immune to spells such as mirrorimage, blindness. This does not, however,mean that these creatures automaticallysee every invisible creature in the AD&Duniverse. Naturally invisible creaturessuch as invisible stalkers, aerial servants,and pixies are still hidden from supra-genius creatures. The DM also might rulethat magical invisibility bestowed by itemssuch as dust of disappearance, cloaks ofelvenkind, and maybe even rings of invisi-bility also work in the face of supra-geniusintelligence by virtue of the magical powerinvested in them

When a character becomes invisible, allher equipment becomes invisible with herThe character could read a scroll, how-ever by putting down the scroll and allowing it to become visible (see the invisibilityspell description in the PH, page 142). Thecharacter can pick up the visible scroll andread it normally, and can make the scrollinvisible again by tucking it into her cloth-ing. I strongly suggest that you assumenonmagical invisibility detection merelyreveals an invisible creature�s outline andposition. The viewer has a good idea of thecreature�s size and shape, and the viewerknows exactly where the creature is�wellenough to attack the creature with spellsand to make physical attacks without theusual -4 penalty.

Is casting an animate dead spell anevil act? Does casting this spell forcegood or neutral characters tochange alignment?

Casting an animate dead spell once inawhile is not going to force a character tochange alignment. The descriptions ofboth the wizard and priest versions of thespell make it clear, however, that castinganimate dead is not a good act and also saythat only evil characters use the spellregularly. In short, characters who consist-ently show disrespect for the dead byanimating their remains are either evil ordestined to become evil, but anyone canmemorize and use an occasional animatedead spell.

If a forget spell affects a spell-caster who is in the middle of cast-ing a spell, is the spell ruined?

There�s nothing in the spell descriptionthat implies a forget spell disrupts ongoingactions, but it�s not unreasonable to as-sume that it can. Casting a spell is a com-plex and exacting mental process and if aspell-caster suddenly forgets when andwhy he began the process his concentra-tion could be broken. The DM can decidethat any failed save against a forget spelldisrupts a spell in process, or the DM canrequire the victim to make a Intelligencecheck to correctly asses the situation andcomplete the spell. Note that the forget

DRAGON 89

spell victim still will not remember why hestarted the spell or what he was going todo with it.

Do the attack and damage bonusesfrom a prayer spell apply to magicalattacks such as magic missile orfireball?

Yes, all attack and damage rolls are af-fected; however, a spell-caster must bewithin the prayer�s area of effect to get thebonus. If the caster is standing outside thearea of effect and casting a spell into it (asmight very well be the case with a fireballor lightning bolt) there is no damage bo-nus, though the spell�s targets still sufferthe saving throw penalty.

Can wizard characters in theDRAGONLANCE® setting becomespecialist wizards?

No; the three orders of High Sorcerytake the place of specialist wizards. Rene-gades, however, can be specialists.

ing defiling damage. How much

Thanks for answering my ques-tion about defiling regeneration (forthe DARK SUN® setting) in issue

damage does defiling regeneration

#201. However, you misunderstoodmy question (or I didn�t make it veryclear, sorry); 30th-level druids pro-tect their guarded lands by absorb-

inflict?Ah yes, there it is, right on pages 61-62

of Dragon Kings. Now you know why I askreaders to include page numbers whensubmitting questions. I recommend onepoint of damage each round for every 20regenerating creatures, rounded up. Forexample, three creatures inflict one pointof damage each round, and 23 creaturesinflict two points a round.

Can an invisible wizard create anillusion and use it to attack anopponent without breaking herinvisibility?

Directing an illusion to attack a creatureis an attack and breaks the caster�s invisi-bility. The same holds true for any othermagical effects that cannot act withoutdirection from the spell-caster such asunseen servants, and the various Bigby�shand effects. Note that independent crea-tures that obey the caster, such as golems,attack on their own and do not breakanother creature�s invisibility.

Why do wizards have to spend 10minutes memorizing a find familiar

ing a single word?

spell that takes up to 24 hours tocast and also spend one and one-half

Memorization time has nothing to do

tedious hours memorizing a powerword, kill that can be cast by utter-

with casting time; the two processes arerelated, but separate. When memorizing aspell, the caster is painstakingly buildingpatterns of mental energy within his brainso that he can subsequently cast the spell.Casting the spell releases the stored en-ergy. Find familiar can be a real bear tocast, but it still is a fairly simple bit ofmagic that does not require a whole lot ofwizardly brain power. Power word, kill,on the other hand, is one of the mostcomplex magics in the AD&D universe.Casting it is a fairly simple matter, but itrequires a lot of preparation.

The Complete Book of Psionicssays no psionic power can penetratean Otiluke�s resilient sphere. Doesthis include psionic teleportation?

Not necessarily. Teleportation of anykind can be construed as bypassing barri-ers, not penetrating them. On the otherhand, strong physical or magical energiescan interfere with teleportation of allkinds. I suggest that you allow teleports towork if the blocking spell is fifth-level orless. Otiluke�s resilient sphere is a fourth-level spell, and thus probably not strongenough to prevent teleporting, but yourDM has the final say.

Can undead creatures be raised,resurrected, or reincarnated?

Yes, provided that the creature is corpo-real (a body has to be present for thesespells to work) and the creature hasn�tbeen dead longer than the spell allows.Raise dead, for example, works only onbodies that have been dead for one dayper caster level (or less). Check the individ-ual monster descriptions for any specialeffects these spells might have.

Pantheon of the MonthThese are unofficial suggestions for

using the optional spheres of priest spellsfrom the Tome of Magic with the deities ofthe Norse pantheon in Legends & Lore:

Odin: Major: War, Time, Thought:Minor: Wards.

Frigga: Major: Law; Minor: Time.Thor: Major: Time; Minor: Wards.Sif: Major: Time; Minor: Wards.Aegir: Major: Chaos; Minor: Time.Baldur: Major: Thought; Minor: Time.Bragi: Major: Thought; Minor:

Travelers.Forseti: Major: Law; Minor: Thought.Frey: Major: Time; Minor: Wards.Freya: Major: Chaos; Minor: Time.Heimdall: Major: Wards; Minor: Law.Hel: Major: Time; Minor: Numbers.Idun: Major: Time; Minor: Travelers.Loki: Major: Chaos; Minor: Time.Tyr: Major: Law; Minor: Wards.Norns: These deities have no priests.Thyrm: Major: None; Minor: War,

Wards, Time.Surtr: Major: None; Minor: War, Wards,

Time.

90 JUNE 1994

92 JUNE 1994

uth! Ruth! Are you home? Where areyou?�

The boy�s call easily penetrated thewooden walls of the henhouse. Inside,Ruth picked up the last egg from thestraw and peered through a crack inthe wall. Paulus, the boy who lived on

the next farm, was leaning over the stone wall of her gar-den, his eyes searching the yard as he called her name.She smiled at his agitation. He probably had some newwonder to show her. Last week, it had been the frog withthe red dots on its shoulders; the week before, he hadfound a rusted gauntlet from some ancient battle.

�Ru-uth!� His voice cracked, skidding into a higherregister. Three times in the past week, he�d shown herwhat he claimed were the first few bristles of a moustache.Ruth had been too kind to wipe away the smudge of farm-yard dust. Paulus was a gawky boy, all legs and elbows,with wheat-yellow hair. Small for his age, and with a facethat was a little too narrow to ever be handsome. Even so,he might have made a good match for her Nicletta. Andhe had been kind and patient with her younger daughterSashann.

Ruth�s eyes grew moist as she thought of her daughters.She wiped away the tears with a clean corner of herapron, taking care not to spill the eggs it held. She wasjust about to place the last egg on top of them and openthe door when Paulus called out once more.

�Ruth!� His cry was more anxious than before. �It�sthe dragon! She�s landed on the village common andwe�re to go see her. They�re changing the quotas!�

The egg shattered in Ruth�s hand. Warm, sticky liquidtrickled through her clenched fingers. She wiped them onher apron, then pushed open the door of the chickenhouse and stepped outside. Brown and white hens scurriedout of her way as she crossed the garden to Paulus, whohad clambered to the top of the stone wall that surroundedher yard. She came to a stop a few paces from him. �Thedragon?� she asked, her voice tight. �Here?�

Paulus�s head bobbed in a nod. His eyes were wide.Like many of the villagers, he�d seen the dragon only at adistance as she winged her way through the clouds, highoverhead. Attacks on farms were a rarity, now that thequotas were in place. Ruth shivered. There hadn�t beenan attack since . . .

She tore her mind away from the thought. �Do we allhave to go?�

He nodded a second time. �I�ll go with you, Ruth. Youdon�t have to be afraid.� Tentatively, he held out his hand.

In less serious circumstances, Ruth would have smiled.She was twice Paulus�s weight, and stood head and shoul-ders taller. Her arms were wide and muscular with thework of clearing stones from her small garden plot; she�ddone the work of a man since her husband was killed inthe wars nearly eight years ago. Although she was still inher early thirties, her dark hair was already starting togrey. She�d cut it short, like an old woman�s. With so fewmen left after the battles of the woodlands, there was nopoint in trying to look young. She�d let her clothes run toseed, too, patching them instead of buying new ones. Andshe�d named each of her thirty-three hens and spoiledthem, even to the point of letting them run into her house

Defiance

by Lisa Smedman

Illustrations by Peter Clarke

DRAGON 93

94 JUNE 1994

on occasion. It was no wonder the villagers took one lookat her and muttered �Crazy Ruth� under their breaths.And now here was Paulus, gallantly offering to supportand comfort her on the village green. It was a sure way forhim to be mocked by the other boys.

