D R A G O N 1

20

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2 APRIL 1985

PublisherMike Cook

Editor-in-ChiefKim Mohan

Editorial staffPatrick Lucien Price

Roger Moore

Graphics and productionRoger Raupp

SubscriptionsGeorgia Moore

AdvertisingAndrea Lee Anderson

Contributing editorsEd Greenwood

Ken RolstonKatharine Kerr

This issue’s contributing artistsJack Crane

Roger RauppBob Maurus

Phil FoglioValerie Valusek

Jayne HoffmannMarvel BullpenDave Trampier

Richard TomasicJoseph Pillsbury

Larry Elmore

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS47 Deck plans for the GINNY’S DELIGHT

In-scale accessory for STAR TREK™ : The Role-Playing Game

43 — the ultimate adventureAnd the title of our Lirpa Loof section . . . get it?

OTHER FEATURES8 New jobs for demi-humans — Gary Gygax

Official AD&D® game alterations that elves will especially like

10 What good PCs are made of — Katharine KerrThe non-statistical aspect of character creation

20 The ecology of the gulguthra — Ed GreenwoodYou don’t know the name, but you do know the monster

28 The handy art of forgery — Keith RoutleyA new, and non-violent, ability for assassins

32 Books to games? Perhaps — Arn Ashleigh ParkerHow to use literature as the foundation of a campaign world

38 PBM update: news & views — Mike GrayPlay-by-mail happenings, plus five game evaluations

56 Getting in over your head — Craig BarrettDRAGONQUEST™ game rules for aquatic action

64 Inglaf’s Dream — Ama Darr Rogan. . . with an ending you might not have figured on

68 ORIGINS Awards nomination ballotSend in your choices for the best of 1984

DEPARTMENTS3 Letters 25 Off the shelf 90 Wormy6 The forum 69 The ARES™ Section 93 Dragonmirth

16 World Gamers Guide 86 Convention calendar 94 Snarfquest24 Coming Attractions

COVERIt should come as no surprise that Jack Crane does a lot of detailed, engineering-type illustrations when he’s not painting covers for DRAGON® Magazine. Heused his technical skills and his painting skills to come up with “Andragon,”depicting a basement-sized do-it-yourself kit that will amaze your friends andneighbors — and maybe even your mom.

Rational questionDear Dragon,

I read Katharine Kerr�s article on feeding anarmy in motion (�An army travels on its stom-ach,� issue #94) and I was glad that someonefinally outlined a system for feeding an army.After reading it I was left with one major ques-tion. In the Players Handbook, on the equipmentlist, iron rations are listed as costing 5 g.p. forone week�s worth. My question is simple: Coulda soldier function normally if given only ironrations and water? Iron rations are not veryexpensive and last a long time without spoiling.

Jonathan ZaleskiSelden, N. Y.

I think a soldier could �function normally� ifall he consumed was iron rations and water, butthe problem of having enough food for a largearmy is not solved just by having each man packa supply of iron rations, for these reasons:

On a small scale, it may be true that �ironrations are not very expensive.� But let�s imaginea 1,000-man army that�s about to go on a marchthat could take as long as two weeks. It wouldcost 10,000 gold pieces to buy two weeks� worthof iron rations for every soldier � assuming thatthe leader of the army can find a merchant whohas 2,000 one-week portions of iron rations tosell.

According to Appendix O of the DMG, aportion of iron rations has an encumbrance valueof 75 gp, so that two weeks� worth would take up150 gp worth of weight and space in a soldier�sgear. Each soldier would also have to carry asubstantial amount of non-edible equipment, andthe result might be that many soldiers wouldn�tbe able to carry all their necessary gear and alsohave room for a supply of food. You can�t counton being able to pick up non-edible equipmentwhile on the march, but it would be a lot easier tofind food along the way. So, many of the soldierswould not be able to pack all the food they wouldneed, and they would have to find it while they�reon the move.

And even if every soldier could carry enoughiron rations to last him throughout the journey,that doesn�t address the problem of how to feedthe animals that are traveling with the army Forthe reasons described in the article, it wouldprobably still be necessary for the army to findsome food along the way to keep all of the horses,mules, etc., alive and able to do their jobs.

So, although it�s a good idea that might workin some situations, iron rations would not solveall the problems of how to feed an army on themarch. � KM

Jump adjustmentDear Dragon,

I have a question about �Short hops and bigdrops� (issue #93). In the example where JanZweihander is chasing a halfling thief, wouldn�tthe halfling�s extra jump number be 1, because

his modified jump number is 5, changed to 10because of a running long jump, and 10 sub-tracted from 11 is 1. So he would have a 30%chance of jumping instead of 80%. Would youexplain this a little better, please?

Travis BoelterNew Ulm, Minn.

Yes, it should be explained a little better. Thecomputation in the example is correct, becausethe �double credit� for a running long jump wasaccounted for by dividing the distance of the 11-foot jump in half. The halfling�s chance of successwas calculated as if she were attempting a 5½-foot horizontal jump with no running start. Thatdistance is only ½ higher than her modified jumpnumber of 5, which is why (according to the tableon page 22) her chance of success is 80%. Divid-ing the distance in half accomplishes the samething as doubling the character�s jump numberfor a running long jump. The division step wasdone �automatically� in the text of the article,not explained when it was performed, so we can�tblame anyone for not quite understanding howthe example worked. � KM

Eye examinationDear Dragon,

I have a question about the article on the eye ofthe deep (#93). It says that when an eye of thedeep grabs hold of one of its victims, it attacks at+2 or +4 depending on the number of claws

holding the victim. Also, because of the clawholding the adventurer, his attacks are made at -2if held by one claw and at -4 if held by two. Myquestion is, does dexterity affect this penalty tohit? When attacking with two weapons, thehigher a character�s dexterity is, the less of apenalty. Shouldn�t this apply here, too?

Seth WaltherMarietta, Ohio

Attacking with two weapons isn�t really asimilar circumstance to being grabbed and heldby an eye of the deep, but it does seem logical togive a character with high dexterity less of apenalty to hit when he�s being grabbed by an eyeof the deep; following the system on page 70 ofthe DMG, try an adjustment of +1 for everypoint of dexterity over 15. All that does is add alittle more detail on top of the new informationgiven in the article. If you use a dexterity benefitlike this because you think the monster is tootough, then leave well enough alone. But if youwant to tinker a little more to maintain a balanceof power, you can add in a �reflex attack� for themonster: Whenever an eye of the deep takesdamage from an attack by the character it isholding, it will reflexively squeeze its pincerstighter, doing twice normal damage (4-16 points)to the held character before releasing him.

Ecology articles, as complete as we try to makethem, are not as detailed as monster descriptionscould be. There�s always room for a little moreelaboration, but the amount of detail you use isalways your decision; the extra �rules� incorpo-

rated into ecology articles are not officialchanges, so you can do anything you want withthem � or nothing at all. We can�t give a yes-or-no answer to a question like �Does dexterityaffect this penalty to hit?� Whether it does or notis up to you. � KM

Urisky businessDear Dragon,

In issue #94 it says that urisks have the naturalability to hide in natural terrain. I would like toknow the base percentage chance for one success-fully doing so. I would also like to know if thereare any modifiers to this base chance.

Andrew PetersonLunenburg, Mass.

This ability is played the same way as an elf�sability to blend into his surroundings. Onlysomeone who is able to detect invisible objects (byvirtue of magic or intelligence) can see a urisk ifthe creature is trying to conceal itself in appropri-ate surroundings, so the only �chance of success�involved is whether or not an onlooker sees theurisk � which is more like a �chance of failure.�Note that if the urisk moves, its (effective) invisi-bility will probably be negated � and certainly itwill become visible if it launches an attack fromits hiding place. � KM

The last wordDear Editor:

In the pronunciation guide (#93), it states thepronunciation of Titivilus as ti - tiv - i - lus, while theearlier article �Nine Hells Revisited� states it astih - tee - vie - lus. Which is correct?

Eric S. GoldsteinGreenlawn, N. Y.

I wondered how long it would take someone tonotice those conflicting pronunciations. For therecord, the pronunciation given in issue #93 canbe considered �correct,� since it appears in a listof pronunciations that we regard as official. It�sunlikely that a character�s fate in an adventurewill ever depend on whether he knows how topronounce someone�s (or something�s) name, butit is nice to all be able to speak the same �lan-guage.� � KM

One good turn . . .Dear Editor:

I just discovered your magazine and think it isgreat. Now that I have complimented you, I needa favor. I understand that many of your old issuesare sold out, so all you have to do is make aphotocopy of all the pages from those old issuesand send them off to me. If you do this for me, Iwill buy another copy of your magazine nextmonth and maybe write you another niceletter.

Howe AudaciousGreedy Hollow, Ariz.

Dear Howe:I can�t say how nice it was to hear from you.

As soon as your letter arrived, all us of droppedwhatever we were doing, commandeered all thephotocopy machines in the company, and spentthree days making you a complete set of all theold issues. Look for a large truck to back up into

D R A G O N 3

your driveway one of these days and drop off anenormous crate. All the old issues will be inside� we promise.

The Editor

Point of contentionDear People:

You usually do a pretty good job, but I think Ifound a pretty bad mistake in this month�s issue.My copy has the usual 96 pages, but all of themare duplicates of the table of contents. If youdon�t send me a good copy, I�ll have to go to thelibrary across the street from my house andpermanently borrow one of theirs. They get awhole lot of copies, and I�ll bet you never sendthem bad ones.

Vic TimmPickton, Me.

Mister Editor:The strangest thing has happened. Your maga-

zine is very popular here in town, and we have tomaintain 96 separate subscriptions to meet thedemand. (A lot of boys accidentally take themhome inside their schoolbooks, and other copiesseem to get lost at home after they are checkedout.) Well, this month all 96 of the magazinesarrived as usual, but not a single one of them hada table of contents page in it. Can you suggesthow we might solve this problem, so we won�thave to deal with complaints from people who areforced to steal defective magazines?

Dear Mrs. Date:A word to the wise should be sufficient: Do it

to Timm before he does it to you.The Editor

Free thinker

Mrs. C. DatePublic Library

Pickton, Me.

Dear Editor:My lifelong dream is to have you publish a

letter from me in your forum section, but I dounderstand that you can�t just publish every letteryou get. I�ve noticed that every letter you publishseems to be expressing an opinion. I�d like to beable to do that, too, but I just can�t decide whatany of my opinions should be. Can you pleasegive me some tips on how to get opinions? ShouldI take the first ones that come along, or should Ishop around for some really good ones that fitme?

Andy CisiveWhichever, WA

Dear Andy:Those are both good ideas, but we think you

should make up your own mind.The Editor

Two quick questionsDear Editor:

First of all, are you an expert on the rules?Second of all, how would you handle this rule

problem: My best friend has a 99th-level magic-user that just earned his 34,125,001th experiencepoint and wants to go to 100th level. I, as DM,tried to make a ruling that there could be no suchthing as a 100th-level character, feeling that therehas to be a limit somewhere. Besides, the charac-ter record sheet we use in my campaign only hasspace for a two-digit number under �Level.� Mybest friend got mad at me, and said just becauseit was my world didn�t mean I could do every-thing the way I wanted. When I designed thatrecord sheet, I never dreamed that a characterwould get as high as 100th level � but we havebeen running this campaign for almost threemonths now, and I sure didn�t think it would lastthis long. Can you give me some advice on thisproblem?

Timothy IdFeeling, Ill.

Dear Tim:First of all, no.

The Editor

Index to advertisersName of firm or product Page(s)Adventure Systems . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29Armory, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62-63Chaosium, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Compleat Strategist, The . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Discount Buyers Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Draco Digitalis . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57DRAGON® Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44Dunken Co., The . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4Entertainment Concepts, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 33Fantasy Games Unlimited . . . 9, 29, 39, 58Game Designers� Workshop . . . . . . . . . . 17Game Systems Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36Game Towne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6Gamers� Guide . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Games Workshop U.S. . Inside fr. cover, 55GEN CON® Convention . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89Graaf Simulations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Name of firm or product Page(s)Hawaii Con . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85Iron Crown Enterprises, Inc. 1, back coverMagicware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87Mayfair Games Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Nichols Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39Nova Game Designs, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 27Pacesetter, Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35Palladium Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61RAFM Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Ral Partha Enterprises, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 31Reality Simulations, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34RPG, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60S&T� Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86Sky Realms Publishing, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . 60Steve Jackson Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79TSR, Inc. . . . 7, 18-19, 22, 37, 72, 76, 80West End Games . . . . . . . Inside back cover

DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is published monthly byTSR, Inc. The mailing address for all material except subscription orders is DRAGON Magazine, P.O. Box 110,

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790, ISSN 0279-6848.

4 APRIL 1985

D R A G O N 5

Though he leaves the question unanswered, Iwould like to compliment David Godwin on hisletter in The Forum of issue #93. He asks thebasic question of what is �good� and what is�evil� in the AD&D and D&D game systems.

In his letter David seems to lean toward theidea that the definition and specific beliefs of eachalignment should be determined before a cam-paign and then adhered to. This sounds nice, butin a well-done campaign with much variety itwould not solve the problem. If it were to bedecided that �good� believed in the absoluteright to life, it would not solve the problem ofwhat to consider the belief that humanoid youngshould be killed in order that they not grow up tocause trouble for humans and demi-humans. Insuch circumstances it would seem that this beliefwould be considered �evil.� But how could thisbe? Could a person who believes in sacrificingruthless humanoids to save friendly peasants, yetalso believes in the right of those peasants tofreedom and personal property, be just as �evil�as a corrupt dictator who overburdens the peoplewith taxes, is concerned with naught else but hispersonal comfort, and kills all he even slightlysuspects are opposed to him?

