I s s u e # 1 3 1Vol. XII, No. 10

March 1988

PublisherMike Cook

EditorRoger E. Moore

Assistant editor Fiction editorRobin Jenkins Patrick L. Price

Editorial assistantsEileen Lucas Barbara G. Young

Art directorRoger Raupp

Marilyn FavaroProduction Staff

Lori Svikel

Subscriptions AdvertisingPat Schulz Sheila Meehan

Ed GreenwoodCreative editors

Jeff Grubb

CONTENTS

21 The Realm Below:In the Underdark, no one can see you scream.

2 2 To the Center of the Oerth � Vic BroquardA streamlined system for creating caverns and tunnels of every kind.

3 2 The Folk of the Underworld � Eric OppenPractical jokes with a dark twist: the svirfneblin�s point of view.

3 6 The Ecology of the Aholeth � Brandon CristThe masters of the subterranean world have masters of their own.

4 0 Lords & Legends � Steve Seguin and Christopher JonesTwo mountain dwarves who made the big time.

4 2 The Ecology of the Hook Horror � Michael PersingerEven the fungus-eaters of Deepearth are dangerous.

47 The Chasm Bridge � Desmond P. VaradyA special underworld encounter from DUNGEON� Adventures!

OTHER FEATURES1 0 The Role of Books � John C. Bunnell

Wizards in New York, technology vs. sorcery, and a musical interlude.

1 6 Illusory Solutions � Matt BattisonAn 8th-level illusionist can cast a 30-HD fireball! Or can he?

1 8 Fantasy First Class � Michael GrayThe Alamaze universe lives in your mailbox.

6 4 Mutations Unlimited � Kim EastlandEver want eyes in the back of your head? Now you can have them!

6 8 The Game Wizards � Douglas NilesJust declassified: further word on the TOP SECRET/S.I.� game.

7 0 Role-playing Reviews � Jim BambraThe Death Star meets the interstellar French Empire and the BattleMech brigades.

7 8 The Role of Computers � Hartley, Patricia, and Kirk LesserPilot a Harrier, build an empire, or brave the horrors of the Galactic Museum.

8 8 The Marvel®-Phile � Jeff GrubbTrouble comes in threes � in this case, the Warriors Three�.

346

5 9

DEPARTMENTSLetters 60 Gamers� Guide 92 Convention CalendarWorld Gamers Guide 62 Index to Advertisers 98 SnarfQuestForum 62 Sage Advice 101 WormyTSR Previews 90 Dragonmirth

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS

COVEROur cover is entitled: �What Geraldo Rivera wished he had found in Al Capone�s

vault,� which just about says it all. This painting won an award at the 1987Norwescon�s Altercon convention, and is the combined work of two artists:Rodayne Esmay and David Kern. Rodayne says he and David are charter membersof the Happy Valley Space Academy (a local artists� group). Thanks, guys!

2 MARCH 1988

LETTERSPhantomphantomsDear Dragon:

I loved the special attraction in issue #126.However, I did catch a miscount in Vince Gar-cia�s article. He only listed 30 undead. Themissing one is the phantom.

Example: The party settles down for the nighton a wide field. Later on, the characters areawakened by loud war cries as two armiescharge into battle around them. What the PCsdon�t know is that all the warriors are 300-year-old phantoms.

I also have a question about �Hearts of Dark-ness� by Tom Moldvay. On page 17 of issue#126, Mr. Moldvay implies that there might be aconnection between werewolves and vampires.According to all the information I have (mostlyfrom movies), werewolves are nearly immortalwhile vampires are dead. These states seemopposed to each other and, as such, lycan-thropes and vampires should be enemies undernormal circumstances.

As long as the subject of werewolves is up, Ihave a question about the MARVEL SUPERHEROES® game article by Douglas Lent. SinceJack Russell is a supernatural werewolf, is hecontagious? I�ve been wondering about this eversince he managed to claw Iron Man through hishelmet.

Our count of the undead in Vince’s articleshows 31 types (we listed sheet phantoms andsheet ghouls in the same heading on page 32 ofthat issue). The article pins down a few mon-sters not previously known to be undead (suchas the crypt thing and vampiric ixitxachitl), butphantoms are stated in the Monster Manual II tobe neither alive nor undead. Your example isappreciated, however.

Tom Moldvay used more traditional sources ofinformation than modern movies in writing hisarticle. A number of European legends andfolktales connect vampires with werewolves insome manner as Tom notes on page 17 of thatissue. Whether you use this information in yourfantasy campaign or not is up to you — but itmakes exciting reading.

We checked with Jeff Grubb, and he said JackRussell’s lycanthropy was the result of a super-natural curse placed on his genetic line, startingwith his ancestor Gregory Russoff. As such, thislycanthropy cannot be transmitted in the samefashion as “classical” cases of lycanthropy, and isconfined to Russoffs male descendants. Thisinformation comes from The Official Handbookof the Marvel Universe® — which, interestinglyenough, also makes the vampire-werewolfconnection you mentioned above.

Douglas BurikCincinnati OH

DRAGONLANCE®chess?Dear Dragon:

I know that you are very busy, but I came upwith an idea: a DRAGONLANCE® chess set. Ifigure even though the chance of you producingsuch a thing is slim, I thought what the heck. Ihave come up with a list of what the piecesmight include:

White (good) Black (evil)King T a n i s AriakasQueen Laurana KitiaraBishops Caramon Lord Soth

Raistlin ?Knights Flint Toede

Sturm VerminaardRooks Tower of the Temple of

High Clerist NerakaDragon of Flying Citadel

ErgothPawns Warrior on Draconian

dragon

The board would be a map of Ansalon withimportant spots labeled.

Mike S t ranePittsburgh PA

Though TSR, Inc., has no plans to produce aDRAGONLANCE chess set, we are producingthe DRAGONLANCE board game, which will bereleased in July. The game features 3D aerialcombat, numerous plastic playing pieces, andfast, easy-to-learn rules. Those who want to trymaking a DRAGONLANCE chess set for theirown use might try using 25mm miniatures forplaying pieces.

A brief messageDear Dragon:

Robert: �How many gamers does it take tochange a light bulb?�

H.P.: �I don�t know, how many gamers does ittake to change a light bulb?�

Robert: �Eighteen; three to build a pyramid tothe socket, three to devour all chips, soda,popcorn, and stray house pets, one to put in thebulb, and the rest to argue about a six-month-old DM call.�

Michael CecilBelleville IL

Thanks.

OasisOne of the forces that guided my

path into games, gaming, and ulti-mately to TSR, Inc., was the HobbitHobby Shop in Fayetteville, N.C. Iwas stationed at Ft. Bragg with theU.S. Army in the late 1970s, andeventually found myself in thatshop, wondering if the rows androws of fantasy figures there had todo with the D&D® game I had heardabout. I asked the manager about it� and my doom was sealed.

A good hobby shop has a varietyof gaming goods, a location with lotsof free-spending gamers (militarybases, college campuses, and mallswork well), stable suppliers, etc. Buta legendary hobby shop has some-thing more: people who genuinelycare about gamers. The very exist-ence of such people benefits thewhole gaming field.

The Hobbit Hobby Shop was leg-endary, and I owe a great debt to Aland Feliet, who special-orderedminiatures and games for me, let medisplay my Star Trek models in thestore, and directed me to othergamers in the area who were run-ning campaigns. The shop had dis-play cases for miniatures andmodels that gamers created, andalways had a good word for yourwork � even in cases like mine, inwhich the modeler�s enthusiasmexceeded his skills. (�Your orcs arecertainly the most colorful ones I�veever seen,� Al once told me.)

I was pleased to recently learnthat �the Hobbit� is still around(�Our seventeenth year,� said Al),and it put me in mind of other leg-endary hobby shops I�ve known andloved. The Rusty Scabbard still sitsonly a few blocks from the Univer-sity of Kentucky campus in Lex-ington, Ky. The Something To Doshops hang on in Louisville. Napo-leon�s in Milwaukee is still filled withgames. Others exist, but they arefew and far between.

If you find such a shop, let thepeople there know you appreciatethem. Al and Feliet � thank you! Iwas lucky to have found your oasis.

D R A G O N 3

The World Gamers GuideWith this issue of DRAGON® Magazine,

�The World Gamers Guide� will come to aclose. No further listings will be taken. Ourincreased distribution and circulationworldwide are responsible; because of thegreat increase in international sales, wewill soon not be able to cope with theincrease in WGG entries with our smallstaff size.

However, we are always open to submis-sions for the �Letters� and �Forum�columns, as well as regular gaming artic-les, and we welcome contributions fromanywhere in the world. We also encouragegamers to organize gaming clubs, set upconventions, and use the resources of theirlocal game and hobby stores.

This column had a long run and a goodone. We wish all gamers across the worldthe best this year. Keep gaming!

AD: AD&D® gameBS: BATTLESYSTEM� SupplementCC: CALL OF CTHULHU® gameCH: CHAMPIONS� gameCW: CAR WARS® gameDD: D&D® gameGW: GAMMA WORLD® gameMSH: MARVEL SUPER HEROES� gameOA: AD&D Oriental Adventures systemP: PARANOIA� gameRQ: RUNEQUEST® gameSF: STAR FRONTIERS® gameSFB: STAR FLEET BATTLES gameSL: SQUAD LEADER® gameT: TRAVELLER® gameTMNT: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA

TURTLES® gameTS: TOP SECRET® gameT2000: TWILIGHT: 2000� game

Jeffrey Jongko (AD,DD,TS,T2000)12 Yellowstone StreetWhite Plains, Metro ManilaPHILIPPINES

Alberto Halphen (AD,GW,SF,TS)Lomas de ChapultepecM. Chimborazo 520/701Mexico DF C/P 11000MEXICO

SN J. (Steve) Hudak (AD,MSH,TS)P.O. Box 37-611 NSGA(NSA Naples, Italy)FPO NY 09521-4000UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Bill McQuillan (AD,CH,CW)042-74-1095HHC 7th SUPCOM, Box 43APO NY 09712UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Waye Mason109 Wolsey RoadNorthwood, MiddlesexHA6 2EBGREAT BRITAIN

Carlos Mondragon, Jr. (AD)Boulevard Campestre #128-3Col. Jardines del MoralC.P. 37160Leon, G40MEXICO

Aaron McDowell (AD,DD,GW,RQ,TT)44 Carters Tee.AshburtonSouth IslandNEW ZEALAND

Chai Tze Hwa (AD,BS,CW,DD,MSH,OA,SF,TMNT,TS)

Bishan Road, Street 12Block 137, #11-414SINGAPORE 2057

Siobhan McDonnell (AD)218 Haleys Gully RoadHurstbridgeVictoria 3099AUSTRALIA

Steven Eggerking (AD,DD,GW,TS)145 Omao StreetKailua, Oahu, Hawaii 96734UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

George Anastasoulis (AD,RQ,SF,T)Apostolaki 1Nea SmyrniAthens 17121GREECE

Kristoffer (Chris) Kvello (AD)214-59170 LongyearbyenSvalbardNORWAY

Antonio Marcelo F. da Fonseca (AD,SF,DD)Rua Hadock Lobo 131 casa 7Tijuca, Rio de Janerio, RJBRAZIL CEP 20260

Kevin Armstrong (AD,SF)25 West WayHolmes Chapel, CreweCheshire CW4 7DGUNITED KINGDOM

Rene Rasmussen (AD,DD,OA,SL)Sondergade 15DK-9493 SaltumDENMARK

Colin Campbell (AD,BS,CC,OA,SFB,T)92 Oswald AvenueGrangemouthScotlandUNITED KINGDOM

Jeff JohnsonSPDC Ext. NordB.P. 328MarouaCAMEROUN

Thomas B. Mason (AD,CH,CW,GW,OA,P)502 MI Co., 2 ACR(Nurnberg, West Germany)APO NY 09093UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Torben M. Husum (AD,DD)Granvej 14100 RingstedDENMARK

Jorge Manuel Martins (AD,DD)Av. Salvador Allende, 21-AOeiras 2780PORTUGAL

Adrian Martinez (AD,DD,GW,MSH,TS,SF)#9 Chestnut StreetFairview, Quezon City, ManilaPHILIPPINES

Butch Sy Yap (AD,DD,GW,MSH,TS,SF)#18-D West RoadCubao, Quezon City, ManilaPHILIPPINES

J.V. Barredo (AD,DD,GW,MSH,TS,SF)#180-A Wilson StreetAllenby EntranceSan Juan, ManilaPHILIPPINES

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. Newsstand distribution throughout the United Kingdom IS by Seymour Ltd., 334 BrixtonRoad, London, SW9 7AG, United Kingdom; telephone: 01-733-4444. Subscription rates via second-class mail are as follows: $30 in U.S. funds for 1 year (12 issues)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. Paymentin full must accompany all subscription orders. Methods of payment include checks or money orders made payable to TSR, Inc., or charges to valid MasterCard orVISA credit cards. Send subscription orders with payments to: TSR, Inc. PO. Box 72089, Chicago IL 60678 A limited quantity of back issues are available from theTSR mail order department, PO Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147. For a copy of the current catalog listing available back issues, write to the mail order department atthe 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 thedelivery of subscription copies must be received at least SIX weeks prior to the effective date of the change in order to assure uninterrupted delivery. All materialpublished in DRAGON Magazine becomes the exclusive property of the publisher, unless special arrangements to the contrary are made prior to publication. DRAGONMagazine welcomes unsolicited submissions of written material and artwork; however, no responsibility for such submissions can be assumed by the publisher in anyevent. 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 of TSR, Inc. All rights to the contents of this publication are reserved, and nothing may be reproduced from it in whole or in partwithout first obtaining permission in writing from the publisher.

® designates registered trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. TM designates trademarks owned by TSR, Inc. Most other product names are trademarks owned by thecompanies publishing those products. Use of the name of any product without mention of trademark status should not be construed as a challenge to such status.

©1988 TSR, 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 WI

53147. USPS 318-790, ISSN 0279-6848.

4 MARCH 1988

FORUM

In the �Forum," issue #121, Brian Chase re-ferred to an article I wrote for the November(#115) issue entitled �The Ecology of the Harpy� Songs of Beauty.� In his letter, he disagreedwith the statement I made that male and femaleharpies are very much alike, especially in ap-pearance, except in reproductive roles. Insummary, he stated that harpies are partheno-genetic (i.e., they clone themselves rather thanproduce young from a male-fertilized, female-produced egg). However, a harpy could matewith a human male �to improve the gene pool ofthe race." Males produced from this unionwould be killed shortly after birth; femaleswould be improved with better strength, fight-ing, and perhaps more spells. A female born ofa bardic father might also have an improvedharpy-song. Mr. Chase also said that D�driandthe sage must have been charmed to give Colinthe ranger such faulty information. Though Isee the reasoning behind the argument, I do notentirely agree and stand by my earlier state-ment that harpies can be either male or female,that the reproductive process is a simple mat-ing, and that there is little difference in looks.Perhaps I was not specific enough and, with thehelp of a friend, I will try to clear the matter up.

Harpies are avian and humans are mammals.Such a cross would not only require the bypass-ing of species, but of genus, family, and order.Interbreeding within the species and sometimesthe genus are possible, but not without risk. Insome cases, such as the breeding of a horse anda donkey to produce a mule, the resultingoffspring is healthy but sterile. Such offspring,if this was the case, would only be improved fora single individual, as even cloning would not bepossible. We are not entirely clear if interbreed-ing among members of the same family is possi-ble, but we do know that interbreeding fromclass to class is impossible.

This also assumes that the harpy and thehuman have the same number of chromosomes.There are good examples of devastating birthdefects due to a difference of even a small pieceof a chromosome! A difference would possiblynegate chances of successful fertilization and ifnot, would surely either kill the fetus before itwas completely developed or produce one thatwould not live more than a very short time afterbirth, either dying on its own or being killed byits mother or nest-mates.

Just for the sake of argument, we will assumethat harpies are mammals (which is not ourbelief) and that they share the same number ofchromosomes as humans. Humans, elves, andorcs are all bipedal, with two arms, two legs,two hands, two feet, 10 fingers, 10 toes, etc.,with minor size and feature differences. Inter-breeding is possible (though the inability ofelves and orcs to mate successfully is tribute tothe fact that while they are close enough tohumans to mate with them, there are enoughdifferences between the two to render it impos-sible � a prime example of genetic selectivity).Harpies, on the other hand, have wings, feath-ers, bristly hair of the same material that the

6 MARCH 1988

feathers are made of, birds� legs, and talons.The structure of the back alone is vastly differ-ent to accomodate the wings that support thebody in flight. Not only are the structuresdifferent, but the bones are as well. They wouldhave to be lighter than those of a human or elsethe wings would have to be far larger to accom-modate the extra weight. Nor do harpies havethe same set of vital organs, etc. If physiologiesfor elves and orcs do not allow for interbreed-ing, why would a harpy and a human, vastlydifferent as they are, breed successfully?

Even if magic could be used to overcome all ofthe natural impossibilities (harpies are, after all,a magical race), there would be no guaranteethat mating with a human would produce asuperior harpy. The idea assumes that thecreature would inherit the best of both parents,and this does not always happen. If such aunion was even remotely possible, there couldbe as many detriments as improvements. Onethat leaps to mind immediately is that while thecrossbred harpy might be stronger and betterat fighting (and perhaps more intelligent), itwould undoubtedly lose some of its inherentmagic. An example of this is the alu-demon,which is certainly not as powerful as a succubuswhen it comes to magic. If the charm ability ofthe harpy is diminished � even if the harpy isstronger, fiercer, and smarter � it would notleave a sufficient attack mode to allow it tosurvive very long. Humans, unlike harpies, arenot inherently magical, and if a harpy is lookingfor a big, strong, hero-type, chances are that hewouldn�t be a magic-user anyway. (A human�smagic is learned, not inherited.) The harpy/human offspring might also lose most, if not all,of its ability to fly, having smaller wings andheavier bones. A stronger, smarter, fiercerharpy without much of its magic and limited tothe ground or short �hops� in the air wouldquickly become someone�s lunch. We also do notthink that a bardic father would help the har-py�s song much, either. Like magic, singing is anacquired skill. Although the talent for singingcould be inherited, harpy vocal chords are notadapted for human speech. Even with thehuman influence, they probably still would notbe entirely adapted. The charm of a harpy andthe charm of a bard are two entirely differenttypes of charm, anyway.

So why do harpies have humanoid faces andupper bodies? Magical intervention is the clue.The harpy�s charm/illusion is not as powerful inrespect to visual illusion, and requires a tem-plate. In other words, if harpies looked likenormal buzzards, they would have great diffi-culty conjuring up an illusion of a beautifulhuman female, with nothing to work from.However, since harpies have the face and theupper body all they need to do is use theirmagic to gloss over the ugliness a little andimprove what�s already there. The vision doesnot usually go any farther than accentuatingwhat is there, except in certain rare individuals.The bird�s body and wings are still there, butthe wings appear more graceful and the feath-

ers appear white, silver, or gold.If there are indeed male harpies, why don�t

they appear as men? Simple: Adventurers,merchants, and other travelers are usually menwho would be more distracted by a lovelyfemale, even if she were half-bird (perhapsdivine). Even a female adventurer would moreoften be sympathetic to a woman in distress.Male harpies, like females, have to live in thereal world, and a harpy that could not effec-tively lure would not live very long. Both sexes

developed �faces� and upper bodies as theblueprints for the spell.

Getting to reproduction, it is almost impossibleto tell a male from a female avian by looking atreproductive organs unless you get extremelyclose (and only a dead harpy would let you getthat close!). A harpy�s reproductive organs, likethose of most birds, are not external. Femaleand male birds are usually distinguished bytheir coloration and there is no sexual differen-tiation for coloring in harpies. Males and fe-males, having developed the same adaptationsfor charming, and having no difference incoloration or other external indications ofgender, do look the same.

Harpies mate as birds do, and usually do sodeep within their lairs where few others dare togo. We can see where Samanthalus got the ideathat they were parthenogenetic � its a commonmisconception among sages today, given theharpy�s lack of external sexual characteristicsand the fact that few men have ever seen har-pies mate. We can even see where he got theidea that harpies mate with humans (but that ismerely an old wives� tale to frighten people).Those who have dared to study the harpy moreclosely have discovered the truth.

And D�driand wasn�t charmed � he was just adirty rat.

Barbara CurtisWatertown NY

William FrenchPotsdam NY

I am writing to comment on Alan Ristow�sletter on banded mail in DRAGON® issue #123.He is correct in saying that the type of armorknown in textbooks as �banded mail� did notexist and is infeasible. However, the armor

mentioned in the AD&D® game, particularly thedescription of it in the DMG is not �bandedmail.� The AD&D game books mistakenly applythe term �mail� to nearly all types of armor,when it should in fact be only used for chainmail and ring mail. A better nomenclature mightbe to replace the word �mail� in the names with�armor� with the exception of �plate mail�which should perhaps be called �plate and mail�or �transition armor� (as it was transitionalbetween mail and plate). The banded armordescribed in the DMG seems to resemble theRoman Lorica Segmentata, worn over light mailand padding. Such armor, with most of its bulkand protection concentrated on the torso andlittle on the legs (unlike some others which havegreaves and other encumbrances), would proba-bly slow down the wearer no more than chainmail. It should therefore retain the movementbase of 9� and perhaps be reclassified as �fairly

bulky� due to the fact that it would allow rela-tively free movement of the limbs.

On the subject of armor, I would like to bringup the armor used by the svirfnebli (as de-scribed in the FIEND FOLIO® tome), which doesnot seem to fit the system of armor previouslydefined, and might be an interesting addition. Itis described as a leather jack (sleeveless tunic)sewn with mithral-steel rings, worn over finechain mail. Previous rules have not covered the

wearing of two types of armor together, butcould surely be extended to cover this. Thearmor-class decrease caused by wearing themithral-ring jack in addition to chain mail canbe derived by comparing the standard armorclasses of chain mail armor (AC 5), ring/studdedarmor and shield (AC 6), svirfnebli (AC 2 wear-ing chain mail and jack), and surface gnomes(AC 5 wearing ring/studded and shield). It canbe seen that the effect of a mithral-ring jackwould be +2 (assuming surface and deepgnomes have the same bonus to armor class dueto size, dexterity, etc.). Of course, the jack couldbe worn on its own or could be made of rings ofdifferent metals.

I suggest the following system: The jackshould have a base armor class of 8 (if worn onits own) or +1 (if worn with chain mail) if it ismade of meteoritic iron (the lowest qualitymetal possible to make rings of the requiredquality). If the rings are made from mithralsteel, there would be an additional bonus of +1;if adamantite steel is used, the bonus is +2. Thejack would have an encumbrance of 10 lbs., benonbulky, and be worn only over ordinary orelfin chain mail. It could be worn by thieves, butat the same penalty as elfin chain mail (or asstudded, if worn with elfin chain).

Timothy MakinsonDunedin, New Zealand

I am writing in defense of banded mail armorwhich was undeservedly slighted in DRAGONissue #123�s �Forum.� I strongly disagree withMr. Ristow�s opinions on the matter, and, yes,Mr. Ristow, I am quite knowledgeable of armortypes, uses, designs, etc.

In his letter, Mr. Ristow states: �Banded mail isa type of armor known only in illustrations. . . ."Might I point out that the AD&D game is a gameof fantasy, not fact, as that letter makes it out tobe. Case in point: Dragons were also found onlyin drawings, paintings, and stories. This can besaid of all fantasy-type monsters in books.

Mr. Ristow also states: �In my campaign, Ihave banished banded mail. . . . My playersmust be content with . . . banded mail in pic-tures and drawings." As a DM, this tells me thatyou are not playing the AD&D game, but onlytrying to copy history (as evidenced by yourletter). But Gary Gygax said it best in the PlayersHandbook (p. 7): �ADVANCED DUNGEONS &DRAGONS is a fantasy game of role playingwhich relies on the imagination of participants,for it is certainly make-believe."

There is one thing on which I do agree withMr. Ristow: the fact that banded mail armordoes not exist in the real world. Still, there is noreason for it not to exist in a fantasy game suchas the AD&D game.

Daryl ShortRiverside CA

Lately, I have read a lot about assassins andhow they disrupt game play. I find this pointsadly wrong. First, I would like to point out thatI have only played the assassin class once, and Idid enjoy it. But I don�t think it�s the assassinthat�s the problem here; I think it�s more thepeople who play them. I have seen two peopleplay two different ways. One spied on a king�scastle for a neighboring country, then killed theking to break up the leadership, but only afterthe person asking for his service raised the

price to a level that the assassin thought wasfair. When adventuring in a group, this sameassassin used his abilities only when no one waswatching. (What assassin in his right mindwould want anyone to know what he is?) Like-wise, he would not do anything to another PCor NPC that might reveal his true identity. Theother person would do none of the above. Infact, the only time he would assassinate waswhen it was another PC. This spoiled everyone�sfun to the point that no one wanted to play. Ithink that the DM should read the DMG (p. 110)on handling troublesome players and not holdthe assassin class responsible.

Matt WrightSpring Arbor MI

Tom Moldvay�s grand review of vampire lore(issue #126) sent delicious chills up my spine.Vampire fiction has long been a major vehiclefor writers dealing with the theme of sacred vs.profane love. And Mr. Moldvay is absolutelyright � people in our nonmagical world haveprobably been �vampires." In addition to thesuggestions in the article, our �vampires� and�werewolves� may both have suffered fromcongenital erythropoietic porphyria. Victims ofthis autosomal recessive enzyme defect suffer apainful illness with extreme sensitivity to light.Even small amounts of sun exposure causesloughing of the skin, leading to hideous de-formity. Victims� teeth acquire a bright redfluorescence, and regardless of sex, they havevery hairy skins. One way to feel better is toload the body with molecules of heme � andthe simple way to do this is to drink fresh blood.

(continued on page 77)

8 MARCH 1988

©1988 by John C. Bunnell

FORGING THE DARKSWORDMargaret Weis & Tracy Hickman

Bantam Spectra 0-553-26894-5$3.95The cover copy of this first volume in

the Darksword trilogy describes the seriesas �majestic� � and oddly enough, theterm is appropriate. Margaret Weis and

10 MARCH 1988

Tracy Hickman have adopted a subtly dis-tant, quietly authoritative style and a formalyet diverse magic system for this chronicle,giving it a sense of realism almost as good asthe seal of an authentic monarch.

Into their world of subconsciously per-vasive order come two wild cards: Joram,

who must conceal his utter lack of inbornmagical ability to avoid execution or exile;and Saryon, whose talent of channelingpower does not prevent him from taking adangerous interest in the forbidden lore ofthe Ninth Mystery, better known as tech-nology to its students. Both eventually dofind themselves exiled, and their destiniesintertwine in a remote Technologist villagewhere they figure in the plans of Blach-loch, a renegade warlock determined torule both the outcast scientists and themages who fear them. Though the two arenormally solitary by nature, they must joinforces in order to create the Darkswordthat may be capable of thwarting Blach-loch�s bid for power.

Weis and Hickman make their protago-nists compelling, if not quite appealingcharacters, drawn with an almost ruthlessincisiveness that is fascinating in much thesame way as a skillfully performed feat orsurgery. Where the DRAGONLANCE® sagabooks could be described as light adven-ture (largely on the strength of TasslehoffBurrfoot�s irrepressible good cheer), theDarksword saga is distinctly darker andmore probing � just as absorbing, but notnecessarily as much fun in the reading.

But characterization is only half of thenovels attraction. Its rigorously consistentmagical logic is just as striking, taking theconcept of a sorcery-based civilization tostartling yet plausibly supported conclu-sions. Elemental magic may not be espe-cially unusual, but when the idea isextended to reshape the basic aspects ofThimhallan�s agriculture, it becomes moresurprising. Still more exotic is the fact thatin this culture, sex has been largely elimi-nated in favor of a closely managed systemof magical artificial insemination, withparents picked by the powerful religioushierarchy. Physical coupling is viewed as aperversion (which may sound outre tomany readers), but the authors not onlymake the premise work, they hang severalcritical plot points on the implications. Thedepth of the reasoning is more typical ofscience fiction than of fantasy, but thoughthe precision of a game design can also beimagined, it�s difficult to imagine translat-ing the culture to a campaign along withthe magic system.

The New York Times has acknowledgedWeis and Hickman as a best-selling team inboth its Book Review and its Sunday cross-word [October 4, 1987]. The Darkswordsaga seems likely to continue the trend �and perhaps a good deal more, if the fu-ture books match this one in scope andsubstance.

THE WIZARD OF 4TH STREETSimon Hawke

Questar 0-445-20302-1 $2.95As another in the growing list of fantasy

novels about New York City gone magical,The Wizard of 4th Street scores lots ofpoints for ambition and loses most of themfor lack of follow-through. The same holds

true of the book�s ties to the Arthurianlegends. But Simon Hawke�s adventuredoes have attractions for gamers who liketo blend spell-casting with larceny ratherthan with hack-and-slash combat.

It isn�t that Hawke�s New York lacks localcolor. It may be the 23rd century, andmagic may have replaced technology fol-lowing a �Collapse� (with a capital C), butall the old landmarks are still there, theatmosphere is properly international, andthe cab drivers are the same as ever. Noneof this flavor, though, has much to do withthe story Hawke tells, which might as wellbe set in any land or time after King Ar-thur�s reign.

Arthur himself doesn�t appear in thetale; Hawke seems to have borrowed themythology mostly for the sake of resur-recting Merlin in a supporting role thathas exactly the echo of Sir Alec Guinnessin his Star Wars incarnation. Morgan LeFay and Mordred are also on hand, butboth are merely namesakes rather thanreincarnations � not because Hawke saysthey are, but because their actions andpersonalities don�t seem to fit the moldscast for them by tradition, or even reason-able extrapolation. Hawke does have theaudacity to do away with Merlin at theend of the book, but leaves the way openboth for sequels and for a Saturday serialrescue.

Merlin�s student, and the book�s hero, isa young wizard called Wyrdrune whoplans a daring jewel theft in order to fi-nance his magical studies. But anotherthief has her eyes on the same prize, andthe gems in question turn but to be con-nected to a centuries-old binding spell anda plot to conquer the world. It�s a standardidea, given agreeable readability bysmooth characterization and Hawke�s keeneye for interesting applications of spell-craft. Wyrdrune and Kira are engagingpersonalities with a plausible mix of clev-erness, daring, and wide-eyed disregardfor logic, and their presence is what car-ries the tale. Those who play magic-usersor thieves will have a field day � anddrive DMs mildly insane � if they canadopt a similar mind set.

Gaming value aside, The Wizard of 4thStreet is at best worth a marginal recom-mendation. Fortunately, many librariesnowadays stock current paperbacks, andinterested gamers who have access tothese enlightened institutions will be ableto sidestep the sticky question of whetherthe book�s potential benefits justify castinga $2.95 vote in favor of average storiesover superior ones.

THE CROWN JEWELSWalter Jon Williams

Tor 0-812-55798-0 $3.50First, a quick background lecture: Walter

Jon Williams has written several novels(and is in fact one of the founding fathers)in the vein of science fiction known as�cyberpunk.� Those novels have absolutely

nothing to do with The Crown Jewels,which is clearly not cyberpunk. Actually,according to the flyleaf, this book isn�t anovel at all � it�s a divertiment, whateverthat is. The fact that it looks like a wry,softly satirical novel of theft and coun-tertheft in a complex multispecies atmo-sphere may be no more than an elaborateillusion.

The plot might have been drawn from ascrambled videotape library full of oldPink Panther movies and reruns of old TVshows like The Saint and It Takes a Thief.It�s a convoluted caper starring DrakeMajistral, heir to nearly a dozen nobletitles and estates that are all mortgaged tothe hilt and range over several worlds.Sustaining his social status and expensivelifestyle requires Drake to take up theprofession of honest thievery (no, that�snot a contradiction in terms), executingartistically staged cat burglaries and sell-ing the film rights as well as the loot. Inthis case, the �loot� is a valuable cofferthat holds the key to the imperial succes-sion of the Khosali Empire, and there arewould-be buyers and spies on all sides.

The story line recalls the classic definitionof space opera � the sort of mad chase inwhich everyone is scrambling for the sametarget with generally absurd results, andnever mind the scientific leaps of logic. ButWilliams�s narrative also recalls opera inanother sense. The Khosali, professionalthough rather benign conquerors with adeep sense of the aristocratic, go about lifein a highly stylized, formally polite meta-phorical dance that has strong parallels tothe rigid yet graceful conventions of �nor-mal� opera. And Williams writes in a gentlybiting prose style that perfectly matchesboth the Khosali notions of polite cultureand the cheerful deviousness needed tosustain the suspense.

The combination of elements is a diffi-cult one to bring off successfully, andwould probably be a major challenge tothose who might want to transplant thesetting into an SF gaming campaign. But atthe same time, the premise seems almosttailor-made for role-playing (not to men-tion a glorious movie, if it was cast prop-erly). Williams should have called TheCrown Jewels a novel. It�s too well-polished to be a divertiment, even if ismeant mostly in fun.

TIME PRESSURESpider Robinson

Ace 0-441-80932-4 $16.95If Time Pressure was an RPG scenario,

there would be almost nothing about itworth a complaint. Even when refereessubtly stage-manage their players� choices,the decisions are still in the players� hands.Spider Robinson doesn�t quite preservethis illusion of free will; there�s little doubton page 191 what his narrator will decideabout the fate of the universe on page 205.By itself, that might not be a fatal flaw inan otherwise agreeable novel � except

that on the evidence of the first 190 pages,Sam�s choice seems out of character, andnot even Robinson�s considerable skill canreshape a character in fourteen pages thattook nearly two hundred to establish.

What�s even more frustrating is that thesetup Robinson presents is fascinating.Into Nova Scotia�s wintry wilderness of1973, where an assortment of hippies anddraft dodgers have established a spread-out colony, comes a mysterious and possi-bly telepathic time traveler on what sheclaims is a historical research mission. Samand his writer friend Snaker O�Malley, theonly two science-fiction fans in the area,accidentally discover who and what Ra-chel is when her time capsule arrivesslightly off target, and they agree to helpher. But Sam has nagging doubts aboutRachel�s true motives, which eventuallyturn out to have foundation in reality.

The storytelling is Robinson�s usualsmooth blend of multilevel puns, sharpmodern epigrams, and observant left-handed perceptions of humanity. That�sboth a blessing and an irritant. The prosemakes entertaining reading even as itpasses on Robinson�s hidden messages, butthe voice is sometimes too obviously theauthor�s rather than the narrator�s. Likethe narrator of Robinson�s �Callahan�s Bar�stories, Sam describes his thought proc-esses in terms of rapid-fire computeroperations, and the two characters alsoshare the burden of blame for the death ofa wife and child. There�s no danger what-ever of getting the two sets of storiesconfused, but the similarities suggest thatRobinson needs to work on characterdevelopment more carefully.

Technically, Time Pressure might belabeled a fatally flawed book based on itscentral character�s uneven portrayal. Butif that description seems to put SpiderRobinson�s novel in the same category as,say, The Wizard of 4th Street, then it isn�ta fair portrayal. Robinson�s book may haveproblems, but it is nonetheless a serious(well, serio-comic) science-fiction storythat challenges the mind as much as itentertains. It�s also a sideways and logi-cally necessary companion piece to Robin-son�s earlier Mindkiller. And it is verydefinitely worth reading, flaws and all.

THE FIRST NAMEDJonathan Wylie

Bantam Spectra 0-553-26953-4 $3.95The last year or so has not been kind to

the epic quest. With some exceptions,most of the new quest-oriented fantasypublished has been tilted sharply eitherinto broad comedy or toward mighty-thewed heroes with the brain power ofovercooked spaghetti. That makes asquarely traditional book like The FirstNamed seem almost refreshing by con-trast. Jonathan Wylie may not win praisefor innovation or deep literary insights,but those looking for a solid and intelli-gently crafted adventure yarn should

D R A G O N 1 1

be thoroughly satisfied with this first entryin a trilogy about the royal house of Ark.