�That�s all right, Paulus,� she answered. �I�ll be fine.�He smiled briefly with obvious relief, and slid from the

wall. In another moment he was loping across the fieldsfor home. �I�ll see you there, then!� he called back overhis shoulder. �When we meet the dragon.�

Ruth tried to answer, but could only manage a wave.�When we meet . . .� Her teeth clenched back the rest ofthe words.

Ruth stayed well to the rear of the crowd of villagers whohad gathered on the common. More than five hundredpeople�all of the adults of the village and a few of thechildren, hands firmly gripped by their parents�hadgathered on the grassy pasture. They stood in the coolspring sun, whispering to each other in subdued voices,keeping a wide space between themselves and the hugebeast that lay with folded wings, watching them with glit-tering, metal-hard eyes. A faint reek of the monster�ssulphurous breath carried on the breeze.

The dragon was immense�from snout to tail-tip per-haps forty paces long. Her scales were a burnished red-gold, her curving claws ivory white. A long forked tongueflickered in and out of her mouth as she tested the air likea snake. Otherwise she was motionless; her gaze slidacross the crowd so slowly the beast�s eyes seemed barelyto move.

Ruth could bear to look only briefly at the creature. Delib-erately, she stepped behind one of the larger men, hiding inhis shadow. If the dragon were to look directly at her . . .

Someone patted her arm lightly. Just a touch, a mur-mured, �This must be difficult for you,� and the hand wasgone. Around Ruth, there were half-whispers of sympathy.

� . . . so tragic . . .��It would drive anyone mad . . .�� . . . right before her own eyes . . .��They were such lovely girls. . . .�Then the crowd fell still as the townmeister stepped to

the fore. Raising clasped hands in greeting, he nodded tothe crowd. Ruth�s lip curled. The townmeister was a self-important strutter with oily black hair and a too-widesmile. The people were foolish to have chosen him as theirleader. He pointed at the dragon behind them.

�The dragon has called for an increase in the quotas,�Townmeister Stannish told the crowd. �In five days, shewill retire to her cave in the mountains to lay her firstclutch of eggs. While she is sitting on her nest, she willrequire extra food to build up her heat. We must carry itup to her lair. Normally her mate would serve her duringthat time, but he is dead. So from five days hence untilthe second new moon has risen, quotas will be tripled.�

There was a moment�s angry silence as the townsfolkcalculated the cost. To Ruth, it would be immense. Everyadult, regardless of their craft or wealth, normally had aquota of one basket of food per day. Usually, it was meat�afresh cut of beef or lamb, a slab of uncured pork. In Ruth�scase it was eggs. Tripling the quota would mean giving upevery egg her chickens produced. With only a few wrinkled

root crops still left in her pantry, and her garden just sprout-ed, Ruth would have no fresh food and no eggs to trade forsix weeks. It would mean lean, hungry days.

She narrowed her eyes and stared at TownmeisterStannish. There would be no hungry times for his family.Rumor had it he pilfered a portion of everything offeredthe dragon.

Someone else must have been thinking the samethoughts. A man called out from near the front of thecrowd. �Triple the quotas?� he said, outrage plain in hisvoice. �Has the dragon herself demanded this, or is ityour idea?�

�The dragon demanded it, of course,� Stannish an-swered. �But only until her brood has hatched. Then wewill be back to our usual quotas.�

Ruth didn�t believe it for a second. When the eggshatched, there would be four or five new dragons to feed.The quotas would be small at first, but as the dragonsgrew . . . And this was only the dragon�s first clutch ofeggs. How many more dragons would there be to feed inthe years to come?

�And if we refuse?� another man asked.Ruth leaned around to see who had spoken. It was

Bretin, Paulus�s father. He struggled forward on hiscrutch, an empty pant leg flapping around the ruinedstump of his left leg.

The dragon moved her head now. Hissing a flickeringyellow flame, she narrowed her eyes and stared Bretindown. Stannish took Bretin�s arm and tried to force himback to the safety of the crowd. He gave it up when hesaw he would have to push Bretin over to get him tomove. Releasing Bretin�s arm and putting on a graveexpression, he instead addressed the villagers. �We haveno choice. If we don�t feed the dragon, she�ll kill us all, assoon as her eggs are hatched.�

�Instead of just giving in to the dragon�s every de-mand, we could defend ourselves.� Bretin said. His voicewas pitched low, but the anger in it carried. The dragonflared her nostrils and glared at him.

�Defend ourselves?� Stannish�s laugh carried an air ofsuperiority. �And who would lead the fight? You?� Helooked pointedly at Bretin�s crutch.

Ruth balled her hands up into fists. Why didn�t the othersspeak up, support Bretin? Why did they just shuffle about withdowncast eyes?

Stannish stood gloating, the dragon looming large onthe common ground behind him. �I think the villagersagree with me,� he said. �The quotas will be tripled.�

When Ruth heard the frightened squawk of a chicken forthe second time, she set aside her sewing. Opening thedoor, she peered outside. It was difficult to see; the glowfrom the lantern inside her home cast only a feeble gleamout the open door. Instead she listened and let her eyesadjust to the night.

A fluttering noise came from inside the henhouse. Ruthreached for the iron poker she kept beside the door. A rator weasel had probably gnawed its way inside and wasattacking the hens. Gathering up her skirts in one hand,holding the poker like a club, she strode out toward theshack where the chickens were closed in at night.

She was reaching for the handle when the door burst

open. Out charged three boys, tumbling over each other intheir haste to escape. �Run! It�s Crazy Ruth!� they cried.

Startled, Ruth froze with the poker half-raised. It wasall the time the boys needed to scramble into the gardenthat adjoined the henhouse and begin a mad dash to theedge of the yard. But when she saw what the boys held intheir arms, she flew into angry pursuit.

�Put those hens down!� she screamed, running acrossthe field after them, heedless of the danger of twisting herankle in the dark. The frightened cackles of the birds asthey struggled in the boys� arms drove Ruth on. She hadrecognized one of the boys, and knowing the identity ofthe thief infuriated her. The other boys might be hungry,thanks to the tripled quotas, but Townmeister Stannish�sson had no need to steal from her.

The thieves were younger and more agile than Ruth.Two of them reached the low stone wall that enclosed hergarden. They dropped the birds they carried and scram-bled to the top as the hens fluttered away. The third boy,Stannish�s son, held on to his bird and had to climb one-handed. He was halfway up the wall when Ruth caughtup to him. Smacking his leg as hard as she could with thepoker, she was pleased to hear him grunt with pain. Theboy fell down the other side of the wall, dropping thechicken.

As the boys disappeared into the night, Ruth climbedthe stone wall herself. Then she knelt to search for thethird hen. She�d smooth its feathers, cuddle it under herarms until it was quiet, then round up the other two. Shefelt for it in the dark. But instead of a fluttering bird, herhands found a limp body. Sometime during the theft, theStannish boy had broken the hen�s neck.

The anger drained out of Ruth. In its place came grief.She carried the hen back to her home and stepped inside intothe light. It was Mrs. Cluck, a bandy-legged red that Ruthhad picked out twelve years ago, when she was a youngbride starting her own farm with her new husband and baby.The old hen hadn�t produced more than an egg a week inrecent years, but she had been Ruth�s favorite. Allowed toroam free since Ruth�s husband had been killed in the wars(he said a chicken�s place was in the henhouse, not in theyard), Mrs. Cluck had tagged along beside Ruth as she didher gardening, pecking at the threads that hung down fromthe hem of Ruth�s dress, mistaking them for worms. The oldhen had liked the soft feathers of her throat stroked and hadalways been the first out of the henhouse each morning. Nowshe lay limp as a rag in Ruth�s arms, her bright eyes alreadyglazed with death.

Ruth didn�t sleep that night. She rounded up the othertwo chickens that the boys had attempted to steal, thenshooed the other chickens that had escaped back into thehenhouse. After rigging an old cow bell on the shack wallso that it would clatter if the door were opened again, shewent into her house and sat beside the body of her deadhen, letting the tears spill. She stroked the hen�s throatone last time, then found a hammer, a few old nails andsome boards, and built a box to bury it in.

When the sun came up, Ruth trudged out to the backfield. She�d let it go fallow these past two years. It was stillfull of stones; she had never completed the task of clearingthem. The last rocks she had lifted from the soil had beenthose she had used to build the cairn. It was a tidy pile of

stones, nearly as high as her waist. Around it she hadplanted bright yellow daisies and pale white snowdrops.The latter were blooming, their heads dipped like tinypeople in prayer.

Ruth pushed the blade of her shovel into the groundand began digging a hole. If the villagers saw her here,burying one of her chickens beside the monument she hadbuilt to her two daughters, they would have even morereason to call her crazy.

There had been nothing left of her daughters to buryafter the dragon attack.

Sashann, eight years old at the time, had been crouch-ing on this spot, offering a piece of lettuce to a wild rabbit.The creatures plagued Ruth�s vegetable garden, but shenever had the heart to kill them. Ruth was working in afar corner of the field while her older daughter, more disci-plined than Sashann, was carefully hoeing nearby.

Without warning, the dragon swooped out of a cloudysky and plucked little Sashann up from the field. Niclettarushed to her sister�s aid, swinging her hoe like a sword.She had her father�s dark ringlets and his unflinchingspirit. But her brave efforts had only annoyed the dragon.Swallowing Sashann whole before the younger girl couldeven scream, the monster turned on Nicletta and grabbedher in its powerful jaws.