All numbers and statistics regarding a charac-ter in the game have the purpose of setting up�reality.� A certain value will tell one how muchdamage a character can withstand, while anotherwill relate how dextrous a character is. Thesestatistics are only half the game, though. Align-ment is the characteristic which regulates thecharacter�s beliefs or personality. Alignment, Ibelieve, was created to prevent radical, illogicalchanges in a character�s behavior. This is donethrough the harsh penalties inflicted when acharacter changes alignment.

Because alignment is only meant to preventradical changes of belief and behavior, it is best toset a character�s alignment through commonsense. (A person who believes in the basic right offreedom is �good,� while a person who constantlykills people for no reason is �evil.�) After deter-mining alignment, the player must then decideupon the details of the character�s beliefs. Oncedecided upon, these details must be followedconsistently, the player role-playing them as ifthey were part of the alignment. The DM canpenalize the player for changing his belief just ashe does for a change in alignment (though itwould be a lesser penalty because it is a lessdrastic change).

By considering alignment only a general areaof beliefs, one allows for greater variety in anyadventure. Similar methods can be used for�lawful� and �chaotic.�

David MillerNorth Miami Beach, Fla.

I would like to compliment Arthur Collins onhis well written and very informative article inissue #93 entitled �The making of a milieu.� Thisarticle and others like it in DRAGON Magazinehave helped me immensely in preparing myworld and campaign.

Although I have played the AD&D game onand off since 1979, I have not started to DMother than for a few �trial runs� because I feelthat I am not quite ready. I have some questions Iwould like to put forth as a means of startingsome discussions among the readers ofDRAGON Magazine.

The main question I have concerns many ofthe rules and their implementation. In issue #67of DRAGON Magazine, Gary Gygax wrote anarticle entitled �Poker, Chess, and the AD&Dsystem,� subtitled �The official word on what�sofficial.� In this article he wrote that �TheAD&D game system does not allow the injectionof extraneous material. . . . Either one plays theAD&D game, or one plays something else. . . .�As far as adding �spurious rules and material,�he says that �no claim to playing either game canthen be made. Such games are not D&D orAD&D games.� In the next paragraph he writes,�. . . Either you play TSR�s D&D or AD&Dgames, or you play variants of them, or you use ahodge-podge system . . . Next time someonetouts some magazine or game as being useful forinclusion in your campaign, consider the follow-ing. Adding non-official material puts your gameoutside the D&D or AD&D game system.�

Yet in the same issue he also writes this, con-cerning the AD&D game�s official rules on grap-pling, pummeling, and overbearing: �I haveregretted them ever since [their publication]. Itend to use a very simple system which we ini-tially developed for such close-quarters combat inabout 1974.�

In issue #83 Roger Moore offered what I thinkis an excellent system for unarmed combat. Yet,since it is not official, does that mean that when Iuse it, I am not playing the real AD&D game? Ifit does, then I guess Mr. Gygax isn�t either, if hecontinues to use a different system than the onein the DMG. However, since Mr. Gygax didinvent the game, you might say that whatever

system he decides to use is official. Fine � butthen why isn�t it published?

Overall, I agree with Mr. Gygax about the useof non-official rules. I subscribe to DRAGONMagazine mainly to keep track of official rulechanges. If I decide to use a new system, or passone on to my DM, I will only use ones publishedin DRAGON Magazine since it is, for me, the�official� AD&D game magazine. I hope that Iam correct in assuming that what Mr. Gygaxmeant by �extraneous material� would be, forexample, replacing the AD&D combat systemwith that of another FRPG. Or making majorchanges to the armor class system, �making up�your own character classes for PCs, etc. I haveseen so many people doing exactly that, andwhen they do, as Gary said, they are no longerplaying the AD&D game.

However, the weaponless combat system inissue #83 doesn�t seem to be a major change. Itdoesn�t replace a set of rules, rather, it simplifiedthe existing ones, and created a practical, usablesystem. In issue #65, Lenard Lakofka wrote anarticle entitled �Keep track of quality.� He of-fered a system by which a character could, forexample, buy a longsword not as good as amagical +1 sword, but better than the standard15 gp longsword listed in the Players Handbook.In issue #92, the article �Let the horse buyerbeware� presented what I thought was an excel-lent system for buying quality horses.

In my opinion, these systems and ones likethem do not seek to replace any rules. They don�tmake any drastic changes in the game. They aretailored to the AD&D gaming system. If a personplaying the game has a DM who uses Lakofka�sweapon quality system and later switches to aDM who doesn�t, the most that can happen isthat the player gets a bit baked at having laid out500 gp for a longsword that is now only just asgood as the longsword his partner paid 15 gp for.

Still, the bottom line is, if Gary hasn�t said it�sofficial, then it isn�t. Again, I hope that what Mr.Gygax meant when he referred to �extraneousmaterial� was the �major change� and �othergame system� type of material I gave examplesof. Although this might seem like a moot point tosome, it is important to me, because I try toadhere to the �official� rules of the game.

Up to now I�ve discussed new rules. Now I�dlike to ask about the present ones: Mainly, doesanyone use them? From what I�ve seen, it doesn�tlook like it. (I have never been to a GEN CONconvention, AD&D tournament, etc., which maybe one reason why it seems this way.) I�ve neverplayed with a DM who took weapon speed factorsinto consideration. If I had a gold piece for every5�4� half-elf I�ve seen carrying a 4�6� bastardsword, I could build myself a castle. If I had asilver piece for every time someone used a bas-tard sword in a crowded bar without hittinganything or anyone except his opponent, I couldput a kidney-shaped moat around it. As forencumbrance: I had a friend who wanted to givethe AD&D game a try. I introduced him to somepeople who were going to play that night. Afterthe game, he showed me the list of monsters hischaracter had encountered, treasure and magic

(Turn to page 24)

6 APRIL 1985

New jobs for demi-humansDwarven clerics, elven rangers, and that�s not allBy Gary Gygax Copyright ©1985 E. Gary Gygax. All rights reserved.

So you think that my extension of levels for demi-humans withexceptional statistics was stingy, do you? Well, Gentle Readers,despite all assumptions to the contrary, I do not dislike characters ofnon-human stock. In a �world� where humans are the principalpopulation, and rule of most states is by mankind, I believe that thelevel limits set in the AD&D® game system (as expanded througharticles published within these Hallowed Pages, and as eventuallyredone in new Players Handbook editions) are correct and necessary.Humans would be an inferior species if the limits on demi-humankind were removed. However, let�s look at some new, logicalconcepts for demi-humans which are not destructive to the underly-ing game concepts.

Demi-human clericsWith expansion of the deities in the WORLD OF GREYHAWK�

Fantasy Setting, and by Roger Moore�s articles herein so as to pro-vide for the races of demi-humankind, there is no logical reason toexclude their clerics from play. [Editor�s note: The aforementionedarticles comprise the �Point of View� series on demi-humans, whichappeared in DRAGON ® issues #58 through #62 and were reprintedin the Best of DRAGON Vol. III anthology.]

The level limits for non-exceptional clerics are one less than thenumber shown on the table below, i.e. 7th for dwarves, 6th forelves, etc. For clerics with exceptionally high wisdom, the new limitsare as follows:

Level limit by racial stock of clericWIS Dwarf Elf Gnome Half-elf Halfling

15 8 7 7 5 �16 9 8 8 6 417 10 9 9 7 518 11 10 10 8 619 13 11 12 10 820 16 12 14 12 10

Note that these new limits apply to player characters and NPCsalike � that is, the prohibition against PC clerics of dwarven, elven,or gnomish stock is abolished, and halflings are likewise now able tobe either PC or NPC clerics, although on a limited basis (minimumwisdom of 16 required).

Demi-human druidsElves, half-elves, and halflings � being more nature-oriented

than the other demi-human races � deserve admission to the druidsub-class. Elves are now unlimited in their ability to rise in levelswithin the druidical ranks, just as half-elves have always been. Fur-thermore, halflings can become PC or NPC druids of 5th level orgreater � limited to 5th if either wisdom or charisma is below 15,but able to advance as high as 13th level if the ability scores areexceptional:

8 APRIL 1985

Halflingability scores Highest

WIS CHA Druid level15 15 616 15 716 16 817 16 917 17 1018 17 1118 18 12

All scores above 18 � 18 13(maximum)

Demi-human rangersElves are no longer prohibited from entering the ranger sub-class,

in keeping with the same reasoning that now opens the druid sub-class to that race. For consistency, half-elven rangers are also givenmore potential. Level limits for elven and half-elven rangers are nowas follows :

Ranger levelElf Half-elf STR INT WIS

7 8 18(01) 15 158 9 18(01) 16 169 10 18(51) 16 16

10 11 18(76) 17 1711 12 18(76) 18 1812 14 19 18 1814 17 20 18 18

As with all other similar tables, ability scores given here representminimums which must all be met for the character to rise to theindicated level. The downward progression for elves follows thesame pattern as for half-elven rangers, i.e. elven rangers with lessthan 17 strength are limited to 5th level, and those with 17 strengthcan rise no higher than 6th level.

Both elven and half-elven characters can be druid/rangers, or canbe triple-classed as druid/ranger/magic-users. All limitations apply,especially that regarding division of experience points equally amongclasses.

Special note on cavaliersIf your campaign uses the cavalier class (described in DRAGON

issue #72), it is important to include the paladin as a sub-class ofcavalier, not as a direct sub-class of fighter. (More information onthis reorganization is forthcoming in the Unearthed Arcana volume,about which more was said in last month�s column.) Furthermore,both elves and half-elves may be cavaliers, with level limits the sameas for members of the regular fighter class.

Paladin and monk dual-classingWhile it is not possible to renounce further progress as a paladin

or a monk in order to pursue another profession, the opposite is notnecessarily true. From a non-conflicting profession, a human PCcan move to that of paladin or monk. For example, a lawful goodcleric with sufficiently high ability scores might decide to become apaladin. Similarly, a thief of lawful alignment might determine thatthe monk profession is now a desired occupation. In both examples,no change in alignment occurs, and the activities of the new class do

not conflict with those of the previous class. It is not possible to takethe opposite route, since the mental determination required forinitial membership in the paladin or monk class disallows any lessen-ing or redirection of those disciplines. If a character begins his ad-venturing career as a paladin, then a paladin he will remain (unlesshis paladin status is removed for some reason related to magic,behavior, or alignment change); and so it is also for a monk. Applythis same line of reasoning to any other dual-class question, and youwon�t be far off the mark.

Humble pie departmentThis particular dish can be accompanied by homily grits, but that

isn�t the case here! On to my ample serving. . . . I must use morecare when expressing concerns. This I have uttered to myself severaltimes after reading a letter from Susan M. Garrett. That KindlyReader pointed out that harsh words are usually ineffective tools �particularly when seeking a result that requires cooperation andunderstanding. An earlier issue of this Invaluable Journal (#90)contained a suggestion from me that Enthusiastic Gamers be firm indemanding materials not carried by their favorite retailer. Obvi-ously, you wouldn�t be in a store asking for a product if you didn�tprefer to shop there. Just as evident is the fact that if you avidly seekthe products, and your favorite retailer does not carry those goods,then only two courses remain open: One, the retailer must carrythese items, or, two, you must go elsewhere to buy them. Optiontwo is undesirable because it takes you away from your choice ofsupplier, and it loses that store your patronage.

Thus, simply informing the retailer of your desires, and politelyrequesting that they be carried so that you may purchase themthere, rather than (perish the loathsome thought) elsewhere, is in-deed sufficient inducement to any wise proprietor. Susan, bless her,is employed at a Waldenbooks store, and has done her best to seethat RPG products are carried by that shop. In her letter she callsme on the carpet for singularly poor phraseology. I am duly cor-

rected and contrite. Words such as �demand� and �take your busi-ness elsewhere� should not be used in this case � if ever! Thankyou, Susan, for your good offices in behalf of role-playing and forcaring enough to write and correct me.

A very important point which was brought up in Susan�s letterpertained to pilfering, unfortunately the actual sort rather than theimaginary profession of many Worthy Gamers. It seems that un-thinking persons of totally unscrupulous sort are making off withportions of modules. Breaking the plastic wrap around suchproducts, they take what they like, leaving an unsalable remainderbehind. Such evil activity jeopardizes the continued availability ofthese goods, for losses of this sort are annoying, give our hobby abad name, and reduce the viability of the store. Each retailer hasmany financial obligations, including employees to pay, rent, utilitybills, taxes, and so on. The small margin of profit from each sale isnecessary indeed � without these receipts, there can be no store. Domention this problem to your fellow enthusiasts. These real-lifethieves should be excluded from campaigns, so to speak.

A good �game� bookIf you haven�t read The Black Company by Glen Cook (Tor

Books, Tom Doherty Associates, Inc., 1984), then you are missing agood book which relates closely to the AD&D® game. I can�t swearthat the author plays FRP games, let alone any of TSR�s offerings,but somehow he has captured the essence of them, regardless. TheBlack Company reads as if it were a literary adaptation of actualadventuring, as it were, in a swords & sorcery milieu akin to that ofa proper AD&D game campaign. The style of writing is neitherheroic nor swashbuckling. There is none of Robert E. Howard inthe book. It is a dark work. Nevertheless, it is one fine bit of fantasyauthorship. I recommend it to all role-playing game enthusiasts formany reasons, not the least of which is that it will assist in properfantasy role-playing. For $2.95 this book will provide both readingenjoyment and much support for your RPG activity. It is one youshouldn�t miss.

