Magazine

Issue #126Vol. XII, No. 5October 1987

PublisherMike Cook

EditorRoger E. Moore

Assistant editorRobin Jenkins

Fiction editorPatrick L. Price

Editorial assistantsEileen Lucas Barbara G. Young

Georgia Moore

Art directorRoger Raupp

Marilyn FavaroProduction Staff

Gloria HabrigaColleen O�Malley

SubscriptionsPat Schulz

AdvertisingMary Parkinson

Ed GreenwoodCreative editors

Jeff Grubb

Daniel HorneRichard BennettClyde Caldwell

Larry ElmoreDwain MeyerBob Muleady

David TrampierValerie Valusek

Contributing artistsGeorge BarrPeter Botsis

Jeff EasleyFrancis Mao

Kyle MillerRichard Pillsbury

Lawrence RaimondaKen Widing

Marvel Bullpen

2 OCTOBER 1987

15 The Dead of Night:

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Not even the grave can keep some people down.

Hearts of Darkness � Tom MoldvayVampires are everywhere � you can Count on it.

Dead on Target � David HoweryYou�ll need more than a silver dagger against the enemies of the living.

A Touch of Evil � Vince Garcia31-derful flavors of terror from beyond the grave.

OTHER FEATURES8

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Role-playing Reviews � Ken RolstonFantasy campaign supplements: lands of the living and the dead.

The Game Wizards � Steve WinterThe second-edition AD&D® game, from the editor�s viewpoint.

The Ecology of the Shade � Dan SalasLife without death, death without life, forever.

Well Bottled at Slab�s � John Gregory BetancourtOur second visit to a remarkably . . . spirited tavern.

Bazaar of the Bizarre � Gregory W. DetwilerA strange and wonderful assortment of Oriental Adventures treasures.

A Ghastly Grimoire � Dean ShomshakWalking statues, earthquakes, the Yellow Sign, and the CALL OF CTHULHU® game.

The Dragon�s Bestiary � John M. MaxstadtIt�s mutant round-up time in the lands of the GAMMA WORLD® game.

There Are Ways of Making You Talk. . . . � Kevin MarzahlThe TOP SECRET® game�s contact system: Reach out and interrogate someone.

The Marvel®-Phile � Jeff GrubbDrac is back! The unliving world of Marvel Universe® vampires.

A Marvel® Monster-Phile � Douglas LentThree old friends from the Halloween crew come to visit.

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The Role of Computers � Hartley and Patricia LesserThe computer column goes monthly � and there�s more news to come!

Gamers� Choice Awards 1987 � The editors

The Wormy Puzzle � TrampOur favorite dragon celebrates his 101st �Wormy� issue!

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS

DEPARTMENTS3 Letters 88 Index to Advertisers 95 Snarfquest4 World Gamers Guide 90 Gamers Guide 98 Dragonmirth6 Forum 92 Convention Calendar 102 Wormy

12 Sage Advice

COVERDaniel Horne said the scene on his cover painting �takes place on a frozen

tundra. The sun is setting, the hoar frost is glittering like thousands of pieces ofbroken glass.� A ranger in the service of the High King has just been attacked bythe undead remains of one of her old opponents � a frost giant who has waited along time for this moment of revenge. Having lost her sword and used up hernormal arrows, the ranger has a single elven arrow left � from which comes thepainting�s name: �Saving the Best for Last.�

Where�s the PBM?Dear Dragon:

I want to ask if you could send me the namesand addresses of SF and fantasy gaming systemsthat can be played through the mail. A friend ofmine recommended your magazine to me whenI told her of my great need to find a sci-fi gam-ing system played by mail. She said your maga-zine had such places listed. However, since Ican�t find a copy of the magazine, I wrote inhopes that you could help me get in touch withsuch mail-gaming systems.

Squire Jim G. StylesPost Falls ID

Though DRAGON® Magazine does not coverplay-by-mail games very often, there are severalother magazines that do. If you want to learnmore about PBM games, write to: Paper Mayhem1518 Adams Street, Ottawa IL 61350-4764; orGaming Universal, PO. Box 81573, Lincoln NE68501. These two magazines are devoted exclu-sively to PBM games, and it would be worthasking for subscription information from themif you cannot find other sources of information.

No news?Dear Dragon:

Why not include half a page or so devoted tothe latest news in the gaming world? I knowthat the mechanics of such a column would bedifficult to work out, since each issue is plannedfar in advance, but information like this wouldinterest many gamers. It seems like a lot of theother gaming magazines carry or used to carrysuch information, but DRAGON Magazine neverhas. I think that the gaming community has aright to know things. Try to create a shortcolumn discussing the headlines of the gamingworld; it would give a chance for those gamerswho do not attend conventions and who are notextremely close to any of the major companiesto learn some of the happenings within theirhobby.

Michael LachWest Chicago IL

We�ve been fairly good about covering TSR-related news in this magazine, but we haven�thad a lot to say about the rest of the industry �except for what�s mentioned in the advertise-ments, of course. A game-industry news columnis not a highly requested feature. If more inter-est in it develops, we may consider it. Anythoughts from the readers?

Mini-featuresDear Dragon:

This may sound odd, but one of my favoriteparts of issue #122 was an advertisement;specifically, the center pages showing the minia-tures from Citadel. I began collecting and paint-

ing miniatures even before learning to playD&D® games. In fact, miniatures got me inter-ested in the game. The Citadel ad reminded methat you used to have a feature that showcasedminiatures every month. Also, once a year, youused to show photographs of the winners of theGEN CON® Games Fair Miniatures Open. Isthere any chance that either of these two fea-tures will return to the DRAGON Magazine?

David HoweryDillon MT

When I was at the GEN CON 20 Games Fair, Iwas approached by several people who � likeDavid Howery � wanted to know if we wouldstart covering miniature figures again. This iscertainly a possibility; we would like to hearfrom you on this topic. Do you use miniatures inyour role-playing games? Would you like morecoverage of new releases, painting tips, andother miniatures-related topics? Write in andtell us.

Final frontiersDear Dragon:

I am a STAR FRONTIERS® game referee andenjoy the game immensely � that is, I did untilNovember, 1985, when Volume I of Zebulon�sGuide to Frontier Space was released. Don�t getme wrong � I loved Zebulon�s Guide and foundit an excellent expansion of the original rules.However, the new rules in the guide were notcomplete. Things like robots, spaceship rules,etc., were to be expanded and detailed in fur-ther volumes.

But in the two years since Volume I�s release,the follow-up volumes have not come out. WillZebulon�s Guide be continued, or will I have tomake up all those other rules on my own � orworse yet, will I have to switch to anothercompany�s sci-fi games?

Kevin ArmstrongCheshire, U.K.

As noted in the �Sage Advice� column in thisissue, TSR, Inc., has no further plans to publishmaterial on the STAR FRONTIERS game. How-ever, we have a number of articles left to run inthis magazine, and some of them may coverareas missing from earlier rules supplements.

Collectible copiesDear Dragon:

I own a number of old copies of DRAGONMagazine. All are in fair condition and I aminterested in what these issues are worth ascollectibles. Could you please send me a list ofwhat these issues are worth? Thank you verymuch for the help you can give me.

John Van ErpFolsom CA

(continued on page 59)

The games ofAugust

The GEN CON® 20 Games Fair isover, and a synopsis of my experi-ences at the convention follows � atleast, my more interesting experi-ences there:

Wednesday: Patrick Price, BarbaraYoung, and I arrive at MECCA andset up the magazines booth in twohours flat. Barbara then leaves tobuy her entire fall wardrobe, Patgoes home to read, and I wander theconvention hall. I meet some peoplefrom Austin, Texas, who I�d previ-ously met through a science-fictionBBS based in that city, and I alsomeet some familiar faces fromGames Workshop, Ral Partha, andother companies as they set up.Later that evening, I go out withsome friends from TSR to a Chineserestaurant, and during a lull in theconversation, I cheerfully suggestthat we find a place to have a D&D®game. Barbara kicks me in the kneewhile everyone laughs and immedi-ately forgets what I said.

Thursday: Thursday has a badmoment when a small girl falls onan escalator and requires about 30stitches. Barbara and I run ourDUNGEON� Adventures seminar, Imeet more familiar faces, and gamedesigners from several companiesrun the �Dungeons & Refuseniks�seminar on life as it actually is insidea game company. The people fromR. Talsorian Games (who make theTEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE�game) reveal that they have devel-oped a one-shot Goop Gun (morelike a medium bazooka) for useagainst their own office personnel.Everyone turns green with envy.�Do we have anything like that touse on our game designers?� a TSRco-worker whispers to me. Threepeople come by the magazines boothlooking for Bruce Heard, our acqui-sitions man. Business is good.

Finally, after a long first day, thegroup I�m with decides to run off tosee the Safe House, a Milwaukee barwith an espionage theme (secretdoors, checkpoints, a telephone-booth exit, etc.). I don�t drink, butthe bar sounds like it would beinteresting to see anyway. When thewaiter arrives, I order a glass ofmilk. The waiter looks at methoughtfully. �Would you like yourmilk warm?� he asks.

(continued on page 54)

D R A G O N 3

The World Gamers GuideIf you live outside the continental United

States and Canada, you can be included inthe World Gamers Guide by sending yourname and full address (carefully printed ortyped, please), plus your gaming prefer-ences, to: World Gamers Guide, DRAGON®Magazine. P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI53147, United States of America.

The World Gamers Guide is intended forthe benefit of gamers who would like tocontact other game-players around theworld, to share their interests in gamingthrough correspondence. Each eligible nameand address that we receive is published inthree consecutive issues of DRAGON Maga-

Sean Riley(AD,CW,MSH,P,T,TN)

9 Marina DriveMt. Clear 3350Ballarat, VictoriaAUSTRALIA

Jeff Johnson (AD,DD)SPDC Ext. NordB.P. 31MarouaCAMEROON

Svaerd & Trolddom RPG Society)(AD,DD)

Maagevej 24295StenlilleDENMARK

Fanaat [gaming club](AD,DD,T,RM)

VrijhofUniversiteit TwentePostbus 2177500 AE EnschedeNETHERLANDS

zine. To be listed for more than three issues,you must send us another postcard or letter.Overseas American military personnel mayalso be listed herein.

When listing gaming preferences, writeout the complete title of the games you mostenjoy. For the purposes of this column, theabbreviations listed below are used.

AD: AD&D® gameBT: BATTLETECH® gameCW: CAR WARS® gameDC: DC� HEROES gameDD: D&D® gameGW: GAMMA WORLD® game

Wade Phillips (AD,DD,T,RQ)P.O. Box 860Kaunakakai, Molokai, Hawaii

96748UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Robin Sokolowski(BT,MSH,OA,SF,TS,T2000,T2300)

Siedlung Strasse 156799 LiebsthalWEST GERMANY

Michael L. Madsen (AD,DD,OA)1st Trans. CompanyBox 833APO NY 09696UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Raymond Sison(AD,DC,DD,GW,MSH,OA,RT,SF,TS)

155-B North Domingo StreetSan Juan, Metro ManilaPHILIPPINES

Hedron Gaming Society(AD,BT,DD,GW,MSH,OA,RC,RT,SF,TS)

42-B Matiwasay St. U.P. VillageDilliman Quezon CityPHILIPPINES

MSH: MARVEL SUPER HEROES� gameOA: AD&D Oriental Adventures systemP: PARANOIATM gameRC: RECON® gameRM: ROLEMASTER� gameRQ: RUNEQUEST® gameRT: ROBOTECH® gameSF: STAR FRONTIERS® gameT: TRAVELLER® gameTN: TOON® gameTS: TOP SECRET® gameT2000: TWILIGHT 2000� gameT2300: TRAVELLER: 2300� gameVV: VILLAINS & VIGILANTES� game

Selcuk Gozubuyuk (AD)Cumhuriyet Cad.No. 13, Duygu Apt.Kat 4, Kucukyali81570 IstanbulTURKEY

Gil Shenberg (AD)26 Hafetz-HayimRaanana 43339ISRAEL

Evan Dembskey24 Vincent RoadRosetenville-eastJohannesburg 2140TransvaalSOUTH AFRICA

Club de Ciencia Ficcion �UBIK�(DD,SF,T2000,VV)

Universidad Simon BolivarDireccion de Desarrollo

EstudiantilSeccion de Actividades y

Organizaciones EstudiantilesCasa del EstudianteSartenejas-Baruta, Estado MirandaApartado Postal No. 80659VENEZUELA

DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is published monthly by TSR, Inc. The mailing address for all material except subscription orders is DRAGON Magazine, P.O.Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147; the business telephone number is (414) 248-3625. DRAGON Magazine is available at hobby stores and bookstores throughout theUnited States and Canada, and through a limited number of overseas outlets. Subscription rates via second-class mail are as follows: $30 in U.S. funds for 1 year (12issues) sent to an address in the U.S. or Canada, $50 for 12 issues sent by surface mail to any other address, and $90 for 12 issues sent airmail to any other address,Payment in full must accompany all subscription orders. Methods of payment include checks or money orders made payable to TSR, Inc., or charges to validMasterCard or VISA credit cards. Send subscription orders with payments to: TSR, Inc. PO. Box 72089, Chicago IL 60690. A limited quantity of back issues areavailable from the TSR mail order department, PO. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147. For a copy of the current catalog listing available back issues, write to the mailorder department at the above address. The issue of expiration of each subscription is printed on the mailing label for each subscriber’s copy of the magazine,Changes of address for the delivery of subscription copies must be received at least six weeks prior to the effective date of the change in order to assure uninterrupteddelivery. All material published in DRAGON Magazine becomes the exclusive property of the publisher, unless special arrangements to the contrary are made prior topublication. DRAGON Magazine welcomes unsolicited submissions of written material and artwork; however, no responsibility for such submissions can be assumed bythe publisher in any event. Any submission accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published.

DRAGON is a registered trademark for the monthly adventure role-playing aid published by TSR, Inc. All rights to the contents of this publication are reserved, andnothing may be reproduced from it in whole or in part without first obtaining permission in writing from the publisher. Copyright ©1987 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

AD&D, ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, ADVANCED D&D, AMAZING, BOOT HILL, D&D, DRAGONLANCE, DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, FIEND FOLIO,GAMMA WORLD, TOP SECRET, STAR FRONTIERS, and TSR are registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. GEN CON is a service mark owned by TSR, Inc. ARES,BATTLESYSTEM, BLACKMOOR, DEITIES & DEMIGODS, DRAGONCHESS, DRAGONQUEST, DUNGEON, FORGOTTEN REALMS, GANGBUSTERS, GREYHAWK,POLYHEDRON, RPGA, TOP SECRET/S.I., WORLD OF GREYHAWK, and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. ©1987 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Marvel and all Marvel character names and likenesses are trademarks of the Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. and are used under license. Copyright ©1987 MarvelEntertainment Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Second-class postage paid at Lake Geneva, Wis., and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send address changes to TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI53147. USPS 318-790, ISSN 0279-6848.

4 OCTOBER 1987

DRAGON 5

Regarding Mr. Gilpatric�s letter in the Forum,DRAGON@ issue #122, suggesting a computersystem to provide back-issue articles: I would bein support of a TSR computer system. (SteveJackson Games has one, and, according to theirnewsletters, it�s very popular.) It could have a�bulletin board� subsystem which garners coulduse to discuss mutual problems with monsters,treasures, settings, PCs, NPCs, DMs, etc. Staffpeople could clarify rules once every few weeksin the manner of the irregular �Sage Advice�column. Customers could even place credit-cardorders with the Mail Order Hobby Shop. How-ever, if a back-issue article database were to beadded to the system, it would require a massiveoutlay of capital for the storage systems. I�llassume a guesswork average of 65 pages ofarticles per issue from issue #1 to date. (Mycollection only goes back to issue #70.) If thisestimate is correct, the 123 issues published todate would have almost 8,000 pages of material.With 2.5 single-spaced 80-column typed pagesrequired to fill one page of the magazine, thecomputer database would have to hold nearly20,000 pages of information. A single microcom-puter hard disk would not have enough space tostore all of the back-issue articles.

Robert KelkOttawa, Ontario

ability to send or receive ASCII (AmericanStandard Coding for Information Interchange)characters. If so, modem-to-modem between thetypesetter and the PC, then edit the documentson the PC (with a public-domain word proces-sor) for readability. If your typesetter cannotsend data to another system, call around to thevarious type houses and ask if they have aShaffstall system. It�s quite an elegant piece ofhardware that can read virtually any diskformat and convert it to another. If your articleshave already been deleted from disk, you�re upa creek. Hire a high-school kid at minimumwage to type them in.

So far, you�ve invested approximately $3,000for the computer, hard drive, and software.Now comes the marketing. Sell subscriptions at$10 per year, using Mr. Gilpatric�s idea of a half-hour per day maximum connect time. Allowdownloads to be free (i.e., they won�t reducetime on the system). Now flesh out the BBS byadding games, message services (consider a BBSD&D® game, a popular concept among someboards here in Columbus), and the like. Is itpossible that there are 300 DRAGON Magazinereaders with computers and modems? I have nodata, but I�m willing to assume that the sub-group containing D&D game players and thesub-group containing computer hackers do tendto merge quite a bit. And remember: The sec-ond year is free of any hardware and softwareexpense. At the most, you�d have the minimalexpense of data conversion from typesetting toPC each month.

I read with interest Scott Gilpatric�s commentin issue #122�s Forum. Mr. Gilpatric is correct inthat a modem service (electronic bulletin-board)system, or BBS) containing articles from pastissues of DRAGON Magazine would be invalu-able and possibly profitable for TSR. He isincorrect that it would be expensive to set up �at least, relatively speaking.

Optimally, you could run the service on anyIBM-compatible computer, preferably with 640KRAM for maximum options. There area large number of IBM-compatibles available,some priced at well under $1000. Start with a monochrome monitor, 20-megabyte hard-diskdrive, and internal modem card, preferably onecapable of running 2400 baud (translatingroughly to the capability of transmitting 300characters per second). If it is necessary to keepcosts down, at the minimum, a modem able torun 1200 baud (or 150 character per secondtransmission/reception speed) is advised.

Software for running the service is availablein the public domain or as shareware (a conceptin which private users pay for the software ifthey feel it's useful, and businesses pay a licens-ing fee, the costs being ridiculously low). Theonly other expense is the phone line (it reallyshould have its own) and the cost of getting thedata into the system.

Your typesetting department has probablystored all the articles on disk at one time oranother in order to output the type. I wouldhope they still have the data on disk, but it isquite probable that they have already deletedsome. If the articles are still available in elec-tronic form, it is no hard matter to convertthem to files on a PC. Depending on your type-setter's front-end configuration, it may have the

6 October 1987

The last bit is somewhat stickier; you nowneed someone to run it. Don�t tell me there isn�tat least one computer hacker at TSR, Inc., whowould be willing to run a BBS? Running a boardstarts out as fun. It can become boring at times,but that�s not until it�s running smoothly. Andmany of today�s public domain BBS programsmake system operation a breeze, with automaticfunctions that previously required a lot ofhuman-interactive time.

Please do consider this proposal. Everyonewould win. We�d get a sound article base, andyou�d get not only income, but much good will.

Michael SawczynColumbus OH

I have one or two comments and correctionsconcerning �Marshalling the Martial Arts� inissue #l22. Aikido is listed as unarmed combatonly. In fact, aikido training classically includeswork with knife, sword, and staff. Aikido has itsmain roots in daito-ryu, which included not onlyju-jutsu, but also swordsmanship and iai. Iwould also add that a major distinction aikidoenjoys is work against multiple opponents; thisis a required part of black-belt exams, and alsobrown-belt exams in some dojos. (In fact, Irequire it of blue belts in my own dojo.)

A problem I have in general with includingunarmed combat vs. weapons is that historical-ly, it was extremely uncommon. Sure, someaccomplished martial artists have defeatedattackers with weapons, but only when the

attackers were relatively untrained, or (as a lastresort) when a weapon was unavailable. Duringthe eras of classic weaponry, every martial-artsschool included weapons work. Only an idiotwould choose to fight bare-handed against asword if anything else was available. In Okina-wa and other places, when swords, spears, andclassic weapons were made illegal by a foreignruling class, martial arts schools came to special-ize in unarmed skills along with staff, nuncha-ku, etc. But this was not out of choice.

In Japan, martial arts were classically taughtin ryu, or schools, that generally-included workwith several weapons, as well as with strategy,artillery use, and other military skills. In aikido,for instance, the same principles would betaught for staff, sword, and unarmed combat.(And the staff could be easily adapted to spearfighting.) For instance, the principle of matsu, orpine, is taken from the shape of the pine needle.A needle facing you is an extremely difficulttarget to hit. The principle of matsu is applied toa particular body stance, to a way of turning thehips in avoiding an attack, to holding a sword orstaff in a way that covers you from attack andalso threatens the opponent, and to a style ofthrusting or cutting with hand or weapon whilesimultaneously stepping to the side of an attack.

Bob FragerRedwood City CA

I read Dana Foley�s letter in issue #122 com-menting on my article �Surely, You Joust!� inissue #118 with much interest. Dana Foley�sremarks are a case in point of a person readingtoo much into an article. My purpose in describ-ing the combat between Allycia and Scud was toprovide an example of how a joust can be con-ducted using the full range of jousting modi-fiers, not to present the life stories of Scud andAllycia, so I used a minimum of backgrounddetail. The full tale of what happened afterAllycia defeated Scud was not pertinent to thejousting example, so I did not bother to elabo-rate a complete description of the future rela-tionship of the two characters. Also, Dana Foleyshould have read my article more carefully;otherwise, such incorrect conclusions would nothave been drawn from the joust described.

Allycia did not leave Scud unarmed and unar-mored in a �dangerous forest� as Foley described,but in the �countryside� as I had written. Assum-ing �countryside� must mean hazardous wildterrain leads Foley to conclude Allycia performedan unchivalrous act. The �countryside� could wellbe part of a civilized land and the bridge mightbe only walking distance from the nearest village.Had the joust indeed been fought in a �dangerousforest,� Allycia should immediately wonder whyScud is all alone in such dangerous land andwould immediately suspect a trap or ambush.Since Scud is just an ordinary fighter and not acavalier, it is unlikely that Scuds shield wouldbear a coat-of-arms familiar to Allycia, furtherreinforcing the idea that Allycia should not trustScuds professed intentions. Allycia�s party wouldprepare themselves to meet an attack from anydirection and use divination magic to determinewhat dangers the surrounding terrain mighthold. So a simple pass-at-arms instead looks like afull-blown battle to the death.

It makes no sense for Scud to choose to guarda bridge in a �dangerous forest.� Scud wouldnaturally pick a bridge that is safe and well-traveled, so that many knights would happen byfor Scud to challenge to a pass-at-arms. Scudmight well spend months waiting for a knight toshow up at a bridge in hazardous and little-traveled terrain.

(continued on page 56)

©1987 by Ken Rolston

Griffin IslandA RUNEQUEST® game campaign supple-

mentCreated and developed by Chaosium Inc.;

published by The Avalon Hill GameCompany $16.00

Authors: Rudy Kraft, Paul Jaquays, GregStafford, and Sandy Petersen

Cover: Steve PurcellInterior illustrations: Paul JaquaysEditing and production: Charlie Krank

UndeadA Role Aids� AD&D® game campaign

supplementMayfair Games Inc. $10.00Authors: Laurel Nicholson and John KeefeEditor: Jackie H. LeaperCover: Michael Whelan

8 OCTOBER 1987

Interior art and maps: Jeff Busch, TeannaByerts, Gerald O�Malley, and Jim Clouse

So, what�s first on your shopping listwhen you go looking for a campaignsupplement?

�Uh . it�s gotta be yuh know. .complete. . :�

Nope. The last thing in the world youwant is something complete. Way toomuch detail. Maybe you know one ofthose lost souls who can tell you the name,age, and weight of every person in hisfantasy city, or the three principle exportsof every one of his fantasy nations.

What you want is the illusion of com-pleteness. You want to feel like the wholecampaign worlds in there. But exhaustivedetail is no guarantee of that sense ofcompleteness � nor is it much of an indi-cation of how useful the package is goingto be. My mildew herds graze contentedly

on rich pastures of exhaustively detailedcampaign supplements in my deep, dampbasement.

�Naw. C�mon, you know what I mean.It�s gotta feel big. . . �

Yes, indeed. A quality campaign supple-ment has a sense of scope and grandeur.But sheer size may be a poor indicator ofits epic vision. Unfortunately, the first testwe game fans use to test campaign supple-ments for quality is heft.

�Hey, feel this! Hea-vy, man!�Another similar and slightly more

sophisticated test we make is to checkpage count.

�Wow! 144 pages, and only $10.�I will not pretend to be above such sim-

plistic evaluations. Poundage and pagecount still make a good first impression onme, even though experience has shownthat, more often than not, the more textyou get for your money, the less thoughtand skill into presenting it effectively.

In reviewing a number of quality cam-paign supplements, I�ve noticed a fewfeatures that support the illusion of grandscale without yielding the indigestible,intimidating bulk that unambitious designand clumsy presentation produces. We�llbe looking for these features in the cam-paign supplements in this months review.

Magazine-style layout and organi-zation: Chop the text up into manageablechunks-Organize material into marginalessays and sidebars for easy browsing andreference. Use captions under graphicsand illustrations. Highlight summaries andimportant material with contrasting type-faces, tints, boxes, and other graphictricks. This makes the product more�browse-able� as well as readable. Seldomdo we read a campaign supplement fromcover to cover. More often, we just thumbthrough, reading whatever catches ourattention.

But another reason I like this style ofpresentation is that it shows that someonehas thought about the organization of thetext and graphics. That doesn�t necessarilymean that the thinking has been particu-larly insightful, but it is better than findingendless columns of long paragraphs run-ning page after page without headings orany other hint of an outline structure.

Monologue and dialogue: One neatnarrative presentation trick is giving back-ground material in the voices of significantor incidental NPCs from the campaignsetting. In the hands of a skilled writer,these voices can serve as models for NPCs�presentations during game sessions. Littlebits of slang (references to �stunties� as acommon term for dwarves) and local color(�By Gods green teeth . . .�) give flavor to acampaign.

More importantly, giving backgroundmaterial to the players through statementsby self-interested locals presents the play-ers with an interesting puzzle. �Whyshould I trust this guy�s statements? Howdoes he know this information? Whatincentive does he have to mislead me?

How much does he really know, and howmuch is he making up?� Unreliable andbiased narrators giving conflictingaccounts of events and locales helps sup-port the illusion of a complex world ofincomplete knowledge and dubiousinformants. Here, the challenge is not inweaseling the truth out of the game mas-ter, but in teasing the truth from the col-lected and skeptically scrutinized reportsof local beggars, gossips, and sharpsters.

Campaign background accessibleby the players: What the game masterreally wants is a group of players who canimprovise characters out of the back-ground of the campaign � players whoknow the setting well enough that theycan stay in character in the campaignsetting during the session.

On the other hand, the game masterdoesn�t want the players to know every-thing about the campaign. Obviously, if theplayers read all the material on the myste-rious villains and study the campaignsample adventures, POOF! � there goesthe element of suspense. Since most cam-paign packs contain information that theplayers are not supposed to read, the poorplayers don�t get to read up on the cam-paign background. This is a sorry state ofaffairs.

The more material that can be madedirectly available to the players in pull-outs, maps, or player booklets, the better.Why should GMs be the only ones allowedthe pleasure of immersing himself in thecampaign background? Why not give theplayers something to play with?

Let�s look at two recent quality campaignsupplements.

Griffin IslandA bit of FRP history is in order before

we address Griffin Island. In 1981,Chaosium published a thick paperbackRUNEQUEST supplement called GriffinMountain, the first of a series of campaign/adventure supplements developing theRUNEQUEST game�s campaign world,Glorantha. A combination of the brilliantGloranthan campaign setting, superiorgraphic presentation, and excellent adven-ture materials made these materials thefinest, fantasy role-playing supplements oftheir era � perhaps of all time. When TheAvalon Hill Game Company purchased therights to publish the third-editionRUNEQUEST game, these classic campaignsupplements were allowed to go out ofprint.

Griffin Island is a revision of the 1981Griffin Mountain supplement. There arethree significant distinctions between theoriginal edition and the new edition:

1. The material has been adapted towork with the new RUNEQUEST game rules. Since the old RUNEQUEST game isno longer in print, this is an essentialelement of the revision.

2. The new supplement has been pub-lished in a box, permitting Chaosium topresent large portions of the campaign

material as player handouts. Nobody doescampaign-background player handouts aswellas Chaosium, and these are exception-ally good examples of their craft.

First, there is a 32�X 22� campaignmap of the island. The map has been cre-ated and annotated by a hero of GriffinIsland who disappeared under mysteriouscircumstances; it has fallen into the PCs�hands by coincidence. The map is more orless reliable, as are all good fantasy maps.Enigmatic notes have been scrawled bythe ancient hero: �Seven magic arrows topierce any magic in the High Place wherelizards live. Beware the Guardians.� Moreformal notes give brief but colorfuldescriptions of the major races and localesof the island and comments on their signif-icance. From these notes, it is immediatelyevident that the cultures and geography ofthe island have been given serious andinspired consideration.

Then, there are 28 pages of player hand-outs. Four four-page spreads describe thefour major city-states of the island, withmaps, a brief history, descriptions ofprominent persons and important places,floor plans of inns, and commentariesfrom local personages on significant top-ics. Another four-page spread describesthe religions of the islands. Other hand-outs include notes on the local barbarianculture, including information necessaryto create a player character from thisculture, and commentaries from variousisland personalities on significant topicssuch as dwarves, griffins, slarges, and theleaders and reputations of the various citystates. According to their differing back-grounds, the natives have varying opinionsconcerning these topics. For example,consider these comments on arcs:

�Monsters, one and all. None of them aregood. Kill every one of them, even thechildren and pregnant sows.�

�Cruel humans that have adapted frommountain-dwelling. They must have beencivilized once a long time ago, becausethey possess sorcery and metal tools. Butnow they are depraved and worthless!�

�All the time the humans become moreand more like the orcs. Or maybe it justgets harder personally for me to tell themapart.�

�There are two kinds of orcs, good onesand bad ones. Everyone hears storiesabout the bad ones, but there are actuallymany good ones, too, thank you.�

In the voices of these NPCs can be hearddistinct personalities and cultural prejudices.Since these voices have been written ashandouts for the players, rather than aschallenging roles for the GM to improvisefrom scattered notes during a busy adven-ture session, the voices become compact,accessible emblems of the larger campaign.

3. The new supplement is no longerspecifically tied to the Gloranthan uni-verse. It is now presented as an isolatedisland suitable for introduction into avariety of fantasy campaign settings.

I lament the demise of the Gloranthan

universe. Even if The Avalon Hill GameCompany were interested in publishingnew Gloranthan material, I�m not surethere is anyone to produce it. For betteror worse, Chaosium has moved on to newthings. The greatest tragedy is that the oldGloranthan supplements are out of printand likely to remain so. So, it is withresigned enthusiasm that I salute the adap-tation of the Gloranthan Griffin Mountainmaterial to more generic fantasy conven-tions. I mean, what would a fantasy cam-paign be without orcs?

Several classic encounters have beenomitted in the new adaptation. I particu-larly miss the Gloranthan giants -nowhere else in FRP supplements havegiants been so well presented. But the bestGloranthan material has been well-adaptedto a more generalized fantasy background,retaining most of the original charm andatmosphere. If divorcing Griffin Islandfrom its Gloranthan roots has made itmore accessible to other styles of FRPcampaign, earning this fine campaignsupplement a wider audience, then theadaptation is more than justified.

The campaign background material,game-master staging notes, minorencounters, and scenarios are exception-ally well-done. For the most part, theclassic setting and narrative values of theoriginal have been preserved or enhanced.

The city-states of the island are full ofpersonalities with colorful stories andadventures tied to them � for example, aprincess who rides giant hawks and herdoting father; an ancient, powerful, andevil sorcerer who rules a citadel populatedwith cruel, disgusting, slave-trading orcs;and, rulers who make a habit of interview-ing all foreign visitors (a wonderful ration-ale for involving the PCs in role-playingencounters with eccentric and dangerousmajor NPCs). The wilderness areas areprovided with lovely encounters, tombs,semi-civilized monsters, and sites ofobscure magical significance.

The best things about the scenarioresources are their brevity and variety -perfect for an evening�s entertainment,easily reviewed and understood by theGM, with good maps and simple textdescriptions. GMs accustomed to D&D®-game-style adventures may think thescenarios rather skimpy on first glance,but RUNEQUEST games encourage a dif-ferent pace of fantasy role-playing. Theplayers and GM are provided with ampleimprovisational resources in the campaignbackground, the NPCs are typically well-developed (and worth a good, long chat),and RUNEQUEST game combat is a ratherinvolved, time-consuming affair. Gatheringrumors in a tavern, traveling through thewilderness, encountering a few creaturesand natives, and investigating two or threerooms of an ancient chieftain�s tomb willprovide more than enough entertainmentfor an evening�s role-playing.

Remember what we were saying aboutmagazine-style layout? Chaosium�s writers

D R A G O N 9

and graphic designers are masters in theuse of typography and graphic elements toclarify the text�s organizational structure,which improves readability and ease ofreference. One thing that may bothernovice RUNEQUEST game players is thevolume of space taken up by RUNEQUESTgame NPC and monster statistics � some-times 50% or more of the text of a sce-nario treatment. Believe me � thosedetailed statistics are necessary for meleeand magical combats, and are a major painfor the GM to work up on his own.

The maps of the city-states and adven-ture sites, and the diagrams of the tavernfloor plans are visually appealing andutilitarian. The black-and-white 34� X 22�map is not wall-hanging material, but it isjust right for its game purpose. The illus-trations are not exceptional, but are cer-tainly serviceable. The overall look is acouple of steps off the pace of the classicGloranthan supplements, but still, despitethe absence of NPC portraits, stylishlyrendered illustrations, and color maps andgraphics, it compares favorably with othercontemporary products.

Summary evaluation: The excellentpresentation of the player handoutsenhances the already superior quality ofthe campaign and adventure material, andfine presentation of the original GriffinMountain. As the only representative of aclassic line of campaign supplements stillin print, Griffin Island is an essential partof any fantasy role-player�s library.Newcomers to Chaosium�s campaign-supplement presentation wizardry willmarvel at its excellence. Old fans of theout-of-print Gloranthan supplements mustresist nostalgic comparisons with the goodold days and recognize Griffin Island forwhat it is: the best contemporary fantasycampaign supplement.

UndeadI admit, I was a bit surprised at how

good this supplement turned out. Fromthe title, I envisioned an encyclopedictreatment of the standard undead types ofmost FRP games � skeletons, zombies,vampires, liches, and so on � with a cou-ple of standard scenarios in which undeadlords hide down in deep dungeons, guard-ed by scads of dead guys, daring boldadventurers to come in after them.

And from Mayfair, I had only modestexpectations. Actually, the only Role AidsAD&D game supplements I�ve given morethan a cursory glance � Cory Glaberson�sDragons and Laurel Nicholson�s UnderElven Banners � I rather liked. But wordof mouth about Mayfair FRP game supple-ments hadn�t been too promising.

The campaign setting is the Verdaiseregion, on the floor of a vast caldera, 40 x15 miles in area. The local kingpins arefive Lichlords in the service of the evil godDierguth. This peachy deity, whenangered at some presumptuous Elgaarddwarves, blew them and their mountainhome sky-high in a volcanic extravaganza,

10 OCTOBER 1987

leaving the deep, bowl-shaped land ofvolcanoes, molten lakes, and lava tunnelsthat the Lichlords call home.

In no time, those nice Lichlords hadnifty undead legions boiling over the rimsof the caldera, spilling out over the neigh-boring lands, having a jolly time conquer-ing their neighbors and recruiting thevictims willy-nilly. A tough bunch of 200dwarven freedom fighters, undaunted bythe dramatic removal of several hundredsquare miles of their native mountainrange, have slipped back into Verdaise andcrawled into the lava tunnels, vowing tosomeday reclaim their homeland from theoccupying dead guys.

The volcanic terrain on the floor of thecaldera, with its lava waterfalls, 50�-highash dunes, and bubbling lakes, makes aunique and colorful campaign setting. Thedead guys are nicely rendered. The discus-sion of undead unit tactics is pretty con-vincing � the big undead NPCs arecharmingly ghastly � and there are someswell original spells, magical items, mon-sters, and grand sorcerous rituals that arespecially tailored to the atmosphere andgaming elements of a campaign focusingon the undead. For example, there is ahandy Mask of the Dead which restorescharacter levels lost to those pesky level-draining wraiths. The ritual for creatingthis device is given; if the ritual goeswrong, a Flame Zombie is produced � adelightfully gruesome dead guy wreathedin flames, but cold as ice. Another charm-ing set of monsters are the Children ofPnogwyn, a horde of undead children whodied in a plague, and now search vengeful-ly for the adults who abandoned them.

The adventure is fairly linear, andthere�s quite a bit of dragging-around-by-the-nose, but this supplement is a goodexample of the genre. There are plenty ofstaging hints for hamming up the presen-tation, and plenty of resources for keepingthe action moving and the players busysolving problems, parlaying with NPCs,and bashing dead guys. The final set piecereally won my admiration. I won�t spoil itby describing it, but I�d love to see thefaces on the players as the game mastersprings it on them.

The graphic presentation is excellent.Talk about magazine-style layout � this isa real pleasure to browse through. Thebook is printed throughout in two colors,dark blue and gold, and the effectsachieved are pretty decent. The illustra-tions support the macabre, brooding toneof the campaign. The maps are generouslyprovided, well-detailed, and professionallykeyed. The layout clearly indicates thetext�s structure and encourages browsingby breaking the material into lots of con-venient descriptions and essays. Thewhole graphic design is both attractiveand utilitarian. The package even has areference index � a lamentably rare fea-ture, given that campaign supplements aresupposed to be designed as referenceworks.

As for providing campaign backgroundin the voice of NPCs from the setting,Undead has some pretty nice bits. BecauseUndead is a glue-bound book, it can�tprovide player handouts, but it does thenext best thing � there are numeroussections designed to be read aloud to theplayers. Read-alouds can be pretty flat, butthese are generally well-written with goodstage directions. Note particularly thespeeches of the special NPCs in the back ofthe book; these give some pretty grimaccounts of encounters with some ofVerdaise�s exotic undeads.

Unfortunately, the weakest part of thepresentation is the title and the cover.Mayfair�s practice of purchasing rights topreviously published art by well-knownfantasy artists does guarantee that the artwill be at least tolerably well-rendered,but it also guarantees that the cover willpoorly represent the contents of theproduct. Likewise, the title does little tosuggest the distinctive virtues of this cam-paign supplement.

Summary evaluation: This is a quali-ty AD&D game campaign supplement,comparable to some of TSR�s better sup-plements. The setting is imaginative andfantastic; the dead guys are grim andmenacing; there are plenty of neat newmagics and monsters; and the adventure,while a bit contrived and manipulative,has some nice bits. The unusual two-colorprinting looks smart, and the graphicdesign is first-class. Nicholson and compa-ny have done a commendable job inadvancing the reputation of Mayfair�smodules.

Short and sweetRobin Hood�: The Role-Playing Cam-

paign, by Graham Staplehurst. ICE, $15.00.Role-playing in medieval England underthe yoke of the Norman conquerors . . .well, the medieval part is all right �there�s lots of nice stuff here about medi-eval history, legends, and daily life � butit�s not particularly exciting to those usedto fantasy adventuring with lots of magicand monsters and evil sorcerers and stuff.The encounters and adventures are prettygood � recommended, even � but thehistory and geography are pretty dryreading and are not well-staged as ele-ments in adventures or campaigns.

Game masters running fantasy or histor-ical campaigns with a strong, medievalEnglish flavor should find this a usefulsourcebook, but Robin Hood doesn�tpresent a very convincing setting for arole-playing campaign.

Who Watches the Watchmen? by DanGreenberg. Mayfair, $7.00. This DC�HEROES adventure is based on the first-rate comic-book series, The Watchmen.The series features striking antiheroiccharacters and an intriguing setting � analternate history in which the Keene Actoutlaws costumed crusaders.

If this were a Watchman source pack, itwould be pretty interesting. Unfortu-nately, it�s not � it�s just an adventure, andone with a rather thin plot. Worse yet, it�sset in the period before the Keene Actmakes being a costumed hero illegal, elimi-nating one of the most interesting ele-ments of the Watchman setting. You playthe early Watchmen � homemade charac-ters from your own campaign can�t beused � and it�s hard to imagine wanting toplay these characters in an extended cam-paign. I suspect this project suffered fromthe problems that plague many licensedproducts. In such situations, designers areoften encumbered by restrictions imposedby the established plotlines and characteri-zations. In this case, I recommend youread the comic series and skip thelicensed, role-playing adventure.

The Desert of Desolation, by Tracy andLaura Hickman, and Phillip Meyers; addi-tional design and revision by Peter Riceand William John Wheeler. TSR, Inc.,$15.00. Like Griffin Island, this is a revi-sion of a classic FRP game supplement: the13, 14, and 15 AD&D game modules. TracyHickman, best known for his Ravenloftseries and DRAGONLANCE® saga work, isa first-rate designer, and these modulesare exceptional examples of the modulegenre. Rice and Wheeler, as part of theCompanions design team, used some origi-

nal and effective presentation techniquesin their own privately published modulesseveral years ago.

In this revision, some additional back-ground material has been added, alongwith substantial staging tips for DMs. Theoriginal modules were nifty dungeons,with lots of puzzles, monsters, and color-ful encounters. There are some nice newmaps � particularly the isometric map ofthe tomb of Amun-Re � and some cute,bogus ancient inscriptions for the playersto decipher.