Wylie�s cast includes all the necessaryplayers: the three princes whose fatherdies in an unexpected rebellion; the courtwizard Ferragamo, who is appealing asmore of a sage than an antitank arsenal;the visiting princess caught up in the crisisand romantically linked to more than oneof the princes; and, the wickedly subtlesorceress who draws a sort of vampiricsustenance from those she enslaves.

There are also a few neatly executedtwists on the usual course of events. An-other supporting player is Rehan, whocomes to Ark in search of the missingPrincess Fontaine only to become an un-willing spy. Fontaine herself is agreeablyself-sufficient without being domineering.And Wylie does not subscribe to the un-written rule that none of the heroes areallowed to die in the first book.

The writing in The First Named is nei-ther showy nor elaborate, instead taking amatter-of-fact tone just a degree or twoabove flatness. This, too, is a refreshingdeparture from the courtly atmosphere orconstant witticism that turn up all toooften in current fantasy. It�s a mistake,though, to say that the tale is devoid ofhumor or lacks a sense of royalty when it�sneeded; Wylie simply lets such thingsspring from his characters when the timeis right rather than using them as windowd r e s s i n g .

One last matter is worth mentioning.Though this novel is only the first of three,it is a complete adventure in itself, withpromotional copy in the back suggestingthat the next book will pick up the saga ageneration later. That�s a bonus that Wylieis to be commended for providing, andone that should do nothing but add towhat is likely to be a popular new series.

SHADOWSPAWNAndrew J. Offutt

Ace 0-441-76039-2 $3.50To veteran followers of the Thieves�

World short story collections, the hero ofAndrew Offutt�s latest novel needs nointroduction. He is perhaps the single

12 MARCH 1988

cleverest cat burglar in Sanctuary, masterof the arts of silence and deception, and adangerous man to cross in a tight placebecause of the throwing knives he carriesin his boots.

Now, though, he has left Sanctuary withhis would-be lover Mignureal in an effortboth to escape that city�s chaotic dangersand to try to start a new and somewhatmore respectable life. Intrigue and dark-ness, however, refuse to stay away forlong, and between desert raiders, unob-trusive sorcerers, and 11 cursed silvercoins, Shadowspawn is soon forced tomake use of his thieving talents in aneffort to unravel the puzzle.

Offutt�s tale is basically free-standing sothat those who haven�t followed Thieves�World can still understand who�s who andwhat�s going on, though series fans willcatch several quick asides and observa-tions that outsiders will miss. The prose iscrisp and efficient, and Offutt does a goodjob of managing his characters and plot,though the coin curse is occasionallysomewhat erratic and there is not enoughforeshadowing to make the adventure awhodunit.

Yet besides being a credible guidebookfor aspiring master thieves, Offutt�s yarn isnoteworthy for featuring not one but twolively felines that manage to assert theirpersonalities quite well � without beingtelepathic. The device of the talking cat isone of the most easily mishandled gim-micks there is, and Offutt deserves con-gratulations for resisting the temptation togive the cats speaking parts. (Actually,�resisting temptation� may not be an ap-propriate phrase. It�s necessary for theplot that neither cat be able to speak �which is all that can be said without spoil-ing a major twist.)

Shadowspawn is another one of thosebooks that�s less ambitious than it isswashbuckling, though the swordplay andsorcery are neatly balanced with scenes ofhorse-trading (literally) and routine citylife. It really isn�t necessary to play a thiefcharacter in order to get an evening�sadvice and enjoyment out of Offutt�s novel.There�s material in plenty for almost any

gamer, assuming that he or she doesn�t getcaught up in the story and forget to payattention to making notes.

And now, as they say in Monty Python,for something completely different. . . .

A musical interludeBards � and music and poetry in gen-

eral � can be a real problem for DungeonMasters. The wandering minstrel, theobscure prophecy, and the threat of writ-ing a character into a scathing ballad areall very much a part of medieval fantasy,but the average DM is not likely to beeither a skilled folk musician or a poetwith the necessary background in rhymeand meter to make prophecies come outsounding authentic. Indeed, folk musicand poetry that rhymes are becomingalmost impossible to find these days, be-cause no one writes or sings such thingsanymore. Or do they?

Indeed they do, and bless them, theyeven put the songs on tape. The technical

term for this is �filk� music, which can beloosely translated to mean the folk musicof science fiction and fantasy. In turn,what this means is that the singer writes asong about his or her favorite charactersfrom Star Trek, Star Wars, or a favoriteBarbara Hambly novel (either creatingmusic or grafting the words onto a famil-iar tune), and proceeds to regale friendswith the composition either around thenearest fireplace or at the nearest SFconvention. Even AD&D® games don�tescape; there is a venerable set of lyricscalled �You Bash the Balrog,� sung to thetune of �Waltzing Matilda,� concerning anill-fated adventuring party that runs afoulof a goblin, a potion, and the title villain allin the space of a morning.

Filking has been going on long enoughnow that it has developed its own closetrecording industry � and the leading filk,publisher has recently outgrown its closet.Off Centaur Publications sells an amazingrange of tapes, song books, and musicalmiscellany that should be of immensevalue to anyone even remotely interestedin adding a musical atmosphere to an RPGcampaign. For example:

Heralds, Harpers, & Havoc (60-minutecassette, $9) features songs written byMercedes Lackey to supplement her Ar-rows trilogy about the Heralds who patrolthe kingdom of Valdemar. There are anumber of different vocalists representedon the tape, and songs to suit a variety ofpurposes. �Philosophy� falls into the cate-gory of character ballads as an engagingmemorial to mischief, though the lastverse won�t make sense to someone whohasn�t read the books. �Dark and StormyNight� offers the outlines of a murdermystery, if one with comic overtones.There are also several romantic tunes, and�Threes� concerns Lackey�s mercenarycharacters Tarma and Kethry, familiarfrom stories in the Sword & Sorceressanthologies and a novel to be publishedthis spring.

The story behind �Threes,� itself a mem-orable adventure ballad, is available onTurnabout (60-minute cassette, $7.50). Thisis a spoken-word tape of a short storypublished several years back in a smallfantasy magazine, and it�s educational tocompare the more detailed literary versionwith the later song. The tale itself is acleverly constructed scenario with possi-bilities for adaptation. Mary Mason�s read-ing of Lackey�s story is strong on vocalskills but occasionally strays into overin-terpretation. This recording is one of OffCentaur�s earlier products, which some-times shows in less polished engineering,but is still a fascinating and worthwhilecuriosity.

Horse-Tamer�s Daughter (60-minutecassette, $9) draws songs from a variety ofauthors focusing on female heroines.Worlds visited include Marion ZimmerBradley�s Darkover, Andre Norton�s WitchWorld, and the science fiction of C.J. Cher-ryh. Julia Ecklar is the performer, andnearly all the music has enough of abardic character to fit comfortably into agame setting, either as authentic back-ground or lures into adapted adventuresof one kind or another.

The range of filk material available isunusually broad, with both science fictionand fantasy well-covered and traditionalmusic represented as well. The quality ofthe recordings, writers, and performers is

genuinely professional. The major differ-ences between Off Centaur productionsand �real world� music are in the lyrics �and at least in some circles, the filksongswould win that comparison without eventrying.

A complete catalog of Off Centaur offer-ings is available by writing Off CentaurPublications at P.O. Box 424, El Cerrito CA94530. The company also sells tapes atvarious science-fiction conventions aroundthe country and makes its merchandiseavailable to local retailers, but most of itsbusiness is done by mail order.

Recurring rolesFrontier Alaska is perhaps an unlikely

setting for fantasy gaming, but ElizabethScarborough�s new novel should provideDMs with any number of ideas for makinguse of vampires and were creatures insettings other than Transylvania. TheGoldcamp Vampire (Bantam Spectra,$3.50), a sequel to The Drastic Dragon ofDraco, Texas, is a delightfully warped twiston the Dracula legend which has its vam-pire lore down cold and its charactersbewildered in high style.

Barbara Hambly, meanwhile, turns herattention to ancient Rome as Search theSeven Hills (Ballantine, $3.95) chronicles acomplicated kidnapping plot that wandersin and out of the struggles between theRomans and early Christian sects. Strictly

speaking, there are no fantasy elementshere, but the portrayal of city life and thedevious plotting both recommend them-selves to scenario designers.

After a series of winners, Pocket Books�line of Star Trek novels dips a bit withBloodthirst (Pocket, $3.95) � though not asfar as the cover copy makes it seem. De-spite a lot of subtext and innuendo to thecontrary, J.M. Dillard hasn�t written avampire story, but she doesn�t seem toknow who her main character is, whichbadly confuses an already complex schemeinvolving illegal research and Starfleetcorruption. Nor is David Gerrold�s noveli-zation of Encounter at Farpoint, the pre-miere of the brand-new Trek series,especially satisfying, as it does little be-yond transcribing the screenplay. BothGerrold and movie novelizer Vonda McIn-tyre have done better work.

Fever Season (DAW, $3.50) continues theshared-world series set in C.J. Cherryh�scity of Merovingen with results largelysimilar to those of the previous volume.The flavor this time is that of an episodicnovel, which speaks well for the editing,but the story quality is a touch uneven.Once again, Mercedes Lackey and LeslieFish provide the best and most satisfyingstories � to the extent that Fish�s charac-ter, the musician and undercover environ-mentalist Rif, seems like a prime candidatefor a novel all to herself.

14 MARCH 1988

by Matt Battison

For the past several years, I have en-countered a number of situations inAD&D® game campaigns where problemsand disputes arise concerning the use ofillusions in the campaign. If a PC encount-ers an illusion, must the player voice thecharacter�s disbelief before a saving throwis possible, or is the save always applicablefor the character, whether the playersuspects an illusion or not? I�ve been toldby a DM that the former is the case, but Ithen found myself wondering what wouldhappen if there were an illusionist in theparty? Would our opponents gain ourDM�s omniscient view and deduce thatthere was an illusionist present, therebyearning their saving throws every time?That would give NPCs an unfair advantageover PCs. When I brought this up, my DMagreed. Consequently, the ruling waschanged in our campaign, and from thatpoint on, saving throws against illusionswere like saving throws against everythingelse. That worked well until the day ar-rived that there was an illusionist in theparty. At that point, all hell broke loose.The bottom line is that illusions in theAD&D game aren�t sufficiently regulated.

Let�s take an example: An 8th-level illu-sionist faces an 8th-level fighter. He winsinitiative easily and casts a spectral forcespell. He chooses to create the illusion of alarge, ancient red dragon interposed be-tween the fighter and the illusionist. Sucha beast might well fit into the spell�s 1200-square-foot area of effect; presumably,such a dragon would occupy about a 50�x 20� area. Assuming that the fighter

automatically qualifies for a saving throw(after all, this dragon just popped in out ofnowhere), he still needs a 13 or better tosave. If he fails, he is treated to quite ashow � the claws, the bite, even thebreath weapon of that dragon, so long asthe illusionist concentrates on the illusion.Even if the illusionist doesn�t concentrate,

16 MARCH 1988

the illusion continues for three morerounds. Is this being unfair to the fighter?

Not as much as it�s being unfair to thecornerstone of the AD&D game, themagic-user. To compete with the illusionistin the scenario above, a magic-user needsto cast a monster summoning VII spell �something he cannot do until he reaches18th level! Even then, there is no guaran-tee that his monster will be a dragon, letalone a red one. And even if it is, there isno provision for selecting its size; likewise,its age is predetermined: a summoned reddragon will always be very old in this case(as it will do more damage). Furthermore,while the magic-user�s spell duration isample (at least 26 rounds), the illusionistcan operate his illusion for as long as heconcentrates, plus three rounds. Thecasting times reveal another handicap forthe magic-user: monster summoning VIIrequires nine segments to cast, whilespectral force requires only three.

What�s to be done when a DM has an8th-level illusionist PC who is outdoing his18th-level magic-user NPC? Is the DM to beshot at sunrise for such mismanagement?Not necessarily; a mere loss of initiativeand a failed save could still leave an 18th-level magic-user with big problems if hefaced an illusionist of even half his level!After all, why stop at a red dragon? Theillusionist might just as easily concoct atitan, a demon � yes, how about Demo-gorgon himself? What�s to limit the cleverillusionist? Okay, his victims get theirsaving throws, but these alone won�t cre-ate equity between magic-users and illu-sionists. There has to be something else.

The DM could make a bunch of stickyrules, like saying that if the illusionistcreates Demogorgon illusions, he mightend up getting Demogorgon angry. Insteadof creating 101 little rules, however, theDM should use one basic framework toregulate the illusionist; consequently, wehave the Illusions Table that goes with thisarticle. This table applies to any use ofphantasmal force , improved phantasmal

force, spectral force, and any other illu-sory conditions the DM deems applicable.

Some of the conditions listed in the tableare designed to prevent the creation ofillusions of creatures that are much morepowerful than the illusion-caster. Theseconditions are intended to encourage theillusionist to use moderation (for example,conditions 5 and 6 in the table). Whyshould an illusionist create an illusion ofDemogorgon when an illusion of a gorgonis easier? Furthermore, if an illusion of agnoll will suffice, why use anything else?(In the last instance, the illusion of thegnoll is easily cast, thus making it morebelievable.)

In the table, references to damage diceare for those occasions where an illusion-ist creates the illusion of a damage-inflicting spell. Up to this point, there havebeen no concrete guidelines for the regula-tion of spell-imitating illusions. In the past,the illusionist was free to simulate theeffects of a fireball created by a 30-HDfireball spell. If the victim failed to save, hetook 30-180 hp damage. Applying the rulesgiven in this article, an 8th-level illusionistsimulating a 30-HD fireball would allow hisvictims a saving-throw bonus of (30 - 8)x 2, or +44 to their saving throws! In

this case, the illusionist has clearly over-stepped his abilities. A safer bet would beto simulate a fireball cast by a magic-userof the illusionist�s same level (i.e., an 8-HDfireball). Better still, if the illusionist couldget by with the illusion of a 3-HD fireball,his victims would instead receive a -1 totheir saving throws. Still and all, if theillusionist faces a life-or-death situationand has to shoot for high-damage illusions,he would still be allowed the opportunity,but at a greater risk of miscasting the spellentirely. Thus, our 8th-level illusionistmight gamble on a 10-HD fireball illusion,but the trade-off would be a +4 saving-throw bonus for his opponents.

Condition 9 is one of the more importantrules listed in the table. It would be verydifficult for the average illusionist to simu-late a dragon; the glistening fangs, thrash-ing limbs and wings, glaring eyes, hisses,flapping noises, thundering roars, andearthshaking lunges would be difficult tomimic. Add to this the complexity of abreath weapon � the heat, light, and roarof a funnel of flame, for example � andthe illusionist�s workload suddenly in-creases. Condition 9 makes illusions ofspells or spell-like powers emanating froman illusory source a second test of theillusion�s believability. This is only fair.Consider an illusionist depicting a medusaor a catoblepas: If the gaze powers ofthese creatures go unchecked, a 6th-levelillusionist could slay opponents as easily ascould a 12th- to 14th-level magic-user.

Conditions 10 and 11 do not guaranteesaving-throw bonuses for phantasmalforce or improved phantasmal force. Theparticular illusion determines that. If a 10�-deep pit trap is created by phantasmalforce, no bonus is given to the target of

Illusions Table: Saving-Throw Modifiers

Illusion-casting condition1. Subject is a dwarf, gnome, or halfling2. Subject has above- or below-average wisdom3. Subject is using a helm of telepathy or telepathic powers4. Subject is surprised; illusion takes effect before surprise ends5. Illusory creature�s HD greater than illusionist�s level6. Illusory creature�s HD less than illusionist�s level7. Illusionist has never seen creature on which his illusion is

based8. Creature simulated is one-of-a-kind (a deity, demi-god, specific

PC or NPC, etc.)9. Illusion attempts spell-casting or spell-like attack

10. Spell lacks obvious sensory elements (as per phantasmal force)11. Spell lacks substantial sensory elements (as per improved

phantasmal force)12. Target is aware of illusionist�s profession or of illusion�s powers13. Target has been attacked previously by the illusionist with the

same spell1

14. Target is an illusionist or illusion-casting creature2

15. Illusionist is simulating a magic-user�s spell against a magic-user16. Subject�s intelligence is less than 717. Subject�s intelligence is greater than 18

Saving-throw modifierRacial modifier on saving-throws vs. spells appliesMagical attack adjustment applies+ 3-2 (-1 if illusion takes effect on last surprise segment)+ ((HD - level) x 2)+((½ level - HD) x -1)+ 2

+ 3

Roll saving throw vs. spells against illusion itself, not againstthe simulated attack+ 4+2

+ 2+1 per previous spell attack

+ 1+ 2- 1See Legends & Lore, page 7

1 Treat phantasmal force, improved phantasmal force, and spectral force as the same spell.2 This excludes magic-users.

the illusion. A phantasmal force lacks would if the character were unaware ofhis true nature.sound and temperature, but a pit trap

lacks any distinguishing audible ortemperature-oriented stimuli. A phantas-mal force illusion of a dragon, however,puts the spells limitations to the test. It islikely that the dragon will seem oddlyquiet. Furthermore, where are the heatand the odor of its breath? Characterssubjected to such an illusion gain a +4bonus to their saving throws. If, however,improved phantasmal force is used tomake the dragon, the lack of obvioussensory elements in the previous examplebecomes a lack of only substantial ele-ments. The dragon could now roar might-ily, but it would still be an odorless,room-temperature dragon. Consequently,a character subjected to the limitations ofthis illusion would receive a saving throwbonus of +2. Of course, if an illusion onlyinvolves sight and sound, sight and odor,or some other sensory combination, phan-tasmal force would lack only substantialsensory elements, and the subject wouldonly qualify for a +2 saving-throw bonus.

Condition 12 is another important case.Let�s assume that a character belongs to aparty containing an illusionist, and that heis aware of the illusionist�s profession. Theillusionist will have a tougher time makingthe character believe his illusions than he

Condition 13 works in a similar vein.After being hit a few times by the samespell from the same illusionist, a charactermight begin to notice the illusion�s subtleflaws. Condition 14 goes along with condi-tion 13. If the target uses illusions himself,he is much likelier to notice what�s reallygoing on. Condition 15 deals with similarcircumstances. For example, if an illusion-ist simulates a fireball spell, wouldn�t anopposing magic-user be likely to see thetiny flaws in the illusion? After all, whoknows fireballs better than a magic-user?

It may seem that the stipulations are toonumerous and that too many are benefi-cial to the target of the illusion. Nonethe-less, it must be stressed that a great dealof control on illusionist�s spells is neces-sary to prevent imbalance and abuse ofthe game�s loose parameters on the topic.

Let�s return to the example of the 8th-level illusionist facing an 8th-level fighter.Neither character has been surprised, andthe illusionist has won initiative. He stillwants to create a large, ancient reddragon. No previous spell of this sort wasused by the illusionist on the fighter. Thefighter is human, has normal wisdom, anddoes not possess a helm of telepathy orany sort of telepathic powers. The illusion-

ist has seen such a large, ancient reddragon before, and there is more than onered dragon in the world. This eliminates alot of modifiers right away. A large, an-cient red dragon is an 11-HD creature, sothe fighter gains a saving-throw bonus of(11 - 8) x 2 for a bonus of +6. For now,the illusionist will not bother simulatingthe breath weapons or spell-casting abili-ties of the dragon. As a result, the fighterwill be making only one save for now. Asstated earlier, the spell used by the illu-sionist is a spectral force, so all the sen-sory elements are there. The fighter isunaware that his opponent is an illusionist,the fighter does not normally use illusions,and his intelligence is normal. His modifiedsaving throw is now a 7 or better.

While players with illusionists mightargue that the table makes their spell-casting a lot more tedious, it should bepointed out that one cure for all that cal-culating is for the illusionist to use a fewillusions in a majority of situations, and tonote the modifiers for these illusions onhis character sheet. The information willthen be easily accessed when the timecomes to cast the illusion spells. The re-sults are fewer headaches for the DM andfewer dirty looks from the players.

D R A G O N 1 7

©1988 by Michael Gray

Alamaze is a computer-moderated, fan-tasy play-by-mail game from Pegasus Pro-ductions � and it is a treat. You play thisgame with other players around the coun-try, by mail and by phone. It takes morethan a year to complete, and it will be avery interesting year � you�ll meet newpeople, role-play a king and run a king-dom, and have lots of fun.

Alamaze is full of monsters and wizards,spies and spells, warlords and diplomats.Fifteen players control different �races,�

each with different strengths and weak-nesses. All the races (or kingdoms) startthe game spread out across the 26 x 26square grid that forms your world.

On each turn, you get a readout of whatis going on and what your people andarmies are doing. You have only so manyorders that you can issue each turn, so theproblem is to decide which orders towrite. You�ll probably want to issue twiceas many orders as you are allowed, butyou have an order limitation based on acharacter trait known as Influence (forexample, if your king�s Influence level is12, you can issue 12 orders). Additionally,most orders have a cost; diplomats andagents have to be paid, and soldiers must

be paid and fed.Since your readout only tells you what

you know � about the places you ownand where your spies and armies havegone � you don�t know everything. Four-teen other players are trying to win thegame, so you�re wise to make some friendsand allies soon, or you�ll find your king-dom is the target of someone else�s plans.

There are three ways to win the game:by controlling six out of 10 regions on themap; by achieving your kingdom�s specialvictory conditions; or, by having the great-est number of status points on turn 40.Special victory conditions are based on thenature of each kingdom. For example, thedwarves need to produce gold, the elvesneed to control the forest cities, the magic-users need magical artifacts, etc. Statuspoints are awarded for the number ofallies you have and for the number ofregions you control.

After you sign up for this game, you getyour setup information and two spiral-bound booklets: a rulebook and a manualof orders. The rulebook gives just enoughinformation for you to play the game. Forexample, you only learn a little bit abouteach kingdom, but you don�t know wherethe towns and villages are, and you haveno idea where any artifacts are hidden.

The order manual is nicely done. Eachorder (like #150: Attack a Population Cen-ter) has a number that indicates the se-quence in which that order is processedby the computer. There is nothing moremaddening than to wonder what happenswhen in a PBM game; here, the sequenceof orders is much clearer than in mostsuch games I�ve played. The general or-ders are in the manual, but there areother orders that are not. Magic spells, forexample, have order numbers, but youonly find out about these orders when yougain the ability to cast new spells.

As mentioned before, the number oforders you can issue equals your Influencelevel, which starts at 12 to 15. There areseveral ways to raise or lower a player�sInfluence, as the game will reveal. Yourstarting Influence is given on your setup sheet.

For each turn, which takes about twoweeks, you must send in your order to theGamemaster at Pegasus Productions. Yourorders are then processed with those of allother players, and you�ll soon be sent amultipage readout of what took place.With each readout, you get a blank turn-sheet and a preaddressed envelope.

The grid-map of Alamaze contains sev-eral different types of terrain, cities, seas,and rough regional locations. The regionalnames are overprinted across the grid.There are no printed regional boundaries,as these may change from game to game.Terrain includes plains, forests, mountains,seas, marshes, deserts, and cities, all ofwhich affect movement and combat.Towns and villages are not shown on themap; their locations change from game togame. You have to explore with groups,agents, and magic to find things.

There are 18 possible kingdoms, 15 ofwhich are used per game. The kingdomsare: Giants, Paladins, Gnomes, Elves,Darkelves, Rangers, Uriks, Westmen,Halflings, Dragons, Nomads, Dwarves,Barbarians, Swampmen, the Sorceror, theWitchlord, the Warlock, and the Under-world. Each kingdom is different. Dragonscan fly, the halflings can trade food forgold, the paladins have very strong troops,the Underworld has lots of agents, etc.Each kingdom starts with a given numberof population centers that are either clus-tered together or scattered about the land.

Each kingdom also starts with differingnumbers of troops, agents, emissaries,leaders, and wizards. All but the troopscan progress upward to higher levelsduring the game. However, your kingdomhas only a fixed number of wizards, andthere is a limit on the maximum levelthese wizards can achieve.

Military groups are made up of troops(archers, cavalry, infantry), leaders, andwizards. You can have only four suchgroups, which can move around, fightother groups, and attack population cen-ters. Movement rates also vary by king-dom. All groups can use 20 movementpoints per turn, but the number of pointsit takes to enter each terrain type varies.For example, dwarves can move easilythrough the mountains, but the Witchlorduses up 12 of his 20 points to enter amountain square. Dragons can fly overanything! The military groups have to befed and paid, so the more troops you have,the more it costs you to maintain them.Maintenance costs vary by kingdom.

There are three types of populationcenters: cities, towns and villages. Citiesproduce 15,000 + gold units each turn buthave a negative food production. Townsproduce about 8,000 gold and 3,000 foodunits; villages produce about 3,000 goldand 8,000 food. It takes a good mix ofpopulation centers to feed and pay yourmilitary groups, and still have plenty ofgold left to pay for your orders. Produc-tion can be increased by issuing the appro-priate orders and paying for the increase.Production can also be sabotaged by en-emy agents.

Each turn in the game represents amonth in the year. During three months ofeach year, gold production is halved andfood production is quartered. Almosteverything you do in this game has a goldcost. For example, it costs 6,000 gold touse your prince emissary (see next para-graph) in any way, and 8,000 to 10,000gold are needed to raise a wizard up to thenext power level.

Emissaries come in many ranks: princes,dukes, counts, barons, governors, ambas-sadors, and envoys. The higher the rank,the more effective the emissary is at diplo-matic efforts. Emissaries can be ordered toattempt to start a rebellion in an enemytown, to usurp control, or to maintain thestatus quo. The strategic power of emis-saries is easily underestimated by new

D R A G O N 19

20 MARCH 1988

players who concentrate on military con-quests alone.

The High Priestess is a very special emis-sary. It costs 18,000 gold just to hire herand 5,000 to 7,000 gold for each divina-tion. There is also a 30% chance per divi-nation that the High Priestess will die fromthe shock. But the benefits of having apriestess are awesome. For example, youcan find out where all the towns in Am-berland are, or where all the villages thatthe Rangers own are, or the name of ahidden and powerful magical artifact.

Agents and fanatics are your spies andassassins. They can train to increase levels,or they can increase levels by successfullycompleting their missions, including steal-ing gold or food, sabotage, kidnapping,assassination, bribing, trailing groups, orexploring a square.

Magic is reserved for wizards. Eachkingdom starts with up to five wizards.Military kingdoms may start with two low-level wizards who can only get to power 3(�power� is used for �level�) during thegame, whereas the Witchlord starts withfour low-level wizards and a wizard ofpower 4, with a limit of power 8! The spelllists vary only slightly by kingdom. Whena wizard goes up a level, he gets a list ofnew spells he can cast. Low-level spellsinclude Create Food, Fear, Magic Research,and Raven Familiar. High-level spells in-clude Kill Leader, Create Gold, Wall ofFlame, Invisibility, Teleportation, andEarthquake.

Military groups are led by leaders (cap-tains, generals, marshals, and warlords)who are promoted as they fight battles.Leaders confer a percentage increase tothe troops� strength during battle.Kingdom-named troops, such as theGnome troops of the Gnomes� player, arestronger than new recruits (which arelevied in towns and cities). Recruits can betrained up to veteran level. Other types oftroops can be magically summoned andadded to your groups; monsters, skele-tons, and ghouls are available. The bestpart about summoned troops is that theydon�t have to be paid!

If all this isn�t enough, you can tradegold and food with other players, searchfor artifacts, or struggle for a seat on thefive-member High Council. The High Coun-cil votes to commend its members andfriends, and to condemn its enemies. Beingon the High Council increases your Influ-ence by 1. It�s nasty when your enemiescontrol the council!

Each king has three secrets, called Skele-tons, listed on his setup sheet. These se-crets are embarrassing facts that lower hisInfluence if revealed by another player,and they can be discovered by bribing aplayer�s emissaries. When a skeleton isrevealed, a player loses Influence and getsthrown off the High Council (if he is on it).

Alamaze is a very diplomatic game. I�vecommunicated with other Alamaze playersmore than in any other PBM game I�veplayed over the past 11 years; be prepared

for a huge phone bill. If you don�t try to�diplome,� you may not last long.

As a game designer myself, I�d have tosay that this is one of the finest designsI�ve seen. Its roots are in Earthwood, a finefantasy game by GSI, but it is much morecomplex and sophisticated. Though I�vehad some problems with the processing ofmy orders, the wrinkles are being ironedout on an ongoing basis. The designer,Rick McDowell, is a very conscientiousgame master, quick to fix errors and al-ways ready to improve his game. Hedoesn�t leak secret information, even toreviewers like me.

Several areas still need cleaning up. Thespell lists need some work, for example.Of two spells I received at level 5, one does900 points of damage to the enemy perlevel of the spell-caster (Command Tor-nado), and the other does 1,100 points ofdamage per level (Earthquake). I�ll nevercast a Command Tornado. It would havebeen better to give me the Tornado at level4. Perhaps this was an attempt to vary thespell lists from kingdom to kingdom.

I have two other pet peeves, but one ofthem has been fixed. There was once noway to protect a wizard from an assassina-tion attempt. If you lost a wizard, younever got another to replace him! Thisproblem was recently patched up � agood example of how effective the gamemaster is in keeping the game enjoyable.My other peeve is that an enemy playercan hit and run before you can catch him.For example, an enemy group can showup at one of my towns on one turn, thenattack the town on the next turn, captureit, and move away before I can catch it. Ican use an agent to find out where thegroup went, but unless I am lucky, it canalways stay one jump ahead of me. Thereis a magic spell that prevents a group fromretreating, but you have to be in the samesquare as the enemy to use it. Maybethere�s a higher-level spell that takes careof this problem (I haven�t seen the higher-level (6-8) spell lists yet).

I like this game, and I recommend it toexperienced players. At $6.00 per turn, itis expensive to play, and it is quite com-plex. Novices can do quite well if they allywith and learn from veteran players.Players should consider spending lots oftime on the phone. Two or three playerscan find out much of what is going onthrough coordination of their orders.

If this sounds like the game for you,good luck! I�ll be waiting for you inAlamaze!

Alamaze is offered by Pegasus Produc-tions, P.O. Box 70636, Ft. Lauderdale FL33307. The setup package is $15 and in-cludes two rulebooks, a map, your setup,and your first two turns.

To theCenter of theOerthThe fast lane through subterraneantunnel design

by Vic Broquard

Having completed their exploration ofyour Dungeoneer’s Survival Guide Under-dark cavern, your adventurers now headdown a 10-mile-long tunnel in search ofthe next great cavern. You quickly esti-mate the time needed to get through thetunnel and announce, �After spendingeight hours marching through the longtunnel, you arrive . . . � To which the play-ers cry, �What do we find in the tunnel?�� and you discover you have no idea.Well, don�t despair; the following tunneldesign tables can take care of all com-plaints in your underground campaign.

The gigantic Underdark caverns are notjust a few feet apart, so characters actu-ally spend considerable time movingthrough the connecting tunnels. Becauseof this, and because well-developed tun-nels add greatly to the overall mood of anunderground adventure, it is important todesign the tunnels well. This is especiallytrue for beginning Underdark explorers,who are probably unsure of what equip-ment to bring along, what safeguards areneeded, or even what to expect in such asetting. In fact, in my campaign, the play-ers had nearly as much fun making theirway down the tunnels as they did in han-dling the great cavern complexes!

The following tables can be used toprepare interesting and challenging tun-nels in any campaign. They incorporaterules from both the Dungeoneer’s SurvivalGuide and Wilderness Survival Guide.Tunnels are grouped into two categories:waterways and dry tunnels. The dry tun-nels are traveled on foot, while waterwayscan only be traveled by some form of boat.

22 MARCH 1988

The dry-tunnel case is examined first,since dry tunnels are more commonlyused in Underdark campaigns.

Dry tunnelsIt is assumed that the Dungeon Master

has already drawn in the major tunnelsconnecting the large underground cavernsof his Underdark realm. To flesh out anygiven dry tunnel, one merely needs toconsider that it is composed of one ormore sections � each with its own set ofcharacteristics.

There are several ways of using thesetables. One way is to generate each sectionof the tunnel; another way is to use thetables for ideas, and just place cavernfeatures where desired. (Both methodshave been used in my campaigns.)

For the basic section design, one beginswith Table 1A, which provides the lengthof the tunnel section. Next, the sectionheight and width are found on Table 1B.Tables 1C and 1D define the section�s slopeand direction, and Tables 1E and 1F pro-vide the options for the floor surface. Theslopes correspond to the climbing tables inboth the DSG and WSG. Tables 1G and 1Hdefine local air quality and illumination.

Table 2A is then checked to determinewhat, if any, special features occur withinthat section. Many of these will providenumerous challenges for characters andplayers alike � especially for inexperi-enced underground adventurers. TheGeothermal Activity table (Table 2B) andthe Section Blockages table (Table 2C) addvariety. But the Habitation Signs table(Table 2D) can be extremely valuable inproviding subtle clues about the nextmajor cavern coming up � dead bodies,ruined outposts, broken weapons, battle-fields, cairns marking territories, etc.

Lastly, Tables 1I through 1K show whattunnel changes occur in the next section.If none occur, this new section can beincorporated into the preceding section bysimply adding the new length onto thelength of the preceding section. If sidetunnels are needed, one can then use thetables for designing these branches aswell. The end product is rewarding for theplayers and DM alike.

One caution: Don�t be a slave to die rolls.Some of the choices can be mutually exclu-sive or highly improbable. One cannothave dusty, dry floors and at the sametime have steam vapors in the air, forcondensation would surely form. Further,one may adjust the design to fit the overallcampaign by including cairns, graves,broken tools, and the like where desired.Use of dungeon dressing in Appendix I ofthe Dungeon Masters Guide (pages 217-220) is helpful here.

WaterwaysThe design of waterways is similarly

handled. Table 3A gives the length of thesection. Tables 3B through 3E yield thecrucial characteristics needed for travel,including the section width, water depth,ceiling height above the water level, andrate of water flow. Realize that with fastflow rates come drop-offs � small rapidsand falls (these are expressed as footnotesto Table 3E). Tables 3F through 3I give thesection direction, water temperature(don�t forget hypothermia effects), airquality, and illumination. The chances forillumination in a water-filled passage arelow because of the continual water ero-sion on all rock surfaces.

Next, add any special features fromTables 4A through 4D; these are addedalong with any of the drop-offs requiredby the DSG flow-rate tables. Again, bereasonable; if the tunnel is very small andplacid, do not expect to find a whirlpool inthe middle of the tunnel! Lastly, Tables 3Jthrough 3M determine what aspects (ifany) change in the next section.

I have included two examples of tunnelsfleshed out with these tables. In bothcases, the Underdark caverns are identi-fied by a letter, such as cavern C. Themajor tunnels connecting them are identi-fied by combining the letters of the ca-verns. Thus, tunnel CD connects caverns Cand D. The first example is a dry tunneland the second, a waterway.

Example 1: Dry Tunnel CD

General characteristicsLength: 17 milesDescent: 2,000’Slope: 20

Width: 15’Height: 15’

Wandering monstersCheck every six turns while moving, or

three times per day while stationary. Anencounter occurs on a roll of 1-2 on ld6.

D R A G O N 23

Special featuresCavern C is home to 76 goblins. The

cavern itself is roughly 300’ x 400’, andhas an uneven ceiling ranging in heightfrom 25-50’. Cavern D is home to severalnormal, underground monsters of neutralalignment (particularly hook horrors). Thiscavern is larger than cavern C, being 400’x 600’ and having a ceiling ranging inheight from 30-60’. The floor and ceilingof this cavern are covered by many of theunderground formations listed on page 8of the DSG (stalactites, stalagmites,columns, etc.), making cavern D convo-luted in comparison to cavern C.

The tunnel connecting these caverns isnearly level, dropping almost impercepti-bly downward. It has a rough, wet surfacewith many twists and turns. The air qual-ity is normal, and there is no illumination.

Tunnel map key1. At ½ mile from C, the floor descends

moderately for the next 40’. There is achance of falling (see the DSG, pages 15-20, and the WSG, pages 33-36). Considerthe floor as dry. A falling character mayattempt to catch himself, if the action isattempted in time. At the end of this sec-tion, the floor becomes wet and resumesits gentle descent.