D R A G O N 9

What good PCs are made ofPlay characters with more substance than statisticsby Katharine Kerr

One of the most enjoyable things aboutthe AD&D® game and other fantasy gamesis role-playing a player character � takingadvantage of the chance to �become an-other person� and to live out another life ina strange and magical land. In an ongoingcampaign, developing a solid PC is theplayer�s main opportunity to be creativeand to contribute something of his own tothe Dungeon Master�s world. Using thiskind of creativity can be very satisfying. Awell-made PC is a miniature work of art,like a character from a good novel or movie,but all the player�s own.

Yet all too often, players deny themselvesthis particular pleasure simply because theyfail to create a true character � someonedifferent from themselves in most respectswith a personality and a mind of his own.Many gamers have a standard characterstyle that they return to over and over againin play, though this character may have adifferent name and a different set of statsfrom game to game. Some of these standardcharacters are very much like the playersrunning them, and some are wishfulfillments, embodying all the strengthsthat the player doesn�t have and never will.Allow me to use myself as my own badexample: my standard woman warriornever compromises, never takes guff fromanybody, and backs up her pride with asword � a very different soul from yourtypewriter-bound author, who would proba-bly cut her thumb off if she ever picked up areal blade.

Playing this kind of �compensatory�character can be psychologically healthy attimes, but always running the same basicPC drastically limits the enjoyment playersget from gaming. Creating a truly differentcharacter, on the other hand, seems like animposing task to many gamers, because itrequires some of the skills of both an authorand an actor. First, the player has to createthe character in detail, then pretend to bethat character during the gaming session.The creation is the most important part ofthe process, because a player who reallyknows his PC�s background, attitudes, andmannerisms can respond in character muchmore convincingly and spontaneously thanone who only has a vague idea of the PC�sgeneral nature.

Although inventing an entirely new per-sonality from scratch is a difficult job, anygamer can add some depth and life to hisPCs with just a little thought and creativity.The problem is knowing where to begin.This article offers some guidelines for the

10 APRIL 1985

player who wants to create a well-developedPC with a life of his own. Although playerswill have to consult their DMs to fit theircharacters properly into the game world,they can do much on their own to flesh outexisting PCs or to add depth to new ones.DMs may also want to give this article totheir players to encourage them to be crea-tive on their own within the context of theDM�s world.

Growing up medievalThe old cliche is true: no person exists in

a vacuum. Not only is everyone born into aspecific family, but that family exists in asociety with its own distinct ways of behav-ior and moral codes. During childhood, aperson�s most basic attitudes toward life areformed by the events she�s experienced aswell as by the treatment she receives fromher family. Although few gamers give muchthought to their PC�s early life, understand-ing that background is a valuable tool forcreating a PC�s personality.

Most of us assume that the way we�retreated as children is the way that childrenhave always been treated at all times. Wehave a strong concept of �childhood� as aspecial time of life for being irresponsible,protected, and loved. In our society, adultsspend a lot of time worrying about theirchildren and about the effects that their ownactions will have on their children�s lives. Inthe western medieval society that forms thebackgrounds for most game worlds, nothingcould be further from the truth. (In ancientRome, or in Constantinople and othercivilized areas of the medieval world, chil-dren were raised in a more protective andloving manner in the middle and upperclasses, but among the poor everywhere,what follows will still apply.)

In general, growing to adulthood in amedieval society or among barbarian tribeswas a pretty chancy thing. The averagewoman could expect to give birth to eightchildren, of whom at least one would beborn dead and only three of the otherswould live to reach maturity. As a result,children simply weren�t cherished; it wastoo heartbreaking to grow attached to achild who would probably die in a fewyears. What�s more, since so many womendied in childbirth, many children grew upwith either no mother at all or with a step-mother who was even more indifferent tothem than their natural mother would havebeen. Rather than being in the center of thefamily as they are now, children foundthemselves on the edge of things. This is not

to say, of course, that no medieval parentsloved their children, but such love was arare thing.

In upper-class families, children wereseen mostly as heirs, meant to continue thefamily line or consolidate family power byaccepting a properly arranged marriagewhen they finally came of age. These littlepolitical pawns were usually put into thecare of nursemaids � or, among the bar-barians, foster parents of a lower class � assoon as they were born. Although the par-ents supervised their education and train-ing, they had little actual contact with theirchildren until the children were thirteen orfourteen, when the children were consideredto be full-grown adult members of the fam-ily. These new �adults,� however, had nocontrol over their own lives until their fa-ther died. The father announced whom thedaughters would marry and sent any sur-plus sons either to the church or to a placein another lord�s castle. By law, the childrenhad to obey his decisions.

Among the lower classes, children wereconsidered as an economic asset, anotherpair of hands to work on the farm or in thefamily craft shop. Toys were only for thevery youngest children. As soon as a childcould walk, she was given useful work to do� watching the geese, sorting good beansfrom bad, and other such simple tasks. Bythe time they were eight, boys were ex-pected to be doing a full day�s work along-side their father, while girls were doingmuch of the cooking and clothes-making tofree their mother for money-making work inthe fields or in the shop. By the time theywere fourteen, most lower-class people weremarried, but still living under the control oftheir father or father-in-law.

In all classes, children were more likely tobe neglected than fussed over. At meals, theadults were served first, and the childrenfought over the leftovers. Even in the upperclasses, children�s clothing was cut downfrom the adults� worn-out garments andrarely washed. The lord�s daughter and thefarmer�s daughter were likely to look muchalike when it came to their dresses. Fewadults spent any kind of time with theirchildren, except to give them orders orteach them how to do various kinds ofwork.

Medieval children were also exposed toviolence on a regular basis. Children whomade mistakes, appeared lazy, or merelyangered their parents were beaten. For thatmatter, most would have seen their fathersbeat their mothers as a matter of course,

too. The amusements of these times weregenuine, not simulated, blood-sports: duelsto the death in barbarian societies, joustsand tournaments in medieval ones, as wellas the omnipresent cock-and-dog fights andsuch refined pleasures as bear-baiting.Children were usually taken to watch thepublic punishment of criminals as well,because their parents enjoyed watching thefloggings, maimings, and hangings metedout by their overlords. Barbarian boys, ofcourse, learned early that war and deathwere part of everyday life and the truepursuit of real men.

With such a start in life, the average PCcomes to maturity with a pretty grim set ofattitudes. (Although there are always excep-tions to any cultural conditioning, it�s sur-prising how many historical figures of theMiddle Ages fit the pattern described be-low.) First of all, he realizes that life is shortand harsh, and that he�s lucky to be alive atall. He�s seen several brothers and sisters,and maybe his mother, die from naturalcauses while he was still young. If he�s abarbarian or a noble, it�s likely that he losthis father and several uncles to warfare, too.He thus accepts the sufferings of otherpeople with an attitude that would strike usas extremely callous, provided that theseothers are strangers rather than someoneimportant to him personally.

What�s more, from early on he learnedthat no one was going to take care of him ifhe couldn�t take care of himself. He�s had tosquabble to get enough to eat, push andshove to get enough room in the bed heshared with his brothers and sisters, andfight over the few toys and amusements thatthe family shared. Thus, he has an arrogantand grasping side to his personality. Even ifhe�s from the noble class, he�s used to hoursof hard work and drudgery. Noble boyswere sent to other castles to work as pagesat eight years old; noble girls put in theirshare of hours at spinning, weaving, andsewing family clothes.

Finally, his attitude toward his family isquite cold. Since they never did much forhim, he truly doesn�t care very much aboutthem, either. Perhaps he had an unusualchance to grow attached to one parent or afavorite sibling, but it�s more likely that hesees his siblings as rivals and his parents asdistant authority figures who stand betweenhim and his inheritance. If he�s a barbarianor a noble lord, he does have a feeling forthe honor of his family name. This feelingmeans that he�ll avenge any family memberwho is murdered or shamed, but he�s just aslikely to kill any family member, male orfemale, who besmirches the family honor.The people who truly matter to him are thefriends that he found for himself, not thefamily with whom he grew up. Since thesefriends are the real source of love and affec-tion in his life, he�s likely to be fanaticallydevoted to them in an emotional way thatwe moderns would find embarrassing.

In fantasy worlds, members of the non-human races will have different kinds ofchildhoods and thus a different set of basic

attitudes. However, since Roger Moore hasalready explored the cultures of the variousnon-human races in his �Point of View�series of articles for DRAGON® magazine(reprinted in the Best of DRAGON Vol. IIIanthology), there�s no need to cover thesame ground here. Any player who is build-ing up a non-human character can refer tothe appropriate article in that series for thenecessary background and the innate atti-tudes of his chosen race.

With this basic background in mind,we�re ready to turn to the individual PC.After rolling up his character and makingadjustments for his chosen race, the nextthing a player does is choose the characterclass � the profession � of his PC. Builtinto the game is the assumption that the PChas been apprenticed to a master in thisclass for many years, an assumption that�shistorically accurate. The average childwould have been sent to his apprenticeshipat nine or ten years of age, depending onhow bright and capable the child was. Al-though the player should always choose thePC�s class himself, he can work backwardfrom that choice to fill in the events andinfluences of the PC�s early life.

Ideally, of course, each player shouldinvent all these details for himself with theactive collaboration of the DM, as if hewere writing a short story about his PC, butmany players may simply not know whereto begin their PC�s �biography� or whichfacts to include.

This article provides a set of tables torandomly determine certain basic factsabout the PC. These rolls, however, shouldonly be starting points. The player shouldthink about each result and decide whatemotional effect it had on the PC and howthis effect influenced the character�s person-ality. To give them real meaning, the playerhas to turn the dice rolls into a story, even ifit�s only a sketchy one.

Social classThe social standing of the PC�s family

should always be randomly determined,simply because we�d all like to be rich no-bles if we could get away with it. But sinceonly the DM of a given campaign can de-cide exactly what the term �social class�means or includes in his world, the follow-ing tables have been purposely left nonspe-cific. Here are some examples of how eachclass might be defined:

1. Very low: serfs, slaves, beggars, ahereditary guild of charnel-house workers.

2. Low: farmers with a small holding,servants of the rich.

3. Middle: farmers with large holdings,craftsmen with shops, midwives and herb-women, tavern owners.

4. Distinguished: lawyers, physicians,clerics, magic-users.

5. Noble: members of a hereditary aris-tocracy. This class can be based either onlandholding, as was done in the MiddleAges, or on sheer wealth, as in ancientGreece or modern America.

Now for the tables themselves, which are

based on the character class of the PC andwhich use percentile dice rolls:

Thieves Fighters01-20 very low 01-05 very low21-50 low 06-15 low51-90 middle 16-50 middle91-99 distinguished 51-70 distinguished

0 0 n o b l e 71-00 noble

Magic-users Clerics01-10 very low 01-10 very low11-25 low 11-25 low26-60 middle 26-60 middle61-85 distinguished 61-75 distinguished86-00 noble 76-00 noble

Add 10 to all rolls for paladin characters.Subtract 10 on all rolls for druids.

Once the player has rolled on these ta-bles, he should try to flesh out the rawresult with some circumstances. For in-stance, a cleric with a noble backgroundmight have been a younger son of the housewho had no chance at inheriting the title, ora daughter who preferred religion to anarranged marriage. Any PC who rolls �verylow� can be assumed to have shown suchgreat natural aptitude for his class at suchan early age that he was adopted by anupper-level member of that class and raisedaway from his family � except for thieves,where poverty is a natural incentive to learnthe trade.

Family life and backgroundResults of rolls on the following progres-

sion of �tables� will help a player develop adetailed background for the character.

A. Is the PC a legitimate child of his father?(01-75 = yes, 76-00 = no)

1) If illegitimate, was the PC raisedwith the father�s family?(01-75 = yes, 76-00 = no)

2) If not raised with the father, wasthe PC raised by the naturalmother (01-50), placed into fos-terage (51-95), or raised by charityas an orphan (96-00)?

3) If placed into fosterage, roll for thefoster family as well as the naturalfamily in the next steps. If raised bycharity, ignore steps B and C.

B. Does the PC have any living siblings?(01-75 = yes, 75-00 = no)

1) If yes, then how many? (01-40 =one, 41-90 = two, 91-00 = three)

2) For each sibling, roll to determinesex (01-50 = female, 51-00 = male)and age (01-50 = older than PC,51-00 = younger than PC)

C. Were there any family tragedies thataffected the PC?

1) Did the PC�s mother die whenthe PC was young? (01-60 = yes,61-00 = no)

2) Did the PC�s father die whenthe PC was young? (noble class:

D R A G O N 1 1

01-60 = yes, 61-00 = no; all otherclasses: 01-40 = yes; 41-00 = no)

3) How many siblings died when thePC was young? (01-50 = three,51-75 = four, 76-00 = five)

D. Is the PC�s attitude toward the familynormal for his culture (01-65), more lov-ing than normal (66-90), or more hostilethan normal (91-00)?

E. Was the PC�s family poor by the stan-dards of its social class (01-30), reason-ably secure by those standards (31-75), orvery well off by those standards (76-00)?