It�s hea- vy, man � but a bit too heavy formy taste. A 128-page module, denselypacked with information, built around avery linear narrative, and consisting, forthe most part, of dungeon crawls � well,it makes slow going, and the writing styleof the revision is pretty wordy. The old-fashioned module-model of graphic designdoesn�t help the pacing and readability,particularly in comparison with themagazine-style presentations of GriffinIsland and Undead discussed above.

The original 13-15 modules were prettyexciting in their time. In this revised ver-sion, they still count as classic AD&D gameadventures. But exciting? I�m afraid not.

Shadows over Bögenhafen, by GraemeDavis, Jim Bambra, and Phil Gallagher.Games Workshop, $12.00. Now, here�ssomething exciting. This pack, continuing

the adventure begun in The Enemy Within(reviewed in issue #124), is even betterthan its predecessor. For starters, it�s gotlots of nice enclosures, particularly thecolor fold-out map of Bögenhafen and thecolor tactical map for the adventure�sgrand finale, along with graphically-appealing player handouts and GM mapsand references. And what a swell cover.

But that�s just the frothy moment afteryou pop the plastic. The real charm of thepack is in the text and the presentation ofthe adventure. This supplement effectivelyexploits the Cthulhu-style gothic horrorelements implied in WARHAMMER FANTASYROLEPLAY games. The atmosphere isbeautifully grim, the plot mysterious andfull of nifty twists, and the consequencesof the failure of the PCs to foil the plot are� well, they�re pretty spectacular. Oneparticularly fine section is the action at theBögenhofen Fair. Want to test yourselfagainst the carnival wrestling champion?Want the fortune teller to scry yourfuture? And don�t miss the fabulous ChaosMutant Goblin at Dr. Malthusius�s freakshow Zoocopeia.

Instead of jamming dozens of episodesand encounters into the pack, a few verygood episodes and encounters are well-staged and elaborately developed. And theillustrations and graphic presentation? In aword, Stunning. Are you following mehere? This is Good. Real Good.

DR A G O N 11

by Skip Williams

If you have any questions on the gamesproduced by TSR, Inc., write to:

Sage AdviceTSR, Inc.P.O. Box 509Lake Geneva WI 53147

This edition of Sage Advice focuses onquestions of an unusual nature � some ofthem quite odd, but all of them interesting.

Where can I get cardboard figuresfor use with fantasy role-playinggames?

TSR�s two Dragon Tiles fantasy play aidscontain cardboard figures. Their stocknumbers and titles are: 9121 Dragon Tiles1 and 9145 Dragon Tiles 2. Look for themat your local dealer. If you can�t find themlocally, you can order them through theTSR Mail Order Hobby Shop, PO. Box 756,Lake Geneva WI 53147.

I have a player who cheats � Ithink. He never misses a savingthrow, seldom misses with anattack, and never �mins out� by roll-ing low scores. Recently, he made a�successful� roll for divine interven-tion. Also, every character he bringsinto my game is loaded with moneyand magic that I don�t think heearned. What should I do?

Cheaters tend to spoil things for every-body. Try these solutions: Make sure youor at least two of your trustworthy play-ers witness every die roll the playermakes. This will virtually eliminate cheat-ing in that respect. You can fix the otherproblems by just putting your foot down.As DM, you decide if and when a deityshows up to help your PCs. Don�t let aplayer tell you otherwise. If you don�twant the deity to appear, it doesn�t. If youallow a die roll, roll the die yourself. Thesame holds true for treasure or magic: Ifyou think a character has too much ofeither, don�t allow it into the game, nomatter where the player says it came from� whether you believe him or not. Bustdoesn�t enter into this � only what youthink is reasonable. Remember: Your wordis law in your game. You should try to befair, consistent, and entertaining, but afterthat, what you say goes.

One of my players wants to have ababy; what should I do?

Your question had me momentarily

12 OCTOBER 1987

confused. If one of your players wanted tohave a baby, you, the DM, should be thelast person she should talk to.

I take it that you mean that one of yourplayers would like his or her player char-acter to have a baby � an event that cer-tainly requires the DM�s involvement. Isuggest that you handle it discreetly �off-stage.� There is no reason to play outhaving a baby; just assign a percentagechance each game month that the mothergets pregnant. The chance should neverbe higher than 36%; you can increase thechance slightly if one of the parents is anorc or half-orc, and you should decrease itif one of the parents is an elf of any type.

Once the mother is pregnant, you mustdetermine how long before the child isborn. The gestation period for humans isnine months. This is the proper period formost man-sized creatures. Gnomes andhalflings might require shorter lengths oftime. In nature, the length of gestationdepends on the birth weight of the baby,not on the lifespan of the species. Themother will have to refrain from adven-turing during the last half of the preg-nancy, and adventuring after the birth willbe difficult at best.

You may decide to introduce a few ran-dom factors such as a survival percentagefor mother or child, or the possibility of amiscarriage. You�re on your own there �just keep the chances small, if you usethem at all.

My male paladin wants to marry achaotic-evil lady magic-user. Is thisokay or does he have to marryanother (female) paladin?

This question is actually very complex.To answer it fully, we would have todefine marriage itself. This would requirea philosophical treatise of considerablelength. To keep things short, let�s make afew assumptions:

1. The marriage conforms to the West-ern definition of the term.

2. The paladin in question belongs to asect or church that allows its paladins toget married in the first place.

3. The paladin in question has not takensome kind of vow that might prevent himfrom holding up his half of the marriage.

Whether or not these assumptions arecorrect depends upon the circumstancesin your campaign. If they do apply, thereis no particular reason why your paladincan�t marry anyone he chooses. Remem-ber, however, that all paladins are strictlylawful good. They are likely to run into

trouble if they choose mates who are notalso lawful good. Indeed, marrying achaotic-evil character might actually causethe paladin to lose his paladinhood. Divingheadlong into a relationship with such anunpredictable spouse is a chaotic act, andpromising to support, shield, or even obeyan evil character suggests at least tacitapproval of the character�s beliefs andactivities, and is evil in itself.

On the other hand, it is possible forsome sects to place any number of restric-tions or requirements on their paladins�marriages. This is up to your DM. In theend, it is up to your DM to decide if amarriage is acceptable.

What does �TSR� stand for?TSR doesn�t really stand for anything,

any longer. The letters were taken fromthe initials of the parent company, TacticalStudies Rules. Tactical Studies Rules nolonger exists; only TSR, Inc. remains.

Will TSR publish my module?TSR works with published authors only.

If you haven�t been published, try thePOLYHEDRON� Newszine (if you�re anRPGA� Network member); or DUNGEON�Adventures. Be sure to write for guide-lines and send a query letter first.

I have two players who are alwaysgetting into arguments duringgames. They argue about rules, trea-sure splits, mapping � you name it.Needless to say, witnessing thesearguments is not fun for me or myother players. What should I do?

Players who argue a lot probablyshouldn�t play together. If this isn�t feasi-ble, start dealing with the problem beforethe game begins. Tell the players ahead oftime that you don�t want them to fight.

During the game, try to shut the playersup before an argument starts. Try to antic-ipate what the argument will be about,and make a ruling on it, then make bothplayers stick to it.

After the game, explain to the playersthat their fighting is spoiling the game foreveryone else. If the two players just don�tlike each other, they have to be made tounderstand that you � the DM � won�ttolerate personal arguments during thegame. When they argue about the rules,make them understand that you � the DM� make decisions about the rules.

How do you fight a black dragon?Spells don�t work on them, andthey�re made out of acid.

Black dragons are not made out of acid;they simply use an acid breath weapon.Spells affect dragons just as they affectother. monsters � if a dragon fails itssaving throw, the spell affects the dragon.Dragons are also vulnerable to weapons.

How long, in real time, does it takefor a character to reach 9th level?

The answer to this one depends on how

DRAGON 13

often you play, with whom you play, andwhether or not you are really followingthe rules. In some Lake Geneva campaigns,it would take you about a year to reach9th level if you played the same characteronce or twice a week.

I�m trying to locate two older TSRmodules, the solo modules M1 andM2. Where can I find them?

These two products may be obtained bygetting in touch with the Mail Order Hob-by Shop. Write to the address given in thefirst question in this column and ask forprices and a catalog.

How do you pronounce the word�myrmidon�?

Myrmidon is pronounced MUR-mi-don.The �ur� is sounded like the �ur� in cur orburr. The �mi� is like the �mi� in miss.

When will the next of your STARFRONTIERS® modules come out?How about Volume Ii of Zebulon�sGuide to Frontier Space?

There are currently no plans for moreSTAR FRONTIERS game products.

Will there be a D&D® boxed gameset or rules supplement coveringthe Old Ones?

There are no plans for any further D&Dboxed game sets or rules supplements.However, D&D Immortals Set modulesmight Cast some light on this subject infuture releases.

What happened to the D&D�cartoon?

The D&D cartoon was the victim of thenetwork�s annual program selection pro-cess. The network simply decided not torenew the cartoon for another year. If youwant to know more, write to the CBStelevision network.

What do I do if my players want tosplit up an adventuring group, sayto save game time (and spell dura-tion) when mapping a section ofdungeon? I've tried just alternatingbetween groups, but whenever onegroup meets a monster the othergroup rushes to join them.

There are a couple of ways to deal withthis. The first is to make the party staytogether � just say �no� when they wantto split up. The second is to play alongnormally, alternating between groups.This means only one group plays at a time,but at least they can watch each otherplay. If one group gets into trouble, thereis really nothing wrong with the othergroup rushing to the rescue � fantasyliterature is filled with nick-of-time res-cues. Or you can tell the other group thatthey don�t know the first group is in trou-ble, and are not allowed to come to therescue. They may think twice about split-ting up after they see half their partyslaughtered. Of course, smart players

14 OCTOBER 1987

might find a way to discover that theircomrades are in trouble; if it�s legitimate,let them help. Clever solutions to stickyproblems are part of role-playing games.

The third solution is to conduct eachgroup�s adventure in secret. This is theleast satisfactory because one group hasnothing to do while you DM the other �but it keeps the players from learningthings that they shouldn�t. The boredomthat the nonparticipating players suffermay discourage them from splitting up inthe future. It might also cause them to quityour game.

Running a D&D game requires you �the DM � to make difficult decisions suchas these. Ultimately, you must make themon your own.

What does �1d10� mean? Whatdoes �d%� mean?

�1dl0� means roll one 10-sided die.�5d10� means roll five 10-sided dice. Thatis, the number before the �d� is the num-ber of dice and the number after the �d�indicates the number of sides each die has.The abbreviation �d%� indicates percentiledice: that is, roll two ten-sided dice, read-ing one die as tens and one die as ones inorder to get a number between 1 and 100(00 = 100). The term �d%� is alsoexpressed as �d100!�

I�ve just moved and I can�t find anew campaign. I own a couple ofsolo adventures, but they don�tmatch the levels of my characters.

By any or all of the following:1. Try out TSR, Inc.'s solo modules and

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS®Adventure Gamebooks. You�ll probablyenjoy them, even if the characters in themare not the level that you wish to play.

2. Ask local book stores and hobby shopsthat carry TSR products to let you postnotices asking for a DM.

3. Consider placing a classified ad in alocal newspaper.

4. You might consider joining the RPGANetwork. The Network is a TSR-administered worldwide club of role-playing gamers. One of its services is tohelp get gamers together. Membershipinformation is obtainable from: RPGANetwork, PO. Box 509, Lake Geneva WI53147 (ATTN: Membership Director).

How can I find a store that sellsD&D games and accessories?

Look in, your local Yellow Pages (if youhaven�t already) under: Hobby; HobbyStores, Retail; or, Books. Your local libraryprobably has out-of-town phone directo-ries which will include yellow Pages fortowns near you.

What is a Sphere of Death?There is no object or item called the

�Sphere of Death.� The AD&D® game has amagical item called the sphere of annihila-tion, found in the DMG. In the D&DImmortals Set, the Sphere of Death is the

same as the Sphere of Entropy, one of thefive metaphysical Spheres that control allthings in the multiverse of the D&D game;the other spheres are Matter, Energy,Time, and Thought. See the D&D Mastersand D&D Immortals Sets for a more com-plete explanation.

What does �NSA� mean?�NSA� refers to swords, and means �No

Special Abilities.� In other words, thesword is unintelligent and does not havean ego or any extra powers.

Where can I find reusable hexsheets for making game maps?

The TSR Mail Order Hobby Shop sellslaminated sheets with 25mm hexes on oneside and 25mm squares on the other. Onecan draw on them with overhead projec-tor pens or other water-soluble markers,then wipe them clean for reuse. Thisproduct is called a laminated hex sheet; itsstock number is Z-10500, and it costs$5.00 per 21� x 34� sheet. This productis not in the catalog, but can be orderedby mail.

What is a murder hole?A murder hole is an opening in a ceiling,

usually in a fortification, from which adefender can attack an intruder with aspear or other long, stabbing weapon. It isvery hard to return an attack made from amurder hole. In the D&D game, a murderhole provides the attacker with full cover(-4 AC bonus). In the AD&D game, amurder hole provides 75% cover (+7defensive adjustment).

My players want to roll their owndice. Do I have to let them?

No. The DM is free to establish what-ever �table rules� he wishes. Most playerswill enjoy the game more, however, if theyare allowed to make their own die rolls. Ifyou are worried about cheating, you canstill allow players to make their own rollsbut require any roll to be witnessed by atleast two other players.

My regular D&D gaming group hasgrown to 12 players. Do you haveany suggestions on how to handleso large a group?

The key to handling any group of thatsize is organization. Make sure that youhave a summary of each character�s statis-tics, spells, and items at hand. This quick-reference material will eliminate delays.When a melee develops, ask each player inturn (using some form of PC initiativesystem or by simple round-robin selection)for his character�s actions. Don�t allow theplayers to speak out of turn. Using figuresto illustrate the party�s marching orderand each character�s position when meleesoccur will also help.

Can the DM also play in a role-playing game?

(continued on page 81)

Hearts ofD a r k n e s s

Vampires, from Dracula to Ch�ing Shih

by Tom Moldvay

The word �vampire� is derived from theSlavic word �vampir.� Indeed, vampirelegends are strong in the traditional folk-lore of all Slavic countries (Yugoslavia,Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, Poland, andRussia). The classic vampire legends, how-ever, come from the ancient Kingdom ofHungary and were probably created bythe Slavic minority of the country.

A vampire is a malign, animated corpsethat seeks nourishment and causes harmby sucking the blood of sleeping persons.The best known version of the vampirelegend adds several other traits:

1. A vampire operates only at night. Itmust sleep during the day, resting in acoffin which contains some of the soil inwhich it was originally buried. At best, avampire can exist for only a few minutesin direct sunlight before being destroyed.

2. A vampire cannot cross the thresholdof a dwelling unless first invited inside.Once it gains permission, it can return atnight at will.

3. A vampire cannot, by itself, crossrunning water (such as a stream or river).If one of the living provides assistance, itcan cross safely. A vampire also needsassistance to cross salt water.

4. A vampire can turn itself into a vam-pire bat. This trait is a fairly recent addi-tion to the vampire legend, since vampirebats are only found in the Caribbean Seaand South America. Many vampires haveother shape-shifting powers and can trans-form themselves into other animal shapes,especially those of wolves.

5. A vampire holds the allegiance ofcertain types of animals � especially thosewhich are malicious or love the night. Themost typical animals here are bats, wolves,and rats. Some vampires can even sum-mon these creatures to their aid. The mostpowerful vampires also have hereditaryhuman helpers; generations of families,even entire clans, may serve the samepowerful vampire, acting as its livingallies. (AD&D® game monsters with anaffinity for vampires include lamias, rak-shasas, stirges, and pseudo-vampires.)

6. A vampire has an aversion to certainplants (such as garlic), holy symbols (suchas the cross), and fragrances (such as holyincense). The more powerful vampires cantemporarily overcome their aversion (espe-cially if the will of the victim weakens).

7. A vampire can change into a mistlikeform which can seep through the tiniestcrack. In fact, this mist is usually the wayin which the vampire leaves its coffin,which is normally kept buried under-ground.

8. A vampire has supernatural strengthand agility. A normal human has nochance against it in combat. The strengthand dexterity of a vampire allow it toperform feats impossible to normalhumans, like climbing sheer surfaces orleaping across great distances.

9. At night, outside its coffin, a vampireis invulnerable to most attacks. Normalweapons, even bullets, have no effect onit. Some vampires, however, can beharmed by silver weapons or weaponsthat have been especially blessed.

10. A vampire cannot eat normal food.Its only nourishment is fresh blood. Atmost, a vampire can pretend to eat a fewcrumbs and sip a bit of wine. Even then,the food and drink will cause it pain.

11. A vampire is a soulless creature. Itthus casts no reflection in mirrors, nordoes it cast a shadow like living creatures.

12. A vampire is generally described asbeing exceedingly gaunt and lean, withdeathly pale skin. Most of the time, its skinis as cold as ice and radiates the chill ofthe grave. Occasionally, its skin growsfevered and burning, like a hot coal. Itseyes either glow with a hideous red lightor are icy blue-gray. The lips are rich andfull, and are the color of fresh blood. Avampire�s teeth are white and gleaming,with long, pointed canines. Its nails areusually long and pointed like talons. Thevampire initially smells unbearably fetidand rank, like the stench of a decomposingbody. As time goes on (and the vampire�sbody would normally have decayed tomere bones), the vampire merely smells abit stale and musty, like a closed room thatneeds airing. The stench of a vampire canbe temporarily suppressed and is strong-est just before it attacks.

13. Before feasting on a victim, a vam-pire has an aged, hollow look. After drain-ing a victim, the vampire looks youngerand somewhat bloated.

14. A vampire has strong hypnoticpowers and can use these powers to breakthe will of a victim. It is especially danger-ous to look into a vampire�s eyes. Themesmeric attraction often has a sexualbasis, and many vampires can more easilyhypnotize victims of the opposite sex(though only the blood, not the sex, of avictim is important to the vampire).

15. If so desired, a vampire can trans-form its victims into vampires, thusspreading the curse of the undead. Only aselect few of the victims become vampires;most victims merely die as a result ofbeing drained by the bite of a vampire.

16. A vampire can only be killed whileasleep in its coffin. There are three tradi-tional methods for slaying a vampire: drivea stake through its heart, cut off its head,or completely burn its body. Severing thehead and placing the remains in runningwater is said to be good, as is exposing thevampire to direct sunlight.

The usual wood from which the stakeshould be made is hawthorn or whi-tethorn. In Russian folklore, aspen ormaple is used. It is important to drive thestake right through the heart of a vampirein one single stroke. If it takes more thanone blow, the vampire can later return toits undead state.

Similarly, the vampire�s head should besevered in a single blow. The ideal weapon

to sever the head of a vampire is a sharp-ened spade used to dig graves. If at allpossible, the same shovel used to originallybury the vampire should be used todestroy it.

Cremation is a fairly universal method todestroy vampires. If vampires have nobody, they cannot roam as animatedcorpses. Considering how malign andpowerful vampires can be, it is probablybest to use several methods of executionsimultaneously just to be on the safe side.

Other vampire legendsThere are a number of other legends

which are not necessarily part of theclassic vampire myth. In Slavic folklore,the vampire and the werewolf are closelyrelated. In fact, the surest way to becomea vampire after death is to have been awerewolf in life. Another way to become avampire is to eat the flesh of an animalthat has been killed by a wolf (especially awerewolf in wolf form). The idea is thatthe wolf�s bite has spread the contagion.Not surprisingly, werewolves and vam-pires continue to be closely associated. Infact, the wolves summoned by a vampireare more likely to be werewolves thannormal wolves.

The connection between the werewolfand vampire can be used as the basis for asubplot in fantasy games. A party ofadventurers might manage to kill a were-wolf � only to be stalked, several dayslater, by a vampire (who is actually thewerewolf returned from the grave forrevenge).

In some legends, it is not only the bite ofthe vampire which is deadly � it is alsothe breath of the vampire, which is partic-ularly fetid and smells of rotting corpses.The breath also has another quality ofrotting corpses � it carries all sorts ofdiseases. Thus, in some countries, conta-gious diseases are thought to start withthe breath of a vampire.

In Chinese legend, the misty vampireform is also connected to those gaseousmarsh lights which are the basis for thewill-o�-the-wisp legends. Again, there is achain of logic that connects vampires todisease. Swamps are known both for theirheavy mists and the diseases they breed.Vampires must, therefore, breed diseasebecause of their misty form. In addition,vampires are bloodsuckers, as are mos-quitoes, which are similarly notorious forcarrying and transmitting disease.

Real vampires?Vampires are not merely a mythological

phenomenon. Throughout history, therehave been people who believed in thephysical existence of vampires. There are,in fact, numerous historical accounts ofthe alleged sighting and slaying of vam-pires. Most of the reports are second- orthird-hand, and should be viewed withsuspicion. Even so, the sheer number of�authentic� accounts have led some indi-viduals to speculate whether or not there

might be some real basis to the vampiremyths, Two of the more interesting expla-nations are those of �catalepsy� and the�psychic sponge.�

Catalepsy is a kind of trance-state whichis virtually identical with death. The bodilyfunctions are so reduced that there are nonoticeable vital signs. Before the advent ofmodern medical techniques, an examina-tion of a cataleptic, even by a skilled doc-tor, would have revealed no heartbeat orbreathing.

The condition of catalepsy in the pastcould easily lead to premature burials,since no form of embalming techniqueswere formerly used. No one knows forsure how common premature burials oncewere, but there is plenty of evidence forboth catalepsy and premature burials. Oneinvestigator, Dr. Franz Hartmann, collecteddetails of more than 700 cases of prema-ture burial. Most unfortunate victims ofpremature burial awoke in their coffinsand eventually suffocated, unable to breakout. But in some cases, panic gave thevictim superhuman strength. If the gravewas shallow or the ground especiallyloose, the victim was able to escape fromthe coffin.

In most cases, the victim had neverheard of catalepsy or premature burial.The dead were dead, and only corpseswere buried. The victim had been buried;he must therefore be dead. But the victimcould move and feel. Only vampires cameback from the dead with uncorruptedbodies. The logic was inescapable: Thevictim must be a vampire.

It�s easy to see how the victim, too, couldbelieve he was a vampire and would actexactly as a vampire was expected to act.The trauma of the premature burial couldeasily induce a kind of insanity in whichthe victim hallucinated changing shapes,having hypnotic powers, and growingyounger with each drink of blood. If thevictim continued to live by murderingpeople and drinking blood, the beliefwould be more strongly reinforced witheach new drink (blood has enough nutri-tional value that it could sustain a mini-mum level of life).

If a sane victim tried to return to hisfamily, the villagers would be likely totreat him as a vampire. In fact, in many ofthe historical accounts, the �vampire�looks and acts perfectly normal � exceptfor the fact that he had been buried sometime before. There are accounts of peoplereturning from the grave to take up life asnormal, even having children after theyhad supposedly died.

The catalepsy theory can provide aninteresting subplot, especially for lower-level adventures. What if the vampire thecharacters meet in a dungeon was actuallya victim of a premature burial whobelieved he was a vampire? The subplotallows for plenty of inventive role-playingby both the DM and the players. If thecharacters eventually discover the truthwithout killing the �vampire,� there could

D R A G O N 1 7

be the additional mission of trying toreturn the victim to his home and con-vince everyone that the poor fellow reallywasn�t a vampire.

A �psychic sponge� or �psychic vampire�is a more bizarre concept � a person whoappears to physically drain the energy ofother people. Psychic vampirism, accord-ing to some sources, is largely an uncon-scious psychic power. The individual reallydoesn�t know why everyone around himgrows pale and tired and seems to beconstantly ill while he keeps growingstronger.

If vital energy can actually be drained insome psychic way, then it could explainmany of the symptoms of supposed vam-pire victims. People in a village wheresuch a being lived would become pale andsickly for no apparent reason. After atime, the villagers might notice somethingwas wrong. If they dug up enough graves,by the laws of chance, one would be sureto contain a body that had not decom-posed at a normal rate. Here would be�proof� that a vampire was ravaging the

village.

Dracula: lord of vampiresThe most famous vampire, Dracula,

though familiar to most of us as a charac-ter in a novel, is based on stories about anactual historical individual. Dracula�s realname was Vlad Tepes. In A.D. 1431, thesame year that Vlad was born, his father(also named Vlad) was made a knight ofthe Order of the Dragon, a paramilitaryorganization dedicated to fighting theTurks. In Rumanian, �dragon� is �dracul.�So, the father was given the nicknameDracul, and his son was given the nick-name Dracula, which means �son of Dra-cul.� Unfortunately, �dracul� also means�devil.� Thus, Dracula could mean either�son of the dragon� or �son of the devil.�

Vlad Dracul was Prince of Wallachiafrom 1436-1442 and again from 1443-1447.The small country of Wallachia (whichtoday comprises one-third of Rumania) liesbetween the lower Danube River and theCarpathian Mountains. Wallachia wasnominally a Banates (frontier march) ofthe Kingdom of Hungary, but it had beenessentially an independent country sinceabout 1360.

At the time that Vlad Dracul was prince,Wallachia was in imminent danger ofbeing absorbed by the Turkish Empirethen overrunning most of the Balkans.Any leader of Wallachia was stuck in themiddle of a power struggle between theTurks and the Hungarians. Both tried toput candidates favorable to their side onthe throne, and both sent armies or assas-sins when they became displeased withthe prince�s rule.

In 1444, Vlad Dracul and his two oldestsons, Mircea and Vlad, joined the anti-Turkcrusade which led to the disastrous defeatof the Western crusaders at Varna. Afterthe defeat, Vlad Dracul was forced to giveup his second son, Vlad, and his youngest

18 OCTOBER 1987

son, Radu, as hostages to the Turks. Forthe next four years, the young Draculawas a Turkish prisoner. While the impris-onment was not always physically harsh, itwas an extreme mental ordeal since Drac-ula was likely to be executed at anymoment if the Turks did not like hisfather�s policies. During those years, Drac-ula came to view life as fleeting and cheap.In reaction to his imprisonment, he devel-oped a reputation for trickery, cunning,insubordination, and brutality.

By remaining on good terms with theTurkish Sultan, Vlad Dracul angered theprotector of Hungary, John Hunyadi.Henchmen of Hunyadi murdered VladDracul and his eldest son Mircea inDecember of 1447. John Hunyadi thenplaced his own candidate, Vladislav II, onthe throne of Wallachia. Backed by thelurks, Dracula became Prince of Wallachiafor two months in 1448. But the Hungari-an faction was too strong. Dracula fled toMoldavia, the northernmost Rumanianprincipality. There, he formed a closefriendship and alliance with his cousinSteven.

Politics in Moldavia were as dangerousas in Wallachia. In 1451, Steven�s father,Bogdan, was murdered, and the two cous-ins fled. Dracula managed to make peacewith John Hunyadi and served underHunyadi in John�s constant fight againstthe Turks. From 1451-1456, Dracula livedin Transylvania, which is now the thirdprovince of Rumania, but which was tradi-tionally a part of the Kingdom of Hungary.Transylvania contained many Hungariansand Germans as well as Romanians.

Vladislav II was having the same kind ofproblems Dracula�s father once had. In1456, John Hunyadi decided that Vladislavwas favoring the Turks too much. Heloaned Dracula the nucleus of an armyand sent him to regain the throne of Wal-lachia. Dracula defeated Vladislav andbecame Prince of Wallachia again.

Now, Dracula could release all his pent-up hatreds. He executed the members ofthe faction that killed his father. Since hecouldn�t be sure exactly who was guilty, hesolved the problem by killing 500 suspects,among whom were bound to be the 20 orso men responsible for his father�s death.Dracula raided the Turks, whom he hatedwith pathological fervor, and also raidedthe German merchant towns of TransylvaniaThe Germans had come to Transylvaniahundreds of years before as immigrantsfrom Saxony, invited by the Hungarian kingto encourage commerce. To many of theRumanians, the Germans were foreignupstarts, monopolizing trade throughoutTransylvania. On St. Bartholomew�s Day,August 24, 1460, nearly 30,000 men, wom-en, and children of German descent wereslain on a hill outside the city of Brasov inTransylvania.

But Dracula�s main enemies were theTurks. In 1461-1462, he led a campaignagainst them in which he made full use ofguerilla tactics and terrorism. By Dracula�s

own count, his forces slew 23,809 Turks.In fact, Dracula cut off the heads, noses,or ears of the Turks to keep an accuratecount, then sent them as presents toneighboring Christian rulers to enlist theiraid against the infidel Turks (without suc-cess). Dracula�s favorite means of killinghis victims was by impaling them on astake. This practice gave him his secondnickname, �Tepes� which means �TheImpaler.�

By the end of 1462, Vlad Tepes wasdriven from the throne by his youngerbrother Radu, who had become a Turkishpuppet. When Vlad appealed to MathiasCorvinus, son of John Hunyadi and nowKing of Hungary, he was imprisoned.Mathias was concentrating on politicalmaneuvers in Europe, and he needed aquiet border with the Turks.

Vlad Tepes was still a valuable politicalasset. Eventually, he converted from theOrthodox to the Roman Catholic religionand married one of Mathias� sisters. WhenStephen (the Great) of Moldavia, a remark-able cousin of Vlad who managed to holdthe throne for nearly 50 years, supportedDracula�s claim to Wallachia, the time wasripe for Vlad�s return. The official com-mander of the expedition was StephenBathory, Prince of Transylvania (soon to beelected King of Poland). The army wasmade up of Hungarians, Wallachians,Transylvanians, and Moldavians. In 1476,they defeated the Turks and set Draculaonce more on the throne of Wallachia.

But Dracula had alienated too manyfactions among his subjects. Before hecould consolidate his reign, his enemiesunited against him, and Dracula was slainon a hilltop outside Bucharest. His thirdreign had lasted barely two months.

In his own day, Dracula was notorious.Numerous writers, especially Germanssympathetic to their Transylvanian cous-ins, wrote about him as the �Blood Mon-ster� Bram Stoker knew some of thestories about Dracula and made them thebasis for his main character in the novel ofthe same name.

Dracula was certainly bloodthirsty witha pathological cruelty. He firmly believedin the effects of terror to intimidate hissubjects and defeat his enemies. Even hisfavored means of torture, the stake, madehim a natural candidate for the vampirelegend that grew around him.

At the same time, Dracula managed tomaintain some shreds of personal honor. Itwas his boast that a person could walkacross Wallachia with a bag of gold and becompletely safe from bandits (who fearedhis wrath too much to operate in thecountry). There were many cases in whichDracula personally rewarded faithfulservice. No one questioned Dracula�s per-sonal courage or his prowess as a warrior.He was even something of a patriot,

So, the main character of the novelDracula is no mere one-sided personality.He is evil, certainly, and terrifying, cruel,and merciless � yet he retains a hint of

honor, his courage is undaunted, and he isstill human enough to fall in love, in hisown twisted way.

Since Dracula is the best-known vam-pire, he can serve as a kind of vampireprince in AD&D games. One could alwaysassume that Dracula was summoned tothe AD&D game universe by an evil magic-user who probably got more than hebargained for.

DRACULA (Vlad Tepes)

FREQUENCY: UniqueNO. APPEARING: 2ARMOR CLASS: -1 (-4 with dexterity)MOVE: 12�/18�HIT DICE: 12 (96 hp)% IN LAIR: 10%TREASURE TYPE: GNO. OF ATTACKS: 2 (by touch or weapon)DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-8 (+7)SPECIAL ATTACKS: Energy drain, hypno-

sis, +4 to hit in combat SPECIAL DEFENSES: +1 or better weapon

to hitMAGIC RESISTANCE: 25%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT! Chaotic evilS I Z E : MPSIONIC ABILITY: 204

Attack/Defense Modes: B,C/J

S: 19D: 17

I: 17C: 19

W: 17CH: 17

Dracula is similar to the usual AD&Dgame vampire in the Monster Manual,except as noted in this article. His strengthis 19 (as per Legends & Lore), and he canwield a long sword if he so desires, doing8-15 hp damage per attack (the weaponmay be magical as well). Dracula canregenerate 5 hp per melee round. Garlic,mirrors, and holy symbols only cause himto hesitate 1-2 rounds because of hisstrength of will, and he can survive up to10 rounds in sunlight or running water.Dracula is assumed to have been reborn asa true vampire after his death, perhapsbeing summoned to a magical universe byan unlucky wizard. It is highly likely thathe would make use of magical weaponsand items in an AD&D game world, select-ing those items appropriate to warriorssince he had no skill at magic or the priest-hood in life. Magical rings, amulets, scrollsof protection, swords and daggers, andsimilar items would be preferred.

Unlike most vampires, who have beencompletely overwhelmed by their transi-tion into the undead, Dracula can some-times overcome his undead state of mindby sheer willpower. It is possible that hecould be impressed enough by an excep-tional display of courage or faithful serviceon the part of a character or retainer tocall off any attacks he is making. It isprobable that Dracula will becomeinvolved in the politics of whatever world

FREQUENCY:NO. APPEARING:ARMOR CLASS:MOVE:HIT DICE:% IN LAIR:TREASURE TYPE:NO. OF ATTACKS:DAMAGE/ATTACK:SPECIAL ATTACKS:SPECIAL DEFENSES:MAGIC RESISTANCE:INTELLIGENCE:ALIGNMENT!SIZE:PSIONIC ABILITY:

VRYKOLAKASRare1-10

12�/7

25%E1

1-10Energy drain (see text)

NilSee belowAverage

Chaotic evilMNil

GREATVRYKOLAKAS

Very rare1

- 212�13

10%G2

2-20Energy drain (see text)

+1 or better weapon to hit30%

AverageChaotic evil

MNil

he enters. His relationship with Orcus,demon prince of the undead, is best left tothe DM�s imagination.

When trying to turn Dracula away, acleric should consider this monster to beclassed in the �special� category. Con-versely, though Dracula has no otherclerical abilities-as such, he may exert hisincredible willpower to force otherundead beings into servitude for shortperiods of time. Treat him as an evil 12th-level cleric, making the usual attempts tocall undead into service as per the rulesfor turning undead.

Vampires in GreeceThe vampire in Greek folklore is called

the vrykolakas. Both the vrykolakas andthe vampire are animated corpses thatprey upon the living, but the vrykolakasdiffers from the vampire in a number ofdetails.

A vrykolakas has a weird, distinctivelook. The 17th-century writer Leo Allatiusgives an eyewitness account of the exuma-tion of a man believed to be a vrykolakas:

�On top of the bones of other men therewas found lying a corpse perfectly whole;it was unusually tall of stature; clothes ithad none, time or moisture having causedthem to perish. The skin was distended,hard, and livid, and so swollen every-where that the body had no flat surfacesbut was round like a full sack. The facewas covered with hair dark and curly; onthe head there was little hair, as also onthe rest of the body, which appearedsmooth all over. The arms, by reason of

�Such bodies do not, like those of otherdead men, suffer decomposition afterburial, nor turn to dust, but having, as itappears, a skin of extreme toughnessbecome swollen and distended all over, sothat the joints can scarcely be bent; theskin becomes stretched like the parchmentof a drum, and when struck gives out thesame sound.�

the swelling of the corpse, were stretchedout on each side like the arms of a cross.The hands were open, the eyelids closed,the mouth gaping, and the teeth white.

The vrykolakas is not self-animated.Instead, an evil spirit enters the body,causing it to move about. The vrykolakaswould thus be the result of a bizarre kindof demonic possession, all the more terri-ble because the dead person has no mindto actively resist the takeover.

The vrykolakas is most active at night,but only because devils and demons preferdarkness, not because the monster itself isin any way allergic to sunlight. If it sowishes, the vrykolakas can terrorize itsvictims in the daytime. In fact, a Greekproverb advises people to �beware of thenoontime vampire.�

This monster delights in inflicting ran-dom violence and spreading panic. Thevrykolakas does not so much feed off theblood of the living as it does their terrorand fright. One common practice of thevrykolakas is to seat itself upon a sleepingvictim and, by its enormous weight andhorrific presence, cause an agonizingsense of oppression. A victim who diesfrom this oppression will himself become avrykolakas.

DR A G O N 19

In a short time, the original vrykolakascan gather a large and dangerous train offollowers. Furthermore, as time goes on,the vrykolakas becomes more and moreaudacious and bloodthirsty, so that it isable to completely devastate whole villag-es. According to legend, if the vrykolakasin not annihilated within 80 days of itsfirst appearance, it will become a merci-less and invincible dealer of death. Themere sight of the vrykolakas in this statecould cause death.

Among the many legends of the vrykola-kas are some curious ones. One says thatwhen the vrykolakas first returns fromthe dead, it goes to its native village atnight, knocking at doors and calling forone person of the household. If that per-son answers, he will die the next day. Buta vrykolakas never calls twice, and so theinhabitants of the island of Chios (fromwhich this legend springs) always wait fora second call at night before answering.

Even as late as 1910, according to JohnLawson (author of Modern Greek Folkloreand Ancient Greek Religion), the island ofSantorini was notorious for its vampires(i.e., vrykolakas). �To send vampires to

Santorini� was an expression synonymouswith sending �owls to Athens� or �coals toNewcastle.� (American equivalents mightbe sending �cars to Detroit� or �movies toHollywood.�) The present day island ofSantorini was known in ancient times as

Thera. About 1,600 years ago, the islandof Thera blew apart in a volcanic explo-sion believed to have been more devastat-ing than even Krakatoa or Mount St.Helens. The resultant tidal waves andheavy fall of ash helped destroy the Mino-an civilization and might possibly be thehistorical basis of the Atlantis myths.Making Santorini the �Isle of the Undead�may reflect some folk memory of thatancient disaster. Areas in a fantasy uni-verse in which huge numbers of peoplewere slain or died all at once might alsoform breeding grounds for immense num-bers of undead.

There are two ways to destroy a vryko-lakas. One method is to exorcise the evilspirit which animates the monster. If theexorcism is successful, the corpse immedi-ately begins to decay, rapidly decomposingin a single round until only bones are left.The second method is to dig up the mon-ster�s grave and burn the corpse. Presum-ably, the evil spirit is only in the corpsewhile it is animated. By finding the graveand exhuming the body, it is possible tocatch the evil spirit unaware, before it hasa chance to repossess the body.

In the statistics given here for the vryko-lakas are two separate columns. The first,termed �Vrykolakas,� is for the monsterfrom its initial appearance and for the first80 days of its existence. The secondcolumn, termed �Great Vrykolakas,� is for

20 OCTOBER 1987

the monster after 80 days have passed.Sleep, charm, and hold spells do not

affect these creatures, nor do poison orparalysis. A vrykolakas also has a specialkind of attack. Each turn, anyone whomthe vrykolakas touches must make a sav-ing throw vs. spells (specifically againstfear, with wisdom bonuses applicable). Ifthe save fails, the victim loses an energylevel as the vrykolakas feeds off his fear.The vrykolakas can also attack physicallyfor 1-10 hp damage per strike.

A cleric has the same chance to turn avrykolakas as he does a mummy. In addi-tion, the exorcise spell can force the evilspirit to leave the vrykolakas, renderingthe creature harmless and inert.

After 80 days, the vrykolakas gainsenough power to become a great vrykola-kas. The great vrokolakas has a betterarmor class and more hit points than anordinary vrykolakas. It has two attacksper round, each of which does 2-20 hpdamage. It also attacks by fear, but thepower works on anyone who gazes at thegreat vrykolakas (in addition to anyone ittouches). The fear power drains two levelsif the save is unsuccessful. A great vryko-lakas has a 30% resistance to all magic(except the exorcise spell).

The great vrykolakas is usually accompa-nied by 1-6 ordinary vrykolakas under itscontrol. For purposes of turning it away,consider the great vrykolakas to be in the�special� category. If the great vrykolakascan be turned away, or the exorcism spellsucceeds against it, the ordinary vrykola-kas are also rendered harmless and �dead�again.

The dancing vampiresA kind of vampire spirit from Highland

folklore is the baobhan sith (pronouncedbaavan shee). Since Gaelic can be difficultto pronounce, an alternative spelling ofthe monster�s name could be �bavanshee.�The word itself is a dialectic variation ofbanshee, but the creature is completelydifferent from the usual banshee. Thefollowing tale about a baobhan sith isretold from C.M. Robertson�s Folklorefrom the West of Ross-shire.

Four young men were on a hunting tripand spent the night in an empty shieling, ahut built to give shelter for the sheep inthe grazing season. They began to dance,one supplying mouth-music. One of thedancers wished that they had partners.Almost at once, four women came in.Three danced, the fourth stood by themusic-maker. But as he hummed, he sawdrops of blood falling from the dancers.He fled out of the shieling, pursued by hisdemon partner, and took refuge amongthe horses. The woman could not get tohim, probably because of the iron withwhich the horses were shod. Nonetheless,she circled round him all night, and onlydisappeared when the sun rose. He wentback into the shieling and found the blood-less bodies of the dancers lying there.Their partners had drained them white.

BAOBHAN SITH(Bavanshee)

FREQUENCY: Very rareNO. APPEARING: 1-8ARMOR CLASS: 5MOVE: 12�HIT DICE: 5% IN LAIR: 10%TREASURE TYPE: ANO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 1-6SPECIAL ATTACKS: Spells and blood drainSPECIAL DEFENSES: NilMAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardINTELLIGENCE: HighALIGNMENT: Chaotic evilSIZE: MPSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

Baobhan sith are evil spirits that roam atnight seeking victims. As minor demons,they are in the �special� category for cler-ics who seek to turn them. The baobhansith look like beautiful young women.Using spells, they try to trick their victimsinto letting them drain all the blood fromthe victims� bodies. Baobhan sith have themagic-user spells charm person, clairaudi-ence, suggestion, phantasmal force, andteleport.