2. At 2½ miles from C, the tunnel nar-rows to a width of 5’ and begins twistingand snaking for ¼ mile. Somewhere alongthis path is a wandering monster; use nolarge-sized monsters.

3. At 5 miles from cavern C, there is a50’-deep chasm. This chasm is 10'-wideand totally blocks the tunnel. The remainsof a stone bridge are visible. (The goblinssmashed the bridge to prevent intrusioninto cavern C.) On the extremely rockyfloor of the chasm are 112 cp, 253 sp, andtwo gems (worth 50 gp and 10 gp). Brokenbits of weapons can be found, along withpieces of bone from slain goblins andadventurers. In the northeastern corner ofthe chasm is a narrow side tunnel thatruns northward. It is 5’ high and 4’ wide;its floor is very rocky. If the party decidesto explore this tunnel, it ends after 3 milesat the edge of a subterranean creek. Fur-

ther exploration is possible only by boat.4. At 6½ miles from C are the skeletons

of three creatures: a duergar and twogoblins. They have been dead for a longtime. A careful study of the area revealsthe signs of a skirmish, and a few bits ofbroken weapons litter the floor.

5. At 7½ miles from C is another steepdescent. This one is slightly wet. It is clas-sified as a “steep downward’ tunnel and is100’ in length.

6. At 8 miles from C is a large chamberroughly 50’ x 75’. The entire rough-walledcavern has been hand-carved. Debrislitters the floor, and there is a large moundof rock in the southeast corner of thechamber. A careful inspection of the wallsindicates that a vein of gold runs north-west to southeast. (The duergar dug thisexploratory chamber while determiningthe size and extent of the vein. It is capa-ble of producing only 10 gp worth of goldper man-week, which is why the duergarabandoned the venture.)

7. At 10 miles from C is a series of ledgeson either side of the trail. These are filledwith piles of small boulders. Here, thegoblins intended to bombard invaders andthen retreat.

8. At about 11½ miles from C are threeminor side rooms occupied by wanderingmonsters. From here on, the tunnel nar-rows to 10’.

9. At 13 miles from C, a large stone cairnmarks the end of goblin territory. Here,the tunnel widens to 15’ again.

10. At 15 miles from C, the tunnel be-comes very warm for nearly 500’ (geother-mal heat is responsible). There is a sidetunnel running steeply downward for 5miles, punctuated by numerous twists andturns. This tunnel is approximately 4’wide, with an average ceiling height of 3’.The increasingly hot side tunnel ends in apartially cooled bed of lava (50’ x 90’).

11. At 15½ miles from C is a 100’ sectionof tunnel filled with noxious vapors. Half-way through this section is a 1” crack inthe wall extending from the floor to theceiling. This crack leads eventually to thesame bed of geothermal activity as in area10. Noxious gas continually sprays from

24 MARCH 1988

the crack (see the DSG, page 37). Beyond50’ on either side of the crack, the vaporshave been diluted enough so that they arelonger harmful.

12. At 16 miles from cavern C, the pas-sage becomes very windy. As a result ofthis, torches are 50% likely to be blownout each round and cannot be relighted.Lanterns, if shielded, continue to burn. Aninspection of the ceiling reveals a 2’ circu-lar shaft rising nearly vertically. The airrushes up the shaft. The windy conditionlasts for nearly ½ mile, at which point theparty discovers another similar shaft. Thisone, however, is in the floor and goesnearly straight down. The air rushes upout of this hole. Many miles below is alarge duergar city; together, these two airshafts are part of the city’s air ventilationsystem. If a coin or rock is dropped, nosound will be heard on landing. The shaftis miles deep. Beyond the shaft towardcavern D, the air speed is normal.

If the party attempts to detect odorshere, say that there is a trace of smokefrom something burning and some odorsof cooking.

Example 2: Waterway ST

General characteristicsLength: 3 milesWidth: 20’Water depth: 6’Overhead clearance: 4’Rate of flow: Medium (60’ per round)Water temperature: 40°FAir supply: NormalIllumination: NoneDrop-offs: 10% chance of one 1-3’ drop-off

per mile

Wandering monstersCheck every six turns while moving, or

three times per day while stationary. Anencounter occurs on 1-2 on 1d6.

Special featuresCavern S is home to 37 troglodytes. The

stream that constitutes waterway ST en-ters this cavern in the east, flows throughthe middle of the cavern, and exits to thewest. The stream itself is 20’ wide; abridge connects the cavern floors sepa-rated by the waterway. Cavern S is 400’ x400', with a ceiling height of 25’. Thefloors of this cavern are made of water-smoothened limestone.

At the end of waterway ST is cavern T,an abandoned duergar mine that has filledcompletely with water. The cavern isroughly 100’ x 200’, with a ceiling height(from water level) of 15'. The cavern flooris completely submerged underwater,although a few ledges and rock escarp-ments jut out from the cavern walls. Thewater depth in this cavern is 30’ in theabandoned mine’s center. In the north wallof the cavern is a tunnel that formerlyserved as an exit from the duergar mine.(Tables follow on page 26; the text continues onpage 28.)

Underdark Tunnel Design Tables

Dry Tunnel DesignGeneral Characteristics Tables 1A-1K

Table 1ALength of Section

1d20 Distance (dice)1-2 5-40' (5d8)3-6 40-90’ (30 + 10d6)

7-11 100-400' (10d4 x 10)12-18 500-1,000� (400 + (10d6 x 10))19-20 500-2,000� (10d4 x 50)

Table 1BSection Height and Width

1d2012

3-45-67-9

10-1314-18

1920

Type (height x width)Tiny (1� x 1�)Tight (2� x 2�)Crawl (3� x 3�)Wide crawl (3� x 5�)Very narrow (5� x 3�)Narrow (5� x 5�)Normal (10� x 10�)Wide (15� x 15�)Very wide (20� x 60�)

Table 1CSection Slope

1d20 Description (o slope)1 Steep up (51-70°)

2-3 Moderate up (31-50°)4-7 Gentle up (15-30°)8-13 Level (between 15° up and

15° down)14-17 Gentle down (15-30°)18-19 Moderate down (31-50°)

20 Steep down (51-70°)

Table 1DSection Direction

1d20 Direction1-3 Curving right4-6 Curving left

7 Sharp right8 Sharp left

9 - 1 6 S t r a i g h t17-20 Twisting and snaking

Table 1EFloor Texture

1d20 Description1-2 Slick/polished3-5 Smooth

6-11 Normal12-15 Rough16-17 Tiered18-19 Covered by large boulders

20 Covered by sharp rocks

Table 1FFloor Condition

1d20 Description1 Water-filled (up to 1� deep)

2-6 Slippery (wet and slimy)7-15 Slick (damp or wet)

16-19 Dry, good footing20 Dusty (dead tunnel; check

cave-in chances)

Table 1HIllumination*

Light quality1d20 (equivalent to:)1 - 1 0 N o n e

11-14 Very weak light (moonless)15-17 Weak light (moonlight with

overcast clouds)18-19 Moderate light (moonlight

with no clouds)20 Bright light (twilight)

* All underground illumination is as-sumed to come from either lumines-cent fungi, larvae, insects, or rocks.Shafts to the surface of the earthshould be extremely rare and wouldprovide little light. Magical light sourcesare always possible.

Table 1GAir Supply

1d20 Description1 Poisonous/noxious gas2 Stale

3-6 Faint circulation7-13 Normal

14-16 Drafty1

17-18 Windy2

19 Rushing air3

20 Steam vapors

1 1% chance of torch blowout perround.2 10% chance of torch blowout perround.3 50% chance of torch blowout perround.

Table 1IChanges Following This Section

Step Section change (table reference)1 Distance must always be rerolled (Table 1A)2 Roll the number of attributes that change (Table 1J)3 Roll for the attribute(s) that change (Table 1K)

Table 1JNumber of Attributes That Change

1d20 Attribute changes1-5 None

6-10 1 attribute11-14 2 attributes15-17 3 attributes18-19 4 attributes

20 5 attributes

Table 1KAttributes That Change

1d201-45-7

8-1112-1516-17

181920

Section change (table reference)Section height and width (Table 1B)Section slope (Table 1C)Section direction (Table 1D)Floor texture (Table 1E)Floor condition (Table 1F)Air supply (Table 1G)Illumination (Table 1H)Add special feature (Table 2 group)

26 MARCH 1988

D R A G O N 2 7

Dry Tunnel DesignSpecial Features Tables 2A-2D

Table 2ASpecial Features

1d10001-3031-3637-4344-4647-53

54-5960-6566-7071-7576-8485-95

FeaturesNoneSide ledges or tiersMinor side rooms (3-60� wide x (10d20 x 10)� long)Stairs (natural or manmade)Side tunnels that dead-end in 1-6 miles with cross sections of 5�x 5� or less (roll 1d100 for special features; 20% are smallunderground streams)Pits (3-18� deep)Chasms (20-200� deep x 4-40� wide)Cliffs (10-100� high)Geothermal activity (Table 2B)Blockages (Table 2C)Habitation signs (Table 2D)

96-9899-00

Minor mineral veinDM�s choice

Table 2BGeothermal Activity

1d20 Description1-8 Hot or boiling pool of water

9-10 Poisonous/noxious gas vent11-13 Steam vent14-19 Hot air

20 Lava pool

Table 2CSection Blockages

1d20 Blockages1-3 Large boulder field4-6 Minor cave-in7-9 Water pool10 Quicksand11 Oil pool12 Tar pit

13-17 Large stalactites, stalagmites,or columns

18 Balconies19 Waterway (random size)20 DM�s choice

Table 2DHabitation Signs

1d100 Signs of habitation01-05 Cairn marking territory

06 Ruined building (outpost orguardpost)

07-12 Old campsite13 Small, abandoned shrine

14-15 Dead bodies16-17 Shallow grave18-19 Burial mound20-21 Secret stash22-35 Broken tools, weapons, or

armor36-37 Intact tools, weapons, or

armor38-41 Battlefield42-62 Worked stone surfaces63-70 Abandoned adventurer�s gear71-89 Intact bridge90-00 Ruined bridge

Waterway DesignGeneral Characteristics Tables 3A-3M

Table 3ALength of Section

1d20 Distance (dice)1-2 5-40' (5d8)3-6 40-90’ (30 + 10d6)

7-11 100-400' (10d4 x 10)12-18 500-1,000� (400 + (10d6 x 10))19-20 500-2,000' (10d4 x 50)

Table 3BSection Width

5d12 Description5-20' Narrow

20-60� Average

Table 3CWater Depth

Depth (at1d10 tunnel�s center)

1 1� or less2-3 1-4'4-6 5-9’7-9 10'10 15'

Table 3DCeiling Height

Height1d10 (above water)

1 1� or less2-3 1-4'4-8 5'

9-10 10'

(continued from page 24)The tunnel has now collapsed. Though thetunnel and stream continue to the surface,there is no room for passage; the waterlevel reaches the ceiling of the tunnel.

Although the mine has been abandoned,a few small gold veins have not been com-pletely tapped. Industrious players mayfind a way to extract these metals (worth100-400 gp), although transporting them tothe surface will be a problem.

Waterway map key1. At 3,000� from cavern S, the tunnel

width narrows to 10�; the rate of waterflow increases to 120� per round. Thissection is 500� long. After 3,000�, there is aseries of three large boulders in the mid-dle of the stream; check for collisions.

2. At 1 mile from S, the tunnel resumesits original width and rate of water flow.Sandy beaches are on either side for the(continued on following page)

28 MARCH 1988

Table 3FSection Direction

1d36 Direction1-3 Curving right4-6 Curving left7 Sharp right8 Sharp left

9-16 Straight17-20 Twisting and snaking

Table 3ERate of Flow

1d20 Description (flow rate)1-4 Stagnant (0� per round)5-9 Placid (1-40� per round)

10-15 Medium (41-120� per round)1

16-19 Rapid (121-240� per round)2

20 Cascade (241-600� per round)3

1 Roll of 1-2 on 1d6 results in one drop-off of 1-3� per mile.2 Roll of 1-5 on 1d6 results in 1-6 drop-offs of 1-4� per mile.3 3-18 drop-offs of 1d8� each per mile.

Table 3HAir Supply

1d20 Description1 Poison or noxious gas2 Stale

3-6 Faint circulation7 - 1 3 N o r m a l

14-16 Drafty1

17-18 Windy2

19 Rushing air3

20 Steam vapors

1 1% chance of torch blowout perround.2 10% chance of torch blowout perround.3 50% chance of torch blowout perround.

Table 3GWater Temperature

1d201

2-34-1213-1516-17

181920

Temperature (°F)32°33-35°36-40°41-45°46-50°51-80°81-100°100+° Table 3L

Attributes That Change

next 500�. On the northern beach are signsof an old campsite.

3. At l½ miles from S, six large columnspartially block the tunnel; check for colli-sions. For the next 400�, the ceiling heightabove the water drops to 2�.

4. At 2 miles from S, a side tunnel runsnorthward. It is only 5� wide and has awater depth of 3� and a head clearance of2�. The tunnel is very twisty and dead-ends in 3 miles. At the very end, there is asmall silver vein capable of producing 25sp worth per man-week, for a total of1,500 sp.

5. At 2½ miles from S are side ledges oneither side of the tunnel. Both ledges arecovered with flotsam. Various pieces ofbroken weapons, clothing, and other gearcan be found in the drift piles. Buried in

Table 3KNumber of Attributes ThatChange

1d20 Attribute changes1-5 None

6-10 1 attribute11-14 2 attributes15-17 3 attributes18-19 4 attributes

20 5 attributes

1d201-45-67-8

Table 3I 9-12Illumination* 13-16

171d20 Light quality (equivalent to:) 181-15 None 19

16-18 Very weak light (moonless) 2019-20 Weak light (moonlight with overcast clouds)

* All underground illumination is assumed to come from either luminescent fungi,larvae, insects, or rocks. Shafts to the surface of the earth should be extremely rareand would provide little light. Magical light sources are always possible.

Section change (table reference)Section width (Table 3M)Water depth (Table 3C)Ceiling height (Table 3D)Rate of flow (Table 3E)Section direction (Table 3F)Water temperature (Table 3G)Air supply (Table 3H)Illumination (Table 3I)Add special feature (Table 4 group)

T a b l e 3 JChanges Following This Section

Step Section change (table reference)1 Distance must be rerolled (Table 3A)2 Roll number of attributes that change (Table 3K)3 Roll attribute(s) that change (Table 3L)

Table 3MChanges in Section Width

1d6 Width alteration1 Decrease width by 10� (or 5�

if width is currently 10�)2-5 No change6 Increase width by 10�

D R A G O N 29

Waterway DesignSpecial Features Tables 4A-4D

Table 4ASpecial Features

1d100 Features01-25 None26-31 Sandy beaches32-40 Side ledges or tiers (landing is possible)41-46 Minor side rooms that are 90% likely to be dry (3-60� wide x

(10d20 x 10�) long)47-55 Side tunnels that dead-end in 1-6 miles that are only 40% likely to

be dry (roll for characteristics)56-63 Obstacles such as large boulders, columns, etc.64-66 Rapids*67-68 Whitewater rapids*

69 Minor waterfalls (1-4) of 1-10� each*70 Large waves from an earthquake or cave-in

71-75 Minor mineral vein76 Junction with a large underground river or an exit or entrance to

the surface77-78 Geothermal activity (Table 4B)79-83 Tunnel blockages (Table 4C)84-97 Habitation signs (Table 4D)98-00 DM�s choice

* These are in addition to any possible drop-offs determined by the Rate of Flowtable (Table 3E).

30 MARCH 1988

Table 4BGeothermal Activity

1d20 Description1-8 Hot or boiling water

9-10 Poisonous/noxious gas vent11-14 Steam vent15-20 Hot air

Table 4CSection Blockages

1d20 Blockages1-3 Large boulder field4-6 Minor cave-in7-9 Small whirlpool11 Oil seepage forms scum on

water12-18 Large stalactites, stalagmites,

or columns19-20 DMs choice

Table 4DHabitation Signs

1d10001-1011-1314-2526-2930-3435-36

3738

39-4142-5960-6364-7475-8081-00

Signs of habitationCairn marking territoryRuined building (outpost or guardpost)Old campsite on ledge or beachSmall abandoned shrineDead bodies, on land or floatingShallow grave on landSecret stashDamCanalFlotsam or jetsam (broken tools, weapons, armor, or boats)Intact tools, weapons, armor, or boatsWorked stone surfacesAbandoned adventurer�s gearDM�s choice

the debris is a badly scoured ivory carvingthat is worth 100 gp. On the north ledge isa small monster lair (DM�s choice).

6. At 3 miles from S is a side chamberthat is above water and dry. It is about 20�x 30�, and is home to a wandering mon-ster (DM�s choice). It has very rough wallsmarked by several large cracks. The ca-vern shows numerous signs of flooding.

During a flood, water pours into the roomfrom the cracks. In the northeastern cor-ner of this small cavern is a tiny ledgecovered by a patch of edible fungi whichhas just begun to take hold in the stonywall. Underneath the fungi patch are therotting remains of a leather pack andclothes. In a pocket of a shirt is a forgottenearring worth 10 gp.

TheFolk of theUnderworldThe svirfneblin point of view

by Eric Oppen

Of all the underground-dwelling races ofdemi-humans, the svirfneblin, or deepgnomes, differ least in outlook from theirsurface-dwelling cousins. Having movedunderground voluntarily (instead of fleeing alost war, as the drow and duergar did), thesvirfneblin have less animosity toward theworld in general and their surface-dwellingkin in particular. [See “The Gnomish Point ofView” in the Best of DRAGON® MagazineAnthology, Volume 3.]

Gnomes and deep gnomesLike surface gnomes, svirfneblin love

jewels and do exquisite work with them.Their jewelry is a much-prized article oftrade in the underground world, purchas-ing things the deep gnomes cannot makethemselves. Svirfneblin and gnomes sharean affinity for jewels that closely parallelsthe dwarven and duergar skills withmetal, or the elven love of living things.

Another area of similarity between deepand surface gnomes is their sense of hu-mor. Pranks and practical jokes are amajor source of svirfneblin amusement,and are often turned into a form of de-fense or attack, particularly against largerraces. Svirfneblin jokes tend to be grim-mer than those played by surface gnomes,since many of these jokes are played onenemies. A svirfneblin who successfullydefiles a shrine to Lolth without the drowcatching on is regarded as a hero, just as isthe surface gnome who palms off a neck-lace of strangulation on an enemy byrepresenting it as a magical necklace ofsome other sort. To the svirfneblin, anenemy�s discomfort is extremely humor-ous, particularly if it proves fatal.

Svirfneblin culture differs in severalways from that of the surface gnomes.One obvious difference is the apparent

32 MARCH 1988

dominance of svirfneblin males in all pro-fessions having to do with the world out-side their settlements. No femalesvirfneblin willingly leaves the settlement,except in the case of a dire emergency.There are two reasons for this. First, therelatively low birthrate among deepgnomes makes it imperative that the fe-males (who are much more important in asociety with a low birthrate) be protectedfrom the terrible dangers of the under-world as much as possible. Second,whereas most surface gnomes confrontrelatively stupid enemies such as orcs,goblins, and kobolds, deep gnomes mustdeal with exceptionally intelligent foessuch as the derro, drow, duergar, and kuo-toans. These dangers make deep gnomesreluctant to risk their female populationoutside of their protected settlements.Svirfneblin do not understand or approveof female surface-gnome adventurers, andthey do not like to see female adventurersof other races, though they tolerate them.They see female drow, however, as beingas despicable as the males (if not worse),and they treat them both much the same.

Deep-gnome culture differs from that ofsurface gnomes in another way. Surfacegnomes are on close terms with burrow-ing mammals, but svirfneblin have muchmore powerful allies in the form of earthelementals. It is said that the first rulers ofthe deep gnomes forged this relationshipby signing treaties and making allianceswith the leaders of the earth elementals.In any case, those who would otherwisehave exterminated the deep gnomes treadcautiously around them, since manysvirfneblin can summon up powerful helpon short notice. The dangers of theirenvironment make this alliance of greatbenefit to deep gnomes.

For the sake of game balance, deep-gnome PCs have a greatly reduced chanceof summoning earth elementals (as notedin Unearthed Arcana, page 11; otherwise,

everyone may want to be a svirfneblin,and svirfneblin PCs will be much too pow-erful. Perhaps a svirfneblin PC should berequired to go through a lot of effort tosummon an earth elemental, requiringabout six hours of absolute rest afterward.Otherwise, a svirfneblin PC should haveonly a 5-10% chance per level of success-fully performing such a summoning.

Character classesSvirfneblin clerics are usually very influ-

ential in their communities. They act asjudges, doling out rewards as well as pun-ishments to those who deserve them. Thesvirfneblin realize that, in the threateningenvironment in which they live, peacefularbitration of disputes is essential to sur-vival. As a result, svirfneblin clerics usu-ally have numerous healing spells at theircommand; they also usually have a num-ber of spells designed to allow the user tofind out the truth. In case of squabbleswithin the group, the svirfneblin clericusually does his utmost to work up a solu-tion that is agreeable to both sides. Whennegotiations with other races are neces-sary, svirfneblin clerics usually speak fortheir people.

Svirfneblin fighters have a lot in com-mon, mentally, with their surface-dwellingcousins. These characters see themselvesas �giant killers," much as do surfacegnomes. When enemies are physicallysmaller than the deep gnomes (as are thejermlaine), the svirfneblin are usuallymore merciful than they would be tolarger opponents. Resentment of being�talked down to� by larger folk runsdeeply and bitterly with this race.

Like their surface-dwelling kin, deep-gnome fighters have no inhibitions aboutusing various tricks and traps to make upfor their relatively small size. A wilysvirfneblin general can earn a wonderfulreputation as a warrior without everfighting a pitched battle. Because of theirlow birthrate, svirfneblin do not regardeach other as expendable, and every possi-ble avenue is explored to avoid directconfrontations with foes.

Svirfneblin illusionists hold very highstatus among their fellows. Other deepgnomes respect the long hours of studythat are necessary to train an illusionist,and a well-placed illusion has saved manya svirfneblin community. Only the factthat some of their worst enemies, such asthe duergar, are immune to illusion spellslimits illusionists� usefulness. Conscious oftheir high standing, svirfneblin illusionistsare usually full of pride in their accom-plishments � �cocky� describes theirmanner well.

Svirfneblin thieves and thief-acrobatsusually take up the trade for the samereasons members of other underground-dwelling races do: to serve their commu-nity and people by plundering enemygoods, to aid exploration parties with theirskills at climbing and lock-picking, and tostrike from the shadows at the backs of

enemies. Like other gnomish thieves,svirfneblin of this class adore puzzles andoften try to steal something thought un-questionably safe, merely to find out if itcan be done.

Svirfneblin assassins are the grimmest oftheir race. Like other gnomes, they enjoy ajoke, but they prefer �gallows humor�over anything else. They hold higher sta-tus among svirfneblin than surface-gnomeassassins do in their societies, for the samereasons that other underground-dwellingpeoples grant assassins higher status thanthey receive on the surface. Open warfareor interclan feuding could spell universaldoom; thus, when a deep gnome is sen-tenced to death, an assassin is usuallydispatched to do the job. As with otherunderground peoples, assassins also domuch of the fighting against enemies ofother races. Since deep gnomes are smalland, some think, easy to enslave, the pres-ence of assassins among them is one wayto ensure that slavers will probably regretit bitterly. Assassins are sometimes addedto commando-style raiding parties, withorders to eliminate certain powerful oppo-nents during the raid. Assassin guilds donot exist as such among the svirfneblin,

though informal networks exist throughwhich they gain their training.

Since the deep gnomes have long child-hoods (which often last for the better partof a century), multiclassed svirfneblin arenot uncommon. If a young deep gnome isseen as having talent in more than onearea, he receives training in more thanone profession. Multi-classed deep gnomeshold higher status than single-classed onesdo, and in the councils, their word usuallycarries much weight.

Underground neighborsSvirfneblin live in a dark, dangerous

world, and have many enemies, but themost bitter feud is the one they carry onwith the drow. Svirfneblin and drow hateeach other, and both sides delight in mu-tual torment. Svirfneblin often force drowprisoners to slaughter spiders, and thedrow retaliate with interest when theycatch svirfneblin. Competition for food,living space, and gems embitters relationsalready poisoned by the difference inalignment between drow and svirfneblin.

The svirfneblin hardly know that sur-face elves exist. When they first encountersurface elves, svirfneblin are usually non-plussed at finding elves with such differ-ent coloring, who do not worship Lolth,and who share a lot of their outlook withthe deep gnomes. Once their initial suspi-cion is overcome, the svirfneblin will bevery curious about surface elves, pepper-ing them with questions about their lives.

The second most bitter feud carried onby the svirfneblin is with the duergar. Thegray dwarves and svirfneblin compete forfood and living space, as do the deepgnomes and drow. Dwarven greed, in-flamed to a white heat in the duergar bytheir worship of Abbathor (Unearthed

D R A G O N 3 3

34 MARCH 1988

Arcana, page 111), makes them passionatehunters of deep-gnome caches of gems.Not surprisingly, the deep gnomes retaliatewhenever possible. One revenge tactic thesvirfneblin favor is slipping into a duergartreasure vault and emptying it out, thenputting a few traps on it that the graydwarves aren�t aware of. When the tworaces manage to meet peacefully, thesvirfneblin are incapable of understandingthe duergars� regard for dignity, and findit difficult to resist playing pranks on thesestolid folk. Puncturing the dignity of oth-ers is regarded as great fun, but it does getthe svirfneblin into many fights.

Svirfneblin regard other dwarves withsome suspicion � at least until the surfacedwarves establish clearly that they are notin sympathy with the duergar. Svirfneblinpranks are not popular with surfacedwarves, but the absence of a history ofwarfare between the races keeps thepranks under control.

Svirfneblin barely know halflings exist.The halfling life of peaceful pastoralismgenerally appeals to deep gnomes, al-though the deep gnomes have a hard timebelieving that life can really be that quietand peaceful. When svirfneblin and half-lings meet, the halflings� small size helpsthe svirfneblin feel friendlier and lessthreatened. Of course, svirfneblin who�velost cherished jewels to halfling thieves arean exception to this rule.

Svirfneblin do not like half-orcs anymore than they do other humanoids, suchas orcs or goblins. Since svirfneblin live alot farther down in the underworld thanorcs generally do, they seldom meet half-orcs, although they are aware of the well-earned reputation half-orcs have on thesurface. A party containing half-orcs canexpect a chillier reception from deepgnomes than would otherwise be the case,but this reception will not be as bad asthat given if the party included drow orduergar. To the deep gnomes, their occa-sional run-ins with orcs are not nearly aspressing a problem as their wars withother horrors of the underworld. Mostdeep gnomes would much rather dealwith a whole tribe of orcs than with onemind flayer.

Humans are viewed neutrally by deepgnomes. In general, humans meeting deepgnomes can expect the same treatmentthey afford the svirfneblin. As with anyoutsiders, the deep gnomes will playpranks, but no real harm is ever intended,unless the humans intend to harm thepranksters. Svirfneblin respect humanswith abilities they don�t have, such as theability to use magic. Humans who haveattained higher levels in classes availableto the svirfneblin are also treated withrespect. Often, the svirfneblin make offersto hire humans with skills they need. Thedeep gnomes can be trusted in these deals,and humans taking up their offers canexpect to return to the surface when theircontracts are completed much richer thanthey left it.

The Ecologyof theAbolethThe type best knownis also the least dangerous

by Brandon Grist

The following information on aboleth isbased on testimony given to a group ofadventurers by the dark-elf sage Alzor,just hours before his mysterious disap-pearance. Alzor was known to be fair andhonest, and his information about theUnderdark and its denizens had alwaysbeen reliable.

The aboleth are perhaps the least well-known and the most misunderstood of allthe races which inhabit the Underdark.The reason for this is very simple � theaboleth want it that way. The bulk of theirpopulation dwells in seclusion in the great,sunless seas found deep beneath the sur-face of the earth. Only the weakest abo-leth are encountered near the surface, andit is from these creatures that the vastmajority of surface-dwellers have drawnwhat little knowledge they have of thisrace. Because of the unfortunate miscon-ceptions which arise from this practice, itis necessary to explain the true nature ofthe aboleth.

In general, all aboleth are cruel, emo-tionless, and logical. All are extremelyintelligent � some even more so than themost ancient of elven mages. They arebelieved to live for thousands of years, butexact information is difficult to gain forobvious reasons.1 Over their many years ofexistence, the aboleth have developed asociety which far exceeds that of man inits efficiency. In this society, each abolethhas a specific duty which it performs withthe utmost skill. There are four majorroles in the aboleth society. In increasingorder of importance, these roles are: slave-gathering, slave maintenance, scientificresearch and experimentation, and ruling.

36 MARCH 1988

The role of slave-gathering is delegatedto the common aboleth with which mostsurface-dwellers are familiar.2 Such anaboleth resembles a large, blue-green fishwhich lacks all fins but the caudal. It has ahead with three large, slitlike eyes andfour long tentacles. Its mouth is like agreat sucker and can be found on theunderside of the head section. On each ofits sides can be found four tubelike ori-fices which excrete a vile slime. This com-mon aboleth is about 20� long from tail tohead, and has 10�-long tentacles. It isclumsy on land and is usually encounteredin underground lakes. Despite its goodcombat abilities, this creature prefers toattack with a mental ability which allows itto enslave those with weak minds. It alsopossesses illusion-casting abilities used tohide itself while hunting for slaves. Ingeneral, it is wise not to get close to one ofthese creatures, for not only is the slimethey excrete hazardous to all air-breathingcreatures, but their very skin can causeserious tissue damage if touched to ex-posed flesh. It is important to note thatthese slave-gathering monsters are also theweakest of their kind.

Slaves gathered by the common abolethare routinely brought back to certainfloating cities in these underground seas inwhich the more powerful aboleth dwell.3

This collection process, along with furthermaintenance of slaves, is the responsibilityof the greater aboleth. These creaturesresemble their lesser brothers in everyway, but are considerably larger. Theyaverage 30� in length and weigh severaltons. They are also more intelligent thanthe common aboleth. They have most ofthe same powers possessed by the com-mon aboleth, but their enslavement abilityis more developed. Generally speaking,

anyone enslaved by one of these creaturesnever sees the upper world again. Theremay be as many as a dozen of these crea-tures in a single aboleth city, each main-taining a separate group of slaves.

The purpose of slaves in the abolethsociety is quite different from what wouldnormally be expected. Though slaves mayhave been used originally to aid in theconstruction of aboleth cities, these citiesgenerally lack any kind of significant slavepopulation. Instead, most slaves dwell onthe shores of the lakes on which the citiesfloat. There, the slaves serve both asguards and as playthings for the cruelaboleth, who pit slaves against one an-other in strange spectacles of combat. Theexact purpose of this practice is not clear,though it may be a way of eliminating theweak in the breeding of a race of subterra-nean slaves.

In order to fully understand the nextmajor class in aboleth society, that of thenoble, it is first necessary to establish thepoint that the aboleth have chosen thepath of science over that of magic. Conse-quently, they have no wizards or conjur-ers as do other races. Noble aboleth, thescientists of the race, are fantasticallyintelligent and ever seek to increase theirpowers through bizarre means.4 In gen-eral, they are similar in appearance to thecommon aboleth. Unlike common aboleth,noble aboleth have an enlarged head sec-tion, and they have two slender arms,each ending in three highly dextrous fin-gers, instead of their two uppermost tenta-cles. These latter appendages are used formore delicate work.5 These scientist-typespossess most of the other abilities commonto aboleth, as well as a few mental powerswhich are useful in their research.Though the full extent of the aboleth�sscientific knowledge can only be guessedat, it is certain that it is, at the very least,comparable to the magical knowledgepossessed by the dwellers of the upperworld. Each city usually holds about half adozen of these noble aboleth.

The last major role in aboleth society isthat of command, which is the responsibil-ity of the greatest class of aboleth. Physi-cally, ruler aboleth resemble commonaboleth, but each is about 40� long andmore intelligent than even the nobles.Each city has but one ruler, and it is hisjob to maintain order. To better accomplishthis, the ruler has some sort of mental linkwith all of his subjects.6 As their knowl-edge increases, so does the ruler�s. Rulerspossess all other aboleth abilities andshould be regarded as dangerous in theextreme.

An aboleth feeds mainly on microscopicorganisms which abound in its naturalhabitat, but it can also consume largerprey if necessary.7 Aboleth can survive inboth air and water, but prefer water forobvious reasons. Every aboleth has bothmale and female reproductive organs,though mating is rare and is restrictedbetween aboleth of the same class.8

Because of their nonmagical nature,aboleth have a measure of resistance tospells similar to the spell-resistance ofdwarves. This resistance grows greater asthe aboleth�s size and power increase.9 Allaboleth have psionic powers commensu-rate with their level of intelligence, andthe most intelligent have powers whichrival those of the illithids who, like all ofthe other subterranean races, have ahealthy fear of the aboleth.

In closing, it is worthy to note that ru-mors exist of a grand aboleth, a creatureso immense that it dwarfs even the rulers.If so, then perhaps it is better that surfaceand subterranean dwellers alike leave theaboleth to do as they please.

Notes1. Common aboleth have a life span of

about 2,000 years. Greater and nobleaboleth live to be about 3,000 years old.Rulers can live as long as five millennia,while the grand aboleth may well be im-mortal.

2. The common aboleth is simply themonster as outlined in the Monster Man-ual II, with slight modifications as notedherein. The illusion-casting power men-tioned in this paragraph is equal to theability to cast phantasmal force (withauditory effects as well as visual ones) atwill, once per round.

3. When a common aboleth enslaves atotal of seven creatures (regardless oftheir hit dice), a greater and noble aboletharrive using probability travel and take theslaves back to their city. Each greateraboleth has as many as five common abo-leth gathering slaves for it. It takes from 2-8 turns for the greater and noble abolethto arrive, though they are alerted immedi-ately by telepathy when the quota is met.

4. Nobles use their ability of probabilitytravel, as well as many strange drugs anddevices, to travel to alternate Prime Mate-rial planes. There they amass as muchknowledge as possible while enslaving anywho oppose them. Occasionally, severalnobles and a dozen or so common abolethmount a raid into a particularly promisingworld, but this is rare.

5. These appendages are also capable ofusing technological items. The abolethnobles have developed several potentoffensive weapons and do not hesitate touse them if they feel the need exists. Notethat they do not care for magic, and willnot use items such as wands, rods, staves,etc. Magical treasures are locked in vaultsas curios or are destroyed.

6. This telepathy has a range of 100miles and allows complete communicationwith all subject aboleth in that range. Notethat all other types of aboleth can and docommunicate by telepathic means, thoughthis has a range of no more than 20 milesand must be used consciously. They canalso communicate with other intelligentcreatures by these means, with a range of100 yards, but seldom do so.

7. The aboleth does not have an effective

biting attack because of the position of itsmouth. If, for some reason, its opponent isimmobilized, the aboleth may elect toconsume its victim. If it chooses to do so, itreceives but one biting attack per round.Damage varies with the type of aboleth;common ones do 3-18 hp damage per biteand swallow whole on a roll of 20, greaterand noble aboleth do 4-24 hp damage andswallow whole on a roll of 19 or 20, andruler aboleth do 5-30 hp damage andswallow whole on a role of 18, 19 or 20.The grand aboleth never attacks in thisway. Those swallowed take one quarter oftheir maximum normal hit points in dam-age each round until they die.

8. Most aboleth mate about once every500 years. Each participant has one eggwhich it deposits in a safe place about aweek after fertilization. This egg is sur-rounded by a thick cocoon of slime thatprotects and nourishes the egg. The eggbegins about the size of a human head,

but over the course of five years it growsto be about 6� long. At this point, the abo-leth hatches and begins a quick, one-yearmutation into a miniature version of itsparent. It takes about 10 more years be-fore the aboleth reaches its adult stage,and during this time it is carefully guardedby other aboleth or, occasionally, by slaves.Ruler aboleth mate only once in their lives,and the growth process takes a total ofabout one hundred years, though it is thesame in its various stages. Some nobleaboleth have performed occasional cloningexperiments, but one has yet to meet withany great success.