F. Did the PC�s father have the same profes-sion (i.e. character class) as the PC?

1) M-U: 01-10 = yes, 11-00 = noCleric: 01-35 = yes, 36-00 = noThief: 01-60 = yes, 61-00 = noFighter: 01-75 = yes, 76-00 = no

2) If the answer from F-1 is no, whatwas the father�s profession? (To an-swer this question, the player willprobably have to consult with theDM. If the social class is middle orlower, however, it�s 85% likely thatthe PC�s father was a farmer.)

3) If the PC has a different professionfrom his father�s, was he/she ap-prenticed in a regular manner toa teacher of that profession? Thiefclass: 01-75 = yes, 76-00 = no (Ifanswer is no, skip section G.) Allother classes: automatic yes.

G. If the PC was an apprentice, rather thanbeing trained by his father, what was theapprenticeship like?

1) Did his master treat him warmlyand considerately (01-20), decentlybut coolly (21-80), or harshly anderratically (81-00)?

2) Was his master�s status highamong his peers (01-15), normalamong his peers (16-80), low amonghis peers (81-95), or that of an out-cast from his profession (96-00)? (Ifthe master was an outcast, then thePC traveled with his master fromplace to place.)

3) How many other apprentices didthe master have? (01-10 = one,11-75 = two, 76-90 = three,91-00 = four)

4) Did the master favor the PC abovethe other apprentices? (01-50 = yes,51-00 = no)

5) If above answer is yes, did the PCget along well with other appren-tices? (01-25 = yes, 26-00 = no)

H. A thief who was not taught by his fatheror by a member of the thieves� guild hasbeen stealing since early childhood for hisown reasons. The player should decidewhat those reasons were; some commonones are the challenge of the act, sheergreed, and resentment of the rich.

1) Was the budding thief contacted bythe local thieves� guild as a teen-

12 APRIL 1985

ager? (01-75 = yes, 76-00 = no)2) If the answer above is no, the

player has to decide if the PC hasmade contact with the guild on hisown since reaching maturity.

I. If the PC was trained by his father, theplayer should still roll on steps G-1 andG-2 above.

J. Where was the PC born?Obviously, the player will have to consultwith the DM to answer this question.The player should also ask the DM forany relevant history of the PC�s birth-place, to see if the PC lived through anyimportant campaign events as a child,such as a war or a plague, that wouldhave helped to form his personality.

Making up the storyNow let�s look at a couple of examples of

how to create a PC using these tables. Basi-cally, the percentage breakdowns on thetables are weighted to allow a fairly �nor-mal� background for each character class.For example, a fighter PC is likely to have afighter for a father, who most likely is amember of the middle class yeomanry, thedistinguished class sergeantry, or the nobleclass of warrior lords. It�s still possible,though, to get some unusual or even contra-dictory series of rolls. These peculiar combi-nations of rolls are often the most fun towork with, because the player�s creativity issparked by trying to think of reasons behindthe �decisions� of the dice.

First, let�s take a magic-user who got afairly typical series of dice rolls. He comesfrom the middle class, was a legitimate sonof his father, and has one living sibling, asister who is older than he. He lost hismother and three other siblings early in life,but his father is still alive. He thinks of hisfamily more fondly than normal, and thatfamily was reasonably secure by middle-class standards. Since his father wasn�t amagic-user, our lad was apprenticed to amaster of normal status among mages, whotreated him and his two other apprenticesdecently if coolly. Since our PC was neversingled out for special favors by the master,he got along well with the other boys. Add-ing some details from my campaign world,we also know that the magic-user, Evan,grew up in a prosperous, peaceful city,where his father was an herbalist.

Already these bare details are beginningto form a coherent picture of Evan�s life.Let�s add more color to them by using someimagination and by extrapolating from thenature of life in medieval worlds. As anherbalist, Evan�s father must have knownhow to read and write and would havetaught his only son this skill early in life.His interest in the powers and properties ofplants sparked the boy�s interest in magic.Since his mother died, we can say that theolder sister took over Evan�s care, and sincehis attitude toward his family is more lovingthan usual, she must have treated himunusually well. With his connections as an

herbalist, the father found a reputablemagic-user to take Evan on as an appren-tice, but the father was not well off enoughto apprentice him to the best availablemaster. Although Evan�s master was a fair-minded man, he was too engrossed in hisown studies to pay personal attention to hisapprentices, but the boys made friendsamong themselves. It�s likely, given hisgeneral cultural attitude toward friendship,that Evan is closer to the apprentices of hisyouth than he is to his family.

Next, we can see what this story tells usabout Evan�s basic personality. Since he hadsuch a secure and peaceful upbringing for aman of his times, he is likely to be a littlenaive and inclined to trust everyone hemeets. His fond memories of his hard-working sister make him treat women withrespect. On the other hand, since he sawmany a public hanging and so many naturaldeaths as a child, he knows that the world isa harsh place where death comes fast. Thisknowledge makes him grateful to the godsfor his luck with his family and for makingit possible for him to study magic, his reallove in life.

We�ve just seen how the dice rolls can beworked into a solid-feeling character, partic-ularly if the rolls give typical results for thePC�s character class. Even unusual rolls,however, can be turned into a good charac-ter with a bit of thought, as in our nextexample.

The player of a female thief manages toroll 00 for social class, making her PC amember of the nobility! What�s more, she�sa legitimate daughter, not an unwelcomebastard child. She has three living brothers,of whom two are older than she, but bothher mother and her father died when shewas young. Her attitude toward her familyis normal, but her family was poor by thestandards of the nobility. Although as a thiefshe would normally have a high chance ofrolling that her father was in the same pro-fession, the DM rules that it�s extremelyunlikely that her noble father was a thief orthat she was apprenticed at an early age tothe thieves� guild. Thus she�s a self-taughtthief, although her roll on Section H-1shows that she was indeed contacted by thelocal guild while a teen-ager. Between them,the player and the DM decide that the thief,Lyssa, was born in a war-torn region of thegame world where poor lords are common.

Now it�s up to the player to make sense ofher PC�s early life. She decides to start withLyssa�s position in the family, the onlydaughter among three brothers. Since war-rior lords tend to favor their sons anyway,and since her family was poor, it�s quitelikely that Lyssa was even more ignoredthan usual in this family. Once her fatherdied and her eldest brother succeeded to thetitle, she was doubtless thought of as noth-ing more than a pawn to be married off to apolitical ally as soon as possible. Stealing,then, became Lyssa�s way of getting some-thing of her own, a small revenge on herbrothers. Probably she started out stealingextra food when the cook�s back was turned,

then graduated to lifting small valuablesfrom noble guests.

The next question for the player to an-swer is how Lyssa made the transition frompetty pilferer at the castle to a professionalmember of the thieves� guild. Since localthieves were doubtless blamed for hercrimes, they would have been aware of heractivities, but they would have been afraidto approach the sister of the lord of the localmanor. The player decides that the ar-ranged marriage in the offing provides aperfect answer. Appalled by her brother�schoice of a husband for her, Lyssa ran awayto a distant town to live by her wits. There,the local guild contacted her and made her alate-come apprentice.

After making up this reasonable story toexplain the unusual dice rolls, Lyssa�splayer now has some good insights into herPC�s character. Lyssa must be a very inde-pendent and headstrong young woman tohave managed her escape from her broth-er�s castle. On the other hand, since she fellback to thievery to get her way as a child,she�s essentially a devious person, prefer-ring to use her brains rather than to forcedirect confrontations. After all her years ofliving a double life, coupled with her stan-dard training in the manners of a noble-woman, she must be able to put on a verygood front � very sweet, gracious, andtimid on the outside, but hard as nails onthe inside. At the same time, her upbring-ing in a warrior lord�s castle has made her

no stranger to violence. If she has to, she�lluse her dagger and short sword to goodpurpose.

We can see the value of all this effort putinto developing backgrounds for PCs if weimagine a game where Evan the magic-useris interacting with Lyssa the thief. Poortrusting Evan will be putty in Lyssa�s hands� at least until she bilks him out of hisshare of a treasure. At the same time, sinceEvan is so different from her crude broth-ers, Lyssa might have a soft spot in herheart for him and return the treasure shebilked him out of, along with a little lectureon the dangers of trusting people too much.The interplay between these two characterswill provide a lot of amusement for theother players in the campaign, as well asgiving the DM some ideas for dramaticconfrontations during city play and otherslower-moving parts of the game.

The whys and whereforesAfter he�s made up a background and

sketched out a general personality for hisPC, the player next needs to develop hisPC�s motivations in life. Understanding thePC�s motivations is the key to staying incharacter while role-playing, because what aperson wants out of life determines how thatperson will act in any given situation. Forexample, a warrior whose main goal is togain glory and honor will never stoop to acowardly deed, no matter how great thereward. It�s possible, of course, that another

motivation might conflict with a person�smain goal. The warrior of the examplemight be tempted to do a cowardly deed ifthat deed would save the life of his dearestfriend. The player of a character caught inthat sort of conflict would have to decidewhich motivation was the stronger.

Since motivations can be so complex, thebest way to start determining a PC�s moti-vation is to ask why the PC chose his profes-sion in the first place. (The player has hisown reasons for choosing a character class,based on the game mechanics; what countshere is the PC�s reasons, as someone whogrew up in the game world.) It�s possiblethat events in the PC�s life made him choosea particular class. A fighter who grew up ina war-torn country, for instance, might havehad little choice of profession if every able-bodied man were being recruited. Likewise,a cleric who was born into a low social classmight have seen the religious life as the oneway she could better her fate.

Beyond the press of circumstance, how-ever, each character class holds out thepromise of a certain kind of reward andoffers its own distinct satisfactions. Magic-users, to begin with, have the chance tolearn secret knowledge, the mysterious lorethat will give them power over things thatfew people even know exist. Any magic-userwill have to have a love of knowledge for itsown sake in order to endure the long yearsof study necessary to become proficient inthis class. For fighters, the reward is glory,

D R A G O N 1 3

respect in the eyes of others and the hope ofearning a place in a bard�s song or a saga sothat their reputations will outlive them.Clerics, while motivated primarily by thelove of their gods, also have the chance toearn a high status in society and a place in arespected hierarchy. For thieves, their abil-ity to live outside the law and their self-concept as dangerous, daring persons areeven more important rewards than the meremoney they steal.

Although all PCs will be motivated by themain goals of their profession, each PC willhave a slightly different emphasis. Onecleric may want nothing more than thechance to serve his favorite god, while an-other may have her sights set on that templeposition as head of the cult. One magic-usermay love arcane knowledge only for its ownsake, while another may want the intellec-tual power over others that it brings. It�s upto the player to decide upon his PC�s moti-vations in choosing the class, because notable of die rolls can possibly be flexibleenough to create truly individualized PCs.

Once the player has decided why the PCchose his profession, he faces the next inter-esting question: Just why is this PC outadventuring? Unless the society to whichthe PC belongs is in a state of chaos, as theresult of a disastrous war or a plague, forinstance, most people in that society areleading settled lives in or near the placewhere they were born. Yet something moti-vated each PC to take to the roads in searchof adventure and has made him willing toface the dangers that adventuring brings.The player, possibly in collaboration withthe DM, should decide what this motive �or combination of motives � was.

It�s possible, for instance, that an event inthe PC�s life forced him to leave home.Perhaps his family was disgraced, or per-haps he was framed for a crime he didn�tcommit. If the PC is a fighter, he may havefought on the losing side of a civil war. Acleric may have made the head of her tem-ple hierarchy so jealous of her abilities thatshe was sent away to search for ways toglorify her god�s name. Thieves, of course,are always in danger of finding their hometown too hot to hold them after a successfulheist. Creating some such dramatic event inthe PC�s life will give the player a sense ofthe PC as a person with a history.

On the other hand � and perhaps at thesame time � the PC may have decided tobecome an adventurer for psychologicalreasons. He may be a restless soul wholoves to wander for wandering�s sake, or hemay have always dreamed of riches beyondcounting. The player needs to look at hisPC�s background and find reasons that areconsistent with it. In our example of Lyssathe thief, for instance, her independentnature may have made her decide that hercurrent town doesn�t hold enough opportu-nities for her. This decision might be rein-forced by a job that wasn�t as successful asit might have been, leaving the authoritiesentirely too interested in her activities.

Alignment is another important factor in

all the PC�s motivations, not merely themotive that made the PC become an adven-turer. All too often players ignore their PC�salignment except in the most general way,but used properly, it�s an important tool forgood role-playing, because it indicates theoverall way that the PC views the world anddefines what certain of his goals will be. Aswell as having his own personal reasons foradventuring, for instance, a lawful good PCmay want to rid the world of as many evilmonsters as possible, while a chaotic eviltype will want to get as much gold for him-self and cause as much suffering for othersas he can in the process of fulfilling hispersonal goals.

In some cases, the alignment is chosen forthe player, either because the rules say thatthe PC�s class can only have a certain kindof alignment or because the DM wants onlycertain alignments among the PCs. If theplayer can choose the PC�s alignment,however, he should make sure that it�sconsistent with the PC�s background andnature. In the example of Evan the gentlyraised magic-user, for instance, it�s ex-tremely implausible that he would be of anyevil alignment, and even the neutral align-ments are unlikely.