If a baobhan sith grasps a victim (whousually allows the touch because of charmperson or suggestion) and makes a suc-cessful �to hit� roll for vampiric contact,the creature automatically drains bloodfor 3-18 hp damage in one round. Thecharm or suggestion is then broken, andthe victim can fight back normally � butthe baobhan sith will not release the vic-tim unless the victim makes a strength rollas if to open doors (e.g., a victim with astrength of 15 can throw off an attackeron a 1-2 on 1d6). The baobhan sith drains3-18 hp with each further round if notremoved. Any victim drained below zerohit points is dead. The baobhan sith has aphysical attack (a strike with a clawedhand) which does 1-6 hp damage, but theattack is rarely used since they preferspells and blood draining.

An iron weapon automatically doesdouble damage to a baobhan sith (and getsa +3 bonus to hit). Since they are especial-ly vulnerable to iron, the baobhan sith willalways try to avoid contact with it (theycan sense it within a 60� radius). Oddlyenough, silvered weapons have only nor-mal effects against them. Holy water does1-6 hp damage per vial to them.

Oriental vampiresThe ch�ing shih is a kind of Chinese

vampire. Like the vrykolakas, the corpse isactually animated by a sort of demon whopreserves the corpse from decay so that itcan prey on the living. Unlike the vrykola-kas, however, the demon animating thecorpse is not entirely alien.

The Chinese believed that a person hastwo souls: the Hun, or superior soul which

22 OcT O B E R 1987

is aligned with the spirits of goodness; andthe P�o, or inferior soul, which is alignedwith the spirits of evil. If a body is not giventhe proper funeral rites, the P�o can seizecontrol and animate the corpse. A particular-ly evil person may become a ch�ing shih bypurposely separating the two souls. Thesuperior soul can be stored someplace out-side the body (much like in the magic jarspell) while the inferior soul is given freereign. When the person dies, he will returnfrom the grave to work evil. This type ofch�ing shih cannot be destroyed until thesuperior soul is first liberated from what-ever physical object it occupies (usually aclay vase). The physical object must be bro-ken to free the superior soul.

G. Willoughby-Meade, in Chinese Ghostsand Goblins, relates a story about fourtravelers who meet a ch�ing shih. Thesame story is also told by Pu Sung Ling inthe book Liao Chai.

Four travelers arrived late one night tothe village of Tsaitien in Shantung prov-ince. They were extremely weary, wantingonly to sleep for the night. But the villageinn was completely filled. After somelengthy discussion and a bit of bribery, thetravelers persuaded the innkeeper to findthem some indoor sleeping place, out ofthe foul weather.

The innkeeper reluctantly led the fourtravelers to the only place available: asmall, lonely house a little distance awaywhere, he told the travelers, his daughter-in-law had recently died. In the one-roomcottage, behind a heavy curtain, lay theuncoffined body of the woman. While thecircumstances were somewhat gruesome,at least the house was warm and dry. Theinnkeeper gave the travelers straw palletsand blankets which were comfortableenough. Within minutes, three of the fourtravelers were fast asleep.

A strange sense of evil seemed tooppress the fourth traveler. In spite of hisfatigue, fear prevented him from shuttinghis eyes for some little while. Yet he wasso tired that he could not resist long andhad just about fallen asleep when he heardan ominous rustling behind the curtain,which sounded as though somebody wasstirring very softly.

Cold, with horror, he peered out fromhalf-closed eyes and he distinctly saw ahorrible, stealthy hand thrust itself frombehind the curtain, which was noiselesslydrawn aside. There stood the livid corpsegazing into the room with a baleful glare.It approached softly and, stooping overthe three sleepers, seemed to breatheupon their faces.

The man who was awake buried hishead under the quilt, horror-stricken. Hefelt that the corpse was bending over him,but after a few minutes, as he lay in anagony of terror, he heard the same gentlerustling as before. This time the sound,made by the movement of the stiff grave-clothes, moved away from him. When hecautiously peeped out he noticed that thecorpse had returned to its bier and was

stretched out stark and still.He crept from his place and, not daring

to even whisper, shook each of his com-rades. But he could not make them move.He then reached for his clothes, but hear-ing the gentle rustling sound once more,he realized that he had been seen.

In a moment, he flung himself back onthe bed and drew the coverlet tightly overhis face. A few minutes later he felt theawful creature was standing by his side.However, after looking him over, it seemedto retire again. At length, half mad withfright, the man grabbed some clotheswhich he threw on and rushed barefootfrom the house.

He again heard the corpse stirring, butnow it sprang from its bier with a rush ofspeed. The man was able to bolt and barthe door just as the corpse leaped at itwith demoniacal fury, As the man ran atfull speed under the light of a waningmoon, desperate to put as great a distancebetween himself and the haunted house aspossible, he chanced to glance back andshrieked aloud to see that the corpse wasnot only following him � it was hard athis heels and gaining rapidly. In despera-tion, he fled behind a large willow whichgrew by the side of the road. As thecorpse rushed at him in one direction, hedarted rapidly in the other.

Fires burned in the corpse�s red eyes asit strove to catch its terrorized prey.Finally, as it suddenly swooped upon himwith hideous violence, the travelerswooned and fell senseless to the ground.The corpse missed its aim so that it struckthe tree, not the man, with all of its might.

At daybreak, both corpse and man werefound. When the corpse was pulled away,it was found that it had embedded itstaloned fingers so deeply into the tree thatit could not free itself. The traveler, aftermany months of rest, recovered his health� but his companions were found lyingdead, poisoned by the fetid breath of thech�ing shih.

The story shows several aspects of thech�ing shih. It is not especially intelligentbut is extremely persistent. It is not a truevampire, as it kills with its poisonousbreath, not by draining blood. It attackswith a terrible, berserk fury which tempo-rarily gives it increased strength.

A ch�ing shih can normally be destroyedby physical attacks. If the superior soul is,however, hidden in some magic container,then the creature will continue comingback to life to stalk its attackers. Normalmeans of destruction only temporarilydestroy the body. Even if it is crematedand the ashes are scattered, the ch�ingshih will regenerate a new body after aday or so and return to the attack. If allelse fails, it will take possession of someother corpse. If the magic container hold-ing the superior soul is broken, then thech�ing shih will return no longer. Whetheror not a particular ch�ing shih is the typethat has a hidden superior soul is, ofcourse, left to the DM.

CH�ING SHIH

FREQUENCY: Very rareNO. APPEARING: 1-8ARMOR CLASS: 3MOVE: 12� (15� when berserk)HIT DICE: 7% IN LAIR: 10%TREASURE TYPE: NilNO. OF ATTACKS: 1 (2 with breath)DAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-12SPECIAL ATTACKS: Poisonous breath,

berserk attackSPECIAL DEFENSES: NilMAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardINTELLIGENCE: LowALIGNMENT! Chaotic evilSIZE: MPSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

The main attack of the ch�ing shih is itspoisonous breath, which can affect anyone person within 10� of the creature. Atthe same time, the ch�ing shih can physi-cally attack, doing 2-12 hp damage with aclawed hand.

During its berserk attack, which may beused once per night for 3-12 meleerounds, the ch�ing shih�s strength is consid-ered to be 18/00 (adding +3 to hit and +6to damage with its claws), although thecreature�s normal strength is 15.

A cleric has the same chance to turn a

ch�ing shih as he would a spectre. Anexorcism spell can also drive out the evilP�o animating the corpse, returning thecorpse to its formerly inactive state.

The mass-media vampireWhile the vampire owes its origin to

folklore, it owes its popularity to moviesand fiction. In this century, more than 100movies have been made about vampires.The most popular and enduring have beenbased on Bram Stoker�s novel Dracula.

In 1921, F.W. Murnau made a classic,silent film version of the story of Dracula.Though he gave full credit to Bram Stok-er�s novel, he didn�t get permission to useit. So, he altered the plot and locationslightly. The result was the movie Nosfera-tu. The film release was delayed (in fact,nearly all copies of the movie weredestroyed) by a lawsuit with the Stokerestate. It was eventually released in Lon-don in 1928 and the U.S. in 1929. Sincethen, it has continued to be shown in theart cinema theaters of the world.

In 1931, the film Dracula was released.It starred Bela Lugosi and was directed byTod Browning. The film was so successfulthat, for more than a generation, thenames �Dracula� and �Bela Lugosi� werevirtually synonymous.

In 1958, Hammer Films released itsversion of the story, entitled The Horror of

Dracula. Terence Fisher was the director;Dracula was played by Christopher Lee(with Peter Cushing as Dr. Van Helsing).Once again, the performance was so elec-trifying that the lead actor became identi-fied with the vampire. Christopher Leealso went on to make a number of othermovies in which he starred as a vampire.

One of the latest remakes of Draculastarred Frank Langella. Like Bela Lugosi,Langella first starred in a hit Broadwayplay version of Dracula before being cho-sen to star in the movie.

Besides the novel Dracula by Bram Stok-er, there are several other classic vampirestories. The first well-known vampirestory was written by Dr. John WilliamPolidori and was entitled The Vampyre.For a long time, the story was actuallyattributed to Polidori�s better-knownfriend, Lord Byron. The tale came aboutas the result of one evening when thephysician Polidori, Lord Byron, PercyBysshe Shelley, and the daughters of Poli-dori and his friend Mr. Godwin sat readingghost stories to each other. Because of thatevening, everyone present decided to tryto write a horror story. Two of thembecame classics (Mr. Godwin�s daughtermarried Shelley; later, as Mary Wollstone-craft Shelley, she wrote Frankenstein: or,The Modern Prometheus � the firstscience-fiction novel).

Polidori �s tale can be �seen as the start ofthe vampire craze. While little-knowntoday, the vampire of Polidori�s tale (LordRuthven), was as well known in the 19thcentury as Dracula is today. Just as movieshave been based on Dracula, a number ofplays were based on Lord Ruthven.

One of the best vampire stories is thenovelette Carmilla by Sheridan Le Fanu.Carmilla first appeared in a collection in1872 entitled Through a Glass DarklyCarmilla is the archetype of a female vam-pire, and the story has formed a base forat least three movies. It is probable thatthe story inspired Bram Stoker to write hisown vampire tale.

Vampire fiction is as popular today asever. Fairly recent novels dealing withvampires include: Salem�s Lot, by StephenKing; The Hunger, by Whitley Striber,Fevre Dream, by George R.R. Martin; andInterview with a Vampire and The Vam-pire Lestat, by Anne Rice. Series of novelsabout vampires are also currently popular.Vampire series include: The Dracula Tapes,The Holmes-Dracula File, An Old Friend ofthe Family, and Thorn by Fred Saberha-gen; Bloodright: The Memoirs of Mircea,Son of Dracula, The Revenge of Dracula,and Dracula, My Love, by Peter Tremayne;Hotel Transylvania, The Palace, BloodGames, Tempting Fate, and Path of theEclipse by Chelsea Quinn Yarbro; and TheBlack Castle, The Silver Skull, and CitizenVampire by Les Daniels � and there arealways �Dark Shadows� reruns on televi-sion for die-hard fans.

And with that, good evening. . . .

24 OCTOBER 1987

Dead onTarget

The right weapon is a matterof life and (un)death

by David Howery

By their very nature, undead monstersin AD&D® game campaigns are unique.Their unusual structures and nonfunction-ing biological systems should make themresistant or immune to many weaponattacks. The purpose of this article is tobring out these effects in clear and unifiedgame terms. Much of this material altersor expands upon previous guidelines forcombat against undead monsters.

Weapon classesWeapons in the AD&D game can be

divided into four general classes, deter-mined by their function: stabbing, cleav-ing, crushing, and special. Each class isdescribed below:

Stabbing weapons are those which pene-trate with a sharp point. The surfacedamage done is restricted to a small area,but there is deep penetration to destroymuscles and organs. This weapon classincludes the arrow, blowgun needle, cal-trop, dagger, dart, fork, harpoon, javelin,knife, lance, partisan, pick, pike, quarrel,ranseur, spear, spetum, spiked buckler,short sword, and trident.

All other edged weapons are consideredto be cleaving weapons, even though theymay also have a stabbing attack (e.g., along sword can either be used to eitherstab or chop). They penetrate with theedge, damaging a broad area or evensevering an extremity. Examples includethe battle and hand axes, most types ofpole arms and swords, and the scimitar.

Crushing weapons are those without anedge for cutting. They do not penetrate,but cause damage by shock directly underthe impact area. The aklys, bo and josticks, club, flail, hammer, mace, staff, andsling bullet (from sling or staff sling) arecounted in this group. The spiked morningstar is found here as well, as it is more of acrushing weapon than a penetrating one.

The special weapons include the mancatcher, lasso, and whip. These weaponsare all unable to harm the undead, butmay have a special attack which would beeffective. Note that the fist, garrot, and sapare totally ineffective against undead.Other types of weapons, such as the becde corbin, lucern hammer, and newlyintroduced weapons from Oriental Adven-tures or the DM�s own creativity, shouldbe categorized depending upon their mainuse by characters in combat againstundead opponents.

Undead classesThe ways in which these weapons affect

the various undead depend. on the physicalform of the undead opponents. Undeadcan be divided into four general classes:skeletal, corporeal, noncorporeal, andspecial. The special undead are the demi-lich, haunt, phantom, and revenant. Thesehave specific and unusual rules coveringphysical attacks made against them, and

the combat guidelines of this article do notapply to them. Pseudo-undead are notcovered under these guidelines, either.

The new classifications and combatsystem vs. undead follow.

Skeletal undead include the animal skele-ton, death knight, huecuva, lich, skeleton,and skeleton warrior. (The crypt thing andeye of fear and flame may also be includedhere.) Stabbing weapons do only 1 hp dam-age to these undead, with no other bonusesfor damage applicable. The point on such aweapon has little area to hit solidly, and it islikely to glance off the curved bone. In anycase, there are no muscles or organs todamage. Cleaving weapons do half damage(add all bonuses, divide by two, and rounddown), mainly from the weight and force ofthe blow, in addition to severing extremities.Crushing weapons do normal damage bybreaking and crushing bone. Although thewhip and lasso are able to entangle (but notdamage) skeletal undead, the man catcher isineffective. Silver or magical weapons arerequired to harm a huecuva; magical weap-ons are required against a lich.

Corporeal undead are those which stillhave bodies of dead tissue more or lessintact. Due to the drying of muscles andtissues, these creatures are tougher thanwhen they were alive. Corporeal undeadinclude the coffer corpse, ghast, ghoul,mummy, penanggalan, sheet ghoul, sheetphantom, son of Kyuss, vampire, wight,and zombie (all types). Stabbing weaponsdo 1 hp damage, plus magical and strengthbonuses, since these creatures are littleaffected by damage to their dead musclesand organs; what does it matter to a deadman if you run it through the heart?(Unless it�s a vampire, of course.) Cleavingweapons do normal damage; this fits inwell with the mythological zombie, whichhad to literally be chopped to pieces to bedestroyed. Crushing weapons do only halfdamage per hit, adding all bonuses beforedividing by two and rounding down. Theshock of the blow does not faze themmuch, but shattered bones will eventuallyrender them harmless, unable to move orattack. The lasso, man catcher, and whipcan entangle corporeal undead, but notdamage them. Magical weapons arerequired to fight coffer corpses, mummies,vampires, and juju zombies; silver or magi-cal weapons can harm wights; and, coldiron weapons do double damage to ghasts.

Noncorporeal undead are those with nosolid bodies, existing almost completely onthe Negative Material or Ethereal Planes.This class includes the apparition, ghost,groaning spirit, poltergeist, shadow, spec-tre, and wraith. According to mythology,these spirits could only be destroyed byexorcism. But, in AD&D game terms, thiswould be grossly unfair to the characters,who would rarely have a cleric able to castan exorcism spell. As it stands now, all ofthese undead require magical or silverweapons to harm them. Stabbing weaponsdo but 1 hp damage (and no more) to

them; cleaving weapons do 1 hp damagewith strength and magical bonuses appli-cable; crushing weapons do half damage(as calculated above). The DM may rulethat certain magical weapons specificallydesigned to harm undead (as describedbelow) can do full damage to noncorporealundead. Use of this rule will make thenoncorporeal undead truly horrifying,appropriate to their mythological back-ground. Spells and clerical turning will bemuch more in demand when facing thesemonsters.

There are a few exceptions to the aboverules. First, there are a number of magicalweapons which, by their description orgeneral nature, are specifically designed toharm the undead. These include: anyweapon-type artifact; arrow of slayingundead; mace of disruption; any magicalsword or weapon with a special purposeto slay undead; any sword which gainsbonuses against creatures with particularabilities or powers � and incidentallyagainst certain types of undead monsters(e.g., sword, +1/+2 vs. magic-using andenchanted creatures, good against undeadwith spell-casting or spell-like powers);sword, flame tongue; sword of the planes;sun blade; or any form of holy sword.When these weapons are used against anyof the three classes of nonspecial undeadnoted above, they always do their assigneddamage. For example, a flame tongueshort sword does 1d6 +4 hp damage to azombie, even though it is a stabbing weap-on used against a corporeal undead.

DMs may wish to make an exception forsilver weapons. These affect undead invarious ways; see the Monster Manuals andthe FIEND FOLIO® Tome for each undead�sdescription. To soften these strictures, theDM may rule that any undead which isharmed by silver will always take damagefrom a silver weapon regardless of weapontype. For example, a silver arrow usedagainst a huecuva will do normal damage,even though skeletal undead are not nor-mally harmed by arrows.

Finally, note that if an undead monsterrequires magical weapons to hit it, theweapon used must be magical and have theproper minimum bonus to hit and damage,regardless of weapon type. For example, aju-ju zombie is fully affected by battle axes(a cleaving weapon), but the axe must be atleast +1; a normal axe does no damage. Ofcourse, a hit by a magical weapon againstany sort of nonspecial undead should donormal damage if silver weapons are giventhis freedom. Treat the two classes of weap-ons in the same way.

Use of these optional rules will put theundead more into line with their legendaryversions. It will also prevent illogical events,like slaying zombies with normal arrows,permissible under the present rules. Char-acters may have to learn the hard wayexactly what it means to face a creaturethat is not living and is thus immune tomany of the things that slay the living.

D R A G O N 2 7

A Touch ofEvilBreathing life into the world of the dead

by Vince Garcia

Within the three AD&D® game monstersourcebooks, there are a total of 31undead monsters. Properly played,undead can be some of the most danger-ous adversaries faced by a group of adven-turers, but too often these creatures aresimply placed in a dungeon without con-sideration of what circumstances justifytheir existence. Further, the effects oftheir attacks can be too predictable insome cases � in addition to being toosevere in others. Thus, it is best that care-ful thought be exercised when consideringthe part of undead in the campaign.

A listing of the AD&D game�s undeadfollows, with a brief, unofficial ecology foreach type and an idea for possible set-up.Additionally, some ideas are presented tomake the physical attacks used by power-ful undead more diverse and interesting.

Abbreviations used include: FF � FIENDFOLIO® Tome; MM � Monster Manual;MM2 � Monster Manual II.

corpse who was cheated out of his prear-ranged burial by an unscrupulousgroundskeeper. Each night, the creaturehas vainly tired to enter the courtyard andclaw its way into a new resting place,returning unfulfilled to its common grave.

Crypt thing (FF). The crypt thing is aspecially created guardian of tombs fash-ioned from a skeleton inhabited by a crea-ture summoned from the Plane of Limboby a high-level cleric. This creature cannotbe turned by clerics. Its sole purpose is tomislead intruders into departing the areaof its guardianship, often by masqueradingas a threatening lich, which it closelyresembles. Failing that, the crypt thingwill, through the apparent use of spell-casting or the employment of a device, useits magical abilities to teleport party mem-bers who fail saving throws to randomareas of its dungeon (often, these areas aredeliberately designed as death traps toreceive intruders). Thereafter, the cryptthing demands any remaining adventurersdepart lest they share the fate of theirfellows. If attacked, the creature maydefend itself only with its two clawlikehands.

Set up: Deep inside a labyrinthine tomb,an apparent throne room is discoverednear the resting place of the tomb's chiefoccupant. Past a set of wizard-lockeddoors, a skeletal inhabitant is revealedsitting upon a throne. With an evil hiss, itthanks the group for freeing it, addingthat it will now "reward" them. Thedestruction of this crypt thing might leadadventurers to think they have slain thelich said to dwell within the tomb�butthe lich itself has escaped.

Death knight (FF). Probably the rarestof undead, the death knight is the ultimate

D R A G O N 2 9

Apparition (FF). An apparition is theinsubstantial remains of a person ofauthority � sergeant, priest, etc. �charged with overseeing or guarding aspecific area, whose death was the resultof a shirking of duty. Confined to the areaoriginally to be guarded, the apparitionseeks both to protect its �lair� and to gath-er additional guardians to its service.Thus, a character slain by an apparitionwho later rises as such will return to thelair of the original creature to take upguardianship alongside it, taking the appa-rition�s place if that creature has beenslain.

Set up: While exploring the remains ofan old temple, the adventurers come

across a desecrated sanctuary. Within (andunbeknownst to the party), is the appari-tion of a cleric charged with removingimportant documents from a secret com-partment in the altar in the event of siege.When the temple was attacked, the youngpriest instead tried to escape with his lifeand was subsequently slain. He is nowforever cursed to guard the undiscovereddocuments until released by �death.�

Coffer corpse (FF). Coffer corpses arethe restless remains of those whose lastinterment wishes were not carried out.Usually, this occurs because expediencydictates the body be abandoned to avoidany unpleasant fate due to the burden (asmight often happen during a plague). Atother times, church elders may deny thecorpse interment in sacred ground. Incases such as these, there is a 5% chancethat the restless spirit of the dead personremains tied to the corpse, rising duringthe hours of darkness to wander the areaof its abandonment in a hopeless searchfor rest, returning to its �lair� at dawn.Creatures such as these may be laid to restwithout combat by completing their inter-ment wishes. If attacked during daylighthours (its resting period), the coffer corpsewill still defend itself. The creature mayonly be fully destroyed by complete incin-eration. The coffer corpse otherwisereforms within a week.

Set up: The group has come to a town inwhich strange noises have been heard inthe local cemetery at night, and glimpseshave been caught of a manlike creaturewandering the grounds. The next morn-ing, claw marks have been noted at thegateway to an inner courtyard reservedfor those able to afford a premium pricefor burial.

In actuality, this is a restless coffer

fate of a fallen human paladin or cavalierformerly, not less than 10th level. Bound tothe demon prince Demogorgon, the deathknight (in nearly all cases) does not actu-ally rule its own entourage of servants,but is assigned under unique circumstanc-es as an ally to special champions of evilchaos � principally clerics or necroman-cers sworn to serve the Abyssal demonlord. Under these circumstances, thedeath knight�s chief function is to act thepart of a marshal, directing assigned mili-tary forces so that his master may be freeto dedicate all his time to sorcerous activi-ties. The drawback to such a useful aide isthat the death knight serves only as longas its master is in a position of undisputedauthority. In the event of successful incur-sion into the headquarters by a powerfulgroup of heroes, the death knight willoppose them only to the extent that itscontinued existence is guaranteed, aban-doning both its duties and master when itsown well-being becomes threatened.

Set up: On their quest to overcome thestronghold of a high-level wizard/priest, agroup of heroes containing a paladin orcavalier is confronted by what appears tobe a lone, evil cavalier. Dipping a lance inchallenge to the PC knight, the �evil cava-lier� spurs his steed (actually a nightmare)forward, drawing his enemy into a joust.Just as the combatants are about to meet,the nightmare takes its rider into the air,and the death knight generates a fireballat its opponent, following it up with apower word kill if the hated reminder ofits former life still lives. This is followedup with an attack by the death knight�sarmy of orcs and ogres while the deathknight returns to base to warn its master.

Demilich (MM2). See sub-categoryunder lich.

Eye of fear and flame (FF). This oddcreature is the corrupt result of a lawful-evil cleric who sought (and failed) toachieve immortality or lichdom. Seized byOrcus for its presumption, the accursedcreature is bound to seek out lawful char-acters to corrupt through evil and chaoticdeeds. When initially encountered, the eyeof fear and flame is said to be seen andheard only by those lawfuls it seeks topervert. The creature is very cunning andmakes the explanation of itself and itsaccompanying commands as plausible as itcan under the circumstances. Those notobeying what they are instructed to doface attack by the creature, which maythen be seen by all.

Set up: Encountering a party looting atomb, an eye of fear and flame maintainsthat it is �the guardian of death,� com-manding two lawfuls to slay their fellowadventurers or fight death itself for tres-passing �on ground hallowed to the gods."

Ghast (MM). A ghast is a ghoul which,through continued exposure to the magi-cal forces of the Abyss, gains superior

30 OCTOBER 1987

abilities and powers. Eventually tiring ofits slave, the demon master controlling theghast occasionally returns the creature tothe Prime Material Plane, sometimes plac-ing it in command of a pack of ghoulswhich are often the lesser guardians of anecromancer�s or evil cleric�s stronghold.Due to the ghast�s exceptional intelligence,such packs of undead are especially effec-tive in setting traps and utilizing theirabilities to the utmost. A character slain bya ghast later arises as a ghast under thecontrol of its slayer.

Set up: While seeking entry to an evilwizard�s stronghold through a sewer sys-tem, the adventurers stumble into a seriesof pits hiding several ghouls. While theghouls engage those characters who�vefallen into the pits, two ghasts, whosepresence is screened by the overall odorof� the place, arise from the muck behindthe party and attack.

Ghost (MM). Ghosts are the spirits ofhumans whose passing from life wasmarked by great anger or hatred. Becauseof this, the spirit of the departed becomestied to a certain area � usually the placeat which it died � bemoaning the fact ofits death or inability to seek revenge. Inmany ways, the ghost is quite similar to ahaunt, bearing (among other things) anability to possess (i.e., magic jar) an individ-ual in order to accomplish some act �typically revenge. The most feared prop-erty of a ghost, however, is its ability towither and age those it strikes duringmelee. This may cause all but elves tomake a system-shock roll. Death at thehands of such a creature is final, for noresurrection or raising is then possible.

Set up: While camped out on the road, agroup of adventurers is set upon by theghost of a human slain earlier by bandits.The ghost attempts to magic jar a guard inorder to lead the group to the bandits towipe them out. The ghost resorts to meleeonly if it is frustrated in its magic jarattempt.

Ghoul (MM). Ghouls are the cursedremains of overwhelmingly evil humanswho took advantage of and fed off ofmankind during life, and so are bound tofeed off humanity (literally) after death.Upon the passing of such an evil person, ifproper spells and precautions are notobserved (i.e., burial and bless spells),there is a 5% chance such a person willlater rise as a ghoul, placing the commu-nity at large at great risk. Those amongthe living who fall prey to ghouls becomeas these undead � despoilers of the dead.The lacedon, or water ghoul, is the unhap-py fate of certain pirates and corsairs.

Set up: Having arrived in a small village,the adventurers discover there have beenstrange goings-on at the local graveyard.Someone has been digging up and despoil-ing graves during the hours of darkness.That someone is, of course, a ghoul � a

hated moneylender who was buried amonth previously.

Groaning spirit (MM). This creature isthe troubled spirit of a female elf of evildisposition � perhaps a drow. Because herdark plans were frustrated by an earlydeath, the groaning spirit wails over herfate � a keening so horribly mournful thatsome perish from the hearing of it.

Set up: Journeying through a swamp,the party discovers the tortured body of afemale drow left there by a pack of orcs.Having buried the body, the group notes aform standing over the grave later thatnight. Upon investigation, the party discov-ers it is the spirit of the dead elf � wailingthat the orcs would not join her plans ofrevenge against nearby high elves.

Haunt (MM2). The haunt is the restlessspark of life of one who has died withoutcompleting a vital task. So great was theurgency to complete the deed that thevital life-force of the individual remainstied to the scene of death, there to remainuntil it can find a living shell to inhabituntil the task is completed. The differencebetween this and its cousin, the ghost, isthat the haunt is the mindless life-essenceof the departed, while the ghost is thesentient soul of a now-dead, evil creature.

Set up: Exploring the remains of an oldfortress, the party is accosted by a hauntseeking to inhabit a body in order to lowera nearby gateway � a task it failed toaccomplish while alive, and the cause ofthe fortress�s fall to the enemy.

Huecuva (FF). The huecuva is a skeletalcreature found wandering primarily with-in tombs in desert terrain. This is notunusual, for the huecuva is typicallyencountered as a guardian of tombs con-taining mummies. Because of this, somesages have postulated that huecuvas are infact the remains of tomb robbers slain bymummies and cursed to act as guardiansfor them.

Set up: While exploring a pyramid, theparty at last enters the main burial cham-ber, where it is set upon by severalhuecuvas led by a mummy.

Ixitxachitl (MM). This raylike creaturedwelling within the sea depths is a trueoddity. That some of the species displaythe energy-draining and regenerativeabilities of vampires cannot be disputed.What is argued is whether or not such aretruly undead or merely creatures withcertain unique natural abilities. Perhapscertain unique individuals of this aquaticrace are in fact undead equivalents ofghouls, ghasts, zombies, and liches as well,animated by their own powerful magicalspells or their deity, Demogorgon.

Set up: While exploring a shipwreck, theparty encounters several lesser ixitxachitlled by one of the vampiric sort � as wellas an ixitxachitl lich!

Lich (MM). Possibly the most powerfulof the undead creatures, liches were for-merly magic-users, clerics, or wizard/priests of high level. While the circum-stances in which a lich arises are some-what varied, a lich is most often the resultof an evil archmage�s or high priest�s questfor immortality. The process involved inthe creation of the lich remains a mysteryto most, although some have suggestedthat through the assistance of a demon,the knowledge can be fully learned.

In even rarer cases, it is rumored that awizard of extremely high level in fanaticalpursuit of the answer to some bit ofresearch may continue his work evenbeyond the point of death. Perhaps due tothe years of exposure to magical powers,some inexplicable force allows the soul toremain with its dead shell until the inhab-itant discovers the answer to its researchor until the body crumbles to dust. Thislatter lichtype is not as long-lived as theformer, possessing no more than 1d100 +1d20 additional years of �life.� Further, thislich is entirely consumed by its sole desireto find the answer to its research, and isthus often unaware of happenings aroundit (unless it is attacked, of course).

While lichdom can offer a mortal spell-caster several more lifetimes of existence,the point does arrive when the magicrelied upon can no longer sustain thecreature. It is at this time that the lichbecomes most dangerous, becoming sus-ceptible to one of several forms of mad-ness. The particular form of insanity laststo the ultimate demise of the creature,typically within 10 years of onset. In thecase of the latter type of lich, the bodysimply crumbles to dust, the soul of thelich going on to whatever awaits it. Withthe former lichtype, however, the bodilyshell eventually becomes dust, leaving onlythe skull and a few bones intact while thesoul wanders forth to other planes. Never-theless, these remains apparently retain aform of sentience. The source of thissentience is debated. Some sages maintainthat it originates with the lingeringessences of larvae used to maintain thelich�s existence, while others assert a psy-chic tie to the now-departed wizard orcleric. Whatever the case, the remainingform, referred to as a demilich, is perhapseven more dangerous than the originallich, possessing both energy- and soul-draining capacity along with a keeningability similar to that of a groaning spirit.

The first manifestation of a disturbeddemilich is that of an apparent wraith,which most often enjoys the energy-draining ability of that creature. A clue tothe true nature of the monster can begained by the fact that this wraith mani-festation cannot be turned by a clericotherwise able to overcome a traditionalcreature of that sort. This manifestation�ssole purpose is to induce melee and spellattack, the latter of which has the effect ofstrengthening the creature (of course, asuccessful energy drain upon a character

has the same effect). Eventually, thewraith manifestation gives way to that of aghost � once again affording the sameabilities of an actual creature of that sort.(It is said that the preferred mode ofattack by this manifestation is to magic jara group�s magic-user, thereby utilizing thetarget�s spells against his own party.)

Last and most terrible, the skull of thecreature, if disturbed, is able to indepen-dently attack � first by keening, then by asoul drain which can be resisted only by acharacter possessing an amulet of lifeprotection (which still ends with adestroyed outer body) or a scarab of pro-tection (which avoids all baneful effectswith a successful saving throw).

The best means of handling an encoun-tered demilich is to leave it alone and run,for the creature must remain tied to theimmediate area of its death. A demilichmay otherwise be harmed by certainpowerful swords or by a few select spells.

Set up: Deep within a seemingly desert-ed keep, the group opens a doorway into alibrary and workshop, and discovers alone, skeletal figure engrossed in mathe-matical calculations. If the party membersare wise, they�ll leave it alone. . . .

Mummy (MM). Contrary to popularbelief, mummies are not usually the vener-ated dead found within Egyptian burialchambers. Instead, the mummy is typicallysome unfortunate warrior who, for sometransgression, has been chosen to standguard over the departed. Thus, the chiefsarcophagus within a pyramid almostalways contains nothing more thanwrapped bones, while the true animatedmummies will be found behind secretpanels or within sarcophagi placed aroundthe object of their guardianship. As men-tioned earlier, some claim that tomb rob-bers slain by mummies may later rise ashuecuvas, joining their slayers as guardians.

The means of creating a mummy aresaid to include a special form of the ani-mate dead spell, along with an elixir madefrom a rare herb growing only in thewildest parts of deserts.

Set up: Having located a major burialchamber within a pyramid, the groupreadies spells and prepares for possiblecombat with a mummy in the main sar-cophagus � only to discover numerousmummies that ambush the group fromsecret chambers to either side of the corri-dor leading out of the burial chamber.

Penanggalan (FF). This unique cousinof the vampire is quite an enigma, possess-ing the ability to function in daylight as anapparently �normal� female with theappearance of the creature�s alignmentduring life, while lacking the energy-draining ability of a true vampire. Thepenanggalan feeds on the blood of bothmen and women, as would its cousin �but it is more attracted to opposite-sexvictims like true vampires. The penangga-lan, unlike a vampire, may not possess a

DRAGON 31

lair outside the general area in which itwas originally killed. Although the penang-galan need not rely on this lair as a placeof rest, the lair must contain enough vine-gar to allow the creature to soak itsengorged organs as a means of shrinkingthem sufficiently to allow reattachment tothe body shell used by the creature.

The penanggalan, while able to functionoutside the lair in a normal capacity, can-not venture farther than a day�s journeyfrom the spot at which she originallybecame such a creature. On rare occa-sions, these monsters cooperate and workwith vampires for mutual protection andsustenance.

Set up: A high-level party is approachedby an apparently lawful-good peasant girlwith a tale of vampires terrorizing isolatedvillages a day�s journey into the mountains.She volunteers to lead the group to thearea of the vampire�s lair if they will fightit, but refuses to stay with the party dur-ing the hours of darkness by making sev-eral plausible excuses � typicallyvolunteering to scout ahead while thegroup makes camp. The girl, of course, isa penanggalan working with the truevampire in the area.

Poltergeist (FF). This is one of the veryfew impotent undead, being merely arestless spirit limited to making knockingnoises and perhaps throwing light objectsabout the room to which it is bound � theplace in which it lost its life.

Set up: Obtaining rooms at an inn, oneof the party members is assigned the lastavailable room for a suspiciously lowprice. Of course, it just happens to behaunted by the poltergeist of a vagabondguest who died in the room several yearsearlier. This is a great first encounter withundead for a low-level group.

Revenant (FF). On rare occasions whena powerful human is slain, there is a slightchance (5%) that the slain person (throughsheer willpower and anger) arises as arevenant to seek out and slay its killers.This is one of the most unusual undeadbeings, and it is well detailed in the FIENDFOLIO Tome.

Set up: Having slain yet another power-ful champion of evil, the group soon learnsits quarry has returned � to hunt the PCsdown for revenge!

Sheet phantom/sheet ghoul (FF).The sheet phantom is an odd form ofundead thought by some to come about asa result of some particularly bizarre cir-cumstance, the nature of which no twosages can agree upon. One popular theoryis that it is the spirit of a magic-user who,while under a duo dimension spell, was slain by a ghoul. The idea of it being anundead form of a lurker above is notwidely or seriously acknowledged. What-ever the truth, there is no question thatthis creature is a dangerous and respect-able foe which cunningly camouflages its

32 OCTOBER 1987

appearance by masquerading as a tapes-try, rug, or sheet. Its purpose in doing so isto envelop and possess a living being(thereafter known as a sheet ghoul) forpurposes unknown. (Some believe thecreature seeks its prey to allow it to leavethe area of its demise.) A few who haveencountered this creature claim that onceit possesses a body, it is able to use thespells possessed by the hapless soul.

Set up: While exploring a chamber witha canopied bed, the canopy drops uponanyone checking the mattress. Naturally,the canopy is a sheet phantom.

Skeleton, animal (MM2). These rela-tively weak skeletons of normal animalsare said to be created mostly by neutral-aligned clerics hesitant to use the animatedead spell on humanoid remains. Theanimal skeleton�s purpose is usually one ofminor guardianship. Druids regard thesecreatures as abominations and seek to �laythem to rest.�

Set up: While exploring the cave of anold hermit (actually a dead lawful-neutralcleric), a low-level party is confronted byseveral of these creatures guarding thehermit�s body. Perhaps the party was senthere by a druidic faction to spy on thehermit.

Skeleton, human (MM). This commonundead is to be found in almost everydungeon belonging to a neutral or evilmagic-user or cleric. As they require nofood or oxygen, skeletons make excellentminor guardians. Their presence is fre-quently camouflaged by burying them,submerging them in water-filled corridors,hiding one or two in a pit, etc. They mayalso be made to resemble more powerfulundead, such as liches, with the rightdisguises.

Set up: During their first dungeon excur-sion, a low-level party encounters severalof these creatures in any of the settingsjust described. Several of the skeletonsremain in the rear of an attacking groupof their kind, wearing reasonably goodarmor and carrying well-kept weapons,watching the battle impassively or makingdirecting motions to their �troops.� Theseappear to be skeleton warriors, but areactually just other skeletons.

Skeleton warrior (FF). In most cases,skeleton warriors were powerful fightersor cavaliers (possibly paladins) who wereseduced to the path of evil. Some claimOrcus or Demogorgon originally boundthese warriors to be servants to the 12death knights. Others claim that eventoday, powerful wizard/priests may learnthe sorcerous methods of creating suchmonsters. Few undead are more fearedthan these nearly unstoppable and intelli-gent warriors.

Set up: On a quest to battle a deathknight, the adventurers fight a skeletonwarrior, mistakenly believing it is theobject of their quest. The skeleton war-

rior�s circlet is held and used by the deathknight itself.

Son of Kyuss (FF). The origin of thesehorrid creatures dates back to an evil highpriest named Kyuss. Originally meant astemple guardians, the �Sons� have, afterthe passing of Kyuss, continued to befashioned by certain priests of the Egyp-tian deity Set, and may be found on manyworlds where such worship exists. Inter-estingly, the country of origin of Kyuss isoften claimed by many Set-worshipingnations and cities, though no such claimshave been proven.

Set up: Upon assaulting a temple to Set,the adventurers find themselves faced bya number of Sons of Kyuss, which blockthem from the chief worship area. Addi-tionally, nets fall from the ceilings toimmobilize the PCs � and allow theworms inhabiting the undead to attack at+2 to hit.

Spectre (MM). Spectres are the cursedsouls of those who ruthlessly oppressedtheir fellow men during their lifetime (thecharacter of Jacob Marly from A Christ-mas Carol provides a good example).Bound to wander the land they ruled,particularly its most desolate and isolatedregions, spectres hate the living for thetorment of unrest they endure. A fairnumber of spectres were very powerfuland feared as political figures in life, par-ticularly tyrants who were fighters,thieves, or assassins.

Set up: While journeying overland, theadventurers come upon the ruins of atown burned to the ground by a wickedknight. That evening, the adventurers arevisited by the town�s last remaining inhab-itant � the knight�s spectre.

Vampire (MM). The actual origins ofvampires are lost in time, though they areamong the greatest and most evil servantsof Orcus. A variant form of vampire hasbeen recorded which originates from thelife-draining kiss of a succubus; high-levelcharacters actually slain in this mannerarise as vampires of exceptional strengthand ability within a fortnight. These pow-erful creatures need not rest in coffins tothe extent that normal vampires must, butmay exist in full sunlight, although with noother abilities than they possessed in life.Furthermore, these vampires may be slainin normal melee combat if caught aboveground during the hours of daylight (astake through the heart is still necessary,though the vampire will not turn gaseousupon reaching zero hit points). During thenight hours, this greater vampire possess-es all the abilities of a normal vampire, butin addition may summon a Type I or TypeII demon (40%/20% chance) to serve for 24hours. Such demon-spawned vampireshave the maximum number of hit pointsfor their kind and have 18(00) strength.

The normal vampire lacks the ability tofunction in daylight or to gate demons into

the Prime Material Plane; it is, neverthe-less, a respectable foe. Unlike the formertype of vampire, a normal vampire almostalways seeks a lair in an isolated spot tobetter protect itself from discovery.

Set up: Rumors of vampires are afoot,and the party is requested by a sovereignto help a certain count or baron put a stopto them. Of course, the count or baron,who cheerfully greets the party at highnoon, is a greater vampire, and the baron-ess is his succubus consort.

Wight (MM). The true origin of wightsremains a mystery. Some sages claim theyare the fates of evil humans who, throughillness or deliberate design, are buriedalive, and through their anger and sheerwillpower remain in a state of unlife toseek revenge. Others say wights are evilguardians, the spirits of loyal henchmenwho were slain and buried with theirlieges to protect their former mastersfrom desecration. Wights are typicallyfound in tombs and burial chambers,where many of them jealously guard theirburied lords and their riches. Certainespecially powerful wights were probablylieges themselves, perhaps serving greaterundead masters in their unlife.

Set up: After a long illness, the localmayor was recently laid to rest in thefamily vault. Soon thereafter, unearthlynoises were heard emanating from thevault, which none of the townsfolk woulddare approach. The adventurers are askedto investigate. The noises are, of course,the mayor � now turned to a wight overthe anger of having been buried alive.