9. Because of their nonmagical nature,all aboleth gain a bonus to save versusspells equal to their hit dice divided byfour, rounded up. This applies to all abo-leth, including common ones (which get abonus of +2). Also note that rulers andthe grand aboleth are immune to someillusions due to their high intelligence.

GREATER ABOLETH

FREQUENCY: Extremely rareNO. APPEARING: 1-3 (7-12 in city)ARMOR CLASS: 3MOVE: 3"//21"HIT DICE: 12-14% IN LAIR: 90%TREASURE TYPE: A (x2) (with /R, S, T, U

in city)NO. OF ATTACKS: 4 tentacles

per hit point; 13-14 HD: IX/6,100 + 18

DAMAGE/ATTACK: 4-10 (x4)SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardINTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: LPSIONIC ABILITY: 280

Attack/Defense Modes: B, C, D, E/F, G, I, JLEVEL/XP VALUE: 12 HD: VIII/4,400 + 16

per hit point

Greater aboleth are simply larger, moreintelligent versions of the common abo-

greater aboleth has the same effect as that

leth. They are normally only encounteredin an aboleth city, although they are occa-sionally found in some other undergroundlocale pursuing some strange, dark pur-pose. Their purpose in the aboleth societyis to control the slave population, whichthey do with unrelenting cruelty. Theypossess enslavement powers superior tothose of common aboleth, having a rangeof 60� and usable a number of times perday equal to the aboleth�s hit dice. Thesave vs. spells is at -4, and only a limitedwish, wish, or alter reality spell cancounter it (though enslavement ends if theaboleth is killed as well). If more than twomiles ever separate slave and master, theslave is entitled to another saving throw(still at -4). A hit from the tentacle of a

of the common aboleth, though its size

and strength result in 4-10 rather than 1-6hp damage per hit. Greater aboleth pro-duce slime just as the common aboleth,but in a 2� radius. Greater aboleth possessthe psionic disciplines of body equilibrium,ESP, levitation, and dimension door, all at a

NOBLE ABOLETH

FREQUENCY: Extremely rareNO. APPEARING: 1-2 (3-8 in city)ARMOR CLASS: 3MOVE: 3”//15”HIT DICE: 16-28% IN LAIR: 95%TREASURE TYPE: E, F, X (with R, S, T, V

in city)NO. OF ATTACKS: 4 tentaclesDAMAGE/ATTACK: 2-16 (x2)/2-5 (x2)SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardINTELLIGENCE: GeniusALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: LPSIONIC ABILITY: 310

Attack/Defense Modes: All/allLEVEL/X.P. VALUE: 16 HD: IX/8,100 +

20/hp; 17-18 HD: X/10,100 + 25 per hitpoint

The noble aboleth is an extremely pow-erful version of the common abolethwhich has mutated in several ways so asto accomplish its duties. It is almost neverencountered outside an aboleth city,where its role is that of the scientist. Itdoes research, conducts experiments, andtravels to alternate worlds to gather infor-

level of mastery equal to their hit dice.The illusion-casting power of a greater

aboleth is its ability to cast improved phan-tasmal force once per round, with audi-tory and visual effects, at will.

mation. There are two major differencesin appearance between the noble andcommon aboleth. First, the noble aboleth�shead is slightly larger than that of a com-mon or greater aboleth. This makes itsmovement through water a bit more diffi-cult. Second, two of the noble�s tentaclesare smaller and end in three fingers,which allow it to do very complicated anddelicate work. These tentacles can still beused in combat, but they also can be usedto manipulate items or devices (thoughthey never use melee weapons). A hit fromany of these tentacles has the same effectas a hit from a common aboleth. Nobleshave enslavement abilities equal to thoseof common aboleth and secrete slime in a3� radius. They possess the ability to castspectral force spells at will, once perround. Noble aboleth have very powerfulpsionic abilities and can use the disciplinesof body equilibrium, cell adjustment, ESP,body control, and probability travel. All ofthese disciplines are performed at a levelof mastery equal to the aboleth�s hit dice.

The exact nature of the various techno-logical weaponry and devices created bynoble aboleth is left to the DM to design.Helpful guidelines may be found inDRAGON® issue #114 (�Hi-tech Hijinks,"page 84). Most such devices should parallelor duplicate magical devices in effect.

RULER ABOLETH

FREQUENCY: Extremely rareNO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: 1MOVE: 3"//21"HIT DICE: 20-22% IN LAIR: 100%TREASURE TYPE: H, R, S, T, VNO. OF ATTACKS: 4DAMAGE/ATTACK: 5-20 (x 4)SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardINTELLIGENCE: Supra-geniusALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: LPSIONIC ABILITY: 340

Attack/Defense Modes: All/allLEVEL/X.P. VALUE: 20 HD: X/15,700 + 30

per hit point; 21-22 HD: X/19,200 + 35per hit point

These huge, bloated monstrosities arethe largest and most intelligent of all abo-leth (aside from the grand aboleth). Eachrules an aboleth city and is never encoun-tered anywhere else, except when it mustmate (and must therefore travel to an-other city using psionic means). Its tele-pathic link with its subjects allows it to beconstantly aware of everything going on inits realm. Rulers are, in most other re-spects, similar to common and greateraboleth. They possess enslavement abilitiesequal to those of greater aboleth and cangenerate veil spells at will. Rulers cangenerate slime in a 5� radius, and the meresight of one causes fear in all beings of lessthan 5th level or five hit dice. They haveextremely potent psionics and may use thedisciplines of body equilibrium, cell adjust-ment, clairvoyance, ESP, astral projection,body control, and dimension door at alevel of mastery equal to their hit dice.

GRAND ABOLETH

FREQUENCY: UniqueNO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: 0MOVE: 3“//24"HIT DICE: 40 (182 hp)% IN LAIR: 100%TREASURE TYPE: H (x2), R, S, T (x2), VNO. OF ATTACKS: 4DAMAGE/ATTACK: 5-30 (x4)SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardINTELLIGENCE: GodlikeALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: LPSIONIC ABILITY: 370

Attack/Defense Modes: All/allLEVEL/XP VALUE: X/32,000

The grand aboleth is quite simply thelargest aboleth in existence on a particularworld. It is not only incredibly huge (about

70� long with ten 30�-long tentacles), butalso vastly intelligent. It has a telepathiclink with every ruler aboleth on its world(within a range of 10,000 miles), effectivelygiving it complete knowledge of all thatgoes on within its empire. It can attackphysically with great effect and exudesslime in a 20� radius. Its psionic powersare unmatched by any other aboleth, andit has the disciplines of body equilibrium,cell adjustment, detection of good or evil,detection of magic, ESP, levitation, mindover body, astral projection, body control,energy control, and probability travel, allperformed at the 25th level of mastery.The grand aboleth also has enslavementpowers equal to those of a greater abolethand can create very effective illusions(save at -4). This monster dwells in a vastchamber in the midst of the largest abo-leth city, which floats on the lowest por-tion of the worlds underground seas.

The illusion powers of the grand abolethare equivalent to the spell capability of an18th-level illusionist. The choice of themonster�s spells are left to the DM to de-cide. The grand aboleth may also generateveil spells at will, one per round.

Final noteThis article is intended to make the

aboleth not only more complete, but morepowerful. It is important to bear in mindat all times that the aboleth are extremelyintelligent and have managed to maintaintheir control of the lowest depths of theUnderdark for many thousands of years.No party of bold adventurers should everbe able to topple this mighty empire withease. The grand aboleth is included only asthe icing on the cake; actually meeting itwould be nearly impossible, and it wouldrequire heroic effort to overcome.

Illustrations by Jim Holloway

D R A G O N 3 9

Lords & Legends�Short� does not mean �harmless�

Two of the inhabitants of our “Lords & Legends” files are interesting becausethey are dwarves — both from the WORLD OF GREYHAWK® fantasy setting.They’re the only dwarves we have on file, but what dwarves they are!

Kordan BadaxeMale mountain dwarf9th-level fighterCreated by: Steve Seguin

ARMOR CLASS: 1 (dexterity bonus andchain mail +1)

MOVE: 6”HIT POINTS: 93NO. OF ATTACKS: 2 with hand axes (spe-

cialization, see below); 3/2 with othermelee weapons

ATTACK BONUSES: +2 for strength bo-nus; +1 with hand axe for weapon-specialization bonus; +4 with magicalaxes; +2 with hurled missiles for dexter-ity bonus; and +1 vs. ogres, trolls, ogremagi; giants, and titans (unique ability;see below)

DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type (+3for strength bonus, +2 weapon-specialization bonus with hand axes,double damage +4 with magical axes)

SPECIAL ABILITIES: Uses two weapons inunique attack sequence (see below);owns magical devices; bonuses for highstrength, dexterity and constitution;weapon specialization (hand axe); +5 tosaves vs. wands, staves, rods, spells, orpoison; 60’ infravision; detect slopingpassages 75%, new construction 75%,sliding/shifting walls 662/3%, traps involv-ing stonework 50%, depth 50%; -4 tobe hit by ogres, trolls, ogre magi, giants,or titans

MAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardALIGNMENT: Neutral goodPSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

S: 18/58 I: 13 W: 14D: 17 C: 18 CH: 15* CO: 13** +1 to other dwarves.

AGE: 62 SIZE: SHT: 4� WT: 150 lbs.HAIR: Brown EYES: Blue

40 MARCH 1988

POSSESSIONS: Two axes of hurling +4,chain mail +1, and 1-2 random potions

TREASURE: 3-30 cp, 1-20 sp, 5-50 ep, 10-100gp, 1-20 pp

Kordan Badaxe is a mountain dwarf withsome standing among his peers. Kordan�sappearance is average, with his only ex-ceptional features being his deep blue eyes� rare indeed for a dwarf.

Born of common parents, Kordanlearned to use his strength and fightingskills to earn a living. He joined a dwarvenarmy but soon grew bored with theendless routine that came with military

life. Instead, he longed for excitement andadventure.

When guards were being recruited toprotect an advance mining settlement,Kordan quickly volunteered. A vein ofprecious metals had been discovered atthe point where the Jotens meet the LittleHills (see the WORLD OF GREYHAWKfantasy setting map, hex H5-159). Thesmall group of miners, along with accom-panying guards, were to begin mining andto set up the foundations of a larger opera-tion if the vein proved lucrative.

A year later, the mine was producingmore silver and mithral ore than wasoriginally foreseen. By this time, Kordanhad worked himself up the ranks to theposition of sergeant of his squad. During aroutine patrol, Kordan�s sauad was at-tacked by a large group of vicious giant-type creatures. The raiders, mostly ogresand ettins led by a dozen hill giants, werelured to the area by the dwarven orestrikes. With their brute strength andlarge numbers, the giants destroyed the

Illustrations by Jim Holloway

patrol before word could be sent back tothe mine. Kordan was hit by a boulderthrown during the fighting and wasknocked down the side of a canyon into aswift mountain stream. The attackers thensurprised the mine and enslaved thedwarves in order to continue tapping themountain�s wealth.

Kordan washed up a few miles fromDatmil, a small trading town at the foot ofthe mountains. After he recovered, thedwarf rounded up a group of adventurersto return to the mine and free his people.Kordan and the five adventurers made itto the mine safely and entered undetectedthrough one of the many ventilationshafts. After a few skirmishes, they lo-cated the slave pens. Once the dwarveswere freed, they armed themselves as bestthey could. Under Kordan�s command, theminers forced the giants to retreat deepinto the mine; the miners then destroyedthe supports and collapsed the section ofthe mine in which the giants weretrapped.

It was during this fierce fighting thatKordan earned the nickname �Badaxe� ashe wreaked havoc amongst the enemy.Kordan would hurl one of his axes withdeadly accuracy, strike a second opponentwith the axe in his hand, then whirl tocatch the thrown axe as it returned. Hedid this with a frightening efficiency thatallowed him to kill six of the hill giants anda score of ogres in his first major battle.Additionally, his intense hatred of giant-related races now overrides his feelingsabout humanoid races like orcs and gob-lins, and he gains a bonus to hit giants in

combat (but not against the humanoids).Kordan was made a dwarven lord for

his heroism. Shortly thereafter, he con-structed a great fortified stronghold in theJotens as a bastion against further attacksby the giants. Kordan may presently befound in this area, where he patrols hisholdings. Despite his serious nature, Kor-dan is good company (in a dwarven sort ofway). He warms up quickly to partiescontaining dwarves or rangers, a class herespects due to his hatred of giants.

Gnarly BonesMale mountain dwarf9th-level fighter Created by: Christopher Jones

ARMOR CLASS: 1 (plate mail and shield+1)

MOVE: 6�HIT POINTS: 75NO. OF ATTACKS: 3/2 with melee weaponsATTACK BONUSES: +1 versus orcs, half-

orcs, goblins, or hobgoblinsDAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type (+1

for strength bonus)SPECIAL ABILITIES: +4 to saves vs.

wands, staves, rods, spells, or poison; 60�infravision; detect sloping passages 75%,new construction 75%, sliding/shiftingwalls 662/3%, traps involving stonework50%, depth 50%; -4 to be hit by ogres,trolls, ogre magi, giants, or titans

MAGIC RESISTANCE: StandardALIGNMENT: Chaotic goodPSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

S: 16 I: 12 W: 12D: 14 C: 15 CH: 10* CO: 13** +1 to other dwarves.

AGE: 51 SIZE: SHT: 4�5� WT: 170 lbs.HAIR: Red EYES: Brown

POSSESSIONS: Hand axe +2, shield +1,ring of levitation, and ring of the ram

TREASURE: 2-20 cp, 3-30 sp, 6-60 ep, 4-40gp, 1-20 pp

Little is known of the early years ofGnarly Bones. His father was a prominentdwarven lord of his clan, and Gnarly washis first-born child. Gnarly stood to inherithis father�s position and influence, but forsome reason fell into disfavor with hisfather and left his homeland. Severalspeculations have been made regardingthis event. Some believe Gnarly may havedishonored his father by refusing to jointhe dwarven army; still others believeGnarly killed a member of the clan andwas banished from dwarven society asfitting punishment. For whatever reason,Gnarly never returned to the kingdom.

Gnarly proceeded to travel throughoutOerth, his primary concern at this timebeing one of self-indulgence. Gnarly han-dled his activities with great levity, andbecame involved in a number of misadven-

tures. Sometime later, he met Sir Sar-vairius of Andairfels. Despite their radi-cally different personalities, the twobecame steadfast friends.

After adventuring together for a shortperiod of time, Gnarly and Sarvairiusjoined a group involved in a quest to cap-ture a demon-witch. During this quest,Gnarly was severely wounded by a fire-based trap. He was saved by the group�scleric, but his beard (a dwarfs badge ofhonor) was completely burned off andcould not grow back.

During the remainder of the quest, andthroughout subsequent adventures,Gnarly proceeded to build a name forhimself. Though he did not become asfamous as the demon�s slayer, the legendsof the bare-faced dwarf are told in manycities and towns.

Gnarly journeyed with Sarvairius untilthe latter received his title and barony. Atthat time, Gnarly settled down in AndairCity (Sarvairius�s capital). There, he be-came well-acquainted with local law en-forcement officials. Gnarly�s quest forpleasure led him into every kind of trou-ble; only his friendship with Sarvairiuskept him from punishment more severethan a few days in jail.

About this time, Andair City was at-tacked by sorcery and transferred into another-dimensional area called theDemonRealm (possibly a part of theAbyss). With the city under constant siege,Gnarly�s fighting skills were greatly taxed.Gnarly rose to the occasion by providinguntiring assistance during the siege. Be-cause of his unyielding resolve, Gnarlyearned the love and respect of the citizensof Andair City. He became a patron heroof that city, his popularity second only tothat of Sarvairius.

When the city was later sent to thealternate Prime Material world of Wireld,Gnarly helped Sarvairius carve out therealm of Andairia. Through these trials,Gnarly�s personality underwent a changeand he matured greatly. He gave up hisepicurean pursuits and assumed a numberof local responsibilities. In time, Gnarlybuilt a vast mansion under the mountainsof north Andairia. In gratitude for the aidhe had given Sarvairius and Andairia,Gnarly was given the title of Earl. He wasalso given dominion over the mountains inwhich he settled, which Sarvairius laternamed the Gnarly Peaks.

While a vassal of Sarvairius, Gnarly isthe Earl of the Gnarly Peaks; he holdsdominion over thousands of dwarves wholive in those mountains. If encountered,Gnarly does not reveal his true position orskill at arms. Likewise, he provides littleassistance to gray elves (unless they are inextreme danger) due to his hatred for thatrace. If asked for assistance, Gnarly givesaid or advice in areas in which he hasknowledge. Gnarly is quick to anger andslow to forgive. At times he reverts to hisformer, troublesome personality, whichcan cause problems.

D R A G O N 41

The Ecologyof theHook HorrorThe dwellers in the darkness

42 MARCH 1988Illustration by Jim Holloway

by Michael Persinger

From an address by the esteemedscholar Ferba to the assembled Guild ofNaturalists of Quardolf City:

Understandably, little research has beendone on the creature we know as the hookhorror. I have spent the last few monthslaboring to learn all I can of this creature�shabits and, as you can see, my colleagueshave supplied me with a perfect, albeitdead, fully grown specimen. Take a goodlook, for few specimens exist in such anexcellently preserved state.

The monster is bipedal and of ogre size,this specimen being 9�2� tall. Its headresembles a bony vulture�s head with acrest of red feathers at its neck. At eachwrist (where one would expect to find ahand) is a large metallic-gray talon and atuft of red feathers. Its chest and back areprotected by thick, natural plating. Thebeast�s arms and legs are covered with asimilar material, though of lesser strength.

I would like to call your attention to thearmor plating that covers the creature�sbody. Constructed of chitinous material,these plates function as the hook horror�sbones � an exoskeleton similar in manyrespects to those of the common grasshop-per, crab, and most arthropods. This mail-like material becomes exceedingly strongwith the buildup of calcium deposits fromthe creature�s diet � deposits that rivaldwarven steel for strength � and thisarmor has deflected many a sword. Sopowerful is this creature�s exoskeletonthat a few blacksmiths have experimen-tally crafted the plates into suits of armor1,and a few ogres from the great caverns tothe north have used crude forms of suchsuits in battle.

But forgive me; we are a guild of natu-ralists. Associating with my bodyguards �without them I would not be able to safelycarry out my observances � has movedme to think in their perspective. Violenceis not our way, and I shall refrain fromfurther military references.

As you all know, the hook horror � alsoknown over the lands as the vulture beak,hacker, cave dweller, and clacker � makesits abode in dark, isolated areas. The hookhorror is found exclusively in subterra-nean surroundings, with natural caverncomplexes and abandoned mines rankingas its most favored lairs. Many of theselairs are linked by the vast subterraneannetwork of tunnels we call the SunlessRealm, where dwell the drow and othervile monstrosities. Though the hook hor-rors certainly migrate through this king-dom of eternal darkness, we may alsospeculate that the creature comes above-ground during opportune moments, mostespecially if the surroundings are a denseforest at nightfall. Yet to date, no speci-mens have been reported outside under-ground caverns. Whatever the case, thehook horror rarely associates with crea-tures other than its own kind.

Now, you may wonder how the hookhorrors can see, let alone live, down insuch dark abodes. Infravision probablycomes to your minds. But unlike mostother underground dwellers, hook hor-rors lack infravision completely. The hookhorrors are born with very weak eyes andcan only see a few feet in front of them.They are, if you will pardon the cliche,blind as bats. So how do they get around?

Fortunately for the hook horrors, naturehas compensated for their limited sight bygiving them excellent auditory and olfac-tory senses. They can hear many timesbetter than a normal man, and even pos-sess a limited form of echolocation, as isused by bats. Their scent-detection abilityrivals that of certain bloodhounds. Inother words, these senses enable the hookhorrors to �see� at least as well as you or Iwould see with our eyes.2 Actually, theirsenses are even better than that. During arecent experiment, one hook horror suc-cessfully sniffed out an invisible mage.Another one detected a silently movingthief that no one else could hear. Amongother things, these senses make it verydifficult for enemies to surprise the hookhorror3 and make it easy for the hookhorror to search out food.

As for their eating habits, the hookhorrors are herbivores. Their diet israther selective, consisting primarily ofsubterranean fungi. They have an abrasivetongue to help their feeding, and theycommonly eat whatever lichens, moss, andmushrooms they can find. Hook horrorsare very large creatures, and therefore(we initially assumed) eat vast quantities offood each day. But there is only so muchfungus in any underground area; a hookhorror�s food supply, as you no doubtguessed, becomes easily depleted. Howdoes a 9'-tall biped sustain itself over pro-longed periods of time?

Direct observation of the hook horrorby means of scrying reveals it to be verysluggish � much like the giant sloths Ilectured about three seasons ago. A hookhorror sleeps roughly half the day andmoves about little if not disturbed. Hence,it needs little food to keep it going. Itsactual food consumption is shockingly lowfor a creature its size. A full-grown hookhorror consumes roughly three-fourthsthe amount of food necessary to feed afull-grown man.

Despite this, a hook horror�s food supplycan still dwindle rapidly. Most hook hor-rors migrate from cavern to cavern everyfew months to obtain a fresh food supplyfrom new lairs while fungi regrow in thevacated areas. A few hook horrors haveadvanced intellectually to the point thatthey may grow and cultivate funguswithin their lairs. These hook horrorsusually have at least one garden chamberdevoted to this �farming� activity.

If the usual foods cannot be found, thehook horror will turn to other sources,lest it starve. More exotic creatures, suchas zygoms, violet fungi, phycomids, and

shriekers4 become the hook horror�s dailymeal. This may strike you as odd, forcommon knowledge has it that these fungiare deadly to humans and other creatures.But several reliable accounts have em-erged of hook horrors eating these queerplants. Apparently, hook horrors are im-mune to these plants� powers.

Continuous study of these immunitieshas led me to suspect that this abilityoriginates from the hook horror�s endo-crine system. This system contains agland, located here in the abdomen, thatsecretes a special hormone. This chemicalsomehow makes the creature immune tothe effects of zygom glue, violet fungi rot,and phycomid infestation. My colleaguesand I believe that this gland is 100% effec-tive and have taken extra steps to examineit. Our hope is to tap this glands potentialand manufacture a protection against theso-called �fatal fungi.� I�m sure you allrealize the benefits that such a protectionwould give toward our study of that bo-tanical area. Our best alchemists andwizards have made attempts to exploit thegland, though these have unfortunatelyended in failure.5 Though we are stillworking with this project, future successappears uncertain.

The hook horror may be immune toharmful fungi, but it also has an uncannyweakness in health. Tests have shown thehook horror to be unusually susceptible todiseases and parasitic infestations fromsources other than fungi,6 which are usu-ally caught early in life and take a toll overthe years. The specimen you see here diedof tapeworm parasites. Between diseaseand the continuous problems of foodavailability, the hook horror rarely livespast the age of 40.

Hook horrors have very few naturalenemies. Because of their infestations andgreat strength, most carnivores shunthem. Only certain indiscriminate preda-tors such as carrion crawlers are boldenough to challenge them. Of course,many hook horrors have been killed whileattempting to find food � some by thehazards of underground life, and some byfrightened or sword-happy adventurerswho are fond of killing all in their path.

The hook horror is one of the few bi-peds that reproduces through egg-laying,just as kobolds are known to do. Onceevery year, a female hook horror laysfrom one to four eggs in the lair, eachabout 3� in diameter. They are shaped andcolored in mimicry of stones � a disguiseagainst predators � and scattered acrossthe hook horror�s lair among ordinaryrocks.7 This camouflage is very effective,and most every egg laid will hatch after asix-month period.

The hook horror grows very quicklyduring its early years. Born a mere 1' inheight, this creature doubles its size afterthree months and reaches 5� of heightwithin one year. The hook horror�s growthlevels off afterward, with a height of 6�reached during the next year. It then

grows another 1-2' over the next fiveyears. The hook horror reaches its fullgrowth of 9� by its 17th birthday.

The young hook horror becomes highlyindependent during its early years. Itremains with its parents for only aboutone year. Its second year is one of transi-tion, wherein the hook horror begins toset off on its own without straying too farfrom its home. By its third year of life, thehook horror is out on its own and is totallyindependent of its parents. The hookhorror attains reproductive ability in itssixth year of life. At this point, it searchesout a mate.

Like those of the arthropods it resem-bles, the hook horror�s hard shell does notgrow with it. Thus, it must periodicallymolt. The molting process starts out grad-ually. Old plates begin to flake off inpieces, a process that accelerates over atwo-day period with bigger and biggerplates falling off, until the hook horror�sentire exoskeleton is shed. Little consciouseffort is used in this shedding; the shellsimply falls off like an old scab.

Before the old shell falls off, a new exo-skeleton has already begun to form. Thesenew plates are just hard enough to sup-port the hook horror�s body and allow foradequate movement. This new exoskeletonis much softer than the old plates, how-ever � not developed enough to serve asfull-strength armor � and it offers verylittle protection to the creature. The hookhorror�s exoskeleton hardens relativelyquickly and achieves its full strength aftera couple of days. Until then, the hookhorror is quite vulnerable to physicalattack.8

Frequent references have likened hookhorrors to humanoids. This is only in theloosest sense, however. Hook horrors arenot mammalian, being invertebrate arthro-pods with a vaguely humanoid form. Thebehavior of a hook horror differs muchfrom that of a humanoid, too; the creaturerelies on its instincts, very much like ananimal does. For instance, the hook horroris afraid of fire and loud noises. It is notaggressive by nature, though like anyanimal, it will fight furiously if attacked.

Despite their animalistic intelligence,these monsters are capable of limitedcommunication between each other. Justhow much can be communicated, mycolleagues and I have been unable to mea-sure, but it is my guess that they conveyonly the most rudimentary knowledge.9

They don�t speak like you or I � no, thehook horror �talks� by making clackingnoises, an action performed by flexingcertain portions of its exoskeleton.

At first impression, these noises appearto be nothing more than bothersomegibberish; but repeated listenings show adefinite pattern in these sounds. To thehook horror, these noises mean manydifferent things, depending on the sounds�tone and pitch. The location of food, forexample, excites the creature, causing it toemit a steady, high-pitched clacking. The

D R A G O N 4 3

location of an enemy, however, angers oralarms the creature, causing it to sendlow-pitched, unsteady noises. And, mostimportantly for us, signals of �friendship�are communicated in soft, steady tones. Alanguage specialist is currently working totranslate the hook horror�s speech pat-terns; I will of course inform you on hisprogress.

The hook horror prefers the company ofsmall groups, usually no greater than adozen or so members. These tribes, if youwill, do not go out of their way to associ-ate with other subterranean creatures oreven with other hook horrors, thoughhook horrors have been known to formhuge �herds� at rare moments, and othershave been briefly befriended by humanswith gifts of food. However, the hookhorror is more of an animal than a ra-tional creature, and it has not yet beentruly domesticated. Proper training andrewarding can � and have � broughthook horrors into short service as guardsand sentries, but this is a risky business.The hook horror is a primitive creatureand has no loyalty or causes to concern it.Past experience with trained hook horrorsshowed that they follow simple orders,assuming that owners have ways of com-municating effectively with them, forproper treatment. But if a situation be-comes threatening, hook horrors ignoreorders and put self-preservation above all

else; a fitting reward for those, I mightinterject, who exploit the hook horror formaking war.

A final note on a curious habit of thehook horror, much reported by adventur-ers in the Sunless Realms: Hook horrorstake some pains to collect silver and elec-trum when such can be found. Why?Hook horrors eat such coins, which thengrind up food in their stomachs much aspebbles in the stomachs of toothless foul.Silver and electrum do not irritate thestomach linings of the hook horrors, andafter passing through their digestive sys-tems � no worse for the wear � aredeposited in an area near the current lairof the hook-horror tribe. Adventurershave commented on the peculiar, sourodor of such coins, though this has hardlystopped the collection of the same!

And that, my friends, is a summation ofthe knowledge on the hook horror. Re-search continues, and new developmentsare making the study of the hook horrorless a mystery. I am eager to inform you offurther developments as they come along.Thank you.

Notes1. To create this armor, a blacksmith or

armorer must remove the shell from thehook horror�s body. Success is automatic,but if any other person attempts it, thechance of success is only 10% per his

44 MARCH 1988

Hook Horror Statistics (by age)

Age AC0-3 months 93-6 months 86-12 months 71-5 years 65-10 years 510-17 years 417 + years 3

Move3"4"6"7"8"9"9"

HD½

1-11

1+1 to 2+2**345

Damage*Nil1/1

1-2/1-21-4/1-41-6/1-61-6/1-61-8/1-8

Size1�2'

3½'5'6'

7½'9'

* From two claw attacks (see the appendix for information on biting attacks).* * 1 + 1 HD from 1-2 years, 2 HD from 2-3 years, and 2 + 2 HD from 3-5 years.

experience level. This removal is assumedto take one day. Afterward, it takes 30days for the exoskeleton to be processedinto a suit of armor. This armor is AC 3,making its saving throws as bone. Mostsmiths will buy these exoskeletons forabout 100 gp (if still on the body) or 250gp (if removed). A fully processed suit ofarmor will sell for about 450 gp. Becausehook horrors are 9� tall, these armor suitsare only usable by large creatures (i.e.,ogres, large bugbears, verbeeg, etc.).

Note that only the exoskeleton of a full-grown, 5-HD hook horror may be manu-factured into a suit of armor. Theexoskeleton from a younger hook horroris too soft and weak to be crafted into anyarmor of worthwhile quality.

2. Because of the hook horror�s alteredsenses, it has saving-throw modificationsagainst certain attacks. Against spellscausing blindness (i.e., light, darkness,color spray, cause blindness, and glyph ofblindness), the hook horror receives a +2saving throw, as its vision is not muchused. This bonus is also given againstillusions and phantasms that affect onlythe visual senses. If the hook horror isblinded but wishes to enter combat, it hasa penalty of -2 to hit (whereas a normalperson would have a -4 to hit). However,against spells that affect the olfactory orauditory senses (i.e., audible glamer andhigh-level phantasms), the hook horror hasa -2 saving throw, as its major senses arebeing affected. A blinded hook horrormoves at a maximum rate of 6� unless infamiliar territory.

Using echolocation (emitting a high-pitchedtrill which is picked up by its batlike ears), ahook horror can sense its environment outto 120� in total darkness, and can detectinvisible or hidden objects with ease. Anyonetrying to silently past a hook horror withoutusing magical silence has a -40 penalty todo so, as they hear so well.

3. The FIEND FOLIO® tome states thatthere is only a 10% chance of surprising a

46 MARCH 1988

hook horror.4. Whenever a hook horror�s lair is

located (usually a temporary affair like aniche in a tunnel), the DM should allow a50% chance that one of these fungi islocated in the general area. There is a 10%chance that the actual lair contain thesefungi, kept for nourishment. If a hookhorror is met as a wandering monster,chances are that it is searching for food.Allow a 40% chance that one of theseplants is within 200� of the hook horrorwhen the latter is found.

5. Hook horrors are disease and parasitecarriers. When encountered, there is a10% chance that a hook horror has adisease, and another 10% chance that ithas 2-5 diseases. The DM must take thisinto account when determining whetheror not the character has caught a disease(as detailed on page 13 of the DMG). Ahook horror has a +2% chance of catch-ing a random disease or parasitic infesta-tion. Against magical disease attacks (e.g.,cause disease), it has a -1 saving throw.

6. Ferba�s hypothesis is more or lesscorrect: Once a hook horror dies, thegland stops producing this chemical. Forgame purposes, nothing short of a wishwill allow PCs to exploit this chemical.

7. When a hook horror lair is discov-ered, there is a 25% chance that it con-tains 1-4 eggs, disguised as rocks; onlyclose inspection reveals that they are eggs.Such a lair also contains at least two matedhook horrors.

A hook-horror egg takes six months tohatch, at which time the 1�-tall creaturehas the following statistics: AC 9; MV 3�;HD ½; #AT nil; AL N. The hook horrorremains like this for three months. After-ward, the creature grows in a fairly rapidprogression, with subsequent age categorybeginning with a molting period, as ex-plained in note 8. See the table for details.

8. The hook horror sheds its exoskeletoneach time it enters a new age category, asshown in the Hook Horror Statistics table.

Once the shell has been removed, thecreature is hampered in movement andquite vulnerable to attack. Newly moltedhook horrors have temporary penalties of-2 to armor class and -2� to movementrate, and a strong tendency to flee troublewhen possible. The new exoskeletonhardens quickly, and the hook horrorgains a +1 bonus on armor class andmovement for every 12 hours that pass,until the new levels appropriate to its ageare reached. Newly hatched hook horrorsdon�t molt immediately after hatching, butare extremely vulnerable anyway andmust be protected. Mortality rates formost young hook horrors are high.

9. An ESP spell or telepathy power givesthe user a basic understanding of the hookhorror�s thoughts, though these only offerthe most rudimentary information (usuallyabout food or personal discomfort), andthe creature understands only the simplestof data. Hook horrors have a listing of�low� intelligence because they have excel-lent retention of information, and learn tocope with their environment and neigh-bors quickly.

Due to the nature of the hook horror�slanguage (only a hook horror can clack; ahuman�s speech originates from his vocalcords), conventional translation spells suchas tongues and comprehend languages willnot decipher a hook horror�s dialect. Thebest way to achieve a rudimentary under-standing of the hook horror�s language isto observe the creature over a long periodof time (i.e., PCs won�t be able to figure itout). The loudness of a hook horror�sclacking is roughly the same as that of aman speaking normally.

AppendixThe hook horror�s primary mode of

attack is a set of two swordlike talons.Located at the ends of its 4�-long arms,these 1�-long hooks (equal to short swords,backed by 18 strength) are the creature�snormal and preferred weapons. The hookhorror may also utilize its sharp beak as asecondary weapon, but beak damage isweak, equaling a single claw attack -2 hp(1 hp damage minimum) and with a -2 tohit. A hook horror usually avoids biting, asa damaged beak means the creature�seventual death, as it cannot then eat.

The hook horror is a very sluggish crea-ture by nature and too uncoordinated tosuccessfully direct attacks against threeseparate opponents. It may try to attacktwo separate opponents, but it then has a-2 �to hit� penalty on its claws and -4 tohit with its beak. As a result, a doubleattack is only performed under the mostdesperate of situations.

If the hook horror is unable to use itsclaws (occurring only if its arms are bro-ken or severed), it flees combat, bitingwith its beak in desperation. If only onearm is out of commission, the hook horrormay attack with both its beak and freeclaw with only a -1 �to hit� penalty onthe beak.

THECHASMBRIDGEBY DESMOND P. VARADY

The toll may behigher than youcan afford. l l l

Artwork by Roger RauppCartography by Diesel

After graduating from the University ofPennsylvania, Desmond Varady becamean officer in the U.S. Army Signal Corpsand is currently stationed just outside ofLondon. Although the army keeps himbusy, he finds time to read fantasy andscience fiction, and to write short storiesand fantasy adventure modules. “TheChasm Bridge” is a small part of hisunderground campaign area — one inwhich the characters have yet to adven-ture on the legendary “surface world.”This is his first appearance inDUNGEON Adventures.

This AD&D® game encounter for 3-6characters of 4-6th level takes place inany part of an underground realm withnatural caverns. The scenario can bedropped into a dungeon or used as partof an ongoing underground campaign. Itshould, however, be placed in an areathat will be frequently traveled by thecharacter party (see "Continuing theAdventure�). This area was originallydesigned to be used in the middle partsof the Deepearth, as presented in theDungeoneer�s Survival Guide (the DSG).A copy of that book, and of the Un-earthed Arcana tome, will be useful inrunning this adventure.