Whether the alignment is chosen for orby the player, he should figure it in from thestart when he�s making up his PC�s motiva-tions and goals, right along with the PC�sbackground and personality. Let�s continueour example of Lyssa the thief to see howthis works. Although its�s quite possible thatLyssa could be of an evil alignment, herplayer has no wish to play an evil character,and therefore opts for neutral good as Lys-sa�s alignment. After all, Lyssa�s thieverywas the result of childhood pressures, notsome great hatred for law and the good.The DM accepts this rationalization andallows her to have this rather rare choice fora thief�s alignment.

Lyssa�s motivations in life can now beframed as doing as well as she can for her-self without upsetting the natural balance oflife by doing undue harm to others. Sinceshe needs to live, and since she�s good atlifting material goods that other peoplecarelessly neglect to guard, she sees noreason why she shouldn�t steal the surplus,but she would never turn bandit or wan-tonly kill someone decent just to rob them.With her background, she also refuses torob poor people, especially women � it justseems beneath her dignity, somehow. Onthe other hand, if she can make a goodpinch from a noble lord who reminds her ofher brother, she�s ecstatic. She�s adventur-ing because the small town where she spenther apprenticeship has become a bit toosmall � not enough loot and too manytown militia who know her too well. She�llgladly sign up for any job that promisesgood loot taken from someone whom shecan rationalize as �deserving� of beingrobbed, such as nasty monsters or mer-chants who�ve upset the natural balance byhoarding wealth.

Evan, our example magic-user, is some-

what harder to motivate toward the adven-turing life with his comfortable backgroundand easygoing nature. He seems like thekind of person who�d be content to stay inhis hometown and work his way up slowlyin the local magician�s guild. On the otherhand, his alignment is lawful good. We canmotivate him thusly. During his studies, hediscovered that there are certain evil beingswho pervert his beloved magic for their ownunlawful ends, and that these beings andtheir polluted magic items are lying all overthe landscape. In his rage at this discovery,he made a vow that he would devote his lifeto stamping out such misuses of the magicalarts for the good of all mankind. The firststep, of course, is getting out of his snugtown and finding some of the misusers.Hence, he�s on the road.

If Evan and Lyssa end up in the sameparty, some good role-playing can be theresult. She�ll be amused at his moral indig-nation but more than willing to go alongwith him, because most of these pervertersof magic have also amassed large fortunes.Although he�ll be exasperated by her lack ofunderstanding on ethical issues, he�ll needher street smarts and wily ways if he�s goingto survive. Sooner or later, though, they�rebound to come in conflict, probably whenshe casually slits the purse of a merchantjust because he�s �too rich.� How these twoPCs reconcile this conflict will be up to theirplayers and to the players of the other PCsin the party, but doubtless some kind ofaccommodation can be worked out � muchto everyone�s amusement during the game.

Filling in the detailsOnce the player has developed her PC�s

general nature and motivations, she canadd those little details of behavior that makea PC a distinct creation. At the beginning ofa PC�s career, it�s unnecessary for the playerto have a complete catalogue of the PC�severy trait and whim, because such detailswill develop naturally as the player runs thePC over time and the PC�s characterdeepens with experience. What the playerdoes need, however, is a set of distinctivemannerisms and modes of behavior thatidentify the PC as an individual, differentfrom the PCs of the other players. Thesemannerisms are also the foundations uponwhich the player can gradually develop herPC�s complete personality.

Although the PC�s background may playa part in his various habits, what reallycounts here are the rolled character abilities.These abilities represent the traits that thePC was born with � the raw material, as itwere, that his society and his upbringinghave had to mold into a personality. Whenworking out mannerisms for a PC, there-fore, the player should always keep theseabilities in mind. A character with a lowintelligence score, for instance, will proba-bly talk in a very different way from a PCwith a high one.

To begin with, the most important thing aplayer needs to create for her PC is the PC�sway of talking. Since no one can actually

14 APRIL 1985

see the PC during the game, the player�svoice is her main instrument for creatingthe illusion of being her PC. If the playerhas any acting skill (or doesn�t mind ham-ming it up a little), she should try giving thePC a distinctive voice or an accent of somesort. One of the players in my campaign,for example, has a PC who talks in a deepguttural voice with something of a Cockneyaccent. When the rest of us hear that voice,we know instantly that Indro the thief isspeaking, which is a real boon during con-fusing parts of the game action.

Any player who�s too embarrassed to trya different voice can still personalize hisPC�s speech by paying attention to thepattern of that speech and the words that hisPC chooses to use. Everybody has a distinctstyle to their speech. Some people use a lotof ah�s and um�s, for instance, while somespeak in a clipped, rapid way. Some peoplespeak precisely, others throw in a lot ofslang, and so on. The player should figureout how a person of his PC�s character classand intelligence would speak, making thispattern exaggerated at first until the playerworks into it as a matter of habit. Exaggera-tions are always easier to remember thansubtleties.

Evan the magic-user, for example, mightspeak very deliberately and slowly, usinglots of long words, while Lyssa the thiefwould be direct and more at home withoaths than polysyllables, unless she wasusing her courtly wiles to fool somebody. Aconversation between them might go some-thing like this:

�Um, it seems most advisable for us toexplore the intersection of these tunnelspromptly, unless of course we find evidencethat the orcs in question have indeedpassed��

�Oh, by every god and his mother, let�sget on with it!�

The reader should have no trouble identi-fying who�s speaking each line.

Once the player has invented an individ-ual way of talking for his PC, the playershould make every effort to speak in charac-ter during the game. Of course, there aretimes when the game mechanics demandthat each player identify his PC instantly byusing his name or class, such as during acomplex combat, but the player should tryto speak as the PC rather than for the PCwhenever possible. Although it�s easier tosay, �My fighter is going to try to batterdown the door,� it�s a lot more fun for toannounce something like, �Out of the way,thief! I�ll smash that door to kindling, or myname isn�t . . .�

Inventing some distinctive mannerisms isanother good way to individualize a PC.One might have the habit of running hishands through his hair whenever he�s ner-vous, for example, or shaking a fist at theheavens whenever he�s mad at his gods.Another PC might always waggle one fingerat whomever she�s speaking to at the mo-ment, and so on. If the player acts out suchmannerisms whenever she�s speaking incharacter, the effect is very convincing. It

also gives the player a feeling of physicalidentity with the PC, which is part of goodacting.

Finally, the player can work up a set ofactions or a pattern of behavior that the PCalways performs in certain circumstances.Every time she enters a tavern, for instance,Lyssa the thief might stop at the door tolook the place over before she goes in. Evanthe magic-user might insist on looking atevery single inn and tavern in a new townbefore he allows the party to choose one inwhich to stay. Adding this kind of habit to aPC gives the illusion of a character whoseconduct is consistent over time as well as inthe moment.

Beyond these rather superficial kinds ofbehavior, the player should also give his PCsome opinions about certain importantparts of the game world, such as the variousraces, other character classes, the politicalstructure of his homeland, and his religion.The PC should then always act in a waythat�s consistent with his opinions. Forexample, since Lyssa the thief has such alow opinion of noble lords, she would nevergo out of her way to help a noble lord unlessshe sees the chance to steal from him. Ingeneral, the player should make his PC�sopinions rather broad in the beginning toallow them to change with experience ordevelop refinements as the player gets toknow his PC better.

The question of racial prejudices has tobe very carefully considered by playerswhen they�re making up their PCs. Certainracial dislikes, such as the well-known em-nity between elves and dwarves, are builtinto the character creation process in theAD&D® game (and some other games aswell), but this sort of thing has to be han-dled lightly or it can cause real problems. Ionce had to ask a player either to change hisways or to leave my group, for instance,because he insisted on running dwarvenPCs who were so antagonistic to elven PCsrun by other players that they were disrupt-ing the game. His defense was that he wasplaying in character, but in this case, therole-playing was spoiling the fun, not en-hancing it.

Any player whose PC has a strong dislikeof either another race or another characterclass should find ways of role-playing thoseopinions without causing fights at the gam-ing table. A dwarf and an elf might engagein sarcastic banter, for instance, while stillrespecting each other�s feelings enough tokeep the banter light. Likewise, a magic-user who thinks all fighters are crassbutchers should remember that his life maydepend on the fighters in his party and keephis opinions to himself as much as possible.Players should always remember that thegoal of role-playing is to have fun, not toassert the worst sides of our natures.

Another subject on which the PC shouldhave an opinion is the government or powerstructure of her part of the game world. Ingeneral, PCs of any lawful alignment willhave great respect for any well-run govern-ment, even if they personally don�t agree

with some of the laws, and great contemptfor any disorganized or inefficient powerstructure. Conversely, chaotics will see lawsand rulers as nuisances, unless they find oneor more of the leaders of the governmentpersonally appealing or charismatic. Withinthese broad guidelines, however, is room formany individual differences. One chaoticPC may find the idea of kingship so attrac-tive that he gives his loyalty unthinkingly toany true-born king, while despising anykind of oligarchy or democratic govern-ment, while a lawful PC who grew up in afree city or some other form of representa-tive government may find the idea of king-ship distasteful and see it as essentiallylawless.

A PC�s opinion of the people in powerwill, of course, have a great effect on hisconduct during the game. We can take theexample of a group of adventurers who arepolitely asked to appear before the local lordto give an account of themselves. Whetheror not the party shows up at the appointedtime or merely leaves town in the middle ofthe night will depend on the opinions thatthe party members hold about governmentin general and lordships in particular.

Not for clerics onlyThere�s one final subject that should be of

importance to every PC but which is toooften left to the clerics � religion. Althoughmost game worlds are polytheistic societies,many gamers � and even some game writ-ers � seem to have very little idea of whatbeing a member of a polytheistic religionmeans. These misconceptions seem to fallinto two main categories: first, that mostpeople in a polytheistic society have little todo with religion, or second, that everyonepicks out one favorite god and ignores oreven opposes the rest. Running along withthese misconceptions is a third: that onlyclerics would have any kind of active rela-tionship to the gods.

The idea that few people in a polytheisticsociety are involved with their gods proba-bly has its roots in the attitude toward reli-gion expressed by the great ancient Romanand Greek writers. For most of us, our onlyacquaintance with polytheistic thoughtcomes from whatever watered-down ver-sions of the classics we read in school. Themen who wrote these classics were highlyeducated members of an upper class whoturned away from their religion towardabstract and skeptical philosophies, whichtaught that the gods were symbolic, ab-stract, or otherwise removed from everydaylife. These men were the exceptions, how-ever, not the rule, in their societies.

Most people in a polytheistic world firmlyand completely believe that the gods arereal and that they can intervene in humanaffairs if they choose. These divine beingsare seen as powerful beyond conception,but also limited in what they can do by thepresence and conflicting needs and demandsof other gods. Their worshipers also seethem as distinct and different beings. Somegods are whimsical and capricious; some are

D R A G O N 1 5

reliable and bound by law; some are alwaysbeneficent; some are downright hostile andmisleading � but all of them are approach-able by worshipers who have the right in-tentions and who know the correct rites. It�salso possible to offend a god out of sheerignorance, in which case the god will oftenmake the offender pay for his folly.

Since these gods are also omnipresent,quite likely to show up just when no oneexpects them, believers are all very con-cerned about having a right relationship tothe gods. Believers make the effort to attendtemple rites, to give sacrifices to the gods, toremember them and to salute them when-ever appropriate. No Greek or Romansailor, for instance, would have dreamt ofstarting a voyage without an expensivesacrifice to Neptune or Poseidon; such follywould result in shipwreck or some otherdisaster. By the same token, if having awoman crew member would displease Nep-tune, then no captain would have allowedone on his ship, because he firmly believedthat his life and the lives of his men de-pended on Neptune�s good favor.

Although one god might be particularlyimportant to a certain person, like Neptuneto the ship�s captain, this importance didnot mean that the person worshiped onlythat god. Since all the gods were real, eachwas equally important in his or her ownsphere of influence. When our sea captain

came home from a voyage, for instance, hewould have first thanked Neptune for thesafe trip, then prayed to Vesta to give hiswife another child while he was home and toMercury to get him a good price on thegoods he�d brought back from his voyage.He never would have argued with or madefun of a soldier for worshiping Mars or alawyer for worshipping Jupiter; after all, hemight need a little help from Mars or Jupi-ter himself one day.

In a truly polytheistic society, there are noreligious wars and certainly none of the�my god is better than your god� tauntingthat monotheistic religions have given us.To a polytheistic worshiper, even the gods ofhis enemies are real and worthy of respect.When the Romans conquered the Celts, forinstance, they incorporated many Celticgods into their pantheon and built templesand altars for them in Gaul using the typicaltemple architecture of their time. An evenbetter example of this kind of tolerance isthe great temple in Athens, where theGreeks erected statues and altars to everysingle god or goddess they had ever heardof. There was even an altar marked �for theunknown god,� in case they had left out andoffended some divine being.

This polytheistic attitude toward the godsshould have a part in every PC�s behaviorin the game world, not only the clerics.Although the player of a PC can pick out

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one or two gods that would be especiallyimportant to her character, she shouldremember to give all the gods their duerespect whenever it�s appropriate. Theplayer should ask her DM about the pan-theon of the world and find out what actionsoffend or please her most important gods,then try to avoid the one and follow theother. The DM should appoint certain daysof the year as religious holidays and hintthat the characters had better worship themalong with the rest of the populace if theywant to keep the favor of their gods.