Ruth heard Nicletta�s bones crunching. She ran towardthe monster, screaming and holding the hoe over her headin a futile gesture of defiance. But before she was evenclose, the dragon spread her wings and soared into thesky. She vanished into the clouds, leaving a streak of sootyvapor in her wake.

Ruth had stood in the empty field, alone and uncom-prehending. It was not the first time the dragon had eatenhuman flesh, but Ruth had never dreamed the monsterwould strike at her family. Yet in a few brief moments, thedragon had torn away everything Ruth had loved mostdearly. Both of her daughters had vanished as suddenly asif they had never been.

The next day, the quota system was established, andRuth built the cairn.

She placed the box containing Mrs. Cluck into the holein the earth, then plucked a daisy and laid it gently uponthe lid. Another death caused by the dragon. After sprin-kling a handful of soil on the box, she rose and shovelledthe rest of the dirt back into the hole. A shadow fell acrossthe tiny grave as she finished tamping it in place.

�You look awful, Ruth.� Paulus regarded her with theblunt stare of the young. �I thought you didn�t like tocome out to this field. What are you doing?�

Ruth had to wipe away fresh tears before she couldanswer. �I�m burying Mrs. Cluck.�

�Did she die?� Paulus started to lean against the cairn,then seemed to think better of it. Instead he thrust hishands into his pockets.

�Her neck was broken.� Ruth answered. �Tim Stann-ish killed her. He was trying to steal her last night. Therewere two other boys as well, but I didn�t get a good lookat them. It was dark.�

Paulus�s fists clenched. His eyes blazed. �It was probablyJolim and Marc. They�re always running around with Tim,picking fights with the littler kids. If I was bigger . . .�

The sight of the boy�s sudden anger brought back pain-

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ful memories. Nicletta had been like this, always flying tothe defense of anyone she thought had been wronged.�We don�t know for certain that it was them,� she cau-tioned Paulus. �And you�re only asking for trouble if youtake on the Stannish family.�

�I don�t care,� he replied petulantly. �I can handlemyself.� He began to walk away, stiff with anger.

�Paulus?�The boy paused.�Why are you over here so early? Isn�t this the day

your father takes the wagon into town?�Paulus muttered something into his chest and Ruth had to

ask him to repeat it. He answered in a louder voice. �Hecan�t. We had to kill the horse yesterday. For the quota. Icame over to ask you for some eggs for breakfast.�

�Ah.� Ruth could hear his stomach growling. �Theytake them all, for the quota. But I can always say thatsomething disturbed the chickens last night, and that someof them didn�t lay this morning. So come and get youreggs. I was just about to collect them.�

The knight rode into town on the eighth day of the tripledquotas. He was a broad-shouldered man on a heavy warhorse. Both man and animal were clad in shining platemail armor that was brightly polished, yet dented enoughthat it was clearly not just for show. A battered greatshield, its face painted with a stylized green cross, hungacross his back. The visor of his helmet was up, revealinga stern face with a drooping brown moustache. His horse�siron shoes rang on the cobblestone street as he rode theanimal up to the fountain-fed trough in the town square.Slackening the reins to let the war horse drink, he survey-ed the people with cold blue eyes.

�I have heard that you have a dragon problem in theseparts,� he said. His voice was deep and heroic. Ruth, whohad come to town to trade her wedding dress for food,watched him from the shade of a shopfront. Like the othertownsfolk, she regarded the knight with wide eyes. Helooked so strong, so well fed. Clearly he was a man whokilled dragons, rather than knuckling under to their de-mands. The town had not seen the likes of him in years.What few warriors it had produced were long since dead,or had returned from battle crippled like Paulus�s father.

�Get the townmeister!� someone shouted. A boy scur-ried from the square in the direction of the meeting hall.Everyone else stood rooted to the spot, whispering amongthemselves.

�Well?� the knight asked, his eyes starting to show hisimpatience. �Do you have a problem with a dragon or don�tyou? If you�re not in need of the services of Julius Dra-gonslayer, I�ll ride on elsewhere.� He gathered up his reins,jerking the horse�s head out of the public watering trough.

�Wait!� Pushing his way between two villagers, Paulusran into the square. One side of his face bore a sicklyyellowish purple bruise, but his eyes were bright. Hestopped a few paces away from the knight. �Do you reallykill dragons?�

The man fixed his cold eyes upon Paulus. Ruth expect-ed the boy to back up a step, so intense was the knight�sgaze. But Paulus stood firm. Slowly, the knight answered.�As many as I can.�

Paulus glanced down at the ground, then back at the

96 JUNE 1994

knight. �But we�re a poor village,� he said. �We couldn�t . . .��There�s no need for payment,� Julius answered. �I�ve

made it my life�s work to rid the world of these demon-spawn. A dragon killed my sister and her husband, yearsago. I�ve sworn to kill as many dragons as I can find, toeven the score.� He looked around at the townsfolk. �All Irequire is food and lodging for the few days I stay here.And the assistance of any of you brave and strong enoughto wield a spear.�

He looked around, assessing the villagers. �Now is thetime to strike,� he urged. �While a dragon�s sitting on hernest, she won�t leave her lair. Dragons like to keep theireggs in sight at all times. If they can�t see the eggs, theyassume something has happened to them. So she won�tpursue us if we�re forced to retreat. We can keep goingback, attacking over and over again.�

Julius paused. �After the dragon is dead, if you wish togive me something to see me through to the next kill, I�dappreciate it. If not, so be it.� He glanced down at Paulus.�Perhaps your family could put me up for the first night?�

�What�s this? Who is this man?� Townmeister Stannishshoved his way through the crowd that had gathered in thesquare. �You, sir!� he said, addressing the knight. �What isyour business here?� Fists on his hips, he stood panting,trying to catch his breath after running from the meetinghall. As Julius repeated his explanation, Stannish glared athim with undisguised distaste. When the knight had fin-ished, he shook his head curtly. �We have trouble enoughhere without strangers coming in to stir things up.�

Stannish turned to face the crowd. Smoothing his oilyhair with one hand, he let his eyes sweep the townsfolk. �Ispeak on behalf of us all when I say that any attack on thedragon would only bring increased suffering to this town.Imagine the dragon�s rage, imagine how violent her re-venge would be, if this alleged dragonslayer mounted anunsuccessful attack on her. Why . . .�

Stannish�s gaze fell upon Ruth. Before she could duckinto the shop, he strode over and grabbed her wrist. Yank-ing her out into the square, he gestured at her with hisfree hand. �Do you remember the way it was before weestablished the quotas? Do you want your own children todie as a result of a stranger�s actions?�

Ruth tried to twist away from Stannish, but his gripwas firm upon her wrist. �Don�t,� she whispered. Tearswelled in her eyes and spilled down onto her cheeks. Butnow the townsfolk were murmuring in agreement withStannish.

The townmeister�s voice boomed out. �Remember littleSashann and Nicletta. Do you want their deaths to be invain?�

An angry murmur swept the crowd.�Please . . .� Ruth begged.�Now just a moment,� the knight growled, leaning for-

ward on his saddle. �The only one to die will be the dragon.I know these creatures. They�re at their most vulnerablewhen nesting. If you miss this opportunity to strike, you maynever get another chance to defend yourselves.�

�Defend ourselves? What need? The quota protectsus!� Stannish shouted. �Without it we would all havebeen dragon fodder years ago!� He glared at the knight.�The answer is no; we will not help you in any way.�Several heads nodded in agreement.

�Pah!� Julius spat in the dust and jerked the head ofhis horse around. �I won�t waste my breath talking tosheep. Keep feeding the dragon, then. Take the food fromyour children�s plates and watch them starve. But I�ve gota dragon to kill.�

At last Stannish released Ruth�s arm. Whirling to followthe knight, he puffed out his chest with self-importance. �Iforbid it!� the townmeister said, his voice strangled withanger. �You will not go near the dragon�s lair.�

�I will,� Julius said, �with or without your permis-sion.� With a shout, he spurred his horse into motion.Metal-shod hooves clanged as the horse carried him upthe cobblestone street. Ruth, still wiping the tears fromher eyes, caught a glimpse of Paulus running behind theknight. She heard his father call out to him to stop, but oncrutches Bretin could not hope to catch the boy. Poundingafter the rider, Paulus rounded a corner and disappearedfrom sight.

They carried Paulus home the next day, on the back of theknight�s shield. He lay on his father�s straw-stuffed mat-tress, with only a light sheet drawn partially over himdespite the spring chill. His arms and chest were coveredin blisters and peeling, blackened skin. His hair and eye-brows had been burned away, and his face was so swollenRuth could not see his eyes. A healing woman was gentlysponging his burns, but still a reek of sulphur clung tohim. Paulus lay perfectly still, making little weeping nois-es whenever the healer touched him. Bretin sat on a stool,clutching his crutch so tightly that his hands were white.

�Paulus!� Ruth fell to her knees beside the bed. Shebarely recognized the boy. Her stomach twisted in horrorat the sight of his blackened face. If he lived, Pauluswould be horribly scarred. �Oh, Paulus,� she said softly.

The boy�s lips opened a crack. �Ru�?� His handinched across the bed toward her, then stopped. Pauluswhimpered in pain. Slowly, he struggled to get the wordsout. �The dragon killed Julius. I saw it.�

�Stupid boy!� Bretin struggled up from his stool.�Why did you follow him?� He smashed a hand againstthe wall, startling the healing woman. �It was a man�sjob. If only I still had my leg . . .� Eventually his angergave way to heaving sobs.