Adventure BackgroundOver a year ago, an evil magic-usernamed Mistle and his adventuringcompanions arrived at the edge of a vastunderground gorge. The party foundthat there was no way to cross thechasm at this point, so with the help ofa few spells and a wand of earth &stone, Mistle created the stone bridgestill present here. Once Mistle�s partywas across the chasm, an encounterwith a slicer beetle crippled the magic-user � it bit off one of the mage�s legs.The party�s cleric did what she could,but regenerative spells were not availa-ble, and the party wanted to move on-ward. There were many edible lichensand molds in the area, plus a goodsource of water, so Mistle decided tostay near the newly made bridge untilhis associates could come back withmagical aid. The adventurers neverreturned.

After Mistle realized he might bestaying in the area for a while, he de-cided to make his surroundings a bitmore comfortable and built a series ofsecret caves in a rock formation nearthe bridge, using his spells and wand.Two balconies allowed him to look outover the bridge area to view passersbywithout being vulnerable, and also

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provided a defensible position for thecrippled magic-user.

In the past year or so, events havechanged both the nature of the area andMistle�s own life. About two monthsafter Mistle had settled into his newhome, a group of ogres and duergarhappened upon the area. Wounded froma recent battle, they collapsed here,thinking it a safe place to rest. Mistlesprung upon them, hoping to kill themquickly and quietly. But the leader ofthe ogres, Graak by name, managed totalk his way out of certain death forboth himself and his companions. Ar-

rangements were made for the monstersto come into the employ of the evilmagic-user as bridge guards and tollcollectors. All agreed that it would be amost beneficial and rewarding relation-ship, especially after the group collabo-rated to destroy the only other nearbycrossing of this chasm.

Just two months ago, a group of enter-prising svirfneblin opened a tunnelnearby. These gnomes also built a rope-and-wire bridge just a few hundred feetaway from the toll crossing, in the samespot once occupied by the bridge thatMistle and his allies destroyed. The

snirfneblin offered this free route to allthe underground denizens who didn�twant to pay the toll (this undergroundarea is well traveled by many under-ground races).

The gnomes� good intentions wereruined, however, when a group of mar-goyles, led by a particularly intelligentleader named Slissh-Ikil, moved intothe area, seeing it as a good place toprey upon travelers. Slissh-Ikil hadhoped to also take over the bridge con-trolled by Mistle, but after a fierce anddevastating battle with the magic-userand his companions, the margoyleleader decided to be content with hissingle bridge.

As it stands now, Mistle and Slissh-Ikil have a shaky agreement of sorts.Those who refuse to pay the toll onMistle�s bridge are routinely offered thechoice of traversing the margoyles��free� pathway. The recent addition of aderro named Haltik Wrath to the magi-cian�s guards has increased intrigue andsuspicion among the denizens of thechasm area. This chaotic dwarf isclosely watched by both Mistle and hishenchman Graak.

The challenge for PCs is simply tocross the chasm, a relatively straight-forward task were it not for the pres-ence of the various denizens andguardians of the area.

For the Dungeon MasterThe PCs can approach this encounterfrom any direction, but ideally shouldcome from one of the southern passages.A party that moves quietly or sends ascout ahead can hear noise from theogres� guard post up to 120� away, theogres being very boisterous and loud.

The chasm is roughly 200� deep, with alarge river flowing along its bottom. PCscan negotiate all parts of the encounterarea without any risk of falling into thechasm. When moving on the ledges,however, the party is assumed to betraveling in single file. Rules for check-ing for falls during combat on ledges andbridges can be found on page 30 of theDSG. Anyone falling into the chasmmust roll his dexterity or less on 1d20 toland in the deepest part of the river andsustain only 2d6 hp damage. Failureindicates the character lands in theshallows and sustains 20d6 hp damage.A PC in the water will be carried 1-4miles downstream (west) before beingdeposited on the shore. Check the swim-ming rules in the DSG, page 12-14.

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All walls in the chasm area are con-sidered rough, with ledges, and areslightly slippery. Exceptions to this ruleare the walls for 20� surrounding allmagically created features and caves inareas 3-6 and 8 (including the path-ways, Mistle�s secret rooms, the sides ofthe cliffs, and the jutting rock formationin which the secret rooms are found)and the areas within 20� of the stonebridge (area 9). These areas are verysmooth and slightly slippery. For thiefand nonthief climbing rates and adjust-ments for these wall conditions, seepages 14-16 of the DSG.

Drafts and gusts of wind are frequentin this area of the chasm. Flying charac-ters have a penalty of 3� to air speedand fly at one maneuverability classlower. The margoyles and Mistle havemuch experience with the winds andtherefore receive no penalty.

As travelers frequently come throughthis area, there is a 15% chance thatsome other party will be dealing withthe toll collectors each time the PCshappen upon the bridge. Prior to play-ing this encounter, the Dungeon Mastercan determine whether other travelersare paying a toll and, if necessary, de-termine the exact composition of theencountered group.

Encounter KeyMonster statistics follow the numberedsection in which their description orappearance is first noted. All monstersin these encounters speak some dialectof either �surface� Common or a sort ofunderworld trade tongue.

1. Guard Post.

Light and sounds tell you that thereis something or someone ahead. Acool, steady breeze laden with scentsof spiced wine and burning coalsbrushes your face as you turn a bendin the natural passage. As you ap-proach a cavern of some sort, thelight is partially blocked by a hugefigure. A rough, broken challengecomes from a grizzled voice: �Whoseis its dat goes out dere?�

One ogre watches each southern pas-sage, awaiting travelers. These ogresare not alert and can be surprised on aroll of 1-3 on 1d6, if the surprising char-acter moves quietly and swiftly.

The figure is an ogre, although arather neat and well-dressed one.Pieces of plate and chain armor aremixed with leather jacks and leg-gings, both studded and plain. Theogre holds a huge, well-polishedhalberd. The overwhelming smell ofsweat mixed with spiced wine sur-rounds him like a second coat ofarmor, and when the huge ogre grins,his smile shows teeth stained yellowand black.

As the ogre steps away from theentrance, you can see fully into thecavern. Straight ahead is a largetable, ogre-sized and roughly hewn,with several more of the great hu-manoids sitting around it, eating andjoking. They occasionally dip theirbowls into something cooking in asmall black cauldron over a large,rusty brazier. To one side of the ca-vern is a small lighted alcove inwhich shadows betray the occupants�movements.

Beyond the large table is a hugerock formation jutting out into andflanked by a huge chasm. Torches setin sconces reveal three more featuresof the rock formation: smooth wallsleading up to some sort of naturalbalcony overlooking both the chasmand the ogre�s cavern; two narrowpaths running west and north along-side the rock; and, far beyond, alighted stone bridge crossing thechasm.

Two ogres approach from the rockformation, where they were leaningand sharing a smoke from a huge,gnarled pipe. One of them is a gianthumanoid, almost 10� tall, in a shinybreastplate, leather and chain protec-tion for his gigantic arms and legs,and a tremendous black leather beltclasped with a silver skull buckle.This monstrosity carries a 12� black-and-silver trident. His companion isan ordinary ogre similar to the onewho initially greeted you.

The huge ogre speaks. �Name�sGraak. Youse p�pared to pays th�toll?�

These guardians are the toll collec-tors, the ogre band that Mistle encoun-tered and eventually hired. After theinitial challenge, Graak is the only onewho deals with the PCs. Once any deal-ings have begun, all the ogres return tothe table to drink wine, with the excep-tion of the passage guards.

Graak is not very intelligent, but hiscunning and sense of self-preservationare much better than others of his spe-cies. He rules the guards with an ironfist, but is respected by the other ogreswho have come to expect this in aleader. Graak�s constant dealings withtravelers have made him somewhatcourteous for an ogre, and have in-creased his ability to judge character.Graak thinks Mistle is a good employer,although the ogre occasionally proteststhe smallness of the cut that the guardsreceive from the toll money. Mistle hasproven himself to be powerful and hassaved the ogre band more than oncewith his magic, so Graak affords themagician much respect and even moredistance. Graak�s increased judgment ofcharacter has made him wary of thenew derro guard, Haltik Wrath (seearea 7), and the information he hasreceived from the two ogres at thatguard point only feeds his suspicions.

Graak is good at collecting tolls frompassersby, and therefore has becomerather cocky. He expects no less than 25gp or its equivalent from each individ-ual, but will not explicitly ask for thatamount in hopes of getting more (itusually works with travelers new to thearea). He tries to evaluate the gold piecevalue of items but usually defers to theduergar money collectors in the alcove(area 2) for an accurate appraisal.

Blocking one entrance to the alcoveare several wooden boxes filled withrocks. The cauldron on the brazier con-tains hot wine. The table holds a vari-ety of large utensils, carcasses, bowls offood, and pots with remnants of oldmeals in them.

If the PCs decide to pay the toll,Graak leads them to area 2 so the pay-ment can be secured and safeguarded.He then orders (in ogrish) one of theother ogres to take the party to thebeginning of the narrow ledge leadingto area 7.

If the PCs refuse to pay, Graak tries toavoid combat and offers the followingalternative:

As he takes a hesitant step back-ward, Graak grips his trident andbegins again in his halting speech.�Wait jus� a secon�. We guys don�tlikes the fightin� that much. I ain�tgonna argue ov�r a few bits. Jus� takethe utter way � bit longer, but Iguess it�s wort the bits. The Master

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jus� won�t likes it if you gone on hisbridge without us collectin� the toll.�

The humanoid turns and starts towalk across the cavern toward thewestern ledge. He turns his head andlooks over his shoulder, waving toyou to follow him, keeping an eye outfor threatening moves.

If combat occurs, Graak runs towardArea 2 while the other ogres battle thePCs. One of the ogres throws the caul-dron of hot wine to cover Graak�s re-treat. The cauldron is +4 to hit andcovers a 6� diameter with a direct hit,causing 1-6 hp damage (save vs. breathweapon to avoid 2-8 rounds of blind-ness). When thrown by an ogre, thecauldron has a 30� range.

Then Graak or one of the money-collecting duergar in the alcove blows ahorn that hangs from the wall in area 2.This warns Mistle and the guards atarea 7. All arrive on the scene two me-lee rounds later.

If the PCs take the alternate route,they think they hear ogres laughingjust before they stumble into area 11.

Graak: AC 3; MV 9�; HD 7; hp 33;#AT 1; Dmg by weapon type +3 (18/75strength); AL CE; trident +2. Graak�ssilver skull belt buckle is an actualdwarf skull dipped in silver. The wholeitem is worth 350 gp. Graak also has 14pp, 31 gp, and 14 gems (worth 10 gpeach) in a pouch that hangs from hisbelt. Graak can tell if someone is lyingto him with 70% accuracy, and canmake a reasonable guess at someone�salignment after three rounds of conver-sation and visual examination with 80%accuracy.

Ogres (7): AC 5; MV 9�; HD 4 +1; hp27, 26, 22 (x2), 20, 19 (x 2); #AT 1; Dmgby weapon type +2; AL CE; halberds.The ogres have treasure among themamounting to 53 pp, 160 gp, and twogold chains (600 gp and 350 gp).

2. The Alcove.

A small lighted alcove here is appar-ently used by the toll collectors tostore their takings and make change.A 4�-high table nearly blocks oneentrance to this cave, while the otherentrance is blocked by wooden boxesfilled with rocks, stacked 7� high.

On the table are an abacus, severalsheets of parchment, a few quills,

and an inkwell. Behind the table area 3�-high bench and a large ironchest, closed and locked. Hanging onthe wall above the chest is a brasshorn flanked by two sconces holdinglit torches.

Two duergar act as the money chang-ers and collectors. Each is dressed inbrass chain armor and wears a sheathedhand axe attached to his belt. Whenconducting toll business, one duergarstays on the bench to make deals whilethe other stands by the chest in order tosecure the monies or make change. Theduergar by the chest has a large keyhidden beneath his armor, attached to achain around his neck. The chest istrapped; if opened without the key, itemits poison gas that does 3-36 hp dam-age to anyone within the alcove (savevs. poison for no damage). The chestcontains 5-50 each of copper, silver,electrum, and gold coins; 1-10 platinumcoins; and 1-6 each of 10-gp gems and50-gp gems. There is a 30% chance that1-4 items of jewelry worth 50-200 (1d4x 50) gp are also present. Mistle comesdown to collect the money every day.

If a battle breaks out, one of theduergar immediately moves toward thehorn and blows it if Graak has not cometo the alcove. Both draw their handaxes and use psionic invisibility for aslong as possible, but they will fightfiercely to defend their monies (Mistlemight reward them if they survive).

Duergar (2): AC 5; MV 6�; HD 1 + 2;hp 9, 8; #AT 1; Dmg by weapon type; SAsurprise on 3 in 6, psionics; SD save at+4 vs. magical attacks, special immuni-ties (to paralysis, poison, and illusion/phantasm spells), surprised on 1 in 10;see Monster Manual II, page 61; AL LE;chain mail, hand axes.

3. The South Balcony. This naturaland magic-made balcony is 15� abovethe floor of the ogres� cavern and com-mands a view of most of area 1 andabout 50� north along the narrow ledgethat runs toward the stone bridge. Thestone of this rock formation is verysmooth and slightly slippery, making itvery difficult to climb (see �For theDungeon Master�). The balcony itselfhas a 4�-high stone wall running alongits outer edge.

It is at this location that the PCsmight see the Master, Mistle the crip-pled magic-user. There is a 45% chance

that Mistle is watching the ogres below asthey demand a toll from the party. AnyPC has an 85% chance to notice himthere. If this occurs, read the following:

You notice a gaunt figure lookingdown from a balcony on the rockformation that juts out into thechasm. The figure is hooded, so it ishard to distinguish any facial details,but it does seem to be leaning on acrutch and wearing some sort ofnarrow quiver.

If combat with the ogres breaks outwhile Mistle is watching, or if the magi-cian is called to the balcony by the hornor sounds of battle, he assists the ogresby first casting defensive spells liketransmute rock to mud and web. If thebattle is definitely going against theogres, Mistle uses his lightning bolt andmagic missile spells. He also uses hiswand of earth and stone (found in thequiver he carries) to block passagealong the ledge to his bridge, if thecharacters try to run that way. Thebalcony wall provides 75% cover forMistle; so long as he fights from thebalcony, his effective armor classagainst missile fire is 0.

If Mistle is badly injured (having losthalf his hit points), he moves back intohis abode, heals himself with his po-tions (see area 5), and uses his remain-ing magic to hide or escape. He thentries to annoy and injure the party,using magic and wile, in retribution fortheir ruining his profitable business.

Mistle: AC 7; MV 3� (missing oneleg); MU9; hp 28; #AT 1; Dmg by spellor weapon type; S 13, I 16, W 9, D 16 (6if moving or dodging), C 13, Ch 16; ALNE; dagger +2, bracers of defense AC 6,wand of earth and stone (36 charges),wand of paralyzation (9 charges). Thewand of earth and stone is of the varietythat has the �transmute� spells (seeUnearthed Arcana, page 96). This par-ticular wand has the spell stone shapein place of the move earth attribute. Thecharge cost of this new spell is the sameas the one it replaced (two charges peruse). The wand�s command words are (inorder of its powers): �shovel,� �go,� �upand there,� �harden,� and �muck.� Theycan be found on a small silver charm(jewelry value 75 gp) that Mistle wearson a chain around his neck. The activat-ing command for the wand of paralyza-tion is �Stop, thief!� This is not written

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THE CHASM BRIDGE

anywhere. Both wands are kept in asmall quiver that Mistle wears at alltimes.

Mistle�s dexterity for the purpose ofcombat is 6 because of his missing leg.His effective combat armor class withthe bracers is therefore 7. His availablespells are as follows: feather fall, com-prehend languages, jump, magic missile(x 2), detect invisibility, invisibility, web,lightning bolt, slow, tongues, charmmonster, dimension door, transmute rockto mud. His traveling spell books con-tain the following spells in addition tothose listed above: detect magic, iden-tify, knock, wizard lock, dispel magic,fly protection from normal missiles,cone of cold.

Though vengeful, embittered, andhaving an uncomfortable interest ingaining power over evil creatures, Mis-tle also has a strong wit and is an en-gaging conversationalist. He has manystories about the underworld lands, andpossesses a remarkable speaking voiceand aura of authority. He finds talka-tive, good-aligned characters to be boresbut tolerates anyone who does not dis-pute his personal domain in this area.

4. Laboratory and Living Area.

The black-brown walls of this caveclearly show the telltale smoothnessof magical digging. The darkness ofthe walls makes the place seem dimby absorbing much of the light com-ing from a small candelabrum andtwo torches.

The room is well-furnished, and allof the pieces show signs of modestelegance. Along the western wall is a12�-long stone table covered withvarious stone implements: jars, beak-ers, bottles with stoppers, dishes, anda mortar and pestle. Underneath thislong table is a shelf running its fulllength. On it are five larger stonejars, all topped with stone lids.

Along the eastern wall are awooden table and chair, a stone shelfattached to the wall, and a smallerstone table about 3� across. On thewooden table are various pieces ofdirty stone flatware, plates, andcups. The shelf holds two large stonebowls and a single stoppered stonejar. On the stone table are a book, aglass bottle filled with liquid, a goodamount of parchment, and a quilland ink bottle. A small, unlit, blackbrazier sits just to the south of the

stone table. A bit of color comes tothe room from a large, tattered rugon the floor and a small tapestryhanging from two stone pegs on thesoutheast wall.

There are four exits from thisroom: a stairway leading down to thewest, two narrow passages leadingnorth and south, and a stone doorleading southwest. The stone doorhas four doorknobs.

All of the stone items were made byMistle with the stone shape power of his

wand. The containers on the large stonetable contain various ordinary andextraordinary items for use in castingmagical spells: black bird feathers, caveinsect hind legs, soot, salt, talc, pow-dered silver, gum arabic, spider webs,animal fur, bits of turtle shell, molasses,soft black clay, and water. (These arethe material components for most ofMistle�s available spells). Of the fivelarger jars under the table, two areempty, one contains water, and twocontain blood (ogre and duergar).

The bowls on the shelf in the easternwall contain lichen and small cavemushrooms. The large jar on that sameshelf holds water. The glass bottle onthe stone table is a potion of sweet water(five doses) that Mistle uses to ensure agood supply of drinkable water. Theparchments have general writings andsome notes on the behavior of duergar,ogres, and margoyles, but one sheet is amagic-user scroll inscribed with a mend-ing spell. The book is an empty magic-user�s traveling spell book. The tapestryand rug are worthless. The brazier isfilled with soot and the remains of someburnt charcoal.

This room and the one to the south-west (area 5) give good indication ofMistle�s taste for both austerity andcomfort. The past year in his new homehas not made Mistle unhappy. On thecontrary, he has found his life under-ground lacking very little. Caravansand other underground merchants passover the toll bridge often enough tokeep the ogres� stomachs full of wineand all of Mistle�s personal tastes wellsatisfied. The toll money is spent onitems ranging from wooden furnishings(a luxury underground) to foodstuffs,spices, and coal.

The door to the southwest was builtby the duergar and contains some trapsof their own making. The four door-knobs are set vertically into the center

of the 7�-high door. The top knob is falsebut has a 30% chance to accidentallytrigger one of the other two traps. Thesecond knob down is the real one, open-ing the door through a system ofweights and a counterbalance. Thethird knob releases a trap that dropslarge rocks onto a 10� x 10� area infront of the door. Anyone in that areatakes 4-16 hp damage (save vs. petrifica-tion for half damage). The bottom knobreleases the pins that hold the door inplace, causing it to fall forward (70%chance) or backward (30% chance). If itfalls forward, all those within 6� of thedoor must save vs. petrification at +3or be crushed for 5-50 hp damage. Acombined score of 40 strength points isneeded to lift the door off pinned PCs.

5. Bed Chamber.

Smaller than the outer cave, thisroom is more sparsely furnished,having only four pieces of stone fur-niture: a bed with a mattress of li-chen in burlap sacks, a simple blockof stone for a nightstand, a tablewith shelves, and a high-backedchair softened by three threadbarepillows. The table and shelves hold acollection of knick-knacks.

The 17 knick-knacks are various non-magical figurines of humans, elves, andanimals, as well as some stone jars andvases (worth 4-40 sp each). In the bot-tom of one of the vases, under 2� ofmurky water, is a ring of clumsinessthat appears to be a ring of jumping.The vase must be turned upside-downfor this item to be noticed.

Underneath the bed is a loose stoneset flush with the floor. A normal searchof the room will reveal its presence. In ahole under the stone are Mistle�s reve-nues from the tolls: 455 sp in a burlapbag, 230 gp and 55 pp in another bag,and a small unlocked coffer containing11 gems (50 gp (x 4), 200 gp (x 3), and500 gp).

The nightstand is another duergarwork of genius. Inside is a secret com-partment containing three potions ofhealing and a magic-user scroll of fly,wall of iron, and invisible stalker. Thesecret-compartment can be opened bysharply hitting the left side of the night-stand three times.

If Mistle has been injured in combatwith the PCs, he retreats to this roomand uses the potions of healing from his

DUNGEON E

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nightstand. He hides here invisibly,waiting for the characters to get the fulleffects of his trapped door. The magic-user then sneaks out and uses the scrollspells to trap the PCs in his room withan invisible stalker. Finally, he fliesaway down the chasm, looking for bet-ter prospects, taking his spell books(from area 6) with him.

6. Stairway, Ledge, and SecretEntrance. This is Mistle�s front doorand porch. Though he rarely leaves,when he does he enters and exits hisabode through the use of a fly spell. ThePCs can approach this area either fromarea 4 or by flying or climbing to theledge. The walls on this rock formationare slightly slippery and very smooth.

The ledge is roughly 6� wide and issupported by the surrounding rock. Thisoutcropping can hold up to 500 lbs. ofweight. The wall behind the ledge ap-pears to be smooth and featureless. Thesecret door can be found by a dwarf 20%of the time, by an elf 15% of the time,and by any other character 5% of thetime. The secret door is opened by press-ing a small knob of rock underneath thenortheasternmost edge of the ledge. Thedoor slides straight down, a lip on theinside catching the door from fallingfurther. To replace the door, the lip mustbe pulled up past a catch on the innerright side of the doorway.

Rapping hard on the second step fromthe top of the staircase reveals a secretcompartment similar to that in thenightstand in area 5. Here can be foundMistle�s traveling spell books contain-ing all the spells mentioned in area 3.These books are not here if Mistle hasalready left the area.

7. Approach to the Bridge. Thedescription below assumes the party isapproaching from the south. See area 10for the northern approach perspective.

As you make your way along thenarrow pathway leading to thebridge, you hear a mixture of strangevoices and languages but cannot yetsee anyone ahead. Rounding thefinal bend in the ledge pathwaybrings you face to face with quite amotley crew of humanoids: two largeogres, dressed similarly to thosepreviously encountered but unarmed,four duergar in plate armor, wieldingshort spears and war hammers; and

F Special Edition

personage in ragged studded leathera crazed-looking, hairy, dwarflike

armor who holds a huge crossbow ofsome type.

A roll for surprise should be madehere, especially if the PCs gave Graakand his gang any trouble. The two ogreshave no reservations about roughing upa few surprised humans or demi-humans, especially since they are farenough away from the influence ofGraak. The malicious manners of theduergar and derro only support suchbullying and �fun.� The shorter-statured humanoids might encouragecombat just to get some treasure, if theodds seem reasonable.

The derro, a recent addition to Mis-tle�s guards, has been nothing but trou-ble for both Graak and the Master.Haltik Wrath has received the supportof the duergar guards and, especiallysince finding out about the unfair cutthe guards get from the toll revenues,he has been concentrating on subvert-ing both leaders� power bases. Recently,the derro sneaked away to negotiatewith Slissh-Ikil, who presented Haltikwith a potion as a pledge of his support.Details of combat plans or other cooper-ation have not as yet been worked out,though. Any combat in this area, how-ever, is sure to draw Slissh-Ikil�s inter-est, if not the margoyles� presence.

A battle in this area might providethe opportunity that the derro and hissupporters have been looking for. Haltikknows that one of the duergar has amagical spear, and he feels that theunknown potion he was given by Slissh-Ikil (a potion of fire breath) could turnthe tide. The derro will not use thepotion unless he feels it is the righttime for rebellion.

Ogres (2): AC 5; MV 9�; HD 4 + 1; hp24, 23; #AT 1; Dmg 1-10; AL CE.

Duergar (4): AC 2; MV 6�; HD 2 + 2;hp 16, 15,12,11; #AT 1; Dmg byweapon type; SA surprise on 3 in 6,psionics; SD save at +4 vs. magicalattacks; special immunities (to paraly-sis, poison, and illusion/phantasmspells), surprise on 1 in 10; see MonsterManual II; AL LE; plate mail, shield,hammer, spear (16-hp duergar has aspear +1).

Haltik Wrath, derro: AC 3; MV 9�;HD 3; hp 21; #AT 1 or 2; Dmg byweapon type; D 18; SD 30% magic re-sistance; AL CE; studded leather armor,derro repeating light crossbow (Dmg

1-3) with poison on the quarrels (2-12 hpdamage), short sword, potion of firebreath.

8. North Balcony. This balcony isvery similar to area 3. It commands aview of the stone bridge and about 90%of the chasm area to the north, west andeast. The chances of seeing Mistle hereare much less, however, unless somesort of battle has begun. There is only a15% chance that he will be here to seenormal passing of the character party.

If, however, the alarm is soundedhere, it takes Mistle two melee roundsto respond. His actions upon arrivingare similar to those taken for a battle atarea 1 � defensive spells first, switch-ing to offensive spells if the battle getsheated, and using his wands only if hisbusiness or his life is in jeopardy.

9. The Bridge.

The bridge, the main feature of thischasm area, is a unique magicalformation. Apparently, two naturalledges were altered and extendedfrom either side of the chasm to cre-ate this bridge from the living rock.The bridge is narrow, only about 7�wide throughout its length. Tworough stone columns flank the en-trance at either end of the bridge. Oneach stone column, a lit brand smok-ily burns in a torch sconce. Runningalong the sides of the bridge arestone railings about 4� high. Thestone of the bridge is relativelysmooth, although the underside ofthe bridge appears to be very rough.

If the PCs approach from the north andrefuse the verbal challenge of theguards on the south side (see area 10), aphysical challenge is made to the char-acters on the bridge. The ogres, duergar,and derro have experience fighting onthe bridge and have a specific plan ofattack for such occasions.

First, a final offer is made (by thestrongest duergar) to the PCs to pay thetoll instead of fighting their waythrough. If the PCs refuse, the ogrescharge across the bridge, attempting topush the adventurers back to the oppo-site side. Two duergar follow the ogresclosely, while the other two run for help.The derro has found a way to safelyclimb along the rough underside of thebridge; he will try to get beneath thestructure before the battle starts. He

THE CHASM BRIDGE

has a 65% chance to do this withoutbeing noticed. He then attempts tosurprise attackers either on the bridgeor near its northern entrance. If hismovements have been noticed, hischance to surprise is 1-3 on 1d6; other-wise, he surprises on 1-5. The derro cancarry his weapons when he climbs un-der the bridge. Mistle and the ogres andduergar from area 1 arrive in two meleerounds if their help is summoned.

10. The Northern Ledge.

The natural corridor you have beentraveling through suddenly opensonto a ledge that provides a pano-ramic view. To the immediate southand west, the ledge overlooks a deepchasm. In front of you, seeminglyformed from the ledge itself, a bridgerises over the chasm and descends tomeet a similar ledge on the oppositeside. On that opposite ledge standseveral guards, their features ob-scured by the dimness that pervadesthe chasm. Two larger figures areflanked by four or five smaller ones,and all seem to be holding weaponsof some sort. Above the figures issome sort of balcony, carved from thestone of a great outcropping of rock.Rushing water can be heard, farbelow in the chasm.

One of the shorter guards movesforward and speaks: �This be thebridge of Mistle the Great. Standwhere you are and prepare to pay thetoll.�

Characters who stand fast are met bythe two ogres, who cross the bridge fromarea 7. These guards then escort theparty to the narrow pathway leadingfrom area 7 to area 1. The toll-collectingprocedure described at area 1 proceedsnormally once the party arrives. If thePCs make threatening actions or at-tempt to cross the bridge unescorted,the guards at area 7 start their combatprocedure (see area 9).

11. The Margoyles� Alternative.

As you round a bend in the narrowledge beside the chasm, a rush of airwhips past your face. Suddenly, youare set upon by thrashing horns,fangs, and claws, all seemingly madeof stone.

Slissh-Ikil hears the PCs movingalong the ledge and dispatches two ofhis cohorts to attack the travelers.Slissh-Ikil himself flies out and staysnearby to see how the youngsters do. Ifthe margoyles take more than one-thirdof their hit points in damage, they re-treat to their lair at area 12 (they losethe ability to fly if below half hitpoints). Under no circumstances willSlissh-Ikil assist the other margoyleshere. Margoyles so badly wounded as tobe unable to fly manage to glide downto a ledge far below, just above theriver, where they rest until able to flyagain.

Slissh-Ikil: AC 2; MV 6�/12�; HD 6;hp 40; #AT 4; Dmg 1-6/1-6/2-8/2-8; SA80% surprise near stone; SD +1 orbetter weapon to hit; AL CE.

Margoyles (2): AC 2; MV 6�/12�; HD6; hp 32, 26; #AT 4; Dmg 1-6/1-6/2-8/2-8;SA 80% surprise near stone; SD +1 orbetter weapon to hit; AL CE.

12. The Margoyles� Lair. This largeand smelly cave can be reached only byflying or climbing. It is 60� above theledge where the area 11 encountertakes place. When the margoyles are

not attacking local travelers or foragingfor food, they are found here 95% of thetime. The bare cave contains a largeamount of grit, gravel, and sand piledinto three mounds. Sifting through thestuff in all the piles reveals some trea-sure. The two mounds in the southernend of the cave together contain sixgems (100 gp (x4), 500 gp, 1,000 gp), 46gp, 36 sp, and 54 cp. These two pilesalso contain a good number of shiny butuseless baubles. The pile of sand andgravel in the north end of the cave con-tains a large gold pendant in the shapeof a snake (worth 1,200 gp), 78 sp, and asilver short sword with scabbard (worth60 gp total), as well as an assortment ofother worthless shiny items.

13. Billygoats� Gruff.

Ahead, at the end of the ledge, youcan see a strange bridge. Two smoothstone pillars are sunk into stoneledges on each side of the chasm.Tangles of thick wire and rope arepulled through holes in the pillarsand secured by wrapping and tying.Three twisted lines of wire and rope

DUNGEON G

THE CHASM BRIDGE

are stretched across the chasm, eachattached to the others by a series ofsmall twists of rope and wire. Itappears that the bridge is crossed bywalking on the lower of the threeropes while using the other two forhandholds. The sound of rushingwater can be heard from far below.

Unfortunately, it looks like youhave other things to worry aboutright now. A large, winged, stonecreature descends from the darknessof the chasm�s ceiling to settle on thenearer of the bridge�s foundationledges.

From this location, Slissh-Ikil makeshimself known to the travelers whodare to traverse his pathway andbridge. He presents himself in a menac-ing manner, either prior to the charac-ters� crossing the bridge from the northor when the party is approximately 20�from the bridge approaching from thesouth. He avoids combat by flying offthe ledge just before the PCs reach him,and maneuvers around to harass char-acters as they try to cross the rope-and-wire bridge. If they are alive, the othertwo margoyles join in the fight, usingSlissh-Ikil�s tactics as described below.

Slissh-Ikil attacks only those PCs whocross the bridge, and only those withlittle or no armor protection (AC 6 orhigher). The margoyle has learned sev-eral things from dealing with travelerson a frequent-basis � particularly thatthe best fighters usually wear largepieces of shiny metal on their bodies.Slissh-Ikil attacks characters when theyare approximately halfway across thebridge. He swoops down, slashing withhis claws (two attacks for 1-6/1-6 hpdamage). A successful attack by themargoyle requires a PC to make twosuccessive dexterity checks on 1d20 toavoid falling off the rope bridge. If onlyone check fails, the PC hangs onto thebridge by 1-3 of his limbs and can con-tinue to hold on for 1-3 rounds per limb.Failure of both checks indicates that thePC has fallen into the chasm (see �Forthe Dungeon Master�). Slissh-Ikil con-centrates his attacks on charactershanging from the rope bridge, if any.

The bridge, upon closer inspection, isa unique and fine piece of workman-ship, completed by the svirfneblin onlya few months ago. It is an elegantlysimple three-rope suspension bridge.

14. The Western Passage.

The natural stone passage you havebeen traveling in suddenly turnseast, and a cool, misty draft blowsinto your face. A few feet beyond theturn, you break out of the passageonto a ledge overlooking a vast anddeep chasm. Through the dimness,you see the faint outline of a bridgeabout 50� south. The bridge spans thegap between the two ledges, and onthe southernmost of these ledges youcan see several shadowy figures.

Your choice of movement is fairlylimited, however. The rough stoneledge you stand on narrows as itbends south, hugging the westerncavern wall. The air is damp, drafty,and cold. The sound of rushing watercan be heard in the distance.

As the PCs approach the bridge, theyare challenged by Slissh-Ikil (see area13) and the two younger margoyles. Seearea 11 for their statistics. There is a50% chance that PCs entering the areafrom this point will walk out while oneor more of the margoyles is clinging tothe rocks nearby in a perfect position toattack the group from surprise.

Continuing the AdventureThis encounter can be used over andover again as the PCs pass through thisarea, perhaps on their way to and fromthe surface or an underground base ofoperations. The adventurers can easilybecome involved in the intrigue of theencounter area, taking whichever sidethey feel inclined to support. Any of theNPCs can become well known to thecharacters and can be a good source ofrumors and information leading toother adventures. The PCs might evenstrike up a (dangerous) friendship withMistle, as it has been a long time sincethe mage has spoken to other peoplefrom the surface. Though evil, he is stillreasonably honest about his intentionsand is fairly charismatic. He may offerthe PCs lodging in his humble abode(which is safe, though uncomfortable),perhaps in trade for their tracking downsome rare spell component or otherrequired item. The mage might alsoexpress an interest in accompanying theparty on an expedition to find the asso-ciates (or their remains!) who left himhere a year ago. Anyone who managesto regenerate Mistle�s missing leg has

won his support for the rest of his life,though he will remain in this area.

The unfriendlier denizens of the areacan be a source of further adventure aswell. The margoyle, Slissh-Ikil, hascontacts with other margoyles andmany evil creatures up and down thelength of the chasm. This evil monsteralso keeps many important personagesin the underworld informed on the com-ings and goings of travelers throughthis area. The derro and duergar bothhave contacts with others of their ilk inthe immediate area. The toll-collectingduergar could be skimming money offthe top of the revenues, while HaltikWrath�s agreement with the margoylescould become a major problem for Mis-tle and the chasm bridge guards.Finally, a coalition of underground

merchants and citizens may become fedup with paying the toll and hire the PCsto do away with Mistle and his crew. Ifsuccessful, the PCs will then have tocontend with the margoyles in order toprevent the monsters from taking overthe newly liberated bridge for their ownpurposes.

If this sample adventurewhets your appetite formore, fill out the subscrip-tion card in this issue andsign up for a year’s worth ofDUNGEON™ Adventures foronly $18.00. Each issue isfilled with 64 pages of ad-ventures for the D&D® andAD&D® games. If the card ismissing, write to: Subscrip-tions, DUNGEON Adven-tures, P.O. Box 110, LakeGeneva WI 53147.

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©1988 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. AllRights Reserved.Marvel, Marvel Universe, Marvel Super Heroes,and all Marvel character names and likenessesare trademarks of Marvel EntertainmentGroup, Inc.

D R A G O N 59

60 MARCH 1988

D R A G O N 61

by Skip Williams

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

Sage Advicec/o DRAGON® MagazineTSR, Inc.P.O. Box 110Lake Geneva WI 53147

This month, “Sage Advice” dispels somemonster mysteries that have baffled DMsin AD&D® game campaigns.

General information

Will a monster join a characterparty if invited?

Possibly, if its reaction is favorable and ithas something to gain from joining theparty. An evil monster might join in orderto get an opportunity to turn on a partyunexpectedly.

Is it possible to get a capturedmonster to change its alignment?