Wraith (MM). Wraiths are said to be thehorrid spirits of dying men who vow toreturn and wreak havoc upon the living.In such cases where it would be impos-sible for an individual to become a reve-nant, there is a 5% chance that a person ofgreat evil can fulfill his curse irrespectiveof whether or not precautions � includingdestroying the physical body � are taken.

Set up: An evil lord who was recentlykilled in a peasant revolt had vowed toreturn and seek vengeance on the towns-people. Soon afterward, reports of an evilspirit�s wanderings about the area beganto surface. The adventurers are asked bythe town�s mayor to investigate. The partyeventually encounters the spirit of theangered lord amidst the ashes of his castle.

Zombie, human (MM). Zombies arethe mindless, undead servitors of magic-users or clerics who cast an animate deadon corpses not fully stripped of flesh � aprocess usually requiring either time or acash expenditure of one gp per corpse foracid (though certain insects also serve wellin this regard).

Set up: Coming across a recent battlearea suspiciously devoid of corpses, theadventurers are soon set upon by banditsled by an evil cleric � at the head of a

DR A G O N 33

number of slain guardsmen now turned tozombies.

Zombie, juju (MM2). This uncommoncreature originates with a high-levelmagic-user�s slaying of a creature by wayof an energy drain spell. Because the spellis extremely risky, few wizards are foolishenough to actually make use of it. Thepresence of a juju zombie, however, canoffer some indication as to the level ofopponents nearby.

Set up: After killing a number of jujuzombies, the adventurers eventually dis-cover why their creator had no hesitancyto use the energy drain spell: Their crea-tor is a lich; being undead, it has no fear ofbeing energy drained.

Zombie, monster (MM2). Monsterzombies are the result of casting animatedead spells upon the remains of bugbears,giants, etc. A few unusual and variantforms of such creatures are occasionallyreported, some being extremely powerfulbut still mindless.

Set up: Having hacked their waythrough bugbears and ogres, the adven-turers discover a nasty surprise: Someonehas turned the corpses into monster zom-bies while they were off exploring anotherpart of the dungeon.

Variety in touch attacksAs regards the repercussions of the

touch attacks used by some undead, mostof these effects can become boring andrepetitive in time. Ghouls always paralyze,spectres always drain two levels of experi-ence, etc. In some ways, the effects ofvarious undead touch attacks � withparticular respect to energy-drainers � isunbalanced. The climb from low to highlevel can be a long and difficult one; to seewhat may have taken a player months oryears to accomplish disappear with onetouch of a wight is surely one of the mostfrustrating of gaming experiences. Regain-ing the experience and abilities lost canalso be a task. It takes a tremendous num-ber of monsters (hundreds of slain wights,for instance) and treasure for an Initiate ofthe 9th Circle to regain the 100,000 experi-ence points necessary to get back to fulldruidhood. Likewise, only a few charac-ters have access to the 10,000 gp per levelof experience the Dungeon Masters Guideindicates as the charge for a restorationspell.

Energy levels appear to primarily repre-sent the sum total of experience and train-ing that a character has acquired in itsclass. The energy-draining undead, whichexist partially on the Negative MaterialPlane, seem to draw away a part of thelife-force of the living (to what end isunclear � perhaps to strengthen them- selves). When fully considered, can thisenergy transferral reasonably be equatedto robbing the target of its training andexperience? Probably not, for the sumtotal of a character�s life experience trans-

34 OCTOBER 1987

Table 1Alternate Energy-Drain Effects*

1d6 roll Drain from victim Benefit to monster**1-2 Hit points Gains hp of damage it inflicts on character, up

to maximum allowed by hit dice.3 Strength Does an additional hp of damage for each point

drained when it strikes.4-5 Dexterity Armor class bettered by 1 for each point

drained.6 Level of experience Gains 1 HD for each level drained.

* When a character has a physical characteristic or hit points reduced to zero as aresult of energy-draining, he rises within 24 hours as an appropriately strengthenedundead monster similar to the type that killed him.** These benefits may be temporary or permanent as the DM desires.

Table 2Hit Location for Undead Paralysis

1d6 roll Area of paralysis Effect on victim1-2 Right arm Spellcasting with somatic components and

melee becomes impossible (if character usesweapon in right hand).

3 Random leg Character must check dexterity on 1d20 eachround to stay on feet; any dexterity bonus toAC is lost.

4-5 Left arm Spellcasting with somatic components impos-sible; shield may not be used (if PC is right-handed).

6 Full body No movement or combat possible.

lates poorly into a synonym for �life-force.�One series of modifications that could

bring this ability into a more balancedform would be to allow energy drains toaffect those physical characteristics of acharacter that would rationally benefit orstrengthen the energy-drainer � in otherwords, strength, hit points, dexterity, andso on. The loss suffered by the charactermight or might not be permanent (the DMcan also decide on his own whether toallow a saving throw after the battle to seeif the lost damage returns at the rate ofone level or point per day). The monster,meanwhile, would derive certain benefitsfrom the touch. These benefits are listedon Table 1. For random determination, roll1d6.

In the case of creatures causing paraly-zation, the all-or-nothing syndrome can bemonotonous. A more interesting effectwould be to allow for only partial paraly-zation through a hit-location system. Table2 illustrates this system.

In the case of those undead causingdisease, they are pitiably impotent whenthe easily obtained cure disease spell is

Table 3Length of Paralysis

Creature Length of paralysisGhoul 2-12 roundsGhast 4-24 roundsLich 20-80 rounds

considered. The DM is thus certainlywithin his rights to occasionally tie thehealing of such diseases to certain rareherbs or to a magical spring which mayrequire a quest to locate within a set timelimit in order to save an affected charac-ter. (Requiring a broth from the legendarytannin leaves to be freed of mummy�s rotis but one example). In any event, PCs willhave to watch out for undead that decideto reach out and touch someone.

by Steve Winter

So far in this column, you�ve read ZebCooks views about redesigning the secondedition AD&D® game and Michael Dobson�sviews about marketing it. This month, we�llexplore the high-speed, action-packedworld of electronic editing.

Originally, the second-edition projectwas primarily an editing job. The AD&Dgame books are currently organized in astream-of-consciousness fashion. Topicsleap from the dungeon to the tavern to thethrone room and back to the dungeonagain in the space of a page. The bookscontradict each other, omit material, andsometimes devote pages of type to topicsthat no one understands or uses.

But it�s a terrific game.Editorially, we have four goals in mind

for the final AD&D game presentation.First, the books should be restructured foreasy reference. Second, all of the informa-tion on one topic should be in one place.Third, a player shouldn�t have to pay forinformation he doesn�t need when he buysthe new Player�s Handbook, and the DMshouldn�t have to pay for redundant infor-mation when he buys the new DungeonMaster�s Handbook. Fourth, everyone whocurrently owns the Players Handbook andDungeon Masters Guide should feel thathis money has been well spent when hebuys the second editions of these books.

The biggest question facing a gameeditor who approaches a new product iswhether the rule book should be struc-tured as a reference book for people whoare familiar with the game or as aninstruction manual for people who aren�t.In the best of all possible worlds, a rulebook would serve both functions equally� but, unfortunately, the two are mutu-ally exclusive. An instruction manualmakes a lousy reference source and anencyclopedia is a poor textbook. Rulebooks that try to be both usually wind upas confusing, incomplete, and full ofwasted pages.

We chose to make the AD&D rule booksreference manuals for several reasons.You only learn to play the game once. Thatprocess takes about four hours � theaverage length of one game session. Onceyou�ve made it through that first session,you know everything you need to knowabout role-playing. The best way to spendthat first session is, was, and always willbe with a group of people who alreadyknow what they�re doing. We always urgenewcomers to learn from experiencedplayers. There�s no better teacher than ajourneyman at work.

This is not to say that you can�t learn theAD&D game by reading the handbooks.The Player�s Handbook will most certainlycontain an introductory chapter on whatrole-playing is all about, but it will be short� no more than two or three pages in

length. If you know the game, you canskip it entirely (though we hope to make itinteresting enough that you will want toread it). The Dungeon Master�s Handbook,of course, contains extensive articles onhow to conduct a game, but that informa-tion is just as valuable to experienced DMsas it is to rookies.

The second reason we decided to use areference structure is because we don�twant to scare you away. Yes, part of thereason for a second edition is to attractnew players to the game, but it�s also tomake the game better for everyone who�splaying it right now. That means the sec-ond edition has to be just as sophisticatedas the first. If the first thing you see uponpicking up the new Player�s Handbook is�See Spot run,� we�ve just lost a customerand possibly a player. That won�t happen.

In keeping with the reference bookapproach, both the Player�s Handbook andDungeon Master�s Handbook will be thor-oughly and accurately indexed. That�senough said about that.

Anyone who has ever looked up �Doors�in the current index knows why one ofour primary goals is to gather all of theinformation on a topic into one place.Unfortunately, this goal conflicts withanother � avoiding redundancy. There iscertain information that only the DMneeds. Putting that information in thePlayer�s Handbook not only gives playerstoo much information, it ups the size (andcost) of the book. Such informationbelongs only in the Dungeon Master�sHandbook. But unless the Dungeon Mas-ter�s Handbook repeats everything fromthe Player�s Handbook, the DM has tocheck two books to get all the facts.Repeating everything from the Player�sHandbook in the Dungeon Master�s Hand-book ups the size (and cost) of theDungeon Master�s Handbook.

Our solution is to present information incomplete subsets. For example, considerthe chapter on NPC hirelings and hench-men. Players need to know what sorts ofNPCs are available and what conditionsare attached to their employment. Thisinformation is presented in detail in thePlayer�s Handbook. The DM needs to knowwhere and how NPCs can be hired, howmuch they earn, and how much abusethey�ll put up with before they quit. Mostof the chapter in the Dungeon Master�sHandbook. is devoted to these details, witha summary of the information from thePlayer�s Handbook to refresh the DM�smemory.

Compare the skeleton outlines of bothbooks as shown in the table, and you�ll seethat we�ve tried to keep their structureparallel. Now, if you know where to findsomething in the Player�s Handbook, you�llknow where to find it in the DungeonMaster�s Handbook.

The fourth goal � assuring that ownersof the first-edition books get their money�sworth from the second edition � is auto-matic as long as we meet the first three

DRAGON 37

Game Book Outlines

Player�s HandbookIntroduction to AD&D gameCharacter creationCharacter racesCharacter classesProficienciesAlignmentMoney and equipmentExperienceMagicNPCsEncountersTime and movementVision and lightCombatTreasurePlayer�s notesAppendix I: Spell listsAppendix II: Magical itemsAppendix III: Useful tables

Dungeon Master�s HandbookIntroduction to AD&D gameCharacter creationCharacter racesCharacter classesProficienciesAlignmentMoney and equipmentExperienceMagicNPCsEncountersTime and movementVision and lightCombatTreasureMagical itemsMiscellaneaMastering the gameAppendix: Useful tables

goals. What you�ll get in the second editionis not a cleaned-up used car, but a restoredclassic � polished, strengthened, andrebuilt to be better than the original.

While we�re on the subject, there is oneother concern that needs to be addressed.

It reflects a psychological rather than agaming factor. The AD&D game is vast,intricate, and confusing. It shows obviouspatching and after-the-fact hole-plugging.Things are left out, things are repeated,things are contradicted. Yet the game is

38 OCTOBER 1987

immensely popular. A question needs to beasked: Is the game popular in spite of itsfailings, or because of them?

Before you laugh, let me tell you a story.An editor at TSR, Inc. used to work for ametropolitan newspaper. That newspaperran advertising flyers for a local dimestore. The flyers were a mess. Theylooked as if someone had clipped twodozen ads from different newspapers andscattered them across the page. Itemswere printed upside-down and sideways,in a multitude of colors and sizes, with noapparent organization. The store lookedmuch the same.

One day, the newspaper staff offered toredesign the store�s ads, and the storemanager accepted. The ads were cleanedup, organized into tidy columns and cate-gories, and presented as an attractivewhole.

Sales dropped.Obviously, something was amiss. By

interviewing customers at the store, thecopywriters discovered that customersliked the old ads better. The new adslooked too slick, too professional, and tooexpensive. The old ads implied bargainprices and hidden treasures, if only youcould find them. If you found somethingyou needed, there was a sense of accom-plishment. If you pored over the ad everyweek, you felt like part of a small group ofdedicated bargain hunters.

With this startling discovery in mind, thead men went back to work. They createda new ad format that was well organizedand easy to read, but which retained thejumbled, low-budget feel of the original. Itwas a huge success.

In many ways, the AD&D game is likethose original ads. It is a big, sprawlingmess; it intimidates new players andonlookers; and, whether you know it ornot, that is probably part of the reasonwhy it appeals to you. AD&D game play-ers form an elite group. How many peoplehave looked at the game and said, �Uggh,that�s too weird and complicated for me.Let�s play Parcheesi.� Those of us whopersevered through the difficulties wererewarded by an experience that Parcheesiplayers will never know.

If that challenge is taken away, some ofthe game�s charm and appeal goes with it.We�re walking a tightrope between toolittle and too much. Too little change andit�s not worth the effort; too much and wereposition ourselves out of the hobby. Youdon�t want that, and neither do we. Wethink we can strike the right balance, orwe wouldn�t have climbed onto the rope tobegin with.

We�ll be very interested to hear youropinions on this subject, both in yourletters and in reports from our multitudeof playtest groups. Once again, keep thoseletters (and questionnaires fromDRAGON® issue #124, if you haven�t filledone out yet!) coming. We have only oneresponsibility, and that is to publish thetype of game you want.

of the ShadeOutcasts in a shadowy world

by Dan Salas

The sleeping chamber was filled withshadows and formless black shapes. Onthe bed slept Carissa, the Lady of GrahamManor. Her young face was faintly lit bystarlight from the single bedroom window.Until midnight, she slept undisturbed,exhausted from the day�s events.

Suddenly she sat up, her wide eyespeering into the darkness. The changefrom dreams to shadowed reality wasstartling. Lady Carissa knew that she wasa light sleeper, but only some nearby dis-turbance could awaken her so violently.The silence and blackness of the chamberonly increased her nervousness. Withdamp hands, she reached over to herbedside table and spoke the words of asimple cantrip to light a candle. The smallyellow flame did not completely driveaway the darkness, but it was better thannothing. A wizardess had been able toteach her that much.

Carissa looked around as her eyesadjusted to the pale light. She saw thefamiliar furnishings, thick carpets, purpledragon sculptures, bright tapestries, andsilk bedsheets. The heavy stones of thewalls seemed to reassure her that thefortress was still strong. Then her gazefound the intruder, and she froze.

A man sat motionless in a chair acrossthe room, dressed in gray and black. Hisface was partially covered by a black clothwrapped around his jaw, and his eyeswere hidden in the shadows of a blackhood. He seemed more like a phantomthan a man. Though his posture was notthreatening, Carissa stared at him with aparalyzing fear. If she shouted for help,would anyone arrive in time? Was he anassassin?

The intruder held up one gloved hand.�Please don�t call the guards,� he said soft-ly. �I�ve come to help you, not harm you.�

Carissa�s brow wrinkled. She thoughtthat the voice sounded familiar, but shedid not recognize the stranger. Being thelady of a large and powerful estate, shewas even now recovering her wits andsense of command. She was on her own.�Who are you?� she whispered fiercely.

For a moment, the intruder did notanswer. During this silence, Carissanoticed the dagger strapped to his thigh,the long sword at his side, and the studdedleather vest under his dark cloak. Seeingthat he was a warrior and not a night-demon, she gave him a steadier look.

�Tonight, I�m an advisor,� he finally said.�I�m here to tell you about the man whowounded your beloved, Lord Graham.�

Carissa perceived bitterness in theintruder�s voice as he spoke the name ofher husband. She did not understand hisindignity, so she ignored it, trying to thinkclearly. �How do you know about my lordswound?�

�Right now, he lays in the chapel withyour clerics. He�ll live, this time. But you�ll

DRAGON 41

need to know more about his attacker ifyou�re to keep your husband in thisworld.�

Carissa was taken aback. Maybe he wasa spy. �You seem to know much.�

�Then hear my words. Lord Graham�sattacker is not a demon, nor is he a nor-mal assassin. Your enemy is a shade.�

A childhood tale drifted up from mem-ory. �A shade?�

�Yes. Once a man, but now a creature ofdarkness. A shade is a person who hastraded his soul to gain a permanent con-nection to the Plane of Shadow. There, thePositive and Negative Material Planes meetin the shadow of the Prime Material Plane.Do you understand what I mean?�

Carissa nodded, fascinated. She was ascholar as well as a noble, and her interestin the metasciences was drawn out by themysterious intruder.

�A shade receives effects from the Posi-tive and Negative Planes:� he continued.�From the Positive, he receives immunityfrom aging and disease, as well as powersof healing. To the Negative Plane, he loseshis soul. His appearance becomes dark asnight, and his personality becomes evendarker.�1

�Who would do this to himself?�The stranger chuckled sarcastically,

sadly. �Anyone who finds no joy in day-light and who cares nothing for the com-pany of others. Anyone who would gladlytrade his soul for the powers of the night.�

The stranger slipped into broodingsilence. Feeling awkward but less afraid,Carissa asked, �How is it done?�

�There are some clerics who will makethe transformation for a price � usually3,000 gold pieces.2 I don�t know the exactspells that are used, but I know that theperson must be brought to the Plane ofShadow, where the cleric . . . slays himand makes the transformation.3 The per-son is then a shade. He can never again bereturned from the dead because he has nosoul, no spirit. He cannot increase hisskills.4 He-cannot have children.�

�There mustthe world.�

not be many such people in

Table 1Shade Character Class

Die roll Character class1 Cavalier

2-7 Fighter8-10 Magic-user

11-12 Illusionist13-17 Thief18-20 Assassin

Table 2Shade Alignment

Die roll Alignment1-2 Lawful neutral

3 True neutral4-5 Chaotic neutral6-7 Lawful evil8-9 Neutral evil10 Chaotic evil

Note: Reroll result if it is inconsistentwith the assassin character class.

�No, not many. The sacrifices are toogreat forare some . . .� 5 The stranger�s mind seemed

most people to accept. But there

to wander as he spoke. Carissa listenedattentively, unsure of the truth of hisstory, and increasingly doubtful of hissanity. �Not all shades are evil in nature,but none of them are actually good. Theones who changed from good alignmentsometimes seek revenge against those whocaused their misery. Lawful shades usuallycontinue their war against chaos. Evilshades usually continue their war againsteveryone.�

As the man�s voice drifted off, Carissadecided to change the course of the con-versation. �You were talking about myhusbands attacker. . . �

�Yes, of course.� The stranger seemed toregather his thoughts, and he spoke with new energy. �The attacker�s name is Var-

42 OCTOBER 1987

ian. This shade came to me four days agoand asked that I help him kill Lord Gra-ham. He seeks vengeance for some person-al reason. I refused his offer.�

�How do we fight him?��Light is your best weapon. In bright

light, a shade becomes weak, and is morevulnerable to magical attacks. Have yourclerics cast continual light spells on lan-terns. Leave no passage unlit that leads toyour lord. In the shadows, a shade cantransport himself to the Plane of Shadow,so you must keep Varian in bright light orin complete darkness. As a last resort, usea holy word to force him to return to thePlane of Shadow.

�Varian himself remains on the PrimeMaterial Plane during daylight. He sleepsin the ruins of Thurid Castle. There youcan trap him and kill him.�

Carissa nodded. �If your words are true,you�ll be richly rewarded.�

The man snorted in disgust. �I don�twant your gold.�

�Then why have you helped us?�The stranger sat in silence, his vision

fixed upon her. Then he stood and walkedslowly toward her. Carissa shrank backfrom him, preparing to call for the guards,but the intruder made no move for hisweapons. Instead, he sat on the edge ofthe bed. Still, Carissa could not see hiseyes.

�I�ve helped Lord Graham because Iknow that his death would ruin you. Idon�t want any harm to come to you,Carissa. I still love you, even more than Idid ten years ago.�

Suddenly she recognized his voice, rec-ognized the figure under the black clothes,recognized his manner of moving andspeaking. Her heart jumped and she criedout, �Dimitri!�

The man leaned toward her and extend-ed a hand. With wild joy she moved closerto him, but then he grasped the candleflame and crushed it. Shadows filled theroom again.

Her heart racing, Carissa waved a handin front of her. Dimitri was not withinreach. As she frantically relit the candlewith her last cantrip, she thought of Dimi-tri: a lost lover from her past, an honor-able man whom she had loved deeplybefore her father had wed her to LordGraham. Her thoughts were dazed andtangled as the candlelight returned.

She looked quickly around the room, butDimitri was gone. Carissa knew that hewould not be back. In the silence of theflickering candlelight, Carissa covered herface with her hands and wept.

Notes1 A character who becomes a shade

takes new personality traits, becomingsober, moody, cynical, and suspicious.Because of these traits, the character�scharisma drops. To determine the exactpenalty, divide the character�s charismascore by three (rounding down), then

subtract this number from the originalcharisma score to get the new charismascore.

The character�s comeliness drops due tohis new appearance: dark eyes, gray skin,black clothes, etc. Determine the comeli-ness penalty in the same way as the cha-risma penalty. Only drow elves areimmune from the comeliness penalty,since the change in appearance leavestheir skin no darker than before, and onlyaffects their eyes and hair color.

2 No cleric of good alignment will turn aperson into a shade, whether the person iswilling or not. A neutral-evil cleric is 50%likely to intentionally kill the characterduring the process, and a chaotic-evilcleric is 75% likely to kill the character. Toperform the transformation, the clericmust be at least 10th level.

3 The process for becoming a shadebegins on the Prime Material Plane,where the would-be shade drinks lethalpoison and dies. The cleric then usesplane shift to transport himself and thecharacter to the Plane of Shadow. There,the cleric casts neutralize poison on thecharacter, and then imbue with spellability if the character is not a memberof a spell-casting class. The cleric thencasts negative plane protection to allowthe forces of the Positive and NegativeMaterial Planes to enter the character�sbody, thus causing the physical, psycho-logical, and magical changes. At last, thecleric casts raise dead (this spell evenworks on elves and half-orcs due to theinterference of the energies from thePositive and Negative Material Planes).The character must make a successfulresurrection survival check or die again� permanently.

The character now needs to recover, asnoted in the description of the raise deadspell. Afterwards, he is a full shade, com-plete with special powers, special abilities,and all other effects as explained in theMonster Manual II and in this article.

4 A shade cannot gain experience points,cannot increase in class level or proficien-cy, and cannot gain new levels of spellability. The mixture of the Positive andNegative Material Planes holds the shadeforever at the same class level, also mak-ing him immune to magical increases ordecreases in level.

5 For the class of a random shade, roll1d20 on Table 1. For the shade�s alignment,use Table 2; roll 1d4 + 6 for assassins, or1d10 for other classes. The shade�s leveland equipment should be chosen inaccordance with the PC party�s strength.

The ability scores of a shade can bedetermined by the chart on page 74 ofUnearthed Arcana. Note that the charismaand comeliness scores need to be adjustedas with any other character who hasbecome a shade.

When determining the experience-pointvalue of an NPC shade (Dungeon MastersGuide, page 85), consider the shade statusto be an exceptional ability.

DR A G O N 43

44 OCTOBER 1987

young man dressed all in blue pushedhis way into Slab�s Tavern. He hadthe thin good looks and light brownhair of a native Zelloquan, I saw, andhis robes were of good material, wellcut.

Glancing around, he swallowednervously, then started for my table. As he neared, Ilooked him over. He couldn�t have been more than six-teen, I thought, and no one that young had much businesshere.

My tavern catered to none but the most bloodthirsty ofclientele. Slab�s had a certain reputation � well nurturedover the years � of being the toughest, roughest bar in allof Zelloque. I ought to know: I�d spread many of therumors myself. When I took a quick glance around themain serving room, I saw pirates haggling in one corner,slavers throwing dice in another, and all manner of cut-throats bellied up to the bar for wine.

They didn�t seem to discourage the boy, though. Ignor-ing all else, he slid into the seat opposite mine. �UlanderRasym, I presume?� he said.

�Perhaps.� I studied him: pale lips, a paler complexion,the watery eyes of someone who read too much. Indeed,far from my normal run of customers. Something extraor-dinary had to have brought him here. I demanded, �Whoare you?�

�My name is Vril Arantine � I�m one of Pondrane�sstudents. Perhaps you�ve heard of him?�

�He�s a wizard. So? What do you want?��Your tavern has ghosts.��Of course. Everyone knows that.� It was true: among

the various magical happenings in Slab�s over the years,ghosts often appeared � patrons who had died, mostly,but also Slab Vethiq himself, come to check up on histavern. And there was a table where chilled wine tastedlike warm blood, and a spot (which moved from night tonight) where, if you stepped too close, monsters some-times appeared.

�Good,� Vril said. �I had to make sure. I need to studythem.�

“What?”“Yes.” He nodded. �I�m writing a book — Manifesta-

tions of the Dead. It will prove conclusively that ghosts areno more than mental projections of latent magical tal-ents.�

He said it with such sincerity that I was left speechlessfor a moment � a very rare occurrence, I assure you.Unfortunately, I wasn�t the only one who�d heard hispreposterous statement. Slowly, behind his back, a lumi-nous white mist had begun to gather.

Ignoring the ghost, I said, �So what do you want me todo?�

�I want permission to sit at a small table in the back ofyour tavern for a month � to watch for spectral phenom-ena, of course.�

The mist grew thicker, began to swirl up into a humanform. �What do I care,� I said, watching it, �so long asyou pay for your wine.�

�Ah,� he said eagerly, �you have put your finger onprecisely the problem. I have developed a rigid scientific

WellBottledSlab�s

at

by John Gregory Betancourt

Illustrations by George Barr

DRAGON 45

46 OCTOBER 1987

method for studying such phenomena ���Ghosts, you mean.�� � and I can�t drink anything but water while I�m

here, since it might cloud my judgment.�The luminous fog coalesced into a short, broad man in

a flowing cape. I recognized him at once: Slab Vethiqhimself, my tavern�s founder and former owner, whom I�dserved for twenty-odd years. After his untimely death, I�dtaken over his establishment and run it myself. Evendead, though, Slab wouldn�t surrender his property; hehad a tendency to show up at the most inopportune timesto try to run things . . . like now, when I was about tohave this would-be scholar thrown out.

I just sighed. Such were the problems of owning ahaunted tavern.

Slab nodded to me and winked knowingly. �Let himstay,� he said in a way only I could hear. �He amusesme.�

� B u t � �Slab shook his head in warning. Then he was gone.I sighed again. There would be trouble, I knew, if I

didn�t cooperate � walls dripping blood, loud, mysteriousgroans, clanking chains: petty annoyances which had ahabit of scaring people away. Why did Slab always have tomake things difficult?

Knowing it was a mistake, knowing I�d regret my deci-sion, I turned to the lad and said, �Very well. But stay outof the way, and I don�t want you bothering the payingcustomers!�

�Thank you!� Vril said, beaming. �I�ll start tonight!�Rising, he went to a small empty table, sat down, anddrew a small parchment from some hidden pocket in hiscloak. Next to the parchment he set a small jar of ink anda quill pen. Then he began eyeing the various areas of thetavern and taking copious notes. He had all the subtletyand grace of a boar at a feeding trough.

I motioned to Lur, my doorman and bodyguard, and helumbered over. Lur was a large man � about seven feettall � with broad shoulders and muscles enough to intimi-date all but the most suicidal drunks.

�What?� he asked, with his usual eloquence.I nodded toward Vril. �See to it he�s not disturbed. Let

the word get around that he�s a . . . nephew of mine. Thatshould take care of it.�

�Yes, master.� He lumbered off.As I studied my patrons with a dispassionate eye, I

noticed half the men at the bar giving young Vril Aran-tine the once-over. I knew what they were thinking: he�dbe an easy mark, some nobleman�s son out slumming, orjust a lad who�d walked into the wrong bar in the wrongside of town.

But then Lur wandered among them, bending to whis-per into an ear here, inserting a terse word or two into aconversation there. I don�t know what he said, but itseemed to do the trick. The cutthroats tended to pale verysuddenly, then turn back to their drinks, making almostpainful efforts not to even glance in Vril�s direction. Evenso, I couldn�t lose the feeling that the boy would betrouble.

It started out simply enough: I felt a chill breeze, then a

beautiful, glowing woman with long, glistening silver hairemerged from the thick stone wall to my right. I jumped abit as her gown brushed my foot, sending little knives ofcold shooting the length of my leg, but it was nothingunusual. I�d seen her kind of ghost every now and then.

Ignoring everyone else, she walked straight to Vril,curtsied a bit, then held out her hand as though askinghim to dance. He scarcely glanced up from his note-taking.

Finally, the ghost-woman walked on, moving throughhis table, through the stack of parchments he�d alreadyfilled with his tiny, cribbed writing. As she vanished intothe wall, I saw a look of puzzlement blended with frustra-tion on her face.

Interesting, indeed! Something was going on, and Ididn�t like it, not at all. I vowed then and there to see itstopped. But how? Why would ghosts bother Vril Aran-tine? And why would Slab Vethiq � never a man (orghost) known for his generosity � take an interest in thelad?

I had to find out more about young Arantine. Rising, Ifetched my cloak from the storeroom. A visit to Vril�smaster, the wizard Pondrane, seemed in order.

The wizard lived in the better part of town, in a tall,rambling old house surrounded by a high stone wall. Iwalked up to the gate, Lur at my side, and rang a littlesilver bell. Instantly, it seemed, a gray-bearded servantappeared from the shadows. He unlocked the gate, pulledit open, and bowed humbly to me.

�This way, Ulander Rasym,� he said.I didn�t move. �How do you know me?� I demanded.�The master is expecting you.� Turning, he started up

an overgrown path toward the house.I glanced around once and, seeing nothing to alarm me,

followed. Lur fell in step behind, mace at his side.The servant brought us into a dark, overcrowded little

workroom that stank of mold and decay. Tables lined thewalls, and on them sat various tubes and bottles andscrolls, jars of diverse magical ingredients, and an oddcollection of trophies from fifty years of wizardy: mummi-fied animals, polished bones, teeth, and strangely shapedpebbles. Lur moved awkwardly here, like an animal in aroom full of glass, fearful of breaking something. I didn�tblame him; wizards were a difficult lot at best, and therewas no telling what Pondrane would do if either of usdamaged his possessions, accidentally or not.

I heard a low cough behind me. A board shifted andcreaked under my feet when I turned, but I saw no one inthe shadows. �Who�s there?� I called. �Is that you, wiz-ard?�

Light suddenly flickered around us, jags of gold andsilver dancing through the air like fireflies. Finally, thesparks coalesced into a glowing sphere that drifted up tothe ceiling and stationed itself there. By its light I couldsee an old man sitting on a chair in the corner: CrollionPondrane.

He was a small man, and old beyond measure. His facehad been wrinkled and creased by years spent outdoors,but now his skin was pallid as a slug�s belly, his cheekshollowed, his eyes dark and deep as stagnant pools of

water. His hands shook as he raised himself to his feet andtook a step forward. The smell of decay seemed all aroundhim, thick and damp.

�Your servant said you were expecting me,� I said. Itwas half a challenge, half a question.

�You are Ulander Rasym, owner of Slab Vethiq�s tav-ern, yes?�

I frowned. �Yes. I�ve come to ask about one of yourstudents. . . .�

He seemed to be ignoring me. �Good, good,� he mur-mured to himself. Slowly he circled me, examining myface, my clothes in great detail.

�About Vril �� I began.�I have a proposition,� he said. �It�s worth five thou-

sand royals to you.�That caught my interest. �I�m listening,� I said.�I knew Beren Vethiq � Slab Vethiq to you. When we

were young, we played together, traveled together, drankand whored together. We were the best of friends until onesad summer day in Pavania, when we both fell in lovewith the same girl. That night Beren drugged me, sold meinto slavery, and sent me off to Harandel with a tradercaravan. I ended up in that despicable city for ten years. Iblamed him for all my troubles, swore vengeance. It washatred that kept me going.

�I pursued him across half the world and finally cor-nered him in Frissa. We fought, I with magic, he with asword. He won again by a fluke, and again he sold meinto slavery. It took me fifteen years to get away that time.When I escaped, again I pursued him, but he had alreadydied when I reached Zelloque. Only a few months ago didI learn of his ghost.�

�So?� I said cautiously.�I shall trap his spirit, put him in a tiny bottle where no

one can ever find him. That will be my revenge: an eter-nity of solitude, an eternity of punishment for what he didto me so long ago. I will pay you not to interfere.�

I swallowed, my mouth dry. �And Vril?��My apprentice. He is the instrument which will cap-

ture Beren Vethiq.�Lur began to growl ever so faintly, like an angered dog,

and I knew I had to but give the word and he�d stranglethe wizard � or, more likely, die trying. His loyalty to adead man was touching. But what did I owe Slab? Itmight be worth it to sit back and let Vril capture him. Thethought of those five thousand royals jingling in my pouchmade my fingers itch.

But then I remembered all Slab had done for me. Sure,he�d made my life miserable at times � but he�d alsodone his best to keep Slab�s Tavern open and running,even when an Oracle tried to tear the place apart in searchof a splinter from one of his god�s bones, even when One-eyed Seth tried to muscle in on business, and even whenthe Great Lord of Zelloque�s counselors decided I was amenace and ordered my assassination.

I owed him my life many times over. The thought ofSlab spending the rest of eternity alone, with CrollionPondrane torturing him, made me distinctly uncomforta-ble.

Abruptly, I started for the door, before my morals tooksecond place to my greed. Over my shoulder I called,

�We have nothing to discuss. And if your apprentice daresset foot in my tavern again, I�ll sell him into slaverymyself, just like Slab would have done!�

�Fool!� Crollion Pondrane shouted after me, and thenhe began to laugh again. It made me realize how much Ihated him.

When we came in sight of my tavern, I saw a largecrowd had gathered in front, all of them looking inthrough doors and windows, shouting and passing betsback and forth. At once I realized a brawl must have bro-ken out, and without Lur to break it up, things had gottenout of hand.

�Come on!� I shouted, and I raced down the street,Lur thundering after me.

I forced my way through the mass of people around thedoor, entered the musty pleasantness of my tavern � andfound myself surrounded by a whirling, screaming,shrieking storm of ghosts. Spectral figures stalked betweenthe tables. Severed heads floated over the bar, bellowingsnatches of song. Skeletons sipped wine in the booths. Inevery corner something writhed or slithered or chortled.The din was deafening.

At the center of it all, still scribbling notes, sat Pon-drane�s apprentice. Vril seemed oblivious to all the appa-ritions around him. Now, however, I knew the truth: hewas waiting for Slab Vethiq to show himself.

With a roar of sheer rage � at Slab for sending theseghosts, at Pondrane for sending his apprentice, at all themoney they both had cost me by frightening off my cus-tomers � I ran into the room and seized Vril by the col-lar. Hauling him to his feet, I shook him as hard as Icould. His teeth rattled; he trembled all over.

�Get out!� I snarled. �If I ever see you or your masteragain, I�ll beat you both to bloody pulp!�

I cuffed his ear, and with a yelp, he went sprawling.Lur dragged him to his feet and propelled him forciblytoward the door. The crowd there scattered.

It was then that I became aware of the deathly silencearound us. All the various ghosts had vanished, gone backto whatever nightmare they�d crawled from. I began tobreathe a bit easier, confident that my troubles had ended.

However, as soon as I turned, I noticed Lur hadstopped. He still held Vril by collar and belt, dangling thelad half a foot above the floor, but his attention seemedfocused on something else. Then I saw what: Slab Vethiqhimself was slowly materializing between them and thedoor, blocking their way. Slab�s arms were crossed, and helooked more than a bit peeved. I saw it all, then � knewhe�d wanted to frighten a boy who didn�t believe inghosts. Now he wouldn�t let Vril leave; his fun wasn�tover yet.

�No!� I shouted to him, a sinking feeling inside, know-ing it was too late. �It�s a trap��

But Vril had whipped a small bottle from some hiddenpocket. He popped the cork, pointed the mouth at Slab,and shouted some magical word.

I heard a sucking sound, felt a rush of wind all aroundme, and then Slab was gone. The wizard had won afterall, it seemed. I felt positively sick.

Lur had turned Vril Arantine upside down and begun

D R A G O N 4 7

48 OCTOBER 1987

shaking him by one leg. Bits of parchment, several smallcoins, and various pouches flew in all directions. At lastthe bottle dropped free.

Flinging Vril to one side, Lur grabbed it up anduncorked it. He began shaking it, trying to release Slab.Nothing happened. And, I noticed, Lur had begun togrowl again � a sign of his anger.

Vril had, meanwhile, climbed from the wreckage of twochairs and a table. He seemed dazed, unsure as to wherehe was and what he was doing. Then he saw Lur andseemed to remember, for he lunged after the bottle.

Lur held it well out of reach, raising the hole to oneeye. Peering inside, he said, �Slab?�

Again Vril shouted that magic word. and again I heardthe sucking noise. In the blink of an eye my bodyguardhad vanished.

The bottle clattered loudly on the floor. Vril grabbed itup and bolted, but I tackled him before he�d taken threesteps.

As I sat on his chest, pinning his arms, I stuffed mybulging money purse in his mouth to keep him quiet.Only then did I pry the bottle from his clenched fist.

After corking it securely, I held it up to the light, turn-ing it this way and that, looking for some way to releaseits contents. The thing wasn�t made of glass, I thought; itwasn�t transparent and the texture felt wrong. It seemedmore like ivory or bone of some kind.

Finally, giving up, I decided to have Vril reverse themagic. I could live without Lur, I was certain � hiredmuscle could be found anywhere � but I certainly neededSlab. He�d always watched out for me, always made surethe tavern turned a profit. And, beyond that, he�d becomealmost as much a fixture in the place as the huge block ofmarble that served as the bar, or the old tapestries on thewalls, or the huge brick fireplace where toasts were madeand glasses thrown on cold winter nights.

Slab�s Tavern without its patron ghost would be justanother bar. I could never let that happen.

Pulling the makeshift gag from Vril�s mouth, I let himgasp and take several large gulps of air. Finally, he couldtalk again.

�All right,� I said angrily, �how do I get them out?��I don�t know.��I don�t believe you.� I let one hand tighten on his

throat for a second. His eyes bulged.When I released him, he coughed and wheezed for

several minutes. �It�s true!� he managed to gasp. �Mymaster did all the magic. I just had to say the word ��

Jal and Ferrin, two of my least timid servants, haddared to venture back inside by then. They tended barand sometimes helped out at the door, when things got toobusy for Lur to handle alone.

Now I glanced at them. �It�s about time!��Yes, Ulander,� Jai said, wiping his hands on his apron.

He didn�t meet my gaze. �It�s just that ���Never mind. Give me a hand here. Hold him while I

get up.�They seized Vril with ill-concealed glee. The lad strug-

gled a bit when I stood, but Jal bent one of his arms backuntil he cried for mercy.

�Mercy?� I said, mocking him. �What mercy did you

show my friends?� I waved the bottle under his nose.�How the hell am I supposed to get them out of here?�

He just stared at me, gritting his teeth, as Jal continuedto twist his arm. I finally decided that he really didn’tknow.

Perhaps, I decided, smashing the bottle would do thetrick. I fetched a hammer from the back room, set thebottle on the stone floor, and struck it as hard as I could.The hammer bounced off with a ringing sound. Againand again I pounded on it, but to no effect; it wouldn�tbreak.

Finally, sighing, I rose to my feet. If nothing else, I�dalways prided myself on my inventiveness. If I couldn�tget them out, I�d get someone else to do it for me. Thewizard Pondrane would certainly know how. All I had todo was persuade him.

I looked at his apprentice and smiled. �Tell me,� I said,�the magic word that makes the bottle work.�

He thrashed his arms and tried to break free, but Jaland Ferrin held him securely. After I�d hit him a fewtimes, he stopped struggling and began to whimper a bit.

�Stop that sniveling,� I said. �You brought it on your-self. I made a perfectly sensible request. Now, answer it!�

“You‘re going to put me in there!”�Of course,� I said. �That�ll make sure Pondrane emp-

ties the bottle.�Vril bit his lip and shook his head, but I saw the fear in

his eyes. I knew then that he�d tell.�Save yourself a lot of pain,� I said. �What�s the

word.�Slowly, grudgingly, he told me. When he�d done so, I

drew out the bottle, uncorked it, and pointed the openingat him. He closed his eyes and turned his head away.Then I said the magic word, and in a split second, hevanished.

Unfortunately, Jal and Ferril vanished with him. Itseemed the think sucked up whoever or whatever was infront of it.

Shaking my head, I tucked the bottle in a pocket, closedup shop, and headed for the wizard Pondrane�s house.

The same servant who�d met Lur and me earlier thatnight brought me back to Pondrane�s damp, dank work-shop. The wizard was bent over several small jars, careful-ly measuring ingredients into each. He looked up when Icame in, then set aside his instruments.

His voice held a hint of a sneer when he said, �So,you�ve changed your mind, have you?�

I smiled. �No. Rather, I�ve got a present for you.��Oh? What?�I produced the bottle. �Your apprentice.�Frowning, Pondrane demanded, �What�s he doing in

there?��He was a bit careless. After putting my bodyguard

inside, he managed to do the same to himself. Needless tosay, I want Lur back, and I imagine you�d like Vril.�

He carried the bottle over to one of his tables, set itdown, and rummaged through a stack of papers. Finally,he pulled one out, read it aloud over the bottle, then heldit up to the light.