Likewise, PCs who follow different godsshould treat each other�s favorites withrespect, not engage in banter about which isbetter or stronger. Even clerics should notonly be tolerant of other gods but activelyinterested in them. To a committed cleric,all divine knowledge is important, and heshould be interested in learning how newlyheard-of gods relate to his own deity, not instamping out or bad-mouthing other peo-ple�s form of worship. Even evil gods havetheir place in the universe to a polytheisticworshiper. Although a person in ancientIndia might have shuddered at the verymention of Kali�s name, for instance, noone would have thought of closing hertemples or forbidding her worship. She was� and still is, to millions of people � asreal and holy as the benevolent Krishna.

Even though the player has to give hisPC strong opinions to hold about religion aswell as other things, he should rememberthat opinions change over time as peoplelearn from their experiences in life. Begin-ning PCs, after all, are considered to beyoung people just starting their adventuringlife, which may teach them that their cher-ished and unthinking opinions are gravelyflawed. As the campaign develops, a goodrole-player considers whether the events hisPC has experienced have made any changein his personality. A dwarf who started outhating elves, for instance, might very wellchange his mind after an elven PC saved hislife. Likewise, the fighter who alwaystrusted blindly in his skill with a swordmight learn that thinking before charginginto the enemy pays off in the long run.

As the campaign develops, the PCs willdevelop too. The process is analogous toreading a well-written book. In the first fewpages, the reader gets a quickly drawnimpression of the main characters, an im-pression which has to be consistent andrecognizable. Yet as the story proceeds, thecharacters take on depth and come moreinto focus as the author fills them out andtheir experiences deepen them. By the timethe book is finished, the reader feels that sheknows these people and that they have a lifeof their own. A good role-player is in theauthor�s position, first presenting his PC tothe gaming group as a distinct personality,then refining that character as play pro-ceeds. Although it may take some effort, byworking out a solid, three-dimensional PC,the player adds not only to his own enjoy-ment, but to that of the group as a whole �a goal well worth working toward.

His father, the Lord Oraun, was wise and

by Ed Greenwood just, strong in battle, and well respected inthe Dales. Erammon was a young princelike any other, reckless and fun-loving and

The Gulguthra, or �Dung-Eaters� (the full of himself. He longed for battles andotyugh and neo-otyugh), are strange and ravening monsters and fell wizards so thatdeadly creatures indeed. I asked Elminster he could swing his shining sword and winabout them some time ago, and it happened the day and walk into the taverns in Har-that upon his next visit the house was � rowdale to a hero�s welcome (and not theunexpected by us both � full of children; a usual hushed, wary silence). One day hecaptive audience to any sage worth his asked his swordmaster why Harrowdale wastongue. Elminster did not disappoint. so tranquil (that was not the word he used)

�Gather round,� he said with a twinkle in and why his father was so respected as ahis eye, �and I�ll tell you of Erammon and fighter, since Oraun never seemed to fight.the Kitchen Midden.� He waited until the The swordmaster, old Thaeron, replied:small whirlwind of visiting nieces and neph- �Harrowdale�s at peace because it�s strong,ews had settled at his feet, and his pipe had boy, and it�s strong because of your father. Idrawn into life, green smoke rings rising fought with him, in the wars with Thar andfrom it. I had introduced him as �Uncle with the outcasts of Sembia; he�s a man toEl,� and he was enjoying the role gleefully be feared over blades.�� although he had muttered an aside to me �But why then does he not fight?� Eram-that it had better only last this one night. mon persisted. �Why does he not raid intoI�ll set down the tale as he told it � al- the elven-woods, or strike down the upstartthough, of course, without the voices�. in Scardale?�(Elminster is a master vocal mimic when he Thaeron fixed a cold eye on the princewants to be.) and said, �The wise man fights only when

he has to. The fewer enemies made,. theErammon was a minor lordling of the fewer to come at you all at once.�

eastern Dales � of Harrowdale on the �But father has enemies,� said Eram-Inner Sea. even then a sleepy farmers� land. mon. �Scardale, and Featherdale � and

everyone�s an enemy of Archendale. . . .��Aye, but they are enemies who fear him

more than they hate him. Remember that,boy � when the hate overcomes the fear,you�ll see their swords. Besides, your fatherprotects the dales to the south from the fellelves, and the brigands who live in thewoods along the river Lis.�

�But I�ve never even seen an elf, or abrigand!� Erammon protested.

�He does a good job, then,� repliedThaeron, wrinkling his moustache intowhat might have been a grin.

�But how do the other lords think thesebrigands, and the elves, so dangerous �and Harrowdale�s force of arms so strong?�the prince demanded.

Thaeron was silent for a moment, andthen said, �Those who come threateningyour father, or, come uninvited, he does notprotect � and they vanish; this the otherlords know.�

�But I�ve never seen any fighting, norany strangers with swords.�

�Only brigands threaten with swords,boy,� Thaeron answered. �Learn that, ifyou learn nothing else from me.� Theswordmaster paused, jerked his head in thedirection of the feasting hall, and said,�Come.�

�To the hall?� Erammon asked, followinghastily.

�This is where all guests come, is it not?�Thaeron replied, waving an arm at thegreat hall, where servants were scrubbingand dusting and filling lamps with oil forthe evening ahead. �Aye,� Erammon said,not understanding why the swordmasterhad brought him here.

�And then they go to your father�s cham-bers for wine and sweets, do they not?�Thaeron continued.

�Aye,� said the prince again � and thenhis mind leaped ahead. �You mean . . .poison?� At that, Thaeron turned on him alook of such cold disgust that the princerecoiled as though menaced by a dagger-thrust.

�No! You think the other lords have nospies in our kitchens? Nor your father intheirs? No one dares to use poison in theDales, lest all the other lords retaliate.�

�What, then?��Some visitors disappear, do they not?�

the swordmaster asked, returning to hisearlier line of discourse. Erammon nodded.�So, even you have noticed that,� the oldwarrior said sarcastically.

�And how not?� said Erammon in anirritated tone. �Word spreads, among trav-elers as well as among those who live inHarrowdale.�

�Aye, talk travels,� Thaeron agreed.�Those who disappear are brigands, or soyour father tells the gossips.�

�But � no bones? No corpses on thebattlements?� Erammon asked, still bewil-dered. The pair kept walking through thehall, and Thaeron made a gesture towardthe far end.

�The kitchens? You mean we eat . . . ?�The prince gasped and began to go pale.

Thaeron shook his head. �One so densewill not hold Harrowdale for long, helm-head!� he barked. �What is a corpse butgarbage? And where do the kitchen-maidsthrow the garbage?�

�In the midden,� Erammon said, follow-ing the swordmaster up to a stout, barredwooden door.

�Have you not wondered why the bal-cony of your father�s audience chamberoverlooks the stink of his kitchen midden?�Thaeron asked, unlocking the last chain andhurling its bar aside.

�Oh.� Erammon thought for a moment.�Yes . . . yes, so it does. But why?�

Thaeron swung open the door andpointed out into the fetid pit beyond, ringedby a stout palisade of weathered timbers.�Look out to the base of the wall there . . .look hard, and look for an enemy.� Eram-mon peered into the midden as he had beentold, and suddenly realized that he hadlocked gaze with �

�An eye!� he cried. �An eye � comingup from the ground like a worm!�

Thaeron was already pulling the doorclosed, but an instant before it slammedshut, Erammon saw the festering garbageripple, undulating right before his wide eyesas though the refuse itself was alive.

�But � but � what is it, out there?�Erammon fairly screamed.

Thaeron fastened chains and set bars inplace for a long time before he turned toface the prince. When he did, his face wasblank, his eyes cold and level. �Only yourfather can tell you that, Erammon,� he said.�And if I were you, I�d make sure he was ina good mood when I asked him.�

The children were petrified, or thrilled,or asleep when Elminster finished the tale.They were tucked into their beds, and�Uncle El� and I took up mugs of cocoaand sat for a time in silence, enjoying thepeace of the evening by the fireside. Then Ibroke the quiet, opening a discussion Icould wait no longer to have.

�That was an otyugh in the midden?� Iasked, for the benefit of my hidden taperecorder.

�Was,� Elminster replied. �It turns outthat Lashan, at least, knew of it � when heoverran Harrowdale, his archers emptiedflasks of oil and then quiversfull of flamingarrows from that balcony until the wholemidden was aflame.�

�What about Erammon?��He lives, some say, hiding in exile, but

has not come to reclaim his seat sinceLashan�s fall. Certainly his body has notbeen found. Thaeron died fighting Lashan�sarmies . . . and of course Oraun died ofheart-stop some winters ago.� The sagestared into the fire and shrugged. �Interest-ing times, indeed. But I have more than atale to answer your query. I have broughtwith me a certain document, and knowmore besides. Bend thine ears, then � andbe sure that recording instrument you hideso well is working properly.�

I flushed a bit, shifted in my seat to hide

my embarrassment, and leaned forwardattentively as Elminster began to read. . . .

From a report by Phiraz of the Natural-ists to the Commissioner of Public Sewersin the city of Scornubel:

. . . The greatest of the nuisance crea-tures that will plague your system is the�dungheap� or otyugh, a scavenger of thestrangest appearance and habits. The oty-ugh and its larger cousin, the neo-otyugh,share the form of a pile of festering dungwith a toothed maw set into it. An otyugh�sbody is lumpy, mottled purple, green, and(primarily) brown, and the creature stumpsabout on three fat legs of similar appear-ance. From this delightful bulk � which thecreature is wont to bury in piles of rubbishand dung � protrude two long1 ridgedtentacles with large, heart-shaped grippingends, and a flesh-colored and segmentedwormlike stalk containing two yellow-purpleeyes. A buried otyugh watches its surround-ings constantly by means of this stalk, solook for it when you suspect that one ofthese creatures is near.

An otyugh is never surprised by theapproach of a creature; take care that youor your men are not in turn surprised byone lying in wait. Otyughs often happilyattack and kill parties of three people orless; they will eat fresh meat as readily asthey consume carrion, dung, or offal. Be-ware this predator!

Otyughs are terrifically strong, able tosnatch warriors off their feet, armor and all,and fling them aside as children throw dolls.They are under no circumstances to befought a1one.2

The otyugh is most often solitary, butmay exist in symbiosis with another (oftenmore dangerous or energetic) creature, suchas a doppleganger, ettin, will-o-the-wisp, oreven a beholder. For such creatures theyserve to guard treasure, which they alwaysconceal at the very bottom of their offalpile, hidden from view beneath the otyughitself. Encountering an otyugh is badenough � but if you do see one, be sure tolook around for another even more fear-some foe!

Thankfully, otyughs mate only seldom(perhaps once in every seven years or so),traveling by night and subterranean routesto bonepits deep under the earth, where theremains of many ancient creatures lie invast layers. There they mate in mass gath-erings with others of their kind who havemade the same journey.3

Notes1. Elminster provided precise details of a

gulguthra�s reach (tentacles can grow up to14 feet in length, fully extended) and senses.An otyugh can communicate telepathicallywith creatures up to 4� away; the neo-otyugh�s telepathic range is 6�, and thehigher intelligence of the latter creatureenables it to communicate on a more so-phisticated level with creatures it encoun-ters. Only rarely, however, will a gulguthrainitiate such communication, for it has little

D R A G O N 2 1

to �say� to any other creatures. The eyes of victims with force equivalent to 18 (no reported it briefly and without comment.a gulguthra have infravision and ultravi- percentile) strength for purposes of match- Elminster checked with the sorcerer knownsion, both out to a range of 9�. Both eyes ing the creature�s grip or the force of its as Jovriam of the Mines, and certainare positioned on the same side of their thrust against the strength of an opponent. svirfnebli, and was able to glean the follow-stalk, but this does not contribute to any A tentacle does 1-8 points of damage on a ing facts and observations:lack of alertness because the eyestalk contin- slap that hits its target, and can also curl Every gulguthra is bisexual. Each pro-ually swivels, periscope-style, and any about an opponent within range, constrict- duces, once every seven winters, a jellylikecreature that comes within range of its ing for 2-4 points of damage per round until �eggmass� and travels underground (in avisual powers is instantly detected. (The the hold is broken. The otyugh can lift a slow, patient journey) by instinct and mem-creature does sleep, but only when it is not grasped opponent and hurl the victim into a ory until it reaches others of its kind. Thenthreatened, and even in this semi-dormant pit or against a wall; the more intelligent it regurgitates the eggmass from a second-state, its eyestalk and eyes function as neo-otyugh also likes to use a grasped crea- ary stomach and wanders off, that part of itsthough it were awake, for the purpose of ture as a shield, flailing the victim about to task done. In some manner not yet under-detecting approaching creatures.) The eyes fend off attacks from other adversaries. stood, another gulguthra can fertilize anyfunction very well in gloom or darkness, but Either sort of creature can sense when a eggmass (except its own) by taking it brieflynarrow to mere blurred slits in bright sun- into its mouth, or perhaps some internallight � for which reason the creature lives

grasped opponent is weakened or disabled,and will try to push such prey into reach of organ, and expelling it again.

below ground. The presence of a torch or its suckerlike, toothed mouth. Due to the An eggmass that is fertilized, if left undis-the casting of a light spell can sometimes so creature�s favored habitat (proximity to turbed, will develop in one week�s time intodisconcert these creatures that they do not dung and carrion) and its digestive system a miniature version of the parent that pro-attack. Gulguthras cannot smell with any (wastes are spat back out of its mouth), vided the eggmass. (An otyugh eggmass willacuity, probably due to the dung and decay anyone bitten will suffer both 2-5 points of only produce another otyugh, and likewisethat customarily surrounds them, and so damage and a 90% likelihood of contracting for the neo-otyugh, even though eitherthey cannot track prey, nor readily discern typhus (treat as a parasitic infestation; see species can fertilize any eggmass.) Thisthe true natures of disguised creatures. pages 13-14 of the DMG). There are no �newborn� creature is driven by an instinc-

2. Phiraz, never having fought a known cases of gulguthra suffering from tual urge to find warmth and food, and willgulguthra and having viewed only one such any such diseases carried in waste and filth wander off to seek its own �fortune,� re-encounter through the eyes of a sedentary themselves, and they are thought to be turning to its birthplace years later to breedscholar and not a fighting-man, is both immune or at least highly resistant to these. in its turn.vague and brief as to their fighting style and 3. Phiraz again is vague; his research had Gulguthra young are smaller (3-5 HD)abilities. Elminster has other sources, and gone so far as to confirm at least the partial and weaker (damage of 1-6/1-6/1-4, tentacletheir information boils down to this: When truth (periodic journeys far underground) of strength of 16) than mature specimens, butit is attacking, an otyugh�s tentacles erupt a legend concerning gulguthra mating � are otherwise identical to their parents, andfrom the concealing pile of offal and slap but, having a mistrust of legends, he merely grow to maturity within 4 months.