Intelligent monsters might very well“turn a new leaf” if given the opportunity.The change of heart might not last, how-ever. This depends on how well the mon-ster is treated and if its lot is reallyimproved by the alignment change.

Certain monsters have no listedhit dice, only a fixed number of hitpoints. How do you figure out theireffective hit dice for things like sav-ing throws and combat ability?

Unless the creature’s description statesotherwise, divide total hit points by 4.5 toget hit dice.

Where are monsters’ psionic abili-ties explained?

In the Players Handbook, starting onpage 110, and in the Dungeon MastersGuide, starting on page 76.

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62 MARCH 1988

Miscellaneous monsters

What weapons will work on anochre jelly?

None. An ochre jelly splits into smallercreatures when struck by weapons.

How do you determine if a weaponstriking a gray ooze corrodes?

Have the weapon roll a save vs. acid (seethe DMG, page 80).

The Monster Manual says thatgolems can be hit by magical crea-tures that have as many as or morehit dice than the golem. What is amagical creature?

This is a limitation on the CreaturesStruck Only By Magic Weapons tablefound on page 75 of the DMG. In order toaffect a golem, a creature must have anattack equal to a magic weapon of theappropriate bonus and have hit dice equalto or greater than the golem�s. For exam-ple, a flesh golem is struck only by +1 orbetter magical weapons. A werewolf,being itself struck only by magical weap-ons, is the equivalent of a +1 weaponaccording to the DMG table. However, ithas only 4 + 3 HD and the golem effec-tively has 9, so the werewolf cannot harmthe golem.

Is there any way to fight a phasespider without magical aid? Can thevictim of a phase spider return theattack even if no one else can?

A phase spider can phase in, attack, andphase out before its opponents can strikeif it has the initiative; otherwise, it may beattacked normally. Phase spiders go to theEthereal plane when they phase out, soethereal beings can attack them.

Does a giant or other large mon-ster get strength bonuses?

No, not unless the creature�s descriptionsays it does. Monsters� strength bonusesare usually subsumed in their damageranges. For special encounters, you canassign monsters weapon types and damageranges (DRAGON issue #109 contained anarticle on giants� strength bonuses andweapons), but be sure to alter theirexperience-point value if you do.

Most giants can catch missiles;what missiles can they catch?

Giants have a chance to catch bouldershurled by other giants or by siege engines.They cannot catch arrows, ballista bolts,or other compact and streamlined missiles.

Can humanoid monsters usewands and other magical devices?

No, but witch doctor or shaman types (ifallowed for the humanoid race in ques-tion) can do so; see page 40 of the DMG.

Can humanoid monsters useweapon specialization?

No; weapon specialization is for thefighter class only. I suppose, however,that some very extraordinary and rarehumanoids might actually have fightertraining, and so could specialize.

If a spell-caster eats obliviax con-taining spell memories, can he ex-ceed his normal spell load? When acharacter gains spells from themoss, at what level are they cast?Also, the Monster Manual II saysthat failing a save vs. poison aftereating the moss will cause a charac-ter to become very ill. What are thegame effects of this illness?

Spell-casters can exceed their normalmemorized-spell maximums and even castspells from other classes, providing thatthe save is successful. Any spells gainedare cast at the level of the character wholost them to the moss, as decided by theDM. The effects of the illness are up to theDM; I recommend that the afflicted char-acter suffer the loss of 1 hp and one pointof constitution per turn. If the charactershould reach zero hit points, he dies im-mediately; if his constitution drops belowthree, he becomes totally incapacitateduntil the illness passes (see the MonsterManual II, page 96). Constitution pointsare regained at the rate of one point perturn after the illness passes, but the dam-age remains until cured or regainedthrough rest.

Do hold or charm person spellswork on draconians from theDRAGONLANCE® Adventures worldof Krynn? Do rangers get giant-classdamage bonuses against them?

Draconians are not giant-classed mon-sters, but they are �persons,� and the twospells you mention do affect them.

How many eggs do dragons lay ina single clutch? How much timepasses between the laying ofclutches?

This is not difficult to determine frominformation given on page 30 of the Mon-

ster Manual. Since any group of two ormore dragons is a mated pair with young,the maximum number of eggs in a clutchis the maximum number of dragons ap-pearing, minus two. Since most dragonsappear in groups of one to four, mostdragons lay one or two eggs. Faeriedragons, which appear in groups of up tosix, lay up to four eggs. The minimumnumber of eggs laid is one. If one assumesthat young dragons stay with their parentsat least until they reach the subadult stageat 16 years, each clutch must be at least 16years apart, since dragons would be foundin larger groups if they laid eggs whilerearing young.

The mind flayer�s main attack is amind blast. What is this exactly?How often can it be used?

This is identical to the psionic attackmode psionic blast. It is usable once permelee round � as long as the user hassufficient psionic strength.

The DMG has a table giving therange of hit points for zero-levelhumans in various occupations. Isthere similar information some-where on zero-level demi-humans?

There are no zero-level demi-humansexcept for halflings; refer to the racedescriptions in the various monster tomesfor information on demi-humans with nocharacter abilities.

The Monster Manual says that golddragons can polymorph themselveswithout harm. Explain this.

A gold dragon has effectively unlimiteduse of polymorph self spells, and makes nosystem shock survival rolls in using them.

The duergar from the MonsterManual II is listed with the psionicability molecular attraction. Is theresuch an ability?

No; this was a typo. The actual disciplineis molecular agitation.

DRAGON 63

by Kim Eastland

Most GAMMA WORLD® game GMs haveit happen to them when they least expectit. A player is generating a new character,or something has further mutated a playercharacter (such as the Alpha Factor Gener-ator in the GW6 Alpha Factor module),and the magic number rolls up: 90, NewMutation. Suddenly, the routine of listingthe normal mutations is gone, and the GMhas to provide a brand-new power for thePC. Fortunately, sources for new muta-tions abound. Spells from AD&D® gamebooks, superpowers from the MARVELSUPER HEROES® game, and material fromother RPGs are the best places to findinspiration. The GM can also take noteswhile he is running his campaign when aplayer says something like, �Boy, I surewish I could create a light of my own.�Most players will be glad to have their PCsreceive the power they helped create.

But for all the sources and inspiration, itstill takes time to create new mutations.This list of new mutations is for those GMswhose time is tight and who prefer thatsomeone else did the work. These statis-tics are for the third-edition (1986) game.A range of �Sight� refers to normal sight; arange of �M. Score� means the mutationscore is used.

270° Sight (S) Physical Energy Healing (C) Physical There is a 1-in-6 chance that a mutantRange: Sight Duration: Constant Range: Touch Duration: Constant can also use this mutation as a light-flashModifier: None Use: Constant Modifier: CN Use: Constant attack for one turn, once per day. AllNumber: Self Effect: New Sense Number: One Effect: Healing creatures within the affected radius sufferDescription: The character has multiple Description: The mutant has a power a mutation attack and must save vs. Dex-optical sensors around his head, giving similar to the energy metamorphosis mu- terity or be blinded for 1 turn per resulthim a 270° field of vision. The character tation, except that the healing he can factor. Those who do save are still stunnedadds his mutation score to his surprise roll perform by the transformation of energy for 1 turn.when in front of a party or when operat- only applies to other creatures, not toing on his own. This bonus is never added himself. After making a successful Material Transparency (C) Mentalto the party�s surprise check, however. mutation-score roll to absorb the energy Range: Touch Duration: Perm.The character can focus in a certain direc- and prepare to transfer it, the healer Modifier: MS Use: 1 per 6 hourstion, but is still aware of things going on needs to touch a creature to heal it. The Number: Variable Effect: Specialaround him beyond the normal range of healing energy is immediately transferred, Description: The mutant can touch anvision. The mutant checks against his but the mutant must concentrate for one item or a material and � without changingmutation score when attempting to iden- full turn for the transference to be com- that materials strength, armor class, etc.tify something he is not actively examin- pleted. Any organic creature can be � turn it permanently transparent. Livinging. Because he is so optically enhanced, healed in this fashion. The amount of hit organisms are not affected by this action,however, the subject suffers one additional points healed during any one turn equals although inanimate matter may be bybase point of damage from light attacks. the base damage of the absorbed attack, making a special roll. The column on

times a mutation-score result-factor roll which this action is rolled differs for every360° Sight (S) Physical result -1 RS. The mutant must heal some type of material. The being must startRange: Sight Duration: Constant creature by the end of the turn following with Rank 20, then subtract one columnModifier: None Use: Constant the turn in which the attack was taken, or for every material strength (ST) rating ofNumber: Self Effect: New Sense else lose the energy and take half the the material being altered (stone, being STDescription: The character has multiple damage from the attack, no matter what 16, shifts 16 columns to the left on columnoptical sensors around his head, giving the mutant�s normal immunities are. 4). The mutant may then shift the rankhim a 360° field of vision. The character upward with his Mental Strength modifiercannot be visually surprised. This bonus is Genius Capability � Sociological by one column per point of the modifier.never added to the party�s surprise check, (S) Mental The amount of material turned transpar-however. The GM must roll for the party Range: Body Duration: Constant ent is up to the mutant, with a maximumseparately, then determine what the char- Modifier: IN Use: Constant area of a 30cm square or cube multipliedacter with this mutation intends to do. The Number: Self Effect: Special by the result factor; green indicates 60cm,character can focus in a certain direction, Description: This mutant�s mind is par- yellow indicates 90cm, etc. This mutationbut is aware of things going on all around titularly acute when dealing with sociolog- is best used on items that a party memberhim. He rolls against this mutation score ical information (laws, mores, cultural wishes to see through, like ammunitionwhen checking for anyone moving behind types, etc.). As a result, he adds this muta- clips, walls, etc. Successful material trans-him, trying to pick his pocket, or perform- tion score to his Intelligence when using formation makes the material as clear asing similar actions. Because he is so opti- this type of information. Furthermore, he glass. Failure has no effect.cally enhanced, a mutant with this power gains the Bargain skill (or gains anothersuffers double damage from light attacks, such skill level if he already has it), along Mental Retention (C & S) Mentaland must roll his mutation score or be with a +1 RS in his favor when rolling on Range: Body Duration: Constantblinded for 1d10 minutes. the Impress, Pacify, Parley, and Encounter Modifier: IN Use: Special

Reaction Charts. Number: Self Effect: RetentionDark Creation (C) Physical Description: The mutant can accuratelyRange: M. Score Duration: 10 min. Light Creation (C) Physical remember any information he hears orModifier: MS Use: 3 per 24 hours Range: M Score Duration: 1 hour sees. (This mutation is only useful if theNumber: Variable Effect: Darkness Modifier: MS Use: 1 per hour mutant can read or speak the relevantDescription: This mutation allows a Number: Variable Effect: Illuminate language; otherwise, he must make acharacter to emit an area of darkness Description: The mutant can cause his mutation-score roll to remember gibberishequal in a radius of meters to his mutation body to glow, emitting light in a radius or runes he does not comprehend.) Thisscore. This darkness is not of sufficient equal in meters to this mutation score. mutation can be invaluable to an adventur-intensity to harm anyone by itself, but it This glow is not of sufficient intensity to ing party in a number of ways. For exam-does block all illumination of an intensity harm or blind anyone, but does provide ple, if the party is given explicitup to that of a glow cube. All other bright illumination equal to that of a glow cube. instructions, as they are in the currentlights � including that of floodlights, a Once activated, this light glows until the GAMMA WORLD game series of modules,light generation or light creation mutation, end of its duration (unless the mutant this mutant can remember the instruc-etc. � have their intensities reduced by consciously turns the mutation off), even if tions word for word. He can look at ahalf, which also applies to range, damage, the character is unconscious or dead. The diagram of an item or creature and beand so on. The user of this mutation can- only drawback to this mutation is that the able to recognize it on sight. He adds fournot see in his own area of darkness. Un- mutant using this power is often the most skill levels to any Singer, Poet, or Story-less consciously turned off, this darkness obvious party member, and might draw teller talent or skill he chooses, as hisexists until the end of the duration set for creatures at night as does a campfire. repertoire becomes vast. If he makes hisit, even if the character falls unconscious mutation-score roll, he can also rememberor dead. cryptic runes and have them interpreted

later by someone who might know them.

DRAGON 65

If the GM feels this mutation might

Description: The mutant can rearrange

unbalance his campaign, he could have the

the molecules in an inanimate, nonliving

mutant make a mutation check in order to

item by merely touching it. When making

remember something. A black result indi-

a mutation-score roll, the mutant can alter

cates mistaken information; white indi-

the size, shape, or basic structure of the

cates the gist of the information isrecalled; other colors indicate more exact-ness, with red meaning a special insightinto the information (given by the GM).

Mulecular Rearrangement (C)Mental

Range: Touch Duration: ConstantModifier: MS Use: 1 per 6 hoursNumber: One Effect: Special

item. Thus, the being can change a pieceof metal into a basic tool with which he isfamiliar, a pile of vegetation into ediblefood, or a branch of wood into a bow.

Silence Field (C) Physical

completely eliminates all sound that enters

cast beams through that area are jammed

Water Walking: (C) Mental

Range: M Score

it; this includes all sonic attacks. Anyone

Duration: Variable until the field disappears because of time

Range: Special Duration: Constant

Modifier: CN

else in this field during a sonic attack is

Use: 2 per 24 hours duration, the mutant�s will, or the mutant

Modifier: MS Use: Constant

Number: Variable Effect: Sonic

also exempt from its damage. The PCs are

being rendered unconscious. Radio, televi-

Number: Self

Dampening

Effect: Special

sion, communicators, security and surveil-

forbidden to talk to anyone within the

Description: The mutant can generate a

Description: The mutant can increasefield, as no sound can be heard at all (in-

lance equipment, and similar devices are

the surface tension of the area beneath his

field of silence around himself that ex-

cluding pleas for help made out of the

completely jammed, as are broadcast-

feet (and hands or paws if he is quadrupe-party�s sight). A silence field grants the

tends in a 2-meter radius centered on the

dal or crawling an all fours) so that buoy-user +20 to any surprise roll he makes.

power beams which robots and large

ancy normally lacking in the surface

user. He turns the field on by making a machinery use. Radar and sonar of allmutation-score roll; the field remains in types are also completely blocked.place until the mutant either loses concen- Strangely enough, telepathy and empathytration or an hour passes, whichever mutations are also affected, and any mu-comes first. The mutant may move around tant using them must make a Mentalwhile concentrating on this mutation, Strength save or suffer Mental Shock.although he may never fight. The field

Some restrictions apply; for example, the beneath him suddenly exists, thus allowingitem or material created must be the same Sonic Bellow (C) Physical him to move across the surface walkedweight as the material with which the Range: 15m radius Duration: Constantmutant began. Materials cannot be Modifier: CN

upon as if it were packed earth. This al-Use: 1 per hour

Number: Variable Effect: Sonicslows the mutant to walk across sand, mud,thin ice, and similar surfaces withoutchanged into other materials, such as

metals to wood. Also, any item created Description: The mutant can generate sinking into them, at his full movementmust be simple and must be something high-frequency sound waves that cause rate. He also can walk across closely

with which the character is familiar. If the damage to organic and inorganic material packed fields of grain or long grass, orGM wishes to allow more complicated or in a 15-meter radius. Use the mutation water of intensity A to 6, but at one-halfdetailed tools and items to be created, he score for the attack rank; the base damage his normal movement rate. If the fluid�sshould assign a greater Difficulty Factor to is equal to one-half the mutation score to conditions are greater than 16 (steadythe mutation-score roll. The maximum all organic and inorganic materials under current with 30cm to 60cm waves), theamount of weight in kilograms that themutant can change at any one time isequal to his mutation score. This mutationalso allows the being to purify tainted foodor water.

Plasma Spheres (C) PhysicalRanger: Touch Duration: SpecialModifier: CN Use: 1 per 4 hoursNumber: One Effect: Special

material strength 10.

Sonic Roar (C) PhysicalRange: 30 meters Duration: 1 turnModifier: CN Use: 1 per 24 hoursNumber: Variable Effect: SonicsDescription: The mutant can emit ex-tremely high-frequency sound waves onceevery 24 hours. These waves cause dam-age to the exposed tissue of everyone in

mutant must make a mutation-score roll toremain on his feet every 500 meters hemoves, and he only moves at one-quarterhis normal movement rate. He can neverwalk on churning water that is greaterthan I18.

Weather Summoning (C) MentalRange: 250 meters Duration: 1 hourModifier: IN Use: 1 per 24 hours

Description: By making his mutation- the direction that the mutant releases the Number: Self Effect: Specialscore roll, the mutant can create a sphere roar. The mutant picks the target; every- Description: This mutation is similar toof stable, invisible plasma by merely one within three meters of the target or in the weather manipulation mutation. Ittouching a solid surface. The sphere is a straight line between the mutant and his allows the mutant to alter the weather byonly 1cm in diameter, and can only be target also receives damage. The base as much as 40°F in an area within a diam-seen by the mutant producing it and any- damage for this attack equals one-half the eter of 250 meters, but does not give himone with infravision. The plasma sphere mutation score plus three points. Inor- control over how the weather progressesremains wherever the mutant initially ganic targets gain a -1 RS to the damage from there. He must make a roll on hisplaces it, whether on a path, on an item, in suffered. mutation score -3 column shifts toa doorway, etc. If a person other than the change the weather. The mutant cannotsphere�s creator touches the object, it Static Field (C) Mental control the wind�s speed or direction, andbecomes unstable and explodes immedi- Range: Special Duration: 30 min. has no control over the effects of a stormately. The radius of the explosion is one Modifier: MS Use: 2 per 24 hours system. The only control the mutant has ismeter, and the base damage equals one- Number: Variable Effect: Special over the temperature. The desired tem-half the mutation score. Untouched Description: The mutant can generate a

static field either centering around himselfperature is reached in five minutes, andremains there until either an hour hasplasma spheres fade away into nothing

ness after 1d6 +6 days. or centering on a place or object up to 30 passed or until another creature uses themeters away. On a successful mutation- weather summoning mutation to return itscore roll, the field activates and covers a to normal.30-meter radius. Transmission of broad-

66 MARCH 1988

by Douglas Niles

The chance to design the TOP SECRET/S.I.� game was a marvelous opportunity,but a mixed blessing. Revise a game thathas been around almost as long as thehobby itself, with a significant � if notlarge � following of devoted gamers, andthe potential for trouble becomes real.

Well, I can breathe again. Thanks to allof you who wrote to tell us (Warren Spec-tor, the game�s editor and developer, andmyself) how much you like the new game.The letters have been running 5 to 1 infavor of the redesign.

An occasional voice of dissent calls for areturn to the traditional values of theoriginal TOP SECRET® game. These criti-cisms can be grouped into two basic cate-gories: those who miss the painstakingattention to detail in the original game,and those who object to our tamperingwith a �classic."

Indeed, TOP SECRET is about as much ofa classic as our industry has to offer. If it�sany consolation, we didn�t undertake therevision lightly. We considered a partialrevision of the rules, a redesign of select

systems, and a �from the ground up� ap-proach � releasing an essentially newgame that would (we hoped) appeal to thefans of the original game. You, the players,were willing to give the redesign a chance.As a result, the game is a success, and themajority of gamers (if the mail is any indi-cation) are happy.

The hard-core level of realism inherentin the original TOP SECRET game is some-thing we have not forgotten. However,there is almost a direct correlation be-tween the level of detail presented in agame system and the amount of timeneeded to resolve a given gaming situa-tion. A game system that is built aroundonly a few game mechanics (such as theTOP SECRET/S.I. game�s Attribute Check)can absorb more detail without a greateffect upon playability. Therefore, some ofthe new accessories will include greatamounts of detail. Merle Rasmussen�s TheG4 File: Guns, Gadgets, and Getaway Gearis one of these, providing informationabout a wealth of espionage and adventur-ing equipment � far more things thancould possibly have been covered in theboxed game itself.

Other accessories, such as the High

Stakes Gamble accessory pack, will intro-duce more advanced rules for certaingame functions. High Stakes Gamblegreatly expands the vehicle rules for thenew game, giving specific damage loca-tions for vehicles, new maneuvers, andprocedures for a number of special situa-tions. Boats, aircraft, and motorcycles aredifferentiated more completely than waspossible in the TOP SECRET/S.I. game box.

Our attention now turns to supportingthe TOP SECRET/S.I. game, and I thinkyou�ll find that we are doing this diligently.One of the problems with the old gamewas the infrequent publication schedule ofsupport product. We are determined toprevent this problem from affecting TOPSECRET/S.I. games.

But we�re not just producing supportmaterial! We are talking about alternatecampaign possibilities such as 1930s pulpor near-future super-agent adventures. Inaddition, you will be able to draw upon awealth of background material for our�official� campaign, pitting the Orion Foun-dation against the nefarious activities ofthe Web. We will publish source booksdetailing the conflicts between these twoagencies, as well as settings for OrionFoundation offices and modules.

Neither are we neglecting the real-worldaspect of the game. One of our first sup-plements, the Covert Operations SourceBook by John Prados (a noted game de-signer and writer), details the histories ofthe KGB and CIA, then provides the readerwith dozens of authentic case historiesinvolving the rivalry between these twoagencies. This book is a must for theplayer who wants his campaign to reflectthe realities of international espionage.

A number of people have sent in theboxed-game membership cards, and thereal �Orion Foundation� is growing fasterthan we anticipated. By the time you readthis, those of you who have signed upshould have received your first officialnewsletter. As you�ll see, our plans take usinto 1990 and beyond. You can rest as-sured that the TOP SECRET/S.I. game willreceive support for years to come!

68 MARCH 1988

D R A G O N 6 9

©1988 by Jim Bambra

Looking for a science-fiction role-playinggame? Well, what kind do you want? Sci-ence fiction is a vast genre: it has space,the final frontier, high-tech gadgetry, andfaster-than-light spaceships � but are youafter space opera, hard science fiction, orgiant robots blasting each other into slag?

Space opera bears more than a passingresemblance to the ideals of heroic fan-tasy. Fans of swords and sorcery, wherelarger-than-life heroes deal with all comersin a suitably heroic fashion, feel right athome here. Just peel off your magic ar-

70 MARCH 1988

mor, throw away your +3 sword, andpick up a trusty blaster. Swap laser blastswith the best that the evil galactic empirecan throw against you. Zip around theuniverse in your customized starship insearch of adventure and epic battles.

Space opera is a genre where the heroesalways escape from the jaws of death, andnone of the opposition�s megadeath-dealingmachines ever seem to hit the good guys.The laws of science are cheerfully plun-dered to come up with impressive-lookinggadgetry. If so-called scientific theory getsin the way of a good adventure, throw itout and come up with some suitably grandalternative.

But maybe you prefer a game wherebrains are more important than hardware;where everything that happens is basedon sound, scientific facts; where the tech-nology, although impressive, seems plausi-ble � i.e., a hard science-fiction game.

Sure, Einstein always seems to be forgot-ten; you�ve got to have interstellar travelor else no one ever gets out of the SolarSystem. But the rest feels realistic, like afuture projection of present-day technol-ogy with a few imaginative twists thrownin to spice things up. The aliens feel righttoo. No green, bug-eyed monsters here;aliens have realistic societies and cultures,and proper motivations to boot. They maynot be very nice, but they tick in all theright ways.

In the hard science-fiction genre, yousurrender if someone points a laser at you.In real life, you wouldn�t expect to make abreak for it and escape unscathed. Thehard science-fiction genre oozes realism.To deal with the problems thrown at youby the uncaring universe, brains areneeded more than blasters.

Then again, science-fiction games mayconjure up visions of gigantic robots stalk-ing the landscape, armed with such a vastarray of lethal weapons that a modern-dayarmored division is as effective againstthem as a group of ants against a human.Hardened warriors encased in tons ofprotective armor stride across alien land-scapes, blasting all they see with the im-pressive array of weapons at theircommand. This is an age where militarismis the norm, and the way of the warriorhas transcended such weapons as swordsin favor of huge, metallic constructs.

While closely related to space opera, thegiant-robot genre also steals liberally fromhard science fiction. The robot warriorsare tough and efficient, but so is the oppo-sition. Those robots don�t run forever;they must be repaired and maintained. If acritical hit blows the robot to bits, there�s agood chance the pilot is going to besmeared halfway across the planet.

STAR WARS®: The Roleplaying GameScience-fiction role-playing gameWest End Games $14.95Design: Greg CostikyanEditing: Eric Goldberg, Paul Murphy, Bill

SlavicsekArt direction: Stephen Crane"Rebel Breakout” adventure: Curtis SmithSolo adventure and adventure ideas: Ken

Rolston

Who can forget the impact of the open-ing scenes of the movie Star Wars: a star-ship futilely trying to outrun and outgun apursuing vessel that made its prey looklike a one-man fighter? The pursuer wasbig � real big! It promised action on a bigscale. Blasters zapped down the corridoras storm troopers broke their way into theship. Then he appeared � tall, dark, andsinister. Darth Vader was larger than lifeand utterly ruthless, a megavillain who

made your average fantasy megalomaniaclook like a wimp.

The movie moved at a scorching pace asthe heroes took on impossible odds andwon. TIE fighters screamed across thescreen as rebel X-wings desperately at-tempted to hit the Death Star�s vulnerablepoint. This was classic stuff indeed, and itdidn�t end there. In The Empire StrikesBack and The Return of the Jedi, the char-acters and plot developed until we allknew about the Jedi and the Force, therelationships between the characters, andthe depth of George Lucas�s vision.

Now, with STAR WARS: The RoleplayingGame, players can experience the thrill ofbattling the Empire. This game has it all:nifty rules, fast, heroic action, star-spanning conflicts, and lots of fun.

Background: Have you seen the mov-ies? Then you already know the back-ground. Bright images fly into the mindfrom each page of the rules. Charactersand scenes from the movies come to life ingame terms in a most effective and pleas-ing manner.

Presentation: STAR WARS: The RPG isa 144-page hardbound book, completewith neat color plates. All the essentialsare included: character generation, com-bat systems, skills, space travel, the Force,hardware, game master�s tips, and anintroductory adventure. Of special noteare the advertisements which appearthroughout the book, offering a greatcareer in the Imperial Navy or a four-week, grand-galactic tour. Maybe youwant hardware: How about a handy R2astromech droid or a T-65 �X-wing�fighter?

Character design: This is simple andfast. There are 24 character types tochoose from, each one presented as atemplate to be customized by the player.The templates cover such diverse charac-ters as smuggler, bounty hunter, failedJedi, quixotic Jedi, the Kid, the armchairhistorian, the Wookie, and the Ewok.There are lots of nice stereotypes, and theambitious can even design a droid to play.

Each character comes with a colorfulbackground, personality, and an in-character quote. There are no problemshere; simply grab your character type,read the background, and you�re away. Ifyou don�t like the background, you canalways change it.

This flexibility and color is apparent inthe customization process. Each characteris defined by six general skill areas, eachrepresented by a number of dice showinghow proficient the character is. By spend-ing an additional seven dice, characterscan increase specific skills. For example,the Smuggler has a Dexterity of 3d6 + 1.This means that when using any Dexterity-related skill, he rolls 3d6 and adds 1 to thescore. By spending dice, the player canincrease his blaster skill (a Dexterity skill)to 4d6 + 1 or 5d6 + 1. This is all very nice,but how does it work?

Game mechanics: To find out whether

you can perform an action, you bounceyour dice on the table and total the score.This is compared to the difficulty factor ofthe action � 5 for very easy actions and30 for nearly impossible actions.

Ever wonder how the heroes in the StarWars movies can climb up a line to anImperial AT-AT walker, slice the hatchopen, toss in a grenade, then scoot backdown in one fluid motion? Or why theImperial storm troopers can hit everythingbut those heroes? Most game systems can�thandle these maneuvers. Characters areusually restricted to one action, or areexpected to spend and keep track of actionpoints in the process, interrupting theflow of the game. How can the heroes getaround in STAR WARS: The RPG?

The answer is simple: The heroes areheroes, and heroes can do the truly he-roic. The game system reflects this level ofaction neatly and convincingly; a charactercan carry out any number of actions around. The only restriction is the numberof dice available for the skills. The firstaction is carried out using the stated num-ber of dice for the skill; the second actionuses one fewer die; the third action usestwo fewer dice, and so on. Sooner or later,you�ll run out of dice and actions.

And if somebody shoots at you, youdodge. Roll your dodge skill and add it tothe difficulty factor of the firer. This costsyou one die from your next action, but itsure beats being blasted. What could besimpler?

Fast action without cumbersome calcula-tions means the game moves at the pace ofthe movies. This system covers everythingin the game, whether its a shootout in thespace port, zapping the Death Star withyour X-wing, or programming a computer.

During adventures, characters earn skillpoints that are spent to improve skills. Thenumber of dice currently rolled for theskill equals the number of skill pointsrequired for an improvement. To takeyour blaster from 5d6 + 2 to 6d6 costs 5points. The higher the skill, the more youhave to pay. Given time, you can end upwith a very fast-moving, fast-acting, andtruly impressive character (without thecomplicated book-work offered by othersystems).

Of course, there�s the Force. Every char-acter starts with one Force point, and thiscan be spent to double the dice rating ofall skills for one round (for example, rais-ing a blaster rating from 5d6 to 10d6 and adodge rating from 3d6 to 6d6). ForcePoints can be used for good or evil pur-poses, or to simply save your hide. Usingthe Force for evil earns a Dark Side point.This is bad news; too many of these andyou go over to the Dark Side, becoming anNPC under the control of the game master(GM). On the other hand, using the Forcein a heroic and dramatic way may earnyou an extra Force point at the end of theadventure.

Jedi and other students of the Forcehave a wide range of Force powers. These

are rated similarly to skills and function inthe same manner. With these powers, it�spossible to read minds, resist extremes oftemperature, absorb incoming blasterbolts, and generally act like a Jedi or DarthVader. However, you�ve got to be good, orelse you slip over to the Dark Side.

GM�s tips: STAR WARS: The RPG excelsin providing GMs with suggestions on howto get the best out of the game. Afterreading this book, GMs should be able topresent colorful and fast-moving adven-tures. Whether it�s speaking in character,making funny noises, setting the scene,pacing the adventure, or simply handlingthe mechanics, it�s all there. Lots of stagingtips are given, and sample dialogues pro-vide colorful examples of play.

The GM is encouraged to improvise insituations not covered by the rules and toshamelessly fudge the game�s mechanicsfor dramatic effect. The emphasis is onkeeping the action moving, not on gettingbogged down in rules discussions. If therules are about to ruin the adventure,ignore or alter them to keep the actionflowing. The message is to have fun, andyou are clearly shown how to do it.

Introductory adventure: A shortsolo adventure teaches the rules and getsacross the feel of the game in a lively andentertaining manner. In the adventure forgroup play, a script read by the playersand GM summarizes why the PCs arethere and dumps them right into a fightwith Imperial storm troopers. There is noway to back out of this situation and noproblems with whining, recalcitrant play-ers. (�But I don�t want to go there.� �Toolate; you�re in. What are you going to do?�)The adventure is linear, although the GMis encouraged to expand it if desired. Still,since the scenario describes a chasethrough an abandoned mine, expansionsaren�t really going to alter its linear as-pects. Even so, the scenario is a fundungeon bash that moves at a rapid paceand contains some excellent staging.

Ten outlines for designing your ownadventures round out the package. Theseprovide plenty of hooks and enough stag-ing tips to make it easy to turn them intofully fledged adventures.

Evaluation: STAR WARS: The RPG is anexcellent action-oriented game whichperfectly captures the flavor of the mov-ies. Its colorful background and planet-busting Death Stars rank it as one of thegreatest space operas of all time. While anemphasis on action may not be everyone�sidea of science-fiction adventure, STARWARS: The RPG certainly delivers in thethrills department. This is available from:West End Games, Inc., 251 West 30thStreet, New York NY 10001, USA.

TRAVELLER: 2300� gameScience-fiction role-playing gameGame Designers� Workshop $20.00Design: Marc W. Miller, Frank Chadwick,

Timothy B. BrowneAdditional material: Loren Wiseman, Gary

D R A G O N 7 1

Thomas, Joe Fugate, John Harshman,Matt Renner, Kevin Brown, Steve Ven-

map and dice, this game appears complete.Its layout is neat and effective. The books

ters; a combination of luck and playerdecision makes it more than an exercise in

ters, Bryan Gibson are ordered in a logical fashion, but suffer random dice rolling, giving players someArt director: Barbie Pratt from a lack of examples. While everything control over their PCs� destinies.

is covered, it is sometimes difficult to Game mechanics: The core rulesWhile STAR WARS: The RPG espouses

swashbuckling space opera at its best, theunderstand the designers� intentions from revolve around an elegant task-resolutiona single reading. system. To succeed at a task, whether it�s

TRAVELLER: 2300 game is firmly rooted in Character design: Character design is shooting a gun or breaking a computer�sthe school of hard science fiction, based complete and relatively straightforward. It security, the referee assesses the difficultyon realistic, hard science rules, not the involves a large amount of player decision, of the task by giving it a rating betweenpseudoscience of pulp magazines. but also uses dice to determine the results. Simple (3+) and Impossible (19+). From

Background: The TRAVELLER: 2300 Characters are first defined by the type of this, he determines which skills, attributes,game takes place in the 24th century. world they come from, considering factors and tools are required. Success is deter-Earth has been shattered by the Third such as whether they come from Core or mined by rolling 1d10 and adding applica-World War; nuclear warheads leveled Frontier worlds, and what sort of gravity ble modifiers. If the number is achieved,large areas of the planet; governments was present there. These considerations the task is successfully completed. If thecollapsed; pestilence, famine, and anarchy affect the type of body a character pos- result is a failure, a table is checked to seetook control. During the 21st century, theworld began to rebuild, and France em-erged as the major power on the globe.

National rivalries continue. Althoughpolitical factions refrain from the use of

sesses: mesomorphic (muscular and the extent of failure. Failure is measuredhusky), ectomorphic (tall and slender), by degree, ranging from wasting time toendomorphic (short and stocky), or nor-mal. Each provides certain benefits andaffects the rest of the character generation

doing something seriously wrong. I likethis system; it�s neat, expandable, andflexible. Any situation is easily handled by

nukes, minor wars are still fought onEarth. This rivalry extends into space and

process.As in most RPGs, attributes are ran-

the rules, which generate a feeling ofrealism without delving into the realms ofunfathomable complication.manifests itself in struggles for new domly generated. These are then adjusted

worlds and resources. Early in the 22ndcentury, the star drive allowed humanityto reach out into the universe.

according to the character�s background However, the TRAVELLER: 2300 rulesand body type. A career is then chosen, lack any kind of character experienceand skill points from initial training are system. A character can survive for yearsspent. Careers come from seven basic in this game, but he doesn�t improve withareas: military, exploratory, academic, age or experience; he stays the same for-colonial, government and civilian, ship ever. Sure, the PC can get more hardware,crew, and extralegal (e.g., pirates). The more influence, and so on, but he neverprocess turns out well-rounded charac- gets any better at solving tasks. To many

Presentation: Consisting of two 48-page booklets (Referee's and Player�s Man-uals), three B-page booklets (introductoryadventure, a forms booklet, and a list ofnearby stars), plus a large, full-color star

players, character improvement is essen-tial: It shows you�re winning, doesn�t it?Why go on adventures if you�re not goingto get better as a person? In TRAVELLER:2300 games, adventuring is its own re-ward � but is this satisfactory? Ratherthan letting a PC chug along at the samelevel, he could be awarded skill points atthe end of each adventure. This wouldallow the character gradual improvementand would satisfy the player�s desire for that character to become better at whathe does. The skill system present couldhandle it with no bother, making its ab-sence very strange, indeed.

The universe of the future is not a kindplace for the would-be gunslinger. Thosewho live by the gun also die by it (unlessthey are equipped with the latest in high-tech armor). Even then, these charactersare not likely to come out of gunplayunscathed. The combat system is relativelyfast-paced, but lacks the swashbucklingelements of STAR WARS: The RPG. TheTRAVELLER: 2300 game covers all theusual tactical options and is complete in itshandling of vehicle combats, missiles, andexplosives, allowing all manner of militaryengagements to be conducted.