�You�re right,� he admitted a bit sadly. �From the

aura, there are living humans in there.��You doubt my word?� I smiled.�I had hoped you were lying. There is a slight problem

with getting them out.��What?��The bottle isn�t supposed to hold people. It was

designed for a ghost, something ethereal. I don�t knowwhat will happen if I try to release its contents � thestrain might prove too great and shatter them.�

�The people or the bottle?��Both. Either. The cage took me months to make, and

I can�t go wasting it, now can I?�I made a mental note not to mention Jal or Ferrin. If

two people inside the bottle worried him, four might wellfrighten him off. Rather, I changed tactics and said,�Don�t you have more time than that invested in yourapprentice?�

Slowly, almost reluctantly, he nodded. �I suppose so.Very well, then, I�ll let them out. Please stand back.�

I retreated into the hall. As I watched through the door-way, he removed the cork, set the bottle in the middle ofthe floor, then took two steps back and stretched out hisarms. His eyes closed; he seemed to be concentratingdeeply.

Finally, he began to speak, the words strange, slurred,heavy. The air around us took on a weird, shimmeringquality, as though I gazed at him through waves of heat. Inoticed a blue mist rising around the bottle, tendrils cir-cling, twining upward, then coursing down into the bot-tle�s open mouth. The room grew chill; I felt a cold sweattrickle down the small of my back.

Pondrane shouted a word, then came a blinding flash oflight and an explosion that knocked me off my feet. Dustroiled around me, smothering, and I choked and gasped

for breath. Finally, the air cleared; I gathered my witsenough to stagger into the wizard�s workroom.

Everything lay in shambles: the glass bottles broken,the furniture smashed, debris all over. Pondrane himselfsprawled across one of his tables, a mummified cat pillow-ing his head.

Lur and Jal and Ferrin lay in a jumble on the floor. Iheard one of them groan and begin to stir, so I knew theywere still alive. I didn�t see Vril at first, but then I spottedhis foot sticking out from under Lur. Fortunately, he�dbroken my bodyguard�s fall, as well as Jal�s and Ferrin�s.

Slab stood off to one side, looking faintly amused by thewhole mess. I frowned. �At least you could show a littlegratitude for my rescuing you!�

He laughed at me, then slowly faded away. His lack ofgrace in being saved hurt a bit, but he was a ghost andallowances had to be made. When all I�d done for himhad sunk in, I knew he�d be grateful.

Meanwhile, I had more important things to think about� like my men. Pulling them off of Vril, I slapped theirfaces and called their names until they opened their eyesand looked blearily at me. After that, I breathed easier.Their skulls were hard; they didn�t seem hurt by theirordeal. In fact, it took surprisingly little to get them ontheir feet and moving.

On my way out, I spotted the magic bottle lying on thefloor, its cork beside it. Smiling, I picked it up.

Then I crossed to the wizard Pondrane, pointed it athim, and spoke the magic word. With a sucking soundand a gust of wind, he vanished. Grinning happily, Itapped the cork back into place. Then I put it on theworkbench, in plain sight � just next to fifty-odd otherbottles that looked exactly the same. It would probablytake Vril months to notice it . . . if he ever did.

Smiling, I followed after my men. It felt good to havesaved Slab. Dead or alive, a fellow had to look out for hisfriends.

I just hoped Slab felt that way, too.

DR A G O N 49

by Gregory W. Detwiler

The following is a collection of magicaltreasures from the lands of Kara-Tur —items which fortunate Oriental Adven-tures characters may discover in theirtravels. Some of these items may also findtheir ways into more traditional, medievalcultures, where they may puzzle andsurprise their finders.

Cloth of SteelThis 8�-long piece of enchanted cloth,

upon utterance of the command word(usually found on the cloth), straightensout as if wielded by someone who knowsthe martial-arts maneuver Steel Cloth.Unlike the regular cloth used in themaneuver, the cloth remains straight evenwhen not in motion, remaining rigid untila second command word is spoken toreturn the cloth to its normal form. In therigid state, the cloth may be hurled; ifthrust or thrown, it strikes as a spear +1.When rigid, the cloth is so hard that itmay be used as a crowbar or as a long

50 OCTOBER 1987

spike for stopping sliding walls.XP Value: 750GP Sale Value: 5,500

Shukenja HelmThis helm may be of any type (kabuto,

hanburi, jingasa, etc.), and may be wornby any character who can wear helmets.When worn, it gives the protection afford-ed by the shukenja spell mental strength.In addition, the wearer of the helm maymeditate for two hours a day (double thatif he can already meditate). In combat, thehelm gives the head AC -2, and, if thewearer is striking to subdue instead of kill,he gains a +1 advantage on both damageand �to hit� rolls.XP Value: 2,000GP Sale Value: 13,000

Multiple Rod of DancingUpon first glance, the rod appears to be

a normal three-piece rod. However, it is+1 on both damage and �to hit� rolls. Therod may also be used as a dancing weap-on, but it always functions in this capacityas if it were owned by an 8th-level monk

who specializes in martial-arts weapons.Upon utterance of the appropriate com-

mand words, the chain links of the rodmay, at the will of the owner, become anyof the following things: three dancing josticks, a dancing jo stick and nunchaku, orone or two jo sticks and a dancing nuncha-ku. Other weapons may be wielded by theuser of dancing weapons. As before, thedancing weapons fight for five rounds at atime (or until recalled by the owner) as ifwielded by an 8th-level monk. When thecommand word is spoken, the weaponsare fully responsive to the will of theowner. When the rod dances in severalpieces, it can engage up to three oppo-nents at a time; the pieces may also con-centrate on only one or two foes. Whenthe command word of recall is spoken orwhen the time limit for dancing is usedup, the detached pieces reunite and flyback to the owner�s grasp. All detacheddancing pieces are +1 weapons.XP Value: 4,500GP Sale Value: 25,000

Staff of the NinjaThis staff appears to be an ordinary bo

stick until checked for magic. It is +2 todamage and �to hit� rolls, and has otherspecial abilities as well. If the appropriatecommand words are known, the followingthings may occur at the user�s command:

1. A spear head slides out of one end,turning the weapon into a shakujo yari +2.The head retracts when the commandword is repeated.

2. A sword blade juts out of the otherend, turning the staff into a shikomizue +2. As before, the blade retracts ifthe command word is repeated.

3. The staff has a saving throw vs. crush-ing blows of 1, making it virtuallyunbreakable.

4. The staff has balancing ability.5. Once per day, each concealed weapon

blade may be envenomed. The venom iswiped off and expended on the first suc-cessful blow, acting as if it had come froma dagger of venom.

6. The staff dances for five rounds,attacking the enemy as if wielded by an8th-level ninja. The staff can dance as a bostick, shakujo yari, or shikomi zue. Theform in which the owner wishes it tofight, however, must be determined beforethe weapon is made to dance. When timeruns out or it is recalled, the staff returnsto the hands of its owner.

7. The staff acts as a ring of water walking8. Four times a week, the bearer of the

staff can pass through stone or metal wallsup to 3� thick.XP Value: 5,000GP Sale Value: 25,000

Statue of SubstitutionUpon close examination, this statue,

reveals a small cavity in its back. Thestatue is hollow and large enough to holdone pint of blood. In order to make thestatue work, the character to carry or use

it must have one pint of blood removedfrom his body and poured into the statue,which magically seals when full. Once thisbond has been created, the statue benefitsthe character using it as if he were usingthe shukenja spell substitution. The first20 hit points of damage the charactertakes in combat are absorbed by thestatue, which disappears automaticallywhen the limit is reached. The statue willbenefit no one but the character whoseblood it holds, and only one statue may beso used by a character at a time. If smallamounts of blood from several charactersare poured in, the statue will not give eachof the characters limited benefits; it will,in fact, be worthless.XP Value: 500GP Sale Value: 10,000

Stirrups of HorsemanshipWhen fitted on a horse, these stirrups

give any character who rides that animalthe same skills at riding that he wouldhave if he had the horsemanship proficien-cy (this applies to riding skill, leaping ontothe animal, using two-handed weapons onhorseback while guiding the animal withthe legs alone, etc.). The stirrups may beused on any horse or horselike animal (ki-rin, unicorn, etc.), and must be attached tothe saddle trappings if they are to workproperly. No additional bonus is given tocharacters who already have the horse-manship proficiency.XP Value: 2,500GP Sale Value: 12,500

Tea Set of Skill and GraceThis tea set, made of the finest materi-

als, enables its owner to conduct a teaceremony as if he had filled a slot with thetea-ceremony proficiency. Possession ofthe set adds +4 to the chances of attainingutter concentration while conducting theceremony; this benefit is the same wheth-er or not the character has regular profi-ciency in the tea ceremony. The same +4bonus applies if the character uses the setwhen engaged in a contest. If the charac-ter used the set while learning the ceremo-ny, he will still have +2 on the chance ofcontest-winning and attainment of utterconcentration without the set.XP Value: 1,500GP Sale Value: 2,000

Dragon LanternThis hooded lantern is shaped like the

head of a dragon. When the handle ismanipulated to reveal the light, thedragon�s jaws are opened. This speciallantern secretes that most brilliant ofilluminating agents, dragon fat, producingenough so that the lantern may be used upto 20 turns a day. (Incidentally, regulardragon fat may be burned in ordinarylanterns; the amount needed to fill a lan-tern once is worth 3,000 gp.) The lightfrom this lantern brilliantly illuminates anarea equal to that covered by an ordinary

lantern�s light, but in this case, the lightedarea is equivalent to broad daylight. Inaddition, the light can be seen from agreat distance, until the point the lanternis at is hidden by the curvature of theearth (thus, the lantern may also be usedas a signalling beacon). Any creature wholooks directly into the dragon jaws (equiva-lent to the chance of being caught by thegaze of a basilisk) is blinded for 10 turnsunless treated by cure blindness.XP Value: 3,000GP Sale Value: 12,000

Dragon PearlThis is the magically-treated pearl car-

ried by every oriental dragon. It alwaysglows with a brilliant light so penetratingthat it can light up every room in even thelargest castle. (Only a special carrying sackof dragon hide or similar special leatherwill conceal the light.) When carried, thepearl acts as a periapt of health. In addi-tion, it can increase the size or amount ofany ordinary substance it comes in contactwith. People and animals grow fatter andhealthier, crops grow larger, and piles offood (such as rice) increase in size. Ifplaced in a barrel with a few drops ofwater, oil, or some other liquid, the pearlwill soon have the barrel full to overflow-ing. However, this ability only works forordinary materials; it cannot multiply apile of coins or make gems increase invalue. If buried, the pearl reveals its pres-ence by the fact that the grass over it isalways green and healthy, even in winteror in times of drought.XP Value: 10,000GP Sale Value: 20,000

Dust of RevealingThis special dust is commonly found in

one or more eggshell grenades, the pricebeing that of one such powder-filled gre-nade. When released into the air, the dustmagically expands to fill a 30�-radius �area.Everything in this area affected by dis-guises is revealed for what it truly is.Shapechangers (such as lycanthropes andhengeyokai) are forced into their naturalforms, all magical and mundane disguises

are removed, and spells such as face andapparition are nullified, Unlike dust ofappearance, dust of revealing does notreveal invisible, astral, ethereal, or out-of-phase creatures.XP Value: 1,000GP Sale Value: 4,000

Wand of RustThis wand, which may be used only by

wu jen (magic-users), is a potent weaponagainst armored foes. Every time a chargeis expended, a pencil-thin ray of a rustyred color streaks out. Any metal object hitacts as though a metal to rust spell hadbeen cast on it. Note: Because the beam isso thin, a save vs. wands means that thebeam has missed, and could thus strikesomething else. The beam will travel 100�before dying out if it hits nothing.

As with the spell, the wand may alsotransform rust to metal. If one charge isexpended while the wand is swirled aroundin a pile of rust (here the rust may be due toany cause), the affected item is restored asper the spell. If less than 90% of the item�srust is in that spot, the spell will not work,but the one charge will still be expended.The wand may be recharged.XP Value: 6,000GP Sale Value: 35,000

Sword +1, Whirlwind BladeThis sword has from 8-16 charges which,

once used, are gone for good. Wheneverone charge is expended, the wielder of thesword may launch a whirlwind attack inthe manner of an 11th-level kensai. Allstrength bonuses and the like possessed bythe character still apply. Even a kensai mayuse this weapon, provided that it is not amagical version of his weapon of specializa-tion. A kensai of 11th level or higher, if hecan use the sword at all, may use the abili-ties; he may also still use his own innatewhirlwind attack potential. If the characterexpends a charge while conducting a whirl-wind attack of his own; however, no addi-tional benefit is gained, and the charge iswasted.XP Value: 500GP Sale Value: 2,500

DR A G O N 51

©1987 by Dean Shomshak

No investigation into the unknown andthe unspeakable would be complete with-out a few new and bizarre magical spells— many harmful, some helpful, and all ofthem carrying the risk of madness. Thesespells may be dropped into any CALL OFCTHULHU® game campaign setting,appearing in arcane books or forgottenpapers. Many of them can have adven-tures designed around them with ease.Haunted houses will never be the sameagain. . . .

Activate Eidolon: An eidolon is anenchanted statue that a Great Old One or(less often) an Outer God may animate forshort periods. These statues can be smallenough to fit on a bookshelf, or they canbe as big as a Great Old One itself (thoughit is not recommended that an eidolon bemore than 15� high, corresponding to aSIZ of about 35). A good CON for an eido-lon is half that of the Great Old One repre-sented; INT is (of course) the being�s own;STR and DEX are whatever the Keeperthinks appropriate; and, POW depends onhow many sacrifices the eidolon has had,up to the POW of the being the eidolonrepresents. A Great Old One or Outer Godcan cast spells through an active eidolon ofitself if it wishes. When an eidolon is acti-vated, it can only be harmed by magicalweapons � meaning the

52 OCTOBER 1987

statue might be indestructible. An eidolonencounter makes a good climax to anintroductory adventure, since it lets theinvestigators face the awesome power andhideous visage of a Great Old One withoutthe slaughter that such contact usuallyproduces � that is, if the PCs are luckyand fast.

This spell activates the latent magic of aninactive eidolon, thus giving the deityrepresented the ability to sense and actthrough the statue. At the moment theeidolon is animated, the deity is aware ofthe statue�s existence. Activation costs 1permanent point of POW and 2d4 SAN �assuming that the caster (who is probablysome demented priest or evil sorcerer) hasany SAN left. In addition to the usualchanting and visualization of bizarre geo-metric forms, the caster weaves a loop ofsilver wire and ties it into a complicatedknot. The sacrifice of a sentient being isthen performed in a fashion appropriateto the deity, and a bowl of �burning blood�is prepared by mixing the blood of ahuman with some flammable liquid. Theblood-fire must be very hot. Finally, theknotted wire is thrown into the burningblood. When the blood is completelyburned and the chant finished, the eidolonis fully activated. At this point, it has asmany points of POW as the total numberof victims sacrificed to it, up to the limit ofthe represented being�s POW.

What matters for investigators is that avariation on the spell can be used to deac-

tivate an eidolon. The main difference isthat instead of the sacrifice, an enchantedknife is driven through the center of thewire knot on the final word of the chant,thus severing the deity�s link to the eidolon(that is, unless someone later reactivatesit). A deactivated eidolon is vulnerable tonormal damage and can thus be destroyedin this manner. Another notable differenceis that the reversed spell actually raisesthe caster�s SAN by 10% of the amountthat would be gained by defeating thedeity itself. This percentage is most defin-itely well-earned, since the deity animatingthe eidolon is aware of what the caster istrying to do, and it may use the eidolon toattack the caster in numerous ways.

Blur Form: This spell creates a light-distorting field around the caster, blurringhis appearance. Anyone who hopes toidentify someone who is using this spellmust make �special� Spot Hidden or Idearolls. (This �special� roll is the skill equiva-lent of the �impale� attack.) The spell coststhree magic points and lasts one turn. Thecaster must make a SAN roll or lose 1-2SAN points. The caster must wear a spe-cial ring carved of rock crystal; the band istriangular in cross-section at every point,like a long prism bent around into a torus,but given a 360° twist so each face of theprism has become a mobius strip. (Unlikematerial components in the AD&D® game,the ring may be used over and over again.)

Brew Anagathic: There is more thanone form of this magical drug; it can be anointment, a drinkable liquid, an injection,or whatever. Some of the ingredients willalways be exotic, but in most versions allare natural. Typical examples of �activeingredients� are ginseng roots (the legend-ary longevity drug of the Orient) andglands from large, old carp (supposedly,carp can live forever; see the stories�Homonculus� or �The Digging Leviathan�by James I? Blaylock for further details). Inthe course of compounding the anagathic(any drug which slows or stops the agingprocess), the caster infuses it with twomagic points, which costs no SAN. Whenused, the drug totally arrests aging withinthe user for one week.

The catch is that if one stops using theanagathic, the deferred aging returns; thelonger aging has been prevented, thefaster it comes back. The number of daysit takes for aging effects to fully returnequals seven divided by the number ofweeks the anagathic has been used (extrahours and minutes can easily be calcu-lated). Although the exotic ingredients aretypically potent enough (small amountssuffice in making suitable doses-of ana-gathic), one can see that the anagathic isreally nothing more than a trap � in time,maintaining one�s supply slowly becomes amatter of life and death, rather than amatter of vanity. Clearly, aging return canbe fatal; the chance of survival is CON x5% x (70/c)3, where c represents the

recipient�s chronological age, and 70 repre-sents the classic �three-score and ten� limitof human life expectancy. When c is lessthan 50, survival is almost certain, evenfor modest constitutions. When c passes70, the chance of survival drops rapidly.After c reaches 120 or so, having theinevitable death climax with the bodywithering to dust makes a nice touch.

When aging from anagathic withdrawalis obvious (following 10 years or more ofcontinuous use), the anagathic shouldcause SAN loss � both in the person aging,and about half as much in acquaintanceswho see how the years have suddenlyreturned. The exact amount of SAN loss isleft to the Keeper�s judgment. Seeing some-one die of anagathic withdrawal should bea major shock: 1d10 SAN lost for experi-encing this �grisly, bizarre occurrence� isabout right.

Earthquake: This spell enables thecaster(s) to create a local earth tremorsimilar to those created by chthonians. Aswith chthonian earthquakes, the Richter-scale force depends on the number ofmagic points expended; however, thespell�s force equals the magic pointsdivided by 10 (instead of by 20, the chtho-nian ratio). The base diameter of theearthquake is still 100 yards. As withchthonian earthquakes, the diameter ofthe effect can be expanded by another 100yards for every point taken off the trem-or�s Richter-scale force. A constraint onthe spell is that for every desired point offorce past five, the earthquake area mustbe expanded at least 100 yards. Thus, thesmallest area in which a Richter-scaleforce 8 earthquake could be made is 400yards in diameter, costing 110 magicpoints.

Of course, very few sorcerers have themagic-point reserves to use this spell togreat effect. More often, a group of sor-cerers will gather to cast it, pooling theirmagic points. They can be backed up bycultists who don�t actually know the spellbut chant along anyway, thus donatingone additional magic point each. Up to 15cultists per sorcerer can augment thespell�s power in this manner.

The Earthquake spell is thus more pow-erful in some ways than the chthonianearthquake power; at least, it�s more effi-cient in its use of magic points. This spell,however, also carries some restrictionsabsent from the chthonian power. Thearea restriction has already beendescribed. The spell also requires about anhour to cast. While chthonians may wellrequire as much time to create their trem-ors, they don�t have to worry about beinginterrupted. What�s more, the spellrequires some rather awkward ritualparaphernalia. Each sorcerer casting thespell must carry a special enchanted rodwhile they chant, gesture, and carry on asthey promenade around a megalith at leastnine cubic yards in volume. The megalithmust be previously consecrated by the

sacrifice of a mammal of SIZ 10 or greater,then smeared with a dab of each caster�sown blood. The bones of the sacrifice areburned in a fire atop the megalith whilethe spell is being cast.

The people who cast an Earthquake areunaffected by the spell. The tremor rollsout from a circle 10� in radius, centeredon the megalith. Within that circle, theground remains unshaken.

Horror Stench: This spell creates oneof those hideous, mind-blasting stenchesLovecraft enjoyed describing. The materialcomponent is a cone of special incense.Each batch of incense takes a Chemistryroll to successfully compound. Typically,no more than 10 cones of incense aremade in a batch. Some of the ingredientsare quite expensive, and the processrequires precisely controlled temperaturesand quick, uniform mixing � controlswhich are difficult to achieve in largebatches.

The smoke from the incense smells quitefoul by itself, but when the spell proper iscast on the incense, the odor becomeseven more offensive. The spell takes onlyone combat round to cast, and costs 1d3SAN points and up to 10 magic points. Foreach magic point put into the spell, theincense�s stench has two points of poisonPOT. Within the first round of burning,the stench expands to fill an area 10 yardsin radius. Anyone caught within this areamust pit his CON against the smoke�s POTin the usual manner. If the person fails theresistance roll, he has a (POT -CON) x5% chance of passing out, and his STR,DEX, and all skills are cut in half. Even ifhe makes the resistance roll, nauseareduces all his skills and DEX to three-fourths their normal value. On top of allthis, anyone who smells the full odor of aHorror Stench must make a successfulSAN roll or lose 1d4 SAN points.

Lost skill, STR, DEX, or consciousnessare regained 10-(CON/3) minutes afterthe spell ends or after the victim leavesthe area of effect. A cone of incense burnsfor five minutes. Casting the spell morethan once or burning more than one coneof incense extends the area of duration ofthe stench, but does not make the effectmore severe. A moistened handkerchiefheld over the nose and mouth reduces theodor�s effect to the reduction of skills andDEX to one-quarter normal levels if theresistance roll is failed, and no loss at all ifthe roll is made (but SAN loss remains).Only special air filters, such as those in gasmasks, can fully block the hideous odor.

Suspend Animation: This spell magi-cally reduces metabolic processes so thecaster or a designated target is able toexist without food, water, or even air forgreat lengths of time. A drawback to thisspell, however, is that a person usingSuspend Animation is unable to movewhile under the spell�s power. The caster

SAN Loss Table:Suspend Animation

Days duration ofsuspended animation0-34-89-1617-3233-128129-512513-2,0482,049-4,0964,097-8,1928,193-16,38416,385-32,76832,769-65,53665,537-131,072131,073+

SAN loss01

1d21d31d41d61d61d82d4

1d4 + 1d62d6

1d6 + 1d82d8

2d10

or target retains a minimal level of con-sciousness through suspended animation,which is roughly equal to that of deepsleep � in other words, at a shallowenough level to allow the person to beroused to a greater consciousness if thereis some change in their surroundings andthe person makes a Luck roll. Thus, thisstate of alertness is similar to a meditativetrance. From this state of mind, the personmay awaken fully within 10-30 minutes,thus ending the spell.

Suspending animation for a day or lesscosts only two magic points and no SAN atall. Each additional magic point expendeddoubles the maximum length of time theperson can stay in suspended animation:in other words, 2 days for 3 magic points,4 days for 4 magic points, 8 days for 5magic points, and so on. A caster who has15 magic points to use could stay in sus-pended animation for over 22 years with-out any immediate loss to SAN. Over greatlengths of time, however, loss of SANbecomes more of a possibility. SuggestedSAN losses for various time spans arelisted on the SAN Loss Table in this article.It is unlikely that investigators will everhave reason to use Suspended Animationfor decades at a time, although the possi-bility nevertheless exists.

Terror Wail: All who hear this fear-some, magically enhanced ululation mustmake a SAN roll or lose 1d3 SAN and fleein blind panic for 2-5 rounds. Even thosewho make the SAN roll feel twinges offear and if they don�t know or suspect thesource of the wail, they might decidethey�d rather not find out. The spellrequires a full round of concentrationbefore uttering the wail, and costs threemagic points and one SAN.

Yellow Sign: This notorious talisman ofHastur and the enigmatic King in Yellow

DR A G O N 53

must always be drawn in something yel-low, whether it be yellow chalk on theground or yellow gold covered with blackenamel outside the Sign�s outline. Once theSign is drawn, the caster invests it withone permanent point of POW and loses1d6 SAN. Anyone who sees such anenchanted copy of the Sign for the firsttime even if he has seen other copies ofthe Sign before � must make a SAN roll orlose 1d2 SAN points. If he makes a CthulhuMythos roll at double normal chance ofsuccess, he recognizes the Yellow Sign forwhat it stands for, and will therefore lose1d6 SAN instead, or one point of SAN evenif he makes his SAN roll.

More importantly, anyone who knowsthis spell can cast five magic points into an�energized� Yellow Sign, losing 1d6 SAN inthe process. Anyone who sees the resul-tant Sign on that round must make a SANroll or lose 3d4 SAN (and 1d6 SAN even ifthe roll succeeds). Cthulhu Mythos knowl-edge does not affect this in any way.

A Yellow Sign remains energized for aslong as it remains unmarred: a fewscratches won�t dispel its power. To dispelthis item�s power, the Yellow Sign must bedefaced until its shape is no longer recog-nizable. Defacing an active Yellow Signnets the defacer one SAN point if he failsan Idea roll. If the person makes the Idearoll, he realizes how futile his action is,and so does not receive the SAN point.

(continued from page 3)Friday: Bad luck continues when

Jeff Grubb falls and dislocates hisleft shoulder on another escalator.On the good side, I find a copy ofthe �Ollie North Coloring Book� andsome 15mm space marines. Sixpeople come by the magazines boothlooking for Bruce Heard. RobinJenkins� brother agrees to send me apicture he took showing Robinriding a giant pig statue in a localrestaurant. FASA and TwentiethCentury Imports duel it out in aBATTLETECH® game in which theattacking players get to hit the min-iature figures of their targets with ahammer; bits and pieces of lead arescattered everywhere, and thecrowd loves it.

That evening, Barbara and I takeDUNGEON Adventures authorsGrant and David Boucher out fordinner at a nearby restaurant. Dur-ing the meal, I manage to spill myglass of milk all over the table aswell as over David Boucher. Every-one takes it well, though I considerentering a monastery to hide myshame. Later on, a friend tells methat a friend of his overheard a guytell someone else that I must havereally tied one on the night before.�What?� I ask. �Why did he saythat?� �I dunno,� says the friend.�Just thought you�d like to know.�

Saturday: Escalators now scareme, but I ride them anyway. Thesuperheroes seminar goes well,though Jeff Grubb could not attend.Warren Spector accidentallydescribes the Marvel Universe as the�real world,� and lots of excitingideas are exchanged, none of whichI can remember right now. Ninepeople come by the magazines boothlooking for Bruce Heard. Whilechatting with the people fromSTARDATE Magazine, I discover thattheir art director is just as bizarre asour own, and I offer to send RogerRaupp over as part of a culturalexchange on editor abuse. A lot ofbabies suddenly appear at the con-vention, among them my son Johnand Lorraine Williams� daughterAlexis, who tries to pull the buttonsoff John�s suit. We start selling oldDRAGON® Magazines for only $1

each at the booth, and the sale turnsinto a feeding frenzy. When I getback to my hotel room, I lay out allthe articles I have to read for thecoming magazine deadline, then fallasleep for 11 hours straight.

Sunday: In order to spur sales,Roger Raupp draws a gloweringcaricature of my face on a heliumballoon with the legend: �BUY ORDIE!!!� and flies it over the maga-zines booth. Either because of thator the continuation of our dollar-a-DRAGON Magazine sale, we sell a lotand even give away all the copies wehave of AMAZING® Stories. I losecount of how many people are look-ing for Bruce Heard, but it�s allirrelevant since he�s already gonehome. We have our DRAGON Maga-zine seminar and it�s all over.

The convention ends at 4 P.M., andwe tear down the magazines boothin one hour. Everyone leaves butme, since I have to haul some boxesout to my car, which I can�t get intothe loading dock until the currenttraffic jam dies down. When the jamends, I run back to the parkinggarage to get my car � and discoverthat I�m $3 short to get the car out. Irun back to MECCA, borrow somemoney from Judy Gifford (TSR,computer department), and runback to the garage.

�Hey, man,� the attendant says.�We made a mistake. Are you withthe convention?� I say yes, and theattendant turns and yells, �I told youso!� at another attendant. �Yeah,� hesays when he turns back. �Wecharged you the wrong rate �causewe thought you were being held inthe drunk tank and your car wasimpounded.� I realize that the citypolice station is directly above the(underground) parking garage, andsigh. I pay a much reduced parkingfee and drive to MECCA, where I getmy possessions, and I drive home.

The grass in the front yard needsto be mowed, I�m behind on dead-line, and my attention span is about60 seconds long. �Well,� I tell myself,�at least that�s over with.� The nextmorning, I wake up with a head coldand discover the car is leaking brakefluid.

See you next year. . . .

(continued from page 6)Foley would also have us believe Allycia and

her companions are fair prey for Scud toambush them at night, slaughtering Allycia's low-level retainers with ease after bashing inthe sleeping elf's head with a rock. Please re-read the opening paragraphs of the jousting example on page 25 of issue #118. I wrote: �Theelven warrior-maid Allycia is traveling with herretainers and fellow party members . . .� How-ever invincible Scud thinks he is, an unarmed8th-level fighter is no match for a party of well-armed and intelligent mid-level characters,especially when one considers that Scud hasbeen sorely injured in losing the battle to Ally-cia. Scud would have been in no shape to chal-lenge Allycia again, unless he had a quick accessto healing magic, which is unlikely. And consid-ering that Allycia claimed Scud's horse when she won the joust, Scud would have to be a veryfast and hardy runner, and possibly also a skilled tracker, to be able to catch up to Allycia'smounted party.

When Scud surrendered to Allycia, Scud's fatewas not detailed at length because that wouldhave been digressing from the point of thejousting example. But since Foley speculated onwhat might have happened next, I shall as well.Had Allycia claimed Scud as a hostage, as washer right by feudal law, he might have proven a great hindrance to the completion of Allycia'squest. If the party had gone astray from thequest to secure Scud's ransom, the quest wouldhave been delayed. A chivalrous knight shouldnot give in to the temptation of greed when a higher duty calls. If the party had dragged theunwilling Scud along on the quest, he wouldhave been another potential adversary for theparty to worry about, threatening the accom-plishment of the mission.

The smart thing for Allycia to do would be to seeto it that Scud returns to a place of safety, escort-ing Scud there if the land is hostile, or letting Scudwalk to the nearest village, leaving plenty of foodand water if the countryside is civilized. A charmspell cast by the party's magic-user could insurethat Scud tries no hostile act against the party in the near future. Allycia would donate Scud'spossessions to her loyal retainers and continuewith the aforementioned quest.

While the military ethics of ancient Greece isan interesting topic, I fail to see what that has to do with the chivalric code of a high-elven cava-lier (Allycia is not a gray elf as Foley wrote). IfAllycia had treated Scud as so much chattel andhad sold Scud at the next marketplace, shewould have been guilty of the crime of enslave-ment and would surely have jeopardized herneutral-good alignment.

Allycia would have to be a total idiot to askScud to become one of her henchman. If Scudwere a lawful- or good-aligned character with a true devotion to chivalry, then an offer to serveAllycia might work, but Scud is not such a character. Scud's true-neutral alignment (easilydiscovered through a know alignment spell castby the party's cleric) would cause alignmentconflicts between Scud and the devoutly goodAllycia. Scud's immense ego (� I am Scud theInvincible, and don't ever forget it!�) wouldmake his attitude insufferable and his loyaltyquestionable. Scud would likely bide his time,gain a few cutthroat allies, then attach Allyciaand her friends when they are most vulnerable,restoring Scud's hurt ego and nettling the party'sposssessions. If I were running Allycia, I would not play her as a trusting fool.

On a related subject, those who would like toadd a touch of romance to a tourney [such asdescribed in the article, �Surely, You Joust!� in

5 6 O C T O B E R 1 9 8 7

issue #I181 should try using the �paramour�sfavor� rule. When a paramour favors a particu-lar knight, she or he bestows a token to theknight - usually a personal item of clothingsuch as a scarf or kerchief. The bestowal of thisfavor grants the cavalier a morale bonus in thetournament somewhat similar to the effect of abard�s song. A favored knight is + 1 �to hit� inthe joust and gains a + 1 bonus to a save vs.unhorsing roll. The morale bonus remains ineffect for as long as the cavalier is able to seehis or her paramour, and for as long as theparamour continues to show support for theknight, such as by cheering the knight on,flashing an encouraging smile, or waving apennant bearing the knight�s colors.

If the paramour suddenly shows disfavor to aknight when great favor was previously shown,then all favor bonuses are lost. Furthermore,the knight may be so demoralized by the para-mour�s rejection that the knight must roll hiswisdom or less on 5d6, or suffer penalties of - 1�to hit� and - 1 to the save vs. unhorsing for allfuture combat in or out of the tourney. Thismorale penalty may only take effect if theknight is at fault, such as by disgracing himselfin the tourney or by doing something discourte-ous to upset the paramour.

The cavalier can regain the paramour�s favorif the knight tries to make amends, such as byproclaiming to go on an important quest onbehalf of the paramour. If the paramour is anNPC, and the DM is satisfied with the cavalier�ssincerity, then the paramour will restore herfavor with a successful reaction roll based onthe knight�s charisma. If the reaction roll yieldsa friendly or enthusiastic response, then favor isrestored and the knight may again receive themorale bonus.

If the differences between knight and para-mour are irreconcilable, then the morale lossmay remain in effect for a long time. The knightmay eventually get over being demoralized bytrying 4d6 wisdom checks once per game week,with a cumulative modifier of - 1 to the roll forevery wisdom check after the first (i.e., - 1 onthe second check, -2 on the third check, and soon). Making the wisdom check indicates theknight has finally reconciled himself with theloss of the paramour.

On another note, W. Brian Barnes was quitecorrect in pointing out in issue #l22 how weakbeginning magic-users really are. Giving theclass a spell bonus for high intelligence is oneway to give the class a boost in playability.Below is the spell bonus table I use for magic-users in my campaign.

Spell Bonus Table

Intelligence score Spell bonus11 None12 One cantrip13 One cantrip14 One cantrip15 One cantrip16 One 1st-level17 One 1st-level18 One 2nd-level

This bonus gives the magic-user much more todo at low levels without making the class toopowerful at higher levels. I also mandate thatmagic-users do not gain the ability to memorizethe same spell more than once until the 5thlevel of experience is attained. This forces the

player to use a broader range of spells insteadof loading up on nothing but magic missile,sleep, and web spells.

Len CarpenterWest Chester PA

In issue #123, Steven Van Veen wrote a letterdiscussing the suggestion of a D&D video.Although a costly project, this is one of the bestideas for the further promotion and enjoymentof the game. Both the �how to� and watchinganother DM�s session would be wonderful.These could only be a great help to the popular-ity of the game if done up in an interesting andprofessional manner. Included could be a histo-ry of the game, advice as in the DRAGON Maga-zine�s Forum and articles, convention coverage,some of the famous AD&D® game artwork,shots of prize-winning miniatures, etc.

Imagine: Some boring weekend, a kid goesinto a video shop to pass time. He spots an eye-catching video about the D&D game. He�s neverconsidered playing because he�s never had thetime, never heard of it, heard the wrong thingsabout it, or whatever. But he decides to take thevideo(s) home for a �good laugh.� He winds upfascinated and hooked. Presto! Another avidgamer.

A video might also show those that accuse andridicule the game without knowing much aboutit what it�s really like and how fun it can be.

Personally, I only see how such a video couldhelp, and suggest work toward it.

Chuck AmburnCasselberry FL

I am writing in response to Mr. Ristow�s pro-test against banded mail in issue #123. I knowsomething of armor, being the proud owner of aset of homemade chain mail, and the descriptiongiven by Mr. Ristow would indeed be bothdifficult to manufacture and uncomfortably stiffto wear. However, the description in the DMG,page 27, of both banded and splint mailpresents a more feasible approach. While itdoes not specify what the bands of armor onbanded mail are, I am assuming that plate ismeant. Although this would still be difficult toconstruct without the aid of a blacksmith andforge (as are all armors that are more protectivethan chain mail), it would not be nearly asdifficult to wear. This type of armor wouldprobably be less constricting than splint mailwhich, according to the portrayal in the DMG,would restrict waist movement in a mannerakin to wearing a barrel (metal breastplatesshare this disadvantage). I share Mr. Ristow�sdesire to hear from others more knowledgeableof armor, especially of true descriptions ofmedieval armors.

J.R. PorterYongsan, Korea

I just read the letter by Alan Ristow in theForum (issue #123) concerning banded mail. Heis right - �banded mail� never existed. The12th- and 13th-century illustrators of manu-scripts who found themselves filling in rowafter row of tiny circles to represent warriors�ring mail resorted to drawing only a fragmentof a fighting man�s cuirass with a representationof ring mail, and then filling in the rest of theillustration with what appeared to be a differenttype of armor entirely - �banded mail!� Some-times, they did half the work, accurately por-traying ring mail on one line and alternatingthat with a simpler line of �mail� which didn�thave individual rings or circles - just shading,which was quicker to draw.

The cover of issue #97, �Music Lover,� has a

fantastic painting of a dragon. The commentaryon the painting by the artist, Robin Wood,includes her apology for her lateness in deliver-ing the painting to TSR, Inc., with words to theeffect that �there were all these scales, see.�Once it came time to do the detail work andactually draw each individual scale on thedragon, Miss Wood had the same labor beforeher as the medieval illustrators did. Being lessindustrious than the esteemed Miss Wood, theytook shortcuts rather than portraying ring mailrealistically.

By the time historical research had reached aprofessional level in the 19th century, it hadbeen a long time since anyone had actuallyworked with or used armor; wholly apocryphalarmor types were invented by historians poringover the old manuscripts, trying to identifywhat they saw. Hence came �banded mail.� Onlylate in this century did historians think they hadthe truth. A piece of banded mail had neverbeen found or unearthed. The �lazy-illustrator-and-credulous-historian� explanation for thecontroversy of banded mail is found in SeanMorrison�s Armor (New York: Thomas Y. CrowellCompany, 1963), a �juvenile� book I�d recom-mend as an excellent introduction to armor.Other types of armor which never existed arefound in older books on the subject. Theseinclude �mascled,� �rustred,� and �trellised�armor, and also �chain mail:� though this lastterm suffices when used to mean a ring mailbyrnie or shirt, which is an unbroken sheet ofinterlocking rings (versus a cuirass of rings)stapled to a leather base. This is what the term�ring mail� means in D&D game terms.

In summary, �banded mail� never existed andshould be abandoned from a campaign for thisreason. Doubtlessly, E. Gary Gygax got hisoriginal information from one of the olderauthorities on medieval armor. My campaignhasn�t had banded mail in years. Ring mail andchain mail are historically viable.

As a postscript, old ads for FGU�s CHIVALRY &SORCERY game included a drawing of a knightwith his armor�s pieces each identified, includ-ing something called a �tace.� Wrongo. Morrisoninsists that there was never such a piece ofarmor. (These have been incorrectly deducedfrom �tassets,� which did exist.) Morrison�s bookis really quite good for that.

Jay KaufmanMoorhead MN

I am writing in response to Alan Ristow�sletter printed in issue #123. In Mr. Ristow�sletter, he spoke out against the use of bandedmail on the pretense that it had never existed inhistory, except as a different representation ofthe same armor. This letter prompted me to doa little research of my own.

In the information I uncovered, banded mailas an armor type was never mentioned. How-ever, certain descriptions of unnamed armorresembled the explanations given in Mr. Ristow�sletter. Unfortunately, the problem of stiff andbulky armor still stands in all descriptions given.

This evidence does not mean that banded mailshould be banished from the game, although Iagree that it is a matter of opinion. The descrip-tion in the DMG may still be used, but it needssome clarification.

Banded mail is described as layers of padding,light chain, and a �series of overlapping bandsof armor in vulnerable areas.� What kind ofarmor are we talking about? One might think ofmetal bands, but leather must be used or band-ed mail would then become as protective asplate mail. So, banded mail may be defined as a

base layer of padding, topped by light chain,which is reinforced by a cuirass of horizontal,�clinker-built� (partially overlapping) bands ofhardened leather. Legs and arms would beprotected by greaves and knee guards strappedover the light chain.

This configuration would allow banded mailto keep the superior movement rate over splintmail (9� as opposed to 6�) because the horizon-tal bands would allow more forward movementthan the vertical bands of splint mail (a manmust lean forward to run). In addition, thevertical bands mentioned with splint mail wouldalso have to be hardened leather instead of the�pieces of plate� as stated in the DMG.

Whether or not you allow banded mail inyour campaign is up to you; it is really just amatter of whether or not you, as DM, prefer ahistorically accurate campaign. My purpose inwriting this letter is to show how banded mail ispossible. In any case, enjoy the game.

Anthony SpecaKingwood TX

I am writing in response to Steven Van Veen�sForum suggestion concerning orcs. It seems tome that if anyone wants a humanoid challengingto the players, they may take an ogre or troll.These orcs that are supposed to have achieved3rd level or above � let�s call them �super-orcs�� are very similar in terms of nastiness andstrength to many humanoids we already have.So what�s the point? Orcs are for lower-levelcharacters and were always meant to be. Foranyone who still insists on stronger orcs, thentake a look at this: Even without super-orcs,there are tough orcs already, though these areseldom used. It seems to me that an average3rd-level party with five players wouldn�t exact-ly be �laughing and joking� when confrontedwith a council of 4th/5th-level orcish witchdoctors and their guards! Furthermore, youmust remember that orcs aren�t exactly themost intelligent creatures. If an orc sees asword +2 that is chopping his friends to pieces,and his morale check succeeds, he may well tryto grab for it. While this would be stupid for aparty member to do, that�s just what orcs are:stupid. And if enough orcs tried it, you neverknow. Also, as orcs have a craving for strongdrink, suppose they smelled the beer the partymagic-user was carrying in a flagon, and hap-pened to make a mistake and steal/drink theparty magic-user�s potion of mind control?

To wrap it up, enough can happen withoutsuper-orcs. Although I can understand an orcleader being above average in fighting ability, Ihonestly cannot see a tribe of 100 or so super-orcs rampaging the countryside.