22 APRIL 1985

D R A G O N 2 3

CASTLE ARCANIAONE-ON-ONE™ Adventure Gamebook

It’s your choice: You can play theknight Eric Sunsword or the wizardNeves in this unique two-person game-book set. Choose your character anduse the information in your book tooutwit your companion — but watchout; he’ll be trying to do the same toyou! ONE-ON-ONE™ Gamebooks aretwo paperback volumes packed in alightweight slipcase. Each book por-trays the adventure from an opposingcharacter’s viewpoint.

JUDGES SURVIVAL PACKINDIANA JONES™ Role-Playing

Game AccessoryMore bad guys! More vehicles and

chases! A combat computer! A mustfor all players and referees, the JudgesSurvival Pack expands the rules of thisaction-packed game.

THE GOLDEN GODDESSINDIANA JONES™ Game Module IJ4

In this mission, INDIANA JONES™must recover the idol that was lost inthe adventure RAIDERS OF THELOST ARK™. The module contains aMAGIC VIEWER™ screen so it can beused for solo or group play, plus a 3-Dcardboard model of Indy’s biplane.

INDIANA JONES and RAIDERS OF THELOST ARK are trademarks of Lucasfilm Ltd.Used under authorization. ©1985 LucasfilmLtd. All rights reserved.

LAIR OF THE LICHENDLESS QUEST® Book #27

Somehow an evil lich has managedto break into your wizard father’scastle and make off with hisspellbook. You know the spells yourfather has developed could wreakhavoc in the wrong hands. But canyour newfound powers of mind projec-tion protect you when you enter thefoul passages of the lich’s lair?

THE EARTHSHAKERD&D ® Companion Set Module CM4

Deep in the mountains a new terrorhas arisen. Before his tread canyonshave crumbled, the ground has splitasunder, and the courses of rivers havechanged. Now the Earthshaker iscoming out of the mountains to claimhis empire — the known world! Anadventure for D&D game characters oflevels 15-25.

(From page 6)items obtained, and told me about the adventure.When I looked at the list of money alone, Ialmost had a heart attack. By the rule of 10 gp =1 pound, he was carrying about 2 tons of goldand silver. The character was already 2nd level,and he had magic items that I would expect to seepossessed only by characters of much higherlevel. And on and on.

Do DMs �out there� go through the process oftotaling the weight being carried by PCs prior toan adventure and every so often during it? Dothey use that weight to determine movement rate,and use the movement rate as a means of tellinghow much time has passed in the dungeon? I�venever seen a DM do this yet, but I intend towhen I become one.

THUNDER OVER JOTUNHEIM™MARVEL SUPER HEROES™ Game

Module MH6The home of the Norse gods is

threatened and only MIGHTY THOR™can save it! A solitaire adventure usingthe MAGIC VIEWER™ screen.

All Marvel Characters and the distinctivelikenesses thereof are trademarks of theMarvel Comics Group. ©1985 Marvel Com-ics Group, a division of Cadence IndustriesCorporation. All rights reserved.

THE SAVAGE COASTD&D ® Expert Set Module X9

A new module for players who enjoythe challenge of wilderness adventure.The party explores the hostile lands ofthe uncharted west. Riches and terrorawait the brave-hearted who daretravel along the Savage Coast. ForD&D game characters of levels 4-14.

DRAGONS OF WINTER NIGHTDRAGONLANCE™ Chronicles: Vol. 2

The epic quest continues as thesmall band of friends discover infor-mation leading them to believe thatcrystals known as dragon orbs can beused to control the evil dragons. Thegroup is torn apart when the DragonHighlords attack Tarsis, and the windsof war carry the heroes on separatesearches for the dragon orbs . . . andeach other.

Another example: When an outdoor encounteroccurs, do DMs use the system given in theDMG for determining the distance between theparties, by rolling the appropriate dice and modi-fying results based on the terrain? Or do you justmake an intelligent estimate? All the DMs I�veplayed with have done it the latter way.

I believe in making up a character history,based on race, class, alignment, secondary skills ifany, social status, religion, and country or land oforigin. I feel that this history is a very useful toolfor a DM, when he or she has to decide whetheror not a character would have prior knowledge ofa particular person, place, or event. I feel it alsomakes each character an individual. Yet, I haveseen many people play all the characters theyhave exactly alike. The person who DM�s for ourgroup now doesn�t require a written history onour characters (which I provided anyway), but hedoes recognize the value of character history andtakes it into account.

Overall, it seems that the people who follow all

the �nitty gritty� rules and consider things likecharacter history and world history in theircampaigns are in the minority. Although the rulesare official, I would like to know if DMs �outthere� really take the time to use them. I�ve triedDMing a few times using everything down to the�nitty gritty� rules, and it can really be a pain.Of course, there are going to be situations wherea given rule just doesn�t apply, or no rule exists atall, and you must use common sense when youmake your decision. Overall, though, I feel thatthe rules should be followed for the system towork correctly, and to keep the game from degen-erating into a �Monty Haul� scenario. So, beforeI start to DM regularly, I would like to find out:Do people really use the �nitty gritty� rules, ordo they just �guesstimate� a lot? I would reallylike to know!

Joseph M. DornbiererCTT1 USN

NRRT Box 1364Imperial Beach CA 92032

24 APRIL 1985

Off the shelfLiterature with a flavor that gamers will savorReviewed by John Bunnell

THE BISHOP�S HEIRKatherine Kurtz

Ballantine/Del Rey 0-345-31824-2 $14.95Like Katherine Kurtz�s previous books,

The Bishop�s Heir is well written, deviouslyplotted, and full of memorable characters.But unlike her earlier novels, this new taleof the Deryni is also a disappointment.

If that sounds contradictory, it should.Kurtz is arguably one of the best stylists incontemporary fantasy. Moreover, she hasshown the ability to create complex charac-ters who react believably to demandingsituations. Very few writers can matchKurtz�s overall quality when she is at herbest. From any other hand, The Bishop�sHeir would likely be a major achievement;from hers, however, it is merely an averageentry in a very good series.

The problem with the novel definitelydoes not involve inept prose; by now,Kurtz�s narrative voice is firmly attuned tothe medieval period in which the Derynibooks are set. Readers are easily drawn intothe atmosphere of the author�s world, seeingthe adventure first-hand rather than readingintrusive description. In particular, theScottish Highland region where much of theaction occurs seems perfectly natural,though it contrasts sharply with the lesspronounced background of the earlier tales.

The book�s plot is equally strong; indeed,it may be Kurtz�s least predictable novel todate, complete with two startling twists nearthe end. The story opens two years after theevents of High Deryni, during the reign ofKelson Haldane, and mixes a familiarconflict with a new threat. Kelson�s oldenemy, Archbishop Loris, has escaped fromconfined exile to renew the long-standingstruggle between church doctrine and thepractice of Deryni magic. Loris�s new allies,also determined to depose Kelson, aremembers of a rebel faction of Meara, andthey possess a tenuous claim to Kelson�sown throne.

These Mearan rebels are the key to thenovel�s weakness. In the past, like a detail-minded DM, Kurtz was always careful tocharacterize her villains � and the tests towhich they put the central characters � asconsistently as she drew her protagonists.The Bishop�s Heir, however, falls too easilyinto the trap of assuming that the series staris always right; we see very little of theMearan dissidents, and all the evidenceconcerning their claim to Gwynedd�s throneis of highly dubious validity.

As a result, Kelson and his associatesnever have to confront the real ethical and

political issues raised by the revolt. Instead,they act far too much like RPG charactersintent only on getting from point A to pointB and on knocking aside any obstacles set intheir path. Nearly all of the emotional stressin the novel is connected with relativelyunimportant subplots, with one significantexception involving the book�s final scenes.

That makes the reader�s decision whetheror not to buy The Bishop�s Heir unusuallydifficult; even with its flaws, the novel is stilla good deal better than the average fantasynovel is. But even devoted Deryni fans mayjustifiably balk at paying the hardcoverprice for a book that could have been muchbetter than this one is. Katherine Kurtz isdefinitely capable of writing intellect-stretching novels. And, while waiting forthe paperback edition to appear, the fiscallyconservative should also be hoping that thenext volume in her new trilogy will be astimulating book.

MOONHEARTCharles de Lint

Ace 0-441-53719-7 $2.95Good reviewers are supposed to avoid the

quotable superlative; used too frequently,such adjectives tend to erode professionalcredibility. But occasionally, a book appearsthat urges even the most jaded columnist tobreak out in rampant enthusiasm.

Moonheart is one of those books. More

than that, it shows a streak of originalitythat is missing in far too many currentfantasies. The pattern that de Lint weavesfrom some of the genre�s most familiarstrands forms a refreshing and distinctivedesign. Settings and characters from avariety of aeons and cultures are expertlyintertwined to form a complex yet coherentplot. Also, each personality is stitched to-gether with unusual realism. The touch ofrare genius in Moonheart will linger in theimagination long after the last page hasbeen turned.

All praise aside, even without rose-colored glasses to dull the critical faculties,Moonheart is still an intriguing and well-crafted novel that can be appreciated onseveral levels.

To begin, labeling the tale a fantasy isalmost a case of deceptive marketing; thenovel might just as easily have been mar-keted as a psychic thriller. After all, it be-gins and ends in Ottawa, Canada, andchronicles the efforts of a mysterious specialbranch of the Royal Canadian MountedPolice that tracks down and documents theexistence of people with paranormalpowers. Much of the action takes place inand around a haunted house. And there ismost definitely an ancient evil lurking in theshadows.

But, while all the elements are there,Moonheart only resembles a horror yarn ona superficial level. De Lint�s prose is muchmore cheerful on the whole than that ofStephen King�s imitators, and a great dealmore character interplay can be found inMoonheart than in most efforts in the horrorgenre.

The reasons for all that interaction � aquite considerable amount, I might add �are that de Lint has assembled a large andexceptionally diverse cast in the novel, andhe has taken the time to fill in all the details.RCMP inspector John Tucker may be themost complex character: he begins as a�heavy,� but, without sacrificing his person-ality, he becomes a hero by the tale�s end.Folk singer Kieran Foy �changes class�from bard to spellcaster as the novel un-folds, and Thomas Hengwr, a druid whosecatalytic presence sets the story�s events inmotion, sheds interesting light on the theoryand practice of neutrality. In de Lint�shands, even mere hired gunmen are morethan stereotypes.

All this scarcely scratches the surface ofMoonheart. Besides being part characterstudy and part occult thriller, the novel haselements of romance, high adventure, and

D R A G O N 2 5

worth a brief lapse into superlatives.

BRISINGAMENDiana L. Paxson

Berkley 0-425-07298-3 $2.75The ingredients are all there: a powerful

and mysterious artifact, an ancient conflictbetween the powers of order and chaos, andlong-forgotten gods watching on the fringesof the struggle with advice and support fortheir human patrons. But Brisingamen isn�ta tale of an AD&D® game-style questthrough medieval lands populated by peas-ants and monsters. It�s the story of whathappens when graduate student KarenIngold comes across the legendary Norsenecklace mentioned in the title in modern-day San Francisco.

Gothic mystery. De Lint�s backgroundmaterial ranges from Celtic legend to TheLast of the Mohicans and beyond, yet allthe diverse locales and characters are re-markably well integrated, and the novel as awhole manages not to seem overly eclectic.

But if Moonheart is difficult to classify, it�salso very easy to appreciate. Novels thisgood are rare indeed, and they are well

Paxson, in fact, precisely inverts theusual quest plot formula. Rather than focusher narrative on a search for the necklace,she drops the artifact into Karen�s lap at thebeginning of the story. As a result, Karenattracts considerable attention from a di-verse cast of characters � mortal and other-wise � before the adventure ends. Herstruggle to cope with events is both morechallenging and less confusing than mightbe expected: Karen, recovering from abroken romance, is not used to being in themiddle of a situation.

There is a quiet sense of reality aboutBrisingamen as well, even during its moreexotic moments, that keeps readers closelytied to the story. In part, Paxson�s use ofreal Bay Area settings is responsible. Forexample, her university campus is the realUC-Berkeley, and several poets from theGreyhaven writers� group turn up halfwaythrough the novel at a coffeehouse. Evenmore important, however, is her introduc-tion of Vietnam into the fabric of the tale:two major characters are veterans of thatconflict, and their responses to its influencedirectly affect Karen�s destiny.