Space combat is rooted in board-gamedesign. Ships and missiles are maneuveredon a hexagonal grid which regulates move-ment and firing. The system has little role-playing feel to it, and I cringe at thethought of PCs being randomly killedwhen a shot hits a spaceship.

While characters do get to performtasks, these are mechanical actions fre-quently found in board games. (�Okay,

72 MARCH 1988

your engines have been hit; make a roll tosee if you can repair them.�) Here, the tasksystem has not been used to its best effect.By allowing PCs to influence piloting andhave more options in combat, this couldhave been a much better system.

GM�s tips: Apart from an interestingand effective NPC characterization system,the TRAVELLER: 2300 game is very lightin the GM-guidance department. Themotivations of NPCs are viewed, but fewhints are given on how to effectively stagetheir actions. The system is clearly writtenfor the experienced GM who has learnedall he can about the GM�s art and is simplyafter a set of rules. Unfortunately, I knowno one who fits this category. Even themost seasoned GM can benefit from seeinghow designers feel their games should berun. It also helps the GM in picking upnew tricks with which to amuse the play-ers. Unfortunately, GMs are on their ownin this regard.

Introductory adventure: The philos-ophy just described becomes apparent inthe introductory adventure, �The Tricol-or�s Shadow.� Although this adventuremakes good use of its background, this isnot a detailed adventure; it is merely anoutline for the GM to flesh out. There areno tips on how to stage encounters, buildatmosphere, or how to guide the PCsthrough adventures. The introductory

adventure provides no colorful NPCs orstatistics for use during the game. The GMis even expected to prepare maps andencounters for the adventure, either be-forehand or during game play. While themore experienced GMs will probably beable to do so, newcomers may find thisadventure tricky to run. All in all, thisadventure comes across as an underdevel-oped scenario, reminiscent of the earlydays of RPG adventure design.

Evaluation: The TRAVELLER: 2300game, with its excellent character genera-tion and task resolution system, certainlyhas a realistic feel. To anyone looking for ascience-fiction game, it provides a plausi-ble background and opportunities to ad-venture in the dawn of humanity�s stellarexploration. Experienced GMs will havefew problems with the game�s less-than-satisfactory handling of adventure stagingand description, but novices should lookelsewhere for their first science-fictionRPG. This is available from: Game Design-ers� Workshop, P.O. Box 1646, BloomingtonIL 61702-1646, USA.

BATTLETECH® gameScience-fiction board gameFASA Corporation $20.00Design: Jordan K. Weisman and L.R.

�Butch� LeeperDevelopment: L.R. �Butch� Leeper, Forest

G. Brown, William John Wheeler, L. RossBabcock III, Samuel B. Baker II, James R.Kellar

Background: Patrick Larkin, Hero GamesProduction managers: Jordan K. Weisman,

Karen Vander MeyArt director: Dana Knutson

MECHWARRIOR® game bookRole-playing supplement for the BATTLE-

TECH gameFASA Corporation $12.00

Design: Richard K. Meyer, Walter H. Hunt,Evan Jamieson, L. Ross Babcock III,Kevin Stein, Jordan K. Weisman, PatrickLarkin, William H. Keith Jr., David Boyle,D. Brad Frazee, Lisa M. Hunt

Editorial staff: L. Ross Babcock III, DonnaIppolito, Todd Huettel

Production managers: Jordan K. Weisman,Karen Vander Mey

Art director: Dana Knutson

Background: Huge BattleMechs towerabove the battlefields of the future, deal-ing out death and destruction on a grandscale. Developed by Terran scientists morethan 500 years ago (by campaign time),BattleMechs are big, mean, and deadly.Armed with lasers, particle beams, auto-cannons and missiles, BattleMechs arecapable of destroying anything that standsin their path. But BattleMechs are not

74 MARCH 1988

simply high-powered, fully automateddeath machines; humans are required topilot them. At the heart of every Battle-Mech sits a vulnerable creature of fleshand blood.

At first, this pilot was simply a two-dimensional character capable of actionsresolved only through the BattleMech

itself. The origins of the BattleMech pilotlay in the BATTLETECH® board game � aslick set of rules for pitting BattleMechsagainst each other. With the addition ofMECHWARRIOR® game book, this pilot hasnow come to life and can function outsideof his BattleMech. The MECHWARRIORbook is not a role-playing game in its ownright but a supplement for the BATTLE-TECH board game. Thus, before looking atthe MECHWARRIOR supplement, a quickexamination of the board game is needed.

The BATTLETECH game is a brilliantlyconceived and presented game of roboticcombat set in the war-torn universe of theSuccessor States. The Golden Age of theStar League is over. Before its fall, a unitedhumanity journeyed to the stars; now, fiveSuccessor States vie with each other forpower and control in a new dark age.With the passing of the Star League wentmany of its greatest achievements; tech-nology has regressed, states struggle tomaintain their aging BattleMechs, and onlya limited number of factories are capableof building new ones. It is the age of theMechWarrior, where battles are fought forthe necessities of life and to bring glory tothe victors.

Presentation: The BATTLETECH gamebox contains two full-color terrain maps,48 colorful stand-up BattleMech counters,four sheets of playing markers, plasticcounter stands, dice, and a rule book. Theproduction of this game is of very highquality.

Starting with a simple training exercise,the rule book builds the game�s complexityin a systematic and easy-to-absorb manner.By the end of the book, players are de-stroying both the terrain and enemy Battle-Mechs with ease. The BATTLETECH gamesystem requires tactical thinking anddetailed combat resolution, without be-coming too mechanically complicated. Addin the background which appears in side-bars throughout the book, and you have avery good game rich in depth and techni-cal information.

The MECHWARRIOR supplement buildson the BATTLETECH system, transformingit from a set of combat rules into a role-playing game. This is one of the supple-ment�s strengths � and one of itsweaknesses. Caught smack dab in themiddle of the BATTLETECH game set-up,the MECHWARRIOR supplement mustaccommodate combat-heavy board-gamefeatures not usually found in a role-playing game.

The MECHWARRIOR supplement comesas 144-page softback book. The layout ismore utilitarian than striking. This isoffset by 16 color plates which graphically

76 MARCH 1988

portray the badges, uniforms, and equip-ment of the Successor States. The BATTLE-TECH game sidebars have been replacedwith more traditional background sectionsthat are useful for finding informationduring game, but not as easily digestible assidebars. Nevertheless, these chapters addflesh to the bare bones of BATTLETECHgames. Lacking in explicit staging tips, thebackground is aimed more at providing adetailed insight into the motivations andactions of the powers of the future.

Character design: This element of theMECHWARRIOR supplement is firmlyrooted in the BATTLETECH game; workingwithin this limitation, the designers havedone a good job. Characters are created byspending a set number of points on attrib-utes, skills, and BattleMechs. The mainthrust of the design process is aimed atthe MechWarriors, but it does includedesign sequences for techs (general repair-men), aerospace pilots, and scouts (infor-mation gatherers and forward observers).The system creates characters with a widerange of skills, ranging from BattleMechgunnery to diplomacy. MECHWARRIORrules mesh directly with BATTLETECHrules, allowing the characters to be usedwithout modifications between systems.

The size of your BattleMech dependspartially on how many points you areprepared to spend on it; it doesn�t guaran-tee a big BattleMech, but it helps. Conse-quently, characters in the big BattleMechsdon�t have the high attributes or skilllevels that the pilots of the smaller ma-chines have. While obviously a device forgame balance, its use in campaign terms ishard to justify.

This design consideration has also influ-enced the shape of the game. In mostRPGs, players take on the role of onecharacter; in MECHWARRIOR games,players have to play at least two charac-ters and sometimes more. The reason issimple: A BattleMech unit requires sup-port staff, as well as warriors. While thewarriors are fighting, the support staff sitsaround behind the scenes (a sure recipefor boredom).

Once characters have been created, it�stime to get the BattleMech unit together.These units vary in size from a lance (fourmechs) up to a company (12 mechs). As itis possible for two players to end up run-ning a company between them (plus itssupport staff in the form of techs, etc.),this can lead to the situation in whichplayers are either running two or threeMechWarriors or the GM has to handle alarge number of NPCs � not a bad thing initself, but it does cut down on individualcharacterization. An easy-to-use system togenerate personalities would go a longway toward overcoming this problem.Game mechanics: As can be expected,

the game mechanics center on the prob-lems of keeping a BattleMech unit func-tional and the kinds of rewards andobstacles likely to be encountered by aBattleMech unit. In this regard, the game

mechanics are complete and fairly simpleto handle. The mechanics are rather weakin the nonviolent interactions between PCsand NPCs. Here, some examples wouldhave been useful to show how MechWar-riors can deal with life without gunplay.

For the BattleMech combat system, theBATTLETECH game is essential. MECH-WARRIOR rules do contain amendmentsand additions to this system but are in-complete in themselves. The small-armssystem uses a variation of the BattleMechcombat system, relying on hex grids andmovement points to regulate the action.

Experience points earned by playercharacters during adventures are spent toincrease skills and abilities. The moreproficient you are at a skill, the more itcosts to improve it. The system is not asfluid as STAR WARS: The RPG, but it doesits job. Experience points can also be spentto create abstract contacts and purchasetitles (another case of game balance gain-ing precedence over role-playing).

GM�s tips: The MECHWARRIOR book�sgreatest strength is in allowing BATTLE-TECH campaigns to be set up and run.With MECHWARRIOR rules, players candesign and run their own characters inbattle after battle. Tables are provided forgenerating typical assignments and fordetailing events, either on a local, day-to-day basis or on a larger scale. By usingthese tables, a GM can easily keep theMechWarriors occupied. Whether scav-enging enemy BattleMechs for spare partsor dealing with a guerilla raid by a bountyhunter, the system covers it all.

Introductory adventure: The ab-sence of an introductory scenario showshow closely the supplement is tied to theBATTLETECH rules. The GM assigns thePCs a mission and generates the opposi-tion. The outcome of the first conflictdetermines the next part of the campaign.For example, a defeat for the PCs or acostly victory might see them running forcover or being forced to adventure outsideof their BattleMechs.

Evaluation: Not being a game in itsown right puts the MECHWARRIOR sup-plement in a strange position. As an expan-sion to the BATTLETECH rules, it does agood job. The MECHWARRIOR system�sabstract mechanics can either be taken asthey are or simply ignored. No one isgoing to make you use them. For anyonewithout the BATTLETECH rules, MECH-WARRIOR cannot be recommended. I dosuggest, however, that you do try theBATTLETECH game. If you like it, it mightinspire you to form your own BattleMechunit and battle your way across the Suc-cessor States. These rules are availablefrom: FASA Corporation, P.O. Box 6930,Chicago IL 60680, USA.

Short and sweetIM3 The Best of Intentions, By Ken Rol-

ston. TSR, Inc., $5.95. How would you liketo be an Immortal: bigger, tougher, andsmarter than those low-lifes on the Prime

Material plane? Nothing would bother youthen. . . or would it?

In this humorous adventure, a bunch ofrookie Immortals set out to solve a mys-tery of cosmic proportions. These charac-ters compete in the Olympic Trials,journey to the weird and multifariousplanes of Mazikeen, and deal with heaps

of strange events. Colorful pregeneratedcharacters, excellent staging, nice cut-upbits, inserts, and amusing Jim Hollowayillustrations make this a real treat forwould-be gods. The Best of Intentions is afun romp through the mystical realms ofthe D&D® game�s Immortals Set. Miss thisone it at your own peril.

GURPS® Fantasy, by Steve Jackson. SteveJackson Games, $9.95. Really two packs inone, GURPS Fantasy delivers the GURPS�smagic system and the background to thecampaign world in a highly satisfying way.With over 300 spells and 20 colleges of

magic, the magic system is wide, varied,and detailed. Best of all, it works! Fittingsnugly into the GURPS system, the rulesfor magic allow characters to create allkinds of impressive magical effects.

Rich in background and plunderingfreely from Earth history and religion, theworld of Yrth is easily accessible andnicely presented. Snatched from Earth inthe greatest magical backfire ever, theCrusaders still wage war on their ancientenemy, the Saracens, simultaneously con-tending with a wide range of ravagingmonsters. Extensive commentary on thecountries of Yrth and plenty of staging tipsmake this a strong contender on the cam-paign front. GURPS Fantasy is an impres-sive product that is well worth a look. Thisis available from: Steve Jackson Games,Box 18957, Austin TX 78760-8957, USA.

GAMMARAUDERS� game, by Allen Var-ney; development by Mike Breault, Zeb

Cook, and Jeff Grubb; World Book by JeffGrubb. TSR, Inc., $15.00. Across the radioac-tive lands of the Gamma Age stomps a 50�-tall gorilla, intent on destruction andbristling with weaponry. Onko the Gorillian�is just one of the many monstrousbioborgs featured in this fast-paced boardgame of death and destruction. Simplemechanics and free-flowing card playmake the GAMMARAUDERS game one ofrapid reversals and endless fun. TheWorld Book gives you the lowdown on thefolks and bioborgs who inhabit this won-derful post-holocaust world. Revel in thedelights of fins with everything. Tune in tothe Men in Black � black slacks, blackshoes (with fins), black jackets, whiteshirts (of course), black ties, and blackporkpie hats. Or drop out with theFOWLOTEs � Friends Of What�s Left OfThe Earth.

(continued from page 8)I heard this idea about �vampires� most re-

cently at [a medical] meeting in 1984. The dis-ease is rare throughout most of the world, butin some isolated communities where inbreedinghas been common, there could be many cases.These disfigured, nocturnal, blood-drinkinghumans would develop their own subculture.Pitied or feared during their lives, they mightlater become the stuff of our own legends.

Ed Friedlander, M.D.Johnson City TN

It�s strange how Eric Pollard (issue #126) canget things so reversed. The game is indeedbiased on alignment, but that bias is towardgood, not evil, as Pollard would have it, andt o w a r d L G i n p a r t i c u l a r .

Pollard cites the use of poison and spell rever-sal as favoring evil. But poison is frequently notavailable, and when used can set off spontane-ous attacks on the user from passersby (see thePlayers Handbook, pp. 29 and 107). The reversalof spells works in two ways. The evil cleric isjust as hesitant to use the unreversed spell asthe cleric is to use the reversed. And the re-versed version is almost without exception theweaker of the two. Thus the good cleric willfreely use cure light wounds while the evilcleric is stuck with cause light wounds, whichdoes barely as much damage as his mace.

But let�s look at some of the other advantagesGood gets. Pollard seems to feel assassins andthieves balance rangers and paladins (and hisopinion notwithstanding, there are a few goodthieves around as well). Just how he determinesthat overpowered classes like rangers aremerely the equal of wimps is his to explain. Notenext that good alignments gain 10% on hirelingloyalty. Where aligned magical items exist, theyare more likely to be good aligned and morepowerful in the good form that the evil one.Take the talismans of pure good and ultimateevil as examples.

Next, our evil character finds that all theother evil types will attack him as will the goodones. Our good character finds he has alliesw h e n h e n e e d s t h e m .

Most important, look at all the modules. Theyare nearly all good biased. Somewhere, theremust be a module for evil PCs to excel in, but itis a rarity; the chance to do good deeds is pro- claimed in dozens of modules. Our evil PC is

going to have to suppress his evil tendencies orsit idle while the rest of the party has fun.

The bias of AD&D is sharply towardgood. Evil gets the worst of the deal.

DavidCarl ArgallLa Puente CA

D R A G O N 7 7

The Role ofComputers

Of ancient and other legacies

©1988 by Hartley, Patricia,and Kirk Lesser

Our October column caused a contro-versy with a few DRAGON® Magazinereaders. We had discussed the brands of

You have only seconds left before yourcomputers we felt were most appropriate

jet meets the mountainside — and youfor gaming. A flurry of letters from own-

still have to save the Sixth Fleet! Harrierers of Commodore 64/128 and Atari 8-bit

Combat Simulator is for the Atari ST, fromsystems indicated that some readers felt

Mindscape Inc. (see page 84).slighted by our comments, accusing us ofeverything from ignorance to a bias forApple computers.

78 MARCH 1988

Before we respond to those letters, ourbackground for making such statementsshould be offered. We have founded fivenational computer magazines and haveover eight years of experience writingabout desktop computer systems, havingpublished articles in both U.S. and Cana-dian computer publications. We have alsoedited or written for 16 national computermagazines. Our home office is equippedwith a Commodore 64, an Atari ST, anApple IIe, an Apple IIGS, an Apple Macin-tosh Plus, a Tandy 4000 and an Amiga2000 with Bridgeboard. We are currentlythe publishers and editors of Computing

Today!, an electronic computer news andreview magazine that appears onNewsNet. Our industry sources numbernearly 1,000, and we verify our sourcematerial and use the products under dis-cussion. Our opinions are based on yearsof experience in the computer industry.

Letters from writers who explained whythey thought our opinions were incorrectwere thoroughly read. One such writer isMark Bell of Millville, N.J., whose corre-spondence indicated a love for the Com-modore 64 machine. We cannot arguewith Mark�s point regarding the surplus ofC64/128 software made available by com-panies such as Electronic Arts, Activision,Epyx, Accolade, Mindscape, and SpectrumHoloByte. Regardless of the fact that thenumber of C64/128 owners may be in-flated, there are millions of C64/128 users.We use one ourselves, and enjoy severalprograms running on that machine. Per-haps we were too hard on the C64/128,especially in regard to that system beingan affordable computer with lots of ven-dor support materials. There are hun-dreds of programs for the C64/128, suchas The Legacy of the Ancients from Elec-tronic Arts (reviewed this month), that arefar more graphically pleasing than theircounterparts on an Apple II. The C64/128cannot, however, measure up to thegraphics and sound capabilities of theApple IIGS because the C64/128 is basedon an older technology. Mark politelyregistered his valid point and concludedthat our opinion should also be respected.We appreciate Mark�s attitude and encour-age any reader�s opinion that is construc-tive in nature.

Another well-written letter was receivedfrom Stanley Pfister of El Monte, Calif. Healso disagrees with our C64/128 stance andconcludes by stating that �at best it couldbe said the Commodore 64 and 128 com-puters are being made obsolete by animproved technology. A technology thatcurrently comes with a higher price Imight add. But you can bet your 1dl0 thesoftware companies you mention in yourarticle ARE NOT avoiding the Commodoremarket like the plague.�

We agree with the statement regardingthe continuing vendor support. If Commo-dore Business Machines has its way, it willprovide an affordable price route for C64/128 owners to upgrade to the Amiga 500or 2000 systems. We do not agree with Mr.Pfister�s comment that it was �improperfor you not to include the MOST afforda-ble system to your readers,� as DRAGONMagazine appeals to �youth, students andpractical budget people.� As we have beentold by retail-chain owners and sales peo-ple, most computers for use by youth andstudents are purchased for them by rela-tives. For work in an educational environ-ment, either the Apple II, Macintosh, anIBM, or IBM workalike is selected.

We received one letter that vigorouslyprotested our Atari 8-bit stance, but thewriter was rude and we do not feel a

response to his attacks are necessary. Wedo not claim to know everything, and weacknowledge that piracy is an issue thataffects all computer systems. Ask a devel-oper, however, which system he is mostlikely to program for, and the two systemsfound at the bottom of a developer�s listremain the C64/128 and Atari 8-bit com-puters. One area that developers willcertainly keep an eye on is how quicklythe installed user-base for the C64/128 andAtari 8-bit machines increases. Until eithercompany can show impressive figures forthese units, development of new softwarewill remain at current levels.

In the future, we shall rein in commentson the systems themselves unless circum-stances dictate otherwise. As CharlesStembridge of San Bernadino, Calif., aptlystated, �Computers are like belly buttons:everyone loves his own.�

Now for the good news. If you think weare down on Commodore or Atari com-puters, think again. We have had the plea-sure of working with a new Amiga 2000and are stunned by the computer�s capa-bilities. The Amiga 2000 and Amiga 500are natural upgrades for C64/128 owners;both feature the most stunning graphicsdisplays of any microcomputer currentlyon the market. Add stereo sound, and youhave a fantastic recreational machine. TheAmiga 2000 goes far beyond playinggames, as this machine is perfect for thebusiness environment. With an attachedBridgeboard, the Amiga 2000 runs IBM PCprograms in either monochrome or colormode. The Amiga 2000 is a technologicalmarvel, and with the included 20-mega-byte hard-disk drive, the user has all thecapabilities one could wish for in a recrea-tional and business computer.

We recently visited COMDEX/Fall in LasVegas, a massive computer show wherewe viewed the new Atari MEGA 2 andMEGA 4 computers. Although we have nothad the opportunity to use the Atari com-puters hands-on, we were most impressedby their operation at the show. The AtariMEGA 2 and MEGA 4 are targeted at busi-nesses, with recreational capabilities alsopresent. The MEGA 2 and MEGA 4 nowhead our list as natural upgrades for theAtari ST

[The following games are rated on ascale of one to five stars, with one starbeing the lowest rating.]

Feature reviewThe Legacy of the Ancients * * * ½

(Commodore 64/128 and Apple II versions)Entertaining and exciting: Both words

describe The Legacy of the Ancients fan-tasy adventure game distributed by Elec-tronic Arts (see address in �News and newproducts�). The Commodore 64/128 ver-sion is better in terms of graphics than theApple II version. This game comes with anextremely short user�s manual and a CodeDisk. The latter is actually a pirating deter-rent; once you leave the main Museum(described below) and wish to reenter it,

you cannot do so without a specified codethat is revealed by the Code Disk.

The game centers on the Tarmalon Ga-lactic Museum, which was built by a raceof Ancients for their own amusement andeducation. Within the Museum are displaycases that are actually portals to variousparts of the host planet � in this case, theworld of Tarmalon. The Ancients forbadeemployees of the Museum to interferewith the inhabitants of the host planet �but in this game, the player stumblesacross the body of the Museum�s Care-taker on a road. The Caretaker�s goldenarmband, a leather scroll, an AccessWheel, and three coins are retrieved bythe player on impulse. When this is done,the Museum suddenly appears. Duringexploration of the Museum (which shouldbe mapped), the player learns that theCaretaker had finally retrieved the evilWizard�s Compendium, the leather scrollnow in the player�s possession. Originally,12 powerful Tarmalon wizards met tocompile their spells into this one scroll,which must now be destroyed before theentire world of Tarmalon is annihilated.The scroll is evil and cannot be destroyedby blade or fire, but the player must en-sure the scroll�s neutralization.

The Museum contains several displaycases, some offering critical game informa-tion and others providing gateways to theworld of Tarmalon itself. Some displaycases offer an object to the player (such asa knife). In order to access each of thegateways, a particular coin is needed. TheWeaponry case, for example, requires ajade coin.

New locales should be thoroughlymapped before deciding upon a course ofaction, especially in the Museum itself. Forexample, one of the first display cases youencounter is the Weaponry case. Your barehands are currently all that you have fordefensive and offensive purposes � hardlyeffective against hostile denizens. Thetemptation to spend a jade coin at theWeaponry display case is strong, but oursuggestion is that you wait. One of thelatter display cases � A Fountain � allowsyou to go on a quest to enrich your char-acter now and in the future, should youaccept the job. With the case�s presentenrichment, you should be able to pur-chase good weaponry and armor whenyou enter the first inhabited location onTarmalon, which is accomplished throughthe display case named Thornberry. BothA Fountain and Thornberry require a jadecoin, and as you only possess two jadecoins, you can see why we suggest you notbuy the weapon with one of them.

Once you enter Thornberry, map thecity and learn the location of the shops.Borrowing heavily enables the player toequip himself handsomely for forays intothe wilderness areas. Talk to everyoneencountered in any residential area. Youmight find others filled with immensepersonal enrichment.

As a menu-driven program, The Legacy

D R A G O N 79

of the Ancients offers a variety of screensfor game management. The opening menuoffers the player a variety of choices:

1. Play a game;2. Read simple instructions (for key-

board and joystick users);3. View scenes from Legacy; and,4. Perform a color test.If selection 1 is chosen, the player may

start a New character or reload a Savedcharacter from disk. In the event you haveforgotten to initialize a save-game diskprior to play, the submenu allows you toinitialize a save-character disk from withinthe program. This process requires onlyabout 1½ minutes on a C64 computer.

When the game is underway, the gamescreen is presented. A list of orders is

presented to the left of the main viewwindow, with a second window at thebottom of the screen for messages. Someactions are only available in a dungeon orwilderness, designated with a D or W(respectively) in parentheses. A means�anytime.� These commands are in tableform here.

When you need to check inventory, twoscreens are presented. The informationabove the line remains constant, while thevariable information below the line fallsinto two separate screens: one for weap-onry and the other for possessions.

To access the commands, remember thatif a command is not preceded by a num-ber, enter the first letter of the commanddesired using the keyboard (e.g., A for

80 MARCH 1988

Armor). Movement is handled using theappropriate positioning of the joystickitself. Pressing up means forward, press-ing right or left turns the player onscreenright or left, and pulling backwards movesthe character backwards. The keyboardcan also be used to move the character,and the joystick can also select commands,but a combination of the two provides thebest results.

Once in Tarmalon, you should find atown with a healer as soon as you can.Save the game often, especially after younotice how quickly your hit points candwindle to zero in confrontations. Hangaround the area where the healer is untilyou can afford to purchase healing herbsto take with you to other parts of theworld. If you can find Holy Point, youshould eventually succeed. Finally, wesuggest you go northeast.

Magic spells include Magic Flame, Fire-bolt, Befuddle Spell, Psycho Strength (su-perhuman strength for up to 30 attacks indungeon environments), Kill Flash (theultimate spell), and Seek Spell (transportsyou to the Museum no matter where youare). There are 24 dungeon levels, alloffering monetary rewards and clues.

The Legacy of the Ancients providesmany exciting events and is extremelyeasy to master. The game encompasses avast world filled with 32 different crea-tures (not all are always hostile) and manydifferent cities and towns that are adven-tures in and of themselves. The playermust map the world and the cities in or-der to learn where to buy certain provi-sions, where to obtain advancementtraining for specific characteristics, wherespells and weapons or armor may bepurchased, and where to bank or borrowmoney. Gambling may be used to increase(or decrease) bankrolls, and the temptationto rob a bank might sometimes be all-consuming. Both land and water adven-tures await the intrepid player. All of thismaneuvering requires thought for even-tual success in destroying the Wizard�sCompendium. The Legacy of the Ancientsis a great deal of fun. Although it is not themost challenging adventure game on themarket today, it is one that Apple II andC64/128 gamers should consider.

News and new products

Accolade20813 Stevens Creek BoulevardCupertino CA 95014(408) 446-5757

The first Apollo-mission simulation forpersonal computers has now been re-leased � Apollo 18: Mission to the Moon.This game is available for the C64/128 andrecreates the original lunar missions. Thescreen graphics are actually based onfootage of the Apollo flights and depict thedifferent stages of space flight in detail.The player assumes two roles in the game:one of mission control specialist, the other

Legacy of the Ancients Game Commands

CommandArmorClimb

Disembark

EndFightGamespeed

HoldInventory

Leave

MagicOpenPassRobSpeakTakeUseWeaponXamineHPFoodGold

Used in: DescriptionA Allows selection of the armor you wish to wearD Allows you to climb up or down (useful for those holes

found in dungeons)W Allows you to dismount from whatever transportation

you are using, then walkD or W Stops all activity and allows you to save the game

A Allows you to attack a targetA, Causes the length-of-time messages to remain in the

message windowA Lets you hold items from your inventory at the readyA Shows the player what he possesses (a great way to rest

in the game when deciding what to do)W Gives you a quick way to leave a town (the command

doesn�t work if you have robbed someone)A Lets you cast a spellA Lets you open closed itemsA Allows you to do nothing for one turnW Lets you steal somethingA Lets you talk to the person standing next to youA Lets you pick up an item that is within your reachA Lets you use what you are holdingA Lets you change weapons for an upcoming battleA Offers information on your immediate surroundings*A Shows the number of hit points you have remainingA Shows how many days of food you have leftA Shows how much wealth you are carrying (this amount

does not include deposits made in banks)

* In the wilderness, this command tells you what kind of terrain you are in, theamount of food being consumed, and the speed at which you are traveling. Forexample, traveling through grasslands requires the lowest amount of food consump-tion, and such terrain should be sought for all travel. For dungeon use, this com-mand warns about traps. While wandering about a castle, the same commanddetails information about items you can see.

of the astronaut. There are eight stages ofplay and different tasks to perform, withdigitized voice and sound, for $29.95.

Mini-reviewMini-Putt(C64/128 version)

* * *

This is a realistic game of miniature golf,played on a variety of courses with trickytraps, bedeviling ricochets, and the strang-est green gradations you�ll ever want toconfront. This is a lighthearted game fromAccolade suitable for anyone who everwished to putt his way to enjoyment.

Actionsoft201 West Springfield AvenueSuite 711Champaign IL 61820(217) 398-8388

ThunderChopper has made its debut forthe Apple II and C64/128 computer. Thissimulation puts you at the controls of anadvanced Hughes 530MG Defender heli-copter to perform scout, rescue, and at-tack simulations. You can land on helipads

or rooftops with ease. With enough expe-rience under your belt, you can becomeinvolved in dramatic escorts, in land andsea rescues, and in combat scenarios. Theprice is $29.95.

Activision2350 Bayshore ParkwayMountain View CA 94043(415) 960-0410

Super Pitfall for Nintendo EntertainmentSystem brings the arcade adventures ofthe legendary Pitfall Harry home withmore than 270 screens.

The fabulous Might and Magic, BookOne: Secret of the Inner Sanctum has beenreleased for IBM-micros and compatibles,and for the C64/128 system. No two gamesare ever alike in the immense world ofVarn, which includes over 50 areas toexplore, 13,000 locations to discover, and94 magic spells and over 250 magic itemsto find. This game is another �must have�for computer adventurers; it is priced at$49.95 for the IBM version and $39.95 forthe C64/128 version. We reviewed theApple II version in this column in issue#122.

Broderbund Software17 Paul DriveSan Rafael CA 94903-2101(415) 492-3200

Two new offerings from one of theleading computer-software companieshave made their debut. Wings of Fury is acolorful World War II action game for theApple II computer that puts the player inthe cockpit of an F65F Hellcat fighter/bomber for bombing and fleet-defensemissions over the Pacific. The action isrealistic, and the price is $34.95.

Magnetron is for the Commodore 64, anarcade-action space shoot-�em-up thattakes the player far into the future. Theplayer pilots a tiny photon fighter in abattle against Magnetron Generators:powerful, unpredictable magnetic-forceweapons that push, pull, and swirl youtoward doom. This game is $29.95.

DataSoft(distributed by Electronic Arts)1820 Gateway DriveSan Mateo CA 94404(415) 571-7171

Mini-reviewAlternate Reality: The City(Macintosh version)

* * *

Without doubt, this fantasy-adventuregame is one of the hardest to get startedthat we have ever encountered. The Citytakes the player (who has been kidnappedby aliens) to the City of Xebec�s Demise.The player knows nothing, is assignedpersonal attributes, and must figure outwhat is going on from the moment hepasses through the first gate. Difficult as itis to survive, The City becomes addictive.In addition, characters that survive TheCity are usable in that game�s sequel, TheDungeon, which we feel is a far bettergame. The Macintosh version has the sameridiculous drawback that plagues thecomputerized SCRABBLE® game (reviewedbelow): You cannot play the game if youboot the system from your hard disk. Ifyou survive the hardships and win thebattles, you could be ready for the sequel.The price is $39.95 for the Macintosh andAtari ST versions (with a * * *½ rating forthe latter). Apple II and Atari 8-bit versionsare $29.95, and the IBM version is $34.95.

DataSoft�s Alternate Reality: TheDungeon has been ported to the Apple IIcomputer at a pricing of $39.95. Originalversions for the Atari 800 and Commodore64/128 cost $39.95.

Electronic Arts1820 Gateway DriveSan Mateo CA 94404(415) 571-7171

Adventure Construction Set is nowavailable for IBM micros and compatiblesfor $14.95. This conversion includes all ofthe built-in adventures and editing fea-

D R A G O N 8 1

tures of the original 8-bit version.Chuck Yeager�s Advanced Flight Trainer

is now available for the C64/128 computerand is priced at $34.95.

Earl Weaver Baseball is now available forthe IBM microcomputer and compatibles.We consider the Amiga version of thesimulation to be the finest baseball simula-tion ever designed for personal com-puters. We are likewise impressed by thePC conversion, which has all of the fea-tures that the Amiga product possesses,except for digitized sound and less-appealing graphics. If you have never seenthe Amiga version, the IBM format will be

highly appealing.The Lords of Conquest conquer-the-

world strategy game is now available forIBM micros and compatibles for $14.95.World Tour Golf, which was designed foras many as four players, has been portedto the Apple IIGS. Both play and practiceare included in this golf simulation, whichalso provides a variety of golf courses(such as St. Andrews, Augusta, and PebbleBeach). Attributes include handicaps,strength variations, club skills, and hookand slice tendencies. Split-screen animatedgraphics give both an overhead view and agolfer�s-eye-view of the hole, showingrealistic terrain including trees, hills, haz-ards, and bad lies. The Apple IIGS versionis $39.95, the Commodore 64/128 versionis $34.95, and the IBM micros and compat-ibles are $49.95.

Mini-reviewsEmpire(Atari ST version)

* * * *

The Parker Brothers RISK® game isfamiliar to many. It holds many memoriesfor us as well; the game was one of thediversions Hartley participated in duringcombat lulls in Vietnam in 1968. The ex-citement of playing RISK games broughtmany combat-weary men together toshare something enjoyable after facing thehorrors of war. The counterfeit war onthe board was an environment far betterthan the genuine war beyond the flimsycanvas openings of the hootch. The fleet-

ing truces secretly made, the driving urgeto conquer all, and the camaraderie offriends all provided an enjoyable madness!

With this introduction, you must under-stand the trepidation with which a com-puterized RISK game was approached. Weare happy to report that Empire not onlymatches the RISK game in excitement, butsurpasses it as a single or multiplayergame. Developed by Interstel, the folkswho brought us Starfleet I and II, Empirehas far more depth and strategy than theboard game could even begin to provide.For as many as three players (or two play-ers with a computer opponent, or onehuman with two computer opponents),Empire is an addictive strategy game;we�ve been seated at a rather involvedscenario for almost two weeks, for two tothree hours a night!

The Atari ST version offers a variety ofbattlegrounds in full-color and includesgreat combat sounds (such as gunfire,ships� turbines, and aircraft engines) whenthese individual units are brought intoplay. Attack groups are built from separatecomponents of Army units (tanks), fight-ers, troop transports, submarines, de-stroyers, cruisers, aircraft carriers andbattleships. As in RISK games, the success-ful commander builds slowly, makingcertain those cities he already controls areprotected from enemy incursions. Regard-less of which one of the game maps isused, it is important at the start to makecertain the tank forces are supported byfighters. Also, be certain to have subs andbattleships at hand before starting navalmaneuvers; few can defeat the latter, andthe former can defeat powerful enemysurface ships.

One strategy noted regarding the cap-ture of a coastal city is to bring battleshipsand cruisers to the coastline. When enemytanks attempt to recapture the city yourlanding forces have secured, the powerfulbatteries of the battleships and cruiserscan pound a counterattack senseless. Theaircraft carriers, which carry as many aseight fighters, are also important membersof a task force, as flattop-based planes can

82 MARCH 1988

make excursions into unknown territories(shown as black areas) and map them forfuture navigation. Should the fighters runinto enemy aircraft or land forces, thereare still several planes available on thecarrier to fight the opposing forces.

Troop transports can carry as many assix armies. Transports can also bring tanksbehind enemy lines via open sea-routes topinch the enemy command and establishfronts farther and farther into enemyterritory. When a task force is composedof several transports, assign subs andsurface craft to escort them.

The final feature of this marvelous strat-egy game is the ability to create worlds,thanks to the built-in map generator. Landmass can be blotched (growing of its ownaccord), and you can place cities whereyou wish. Cities are vital, as they are theproduction centers that turn out yourbattle units. Inland cities only producearmies or fighters, while coastal citiesproduce armies, fighters, or ships.