Ruth clenched her fists to keep her hands from shaking.She looked at Paulus. Another child, lost to the dragon.When would it end? Leaning closer, she fought back herrevulsion and whispered into what was left of the boy�sear. �You stay alive, Paulus. For Ruth. Don�t you worryabout those burns. They�ll heal, and you�ll see again.� Itwas a bald lie, but the boy needed something to cling to.�I need you to protect me and my chickens. You�re theonly real friend I have.�

�I wanted to avenge Nicletta,� he whispered. �Like theknight avenging his sister. But I�m just a boy.�

�And I�m just a crazy farm woman,� Ruth answered.�With nothing left to lose if you die.�

She reached out again to stroke his cheek and felt thesoft sigh of his breath. She leaned closer, thinking he wastrying to say something else, then saw how still Paulus hadsuddenly become. His eyes were fixed on the ceiling, openand unblinking. Although his cheek was still warm, thelife had slipped from his fragile body.

�Paulus!� Ruth grabbed the boy�s shoulders and shookthem. �Paulus, no!� Somewhere behind her, she heardBretin groan. His crutch clattered to the ground as he fellonto his knee and grabbed frantically for his son�s hand.The healer simply stood, shaking her head. �He�s gone,�she whispered.

Ruth�s pain wrapped around her like a cold blanket,muffling the words. Sashann, Nicletta, and now Paulus.How many more children would have to die before some-thing was done? She wept until every tear had been wrungfrom her body, then blindly stumbled home.

Ruth trudged through the dark forest that cloaked thesides of the mountain. From the last vantage point, shehad looked down on the village, so tiny from this height.But now the trees closed around her, shutting off the light.At this altitude there was a faint dusting of snow on theground, even though it was already spring.

The climb had taken the better part of the day. She�dhad to set off well after dawn, when the villagers carryingthe dragon�s daily quota were already well along on thetrail. Then she�d had to wait, hidden in the bushes besidethe trail, until they had passed her on their way backdown the mountain. Now it was almost dusk.

Ahead, the trees thinned out and she could see a rockycliff face. At its center, opening onto a broad ledge, was adark cave mouth. Several empty baskets littered theground in front of it. The dragon had already devouredher daily meal. Ruth hesitated. Perhaps she should justturn around and leave. It had been eleven days since thedragon had laid her eggs. It might already be too late forwhat Ruth had in mind.

A rumbling, deep inside the cave, made Ruth pause atthe edge of the forest. She clutched the branch of a pinetree as her knees began to wobble. A faint trace of smokeemerged from the cave, curling in slow spirals up the cliffface. A blackened spot on the ground, not yet washedaway by two days of rain, marked the spot where theknight had fallen. Globs of melted metal lay nearby. Therehadn�t been enough left of his body to carry down themountain. The villagers had found only part of his horse;the dragon had left half of it for a later meal.

The sun was starting to sink toward the horizon. Ruthhad only a short period of daylight left. If she was going toenter the dragon�s lair, it had to be soon. In the dark, shewould not be able to see what she was doing. She steppedforward, her pulse pounding in her throat. Forcing herselfto walk right up to the entrance to the cave, she swung herpack from her shoulders and called out into the inky dark-ness of the cavern.

�Hello!� Her voice was no more than a squeak. Swallow-ing hard, she tried again. �Hello, dragon!� It sounded silly,but Ruth didn�t know how else to address the monster.

�Who comes?� The answer came from deep within thecave, a rumbling growl. Something stirred in the darkness.Ruth closed her eyes and trembled as a huge shape slitheredand scratched its way to the entrance. She concentrated onher ragged breathing, forcing herself to stand her ground.

�It�s me, Ruth,� she answered at last. �This morning Iwas hungry and ate the eggs I should have saved for you.Then I realized my mistake. I didn�t want you to be angryat me, so I brought the quota myself.�

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98 JUNE 1994

�What did you bring?�A hot gust of sulphurous-smelling air stirred Ruth�s

hair. Opening her eyes, she found herself face to face withthe dragon. The creature�s eyes were each the size ofRuth�s head, and each long white tooth was as long as ahuman hand. Only her neck and head had emerged fromthe cave; the rest of her scaly body all but filled the open-ing. Her skin radiated an uncomfortable heat, and herbreath was fetid with dead flesh. Ruth fought down thebile that rose in her throat.

�A lamb,� she whispered. �Freshly killed.�Opening her pack, she pulled out the carcass. She�d

traded the last of her furniture for it yesterday. Like manyof the villagers, she was reduced to selling her possessionsto meet the quota and still feed herself. The alternativewas to kill her chickens or to move away and abandon herfarm, as some had already done.

The dragon sniffed the lamb. �Good meat,� she said.With a snap, her jaws closed around the body. Snapping itcleanly in two, she swallowed the front half, then belcheda gout of flame. �But maybe I�ll eat you, too. You alsomissed your quota yesterday.� The monster gave Ruth awicked smile. �There were no eggs.�

�Please don�t eat me!� Ruth said, trembling. �I�llmake it up to you. How would you like to know whetheryour young will be male or female before they have evenhatched?�

Ruth held her breath, waiting for the dragon�s reply.She could only hope that dragons shared the same curiosi-ty that human mothers did about their unborn offspring.This was a young dragon, sitting on her first clutch ofeggs, after all. It was Ruth�s only chance.

�How can you tell?� the dragon asked at last.�By the weight of the egg.�The dragon snorted a puff of soot through her nostrils,

her disbelief clear.�It�s true!� Ruth insisted. �I�ve used the technique all my

life, to sort chicken eggs. A farmer doesn�t want too manymales to hatch; if you get too many roosters, they fightamong themselves, and you only need one or two as studs.But you want all the females to hatch and grow into hens.�

The dragon ate the remainder of the lamb. Blood-tinged saliva drooled from her mouth, and the bonesground and snapped in her jaws. She regarded Ruth withone glittering, metallic eye for several long moments.Then she gestured with her head. �Come then,� she said.�Tell me what my children will be.�

Ruth�s legs quivered like those of a newborn colt as shestepped into the dragon�s lair. If she had been able to eatanything that day, she would have lost the contents of herstomach at the combined smells of acrid smoke and rottenmeat that filled the cave. Instead she concentrated onfeeling her way along in the dim light. The floor was lit-tered with broken bones and piles of putrid flesh that hadfallen like crumbs from the dragon�s wide mouth.

The eggs were near the back of the cavern, nested on alayer of fine grey sand. The dragon curled protectivelyaround them. Carefully, Ruth reached out and touchedone of the eggs. There were five of them, each about thesize of a large cooking pot and oval in shape. They werered, flecked with metallic glints of gold. The shells wereleathery but strong. They had to be, to bear the weight of

the dragon when she settled upon them. Each was uncom-fortably hot, like a loaf pulled fresh from the oven.

�Well?� the dragon asked. �What sex are they?��I have to test their weight,� Ruth answered. �But first, I

have to look inside one of the eggs to see what stage they areat.� She pulled on woolen mitts to protect her hands from theheat, then bent over an egg. The dragon laid a clawed talonover it, preventing Ruth from picking it up.

�Look inside?� the monster asked. �I will not allowyou to break the shell.�

�There�s no need to do that.� Ruth shook her head. �Isimply hold the egg up to a light and look through it. Ifyou would be so kind as to breathe a little fire?�

The dragon was still suspicious, but released the eggand allowed Ruth to lift it. The egg proved as heavy as astone. Then the monster hissed, and a bright yellow flamesprang from her parted lips. Quickly, Ruth held the eggup and peered through it. She sighed with relief. Insidethe egg, a tiny dragon had started to form. But the yolkand the white of the egg were still distinct.

Now came the most difficult part. But if dragons as-sumed their eggs were no longer safe when they could notsee them, the reverse should also be true. As long as Ruthkept the eggs in sight and didn�t crack their shells, themonster might believe them to be in no danger.

Smiling nervously as the dragon let the flame die out,Ruth began shaking the egg from side to side. She movedit slowly at first, then with sharp jerks. All the while, shekept talking. �I think�� she shook it again�� it�s heavyenough for a male, but there�s a certain lightness at oneend. I have to allow for the difference in size betweenhen�s eggs and yours.� She gave it another shake. �Yes, itseems to be . . .�

The dragon touched a claw to Ruth�s arm. �Enough,�the monster said. �What is it?�

Ruth set the egg down, waving her hands at her sides tocool them. Even with the mittens, the heat of the egg hadbeen intense. �A male,� she answered, trying to put con-viction in her voice. She reached for the next egg. �Nowthis one looks lighter but . . .� She shook it gently, thenjerked it suddenly to one side. �Perhaps . . .�

One by one, Ruth repeated the procedure, pretendingto weigh the eggs. Stalling, saying she wanted to be abso-lutely certain, she shook some of the eggs a second time.But at last her hands and arms were red and starting toblister from the heat. The mitts that had protected herhands were charred, and the air was thick with the smellof singed wool. Outside, the light was failing as dusk fell.

�Now I�m certain,� she told the dragon. �Three males,two females. You�ll see that I�m right when they hatch.But don�t expect . . .� She hesitated then, as if unwillingto say something.