Toby MyersHamilton NY

Looking at the recent letters of Stephen Licata(issue #117) and S.D. Anderson (issue #122), itseems that the details of encumbrance are beingignored. While this may be true in some cases,most PCs that I have seen find a solution to therules: They use portable holes and bags ofholding as if they were embroidered withcertain runes of power such as �Kirby,� �Hoover,�and �Eureka,� to name just a few. I myself amnot immune to this problem, as I have onecharacter with 21 portable holes. What followsis a DM�s solution to the player�s solution.

First, in the case of the portable hole, a 10� x6� cylindrical volume is a lot of space to look forsomething you need in a hurry. Unless yououtline a plan of storage in advance, it will take

time to find the object you are looking for. Plus,if you have more than one portable hole, howcan you be certain that you have the right one?Time involved should be at least 10 minutes toan hour, depending on the object searched for.Also, bear in mind that telling a monster thatyou have something that may interest him, thensearching through mounds of stuff to find it,just may get him more interested in killing youto take everything.

Next, since most players toss things in withimpunity, give them another portable hole orbag of holding (possibly concealed in anotherobject), then watch the fireworks as they tossone inside the other. Or you can invent a mon-ster like an �Astral Termite� which eats throughthe walls of either object with the result being aloss of contents, and the possibility of the PC,upon opening an item, being sucked in, or anastral dweller coming out for a stroll.

Of course, the possibilities are up to the DM,but it should be recommended that these tacticsbe reserved for those that use portable, ever-sucking vacuum cleaners.

James AllenKalamazoo MI

As a player and a DM for many years, I haverecognized a great imbalance in the AD&Dgame system. This imbalance is so great that Ifelt I should make a point of it. This imbalance isnothing less than a lack of goodness in thesystem. In other words, there are very few usesfor the �good� character!

I have done some research into this matterand was astounded by what I found. Theimbalance stems from the great versatility ofthe system � the very thing that makes thegame great! The problem is that the rules aretoo versatile.

An example of this imbalance is the use ofpoison (a must for nearly every campaign). Howelse could Agorus the 2nd-level assassin killLord Ferdinand, a 20th-level fighter with 110 hitpoints? The use of poison, however, is consid-ered evil, which puts the good fighters andmagic-users at a distinct disadvantage to the evilones who can obtain it.

Yet another example of the imbalance is inspell use, a major part of the fantasy frame. Bydefinition, the reversal of a spell, clerical ormagical, is evil, meaning it is no problem for theevil wizard to cast. In the case of the goodwizard, however, spells are not to be reversedexcept in life-or-death situations. In otherwords, a good cleric would not be able toreverse his cure light wounds spell to ambush akobold guard. That same cleric however mightbe able to reverse his spell if he was standing onthe brink of a 300� drop with an army ofkobolds closing in on him (but only if his deitypermits)!

There is a bright spot in the imbalance. Thereare no evil counterparts to the paladin, ranger,or druid classes, but then again, there is no suchthing as a good thief or assassin, so these classesequal out, still leaving the balance negative.

I do not feel this imbalance was created onpurpose, but rather that in the search for aversatile game system, this imbalance becamean unfortunate side effect. I also do not feel thatthe game system should be abandoned, butrather adjusted. Perhaps poison should be mademore expensive, thus making it harder toobtain, I don�t know. I do know that some kindof adjustment needs to be made in order torestore game balance.

S. Eric PollardVirginia Beach VA

D R A G O N 5 7

The other day, I ran the �Aesirhamar� modulefound in issue #90. The party had little troubletaking out the main opponent in it (Hargnar thegiant) due to the weapon specialization rulesand the fact that the PC who fought Hargnarwas an 11th-level ranger wielding a two-handedsword while wearing gauntlets of ogre power.The giant took two hits from a surprise attack,took two more hits due to losing initiative,swung once and missed AC -9 on a roll of 2,lost initiative again, and died before getting asecond swing.

I bring this up not so much to point out theflaws of specialization for high-level characters,but because the player of the ranger insisted ongetting a truckload of experience for taking outthe giant in one-on-one combat.

The problem is that experience points award-ed for slaying or capturing a monster are thesame no matter how the victory was achieved.If you want to use the dictionary definition ofthe word �experience,� you�ll find it indicatesthings that people (or characters) have learnedsomething from.

Is using a holy word spell to get rid of a1000 + army of undead really a greater experi-ence than using the same spell to get rid of a500 + undead army? Or 30 to 40 minordemons? I don�t think so. Experience earnedshould be proportional to the risk and effortspent to achieve a victory. Use of skills or magicitems that are specifically aimed at a particularfoe (in the above case, ranger bonuses vs. giants)reduce the effort needed to win, and shouldthus reduce the experience reward as well.

I�m not going to print up some set of compli-cated calculations to modify xp rewards; it�s toodisgusting a process as is. I am going to suggesta couple of rules of thumb, however.

Unless the PC is an assassin, slaying a foebefore it gets an attack is merely a way to keepyour character from being killed (somethingquite useful in and of itself). At best, 10% of the�listed� xp value should be given to the playersfor such a kill. (Obviously, some gamers will letalarms be sounded so they can get full xp value,thus letting the party get into a lot of troubleunder this system. Of course, PCs who hangaround characters with that sort of mentalitywere doomed anyway.)

If combat does ensue, multiply the creature�snumber of attacks by half its hit dice or levelsand call that number par. If the creature man-ages to get that many attacks or more in thecombat, the creature is definitely worth its fullxp value. If it received fewer attacks, ask your-self why.

If a spells damage accounts for the reason,check to see if the average damage was equal orsmaller. If so, use the full value. If the averagedamage from the spell automatically kills thecreature, it was too easy of an opponent any-way, and a penalty should be applied.

If bonuses or something like poisons orarrows of slaying are used, penalties shouldapply, since a lot of the work was done for thecharacter.

The exact amount of the penalty is strictly forthe DM to decide, because no two kills are alike.

Charlie GibbonsVista CA

Most of what has been written about the ninealignments of the AD&D game universe is quitearcane. It�s time to state clearly what alignmentmeans in terms of character behavior. Let meshare what has worked for my group.

When we speak of our own neighbors as

58 OCTOBER 1987

�good,� �bad,� �living a chaotic life,� �an organiza-tion type team-player,� etc., we are describingthe way they feel about whatever they do. It�ssurely the same in the worlds of fantasy. Goodpeople are those who are proud to do somekind and generous deeds. Evil people are proudof how much they hate someone or something.Lawful types are those who take special pride intheir ability to carry out orders in doing whatthey believe is important. Chaotics are capri-cious loners. Yet all these types can work togeth-er � just as they do in our world.

Too often, I�ve heard a �true-neutral� playerfrom another campaign say, �I guess I just did agood deed, so I must now do an evil deed tobalance it.� This is silly. Guidelines for alignmentbehavior should be clear and concise withoutadding metaphysics. Here are my suggestions.

Good characters deviate from their alignmentsby using poison, causing unnecessary suffering,or failing to give what help they can to the poor,the sick, and the oppressed. Evil charactersdeviate from their alignment by showing pity(except in cunning self-interest, of course).Characters who are neither good nor evil mayact in their own interest, although acts of greatkindness or cruelty are uncharacteristic.

Lawful characters are always identified withsome organization. They deviate from theiralignments by doing anything that is clearlycontrary to the organization�s interests. Lawful-good characters typically work for the lawful-good churches � those governing by consent ofthe governed, the underground resistanceagainst the evil ruler, etc. Lawful-neutral charac-ters are champions of the fighters� union, thebig corporation, the mafia, the thieves� guild, thekarate society, the �one true church,� the policestate, etc. Lawful-evil characters devote theirlives to serving the secret racist society, thecruel dictator, etc.

Chaotic characters deviate from their align-ment by joining any of these lawful organiza-tions (except as infiltrators, of course).Characters who are neither lawful nor chaoticmay support organizations or not as seems best,but they are unlikely to be chosen for higheroffices. True neutrals deviate from their align-ment only when they worry about the moralsand ethics of particular actions.

One of my friends has developed a code ofconduct for the adventurers whom he sponsors,to which members of all alignments can easilysubscribe. The PCs are licensed to kill livingcreatures only under certain circumstances.They may kill persons encountered only if thepersons are bad enough to radiate evil (if this isconsistent with other evidence of evil behavior).For instance, a name-level evil cleric will radiateslight evil. In other instances, PCs may killpersons who are doing obvious evil and cannotbe safely apprehended � especially whenattempting to negotiate would be unsafe or hasalready failed. They may kill persons who arewanted, dead or alive, by lawful-good, lawful-neutral, lawful-evil, or neutral-good rulers. Theymay kill monsters that are normally evil-aligned,if there is no reason to think the particularmonster is any exception. They may kill neutralmonsters that pose real dangers to humans anddemi-humans. Undead and dangerous non-livingmonsters may always be attacked. There is a100% experience-point bonus for bringing suchcreatures back alive for trial (criminals) or forscientific study (monsters). Conversely, there areno experience points awarded for killing avoid-able, non-evil monsters. (If PCs blunder into atrap containing a purple worm, they can expectto gain nothing.) Fighters are also expected toserve in the national guard, clerics to help

decent creatures in need, magic-users to offeracademic services, and thieves to serve assecurity consultants. In exchange, a major NPCequips beginners at his expense and gives freeclerical spells between adventures. Evil charac-ters could easily subscribe because of the manyselfish advantages this arrangement offers.

Lawful adventurers can expect to be offeredpositions of responsibility in the governmentwhen they reach higher levels. I�ve requiredchaotic adventurers to roll their charisma orless on 1d20 before each adventure or end up injail �for having done something.� The jail, neverkeyed, is positively escape-proof. Terms ofrelease are negotiable and usually involveaccepting a quest to undertake the session�sadventure. (This does no one any harm, andplayers like it � I have the jailed chaotics tellthe rest of the group what they think theircharacter probably did.)

I believe that the real magic in our own myste-rious universe works for good, and I hope thatit is the same in fantasy worlds. I especiallyhope that levels are never lost by an evil charac-ter for deserting evil, nor by any character forbecoming good. As Oriental Adventures hints,there are rehabilitated neutral-good and chaotic-good thieves and assassins who progress in theirprofession as adventurers. (Lawful thieves havealways been rare, but one could nonetheless belawful good.)

Let me urge that no DM ever inflict an invol-untary alignment change on a beloved PC.Physical violence is part of the game, but vio-lence to one�s convictions is unacceptable.Rather, allow the good character who tries onthe helm of opposite alignment to be teleportedalive to his or her alignment plane and replacedby an imposter, thus returning at the imposter�sdeath at the hands of the party.

My experience has been such that if charac-ters start fighting among themselves (due to�alignment hatred,� or any other cause), it tellsthe DM that he is not doing the job of present-ing interesting opponents and obstacles. Thereal fun of any AD&D game is running charac-ters with radically different skills, all workingtogether to achieve a common goal. The charac-ters� outlooks on life can differ too, withouttheir having to be involved in open conflict. I�mglad things work out this way in our ownworld, too.

Ed FriedlanderJohnson City TN

(continued from page 3)

Anyone who is seriously interested in collect-ing games and gaming magazines would do wellto invest in a copy of the Game Buyer�s PriceGuide, a book published by TSR, Inc., in whichthe sale prices of many hundreds of items fromthe GEN CON Games Fair auctions of 1983 and1984 are given. Prices have tended to be fairlyerratic for many of the older issues, but theprice guide at least gives you an idea of yourcollections minimum worth. The guide can beordered from the Mail Order Hobby Shop, P.O.Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147. It costs $5.95and is stock number TSR9977.

The color ofmonstersDear Dragon:

I love playing the D&D game. As a hobby, Ialso love to paint and collect metal miniatures.Oftentimes, I have difficulty getting informationfrom the manuals about the specifications of theminiatures. Do you know where I can findspecifications (i.e., color, size, etc.) of monsters?

Derek HoSherborn MA

Much of the specific information on the color,size, and so forth of various monsters and racesin the AD&D® game will probably be covered inthe second edition of the game, and the sameinformation may be used in the D&D game.Until then (and even afterwards), you are freeto use your imagination when painting fantasyminiatures. I�ve seen orcs of every color, includ-ing blue, green, and orange; no one version is�correct.�

Where letters goDear Dragon:

Just a quick request: What exactly does hap-pen to these letters and Forum comments wesend in? Who reads them? Who handles them?Where do they go? Just out of curiosity, I won-der what happens to all of my letters. Are theyall read by the head people there and respond-ed to? Or does some secretary, who doesn�tknow a thing about the games, pick the onesthat look interesting, or does a computer pickrandomly a few which make it to the importantpeople? What�s the scoop? What goes on behindthe scenes? I�m sure everyone would be inter-ested in knowing.

Chuck AmburnCasselberry FL

You�re the only one to have asked this ques-tion, actually, but the usual situation is this: Themail is opened and read by Eileen Lucas, thensorted out to the appropriate staff member.

Letters and Forum pieces for this magazinecome to me (Roger Moore); I read them alleventually, though some delay is inevitable. Irespond to some when I can; others aredropped into files for use in future columns ifthey seem interesting enough. You send it, andwe read it � no secretaries, no computers, norandom selection. Deadline and schedulingpressures prevent fast responses, but we�reworking on it.

Write for a free copy of our writ-ers� guidelines before you turn onyour typewriter. Take a self-addressed, stamped envelope (4�x 9½� long size is best), place itinside of another envelope with abrief cover letter, and send it to:Writers� Guidelines, DRAGON®Magazine, P.O. Box 110, Lake Ge-neva WI 53147. We have separateguidelines for gaming articles, fic-tion, and artwork, so let us knowwhich ones you�ll need. Don�t getoff on the wrong foot before youbegin � get our guidelines first.

DRAGON is a trademark of TSR, Inc.©1987 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved

Buzzbirds (Flitters)

NUMBER: 1d20 -8 (minimum of 1)MORALE: 1d4 + 1HIT DICE: 2d6ARMOR: 10 (-7 to be hit)SIZE: 7 cm tall

AIR SPEED: 2/1200/30

MS: 3d6IN: 1d8 + 8DX: 1d10 + 11CH: 1d12 + 4CN: 1d4 + 2PS: 1d4

ATTACKS: See below.ORIGINAL STOCK: Ruby-throatedhummingbird.MUTATIONS: Light generation (variant),sonic attack (variant), speed increase(improved), and telepathy.HABITAT: Warm, temperate and tropicalscrublands.DIET: Flower nectar and very smallinsects.

Dagmits (Purple Pygmies)

NUMBER: 2d8 + 2MORALE: 2d4HIT DICE: 6d6ARMOR: 3SIZE: Up to 1 meter tall

LAND SPEED: 6/600/12

MS: 2d6IN: 1d4 + 6DX: 3d4CH: 2d4CN: 2d6 + 6PS: 2d4 + 2

ATTACKS: As per weapon type.ORIGINAL STOCK: HumanMUTATIONS: Density increase (special),physical reflection (nuclear), radar, andfear impulse (D).HABITAT: Deserts and radioactivewastelands.DIET: Desert creatures or passing animals(including humans and humanoids).

DESCRIPTION: These vicious, carnivo-rous humanoids are active day and night,using their radar to locate prey they can�tsee. They attack almost anything thatmoves, but are terrified of large, self-propelled machines such as robots andvehicles (they do not usually recognizeandroids as machines until too late, how-ever). All artifacts make them uneasy, andthey use only Tech Level I weapons them-selves � notably spears, javelins, blow-guns, bolas, and slings with stones. Theblowguns are equipped with insinuativepoison needles of poison intensity 9.

DESCRIPTION: The buzzbird isextremely dextrous and fast-moving. Itseldom lights unless it believes it is abso-lutely safe. In general, buzzbirds arefriendly to intelligent creatures and fre-quently associate with lils. They are alsopeculiarly attracted to the color red, andreact at a +2 modifier to creatures whichare red or primarily clothed in red. Theyseldom attack anything except to defendthemselves or their friends.

The buzzbird�s sonic attack does no hit-point damage, but it affects the nervoussystem of creatures so endowed. It �hits�as a mental attack of MS 7, and does notaffect unintelligent plants, invertebrates,or deaf creatures. If a creature is affected,the GM should roll 1dl0 on the appropri-ate table.

Affected creatures do not recognizefriends if an 8, 9, or 10 is rolled on thetable. They rarely attack the buzzbird,which attacks while flying rapidly past itsopponents. The attack affects all crea-tures, friend or foe, within a S-meterradius, and is +2 to hit creatures withbetter-than-human hearing. Covering one�s

Sonic Attack Effects Table

1d10 roll Attack effect1-3 Creature falls on the ground holding its ears for two action turns

or for the duration of the buzz, whichever is shorter.4-5 Creature runs away at top speed for three minutes.6-7 Creature runs around in circles, or otherwise moves rapidly and

aimlessly in the same area for two action turns or for the durationof the buzz, whichever is longer.

8-9 Creature physically attacks the nearest other creature at +2 to hitand double damage for two turns or for the buzz duration, which-ever is longer.

10 Creature attacks the nearest object, as above. If no object is withinarm�s reach, the creature may attack the ground (but not itself orits own gear).

ears has no effect on this attack. The Buzzbirds may use their speed increasebuzzbird can continue this attack nonstop one hour per day, as usual, but they mayfor an indefinite period of time. If a crea- split that hour up into smaller units (asture recovers from one of the effects on little as one action turn) if they so desire.the table but is still in the area of effect of Their light generation has a smaller radiusthe buzz, a new attack should be rolled; if (10 meters) than usual and is not direction-the creature is affected again, a new 1d10 al, since it emanates from their bodiesshould be rolled on the table. rather than their eyes.

Though limited in intelligence, dagmitsare very clever at setting traps; a dagmitencounter often begins with a deadfall, pittrap, or snare, as is appropriate to theterrain. Sometimes, dagmits capture intel-ligent creatures alive and torture thembefore cooking and eating them � particu-larly Pure Strain Humans, as dagmits haveMutationist leanings.

Dagmits are small (usually 80 cm tall andbroad in proportion), but very dense (upto 200 kg). This density increase is con-stant in dagmits from birth, and theycannot control it. It gives them a goodarmor class and makes them proof againstall hurled and nonpowered missile weap-ons, needlers, and the claws and teeth ofany creature with fewer than 16 HD.Nonpowered edged weapons, such as axesand swords, are blunted (-2 to hit, -1 hpdamage until sharpened) on an attack rollof 1 of 2 against a dagmit. Despite theirextreme density, dagmits have retained theability to move and fight at near-normalspeeds, although their dexterity is low andthey cannot run as fast as unburdenedPure Strain Humans.

Dagmits have metallic-purple skin,straight, ochre-colored hair, and wizened,wrinkled faces without beards. They onlywear animal skins and live in huts made ofdebris or stuhumphagus shells (see below).Serfs sometimes enslave small numbers ofdagmits.

Giggle Bugs

NUMBER: 1 (5% 1d4)MORALE: 10 (never retreat; cannot berecruited or hired)HIT DICE: 5d6ARMOR: 10SIZE: 1% meters long, with S-meter wing-span

AIR SPEED: 8/1200/24LAND SPEED: 4/300/6 (0/60/6)

MS: 1d4 + 2IN: 1d4DX: 1d6 + 6CH: 1d4CN: 2d6 + 5PS: 1d8 + 6

ATTACKS: Does not attack.ORIGINAL STOCK: Puss moth.MUTATIONS: Beguiling (special), poisonimmunity (special), and taller.HABITAT: Temperate forests and scrub-lands.DIET: Green plants, especially poisonousones.

DESCRIPTION: Giggle bugs spend mostof their lives as caterpillars (the statisticsin parentheses above refer to the adultmoths, which do not have the beguilingmutation). Unlike most caterpillars withprotective coloration, giggle bugs are quiteprominent and distinctive: spotted,striped, and checkered in green, yellow,pink, red, blue, and white, with aclownlike false face on each end andmobile projections that resemble pin-wheels and party noisemakers. The effectis magnified by its mutational powers tobecome highly comical � so much so thatmost intelligent creatures that see a giggle

bug must make a successful check vs.their MS x 2 or collapse in helpless laugh-ter. A new MS check is rolled every 6action turns after a failed one; if a crea-ture makes a subsequent roll, then it maystop laughing and crawl away. However, ifa creature having made a successful MScheck continues to look at the caterpillar,however, or even thinks about it clearlyenough to make an attack, another MScheck is required every action turn.

If a creature laughs without rest formore minutes than it has points of CN,then exhaustion sets in, incapacitating thecreature for 3 search turns. During thistime, the creature may make no attacks,and must move at half speed. Creatures(including PCs) with IN less than 4 orgreater than 16 are not affected by thegiggle bug�s comical appearance. Blindcreatures and machines with purely artifi-cial intelligence (like androids and robots)are also immune, but cyborgs, with theirhuman brains, are not.

Giggle bugs are immune to all kinds ofpoison, and they habitually feed on poison-ous plants; consequently, their bodies arealso poisonous (roll 3d6 for poison intensi-ty for any giggle bug that a character triesto bite or eat). Giggle bugs remain in cater-pillar form from March through Novem-ber. They pupate in the winter andemerge the following March as huge,gaudy moths that live only long enough tomate and lay eggs. The eggs take a fullyear to hatch. Eggs, pupae, and adultmoths are all harlequin-colored; theycannot excite laughter as the caterpillarsdo, but they are equally poisonous.

Molnangs (Death Snails)

NUMBER: 1d4 - 2 (minimum of 1)MORALE: 1d4HIT DICE: 14d8ARMOR: 1SIZE: 4-meter-diameter shell

LAND SPEED: 10/480/8

MS: 1d10 + 8IN: 1DX: 1d4 + 3CH: 1CN: 1d10 + 11PS: 1d20 + 30

ATTACKS: See below.ORIGINAL STOCK: Garden snail.MUTATIONS: Death ray (special), acidsecretion (special), death-field generation,physical reflection (greatly improved), andtaller.HABITAT: Temperate forests.DIET: Plants and animals of all kinds.

DESCRIPTION: Horribly dangerous anddestructive predators, molnangs leave anunmistakable trail of blasted earth (noliving plants or animals or even theirremains) wherever they go. For this rea-son, they are sometimes called �pathfind-ers� or �roadbuilders� in moments of darkhumor. If this path is touched before it is aday old, the victim takes 1d6 hp damagefrom the residual acid. About 50% of allmolnang encounters begin with the discov-ery of a molnang track, so molnangs are

Reptoads

NUMBER: 1d4 - 2 (minimum of 1)MORALE: 1d4 + 4HIT DICE: 1d6ARMOR: 10 (-4 to be hit without repul-sion fieldSIZE: 7 cm diameter

LAND SPEED: 1/150/3

MS: 2d4 + 13IN: 1d10 + 11DX: 3d6CH: 1d4CN: 1d4 + 4PS: 1d4

ATTACKS: See below.ORIGINAL STOCK: Western spadefoottoad.MUTATIONS: Repulsion field (greatlyimproved) and physical reflection (thermaland nuclear).HABITAT: Mud banks, dry grasslands,deserts, beaches, and other areas withloose, sandy soil.DIET: Small insects and invertebrates.

DESCRIPTION: Reptoads appear to benothing more than normal, olive-brown

62 OCTOBER 1987

often surprised or left alone.Molnangs cannot hear, but if they see a

living creature within 30 meters in frontof them, they train their eyestalks on theinterloper and fire a beam equal in everyway to that of a black ray gun. If hit frombehind, a molnang turns (this takes anaction turn) and fires. It can fire a rayevery other action turn.

The molnang secretes a powerful acid allover its black body. If touched in combat,the acid does an automatic 10d6 hp dam-age to the snails opponent, its weapon, orits armor (as appropriate). The acid ruinsany weapon except one made of duralloy,which can survive one (and only one) hit.When an attack misses the snails body, itis assumed to hit the massive, golden shell,which is as sturdy as duralloy, reflects allkinds of energy except kinetic (includingheat, cold, radiation, electricity, sound/blasters, and light/lasers), and is proofagainst acid and black rays.

If it fails a morale check (most likely, ifhit more than once or twice in combat), amolnang withdraws into its shell, pulls theoperculum shut, and generates a deathfield. Thereafter, it is unable to fire itsdeath ray (even after regaining conscious-ness) for the rest of the day. Strengthequal to the molnang�s (in one creature) isrequired to pull the operculum open whilethe molnang is alive inside (even if it isunconscious). The molnang can, however,be attacked by a life leech and other men-tal mutations. Vibro weapons and energymaces are not reflected by the shell.

Molnangs are good to eat, once theyhave been leeched of their acid content.However, they contain muscleworm larvae(DRAGON® issue #108) 75% of the time,and so should be cooked carefully. Thebrilliant metallic gold shell is a far greaterprize, as it can be cut with vibro tools intoshields which reflect beams of heat, light,radiation, sound, etc., as well as acid andblack rays. (They are no help against aburst of energy such as a bomb or a sonic

blast however.) Such actions require acheck vs. DX x 4 for a character to bringthe shield into play during normal combatconditions (assuming the character is notsurprised). The shell weighs 500-800 kgand is worth twice that in gold pieces tosomeone who can make use of it.

Molnangs are seldom hired or recruitedbecause it is all but impossible to safelycommunicate with them.

toads. They dig their lairs in sand, loosesoil, or mud, leaving only their darkbrown eyes showing. Unwary creatureshave no chance of noticing these eyes.Creatures without heightened vision haveonly a 2% chance per action turn even ifthey are scanning the ground in search ofa reptoad; creatures with heightened orotherwise highly superior vision have a10% chance per action turn, and creatureswith heightened or otherwise highly supe-rior smell have a 5% chance per actionturn of locating a reptoad if they areactively trying.

The mastery that reptoads have gainedover force fields and repulsion fields isunparalleled in GAMMA WORLD gamelands. Like standard repulsion fields, thesefields last as long as the creature concen-trates on them. Reptoads can create anunlimited number each day. However, thereptoad has developed concentrativepowers sufficient to maintain up to eightrepulsion fields at the same time. Thefields have a surface area of no more than24 square meters, and must remain within20 meters of the toad, but within thosestrictures, a reptoad can shape its repul-sion fields into any shape it wants � a2-meter cube, a circular band to bindopponents together, a 2 x 8 x 8 meter

DR A G O N 63

cage (with repulsion field �bars� and gapsbetween), or a toad-shaped force field.(Reptoads keep any one of these fieldsaround their bodies at all times.) When itwishes to eat, a reptoad simply puts up anoutside repulsion field around itself and itsprey, and only then takes down the insideone surrounding itself; thus, it is nevervulnerable.

All of a reptoad�s repulsion fields areproof against any normal physical attack;physical objects cannot pass through ordamage the field. Also, laser, blaster, andenergy-weapon attacks cannot passthrough the field, but they can hit andautomatically do normal damage to it.

Stuhumphagas (Stupmers)

NUMBER: 1d4 -2 (minimum of 1)MORALE: 1 d 4 + 2HIT DICE: 15d8ARMOR: 3SIZE: 7 meters long, 4 meters high

LAND SPEED: 12/500/9

MS: 1d8 +10IN : 1 d 8 + 7DX: 1d4CH: 1d8 +1CN: 1 d 1 2 + 9PS: 1d20 + 30

ATTACKS: No special attacks.ORIGINAL STOCK: Desert tortoise.MUTATIONS: Stunning force (improved),thought imitation, telepathy physicalreflection (nuclear), directional sense,and taller.HABITAT: Deserts, dry grasslands, andradioactive deathlands.DIET: Dry grassland plants.

DESCRIPTION: These gigantic, kindlynatured tortoises roam radioactivedeathlands and other dry, desolate places.They are always willing to telepathicallytalk to any intelligent creature, and gener-ally try to help anyone in trouble or need.The only exception here is a dagmit. Thisis understandable, since dagmits kill andeat stuhumphagas whenever they can, andmake their homes out of the empty shells.

When a stuhumphagus is attacked, itimmediately withdraws into its shell. It isable to pull the undershell shut so that it iscompletely protected. In this state, mostattacks can only hit the shell (which is stillAC 3). Thrusting and slashing weapons,such as spears, arrows, and all but two-handed swords, do not harm the shelleven if they hit. Cutting and crushingweapons, such as axes, two-handedswords, and maces do full damage to theshell, which can take damage equal to thestuhumphagus�s hit-point total beforesplitting open. Damage from energyattacks such as sonic blast and heat gener-ation are split evenly between the shell

64 OCTOBER 1987

Each field has 50 hit points, but thereptoad can instantly renew any brokenrepulsion field if it is alive, conscious, andstill within range. Radiation, heat, cold,gas, mental attacks and stun rays do notaffect the repulsion field; these attackspass through the field, although the firstthree attacks cannot harm a reptoad.

Twice per day, a reptoad can also createa long-lasting repulsion field identical tothe others in every way except that it doesnot require the toads continued concen-tration to keep it up. These shields standfor 50 + 1d100 days or until destroyed byenergy attacks, even if the reptoad dies, isstunned, or goes away. The area around a

reptoad�s lair is often cluttered with old,forgotten, invisible �cages.�

Reptoads are vicious and cruel, hating alllarger forms of terrestrial life. Their favor-ite pastime is to trap creatures in repul-sion fields and watch them slowlydehydrate or starve to death. Fortunately,reptoads have never been known to coop-erate with anyone � not even the RedDeath. They care nothing for treasure orartifacts. The only creature feared by areptoad is a sleeth, for a sleeth can dispelall of a reptoad�s repulsion fields just as ifthey were force fields.

and the tortoise inside, but lasers andenergy weapons do their damage to theshell only. Blasters treat the shell as nonliv-ing matter � they put a 10-cm hole in it.

The tortoise relies on its defenses as longas it can, and saves stunning force forcases of absolute necessity, even though itcan use that mutation three times per day.A stuhumphagus uses thought imitationwhen attacked with a mental mutation.

Stuhumphagas have extra room in theirshells; one can carry three human-sizedcreatures. A stuhumphagus can carry orhouse friendly, intelligent creatures in itsshell at need. The passengers gain all ofthe shell�s protection, including immunityto radiation outside. Stuhumphagas some-

times carry Healers through deserts anddeathlands, functioning as small mobilehospitals. Stuhumphagas need very littlefood and water to survive (consideringtheir bulk), but they always know wheresafe food and water can be found. Stu-humphagas weigh approximately 25 met-ric tons each. If one steps on a smallercreature (something they never do inten-tionally, even to a dagmit, and somethingthey certainly cannot do as an attack incombat), the victim takes 2d6 hp damage.Stuhumphagas heal all damage to theirshells at the same rate as they heal dam-age to their bodies. No known medicinecan speed up the process.

DR A G O N 65

by Kevin Marzahl

The TOP SECRET® game is a fine, well-written, and fairly complete role-playingsystem. I have encountered few problemswith it, and most of those were easilysolved. One problem, however, took a littlemore work: it dealt with the rules forcontacts (TOP SECRET rule book, pages13-15).

The Contact Reaction Table (CRT) andthe key on page 14 of the rule book areexcellent, but I have two objections to thesystem. First, there are nine methods ofcontact, many of which are similar if notthe same. What is the difference betweenDazzle and Fascinate? To Impress means tohave a marked effect on emotions or tostrongly influence; this is very similar toboth Scare and Force.

Second, the agent and the contact usethe same traits for comparison on the CRT.In some cases, such as with Fooling, thisworks. However, if an agent is attemptingto Scare a contact, is Courage the propertrait to use? Shouldn�t the agent use hisPhysical Strength, and the contact use hisCourage? After all, the agent is the oneapplying the psychological pressure, andthe contact trying to resist it.

To remedy these situations, I modifiedthe contact methods. I reduced the num-ber of methods to six, and added a seventhof my own. Fool and Bribe have remainedthe same; Scare and Con retain theirnames, but the traits involved havechanged. I have combined Force andImpress into Interrogate, and Fascinate,Dazzle, and Lure into Seduction. Lastly, Ihave added a new method called Negotia-tion. The new contact methods are listed

66 OCTOBER 1987

on Table 1 in this article, along with thetraits which the agent and the contactcompare using the CRT, and a new inter-pretation of the Contact Reaction results.

Con and ScareThese two abilities are not similar, but

they are both easy to understand.Con is the easier of the two. Fast-talking,

tricking, bluffing � these are actions thatCon involves. The agent uses his Deceptionand the contact his Perception; comparethese on the CRT, then consult the key.

Scaring a contact usually involvesthreats of violence. Therefore, the agentuses his Physical Strength, together withthe HTH value of any weapon that he maybe brandishing (and this means onlybrandishing, since an NPC who is attackedwill defend himself if possible; if he isincapacitated, the use of a weapon turnsScare into Interrogate). The contact useshis Courage for comparison. If the contactis brave enough, he won�t give in to scaretactics, but if he is a coward, getting infor-mation should be easy for the agent. Ifmore than one agent is present, then thePhysical Strengths of the agents (and anyappropriate HTH values) may be added tothe interrogator�s score. Likewise, if morethan one contact is present, their Courageratings may be added together (there isstrength in numbers).

InterrogateInterrogate takes the place of Force and

Impress. It can (but does not always)involve truth serums and torture. In itssimplest form, Interrogation resemblesScaring; simply compare the agent�s Physi-cal Strength and any appropriate HTH

weapon values to the contact�s Willpower.If the agent cannot get information in

this manner, he may resort to othermeans. One of these is a technique callednarcoanalysis, in which truth serums(drugs such as sodium tiopental and sco-polamine) are used to place the contact ina dreamlike state, during which he isquestioned. Administrators should use therules given in the TOP SECRET rule book(page 39) if drugs are used. In addition,there is a chance of death when truthdrugs are used. The base chance is 5% forthe first dose and an additional 5% chancefor each additional dose administeredwithin an lb-hour period. Also, the aver-age agent does not have the knowledgerequired to properly administer the drugs.Only agents with a superior Medicine/Physiology AOK, or with a Knowledge of102 or above, have the proper training.Consequently, there is an additional 5%chance of death if an untrained agentadministers the drugs. If the dice rollindicates death, the contact falls uncon-scious and dies within 2d10 minutes.

Another alternative is torture. This is arather gruesome subject, and particularsare avoided here. Instead, the modifierslisted in Tables 2 and 3 are added to theagent�s Physical Strength if appropriate.These modifiers are cumulative and it ispossible to use all of the methods together.If, for example, the contact is subjected tobright lights, complete darkness, whitenoise, then back to bright lights and so on,in a continuous cycle, the modifier wouldbe +25. However, if the total modifier is+20 or above, there is a 25% chance ofunconsciousness every five minutes. Forevery additional +10 to the modifier, thechance of unconsciousness goes up by 5%.

Table 1Contact Methods

Contact methodBribeConFoolInterrogateNegotiationScareSeduction

Agent trait Contact traitCash value divided by WillpowerDeception PerceptionKnowledge or AOK Knowledge or AOKPhysical Strength + HTH weapon value (or special) Willpower(Knowledge + Deception)/2Physical Strength + HTH weapon valueCharm

(Knowledge + Willpower)/2CourageWillpower

Table 2Interrogation Modifiers: LifeLevel

Life Level of contact ModifierNormal - 1 02/3 normal - 5l/2 normal 01/2 to 1/4 normal +5Below l/4 normal +10

Table 3Interrogation Modifiers:Methods of Interrogation

Interrogation methodSensory deprivation*Extreme heat/coldThreats against friends/

familyWhite noiseStarvation*DisorientationBright lights**Darkness**Restriction of movement

Modifier+35+20+15

+15+10+23+5+5+5

* Requires at least three days to beeffective.* * For every 12 hours beyond thefirst 12, add 5 to the modifier.

Table 4Negotiation Values

CRT result Negotiationvalue

A 90%B 80%C 70%D 60%E 50%F 40%G 30%H 20%I 10%

Thus, a modifier of + 30 would give a 30%chance of unconsciousness, a modifier of+40 would give a 35% chance, a +50would give a 40% chance, and so on. Also,if the modifier is +50 or more, there is a5% chance that the contact dies. For every+ 15 added to the modifier, the chance ofdeath increases by 5%. Thus, a modifier of+ 65 gives a 10% chance of death, a +80

gives a 15% chance of death, etc.

NegotiateThis new form of contact is not used to

gain information; instead, it is used tolessen demands in hostage situations, suchas convincing a skyjacker to surrender orrelease passengers. In a situation in whicha compromise or bargain is involved,Negotiation is best. This method uses theaverage of the agent�s Knowledge andDeception, compared with the average ofthe contact�s Knowledge and Willpower.These averages are compared on the CRTas usual, but instead of consulting theReaction Key for a result, the letter resultfrom the CRT determines a number calledthe Negotiation Value. These values arelisted in Table 4.

The Negotiation Value is the base per-centage chance that the contact accepts aproposal made by the agent. This valuecan be further modified by the PoliticalAlignments of both the contact and theagent. Cross-reference the political align-ments of both parties on Table 5 to findany modifiers.

Example: �Mad Jack,� an agent, is negoti-ating with a skyjacker for the release ofwomen and children passengers. MadJack�s Knowledge is 95, and his Deception

is 41, which gives an average of 68. Theskyjacker�s Knowledge is 62, and his Will-power is 32, for an average of 47. MadJack is radical, and the skyjacker is reac-tionary � not good! Comparing 68 and 47on the CRT, an �E� result is obtained, for aNegotiation Value of 50. However, becauseof the alignment difference, the two donot see eye-to-eye, and 20 is subtracted,for a new value of 30. Mad Jack rolls a 43:no go. The passengers remain on the jet.

SeduceThe natural attraction between males

and females can be used to the advantageof agents wishing to gain information. Thestandard procedure is used: Compare theagent�s Charm to the contact�s Willpower.In addition, consult Tables 6 for any appro-priate modifiers.

Interpreting CRT resultsAs you know, the CRT gives nine possi-

ble results, designated A through I. Mostof these are pretty straightforward, butresults E through H have little variety; thecontact either walks away or he demandsthat the agent leave or shut up. Not onlydo these results offer little variety in NPCactions, but they simply do not work insome situations. What if the contact andthe agent meet in an elevator? Can thecontact walk away or ask the agent toleave? He would probably stall for timeuntil the elevator stopped at the next floor.Or what if the contact and agent wereNegotiating over the telephone? Could thecontact engage in HTH combat? In thisinstance, the Administrator might have thecontact threaten the agent and hang up.

Table 5Negotiation Modifiers by Political Alignment

ContactAgent Radical Liberal Neutral ConservativeRadical

Reactionary+20 +10 0 - 1 0 - 2 0

Liberal +10 +20 0 - 5 - 1 0Neutral 0 0 +5 0 0Conservative - 1 0 - 5 0 +20 +10Reactionary - 2 0 - 1 0 0 +10 +20

Note: The Negotiation Value may never exceed 95%.

D R A G O N 6 7

In most cases, the profession of thecontact, the location of the encounter, andcommon sense determine how the contactreacts. For example, an agent has beenquestioning a bartender. The CRT result is�G,� and the subsequent dice roll is 56,indicating that the bartender demandsthat the agent leave. An Administratorwho stops at that is missing an idealopportunity to liven up the game. Insteadof demanding that the agent leave, thebartender could signal a bouncer toremove the nosy agent!

In another situation, a pair of agents aretrying to Scare information out of a storeclerk. The CRT result is �H� and the diceroll 83, indicating that the clerk engages inHTH combat. However, the clerk is rela-tively weak and knows that he would notstand a chance against two agents, so heactivates a silent alarm; within minutes,the police arrive.

In short, Administrators should considerall of the possibilities and options availablethat would add excitement to the game,thus teaching the agents to be more care-ful. Continually being thrown out of res-taurants or receiving unwanted attentionfrom police and security forces will dis-courage agents from the continual use ofmuscle, forcing them to use more subtlemethods. With seven contact methods,agents have an array of choices whichthey should use to their fullest potential.

Table 6Seduction Modifiers

Location of attemptIn publicIn privateIn �romantic

atmosphere�

Modifier- 1 0

0+10

Agent�s sex/looks ModifierFemale +5Male 0Well-dressed +5Poorly dressed -5

Contact�s Charm01-2526-5051-7576 and up

Modifier+15+10

+50

Contact�s status ModifierWith boyfriend/girlfriend - 1 5Married - 1 5Busy/preoccupied -5

Intoxicated +15

68 OCTOBER 1987

DRAGON 69

Marvel, Marvel Universe, Marvel Super Heroes, and all Marvel character likenesses are trademarks of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc.

by Jeff Grubb

Elsewhere in this issue, you can find theAD&D® game statistics of the Lord of theVampires, that sterling member of theundead: Dracula. His Undeadliness hasalso had a long and checkered career inthe Marvel Universe as well, a series ofdeaths and resurrections that has onlyrecently been put to a permanent end at

the hands of Doctor Strange. Withoutfurther ado, here is the worst of the vam-pires � Vlad Dracula, best known as Drac-ula. Note that what follows will notprecisely match the information publishedfor the AD&D game. The latter articledraws from classical sources, while thisarticle is from Dracula�s experiences in theMarvel Universe. A fine difference, but adifference nonetheless.

DRACULA�Vlad Dracula (destroyed)Ruler of Earth�s vampires

F RM (30) Health: 210A AM (50)S RM (30) Karma: 110E UN (100)R GD (10) Resources: RMI AM (50)P AM (50) Popularity: -30

KNOWN POWERS:

Vampirism: All of Dracula�s abilitiesstemmed from his identities as a vampireand as king of the vampires. These abilitiesexceeded the levels of �ordinary� vampires(see below) because of Dracula�s manycenturies of existence and absorption ofthe powers of the last Atlantean vampire.

Resistances: Under normal circumstances,vampires did not age. They could be poi-soned, though not killed by poison (ignor-ing all �Kill� results). They could not bedamaged by most physical attacks, thoughthey could be affected by Stuns and Slams(and, in some cases, �Kills�). Most energyattacks had similar limitations. See belowfor those attacks which specifically affect-ed vampires.