Victory can take quite some time toaccomplish; you will need to get a feel forthe game play before this is apparent. It ispossible, however, to establish percentagechances of success for you and your hu-man or computer opponents. We found anevenhanded approach to be the mostexciting way to play, requiring all players�abilities be around the 50% mark. Empireis a worthwhile offering!

The Computer Edition ofSCRABBLE®

(Macintosh version)* * *

Many have enjoyed playing SCRABBLEgames with family and friends, spendinghours pondering how to score the mostpoints with the letter-embossed woodentiles. Leisure Games has now produced theofficial computerized version of theSCRABBLE game. Of all the versions availa-ble, our favorite is the Macintosh format,which accurately reproduces the gameboard, tiles, and game pieces onscreen. Aclock is provided to help prompt rapidthinking to spell and place a word within auser-defined time limit. This is no easychore, especially when the player is allot-ted a variety of consonants and but asingle vowel. There are also lightning- andtournament-timing alternatives.

Your letter rack is presented at the bot-tom of the screen. You type a word com-posed of the letters from the rack and ifthe word is accepted by the game, you arerequested to move the cursor to the gameboard. After positioning the wordonscreen, a mouse click places the word inthe selected position and scores the move.You may also pass your turn, request ahint of one playable word, and see the tilevalues at any time you wish (through useof a pull-down menu). This is an extremelyenjoyable game. Why only a three-starrating? Many Mac users also possess ahard-disk drive, and the program is simplynot compatible with your hard disk. Youcannot access the program if the Macin-

tosh computer system boots from the harddisk, and that is not acceptable. You canreset the machine with the game disk inthe internal drive, or turn off the harddisk altogether, but why should the gamescramble the normal operating routine?

Marble Madness(Apple IIGS version reviewed)

* * * *

This award-winning arcade game hasnow been released for the Apple IIGS for$34.95. Original versions were made forthe Atari ST, IBM micros and compatibles,and the Apple IIs for $34.95; for the Com-modore 64/128 for $29.95, and for theCommodore Amiga for $49.95. The objectof the game is to race a marble downtreacherous raceways toward the goal linein an attempt to beat the clock. If you area true arcade game aficionado, thisproduct constitutes one of the few �musthaves� for your game library.

Epyx, Inc.600 Galveston DriveP.O. Box 8020Redwood City CA 94063(415) 369-2999

Produced under the Maxx-Out! label,Rad Warrior has been released for C64/128, Apple II, and IBM computers. Theplayer is transported to 2500 A.D., wherehe assumes the persona of Tal, a championwarrior who has been chosen to save thehuman race from enslavement by invadersfrom another world. The closer Tal gets tothe aliens� power source, the higher thelevel of deadly radiation and the deadlierthe foes he must deal with. The pricing is$24.95.

Arctic Antics: Spy vs. Spy II game fea-tures a race for space in a rocket ship builtfor one. The white spy and black spy tryto outsmart each other in their search forthe punch card, gyroscope, fuel canister,and launch briefcase that are essential tolaunch the rocket ship. The game is ac-companied by a comic-book-style instruc-tion manual, Arctic Antics: Spy vs. Spy isavailable for the C64/128, Apple II, IBMsand compatibles, and Atari 800/130 com-puters for $24.95.

Boulder Dash Construction Kit is thethird offering under the Maxx-Out! label.The players can either play the gameprovided on the program disk or designtheir own games using the program�sConstruction Kit. The object of the game isto search through different caves andmine as many diamonds as possible whileavoiding a myriad of dangers. The game isdesigned for the Apple II series, IBM andcompatibles, Atari 800/130 and ST, andCommodore 64/128 at a pricing of $24.95.

Mini-reviewStreet Sports Basketball * * *½

Street Sports Basketball is not your run-of-the-mill basketball simulation. Thisgame follows through with the winner-take-all, neighborhood pick-up games

84 MARCH 1988

enjoyed by players of all ages that wasstarted with the company�s Street SportsBaseball earlier this year. You select whereyou want to play the pick-up game � in analley, school yard, inner-city parking lot �then select from among 10 neighborhoodplayers. Each player has his own specialstrength or weakness. Those who enjoyedthe baseball game will see familiar namesamong those wishing to participate in thegame, such as Ralph who is quick andagile, but has a cap that has a tendency toflop over his eyes just when he�s about tomake his shot. This is a thoroughly enjoy-able and lighthearted basketball simulationthat is great for players of all ages. StreetSports Basketball is available for the Com-modore 64/128 computer, Apple II, andIBM computers. In January of 1988, anAmiga version will be published.

Firebird71 North Franklin TurnpikeWaldwick NJ 07463(201) 444-5700

The company has just announced thatThe Sentry is available in Atari ST formatfor $44.95. With 10,000 unique land-scapes, the urgency of an ever-increasingtime element, and the presence of a formi-dable opponent, this is a most absorbingand challenging strategy game.

Microprose Software120 Lakefront DriveHunt Valley MD 21030(301) 771-1151

A new strategy and action simulationgame has been released from MicroProsewhich is quite steadily becoming one ofthe leading war simulation developerstoday. Called Airborne Ranger, this newprogram invites players to control themovements of an individual soldier insteadof a plane, helicopter, or submarine � thesubjects of past MicroProse offerings.Beginning with a joystick-controlled para-chute drop, each of the 12 desperate mis-sions requires tactical thinking andlightning-fast reflexes for success. Thesearch-and-destroy, rescue, infiltration,and sabotage missions take place in threedifferent regions of the world. All requirecareful planning and pinpoint execution.The game is available for C64/128 com-puters for $34.95, with conversionsplanned for IBM microcomputers and theAtari ST.

A second new offering is Project: StealthFighter, a simulation of a radar-elusive jetfighter believed to be part of the USAFarsenal. The simulation features anadvanced cockpit with two multipurposedisplay screens, a radar scope, and three-dimensional, out-of-the-window viewingcapability with a superimposed �heads up�display (HUD). Available for the C64/128,the price of this game is $39.95. Conver-sions are planned for IBM micros andcompatibles, and for the Atari ST.

Mindscape Inc.3444 Dundee RoadNorthbrook IL 60062(312) 480-7667 or -9209

Trust and Betrayal: The Legacy of Si-boot, by Chris Crawford, author of Bal-ance of Power, has been released for theApple Macintosh. Focusing on language,personality, and power as the means to anend, players communicate with charactersin an alien language as they make deals,ask and answer questions, beg, makepromises, and gossip. Players strive toacquire power: the love, trust, and fearthat they seize from the other charactersto win the game. The price is $49.95.

Superstar Ice Hockey was first; nowcomes Superstar Soccer, which re-createsthe feel of the playing field, the buzz ofthe front office, and the hustle of thestrategy room. Feinting, trapping, kicking,and juggling are just a few of the skills theplayer must master to become a player ona SporTime Soccer League team. You cancoach and play, and hope you last out theseason. Available for the C64/128 com-puter at a price of $34.95, versions arealso planned for the IBM PC and compati-bles, the Commodore Amiga, and theApple II family of computers.

Thunder Mountain is Mindscape�s soft-ware label for programs that cost less than$10. The label�s first introductions includePac Man, Ms. Pac Man, Dig Dug, PolePosition, and Galaxian. Other games in-clude Cyrus Chess and Top Gun. Thesetitles are programmed for the Commodore645/128, IBM microcomputers, and AppleII family. The games sell for $9.95 each.We�ve played several on the C64/128 andenjoyed Ms. Pac Man immensely.

Mini-reviewHarrier Combat Simulator * * * *

(Atari ST version)This offering is a highly challenging and

extremely enjoyable Harrier-jet flightsimulator. As the pilot, you must not onlymaster flying the Harrier jet (with itsversatile horizontal and vertical thrustcapabilities), but learn to control itsadvanced weaponry as well. As the onlyjet fighter to survive an attack by sabo-teurs, you must destroy the enemy head-quarters before the Sixth Fleet isdestroyed! Harrier Combat Simulator isfor the Atari ST family of computers andis one of the better recent flight simulatorreleases.

Origin Systems136 Harvey RoadBuilding BLondonderry NH 03053(603) 644-3360

Finally, Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatorhas been released for IBM micros andcompatibles at $59.95. The player explores

new frontiers and meets new challenges.Players, however, do not design the char-acteristics and abilities of the party. In-stead, the party takes on the player�scharacteristics, based on responses to aseries of ethical dilemmas. The difficultyof the quest is then influenced by theplayer�s personality.

Paragon Software Corp.600 Rugh StreetGreensburg PA 15601(412) 838-1166

Master Ninja: Shadow Warrior of Deathis for IBM micros and compatibles. It is anOriental action and adventure story thattakes the player through 25 screens ofancient martial arts, including hand-to-hand and weapon combat. The playerassumes the identity of a great ninja war-rior on a quest to recover a magical swordstolen by an evil Japanese warlord. Thereare 25 martial arts moves, historic ninjaweapons, and realistic sound. The price is$34.95, with a Commodore 64/128 conver-sion currently being programmed. Ver-sions for the Atari ST and CommodoreAmiga should be released this year.

Ray & Secrest Simulations, Inc.P.O. Box 1104Houston TX 77251-1104(713) 527-0616

A new Wizardry scenario for Apple IIusers has been released by these devel-opers. Entitled The Mazetown Coven, thisoffering is for characters of levels 11through 13, and is priced at $15.00.

Strategic Simulations, Inc.1046 North Rengstorff AvenueMountain View CA 94043(415) 964-1353

This fine company has released two newsimulations: Sons of Liberty, a simulationof three American Revolutionary Warbattles, and Panzer Strike!, a tacticalWorld War II simulation. In the former, the

battles of Bunker Hill, Saratoga, and Mon-mouth are recreated using the award-winning game system from Gettysburg.With Panzer Strike!, one or two playerscan engage in individual squad or tank-level combat in the Eastern and NorthAfrican fronts, as well as combat involvingthe British Army throughout Europe.Available for both Apple II and C64/128computers, these games are $49.95 and$44.95 respectively.

The clue cornerSeveral marvelous clues arrived from

our readers for this issue. First, KendallGregg writes that he has mastered thePerilous Peaks dungeon in Might andMagic. Kendall offers the following clues:

1. Never interrupt a dragon town meet-ing. Even the gods could not survive suchan outpouring of anger.

2. The four beasts (soldier, sea monster,scorpion, and winged beast) are picturedon the map in the correct locations. Kill allfour, then go to Tuck Island and spin theWheel. You will get a bonus for each mon-ster slain. Of course, this will put themonsters back in the game as well.

3. In section A4, many islands of a magi-cal nature can be found, including abridge that can only be crossed if eachcharacter answers a question correctly.Failure means death. To date, none of mycharacters have crossed the bridge.

4. The Perilous Peaks are great fordragon hunting, if you are strong enough.The Fabled City of Gold in those peaks isthe best place to find magical objects (in-cluding an idol). But watch out for multi-ple dragon encounters that must be bestedif you are to get that idol!

5. Another island of interest is TriviaIsland, where you pay to guess at obscurequestions based on encounters earlier inthe game (questions such as, �Who is thevoluptuous one?�).

6. ZAM�s clue is C-15, whatever thatmight mean.

7. Remember: I BE ME.

8. The code for turning off Erliquin�sdungeon ZAP traps is YICUZME3.

86 MARCH 1988

9. Go to the Astral Plane as soon as possi-ble. Chances are that the worst that willhappen to you is that you are sent home toSorpigal.

10. To find Ranalou�s cave, follow thecoast east of Portsmith South and aroundthe peninsula to the north.

To give you some assistance with TheBard�s Tale II, Jeff Vogelsano of Wood-bridge, Va., offers this advice:

�These clues might help those down ontheir luck. For two of those �unique� weap-ons you always hear about, have the char-acters go to Garth�s Shoppe. Press Buy andpick your weapon. Next, insert a copiedcharacter disk and Purchase. Press thespace bar. Insert the original game diskand press Buy. The weapon or item willstill be there.

�For those who always need gold, go to�BEDDERS.� Deposit your gold, then with-draw. Before typing your code, insert acopy disk. Type the code, and BEDDERwill close the account. Insert the originaldisk, and you will have the money and theaccount."

Clues for The Bard�s Tale II players werealso received from Brian Lurtice of Phoe-nix, Ariz.:

�Hitting the z key while playing TheBard�s Tale II will summon a Stone Elemen-tal. Also, many of the spell descriptionsseem to be incorrect. For example,Forskar�s Night Lance only travels for 70�,and the Heal All does not cure stunnedcharacters.�

Phantasie II players should appreciatethe following clues from ChristopherFisher of Middlebury, Vt.:

1. When trying to get to the Plane ofDarkness, go to the White Castle andtype C2.

2. The elemental of air has every spellpossible and is very helpful when fightingNikademus.

3. In the Dark Castle, follow these direc-tions when the arches appear: E, s, N, s, E, s,

E, W, E, E.

4. Break Nikademus�s wand when youcan, but don�t sell any of the pieces.

5. Look for secret doors in the south-west portion of the last dungeon.

That�s all for this month. Please remem-ber that we need your ballots for the bestsoftware games of the year (1987 and1988). Simply write down the name of thegame, the version, and your name andaddress on a postcard, and send it to:

Hartley and Patricia Lesser179 Pebble PlaceSan Ramon CA 94583

Please do not phone us! Continue send-ing in the hints and tips, too, and we�llmake certain the best are published tohelp out all readers. Game on!

by Jeff Grubb

T h eM a r v e l ® - P h i l e

ego Peter Parker has had the Daily Bugle

By the Immeasurable Girth ofstaff, his Aunt May, and a long string oflady-friends culminating in his bride, MaryJane Watson, as friend and associates. It�s

Thor, hero of the extradimensionalrealm of Asgard, is unique in that must ofhis allies know him as his �heroic� self, asopposed to knowing him only in whateversecret identity he maintains at the time.Spider-Man is a bit of a loner, but his alter-

the same with Iron Man,who operates on his own asa hero and with a hugegroup of friends andallies as the president

Volstagg!

88 DRAGON 1988

of Stark Enterprises. Even the Hulk hasmore friends as puny Bruce Banner thanas his monstrous self.

But not Thor. Thor�s old secret identityof lame Doctor Don Blake had Jane Fosteras a friend, but that�s about it. No, Thor�sbest supporting-cast members are nativesof his home, Asgard: Sif, Odin, Heimdall,Balder � and Grim Hogun, Dashing Fan-dral, and Volstagg the Enormous.

Fair ladies and noble lords, we presentthe guys who stand at Thor�s side in bat-tles of Asgard: The Warriors Three.

HOGUN THE GRIM�

F AM Health: 205A RMS AM Karma: 80E MNR EX Resources: INI RMP RM Popularity: EX in Asgard

KNOWN POWERS:

Body Armor: The massive cell structure ofAsgardians provides Hogun with Goodprotection against physical and energyattacks.

Hogun�s Mace: Hogun�s mace is made ofAmazing-strength materials, and he wieldsthe weapon with +1 CS on attack rolls.The weapon is nonmagical, though it wasbuilt using the magic of Asgardian crafts-men, and has no special powers.

TALENTS: Hogun is a master in the use ofhis mace (as noted above), and in additionhas the Horsemanship ( +1 CS for allFEATS involving horses) and Martial ArtsA talents.

CONTACTS: Hogun is a member of theCourt of Asgard and, as a member of theWarriors Three, is a close friend of Thor.

HOGUN�S STORY: Hogun is called �thegrim� for his dour attitude and pessimisticoutlook. He is more of a fighter than atalker, letting his mace speak volumes incombat. Hogun is not a native of Asgardproper, but of another land in the Asgar-dian dimension. He has, however, provedtime and again his loyalty to the throne ofAsgard and to Thor, the son of Odin.

©1988 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. All RightsReserved.Marvel, Marvel Universe, Marvel Super Heroes, andall Marvel character names and likenesses aretrademarks of Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc.

FANDRAL THE DASHING�

F IN Health: 195A RMS AM Karma: 70E MNR G D Resources: RMI EXP IN Popularity: RM in Asgard,

IN with Asgardian women

KNOWN POWERS:

Body Armor: Like all Asgardians, Fandralhas a dense body that provides Good pro-tection against physical and energy at-tacks.

Fandral�s Sword: Fandral�s sword, likeHogun�s mace, is not enchanted but ismade of the strong metals wrought by thesmiths of Asgard. It is made of Incredible-strength material, and Fandral fights atthe Amazing level when using it. Fandralmay use both the edge of his sword (foredged attacks) and the flat of the blade(for blunt attacks) in combat.

VOLSTAGG THEENORMOUS�

F RM Health: 250A EXS AM Karma: 60E Shift XR G D Resources: RMI G DP IN Popularity: IN in Asgard if

he�s paid his bar bill; RMotherwise

KNOWN POWERS:

Body Armor: Volstagg has the natural bodydensity of most Asgardians, and in addi-tion has much more �body� than usual toserve as armor. Volstagg�s exact weight is atightly held secret in the circles of Asgard,but may be safely said to be over one ton,depending on whether he has just walkedaway from a big meal or not. His fleshserves as Excellent armor against physicaland energy attacks.

TALENTS: Volstagg was a mighty swords-man in his prime, and still has the Swords-man and Wrestling talents. Volstagg useshis incredible girth to his advantage incombat, and a successful wrestling holdusually indicates that the massive Asgar-dian is sitting on his opponent.

CONTACTS: Volstagg maintains the samecontacts as Fandral and Hogun, and in

TALENTS: Fandral is a master of thesword ( +1 CS in combat as noted above)and has the Horsemanship talent ( +1 onFEATS involving riding and dealing withhorses).

CONTACTS: As an Asgardian of note, anda good friend and ally of the mighty Thor,Fandral has the Court of Asgard, its rulers,and Thor himself as contacts. He has noreal contacts on Earth.

FANDRAL'S STORY: Fandral is a nativeAsgardian who, with Hogun and Volstagg,helped Thor put down a mutiny inspiredby Thor�s evil and malicious brother Loki.Fandral�s good looks and courtly mannersmake him the �lady�s man� of the WarriorsThree. His tendency to court severalyoung women simultaneously has gottenhim into deep trouble, and he has fore-sworn his philandering life for the timebeing. Whether he keeps to this vow whenconfronted by the comely maidens ofAsgard remains to be seen.

addition has met and befriended Sunspotof the New Mutants and the young groupPower Pack.

VOLSTAGG�S STORY: Long ago (by Asgar-dian time; by the way mere mortals figuretime, it was long, long, long ago), Volstaggwas among the most powerful fighters inthe land, earning him the title �Lion ofAsgard.� Many centuries of feasting anddrinking have spread his waistline, if nothis fame, to even greater dimensions. Hestill asserts himself to be one of the pre-mier warriors of Asgard, but in combat heseeks less-strenuous forms of conflict thandirect attack. When storming a castle, forexample, his first point of attack is thelarder, to see if any enemies are hidingamong the breads, cheeses, and meats.Volstagg is no coward, however, nor is heunwilling to confront opponents, as manya young Asgardian gallant has discoveredwhen he challenged the Lion and was satupon after a short scuffle.

In a short trip to Earth, Volstagg madethe acquaintance of the children in thePower Pack, and he knows their trueidentities. He has also adopted into hislarge and child-filled home two Earth boyswho lost their mother to an enemy ofThor. Volstagg has a large family, andthough he loves each and every one ofthem a great deal, he finds that he mustescape domestic confines in the cause ofhigh adventure. Of course, he must ex-plain this to his wife upon his return.

D R A G O N 89

90 MARCH 1988

D R A G O N 91

Convention Calendar Policies

This column is offered as a service to ourreaders around the world. Anyone mayplace a free listing for a game conventionhere, but the following guidelines must beobserved.

In order to ensure that all conventionlistings contain accurate and timely infor-mation, all material should be either typeddouble-spaced or printed legibly on 8½” x11” paper. The contents of each listingshould be short, succinct, and under 150words long.

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

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

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

where additional information and confirma-tion can be obtained.

Convention flyers, brochures, newslet-ters, and other mass-mailed announce-ments will not being considered for use inthis column; we prefer to see a cover letterwith the announcement as well. No call-inlistings are accepted. Domestic and foreignconventions are welcome.

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

Convention listings should be mailed bythe copy deadline date to ConventionCalendar, DRAGON® Magazine, P.O. Box110, Lake Geneva WI 53147. Copy dead-line dates are the last Monday of eachmonth, two months prior to the on-saledate of an issue. For example, the copydeadline for the July 1988 issue is the lastMonday of May 1988. Plan ahead; earlylistings pay off!

If a convention listing must be changedbecause the convention has been can-celled, the dates have changed, or incor-rect information has been printed, pleasecontact us immediately! For any ques-tions or changes related to this column,please call either Robin Jenkins or RogerE. Moore at TSR, Inc., (414) 248-3625.

indicates Canadian convention. indicates European convention.

BASHCON �88, March 4-6Sponsored by the University of Toledo Benevo-

lent Adventurers� Strategic Headquarters, thissixth annual event will be held on the third

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floor of the University of Toledo Main CampusStudent Union in Toledo, Ohio. This conventionwill feature a host of events, including a gamesauction, a miniatures-painting contest, a gameexhibitors� and dealers� room, an RPGA� Net-work AD&D® game tournament, a CAR WARS®tournament, a schedule of movies, and morethan 120 other role-playing, board, and minia-tures gaming features. Steve Jackson is theguest of honor. Send an SASE to: Student Activi-ties Office, UT-BASH, BASHCON, 2801 W. Ban-croft Street, Toledo OH 43606; or call: (419)537-4654.

JAXCON SOUTH 12, March 4-6This 12th annual gaming convention will be

held at the Jacksonville Hotel on the Riverwalkin Jacksonville, Fla. Miniatures, board game, androle-playing game events will be held, with alarge dealers� room, a flea market, tournaments,movies, door prizes, and more. Registration is$18 at the door. Dealers should write to: JAX-CON SOUTH 12, Dept. D., P.O. Box 4423, Jack-sonville FL 32201. Write to: JAXCON SOUTH,Dept. A., P.O. Box 4423, Jacksonville FL 32201;or call: (904) 772-9040 between 7 and 9 P.M. only.

CALCON III, March 11-13This role-playing, board, and miniatures-

gaming convention will be held at the GlenmoreInn in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Sponsoredevents include a major AD&D® tournament($250 first-place prize offered), TUNNELS &TROLLS� games, a Monty Hall Bake-off Extrava-ganza, CALL OF CTHULHU® games, and a hostof minor tournaments. Other events include anauction, miniatures competitions, a miniatures-painting contest, LAZER TAG® games, intros anddemos of many RPG systems, and more. Regis-tration is $7 until March 1, or $10 thereafter.Write to: CALCON III, P.O. Box 204, Station �M,"220 4th Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta, CANADA,T2P 2H6.

TOTAL CONFUSION 2, March 11-13The second-annual TOTAL CONFUSION game

convention will be held at Clark University inWorcester, Mass. RPGA� Network events will beheld for AD&D® and CALL OF CTHULHU®games. Regular events include 10 �unlimited�AD&D® game events, and CHAMPIONS�, DC�HEROES, CAR WARS®, and numerous otherboard and role-playing game features. Aminiatures-painting event, a dealers� room,seminars, 24-hour open gaming, and much moreare also offered. Preregistration for all threedays is $15, or $6 for each individual day. Regis-tration after March 1 is $7 per day. Write to:TOTAL CONFUSION, 151 Chandler Street,Worcester MA 01609; or call: (617) 793-0853,(617) 562-2554, or (617) 755-4207.

UMF-CON, March 13This science-fiction, fantasy, and gaming

convention takes place at the Student Center ofthe University of Maine in Farmington, Maine.Barry B. Longyear, the nationally knownscience-fiction writer, will be attending. UMF-

CON features AD&D®, TOP SECRET®, RISK®,and BATTLESYSTEM� game events, along withnumerous other board and role-playing games.Registration is $5; each game requires a $2entry fee. Write to: Table Gaming Club, c/oStudent Life Office, Student Center, SouthStreet, Farmington ME 04938.

DRACONIS, March 18-20This science-fiction and fantasy convention

will be held at the Galt House in Louisville, Ky.Anne McCaffrey will be the guest of honor, andJulia Ecklar will be fan guest. Featured eventswill include the Dragon Bazaar, open gaming,filksinging, a masquerade contest, an art showand auction, panels, workshops, a LAZER TAG�area, and a child-care center. Registration feesare $20. Children ages 6-12 may be registeredfor half price. Write to: DRACONIS, P.O. Box162, Concord MA 01742.

SIMCON X, March 18-20This convention will be held in the Wilson

Commons on the University of Rochester�s RiverCampus in Rochester, N.Y. Events include role-playing game tournaments, wargames, minia-tures competitions, movies, demonstrations, anda dealers� room. Registration is $5 before March1, and $10 thereafter. Write to: SIMCON X, P.O.Box 29142, River Station, Rochester NY 14627;or by calling: (716) 275-9379.

THE SPRING OFFENSIVE, March 19-20Sponsored by the Tri-County Gaming Associa-

tion, this gaming convention will be held at theBradley University campus in Peoria, Ill. Fea-tured events will include a variety of role-playing games, board games, and miniaturesevents. Registration fees are $2 per day, or $3for the weekend, with an additional charge of$1 for each event entered. Write to: Jim Roots,2270 Robin Road, Washington IL 61571; or call:(309) 745-8511.

AGGLECON 19, March 24-27The Southwest�s largest science-fiction and

fantasy convention will be held on the TexasA&M campus in College Station, Tex. Guests ofhonor include Joe Haldeman (not Gene Rodden-berry, as earlier noted), Katherine Kurtz, BobEggleton, and Kerry O�Quinn. Events include theQuest, open gaming, 25 authors and artists, nineSF films in 35mm (to be shown in a 2,500-seatauditorium), a dealers� room with over 100tables, an art show and auction, a banquet, amasquerade ball, and more. Preregistration feesare $10 for all four days (if paid prior to Febru-ary 28), with an additional $4 charge for entryinto the Quest. At-the-door fees are $5 for oneday, $14 for the entire weekend, $1 for themidnight movie, $10 for a banquet ticket, and$5 for entry into the Quest. Children underthree are admitted free of charge, and childrenages 3-12 for half the normal registration fees.Students of Texas A&M are entitled to discountson AGGIECON passes. For details, write to:AGGIECON 19, TAMU, Box J-1, MSC, CollegeStation TX 77844.

MAGNUM OPUS CON 3, March 25-27This science-fiction, fantasy, and gaming

convention will be held in Columbus, Ga. Guestsof honor include Yvonne Craig, Michael Bishop,Charles N. Brown, Hal Clement, Catherine andL. Sprague de Camp, Stephen R. Donaldson,Lloyd A. Eshbach, Phillip Jose Farmer, GeorgeR.R. Martin, Norman Spinrad, Jack Williamson,and others yet to be announced. Activitiesinclude gaming tournaments, an art show, amagic show, an open talent show, a dance, an

art auction, a con suite, and movie rooms. Writeto: MAGNUM OPUS CON, 4315 Pio Novo Ave-nue, Macon GA 31206.

ROUNDCON III, March 25-27This fantasy and super-hero role-playing

games convention will be held at the Universityof South Carolina in Columbia, S.C. Gaming willtake place on the third floor of the RussellHouse Student Center on Greene Street indowntown Columbia. Convention hours are asfollows: 3 P.M. to midnight on Friday, 9 A.M. tomidnight on Saturday, and 12:30 P.M. to 6 P.M. onSunday. Featured games will be CHAMPIONS�and the AD&D® game, with prizes beingawarded to the top players in both games.Miscellaneous other role-playing and strategygames will also be featured. Preregistration bymail is required. Memberships are $5 and maybe paid by checks made out to: Roundtable, AGaming Society. Checks must be postmarked nolater than March 18. Membership fees may bemailed to: ROUNDCON III, P.O. Box 80018,University of South Carolina, Columbia SC29225. Call: Wally at (803) 777-1964.

CONTEST V, March 31-April 3Tulsa�s only all-gaming convention will be held

at the Holiday Inn Holidome at 8181 E. SkellyDrive in Tulsa, Okla. Events will include gametournaments, demonstrations, role-playinggames, board games, computer games, minia-tures competitions, live games, free gaming, acontinuous video room, dealers� room, auction,and special guests. Registration fees are $6before March 1, and $8 at the door. Write to:CONTEST V, P.O. Box 4726, Tulsa OK 74104.

BAMACON II, April 8-10This gaming convention will be held at the

Stagecoach Inn, located at 4810 Skyland Blvd. E.in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Room rates are $21.75 for asingle and $27.20 for a double. Special guestsinclude Allen Hamack, Dr. Ed Passerini, Dr.Kendrick, Jim Birdseye, Dr. Lloyd Snerts, andothers. The festivities planned include work-shops, seminars, and panels dealing with sub-jects such as science fiction, gaming, inventions,metaphysics, and computers. Gaming tourna-ments (as well as computer-gaming tourna-ments) will be held, most of which will offercash prizes. Featured events include an artshow, a costume contest, a combat-techniquesseminar, miniatures combat, four 24-hour movierooms, an awards banquet, and a 24-hour consuite. There will be filksinging, storytelling,open gaming, and more. Write to: BAMACON II,University of Alabama, P.O. Box 6542, Tusca-loosa AL 35486; or call: (205) 758-4577.

CAPCON XI, April 8-10The Ohio State University Miniatures and

Gaming Association (OSUMGA) announces the11th annual CAPCON, to be held in both ball-rooms of the Ohio Union, 1739 N. High Street, inColumbus, Ohio. Featured events include:miniatures events, board games, and role-playing games from several time periods andgenres; several AD&D® and BATTLESYSTEM�game tournaments; and, a miniatures-paintingcontest. Convention times are: April 8th, 5:00P.M. to 11:30 P.M.; April 9th, 9:00 A.M. to 11:30 P.M.;

and, April l0th, 12:30 A.M. to 10:30 P.M. Admis-sion is $3 per day. Write to: OSUMGA/CAPCON,Box 21, The Ohio Union, 1739 N. High Street,

The ninth-annual GAME FAIRE convention willbe held at Spokane Falls Community College inSpokane, Wash. Events will run continuouslyfrom Friday night to Sunday afternoon. Theprogram includes game tournaments, microar-mor, historical miniatures, a video room, adealers� room, SF and fantasy RPGs, boardgames, family games, and a game auction. Thelocal chapter of the SCA will also host a demon-stration. Registration for this convention is $10prepaid or $12 at the door. Friday-only orSunday-only passes are $5; Saturday-only passesare $6. All profits from this event go to theWishing Star Foundation, a local charity dedi-cated to helping needy children. Write to:Merlyn�s, W. 201 Riverside, Spokane WA 99201;or call: (509) 624-0957.

Columbus OH 43210; or call: Jill Moody at (614)299-5658, or Jon Kimmich at (614) 447-1705.

DRAGON QUEST VI, April 8-10This gaming, fantasy, and science-fiction

convention will be held at the University ofWyoming Union Building in Laramie, Wyo.Featured games include AD&D®, CAR WARS®,CHAMPIONS�, STAR TREK®, and TRAVELLER®.Other events include a writers� panel, a custom-game design and creation panel, computergaming, electronic music, and more. The guestof honor will be Jerry Oltion, author of �Frameof Reference� and miscellaneous short stories.Preregistration fees are $9 until March 26, and$12 thereafter. Write to: Knyghts of Enchant-ment, P.O. Box 3625, Laramie WY 82071; or call:(307) 755-4721.

GAME FAIRE �88, April 8-10

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GAMESFAIR 88, April 8-10The United Kingdom�s premier games-playing

event and the eighth GAMESFAIR organized byTSR, UK, will be held at Reading University inReading, United Kingdom. Events will includean AD&D® game open championship, anAD&D® game team competition, a CHASE�game tournament, a huge game of EN GARDE, acreature-creation competition, all-night gaming,a charity marathon, game demonstrations, andmore. Tickets for the full three days are £37.00residential, or £12.50 nonresidential. Write to:The Organisers, GAMESFAIR 88, TSR UK Ltd.,The Mill, Rathmore Road, Cambridge CB1 4ADUNITED KINGDOM; or call: (0223) 212517.

MISCONCEPTION, TOO, April 8-10This gaming convention will be held at the

Auraria Student Center on 9th and Larimer inDenver, .Colo. Featured events include AD&D®,BATTLETECH®, CHAMPIONS�, and STAR FLEETBATTLES game events among others. Preregis-tration is $3; at-the-door fees are $4. Tourna-ment fees are $1 for each event. Write to: AGC,Metro State College, 1006 11th Street, Box 39,Denver CO 80204; or call: (303) 556-3320.

S.T. CON �88, April 8-10This gaming convention will be held at the

Marlborough Inn, 1316 33rd Street NE, inCalgary, Alberta, Canada. Guests include Bjo,John, and Lora Trimble; Sonni and Dr. RalphCooper; Diane Carey; and Gregory Brodeur.Special events include an art show and auc-tion, a costume contest, a short-story compe-tition, a STAR TREK®: THE RPG tournament, aSTAR FLEET BATTLES tournament, and

numerous mini-competitions. Registration is$25 before April 7, or $30 at the door. Single-day registration may be purchased for $15 aday. RPG tournament fees are $5 per player;STAR FLEET BATTLES tournament fees are $2per player. Write to: S.T. CON �88, Unit #38,3223 83rd Street NW, Calgary, Alberta, CAN-ADA, T3B 2P9.

GAMEMASTER �88, April 9Sponsored by the Gamemasters Guild, this

one-day gaming convention will be held onSaturday, April 9, from 8 A.M. to midnight in theBig Four Room of the Student Union Building onthe Boise State University in Boise, Idaho. Cashprizes will be awarded in the ZOMAX game, andproduct prizes will be awarded in other catego-ries. WARHAMMER, AXIS & ALLIES�, SHOGUN,D&D® games, and a host of other events willalso be featured. Preregistration is $4 until April1; thereafter, registration is $8. Send an SASE to:Gamemasters Guild, ATTN: Scott Brough, 5240Targee, Boise ID 83705; or call: Ken Brough at(208) 384-5549.

SHOW-ME CON III, April 9-10Sponsored by the I�m Game gaming store and

gamers guild, this midwest gaming event willtake place at the Dance Hall in Warrensburg,Mo. Events will include AD&D®, D&D®,MARVEL SUPER HEROES®, TALISMAN, STARWARRIORS, Visual Dungeon, BATTLETECH®,and ROLEMASTER� games, with a figure-painting contest. The AD&D® game tournamentwill be run by a TSR staff writer. RPGA� Net-work sponsored events, game demonstrations, adealers� area, and a comic book show and sale

are also featured. Door prizes and other give-aways will also be offered at the door. Registra-tion is $7.50 in advance or $10 at the door.Write to: I�M GAME/SHOW, 102 W. Pine Street,Warrensburg MO 64093; or call: (816) 747-DICEon Saturdays only.

WIZARDCON �88, April 9Sponsored by the Columbia University Games

Club, this all-day convention will be held atFerris Booth Hall at Columbia University, 115thStreet and Broadway in New York City. Eventswill include numerous role-playing events, aDIPLOMACY® tournament, a miniatures-painting contest, a plethora of vendors, andseveral other games. Registration is $2 at thedoor; tournament events will cost an additional$2 per round. Write to: WIZARDCON �88, 206Ferris Booth Hall, Columbia University, NewYork NY 10027.

GICON X, April 15-17This gaming convention will be held at the

Ramada Inn in Grand Island, Nebr. Numerousgaming events are sponsored, including eventsin the following games: AD&D®, TRAVELLER®,ELFQUEST, TOP SECRET®, MARVEL SUPERHEROES®, and BATTLETECH®. There will alsobe an artists� and authors� competition, withwell over $1,000 being offered in these andother events. Registration is $10 for the week-end if paid before March 31, or $15 thereafter.Send an SASE to: GICON X, 3077 S. 40th Street,Omaha NE 68105.

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D R A G O N 101

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DRAGON 103

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