The dragon leaned forward in anticipation. �Yes?��Well, it�s just that . . .� Ruth shrugged. �The eggs felt

a bit light to me. I think your estimation of when they willhatch might be a bit off. I�d say it�s going to be later thanyou expect.�

�Later?� The dragon hissed impatiently. Smoke curledfrom her nostrils. But Ruth knew she had won when shesaw the doubt in the monster�s eyes.

�I�d say they�ll be at least four weeks late. Maybemore.� Slowly, she backed toward the door. �Now if you�ll

excuse me, I have to get back to my farm. I�ll send youthree nice baskets of eggs in the morning.�

�And another man?��What?� Ruth had been about to dash out of the cave,

but the dragon�s words stopped her cold. �What do youmean, �another man�?�

�Another. Like the one Stannish sent me.�Ruth stared in disbelief. �Stannish told you the knight

was on his way here?�The dragon nodded. �He warned me to protect my

eggs. He said I could eat anyone who brought a weaponnear the nest. The knight threatened me, so I ate him.�

Ruth trembled and had to lay a hand on the hot stoneof the cave to hold herself up. Julius might have killed themonster, but thanks to Stannish, the dragon had beenforewarned and ready for him. He�d never had a chance.And Paulus, watching, had been caught in the trap.

The dragon regarded her with slitted eyes. Her tongueflickered across her lips, and her mouth opened in a fang-filled smile. For one horrible moment, Ruth thought herown trick had been discovered. She braced herself, readyto meet her death in the monster�s grinding jaws. Butinstead the dragon settled upon her eggs. �Go,� she said.

Ruth turned and fled back down the trail.

Townmeister Stannish sputtered with anger as he con-fronted the villagers who had gathered at Ruth�s home.His hair was in disarray, and his shirt had come untuckedfrom his breeches. Behind him trailed several dozen morevillagers. Their cheeks were hollow from lack of food andthey were as ragged as Ruth now. All they had left wastheir land; everything of value had been sold to the profi-teers who had flocked to the town, lured by the prospect oftrading meat to the desperate villagers at high prices.

�You can�t just refuse to contribute!� Stannish said, hischeeks pink with anger. �It�s bad enough that the villagehas had trouble meeting its quota in recent days withoutyou lot stopping altogether. The dragon�s eggs are aboutto hatch. As soon as they do, she will��

�The dragon will not attack,� Ruth cut in. The firm-ness of her voice surprised even herself. In recent days,she had learned the fine art of persuasion. �She will notleave her nest until her eggs hatch, and I have seen to itthat they will never hatch. If we stop feeding her now, shewill be too weak to attack by the time she discovers thetrick I played on her.�

Stannish wrinkled his nose. �What trick? Is this an-other of your crazy fancies, Ruth?�

Ruth held out her arms for the villagers to see. Her handswere covered in weeping blisters. �I visited the dragon in herlair yesterday,� she told them. She waited until those whowere hearing her story for the first time stopped murmuringbefore continuing. �I told her I could determine what sexher hatchlings would be by testing the weight of her eggs. Ishook the eggs, breaking up the yolk and the white and mix-ing them together. Because the eggs appear whole and intact,the dragon doesn�t suspect anything. She�s sitting on a nestof dead eggs that will never hatch.�

�Impossible!� Stannish snapped. �It�s too simple atrick. The dragon must have realized��

�Then why hasn�t she attacked us?� Ruth snappedback. �Explain that, if you can, Stannish.�

DRAGON 99

�Townmeister Stannish,� he corrected her.Bretin stepped forward now. He had been one of the

first people Ruth had encountered after returning fromthe dragon�s lair, and the old warrior had believed herstory. When others questioned it, he had lent the weight ofhis former status in the village, using it to gradually con-vince them. Now he pushed himself up to his full heighton his crutch and confronted Stannish eye to eye.

�There�s another thing we�d like you to explain, town-meister.� The sarcastic emphasis Bretin placed on the titlewas there for everyone to hear. �Why is your family soplump and healthy, while the rest of us are reduced to skinand bone by the quota?� Bretin jerked up the edge of hisshirt, revealing the ribs that stood out against the skin ofhis chest. He let the shirt drop. �Weren�t you worriedabout angering the dragon when you held back a share ofour quota for yourself? Or perhaps you had worked out anarrangement with the dragon not to eat your family. Youmade sure to keep in her favor by warning the monsterthat the knight was on his way.�

The villagers behind Stannish were muttering withanger now. Gradually, they formed a circle around him.Beside the townmeister, Bretin raised his crutch like aclub. All of the color left Stannish�s face.

�Bretin, wait.� Ruth laid a hand on the old warrior�sarm. �There�s a better way.� She turned to the villagersand raised her voice. �My suggestion is this. The foodand property in the Stannish home should be distributedamong the people of the village. Stannish and his familyshould be confined to their home until we have dealt withthe dragon, just in case they have any ideas about ingrati-

ating themselves further by informing the dragon aboutthe true condition of her eggs.�

She took a deep breath, then continued. �As for thedragon, we�ll stop feeding her and tell her the food in thevillage has simply run out. We�ll keep a watch outside thecavern, and as soon as the dragon shows signs of leavingthe nest, we�ll attack. But it should be some time beforeshe abandons the eggs, especially if she thinks there�s stilla chance they�ll hatch. By the time she�s ready to leave thenest, the dragon should be weak enough that even a fewwarriors can dispatch her.�

Stannish had been shuffling nervously as Ruth spoke.As she finished, he tried to run. There was a brief scuffle,and dozens of clasping hands held him back. The villagerswere smiling openly now, hope shining in their eyes at theprospect of at last being out from under the yoke of thedragon.

�Ruth!� someone in the crowd shouted. �Ruth shouldbe our townmeister!� The cry was taken up by severalvoices.

Ruth smiled and shook her head. �No�� she answered.�I have chickens to care for and a farm to tend.� She drewher neighbor in front of her. �I think Bretin should leadyou. He�ll be the one leading the attack on the dragon,after all. And the plan to ruin the eggs was his idea.�

Startled, Bretin looked at Ruth. His mouth opened as ifhe were about to protest. But the cheers of the villagersdrowned him out.

Ruth nodded at him. Her neighbor had never owned achicken in his life and didn�t know a thing about eggs. Buthe�d make a fine townmeister, all the same.

Elminster�s NotebookContinued from page 76

scenes there. Although it recently helpedto bring about revolution in Tethyr, it nowfears such activities; they hamper its con-trol and influence over a land.

The remnants of the Seven Skulls bearwatching�and it�s high time I spoke withAzuth, to be certain that Tashara is goneforever.

�These undead vary, but all are AC 2, MVFl 16 (A), and have 6 + 6 HD. They retaintheir intelligence (though some of theskulls have gone insane), and can wield allmagical items they could in life, includingrings, amulets, and the like that areworn�if they retain digits, for some ofthese undead have lost their hands overthe years. None can be turned or dis-pelled, and all are immune to mind-affecting magics and psionics, and to allspells of third level or less.

100 JUNE 1994

DRAGON 103

104 JUNE 1994

DRAGON 105

106 JUNE 1994

By Barbara Manui & Chris Adams DRAGON 107

108 JUNE 1994

DRAGON 109

110 JUNE 1994

©1994 by Ken Carpenter

Black &White Photography by Don WitmerColor Photography courtesy of Grenadier Models and Ral Partha Enterprises

The highsand lows of

miniatures painting

So you read through my column inDRAGON® issue #204 and got all excited,right? You went straight out to prep 20figures and have been waiting for thisissue. You�re even sitting at your paintingtable right now, going through thiscolumn, giggling with excitement. Well,probably not, but it paints an entertainingpicture (for me, anyway).

In Aprils column, I discussed preppingmetal figures and this time I�ll talk aboutsome basic painting techniques. Let�s as-sume you�re working with acrylics, sincethat�s pretty much the standard for 25-mmfigures. Base coating, washing, drybrush-ing (also called highlighting) and detailingare the most common stages of miniaturespainting. While base coating isn�t really atechnique, it is still the most basic stage ofpainting and is important to the success oflater steps.

When you are about to start painting,take one more good look at the figure.This gives you one last chance to catchany parting lines or unnoticed gaps beforeyou compound the error by painting overit. It also gives you the opportunity to planthe colors you want to use. Never startpainting a figure before you decide howyou want it to turn out, or it�ll look like itdressed in the dark.

Base coating is painting the larger areasof the figure with the colors you choseearlier. This includes flesh, boots, cape,armor, etc. It�s important to paint theentire area; be sure to get every nook,cranny, and edge. You don�t need to paintthe smaller areas at this point, they would

only take a beating when you wash anddrybrush the large areas anyway.

The next step is the wash. The purposeof a wash is to deepen the shadows andadd depth to the area. To create a wash,choose a darker shade of the color overwhich you will be washing, then dilute itwith water.

Example: Over medium gray, wash withdark gray or black. A solution of 70%(about three parts water to one part paint)water is a weak wash, 60-65% (about twoparts water to one part paint) water is amedium wash and using less water createsa strong wash. I recommend a mediumwash for novices, because it allows you tosee the results immediately without over-bearing the original color.

When applying the wash, use a largerbrush than you do for the actual painting.This depends upon the size of the figureyou�re working with. On most 25-mmfigures you can wash with a round #1brush, or a #0 if you want to play it safe.Let the brush soak up a small amount ofthe solution and then lightly go over thearea to be washed. The diluted paint willrun into the low spots, cracks, and angles,deepening their color. Make sure you goover the whole area being washed or theareas you missed will have a lighter hue.This could be tough to correct later in thepainting process.