Transformation: Dracula could, at will,transform himself into a number of differ-ent shapes, each taking but a single roundto assume. These included:* A mistlike cloud which allowed himpassage through tight spaces and allowedhim to fly at 1 area/round (he could not beharmed by physical attacks in this form);* A bat with Dracula�s normal intelligence,

70 OCTOBER 1987

having bite attacks (Good damage) and theability to fly at 6 areas/round;* A wolf with Dracula�s normal intelli-gence, having the abilities to bite (Remark-able damage), move at 3 areas/round, anduse its Intuition at +1CS to reflect itsenhanced senses; and,* A man-sized bat capable of flying at 4areas/round, with claw and biting attacks(for Excellent damage each).

Summoning and Controlling: Dracula hada number of summoning and controllingpowers, given below:* Animal control allowed him to summonup to his Psyche in number of bats, rats,and wolves.* Summoning thunderstorms required aRed Psyche FEAT roll that left Draculaunable to use other vampiric abilities for1-10 hours.* As Lord of the Vampires, Dracula couldcontrol the actions of another vampire bymaking a Psyche FEAT against the othervampire�s Psyche.* Dracula had the ability to hypnotizeordinary humans, even if he had caughtthe victim�s eye for only three seconds.* Dracula could communicate telepathical-ly with any individual from whom he haddrained blood, anywhere in the world.

Vampire Bite: Dracula�s canines wereenlarged so that he could deliver the clas-sic �vampire bite.� This bite inflicted 6points of damage per turn. If the victimwas killed in the attack, an enzyme in thevampire�s saliva caused the body to pro-duce a greenish ichor which replaced itsblood. In three days, sufficient ichor exist-ed to turn the victim�s body into a vam-pire. If the victim was not slain by the

vampire, the victim remained weak (-1CSon all FEATS) until an Endurance FEATwas made, checked once each week. Dur-ing this time, the vampire had a limitedhypnotic control over the victim, so thatany FEATs against that control could notadd Karma.

Regeneration: Dracula had Excellentregenerative abilities.

LIMITATIONS: Dracula and other vam-pires were unstoppable if opponents usedmost normal weapons and attacks. A num-ber of attack forms and weaknesses didinflict damage to a vampire:* Blood Dependency. Vampires neededhuman blood to survive. Voluntary orinvoluntary deprivation of blood resultedin weakness (-1CS on all stats for everytwo days without blood) and an over-whelming desire for blood. A Psyche FEATput off that desire for one day, but theneed remained.* Soil Dependency. Vampires could not go100 miles beyond their places of humanbirth without taking a pound of soil withthem. This soil, usually used to line acoffin, offset the negative effects of thesun (see below).* Direct Sunlight. The rays of the suncaused Amazing damage per round tovampires. If reduced to zero Health points,a vampire dehydrated and turned to pow-der. Sunlight also caused vampires notunder its effects to become comatoseunless in contact with native soil. Energyattacks which duplicated solar radiation(such as the new Captain Marvel�s powers)could affect vampires.* Garlic Plants. A vampire could notdirectly attack a victim wearing a clove ofgarlic (the vampire could push a wall overon the garlic-wearer, though, or performsimilar actions). Further, a vampire�s trans-formation abilities could not functionwithin 1 area of garlic.* Religious Objects. Vampires had an aller-gy of sorts to objects of religious faith,such that any religious symbol (such as thecross or the Star of David) held by some-one who had great faith in that symbolwould keep a vampire at bay. Such a sym-bol inflicted normal damage (as a club,sword, or shuriken) to the vampire.* Mirrors. Vampires did not reflect an

image in mirrors, nor show up on photo-graphic plates or similar mediums.* Houses. Most vampires were bound by acode that prevented them from entering adwelling unless freely invited. Draculacould counter that by making a PsycheFEAT roll.* Silver. Silver weaponry could inflict

normal damage on and could even �killvampire.* Wood. A wooden stake through theheart produced an automatic "kill" resultagainst a vampire. Of course, this meantholding the vampire down and getting a"Red" result with the attack. A wood stake

or silver blade through the heart caused avampire to decay into dust, but the dustreassembled and the vampire started toheal as soon as the stake or blade wasremoved.* Permanent Destruction. All vampireshad a tendency to regenerate lost damageover time, even if chopped into tiny piec-es. Three methods of slaying a vampirew e r e k n o w n t o " k i l l " i t f o r e v e r : 1. Exposure to sunlight until the vampirebecomes dust, followed by scattering theashes. 2. Piercing the heart of and beheadingthe vampire, burning the head and bodyin two separate pyres, then scattering theashes. 3. Using the Montesi Formula. This last

behind a store of dark lore and magic,which was gathered together and is nowknown as the Darkhold. The Darkhold

method was how Dracula was finally found its way to Atlantis before that conti-destroyed. nent�s destruction, where a sect of evil

magicians discovered in its text a methodTALENTS: Dracula was a trained swords- of reviving the dead as blood-drinking batman and had Martial Arts A and B. He warriors. These Atlantean Darkholdersamassed a large quantity of mystic lore in created the first vampires, who promptlyhis travels, and could be said to have slew their creators and escaped Atlantis.occult lore from first-hand encounters. The vampires spread over the Earth in

the next 15,000 years, working their wayCONTACTS: Dracula was Lord of the into the mythos of mankind long beforeVampires and could use his rulership to the coming of Dracula. They had a loosecommand other vampires, whether they organization run by a self-styled king who,were �his� or not. at the time of Dracula, was Nimrod the

First.IMPORTANT NOTE: Vampires were Vlad Dracula was the second son of a-undead, and as such were not living crea- Transylvanian nobleman. Vlad and histures. No Karma was lost by killing a younger brother were captured by invad-vampire. ing Turks, and the latter died in their

hands. Vlad learned much from this expe-DRACULA�S STORY: Long ago, powerful rience in the ways of power and of theproto-deities roamed the surface of the inhumanity of humanity.cooling Earth. Most of these were forced Dracula eventually retook his father�sinto other dimensions, but one, Cthon, left throne and fought the Turks, earning the

name Vlad �the Impaler� from his habit ofskewering his foes. During this time, hemarried the Hungarian noblewoman Zofia,and they had a daughter. Vlad later dis-solved the marriage and sent Zofia away.His daughter in time became a vampire aswell � Lilith, one of Dracula�s long-timefoes. Vlad later married a woman namedMaria, and through this line the descen-dants of Dracula came.

In a battle with a Turkish warlord, Vladwas mortally wounded and Castle Draculawas taken. The warlord took Vlad to agypsy healer to recover, but the gypsy wasa vampire and killed Vlad, turning himinto a vampire. The warlord killed thegypsy, but was in turn slain and trans-formed into a vampire by Dracula.

Dracula�s ascent to the top of vampirehierarchy was swift. He defeated thecurrent king of the vampires, Nimrod, andsoon afterwards absorbed the power ofVarnae, who by that time was the solesurvivor of the original Atlantean vam-pires. This absorption of powers gaveDracula a number of abilities over and

above those that were standard for �nor-mal� vampires.

Dracula had a number of adventuresrecorded in the Marvel Universe over thenext 500 years, including the following:* Two run-ins in the 16th century with thePuritan Solomon Kane. Kane was the firstperson reported to have killed (howevertemporarily) the vampire Dracula.* Battles in the 18th century with thesorcerer Cagliostro in France, thoughDracula fled the nation during the FrenchRevolution.* A battle with Baron Russoff soon afterleaving France. Russoff killed Dracula, buthe was in turn wounded by a werewolf.The present-day descendant of Russoff is awerewolf as a result. [See �A Marvel®Monster-Phile,� by Douglas Lent, in thisissue.]* Several battles with Abraham Van Hels-ing in the 19th century.* An encounter in which he was slain byan American using silver buckshot in thelate 19th century.* Battles with Van Helsing, aided by Jona-than Harker, which were later describedby Bram Stoker in his book Dracula,which is believed by most people to be awork of fiction. Soon after the eventsrecorded in that book, Dracula was againrevived and slain by Frankenstein�s Mon-ster [Again, see �A Marvel Monster-Phile�in this issue.]

In the early 20th century, Dracula killedLord John Falsworth of England, turninghim into a vampire that would soonbecome Baron Blood [see �Sudden Dawn,�by William Tracy, in DRAGON® issue #104for details.] In recent years, Dracula�s chiefopponents were Quincy Harker, descen-dant of Jonathan Harker, and a number ofother vampire hunters, including theIndian Taj Nitai, the American namedBlade (an expert at throwing woodenstakes), Rachel Van Helsing, Frank Drake(Dracula�s one living descendant), andHannibal King, a vampire and detective.Harker killed Dracula at the cost of hisown life, but Dracula was soon broughtback yet again. Dracula battled a numberof supernatural and super-powered foes aswell, including the demon Mephisto, thedisembodied brain called Doctor Sun, theSorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange, and theX-Men.

A group of mystics devoted to theDarkhold found mystic means of furtherincreasing Dracula�s power in recentyears, eliminating his vulnerabilities tosilver, garlic, and religious artifacts. Soonafterward, however, Doctor Strange, aidedby King, Blade, and Drake (Van Helsingwas turned into a vampire by Dracula andkilled by Wolverine), recovered theDarkhold and, from Castle Mordo,destroyed both Dracula and all othervampires on Earth. King was spared

because he had never taken human blood,and a complete blood transfusion replacedthe ichor in his veins.

The Montesi Formula destroyed all vam-pires on Earths dimension, and not onlyprevents the creation of new vampires,but the entrance into this dimension byvampiric beings from other dimensions.The magic of the Darkhold may be able toreverse the formula, but that book iscurrently in the hands of the alien sorcer-er Urthona.

Vampires in the Marvel UniverseNot all vampires had the power of Drac-

ula, though most such creatures had abili-ties over and above those of normalmortals. Conversion into a vampire modi-fied one�s abilities as follows:

Agility: + 1CS (maximum Remarkable),Strength: + 1CS (maximum Remarkable);Endurance: + 2CS (maximum Amazing);

and,Health: modified accordingly.A vampire in the Marvel Universe had

the ability to transform as noted for Drac-ula, and gained Typical regenerative abili-ties. It suffered all the effects noted aboveunder Limitations. It could also be con-trolled by the vampire who bit (and cre-ated) it, should the victim fail a Psyche

7 2 O C T O B E R 1 9 8 7

A Marvel®Monster-Phile

A Halloween treat or three from theMarvel Universe®

by Douglas Lent

As a bonus for all Marvel-fans, we however: Just because somethingpresent three well-known faces from looks like a monster doesn't mean thatboth legend and comics appropriate to it's evil. . . .a Halloween encounter. One warning,

Fugitive artificial being

F RM (30) Health: 120 Rapid Healing: The monster can heal fromwounds at a much faster rate than

R GD (10) Resources: None every hour instead

F R A N K E N S T E I N � S M O N S T E R � Yellow. He is therefore immune to �Kill� century. Victor experimented with the

No name results from knives or bullets, and to reanimation of dead tissue as a key toresults in a slugfest. immortality and succeeded in assembling a

large humanoid using parts from severalfresh corpses. Frankenstein also found a

A GD (10) way to overcome deterioration and tissue

S RM (30) Karma: 30 ordinary humans. He can regain his rejection of organs from different bodies,

E AM (50) Endurance rank in Health points once making this work possible. Then, using aof only once a day. special process of his own invention,

I GD (10) Frankenstein brought his creation to life.

P GD (10) Popularity: 0 Suspended Animation: Whenever the However, the sight of the monster terrifiedmonster is subjected to cold of at least him so much that he abandoned the

KNOWN POWERS: Remarkable intensity, he enters a state of creature, hoping his creation would perishsuspended animation until he is revived, when left unprotected.

Body Armor: The monster has a thick skin taking no damage from the chill. An However, although the monster was asthat serves as Good body armor against Endurance FEAT is required to avoid this ignorant as an infant, he was also highlyphysical attacks. Also, due to his unusual event. intelligent and quickly learned how tophysical resilience, all physical combat survive by secretly observing humans.effects against him are reduced by one THE MONSTER�S STORY: Baron Victor Within a few months, the monster couldcolor. Thus, Green results become White, Frankenstein was a brilliant Swiss biology speak and function as well as any normalYellow becomes Green, and Red becomes and chemistry student in the late 18th human. He then began plotting his

74 OCTOBER 1987

revenge on his creator for deserting him.The monster killed Victor�s brother Wil-liam, then struck a deal with Victor bypromising to leave the baron�s life foreverif Victor would create a mate for the mon-ster. Victor went back on the deal, destroying the female monster, and the monsterkilled his creator�s best friend and wife,then fled into the Arctic. Frankensteingave chase but died of exposure shortlyafter relating his tale to sea captain RobertWalton. Meanwhile, the creature lay inhibernation after being trapped in the ice,filled with regret for his deeds. WriterMary Shelley published Walton�s accountof Frankenstein�s story but the publicconsiders it a work of fiction.

In 1898, Walton�s great-grandson foundthe monster, who had since thawed out ofhis icy prison. The creature soon had aclash with Dracula, during which his vocal

chords were injured, rendering him mute.He was then again entombed in ice andwas revived again only recently. VeronicaFrankenstein, a descendent of the baron,operated on the monster�s larynx, and hecan again speak, though with some diffi-culty. The creature most recently clashed

with the Thing and Iron Man, and current whereabouts or activities areunknown. It should be noted that thecreature is often wrongly referred to as�Frankenstein,� though this is really thename of its creator.

L I V I N G M U M M Y �N�Kantu KNOWN POWERS:Altered and immortal human

Body Armor: The process that madeN�Kantu a mummy also gave him super-

F EX (20) Health: 129 tough skin that acts as Remarkable bodyA PR (4) armor.S RM (30) Karma: 22E MN (75) Environmental Independence: SustainedR TY (6) Resources: None completely by the life-preserving fluid inI TY (6) his veins, the Living Mummy no longerP GD (10) Popularity: 0 needs to eat, drink, breathe, or sleep. He

DR A G O N 75

could easily survive in many places wherean ordinary human would be killedinstantly, He no longer ages.

LIMITATIONS: Because of N�Kantu�sdependence on the special fluid that sub-stitutes for his blood, any damage he takesfrom heat or fire gains a + 1CS due to theeffects of dehydration on the fluid. It isnot yet known if N�Kantu could be killedby such attacks or would simply remainunconscious until the fluid had regener-ated itself. N�Kantu can speak only withgreat difficulty since his throat is com-pletely dry.

THE LIVING MUMMY�S STORY: N�Kan-tu was a chieftain of the Swarili tribe of

North Africa over three thousand yearsago, when they were enslaved by theEgyptians: Bound in chains, N�Kantu andhis people were forced to build a templefor the reigning pharaoh, Aram-Set. N�Kan-tu obeyed his captors, all the while plot-ting rebellion against them. When word ofhis plans reached Aram-Set and the highpriest, Nephrus, they decided to have theslaves killed upon the temple�s completion.

But N�Kantu and his followers struckbefore then and were able to slay thepharaoh himself before being subdued. Topunish N�Kantu for his crime, Nephrusdrained the Swarili chieftain�s blood andreplaced it with a special preservativefluid. He was then bound head to toe inbandages and entombed in a sarcophagus

beneath the sand, still conscious but com-pletely immobile.

There N�Kantu remained until recentyears when the paralysis effect wore offand he could at last move. Unfortunately,the three millenia he spent confinedbeneath the desert rendered him totallyinsane. Digging free of his tomb, N�Kantuwent on a rampage which finally ended inthe streets of Cairo. N�Kantu grabbed atelephone pole to use as a weapon andwas electrocuted by a dangling power line.This left him in a comalike state for sev-eral weeks; upon awakening, his sanityhad returned. Immortal, N�Kantu nowwanders across Egypt and North Africa,seeking some purpose to his life.

WEREWOLF�Jack RussellAltered human

F RM(30) Health: 120A EX(20)S RM(30) Karma: 91E IN(40)R TY(6) Resources: EXI MN(75)P GD(10) Popularity: 20

KNOWN POWERS:

Claws: Werewolf has razor-sharp clawsand teeth and can inflict up to Remarkableedged-attack damage with them.

Infravision: Werewolf�s sight extends intothe infrared, allowing him to see in thedark by detecting heat emissions.

Extraordinary Senses: Werewolf�s sensesof sight, hearing, and smell are allAmazing. He can detect sensations farbeyond the normal human range by mak-ing an Intuition FEAT roll. He can track bysmell and remember scents previouslyencountered. He can hear a heartbeat at aone-area range and smell an approachingbeing within a three-area range.

Running: Werewolf can move at a rate oftwo areas per round for up to half anhour a day.

Invulnerability: As a supernatural crea-ture, Werewolf has Amazing resistance toall forms of physical damage except thatcaused by silver weapons. Werewolf, ifinjured, cannot have his Endurancereduced below Feeble except by silverweapons.

LIMITATIONS: As mentioned above, silverweapons are the only ones unaffected byWerewolf�s invulnerability and are one ofthe few things that can kill him. Each hit bya silver weapon causes all of Werewolf�sphysical abilities to make a -1CS. A Red orYellow result from a silver edged or missileweapon is treated as a �kill�

76 OCTOBER 1987

Additionally, although Russell has gainedthe ability to change into Werewolf at willwhile still retaining his full intellect, theoriginal curse over him is still in effect. Onthe three nights of the full moon, Russellautomatically changes but has his Reasonreduced to Feeble; his nature also becomesthat of a savage beast.

Except for the curse, all the powerslisted above are only for Russell�s Were-wolf form. When human, his stats are asgiven below:

F A S ETY TY TY GD

R I PTY GD GD

Health: 28 Karma: 26Resources: EX Popularity: 6

WEREWOLF�S STORY: Jack Russell wasborn Jacob Russoff, son of Transylvaniannobleman Gregory Russoff and his Ameri-can wife, Laura. A scholar interested inthe occult, Gregory was unaware of adormant family curse from an ancestorwho had been bitten by a werewolf. Thiswould have mattered little had he notacquired a copy of the Darkhold, anarcane tome of evil magics created by thedemon Chthon. Among the various frag-ments of occult lore contained within thebooks covers was a detailed account ofthe origin of lycanthropy. Reading thissection triggered Russoff�s latent curse,and with the next full moon he was trans-formed into a werewolf. For severalmonths afterward he terrorized the localcountryside during the three nights of thefull moon until he was killed by an angrymob of townsfolk.

Shortly before his death, Russoff sent hiswife and their two young children to hernative America for their own safety. Whenshe learned of Gregory�s death, LauraRussoff moved to Los Angeles and latermarried Philip Russell to give her childrena father. Jacob (now Jack) Russell and hissister, Lissa, did well until Jack reached hiseighteenth birthday and inherited hisfamily�s now-active curse. For the next two

years, Russell rampaged throughout theLos Angeles area on the nights of the fullmoon whenever his efforts to confinehimself failed. Then the mystical extradi-mensional beings known only as �TheThree Who Are All� gave him the powerto control his changes while keeping hishuman intelligence. However, he stillregressed when the full moon shone.Russell has since built a virtually escape-proof cell to isolate himself during suchtimes.

Russell recently sought scientific helpfor his problem. Unfortunately, he turnedto an unscrupulous scientist (Doctor KarlMalus) who tried to make him a mindlessslave instead. Although Russell was able tothwart these plans, the treatments hereceived caused him to lose control of hischanges once more, and his wereformbecame even more lupine in appearance.He has since recovered and is now anoccasional crimefighter, sometimes evenmeeting and working with heroes like IronMan and the original Spider-Woman. Atpresent, Werewolf is a member of NightShift, a team of super-powered villains andoutcasts led by Shroud (see DRAGON®issue #93 for his statistics).

GuidelinesIf you�re interested in contributingan article to DRAGON® Magazine,the first thing you need is a copy ofour guidelines for writers. Send aself-addressed, stamped envelope to�Writer�s guidelines,� c/o DRAGONMagazine, P.O. Box 110, Lake GenevaWI 53147; and we�ll send you back asheet with all the basic informationyou need to make sure your manu-script-has the best possible chance ofbeing accepted.

(continued from 14)DMs should not be players in their own

campaigns; they are supposed to be neu-tral and disinterested people who controlthe action, resolve conflicts fairly, and tryto make sure that everyone has a goodtime. The DM may control NPCs who joina party and act like PCs, but this is not thesame as playing. When playing in someoneelse�s campaign, a DM is just another play-er; he has no special rights or privileges.

Why wasn�t the STAR FRONTIERSgame included in the game-to-gameconversion section of the DungeonMasters Guide?

The STAR FRONTIERS game was pub-lished after the DMG. Conversionsbetween the two systems are difficult,since they are so dissimilar. Your best betis to assign AD&D game statistics to STARFRONTIERS� characters and weapons (orvice versa) on a case-by-case basis. Yourown judgment must suffice; just be asconsistent as possible.

How many points of strength orconstitution will a PC gain if he spends nonadventuring timeexercising?

Officially, none. All character classes areassumed to exercise to a degree appropri-ate to their professions. The less-physicalclasses fill in their nonadventuring timewith study and mental exercises. Note thatthe cavalier class, as given in UnearthedArcana, can improve some of its charac-teristics over time.

How thick and strong is a 50� rope?The average adventurer�s rope is proba-

bly 9/16� hemp (judging from the encum-brance rules). Such a rope has a �partingstrength� of 3,450 lbs., if it is in good con-dition. Doug Niles, author of the Dun-geoneer�s Survival Guide, notes that whenused to abruptly halt a free fall, a rope�seffective strength can be as little as 10% ofits maximum.

What do I do when a PC is tortur-ed? No player is willing to giveinformation no matter what hap-pens to his character.

Torture is not part of the game for tworeasons. First, it gives nonparticipatingonlookers the wrong idea. Second, spellslike charm person, suggestion, and ESPare more effective for extracting accurateinformation. In the early Renaissance, itwas found that victims of torture wereprone to say what they thought theirtormentors wanted to hear rather thanthe truth. If you must include torture inyour game, have the victim make a savevs. petrification, adjusted for wisdom onceper turn, hour, or day depending on theintensity of the torture. Failure indicatesthat the victim has broken down and willtalk. Do not play out the gory details.Veracity should be no higher than 80%(and should probably be much lower).

How old is the D&D game? Whowere its first players?

The D&D game was first published in1974. The earliest group of players camefrom a gaming club called the Lake Gene-va Tactical Studies Association. It evolvedout of a set of fantasy supplement rulesfor tabletop miniature wargaming, pub-lished as the CHAINMAIL game in theearly 1970s.

I�ve been trying to locate informa-tion on the swords Durandal andExcalibur so that I can include themin my campaign. I haven�t had muchluck. Will you help?

Assigning game statistics to legendaryweapons is mostly guesswork. A LakeGeneva campaign gives Durandal theabilities of a long sword +4, defenderwhich cannot be broken. The DM�s reason-ing is that Durandal means �inflexible,�and these abilities seem to fit the name.

As for Excalibur, this sword is listed inLegends & Lore, page 18, as a lawful-goodsword of sharpness, +5. A brief explana-tion of this sword follows under the head-ing of King Arthur. For more details oneither weapon, refer to the descriptions ofeach provided in Le Morte d�Arthur by SirThomas Malory (for Excalibur) or Le Chan-son de Roland (for Durandal).

How about some guidelines oncharacter wills?

Wills, of course, have to be writtenbefore death; furthermore, the beneficiaryof the will gets only the wealth and magicthat the dead character has actually leftbehind at his residence, or that which isrecovered. If the character died in theremote lair of a huge dragon, for example,either the dragon or the character�s com-panions will have the character�s moneyand equipment. The dragon certainlywon�t be willing to give them up and thecharacters might not either.

You can put other limits on wills. Onecommon limitation is that the beneficiarybe a 1st-level character that is rolled up atthe time the will is made. The new charac-ter starts with only his inheritance; he hasno other money or magic. The charactermight be higher than 1st level, but he stillhas no money of his own. He might evenhave to pay an inheritance tax (10-40% isthe common range).

When a map has a hex grid (hexa-gons instead of squares), and thescale is 24 miles per hex, what doesthis really mean? Is the distancemeasured from the centers of oppo-site sides or from opposite corners?

In most games, the distance across a hexis measured from the center of one side tothe center of the opposite side. This is thecase in the D&D and AD&D games.

If you have a letter, Forum com-ment, article, short story, cartoon,art samples, or other item to mailto us at DRAGON® Magazine,please label your letter. All youneed to do is write a brief note atthe top of the address (like �Car-toon Submission,� �Article Sub-mission,� �Fiction Submission,��Artwork Submission,� etc.). Thisensures that the letter or packagewill get to the person who�s sup-posed to receive it. Our address is:DRAGON Magazine, PO. Box 110,Lake Geneva WI 53147.

DRAGON is a trademark of TSR, Inc.©1987 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

You may think you�d have to tra-vel to another planet to find agame convention. Finding friendswho are also gamers can be aproblem, too. Put your scoutsuitaway and turn to the ConventionCalendar in this magazine. Theremay be a game convention closerto your home than you�d think �and conventions are a great placeto find friends who share your in-terests. Whether you like board-games, role-playing games,miniature wargames, or justbrowsing around, a game conven-tion can be all you�ve hoped for.Plan to attend one soon.

DR A G O N 81

©1987 by Hartleyand Patricia Lesser

Welcome to yet another adventure withsoftware, your doorway to the excitementand strategy of computer-based role-playing games. Our good news is that �TheRole of Computers� is now a monthlycolumn within DRAGON® Magazine. Theinformation we have imparted to you inthis column has been of some use, and themagazine�s editorial staff has seen fit toexpand our coverage of this gaming genre.As Bartles and James, the cooler folk, soaptly state: �Thank you for your support!�

We have received several letters request-ing advice on which computer systems topurchase � systems that best enhancecomputer gaming. Over the next severalcolumns, we�ll look at specific systems anddelineate what we feel you should look forbefore laying out hard-earned cash for asystem.

You should consider your computer as avaluable tool for more than just gaming.Many of you are still engaged in yourstudies, and the computer is extremelyhelpful as you forge a career for yourself.With a computer at hand, you�ll be able towrite your term papers or theses, manageyour finances, program in any of a num-ber of flexible computer languages, createimpressive graphics, and communicatewith millions of other users through yourmachine. Computer acumen is a necessityin almost any professional endeavor.Games are but a small part of a computer�scapabilities, albeit an entertaining attrib-ute for most of us.

Before we present our game reviewsand gaming news, let�s understand thecomputer-game software business. Youwant to buy a computer for which a widevariety of products, both hardware andsoftware, are available. In order for acomputer to be a successful computer,there must be a strong, installed base ofusers.

Most software entertainments are notwritten by the companies that package thesoftware and the manuals � those are thepublishers. Software games are producedby game designers, such as Digital Illu-sions, whose programmers have producedsuch blockbuster simulations as GATO,Orbiter, NFL Challenge, and the recentlyreleased Submarine Battle Simulator. Oth-er well-known producers include the folksat MacroMind and Gorlin Productions, toname just two. Game designers are con-tracted by software publishers, such asElectronic Arts, Activision, Epyx, Mind-scape, and Strategic Simulations, to designand produce games which they market.Everyone gets a piece of the action.

Marketing a product involves a myriadof activities, from designing the softwarebox to advertising, press tours, PRreleases, and the establishment of dealernetworks. Then come the retailers whostock the game on their store shelves.

82 OCTOBER 1987

A game offers a designer a high returnfor his efforts. An entertainment programthat sells between 15,000 and 20,000single-unit copies usually secures thatbreak-even monetary point designers andpublishers demand that the product attain.Unit sales above the break-even pointresult in profits, which are sharedbetween the retailer, the designer, and thepublisher, according to a specific percent-age ratio as established in the program�scontracts.

As you can see, if a computer system hasa broad, installed base, such a system is agood candidate for program development.Game designers, whether actual employ-ees of the publisher (in-house) or contractdesigners, only consider writing softwarefor computer systems that have a provenrecord of returning profit, Currently, theleaders in this area include: Apple Macin-tosh (Mac), Apple II family, CommodoreAmiga (Amiga), and � a real surpriseentry last year with massive unit sales �IBM microcomputers and compatible units(PC/MSDOS). This means that developersand publishers are more apt to releaseversions of a game for these computerbrands than for other systems.

Why aren�t the Atari 8-bit machines(800, 1200, 1200XL) series, Atari ST (ST) orCommodore 64/128 (C64/128) computersin this list? There is not a very strongdealer base for these machines. Take Atari,for example: When one �authorized� Ataridealer in your town carries an ST for acertain price, then a second �authorized�Atari dealer in the same town undercutsthe first dealer by $99, how can any deal-er feel confident in carrying that line ofmachines? There�s very little profit to bemade in a price war. Where�s the Ataricompany support for a dealer base? Plus,have you ever tried to get one-day servicefor an Atari computer or disk drive thathas decided to become operationally recal-citrant? We live in a major metropolitanarea and still had to drive nearly 45 milesto find a dealer that could handle Atari1200XL repairs, and even then the repairsrequired seven days before the computerwas returned to us. Granted, the ST is asplendid machine graphically, but withouta strong dealer base, the computer is analso-ran in our opinion.

Some will argue with us over the C64/128. After all, there is an established deal-er base for the Commodore machines,especially the Amiga 500, 1000, and 2000systems. There are five to seven millioninstalled C64/128 users, we are told �offi-cially.� But when you sent your computerto Commodore to be repaired, did youknow that the company tossed that bro-ken machine onto a pile of other rejectsand sent you a new machine in return?And how many C64s are sitting on shelves,gathering dust? No, the actual user basefor the C64 is probably two to three mil-lion, and with the piracy issue in effect forboth the Atari and C64 systems, it�s nowonder developers avoid these machines

like the plague. Commodore BusinessMachines is the most unresponsive compa-ny we�ve ever dealt with in trying toobtain information regarding-theirproducts, and we�ve been involved withthe computer industry in an editorialcapacity for over eight years. Commodorehas no understanding of the term �publicrelations.� To be honest, however, the nextcomputer we are going to purchase is anAmiga 1000, despite our negative contactswith the home company. There is a localdealer, and we can obtain support whenneeded for that machine.

Another problem, as mentioned, ispiracy. C64 and Atari S-bit systems usershave the worst record of illegal softwareduplication of any computer systems. Ifyou don�t believe us, log onto any Commo-dore or Atari bulletin board and note howmany commercial programs are offeredfor �public domain� access. No developerin their right mind is going to producegames for such users who tend to copythe games, then upload them for otherusers at no cost. This is no better thansomeone plagiarizing an author�s noveland selling the writings as his own work,or stealing the work of a composer andclaiming it as his own composition. Theftis theft, plain and simple. When one erasesthe cloying and affectionate terms, such as�hacker,� from such activities, the endresult remains theft.

Our conclusion is that any of the follow-ing machines are well-suited for purchase:Apple II family, Mac, Amiga 500, 1000, or2000, and IBM microcomputers and theircompatibles. We haven�t yet had theopportunity to use the new IBM PersonalSystem/2 (PS/2) machines. As an installedbase of users in the millions is needed toprompt game development, we�ll take await-and-see attitude in regard to the PS/2offerings. Remember that your computershould be useful in other operations otherthan entertainment, and the above listedmachines have literally hundreds of thou-sands of programs available for everythingfrom educational instruction to business productivity.

We recently had the opportunity to talkwith Gordon Walton, the president ofDesign Illusions. Not only is this gentlemana prime mover of game software for avariety of publishers, but he is most out-spoken regarding role-playing software ingeneral. First of all, he doesn�t believethere has been any technological move-ment in role-playing games for at leastfour years. �What�s lacking is conflictresolution,� he said. He refers to a group ofgamers who gather around a table toparticipate in an adventure. There is con-stant chatter as each member of the gameattempts to resolve a conflict throughdiscourse with other players.

With current computer-based role-playing games, such conflict resolution isimpossible, he claims. The only way tocurrently manage a computer-based role-playing game is through the destruction of

life or property. Even in games that offeryou the �opportunity to run away,� �greetthe party,� and so forth, such choicesaren�t flexible enough for true conflictresolution. Gordon would like to see role-playing games utilize artificial intelligenceto duplicate that personal sense of conflictresolution through actual caucus withother players, not simply �slay-and-play�scenarios. �But publishers aren�t willing topay for this kind of game yet,� he added.And without a publisher willing to backthe developer, it may be a while beforeGordon sees such an opportunity for gamedevelopment within his company.

Role-playing itself is a far broader envi-ronment than what most believe to befact. For example, most of the material wereview falls into the fantasy or adventurerole-playing genre. We also see many othergames as members of the role-playingfamily. There�s flight simulation, in whichyou �play� the role of a pilot and commandany of several types of aircraft. Or, youcould become a submarine commanderand take on the enemy in various sce-narios. There are several science-fictionrole-playing games in which you musteither solve specific problems (such as inSpace Quest) or pilot faster-than-lightspacecraft in confrontations with a varietyof alien beings. Then, there are the text-adventure games, made famous by Info-com, that place you in a variety ofdifferent scenarios, from horror to fantasyand space, all requiring you to play themain character and solve a variety ofmysteries. We shall inform you as to newentrants into the role-playing softwarearena when we are made aware of suchofferings.

As to our feature review, many hourshave been spent in battle and puzzle studywith Phantasie III from Strategic Simula-tions (Mountain View, CA). We are just notready at this time to submit to our readersan incomplete review of the game, whichhas taken far longer to �research� than weinitially thought was required for theadventure. Subtitled The Wrath of Nikade-mus, this is the third offering in SSI�sPhantasie role-playing adventure series,and is the most complex of the Phantasiescenarios. The geographical locationsinclude Scandor, Gelnor, Ferronrah, andthe Pookny Islands. All are extremelydangerous if one role-player plays his sixPhantasie III characters with little care orthought. We�ll complete this review in timefor an upcoming column, so stay tuned in.

As we have more news and informationregarding new products, this columnpresents an excellent time to clear thedesk. We continue to be amazed at howmany new product offerings continue totumble into the market, We�ll list the pro-grams under their respective, alphabetical-ly listed companies. We also have severalreviewers who write for our other publi-cations who, from time to time, review asoftware program that would be of inter-est to DRAGON Magazine readers. When

D R A G O N 8 3

these are available, we�ll include them inthis column for your information. We arealso personally reviewing as many of thenew programs as we can, and have insti-tuted a mini-review policy for many pro-grams. These are presented with a ratingsystem so that you can readily see how agame stacks up in our opinion. The high-est rating any software program canreceive is five stars (* * * * *), and the rat-ings incorporate playability, user-interface,graphics, animation, documentation, origi-nality, and sound.

New Software Adventures

Activision, Inc.2350 Bayshore ParkwayMountain View CA 94043(415) 960-0410

We reviewed Might and Magic, BookOne: Secret of the Inner Sanctum, inDRAGON issue #122. Now, Activision hassigned an exclusive agreement with NewWorld Computing to exclusively sell anddistribute that company�s line of fantasyrole-playing games. As you may recall, inthis offering you assemble six adventurersto wander through the Land of Varnsearching for the Inner Sanctum. This is afive-star game!

As we received a great many letters andphone calls regarding Might and Magic,now is as good a time as any to impart thequeried information to our readers. Wespoke to Jon Van Caneghen, the presidentof the company, who indicates that thegame will be released in formats for IBMmicrocomputer and compatible users,Mac; and C64/128 computers this year.Also under consideration are versions forthe Amiga and ST computers for release inthe first or second quarter of next year.The price for Might and Magic is $49.95.Might and Magic remains, as far as we�reconcerned, one of the premium adventuregames available for the listed systems. Besure you contact Activision for informa-tion on locations where the game may bepurchased, as they now are the distribu-tors for this fine offering.

Also from Activision is the Mac versionof Portal, a true science-fiction book withwhich you interact through your com-puter. Set in the year 2016, you return toEarth to discover all of the people havevanished! You must solve the mystery ofthe lifeless world with Homer, a biologicalcomputer. This game is priced at $49.95.The game is also available for The Apple IIfamily, Amiga, and IBM micros.

The Avalon Hill Game Company4517 Harford RoadBaltimore, MD 21214(301) 254-9200

Originally one of the �biggies� in boardgaming, The Avalon Hill Game Companyentered the software entertainment field

84 OCTOBER 1987

only a few years ago. Their latest debut isDarkhorn, a fantasy strategy game thatruns on either an Apple II or C64/128computer. Priced at $30, as many as fourplayers can each control an army strivingfor conquest over the fertile lands thatrest under the shadow of the mountainDarkhorn. There�s a quick scenario thatruns approximately 30 minutes, or youcan play an entire campaign which hasyou battling across nine different maps ofDarkhorn. The maps can also be randomlygenerated, meaning that each time youplay the game, the challenges are differ-ent. Armies are composed of men, elves,and dwarves, with each race having spe-cific capabilities. Each race must also berecruited from differing geographicallocales. With the Darklord watching fromhis hidden fortress atop Darkhorn, theplayer who wins the battle on the fieldsbelow isn�t finished yet; he goes on tochallenge the supremacy of the Darklordhimself. There�s also an arcade optionwhich has a representative fighter fromyour army dueling with an opposing fight-er, managed via keyboard, joystick, orpaddles. The graphics are somewhat�blocky� on an Apple II computer, and theinstructions are confusing when you firststart play. However, the former problem isa condition of the Apple II�s technology; ifyou are used to playing on an Apple IIcomputer, this shouldn�t detract from yourenjoyment of the game. We found thearcade dueling to be futile and in no way agame enhancement. The Avalon Hill GameCompany would do well to delete thatportion from the game and, instead, focuson the strategic aspects of the armies.

Broderbund Software17 Paul DriveSan Rafael CA 94903-2101(415)492-3200

One leader in the entertainment soft-ware industry is Broderbund Software.The company has decided that the Ninten-do Entertainment System has now soldenough units to make the introduction offive new titles for that system worthwhile.In August, Lode Runner, Spelunker, RaidOn Bungeling Bay, Deadly Towers, andSqoon will be released for the Nintendosystem. For those interested in role-playing as naval warriors, try your handat The Ancient Art of War at Sea, whichfollows hot on the heels of Broderbund�soriginal Ancient Art of War tactical strat-egy game. With this latest offering, thereare 11 built-in campaigns, based uponsome of the most famous naval battles inthe annals of sailing warfare. For IBMmicros and compatibles, this program ispriced at $44.95. For martial arts aficio-nados, Karateka is being released for STowners. This game has a great plot, anima-tion that'll dazzle your eyes, and player-controlled martial arts action. The price is$34.95.

Data Pacific, Inc.609 East Speer BoulevardDenver CO 80203(303) 733-8158

If you�re an ST user and have lookedrather fondly at some of the softwareavailable for the Mac, now you can runthat Mac software on your ST, thanks toMagic Sac. This upgraded program addssupport for double-sided disk drives aswell as limited color support. Version 4.0adds GEM-based formatters and copiers,and is fully compatible with Apple�s Finder5.3/System 3.2 operating system.

Electronic Arts1820 Gateway DriveSan Mateo CA 94404(415) 571-7171

The role-playing game Alternate Reality:The City is one of several IntelliCreationsprograms that have joined Electronic Artsas an affiliated label. This means thatElectronic Arts will now distribute andmarket IntelliCreations programs. Comingsoon is Alternate Reality: The Dungeon,which continues the player�s journey intoan underground world located beneaththe city. There are four levels ofdungeons, and consultations with wizardsshould help the player solve the mysteryof the Alternate Reality. This game will bereleased for Apple II, C64/128, and Atari 8-bit systems for $39.95. If you happen to bean Apple IIGS user, The Bard�s Tale releasefor this system compares exceedingly wellwith the Amiga version for animation,graphics, and sound capabilities. Thisgame could well be one reason for buyinga IIGS computer! The pricing is $49.95,with other versions available for Apple IIand C64/128 computers. Also for Commo-dore gamers is Legacy of the Ancients, anew fantasy adventure that transportsplayers to the world of Tarmalon, in whichyou must retrieve the lost �Wizards Com-pendium,� a leather scroll with evilpowers. There�s strategy and puzzle-solving aspects, as well as five actiongames as part of the scenario. The cost forthis program is $29.95. Apple II versionswill be coming soon.

As an aside, if you enjoy baseball, keepyour eyes open for the release of EarlWeaver Baseball from Electronic Arts.Soon to be available for the Amiga, withversions for IBM micros, C64/128 andApple II systems later in the year, this isthe finest computer simulation for base-ball we�ve ever seen. We were fortunate ingetting a sneak-peek at a preproductionversion of the game: it is impressivebeyond belief. There is arcade play, teammanagement, digitized sound, and realisticanimation. The price will be $49.95.

We both enjoy reviewing role-playinggames that step outside the fantasy orscience-fiction environment every once ina while. For us, the finest flight simulationwe�ve experienced to date is Chuck

DRAGON 85

Yeager�s Advanced Flight Simulator fromElectronic Arts. Running on IBM microsand compatibles, this software not onlyallows you to fly any one of 14 differentplanes (some of them experimental), but italso has a built-in flight instructor. You�llsoon be graduating from basic flightmaneuvers to aerobatic skills, and pushingyour plane to its limits in both speed andaltitude. You can use the keyboard, amouse, or a joystick to control your plane(with the latter device being the one ofchoice). All that�s lacking is actual grounddetail that is representative of real-worldflight, such as is found in the MicrosoftFlight Simulator. With this simulation, theground elements consist of a variety ofshapes, such as triangles and cubes, thatone must fly around. Included in thisoffering is airplane racing, a �Heads UpDisplay� that lets you monitor the air-craft�s controls as you are flying, a varietyof other out-of-plane and associated views� even a flight recorder. There is so muchin this game that it�s going to be quitesome time before another flight simulatorcan offer so much performance for yourbuck. And behind your every move,Chuck Yeager stands ready to offer flightadvice. ($39.95)

Other �goodies� coming from ElectronicArts include: Sanxion, a spaceflight simula-tor for C64/128; Delta Patrol, in which youmust race through 200 alien attack wavesin over 50 environments, also for the C64/128; Dragon�s Lair I and II, adaptations ofthe hit videodisc arcade game for the C64/128; Lords of Conquest tactical strategygame for IBM micros and compatibles; Ageof Adventure for C64/128; AdventureConstruction Set for IBM users; and, TheBard�s Tale for both IBM and ST owners.