Now you�re ready for drybrushing, socalled because of the state the brush is inwhen you do this. The purpose of dry-brushing is to lighten the coloring of theminiature�s raised areas, adding highlightsand giving it a more life-like appearance. Irecommend a flat brush for large areas,usually 1/8� or 1/4�. Small areas will re-quire smaller brushes and you can�t oftenget smaller flat sizes.

Miniatures' product ratings

* Poor* * Below average* * * Average* * * * Above average* * * * * Excellent

When drybrushing you need to get asmall amount of paint on the tip of yourbrush, this time using a lighter shade ofthe color being highlighted, then wipe it

112 JUNE 1994

off with a paper towel or paint rag.Example: Over the medium gray you

washed earlier, drybrush with light gray.You can test the strength of the brush bywiping it on a white paper towel to seehow much is coming off the brush. Only atrace of the color should be visible.

When you�re satisfied with the strength,lightly brush over the highlight area. Thisshould be done like you�re using a duster,back and forth in a sweeping motion.Gradually the area will lighten, as thepigments come off the brush and adhereto the ridges and high spots of the targetarea. The drawback of drybrushing is thatit destroys your brushes over time, so setaside a few brushes for this use.

I haven�t space to cover detailing indepth; it�s worth a column of its own.However, if you practice the steps above,detailing will become a natural extensionof the skills mentioned here�detailing isbase coating, washing, and drybrushing ona much smaller scale.

While it all sounds so simple when youread it, these techniques will require agreat deal of practice. Don�t use yourfavorite miniature when you decide to dothis for the first time. The first few at-tempts may not make you terribly happy,but you will see an improvement witheach miniature. After just four or fivefigures, you�ll probably be pleased withthe results.

With dragons being the focus of thisanniversary issue, I�ve included some ofthe most impressive beasts that lurk in thedark recesses of your local hobby shopjust waiting to be loosed on a party ofunsuspecting characters. Dragons are,after all, a cornerstone of sword-and-sorcery fantasy and are a favorite creatureof legend. Few things inspire the samefeeling of overwhelming awe and wonderas a dragon.

Reviews

Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc.5938 Carthage Ct.Cincinnati OH 45212Voice: (800) 543-0272 Fax: (513) 631-0028Mail Order: Yes Catalog: $4.00

#10-861 The Feathered SerpentSHADOWRUN* seriesSculptor: Jim JohnsonScale: 25 mm cost: $25.95

One of Ral Partha�s new Partha Plasticsproducts, the Feathered Serpent is entirelyresin, except for the large, Ralidium (pew-ter) base. The figure comes in eight pieces.Since it�s done in resin be sure to cleanthe pieces with warm, soapy water to getall the mold-release gunk off. While this isa suggested step for metal figures, it�s arequirement for resin and plastic pieces.

Parting lines work a bit differently in

resin, usually looking like a rough edge ora small tear where the detail ends. Minorlines appear along the edges of the wingsand along some parts of the body. Therereally aren�t many and a hobby knifeought to correct them pretty easily.

Assembly isn�t difficult, though you willneed to do some filing here and there. Useepoxy putty to fill in the few gaps that areleft; at the base of the wings, at the vari-ous body joints and in the area of the jaw.Carefully sculpt the putty to look like thesurrounding area, so it all blends togetherwhen you have finished. On a detailedfigure like this, the sculpting is the hardestpart.

This serpent is very impressive, with its7 + � wingspan and a height of over 8�.The detail is excellent with realistic, lay-ered feathers and a gracefully curvedbody. His head has a wide, flat, serpentinelook and highly detailed features. Thisfigure is a great Eastern dragon and fitsvery well into the SHADOWRUN world orany campaign that uses more than the�traditional� dragon.

Because of the level of detail present, thisfigure will paint very well. As you can seefrom the photo, this is a good figure to showthe results of washing and drybrushing.

#10-452 The ConflictSculptor: Dave SummersScale: 25 mm Cost: $49.95

This has to be one of the most ambitiouspieces done in a long time. The time andeffort involved to get these two largedragons to interact so well must have beenquite difficult. The set comes in 22 pieces,of which the wings and base are resin(Partha Plastic). Clean the resin of the

mold-release stuff before you begin towork with it (see the Feathered Serpentabove). If you�re looking for a great pieceof work, this is it.

For a piece of this size there are remark-ably few parting lines or blemishes,though the wings will need some filing toclean up the choppy resin mold lines.Assembly requires work, forethought, andskill since there are so many pieces.Where the pieces fit is just as important ashow well they fit, because of the dragons�interactive pose when complete.

You can�t assemble the whole piece andthen paint, you just won�t have room orthe angle to do it. You should prime all thepieces separately, then paint as you getcertain areas assembled. For example, lookat the mouth with the arm in it; if youattach the two pieces that make the head(upper and lower halves), you can�t paintthe mouth very well. I would paint themouth first, assemble the head (usingputty at the back of the jaw) and thenpaint the rest of it. Pay attention to howthe pieces fit and decide how best to paintthem before you begin assembly.

I also would like to applaud Ral Partha�sassembly instructions. While there isnothing out of the ordinary about theinstructions, aside from being in English(unlike my VCR instructions), the After-word gives tips on shaping and fitting theplastic pieces by using heat. This shouldprove a great help to any modelers thatare just now getting exposed to plastics.Youngsters should not try this unsuper-vised, though.

The detail and design of each dragon isunique, furthering the contrast within thediorama. The dragons are great examplesof western dragons and are well designed,

DRAGON 113

detailed, and crafted. I could go on, butwhat good would that do? Look at thepicture!

#61-003 Cleric With MaceRal Partha Imports seriesSculptor: Dennis MizeScale: 25 mm Cost: $2.15

A must have for anyone who plays in amedieval fantasy role-playing game, thisfigure has a lot of character. The modelspose is realistic and gives the cleric a feel-ing of motion.

A slight mold line can be traced up bothsides and across the shoulders, but that�s theonly technical flaw and it�s easily corrected.The line does run through a little detailalong his right arm, but it�s easy to get towith a needle file or hobby knife. The base istextured like dirt or fine gravel.

The flow of the robes and mantle downhis back is great. His armor, partial platefilled in with scale mail over the abdomenand chain mail at the shoulder joints, iswell sculpted with sharp lines and angles.Detailed shoulder and knee guards add tothe already impressive armor.

Our hero isn�t the most handsome ofmen, but that adds personality to thefigure in my book. His brows are fur-rowed and he appears angry or unhappyabout something (which might explain theraised mace). A long dirk hangs in itsscabbard behind his shield, where thebottom of a shoulder-slung bag also isvisible.

114 JUNE 1994

Grenadier Models, Inc. P.O. Box 305Springfield PA 19064Voice: (800) 843-2015 Fax: (215) 583-9425Mail Order: Yes Catalog: $3.00

#1507 Future SavagesFUTURE WARRIORS* seriesSculptor: Mark CopplestoneScale: 25 mm Cost: $4.00

Looking like they just stepped out of aMad Max movie, these figures are a clevermix of neanderthal and high-tech. Copples-tone is a great sculptor and the FUTUREWARRIORS line has all the earmarks of apremium series.

There are a few minor mold lines on thefigures. �Tophat� has parting lines alongthe front of his left leg and over his rightshoulder, while the stout crossbowmanhas a small line between his left arm andbody as well as traces along his right side.These will remove easily with needle files.

Looking first at the hefty bowman, youhave to appreciate the detail of the figure(every time you look at it, you see somenew detail). Aside from the mohawk, hishead is clean-shaven and ornamented withgoggles, earrings and a nose-ring thattrails a chain to his right ear. He is shortand very fat, which is accentuated by thefact he�s not wearing much in the way ofclothing.

Other details include a fur mantle,homemade crossbow and sword, a brokenchild�s doll hung around his thick neck,and a belt hung with all sorts of pouches,holsters, and gizmos. On the back of hisbelt is strapped a keyboard with display.His fur-lined, heavy boots are starting toshow wear, as evidenced by the exposureof his toes.

The other figure has shaved the rightside of his head while long hair escapesfrom under the left brim of his beaten andabused tophat. �Tophat� wears goggles,earrings in his right ear, and some sort ofhigh-tech panel as a breast plate. He car-ries a four barreled, homemade arquebusand has a heavy short sword strapped tohis back. His calf-high, steel-toed boots are

in good shape but the pants he tucks intothem have a frayed hole in the left knee.There are a myriad of other details suchas sacks, pouches, armbands, straps, loincloth, and all manner of intricacies.

#1826 War DragonWARLORDS* lineSculptor: Julie GuthrieScale: 15 mm Cost: $6.50

Grenadier�s 15-mm miniatures WAR-LORDS game gets even more firepowerwith this mounted War Dragon by JulieGuthrie. Julie sculpted a number of Grena-dier�s popular �Dragon of the Month�miniatures and her expertise shows onthis figure.

The War Dragon comes in five pieces,not including the two-piece plastic base,and assembles easily. There are a fewmold lines, though all are minor and alittle filing will be required to get the fitjust right. Though this figure has veryminor seams at the assembly joints, allassembled models should have the jointsblended with epoxy so the figure looks likeit�s all one piece. Mounting the rider re-quires a little filing, but the Grenadiermetal is soft and easy to work with.

Detail is excellent on the dragon�fromthe rough scales to the softer, leatherybelly and wings. Facial details on the drag-on are exceptional and the rider is verygood, especially when you consider thescale. The assembled piece has a life-likepose, making a graceful turn in mid-wingbeat.

Games Workshop(Citadel/Marauder Miniatures)3431-C Benson Ave.Baltimore MD 21227Voice: (410) 644-5699 Fax: (410) 242-1839Mail Order: Yes Catalog: Free

#9051 BoneripperWARHAMMER* lineSculptors: Michael Perry & Jes GoodwinScale: 28 mm Cost: $9.99

Boneripper is the mutant, Rat Ogrebodyguard to Thanquol, a special charac-

ter available to Skaven army generals inthe WARHAMMER miniatures battle game.

Boneripper comes in four pieces plus a40-mm plastic base. There are minor moldlines on each piece, but some careful filingshould take care of them. His torso has amoderate mold line under the upper rightarm (Does that sound funny to anyonebesides me?) and some moderate flash atthe end of the claws. Files and a hobbyknife will solve those.

Where the torso and lower body con-nect, the joint is a ball and socket givingthe modeler a great deal of flexibility in

pose. His head also can rotate left or right,to suit whatever pose is chosen. The shoul-der is set to one position, but that canchange too, with some delicate filing andepoxy to fill in any gap.

Boneripper is highly detailed with patch-es of fur, heavy muscle structure, spikedshoulder guard and a spiked. . . some-thing in his right hand. He wears a neckchain from which hangs a huge, roundpendant, his tail ends in a spiked ball, andhis belt holds a number of metal rings.Additional details include a brand of theskaven symbol on his right shoulder, brac-er on right wrist, and chains criss-crossinghis body, presumably to hold his shoulderguard on.

#9053 Space Wolf Scout SergeantsWARHAMMER 40K* lineSculptor: Jes GoodwinScale: 28 mm Cost: $6.99

Still more support for the Space Wolveschapter, these scout sergeants add morecharacter and detail to their command.

Both figures have slight mold lines visi-ble on legs, arms, and shoulders. Clean upshould be easy, using needle files andknife.

The first sergeant, with his power swordraised high overhead, wears a wolf peltover modified armor and carries a drum-fed bolter with shoulder strap hangingloosely. His hair is shaved up the sides andhangs in long braids from about the ears.The claw-like scars in his scalp are evi-dence of his devotion to the chapter andhis open mouth shows elongated canineteeth.

The second sergeant carries achainsword, bolt pistol, and has a swordhung on his belt. Embellishments includethe Imperial emblem on his chest, wolfteeth hanging from armor, grenades. andbelt pouches.

Both figures have numerous details thatadd life and flavor-badges of honor, gre-nades, pouches, cross-hatched leg armor,etc. The facial detail of the figures is ex-ceptional, one in mid-howl with furrowedbrow and flared nostrils, the other snarl-ing disdain as he brings his bolt pistol tobear on the enemy. They also have thenew backpacks, which include aperiscope-like appendage rising over themodel�s left shoulders.

#0152 Dark MillenniumWARHAMMER 40K supplementSculptor: Andy ChambersScale: 28 mm Cost: $34.99

Dark Millennium is a supplement for theWARHAMMER 40K game, so it isn�t play-able unless you have the game. The box ispacked with 60 psyker powers, 10 vehiclecards, a deck of 36 Warp cards plus allsorts of counters and power templates.There is also a book with rules for usingall of the above.

Without trying to recap the whole book,the new rules cover psykers, Strategycards, vehicle squadrons, support-weaponbatteries, and include more victory-pointtables. The psykers are broken down byraces or training to determine whatpowers are available to specific charac-ters. The system is very similar to themagic system used for the WARHAMMERFANTASY BATTLES* game, which makesthem very compatible for mixing games.

Strategy cards, a new addition for theWARHAMMER 40K game, allow a certainrandomness beyond that inherent in theroll of the die. These cards allow changesto set-up, combat results, or even allowplayers to bring back a dead squad asreinforcements. While I enjoy the concept,and some of the cards work very well inplay, a couple of the cards are powerfulenough to destroy game balance so youmight want to pull them all out before youplay.

The rules for squadrons and batteriesare simple but add a lot to play by pre-venting players from covering the boardwith �detached� vehicles and supportweapons. By putting the vehicles in squad-rons, or support weapons in batteries, thegame approximates real-world tactics butstill allows enough freedom that playersdon�t feel restricted.

The artwork in the book is great�withnumerous color photos and B&W illustra-tions. An attractive layout puts all therules in easy-to-find chapters, so playerscan reference the material during play.

Overall, the rules work well and thepsyker powers blend well into the game.Psykers will have a big impact on thegame, so be prepared�a couple of trickypsykers can throw a wrench into the bestof plans. I can think of a dozen nasty waysto use my Warphead orc psyker.

DRAGON 115

animal skull, while his thick belt with skullbuckle holds a pouch. His feet arewrapped in cloth or leather.

The other pose has a skull emblem onhis shield and belt buckle. Both figureshave good facial detail, warts and all. Thepack comes with 10 figures, five in eachpose, and will fit easily into any fantasyminiatures game, not to mention the po-tential in fantasy role-playing games.

#345 Death�s Head NethermancerEARTHDAWN* lineSculptor: Phil LewisScale: 25 mm Cost: $4.95

These Nethermancers, for FASA�sEARTHDAWN RPG, are well designed anddetailed for use with any fantasy setting.The blister contains two different figures,both in dramatic poses.

The parting lines on these figures arenearly undetectable, so prepping will be abreeze. Some of the detail is pretty fine, sobe careful with the primer�a little toothick and you might lose some detail.

Nethermancer #1, carrying a staff withhorned skull, is covered with all mannerof tassels, bones, symbols, and pouch. Thedetail is excellent, especially when younote the embellished staff and the lapel ofhis robe. His lapel is one of the places youmight lose detail when priming or paint-ing, due to the fine (as in really, reallysmall) pattern.

Nethermancer #2 has a similar level ofdetail, but the detail presents itself as neckjewelry, sashes, pouches, and chains. Hislong, fur vest is quite good and shouldpaint up very well. Between his nose andmouth crawls a worm (9 out of 10 dentistsrecommend well, maybe not).

Each figure has undead facial features,as they should, while the rest of theirbody appears well muscled and propor-tioned. In addition to use as a netherman-cer, these could find good use as a lich or

any number of specialized undead crea-tures (wraith, wight, etc).

Thunderbo l t Mounta in Miniatures 656 E. McMillanCincinnati OH 45206-1991Voice: (800) 235-3908 Fax: n/aMail Order: Yes Catalog: Yes

(enclose 2 stamps)

#3020 The Lady Of The LakeLe Morte D�Arthur seriesSculptor: Tom MeierScale: 25 mm Cost: $6.95

I almost don�t need to write anything forthis figure-seeing is believing. However,since I�d get a good talking to if I didn�t, I�llgo ahead and write something.

I would usually say something about aparting line right in here . . . hmmm . . . isthat?, no. . . . I guess I could say that thefigures come with separate bases, whichfit quite well, for both mounted and foot.

Heartbreaker Hobbies &Games19 E. Central Ave.Paoli PA 19301Voice: (215) 544-9052 Fax: (215) 544-9052Mail Order: Yes Catalog: Free

#416 Goblin SwordsmenGeneric Fantasy Army PackSculptor: Tim ProwScale: 28 mm Cost: $12.50

Heartbreaker�s new generic miniaturesfor fantasy armies give enthusiasts aninexpensive way to fill in their army withnot-so-generic figures.

There are minor mold lines along thearms, weapons, shields, and legs, though

116 JUNE 1994

the lines are negligible and clean off quick-ly. The figures come with 20-mm plasticbases, the standard for the WARHAMMERand BATTLESYSTEM® systems (25 mm/28mm as opposed to the popular 15 mm) anda number of other fantasy games. I dohave one question, however. Though theyare called Goblin Swordsmen, they allhave meat cleavers�isn�t that going totick-off some union?

These figures are quite good and shouldfit well into any fantasy army. One poseholds his mighty cleaver and target shieldaloft, howling his defiance to the heavens(a goblin would figure this to be reasona-bly safe�after all, the heavens are prettyfar away from a goblin). Around his neckis a chain hung with teeth and a small

As for detail, there really isn�t enoughspace so I�ll be selective. Her hair and tiaraare . . . while the cloak and gown are . . .not to mention the horse�s mane and har-ness, which is . . . (Adjectives can beplaced into the previous sentence in anyorder and with any frequency you�d like.)Both the foot and mounted Lady of theLake, sitting astride her horse, share thesame qualities in feature, dress, and detail.

The tack and harness of the horse isdetailed with shells and leaves, to fit withthe nature of its rider. The horse�s tail is alittle flat, but that is the only conceivabledrawback to the pack. Tom Meier retainshis crown.

#3027 Dwarf, Page, & TrumpetersLe Morte D�Arthur seriesSculptor: Tom MeierScale: 25 mm Cost: $6.95

This four-figure set will provide greatsetting figures for court events, festivals, aroyal entourage, etc. While the trumpeterfigures are more limited in their usage, thepage and dwarf can fill any number ofgaming roles, from bar patrons to charac-ters to town folk.

At the small end of each trumpet therewas a bit of heavy flash, from a large vent.Don�t try to twist it off, as you might withother such flash, because the end of thetrumpet is thin and could break. Use ahobby knife and file to clean the area up.It�s not tough, just be careful not to marthe face.