Epyx, Inc.600 Galveston DriveRedwood City CA 94063(415) 366-0606

As we consider role-playing games toencompass a broad variety of entertain-ments, Epyx�s latest releases offer wideappeal to both players who enjoy subma-rine combat and sandlot baseball. SubBattle Simulator allows the player to com-mand a World War II sub in either theAtlantic or Pacific theaters, in which thesubmarine must complete an assignedmission and return to home base in onepiece. The graphics are extremely well-done, and five levels of maps assist you inlocating appropriate targets. A heads-updisplay constantly monitors all of the sub�sgauges, and digitized sound (currentrelease: Mac version) alerts you to chang-ing conditions. Go for the carriers, butwatch out for the escort ships and low-level bombers! Versions for the C64/128,IBMs and compatibles, Apple II and ST arescheduled for release this summer. AnApple IIGS version is expected next year.Street Sports Baseball is a baseball simula-tion in which the characters you pick to

86 OCTOBER 1987

make up the teams actually play as theirskills dictate. And with all manner ofobstacles (tree stumps, puddles, etc.),taking the game to the streets sometimesmakes it even more difficult than themajor leagues. This program is availablefor C64/128, Apple II, and IBMs andcompatibles.

Also brand new is Epyx�s OmnicromConspiracy, a sophisticated real-timeaction graphics adventure game in whichyou role-play Captain Ace Powers of theStar Police, who is out to investigate thedisappearance of a starship which was lostduring a routine mission. For C64/128,Apple II and IBM micros, this game will beavailable this fall. Also watch for RADWarrior, in which you become a warriorof the future having a �falling-out� withradioactive mutants.

Firebird Licensees, Inc.P.O. Box 49Ramsey NJ 07446

Amiga and IBM micro users will be gladto know that Starglider has finally beenreleased in Amiga format. You become thecommander of an airborne ground-attackvehicle that must ultimately do battle withthe almost invincible starship, the Stargli-der. Superb 3-D animation comes with thisentertainment program.

For adventure gamers, an illustratedtrilogy is appearing. The first of the offer-ings is Knight Orc, in which you are castas an oppressed orc in a magical worldfilled with illusions. High-level commandsare accepted and understood, and thetrilogy combines illustration, text, andhumor in this software product. Thisprogram is available for C64/128 ($39.951,Amiga, ST, Apple IIs, Mac, and IBMs andcompatibles ($44.95). Also coming fromFirebird is the Universal Military Simula-tor, a game which has the player set up hisown battle scenarios in terms of locale,geographical features, armaments, troops,opposition, and other variables to providethe ultimate war-game simulation. For theST, this offering is priced at $44.95.

Infocom, Inc.125 Cambridge Park DriveCambridge MA 02140(617) 492-6000

Many of us enjoy text-adventure games,wherein you read a situation and its sur-rounding elements onscreen, and thentype into the computer a response to thesituation. One of the best we�ve currentlyrun across is the horror tale LurkingHorror from Infocom. You start out at theGeorge Underwood Edwards Institute ofTechnology and work your way down to alabyrinth of underground tunnels that runbeneath the campus. This is Infocom�s firstinteractive horror story, and is now availa-ble for a wide range of computer systems:Apple II, Mac, Atari 8-bits, ST, C64/128,Amiga, IBM micros and compatibles. The

8-bit versions are $34.95; all others are$39.95. We are currently reviewing thisgame, and all we can state is that whatyou consider normal, everyday occur-rences suddenly aren�t so normal in theirpresentation. Also from Infocom is Station-fall, the sequel to the successful Planetfallinteractive space-fiction game. Floyd, thegreat robot from Planetfall, has returnedto become your companion in a far-from-routine mission. This program is availablefor the same systems as Lurking Horror,with like pricing.

MichTron576 South TelegraphPontiac MI 48053(313) 334-5700

Famous for its great ST offerings, Mich-Tron has introduced a spaceflight simula-tor entitled Shuttle II, which is a dynamicsimulation of a mission in space at thecontrols of a new generation of shuttles inthe 1990s. From landing to reentry, yourjob is to keep the shuttle flying. With aheads-up control display and superb 3-Dpresentation, this is a winner at $39.95.

Mindscape, Inc.3444 Dundee RoadNorthbrook IL 60062(312) 480-7667

Another fantastic MacVenture hasarrived for Mac owners. We are currentlyreviewing Shadowgate, and can honestlystate this is one adventure game that Macusers can�t miss! With digitized sounds,sophisticated animation, and featuresgalore, you must survive the perils of theCastle Shadowgate as you search for acunningly evil wizard known as the War-lock Lord. We are most impressed withthe user-interface used with this game,which allows you to click on objects to�open� or �retrieve� them. There is moreto come in an upcoming column on thisfive-star game!

Of some importance is the news thatMindscape has also signed a publishingagreement with Atari Games Corporation.This gives Mindscape an exclusive agree-ment to publish home computer versionsof such games as Paperboy, Gauntlet, RoadRunner, Road Blasters, Gauntlet II and 720.The retail versions of these coin-op gamesshould provide many an hour of entertain-ment at home.

Sir-Tech Software, Inc.P.O. Box 245Charlestown Ogdensburg MallOgdensburg NY 13669(315) 393-6633

Sir-Tech seems to be back in the spirit ofgaming once again. This originator ofmicrocomputer gaming programs hasfinally released the second sequel in theirclassic Wizardry series for IBM micros andcompatibles: Knight of Diamonds. The

Computer Game Ratings Table

Program Name Company Version Rating

Chuck Yeager’s Advanced Flight Electronic Arts PC/MSDOS version ****Simulator

Dark Castle Silicon Beach Software Mac version ****Darkhorn The Avalon Hill Game Co. Apple II version * * ½Might and Magic Activision, Inc. Apple II version *****OrbQuest QWare, Inc. Mac version ***Phantasie III Strategic Simulations, Inc. Apple II, ST version ****Roadwar 2000 Strategic Simulations, Inc. Apple II version *****Rogue Epyx, Inc. IBM and Mac versions * * * ½The Bard’s Tale Electronic Arts Apple IIGS, Commodore C64/128 * * * * *

and Amiga versionsWizardry — Scenario #1 Sir Tech Software, Inc. Mac version ****Wizard’s Crown Strategic Simulations, Inc. Apple II version ****World Builder Silicon Beach Software Mac version * * *½

* � 1 full point.½ � ½ point.X � Relegated to orc consumption.

company has added new graphics,enhanced those nasty and hostile crea-tures, and has incorporated some techni-cal changes that make the program runfaster. In order to play Knight of Dia-monds, your Wizardry characters musthave reached the 13th level of experiencein the first scenario, Proving Grounds ofthe Mad Overlord. This is a most enjoyablesequel, which is priced at $49.95.

Strategic Simulations, Inc.1046 North Rengstorff AvenueMountain View CA 94043-1716(415) 964-1353

Some of the best news yet receivedconcerns the strategic alliance announcedbetween TSR, Inc. (yep, the folks whobring us the D&D® and AD&D® games,along with a myriad of other role-playing before.

products) and Strategic Simulations (SSI).This five-year agreement gives the folks atSSI exclusive worldwide rights to produceand market a product line of games basedon TSR�s ADVANCED DUNGEONS &DRAGONS® fantasy role-playing game. Thecompany plans, at a minimum, to produce10 role-playing and several action gameversions for most micros, including: C64/128, Apple II series, IBMs and compatibles,ST, and the Amiga. The Nintendo gamesystem is also being considered as a targetmachine. We plan on bringing you a fea-ture column regarding this licensingagreement within the next issue or two,outlining what you will see with the com-bination TSR, Inc., and SSI logos. Com-puter gamers have been waiting manyyears for such an agreement to occur, andwe look forward to the end result: fantasyrole-playing as it has never been offered

Other news from SSI includes the con-version of the following fantasy games toST format: Wizard�s Crown, Rings ofZilfin, and Colonial Conquest. For thosewho enjoy role-playing in an aerial mode,the company is about to release B-24, asimulation of 19 World War II missionsflown by the 406th Bombardment Groupagainst the Ploesti oil fields of Rumania.This program is available for the C64/128,Apple II series, and IBM micros andcompatibles.

Okay, gamers, don�t forget to mail inyour hints and tips for the games you arecurrently involved with. Our mailingaddress is: 179 Pebble Place, San RamonCA 94583. (No phone calls, please!) Welook forward to writing about the best ofthe tips we receive, and will credit thebest tipsters in this column.

Index to Advertisers

AMAZING® Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21, insert card F r i e d l a n d G a m e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 7

Armory, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65 Game Designers' Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, 35B a r d G a m e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 4 G a m e S y s t e m s I n c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1Berkeley Publishing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Games Workshop . . Inside front cover, 25, center insertBritton Designs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Iron Crown Enterprises, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Back CoverC h a o s i u m I n c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Leading Edge Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72Columbia Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 M a y f a i r G a m e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 7 , 7 3DRAGON® Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Insert Cards M i l t o n B r a d l e y . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7DUNGEON� Adventures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55, Insert Card Palladium Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13, 39, 69, 85

Fantasy Greet ings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43 Ral Partha Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31Fantasy Unl imited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 Steve Jackson Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11, 20FASA Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . 23, inside back cover T S R , I n c . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 6 , 8 7 , 8 9Flying Buffalo, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 68 West End Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77-80

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DRAGON 91

Convention Calendar Policies

This column is offered as a service toour readers around the world. Anyonemay place a free listing for a gameconvention here, but the followingguidelines must be observed.

In order to ensure that all conventionlistings contain accurate and timelyinformation, all material should beeither typed double-spaced or printedlegibly on 8½” x 11” paper. The con-tents of each listing should be short,succinct, and under 150 words inlength.

The information given in the listingmust include the following information,in the following order:

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

requirements; and,6. Address(es) and telephone num-

ber(s) where additional information andconfirmation can be obtained.Convention flyers, brochures, news-letters, arid other mass-mailedannouncements run the risk of notbeing considered for use in this column;we prefer to see a cover letter with theannouncement as well. No call-in list-ings are accepted. Domestic and for-eign conventions are welcome.

WARNING: We are not responsiblefor incorrect information sent to us byconvention staff members. Pleasecheck your convention listing carefully!Our wide circulation ensures that over aquarter of a million readers see eachissue. Accurate information is yourresponsibility!

Convention listings should be mailedby the copy deadline date to Conven-tion Calendar, DRAGON® Magazine,P.O. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147.Copy deadline dates are the last Mon-day of each month, two months prior tothe on-sale date of an issue. For exam-ple, the copy deadline for the January1988 issue is the last Monday ofNovember 1987. Plan ahead; earlylistings pay off!

If a convention listing must bechanged because the convention hasbeen cancelled, the dates havechanged, or incorrect information hasbeen printed, please contact us imme-diately! For any questions or changesrelated to this column, please call eitherRobin Jenkins or Roger E. Moore at(414) 248-3625.

indicates Canadian convention. indicates European convention.

92 OCTOBER 1987

CONTRADICTION SEVEN, October 2-4This science-fiction and fantasy convention

will be held at the Ramada Inn, 401 BuffaloAvenue, Niagara Falls, N.Y. Anne McCaffrey isthe pro guest of honor, with Mike Glicksohn asfan guest of honor. Other guests include JoanVinge, Nancy Kress, Jim Frenkel, and T.S. Huff.Events offered include a costume contest ($25for best costume), an art auction, videos, par-ties, a people and thing auction, panels, war-gaming, filksinging, and other fannish activities.Registration is $20. Write to: CONTRADICTION,P.O. Box 2043, Newmarket Station, Niagara FallsNY 14301. Please send an SASE if you requireconfirmation.

COUNCIL OF THE FIVE NATIONSOctober 2-4

Sponsored by the Schenectady Wargamer�sAssociation, this gaming convention will be heldat the Center City Auditorium in Schenectady,N.Y. Write to: Schenectady Wargamer�s Associa-tion, 1639 Eastern Piturp, Schenectady NY12309; or call: (518) 346-3773 or Reynolds C.Jones at (518) 658-2007.

DRAGON CON �87, October 2-4The Southeast Fantasy and Gaming Conven-

tion will be held at the Pierremont Plaza Hoteland Convention Center in Atlanta, Ga. Fantasyrole-playing, strategic, and computer gamingare featured in over 125 tournaments. Panels,video rooms, a dealers� room, a masqueradeparty, a game auction, and much more areoffered. Guests include E. Gary Gygax, MichaelMoorcock, Richard �Lord British� Garriott,Robert Asprin, Lynn Abbey, Brian Herbert,Steve Jackson, and more. The registration feefor gamers ($30) includes four tournamententries; the �fan fee� is $25. Send an SASE to:DRAGON CON �87, Box 148, Clarkston GA30021. Registrants can use Visa or Mastercardto charge advance memberships; call: (800) 554-1162 (toll-free), or (404) 934-5059 in Georgia.

SAN ANTONIO FANTASY FAIROctober 2-4

Sponsored by Bulldog Productions, this comic-book, science-fiction, and film supershow takesplace at the Sheraton San Antonio, 1400 AustinHighway, Austin, Tex. Guests include Wendy andRichard Pini, Kerry Gammill, Tom Stazer, MikeMignola, and many others. Other featuresinclude a huge dealers� room, a professional artshow, an art contest, an art auction, videorooms, a masquerade, numerous workshops,previews of upcoming motion pictures, and avariety of gaming events and open gamingcompetition. Tickets for this three-day event are$20. Write to: Bulldog Productions, P.O. Box820488, Dallas TX 75382; or call: (214) 349-3367.

SUNCOAST SKIRMISHES �87, October 2-4SKIRMISHES presents the seventh annual

production of this gaming extravaganza at theHoward Johnson Plaza Hotel in Tampa, Fla.Events include historical miniatures, role-playing, and board gaming competitions. Live-

action tournaments, a dealers� room, numerousseminars, and other events are also sponsored.Registration fees are $18. For hotel reservations,call: (813) 873-7900. Write to: SKIRMISHES, 1803Third Court SE #A, Winterhaven FL 33880; orcall: (813) 294-9166.

AUTUMN CAMPAIGNS �87, October 3-4Historical miniatures, board, fantasy, science-

fiction, and role-playing games are featured atthis gaming convention. AUTUMN CAMPAIGNS�87 will be held at the Hilton Inn (same as lastyear) in Lexington, Ky. Registration is $10 forboth days or $6 per day. There are no individualgaming fees. Write to: Convention Info, TheRusty Scabbard Hobby Shop, 188 WoodlandAvenue, Lexington KY 40502.

FALL CON IV, October 3This one-day gaming convention will be held

at the McNaughton Park Pavilion in Elkhart,Ind., across from Elkhart General Hospital.Events include an RPGA� Network AD&D®tournament, along with WWI Naval, AmericanCivil War, BATTLETECH®, TWILIGHT: 2000�,and TRAVELLER® game miniatures competi-tions. Registration for this event is $5 at thedoor. Write to: The Brigade Gaming Group, P.O.Box 252, Elkhart IN 46515.

MILWAUKEE�S NINTH HISTORICALWARGAME WEEKEND, October 3-4

This ninth annual, nonprofit wargamingconvention will take place at the Bucyrus-ErieHall, 1120 Monroe Avenue, South Milwaukee,Wis. The convention opens at 10 A. M. on bothSaturday and Sunday, and runs until 8 P.M. onSaturday and until 5 P. M. on Sunday. Featuredevents include a variety of military miniatureswargames and game vendors. Admission is $5per day or $7 for both days; a $1 fee will also beassessed for each game played. Send an SASE to:Joe Gepfert, 3440 S. Monterey Drive, NewBerlin WI 53151; or, Mark Van Groll, 4502 N.56th Street, Milwaukee WI 53218.

TOLEDO GAMING CONVENTION VOctober 3-4

This gaming convention will be held at theToledo University Scott Park Campus in Toledo,Ohio. Featured events will include miniaturesevents, D&D® games, board gaming, a minia-tures painting contest, computer-related events,movies, an auction, and a dealers� room. Sendan SASE to: Mind Games, 3001 N. ReynoldsRoad, Toledo OH 43615.

VALLEYCON �87, October 3Sponsored by Big Mike�s Video, this one-day

gaming convention will be held at the TulareVeteran�s Memorial Building in Tulare, Calif.Convention events include exhibits, guest speak-ers, rare movies, trivia contests, a costumecontest, gaming demonstrations, AD&D® games,a dealers� room, and open gaming. Registrationto this event is not required, since admission isFREE. Write to: VALLEYCON �87, 1766 EastTulare Avenue, Tulare CA 93274.

CON * STELLATION 6, October 9-11This science-fiction and gaming convention

will be held at the Holiday Inn Research Park inHuntsville, Ala. Julius Schwartz is the guest ofhonor. Registration is $15. Write to: CON*STEL-LATION 6, PO. Box 4857, Huntsville AL 35815.

CONTACT-5, October 16-18Sponsored by the River City Science Fiction

Association, this convention will be held at theRamada Inn Spa in Evansville, Ind. The theme of

the convention is �The War of the Worlds.�Patrick Price, editor of AMAZING® Stories, isthe guest of honor. Other guests include RickeySheppard, Arlan Andrews, Timothy Zahn,Roger �R2� Reynolds, Mark Schulzinger, Gary M.Williams, Dr. Bill Breuer, Guy McLimore, GregPoehlein, and David Tepool. Special eventsinclude an art show and auction, a masquerade,panel discussions, RPGA� Network games, a 24-hour convention suite, a video room, and ahuckster�s room. Registration fees are $16.Room rates at the Ramada Inn are $45 for asingle, $50 for a double, and $56 for a suite.Write to: CONTACT-5, PO. Box 3894, EvansvilleIN 47737.

FALL-COP �87, October 16-18This gaming convention, which is sponsored

by the Cincinnati Area Gamers, will be held atthe Cincinnati Technical College in Cincinnati,Ohio. Role-playing games, board games, cardgames, and miniatures games are played at thisevent. Other features include a costume contest,a painting contest, a games auction, a dealers�room, and a TITAN tournament. Write to: FALL-CON �87, PO. Box 462, Cincinnati OH 45201-0462; or call: (513) 542-3449.

ICON XII, October 16-18This science-fiction convention will be held at.

the Rodeway Inn, Hwy 965 and I-80, in Coral-ville, Iowa (call: (800) 228-2000 for reservations).Scheduled events include science-fiction read-ings and panels, an art show, a large dealers�room, and open gaming. Memberships are $17;special one-day registration is available at thedoor for $10. Guests include Glen Cook, DickSpelman, Rusty Hevelin, Rob Chilson, Joe & GayHaldeman, Margaret Weis, and Roger Moore.Write to: ICON XII, Dept. M, PO. Box 525, IowaCity IA 52244-0525.

NECRONOMICON �87, October 16-18The Stone Hill Science Fiction Association will

hold its sixth annual science-fiction conventionat the Holiday Inn-Sabal Park in Tampa, Fla. Thisyear�s guests of honor are Orson Scott Card,Frederik Pohl, and Elizabeth Anne Hull. Inaddition to panel discussions with these authors,there will be a vampire pageant, a costumecontest, trivia games, a general auction, and ahost of other events. Registration rates are $15for all three days, or $6 per day. Write to:NECRONOMICON, c/o Stone Hill SF Association,PO. Box 2076, Riverview FL 33569; or call: (813)677-6347.

RUDICON 3, October 16-18This wargaming and role-playing convention

takes place at the Rochester Institute of Technol-ogy in Rochester, N.Y. Events include tourna-ments, a dealers� room, movies, and much more.Write to: Steve Ritzau, RUDICON/RochesterWargamer�s Association and Guild (RWAG), c/oStudent Directorate, One Lomb Memorial Drive,Rochester NY 14623.

TITANCON I, October 16-18The second annual TITAN National Tourna-

ment (TNT) will be held at the Days lnn inCharlottesville, Va. Teams of four or moreplayers vie for the 1987 Team National Champi-onship and trophy. Ranking is by Game PointAverage (GPA); players will play four or moregames of regular TITAN games over this two-day event. For those who complete four ormore games, GPA is used to determine bothIndividual and Team National Champions.TITANCON I will arrange teams for individuals.Registration is $10 per person for all gaming

fees. Write to: TITANCON, PO. Box 485, Ivy VA24060.

OCTOBERFEST GAMING 1987October 23-25

This role-playing game convention, which issponsored by the Detroit Gaming Center andthe City of Detroit Recreation Department, willbe held at the Lighthouse Recreation Center inDetroit, Mich. Kevin Siembieda (creator of theROBOTECH®, PALLADIUM®, MECHANOIDS®,and HEROES UNLIMITED® games), Erick Wujcik(designer of the TEENAGE MUTANT NINJATURTLES® and Revised RECON® games), andPete Rogan (editor of Stardate Magazine) will beguests of honor. Tournaments include AD&D®,TRAVELLER®, PARANOIA�, and ROBOTECH®game events, with a variety of role-playinggames and seminars, and a role-playing gamecostume contest. Admission for this conventionis FREE. Write to: Erick Wujcik, PO. Box 1623,Detroit MI 48231; or call: (313) 833-3016.

NOVAG III, October 24-25The Northern Virginia Adventure Gamers

(NOVAG) will host their third annual AdventureGaming Convention. This event will be held atthe Leesburg Westpark Hotel in Leesburg, Va.All types of adventure games, from historicalboard and miniatures games to science-fictionand fantasy role-playing games, are featured.Games vendors and game presentations will alsobe available. Write to: NOVAG, 101 E. HollyAvenue, Suite 16, Sterling VA 22170; or call:(703)450-6738.

RIVERBEND GAMING CONVENTION �87October 3l-November 1

Sponsored by the Riverbend Gamers, this two-day gaming event will be held at the RamadaInn on Brady Street in Davenport, Iowa. Spon-sored events will include a wide selection ofgames, an RPGA� Network AD&D® game tour-nament, a miniatures painting contest, theRiverbend AD&D® Game Open, dealers� tables,seminars, game demonstrations, and more. RickReid of �Fluffy Quest� fame will be the guest ofhonor. Preregistration is $8 for both days; thisincludes one free event ticket. Write to: River-bend Gamers Convention, 423 Brady Street,Davenport IA 52801; or call: (309) 323-2670.

CHICAGO MODEL & HOBBY SHOWNovember 5-8

Sponsored by the Radio Control Hobby TradeAssociation (RCHTA), this third annual trade andhobby show will be held at the O�Hare ExpoCenter in Rosemont, Ill. A car track, boat pond.retail store, and static model area are featuredagain this year, with product displays by modelrailroad manufacturers. Over 2,000 retailersand distributors will attend this event, as willthousands of experienced modelers. Write to:CHICAGO MODEL &. HOBBY SHOW, 2400 EastDevon Ave., Suite 205, Des Plaines IL 60018; orcall: Susan P. Lind at (312) 299-3131, or toll-freeat (800) 323-5155.

SAN DIEGO GAMING CONVENTIONNovember 6-8

This three-day gaming convention will be heldat the exquisite Hotel San Diego, 339 WestBroadway Street in San Diego, Calif. Events willinclude a wide variety of role-playing, board,and miniatures game tournaments, along with alarge dealers� room and a host of open games.Registration is $15 until October 30, or $20 atthe door. Special two-day and one-day registra-tions will also be available at the door. Write to:THE SAN DIEGO GAMING CONVENTION, P.O.

Box 881424, San Diego CA 92108; or call: (619)569-1685 between 8 A. M. and 5 P. M.

SCI CON 9, November 6-8Sponsored by the Hampton Roads Science

Fiction Association, this science-fiction conven-tion will be held at the Sheraton Beach Inn inVirginia Beach, Va. Larry Niven is the guest ofhonor, with I? Craig Russell as artist guest ofhonor and Bernadette Bosky as fan guest ofhonor. Featured events include panels, readings,videos, a costume contest, an art show, andmuch more. Registration costs are $15 untilOctober 1, and $18 at the door. Huckster�s tables(limit of 2, and including one membership pertable) are $50 each. Room rates at the SheratonBeach Inn are $45 for a single and $51 for adouble. Write to: SCI CON 9, PO. Box 9434,Hampton VA 23670.

FIRST VERCINGETORIX TOURNAMENTNovember 7-8

This Ancient-period miniatures tournamentwill take place at the Carrefour Europe room inChamalieres, France. Starting at 10 A. M. Saturdaymorning, this tournament will run until 11 P. M.Sunday evening. The 1st Vercingetorix Tourna-ment is sponsored by the Association de JeuxChamalierois. Write to: Donnat Jean Marc, LaTuilerie, 63230 Pontgibaud, France. Food andlodging will be made available at the conventionsite for an additional fee.

ROCK-CON XIV, November 7-8This year�s ROCK-CON gaming convention will

be held at the Wagon Wheel Resort in Rockton,Ill. Special guests include Gary Gygax, Jim Ward,Tom Wham, and Lou Zocchi. Special featureswill include over 60 different gaming events,along with a dealers� room with over 40 exhibi-tors. Other events include a miniatures-paintingcontest (prizes awarded) and various miniaturescompetitions. Admission for both days is $5,with no additional gaming fees. Conventionhours are 10 A.M. to midnight Saturday and 10A. M. to 5 P. M. on Sunday. Write to: ROCK-CON XIVInformation or Game Scheduling, 14225 Hans-berry Road, Rockton IL 61072. Please make allchecks payable to Black Hawk Distributors.

EARTHCON VII, November 13-15This science-fiction convention, sponsored by

NEOFSA, Inc., will be held at the Holiday InnWestlake, 1100 Crocker Road, in Cleveland,Ohio. Guests of honor include R.M. Meluch, JaySullivan, Kenneth Shulze, Alan Tuskes, SheldonJaffrey, and Jim Young. Sponsored eventsinclude videos, dealers, a masquerade, panels,filksinging, an art show and auction, a mediadisplay room, and much more. Registration feesare $22. Write to: EARTHCON, PO. Box 5641,Cleveland OH 44101.

XANADU IV, November 13-15This science-fiction convention will be held at

the Ramada Inn on Music Valley Drive in Nash-ville, Tenn. Poul Anderson will be guest ofhonor. A small number of RPGA� Networktournaments will be featured, along with a fewevents sponsored by D.A.G.R. Memberships are$15 until October 1; $20 thereafter. Write to:William Tracy, c/o XANADU SF Con, PO. Box23281, Nashville TN 37202-3281.

PENTACON III, November 14This one-day gaming convention will be held

at the Whistler Ballroom and Grand WayneGallery in the Grand Wayne Center located at120 W. Jefferson in Fort Wayne, Ind. An RPGA�Network AD&D® tournament is featured, along

DR A G O N 93

with other AD&D® tournaments, miniaturesbattles, fantasy and science-fiction role-playinggames, a flea market, a miniatures-paintingcontest, and the awarding of door prizes. Adealers� and manufacturers� room are alsoavailable. This convention runs from 9 A. M. tomidnight. Write to: NIGA/PENTACON, PO. Box11133, Fort Wayne IN 46856; or call: MichaelDurant at (219) 422-9964.

NOVOCON 3-D, November 21This one-day gaming event, which is spon-

sored by the Ohio Gaming Association, will beheld from 10 A.M. to midnight at the University ofAkron in Akron, Ohio. Numerous role-playinggames and miniatures competitions will besponsored, along with an auction, a dealers�room, and various other activities. Membershipfees are $5 for the day, with no additional eventfees. Write to: NEO-GS, Box 412, Cuyahoga FallsOH 44222.

CONTEX V, November 27-29This science-fiction convention will be held in

Houston, Tex., at the Hobby Airport Holiday Innover Thanksgiving weekend. Guests includeElizabeth Scarborough, Real Musgrave, RolandSchmidt, and Fran Booth. Among the manyactivities and events scheduled are open andtournament gaming, a painted miniatures con-test, a video songtape contest, an art show &auction, a masquerade, film & video rooms,writer�s workshops, panels, talks, demos, a 24 -hour con suite, flea-market tables, and a dealers�room. Three-day memberships will be $20 atthe door. Write to: Friends of Fandom, PO. Box266996 Houston TX 77207-6996, or call: (713)475-8228

DALLAS FANTASY FAIR, November 27-29Sponsored by Bulldog Productions, this comic-

book, science-fiction, and film supershow takesplace at the Marriott Park Central, 7750 I-635 atHwy 45, in Dallas, Tex. Guests include CaroleNelson Douglas, Steve Erwin, Kerry Gammill,and many others. Other features include a hugedealers� room, a professional art show, an artcontest, an art auction, video rooms, a masquer-ade, numerous workshops, previews of upcom-ing motion pictures, and a variety of gamingevents and open gaming competition. Ticketsfor this event are $20 through November 1 and$25 thereafter. Write to: Bulldog Productions,PO. Box 820488, Dallas TX 75382; or call: (214)349-3367.

DRAGONMEET BALTIMORENovember 27-29

Sponsored by Games Workshop U.S., thisscience-fiction and fantasy gaming conventionwill be held at the Marriot Inner Harbor Hotelin Baltimore, Md. Events include all types ofgames, with an extensive miniatures gamingschedule taking place over the length of thisthree-day affair. Gaming events are sponsoredaround the clock, with a program of films andvideos showing concurrently. A miniatures-painting workshop is also held at no additionalexpense to registrants. This workshop featuresartists spotlighted in the �Tabletop Heroes�section of White Dwarf magazine. Registrationfor this event is $20. One-day registrations are$7.50 at the door. Write to: Timothy D. Olsen,Games Workshop, 231 Park Avenue, BaltimoreMD 21201; or call: (301) 752-1493.

PELI-CON �87, November 27-29This convention will be the first comics and

gaming convention sponsored in the NewOrleans area. Held at the Clarion Hotel on

94 OCTOBER 1987

historic Canal Street in Downtown NewOrleans, PELI-CON �87 will take place just blocksaway from the ever-popular French Quarter.Guest artists from several comic-book pub-lishers will be present for panel discussions andautograph sessions. Other guests will includeNed Dameron, George Alec Effinger, Pat Adkins,David �Zeb� Cook, Mike Curtis, and Kirk Alyn.Game events featured include an AD&D® gametournament, an AD&D game trivia contest,Pente, BATTLESYSTEM�, and BATTLETECH®game competitions, and a variety of miniatures,board, and role-playing games. Prizes will beawarded for most events. Other featuresinclude a film and video room, a dealers� room,and a 24-hour gaming room. Registration feesfor the weekend are $12 until October 1. Writeto: PELI-CON �87 Convention Committee, 5200Conti Street, New Orleans LA 70124.

TROPICON VI, December 4-6This science-fiction convention will be held at

the Holiday Inn Oceanside in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.Guests of honor include George R.R. Martin andGail Bennett. Panels, movies, trivia, videos,filksinging, and gaming are featured. Registra-tion is $12 until Oct. 31, and $15 thereafter.Tickets for the banquet are $19 if purchasedbefore Nov. 30. Write to: SFSFS Secretary, P.O.Box 70143, Ft. Lauderdale FL 33307.

UNIVERSE 88, January 1-3, 1988

also be a full program of science-fiction and

This game convention will be held at the

fantasy events. Admission is $19.50 until Decem-

Airport Hilton and Towers in Los Angeles, Calif.Featured events will include over 150 game

ber 5, and $25 at the door. Write to: UNIVERSE

tournaments (fantasy role-playing games, boardgames, war games, and family games), an exhibi-tion room, films, seminars, and more. There will

88, Dept. D, PO. Box 2577, Anaheim CA 92804;or call: (213) 867-4140.

CONFUSION, January 15-l7, 1988This science-fiction convention will be held at

the Southfield Hilton in Southfield, Mich. Roomprices are $55 per night. Guests of honorinclude Joe Haldeman, Larry Tucker, MartaRandall, and David Cherry. Membership fees are$11 until October 11, $15 until November 25,and $20 at the door. Write to: AASFA/CONFUSION, PO. Box 8284, Ann Arbor MI48107.

NEW ORLEANS SCIENCE FICTION ANDFANTASY FESTIVAL, January 22-24, 1988

This science-fiction and fantasy event will takeplace at the Landmark Hotel, which is located at2601 Severn Avenue in Metairie, La. George R.R.Martin, George Alec Effinger, and others are guestsof honor. Registration costs are $15 at the door.Write to: NEW ORLEANS SCIENCE FICTIONAND FANTASY FESTIVAL, PO. Box 791089, NewOrleans LA 70179-1089.

CHIMERACON V, January 29-31, 1988

three days. Preregistration for all three days is

This science-fiction and fantasy conventionwill be held at the University of North Carolina

$12.50. Write to: 15-A University Gardens,

campus in Chapel Hill, N.C. Guests of honor willinclude Nancy Springer, Hugo and Nebula

Chapel Hill NC 27514; or call: (919) 933-3003.

Awards winner Orson Scott Card, ColleenDoran, Allen Wold, Lisa Cantrell, and Mark vanName. Events will include a costume workshopand contest (costumed guests receive $1 offadmission for Saturday registrations), an OuterLimits Cantina Variety Show, filksinging, gam-ing, panels, and much more. Admission pricesare $6 per day, $11 for two days, and $15 for all

GAMERS’CHOICE AWARDS 1987

The RPGA™ Network conducted itsannual poll of the most populargames enjoyed by the people atthe GEN CON® Games Fair. Thewinners from the GEN CON 20Games Fair (August 20-23) are:

Best family game: CHASE” game(TSR, Inc.).

Best fantasy role-playing game:GURPS® Fantasy game (SteveJackson Games).

Best science-fiction role-playinggame: GAMMA WORLD® game,third edition (TSR, Inc.).

Best “other category” role-playing game: TEENAGERSFROM OUTER SPACE” game(R. Talsorian Games, Inc.).

Best role-playing adventure (tie):Azathoth, for the CALL OFCTHULHU® game (ChaosiumInc.), and Sword of the Daimyo,for the AD&D® game’s OrientalAdventures system (TSR, Inc.).

Best role-playing accessory:Cthulhu by Gaslight, * for theCALL OF CTHULHU game(Chaosium Inc.).

Best historical strategy game:SNIPER” game (TSR, Inc.).

Best science-fiction strategygame: BATTLETECH® game(FASA Corporation).

Best miniatures line: Doctor Whofigure line (FASA Corporation,Citadel Miniatures, and RAFM).

Best computer game: The Bard’sTale II* game (Electronic Arts).

Best play-by-mail game: Starwebgame (Flying Buffalo, Inc.).

Best professional gamingmagazine: DRAGON®Magazine* (TSR, Inc.)

* Also won H.G. Wells Award atOrigins; see DRAGON issue #124.

The staff of DRAGON Magazinecongratulates all the winners.

DRAGON 95

96 OCTOBER 1987

D R A G O N 9 7

98 OCTOBER 1987

D R A G O N 9 9

Editor�s introductionIt came out of the blue, just before the

deadline on DRAGON® issue #125. Trampcalled and said he had an idea for a specialtype of crossword puzzle, and we lookedit over and liked it. We wanted to use it inthat issue, since it was the 100th DRAGONMagazine to have �Wormy� in it � and thelast time we had a special feature involv-ing Wormy appeared in issue #15 (it wasWormy�s backgammon board). We figuredit was time for something new.

Unfortunately, a few ad changes and thecloseness of the deadline forced us tobump the puzzle to the next issue � thisone. Thus, we start our next 100 issues of�Wormy� with a puzzle that requires someknowledge of the first 100 issues in whichWormy and all of his friends (and foes)appeared. Interested? Read on.

Puzzle instructionsThe Wormy Puzzle is a hexagonal-grid

crossword puzzle in which the wordentries are read in three directions: highacross, low across, and down (see thediagram). The thick lines on the hexagonsmark the beginnings and ends of wordentries.

100 OCTOBER 1987

Most of the entries concern the bizarreand wonderful denizens of Wormy�sworld, as shown over the last 100 issues inwhich he has appeared (since issue #9, inSeptember 1977 � 10 years ago!). Ofcourse, some readers will not have all therelevant issues. But most of you shouldhave access to the recent ones, and somegood guesses can be made about theanswers found in earlier issues.

Many of the clues include issue numbersfor DRAGON Magazines in which someanswers may be found. Tramp recom-mends that before you dig out all of yourold DRAGON issues, you see how much ofthe puzzle you can solve from memory.Solving the puzzle aloud makes an inter-esting sideline to an evening�s adventuring.

A tough one? Of course � and we thinkWormy wouldn�t want it any other way.Dragons love riddles and puzzles, and thisone does our favorite dragon justice. Theanswers are on page 58. Good luck!

High Across

1. Weapon carried by Butch the mino-taur. (issue #34)

3. What do mudtrolls take in the swamp?8. Who did Gremorly summon from

Stygothia? (issue #49)13. ______ who?15. Where did Ace bite Saro? (issue #121)17. Bender was swallowed by a long-jawed

mud ______. tissue #90)19. Sepulcher.22. An essential element in comic strips.25. According to Ace, Barbadicus looked

like a Dagger Street ______. (issue #94)28. What do the trolls that the ogres catch

experience? (issues #111, 112, 118)29. What�s inside Wormy�s snooker balls?

(issues #19, 76, 77)33. Tree troll (initials).34. Underground town of minikins. (issue

#96)39. What the dwarves chanted. (issues

#10, 11, 76)41. Catfish and Bender�s escorts into Toad-

town, (issue #96)42. Irving is able to fly in his ______. (issue

#47)45. In what does Gremorly the wizard

live? tissue #51)47. Hill troll (initials).49. Siege of the ______ ______. (issues #84,

93)54. Otis thought Rudy was � for not

having washed out the stew pot. (issue#118)

58. What Wormy does when someone tellshim that he should be more neighborlyand devote more time to communitys e r v i c e .

62. _______ and fro.63. According to Butch, the dwarves were

wearing �_______ surplus.� (issue #31)

68. One of Irving�s appendages.70. Reflecting apparatus.73. One of the things a Storm Giant can

summon.75. Wesley�s favorite topic. (issue #98)76. What Fred the stonedrake can do

under the right wind conditions.78. Toadtown (abbrev.).79. Observe.

Low Across

1. Expression of surprise or satisfaction.2. Primitive picklike tool.3. The mudsucker ate Catfish�s ______.

(issue #89)4. Expression of disappointment.5. Trolls Choice (initials).6. Ace�s cyclopic hound dog.7. To lure Wormy out of his cave, Achor-

rath ______ a set-up involving theogres. (issue #119)

13. Town in the tops of the Yggdrazziles.tissues #93, 103)

15. Really all right.16. Head tyrant at DRAGON Magazine

(initials).18. Irving�s color.22. Picnic nuisance.23. Where does a rooster roost?24. Three-eyed critter that Bender ran

into. (issue #85)26. Junior (abbr.).27. A dwarfburger costs 75 ______s. (issue

#13)28. What did Irving hope to do to the

centrigriff? (issue #47)29. What did Gorgonstar send after

Wormy? (issues #94, 117)33. Woodtrolls are also called ______ trolls.

(issue #103)39. Bard.40. Mister (abbr.).41. What do woodtrolls have on their

arms and backs?43. To provide defenses, Wormy _______

traps in his cave. (issues #108, 109,116)

46. Name of the bear who is Butch�sfriend. (issues #30, 34, 98)

47. The game that Blackbolt, Mad Dog, andDeadeye Dudly were playing. (issues#102,103)

48. Fictitious country in which Pittsburghis located.

50. Opposite of �off.�51. Hand-canceling a letter is _______ prob-

lem at the Toadtown Post Office. (issue#97)

52. Kraken�s Ring (initials).56. Wormy suffers from ________ bulism.

(issue #116)59. Part of a barrel.60. �The Stump� is a _______. (issues #103,.

104, 105)66. Rest & Regeneration (initials).72. Sound a banshee makes. (issue #100)77. Present tense, third-person singular of

�be.�

DOWN

1. Wormy ________ riddles.7. Which giant wielded a double-string

long bow?9. Preposition.

10. Irving posted a want-ad for �Game-_______riors!� (issue #104)

11. What Irving did with the dwarves thatWormy squashed. (issues #13, 32)

12. What Dudly was after the encounterwith the boar and wolf in the swamp.(issue #33)

14. Name of the goblin who slew the hob-goblin on Wormy�s kitchen table. (issue#61)

20. Mountain King (initials).21. Slime.22. _________ good as new.24. Preposition.26. The bounty-hunting troll who�s after

Wormy�s head. (issues #115, 123)30. Enact.31. The giant mousetrap that Jedd almost

sprung was located in a (issue#109)

32. Where does the cacodemon live? (issue#124)

34. A troll has six of these.35. Otis, Jack, Floyd, and Rudy are all _______.

36. What�s on the end of Wormy�s cigar?37. What do Wormy�s employees exhibit

towards him? (issue #115)38. What crime is Wormy wanted for?

tissues #50, 81, 82, 100)40. Achorrath and Wormy are destined to

________.44. Barny is a ________-troll. tissue #103)53. �Blackbolt� is Franks _______-nym.

(issues #102, 103)55. Mysterious Brotherhood of �Rolls

(initials).57. _______-omoriah the Shadowcat. (issues

#49, 58, 66)61. Expression of exasperation.64. “________ Harold!� (one of Gremorly�s

oaths). (issues #72, 73)65. One of Dudly�s expressions.66. What Irving neveh loined about

snookah. (issue #9)67. Wormy _______ the dwarf into the

ogres� cave. tissue #14)69. Name of the imp.71. Opposite of �out.�74. Who has been stocking the lagoon with

mudsuckers? (issue #94)76. Street (abbr.).77. I am (contraction).

DRAGON 101

1 0 2 O c t o b e r 1 9 8 7

DR A G O N 103

104 OCTOBER 1987