There are minor mold lines along theleft side and along the instrument of thetwo trumpeter figures. The hat also has afaint trace of parting line. The dwarf hasvirtually no visible parting lines. A mildparting line runs up the page�s right armand side, across his head and down theinside of his left arm and left leg.

Use only needle files for most of theseareas. Bobinium, the alloy T-Bolt uses, isvery hard and difficult to work with whenusing a knife. You will want to use the tipof a hobby knife to stroke through thehair, cleaning off the traces of parting linethere.

A little work is required to mount thetrumpeters and dwarf on their bases, asthe posts on their feet don�t quite fit intothe holes, but the page fits perfectly.

As you might expect, the page is dressedrather plainly, but isn�t lacking in detail orfacial expression. His hose, slippers, andtunic should all paint up nicely, while hislife-like facial features will prove an excel-lent challenge for any painter. The trum-peters and dwarf are more ornatelyclothed in detailed tabards. The trumpet-ers� stance, flared sleeves, feathered hats,and bannered trumpets are all well done.The dwarfs hooded, fringed mantle andtunic are excellent, as are his necklace andfacial expression.

Painting will be a challenge as you de-cide upon the heraldry to use for the

DRAGON 117

trumpet banners and the coloring to useon the dwarf, who could be a visitingdignitary or a fool.

Global Games1666 St. Clair Ave. WToronto, OntarioCANADA M6N 1H8Voice: (416) 652-3255 Fax: (416) 656-2235Mail Order: No

#1740 Mark II Assault FiendLEGIONS OF STEEL* lineSculptor: Jeff WilhelmScale: 25 mm Cost: $8.95

Assembled from four pieces, this figure,designed by Wes Johnson and sculpted byJeff Wilhelm, supports Global Games�miniatures LEGIONS OF STEEL game. TheMark II Assault fiend adds yet anotherterror to the growing arsenal available tothis game�s players.

As with any larger figure, there areparting lines. Most of the lines are simple,if time consuming, to remove. Parting linesare found down the back of the body andacross the chest, along both arms, and thelength of the weapon�s haft. Another runsalong the tail.

Assembly is simple, but dry fit the rightleg to the body before you glue. Somebending or filing may be required to getboth the leg and base to fit just right.

118 JUNE 1994

The result is a figure to strike fear intoeven Behemoth XRS equipped commandos.The sleek design of the head makes thefigure look fast, which it is in the game.Though there appears to be musculature,the machine forces only have a humanoidappearance for psychological reasons,don�t they?

The detail is very good. The legs haveexposed fiber bundles (machine muscle),as do the abdomen, back, and arms. Theridged back and segmented tail, completewith bladed tip, add a sinister feel to theFiend. His fleshless, almost grinning ex-pression would unsettle the most veteranUNE forces.

Global has said that they intended to usesome of the best sculptors in the industryto support this game, and so far theyhave�starting with Tom Meier, Dave Sum-mers, and Jeff Wilhelm, to name a few.It�ll be interesting to watch their line prog-ress, and see who they have work on it. Itshould also be noted that RAFM casts theirfigures and has done an excellent job todate.

Pick of the LitterThis litter this month has such incredi-

ble pieces in it that choosing one or two isreally tough. Certainly all the dragons arehuge and impressive pieces, but the Fu-ture Savages figures are so creative andunique, while The Lady of the Lake minia-ture is such an elegant, almost perfectpiece. Then there�s Boneripper, which is amodeler�s delight, or Goblin Swordsmen, agreat value for fantasy miniature gamers.And what about Cleric with Mace? Sound-ing pretty wishy-washy, aren�t I?

Okay, we�re going to do this (gulp). RalPartha�s Conflict has to be the pick formodelers, it�s such an incredible piece andsuch a tremendous challenge to assembleand paint. The Conflict will truly be anyhobbyist�s pride and joy when completed.

For the gamer, with a more functionalpurpose in mind, the choice can�t really benarrowed to fewer than two�and that�shard enough. They are Grenadier�s FutureSavages, which is too great a blister packto miss out on, and T-Bolt�s Lady of theLake (saw that coming a mile away, didn�tyou) because it�s such a finely craftedpiece.

Until next time, good gaming.

* indicates a product produced by a company otherthan TSR, Inc.

Bewildered in thewilderness?

Got a question about one of TSR’s role-playing games? Turn to “Sage Advice”to find out the answers!

DRAGON 119

NEW PRODUCTS FOR JUNE

The Classic DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®game

by TSR staffThe ever-popular best-seller returns�

updated, streamlined, and repackaged in aconvenient size that will fit on any shelf. Theideal entry into fantasy role-playing, this gamehas simple rules and exciting adventures!$20.00 U.S./$28.00 CAN.£14.99 U.K. including VATTSR Product No.: 1106

Council of Wyrms settingAn AD&D® game boxed setby Bill SlavicsekFor the first time in the history of the AD&D®

game, dragons are available as player charac-ters. This boxed set details a complete campaignsetting where dragon PCs rule the roost. Includ-ed are: three 64-page books, 12 cards, and threeposter maps.$25.00 U.S./$32.00 CAN.£17.99 U.K. including VATTSR Product No.: 1107

PHBR12 The Complete Paladin�sHandbook

An AD&D® game accessoryby Rick SwanThis 128-page books details paladin proficien-

cies, personalities, combat rules, equipment, andseveral paladin kits. Give the ultimate warriorsthe attention they deserve with this valuableaccessory.$18.00 U.S./$23.00 CAN./£10.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 2147

The Eternal BoundaryAn AD&D® game PLANESCAPE�

adventureby L. Richard Baker IIIWelcome to the Cage, berk. There�s trouble in

Sigil�s Hive, and your PLANESCAPE PCs are justthe cutters to handle it. This 32-page adventureis the first to support the PLANESCAPE setting.Just buy it, berk.$9.95 U.S./$11.95 CAN./£5.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 2601

Revised RAVENLOFT® settingAn AD&D® game RAVENLOFT®

boxed setby TSR staffA complete revision and expansion to the

original Realm of Terror box, this set includeselements of the Forbidden Lore set as well. Thisnew set is the definitive RAVENLOFT® product,and includes background, adventure ideas,Tarokka cards, and new domains.$30.00 U.S./$42.00 CAN.£21.50 U.K. including VATTSR Product No.: 1108

120 JUNE 1994

NEW PRODUCTS FOR JULY

MONSTROUS COMPENDIUM®:PLANESCAPE� Appendix

An AD&D® game PLANESCAPEaccessory

by Allen VarneyFrom the vast multiverse that is the planes

comes this 128-page collection of creaturesintegral to the PLANESCAPE setting. This ap-pendix also complies the best planar monstersfrom a variety of old and out-of-print sources.$18.00 U.S./$23.00 CAN./£10.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 2602

The Will and the WayAn AD&D® game DARK SUN® accessoryby L. Richard Baker IIIThis 96-page book contains new psionic

powers and rules for DARK SUN players andDMs alike. It features dozens of new powers, apsionics combat system and rules for playingthose masters of the mental arts: psionicists.$12.95 U.S./$16.95 CAN./£7.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 2431

Deck of Encounters, Set 2An AD&D® game accessoryby Bittner, Morris, Riegel, and PrusaOver 400 all-new and exciting encounters with

monsters or NPCs are ready for the DM to use�with just the flip of a card.$20.00 U.S./$28.00 CAN./£14.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 9443

Player�s Gaming ScreensAD&D® game accessoriesby TSR staffAt last, gaming screens for players too. The

Fighter�s, Wizard�s, Thief�s, and Priest�s Screensspeed up play by making the most frequentlyused character information instantly accessible.Each screen is for sale separately.$6.95. U.S./$8.95 CAN./£4.50 U.K.

The Chaos CurseThe Cleric Quintet, Book Fiveby R. A. SalvatoreIn the exciting conclusion to the series, Cad-

derly finds his life shattered upon his return tothe Edificant Library. The life of his companion,Danica, hangs in the balance as Cadderly strivesto end the chaos curse.$4.95 U.S./$5.95 CAN./£4.99 U.K.TSR Product No.: 8544

Coming next month. . .DRAGON® Magazine #207

Cover art by Dan FrazierThis issue�s theme is Magical Items and

includes:* A collection of ordinary objects to make

treasure extraordinary.* A �Bazaar of the Bizarre� featuring

legendary Celtic magical items.* A hoard of treasures mundane and

magical�treasures that all take the form ofpaper!

Plus all our regular columns and featuressuch as �Sage Advice," �Forum," and �Conven-tion Calendar," and another MYSTARA�article from Jeff Grubb.$3.95 U.S./$4.95 CAN./£1.95 U.K.TSR Product No.: 8111-07

DUNGEON® Adventures #48Cover art by Peter Clarke* �To Bite the Moon� (AD&D® game; levels

9-12) by Lisa Smedman.* �The Oracle at Sumbar� (AD&D; 3-6) by

Paul Culotta.* �The Sleeping Dragon� (An AD&D Coun-

cil of Wyrms adventure; 6-8) by Bill �Spellmy name right� Slavicsek.

* �Melody� (AD&D; 6-8) by Leonard &Ann Wilson.

* �Them Apples� (D&D® game; 1-3) byChristopher Perkins

* The adventure index of DUNGEONissues #37-48; over 60 adventures arrangedand accessible.$3.95 U.S./$4.95 CAN./£1.95 U.K.TSR Product No.: 8198-07

Unless otherwise noted:® designates registered trademarks owned by TSR,Inc.™ designates trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.©1994 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.