Yet, for all its immediacy, the book man-ages the unlikely just as effectively. As thenovel�s events approach the climax, Karenand her newfound friends call on the oldNorse gods to manifest themselves in orderto set matters right. Their summons suc-ceeds, and in a state that both is and is notpossession, Thor, Odin, Heimdall, andFreyja superimpose their personas on thetale�s human protagonists. The ensuingcombat pits them against Loki, who isalready abroad trying to touch off Ragnarokahead of schedule.

Given its echoes of Vietnam and its hero-ine�s sometimes high-strung personality,Brisingamen might easily have been a verydark, somber novel. Happily, it�s not;

26 APRIL 1985

Lack of originality is one of The FireSword�s problems, but not the deeper one.Martine-Barnes�s prose reveals echoes ofmany other sources, both ancient and mod-ern, few of which are consistent in content,style, or mood. There is humor stronglyreminiscent of Elizabeth Scarborough�sArgonian tales. The Light and Darkness areforces not entirely unlike their namesakes inThe Dark is Rising sequence by SusanCooper. Wrolf, Eleanor�s wolf friend, isdrawn intact from an obscure ElizabethGoudge novel, without so much as a changeof name. And the novel blends Christian,Arthurian, and Celtic legends into a cosmicreality that defies comprehension.

On the surface, the reason The FireSword lacks substance appears to be thatMartine-Barnes hasn�t created a believable,three-dimensional protagonist. By turns,Eleanor cracks jokes, complains about hersituation to anyone within earshot, leapsinto physical combat, or withdraws intoherself and tries to renounce her quest. Heractions seem inconsistent, and readers arenever sure whether to empathize with herposition or to curse her for being chronicallyindecisive.

However, the novel isn�t that simple, andneither is Eleanor�s personality, which grad-ually becomes clearer as her relationshipswith the other characters are carefully ex-amined. It�s hard to tell whether Martine-Barnes is preaching Freudian psychology orrailing against it, but it�s certain thatEleanor suffers from some sort of identitycrisis, if not something more complicated.The underlying themes of The Fire Swordrevolve partially around sexual identity, butMartine-Barnes is content to raise questionsand to pose problems without thinkingseriously about the answers.

All of which is likely to leave readersholding the book and shaking their heads.There�s a lot to be found in The FireSword, but at the cover price, it�s not reallyworth finding.

THE VULCAN ACADEMY MURDERSJean Lorrah

Pocket 0-671-50054-6 $3.50At first glance, it seems odd to discuss a

Star Trek novel in the pages of DRAGON®

Magazine. Besides being a minor form ofliterature at best, the apocryphal adventuresof Captain Kirk and his crew would seem tohave little or nothing to do with the businessof rescuing fair maidens and slaying fire-breathing dragons.

There are, however, two excellent reasonsfor gamers to pick up Star Trek novels ingeneral and The Vulcan Academy Murdersin particular. The first, of course, is thatStar Trek has spawned an extensive role-playing game. The second is that JeanLorrah�s novel is more than usually remi-niscent of an RPG adventure module. Assuch, it offers useful insights on introducingcharacters from science-fiction and fantasyliterature into role-playing situations, StarTrek or otherwise.

Paxson has laced it with a light humor thatrelieves some of the book�s psychologicalstress and lends credibility to its portrayal ofacademic life.

Different readers will find different ideasand inspirations in the novel. Creative DMscould experiment with Paxson�s approach tobringing deities down to earth, or theycould develop the necklace itself into anartifact or relic. While feminists will find anintriguing role model in Karen Ingold,prospective students may learn somethingabout Berkeley�s campus subculture. But allthose who pick up Brisingamen will find athoughtful, well-crafted adventure thatblends all the traditional ingredients into amost unusual meal.

THE FIRE SWORDAdrienne Martine-Barnes

Avon 0-380-87718-X $3.75Applied to books, �I couldn�t put it

down� is usually a compliment. And thecomment does apply to The Fire Sword,twenty minutes after I finished reading it,the book was still in my hand. The reactionwasn�t one of euphoria, though; rather, itwas the frustration of losing the key piece toa jigsaw puzzle. There is something percep-tibly wrong with the novel, but it�s hard toisolate what that something is.

It isn�t the basic scenario, which is typicalenough: Eleanor Hope, an American stu-dent living in England, is abruptly trans-ported into an alternate eleventh-centuryworld in which history is subtly differentand Albion has been overrun by Darkness.Almost immediately, she is dispatched bySt. Bridget on a quest to restore the Light(which Eleanor conveniently radiates) byfinding assorted persons and magical relicsand by leading them to the proper battles.While the pattern is hardly original, it hasserved novelists and DMs alike, well andfrequently.

Players of STAR TREK®: The Role-Playing Game will find the book filled withinformation about Vulcan life and customsthat could be adapted into individual cam-paigns. It is revealed, for example, thatVulcan healers are virtually unknown inStarfleet, but enough is explained abouttheir abilities that some might reasonably beintroduced as NPCs. Readers learn aboutsystems for surface travel on civilizedworlds, a subject rarely mentioned in otherStar Trek materials. Referees can easilyexpand the Vulcan Science Academy to suittheir own needs, since Lorrah confines hernarrative almost exclusively to its medicalfacilities.

More ambitious referees may decide totry to adapt the novel itself into a gamescenario, if they can keep the book out oftheir players� hands. The main thread ofLorrah�s plot is suitable for such treatment,as it inserts Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock, andDr. McCoy into a situation where they areessentially outsiders observing a sequence ofunexpected events.

These events revolve around an experi-mental regeneration treatment being devel-oped at the Academy and tested on threesubjects: an injured Enterprise crewman;Amanda, Spock�s mother; and the wife ofthe Vulcan medic partly responsible forcreating the process. All is going well until acomputer malfunction causes the latterwoman�s death and a similar incidentclaims the crewman�s life. Kirk concludes

that the deaths are not accidental and setsout to catch the murderer, in effect doingsome role-playing of his own.

As the premise for an RPG adventure �and as a fair-play whodunit � this worksfairly well. As a tale about Kirk, Spock, andMcCoy, it�s less effective; the reader�s con-flicting expectations stretch Lorrah�s plot intoo many directions at once. While Kirk isgenerally a credible sleuth, he behaves with

rare stupidity in an incident late in thenovel just before finally solving the puzzle.Spock stays in character but out of Kirk�sway. Instead, he fences with his father in asubplot inspired by the �Journey to Babel�TV episode. As for McCoy, he is virtuallyignored in favor of the treatment�s othercreator, a human Academy member in-volved in an elaborate romantic subplotwhich has little to do with the deaths.

Few Star Trek novels tend to satisfy allreaders, and Lorrah�s is no exception. Noteveryone will accept the portrait of Vulcanbehavior and culture that appears in TheVulcan Academy Murders. However, thetale is by no means the worst of the growingseries of books set in Captain Kirk�s uni-verse. For all its weaknesses, this novel isone that Star Trek aficionados are likely tofind interesting reading.

If you’re interested in contributing anarticle to DRAGON® Magazine, thefirst thing you need is a copy of ourguidelines for writers. Send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to“Writer’s guidelines,” c/o DRAGONMagazine, P.O. Box 110, LakeGeneva WI 53147; and we’ll sendyou back a sheet with all the basicinformation you need to make sureyour manuscript has the best possi-ble chance of being accepted.

D R A G O N 2 7

The handy art of forgeryAn assassin�s pen can be mightier than his daggerby Keith Routley

Ningle strolled casually around the cornerof the warehouse, not expecting to run intotrouble in the middle of the night � andstopped short as the point of a spear lungedforward to within inches of his stomach.

�Halt!� barked the sergeant of the guard,and Ningle did as he was told. For a sec-ond, he considered sidestepping the spearand taking on the sergeant, but then twoguardsmen appeared from out of theshadows, hemmed him in, and lifted him upby the arms so that he was eye to eye withthe grinning sergeant.

�I don�t know your face,� said the ser-geant. �And I don�t know what brings youhere, creeping around this warehouse in thedarkest part of the night.�

�How may I be of assistance?� saidNingle, who was literally in no position tobe impertinent.

�We are looking for a murderer by thename of Ningle Saragrin,� said the ser-geant. �Might you be that person?�

Oh, no! thought Ningle. There must

28 APRIL 1985

have been a witness. I should have used adisguise. . . .

�Of course not, sir,� said Ningle. �I ambut a poor traveling merchant. I am new tothis town, and seem to have lost my way.�

�Lost your way, eh?� the sergeant grum-bled. �Do you expect us to believe that?�

�Well, if these fine fellows will release myarms,� said Ningle, �I can prove that I amwho I say.� The sergeant motioned to theguardsmen, who dropped Ningle back ontohis feet. Ningle opened the pouch at his beltand pulled out his identification papers,which the sergeant snatched from his grasp.

Ningle�s pulse quickened as the sergeantspent a few agonizing seconds studying thepapers, then muttered, �Jarance Lightman,eh? A merchant, eh? Humph . . .� Then hescowled and thrust the papers back atNingle. �You are free to go,� he said, �butyou had best not lurk around here at nightany more, or we won�t be so friendly nexttime.�

�Thank you, sir,� said Ningle as he

backed away from the guardsmen, fixingthe sergeant�s face in his memory. I won�tbe so friendly the next time we meet, either.

What is more natural than for the mas-ters of deceit in the AD&D® game world toemploy forgery? What is more necessary foran assassin disguised as an influential per-son than to be able to forge that person�swriting style and technique if he is beingobserved by servitors and lackeys?

That barely scratches the surface of whatcan be done with forgery by assassin playercharacters and NPCs alike. In lawful soci-eties it is convenient (and money-saving) toforge residence papers, papers of purchase,free passes through city gates, and otherimportant documents. Forgery can enablean assassin to fill his purse twice as full: In ascenario in my campaign, an assassin PCwas hired to steal incriminating papers forsome corrupt members of the Laborers�Guild before they fell into the hands of theguild leaders. He pilfered them, made

forgeries, and gave the copies to his relievedclients in return for his fee. Then his clientswere surprised (to say the least) � and hewas paid a second time � when he turnedover the original documents to the guildleaders.

Profit aside, a forgery skill can be exceed-ingly useful when an assassin is in disguise.The disguise could easily be ruined if theassassin had to write something and itdidn�t look anything like the imitated per-son�s script. And even if the assassin couldforge the person�s handwriting, he could befound out if the way he held the quill orpositioned the paper was different from howthe imitated person does it.

The possibilities for the use of forgery aremany and varied; ideas can spring from theimaginations of the players and DM, orfrom the circumstances of an adventure. Nomatter how it is employed, a system isrequired to define how it is done andwhether the forgery will be successful.

Basic requirementsForgery can only be performed by mem-

bers of the assassin class. It is an unneces-sary and uncharacteristic capability forregular thieves, who use physical stealthand dexterity-dependent skills to achievetheir ends, not the calculating deceptionand trickery that is the hallmark of theassassin. Just as thieves are not capable ofusing disguise, neither should they be ableto practice forgery.

A good knowledge of the written lan-guage to be forged is necessary; an assassincan only forge documents in the commontongue or in any other single language thathe is the most familiar with.

Proper materials are essential for a for-gery to be successful. The paper, ink, andwriting utensil must be identical to thosethat were used for the document beingcopied.

An assassin can begin to study and prac-tice forgery upon attaining third level or assoon as he gains mastery of the writtenlanguage to be used, whichever comes later.If he does not have fluency in reading andwriting the �forgery language� until fourthlevel or later, then he is treated as third levelfor determination of the base chance ofsuccess in the forgery and thereafter pro-gresses one level in forgery skill for everynew assassin level he gains. For example,an assassin who does not acquire fluency inreading and writing the forgery languageuntil 6th level will then acquire 3rd-levelforgery skills, and even if he rises to becomeGrandfather of Assassins he will never haveforgery skills better than 12th level.

Types and techniquesForgeries are of two types, copies and

original forgeries, and come in three de-grees of complexity � simple, average, anddifficult. A copy is a forgery made to lookidentical to the document being copied, andthis kind of forgery is always done in secret.An original forgery is a new documentprepared by imitating a person�s writing

style. This work may be done in seclusion,but is also often performed when the assas-sin (in disguise) is in the presence of others.

Complexity is related to the length of thedocument being copied or created. A simpleforgery is a copy no more than 100 charac-ters in length, an original forgery of nomore than 50 characters, and/or a copiedsignature. A forgery of average complexityis a copy of no more than 300 characters oran original forgery of no more than 150characters. A difficult forgery is a copy ofmore than 300 characters or an originalforgery of more than 150 characters, or aneffort where a certain individual�s writingstyle must be imitated in the presence ofpeople who are familiar with that individualand the way he writes � regardless of howlong the document is. Thus, even the �sim-ple� act of imitating someone�s signaturecan be a difficult forgery if it is attempted infront of onlookers who have seen how theimitated person writes.

To have a chance of successfully perform-ing an original forgery, the assassin musthave obtained a sample of the person�swriting that is at least twice as long as thedocument to be forged. Thus, an assassinwho is in possession of a document 200characters long could construct an originalforgery of up to 100 characters. (To help theDM judge the success of the attempt, theplayer of the forger should write out exactlywhat the document is to say.)

It takes time to perform a forgery, and

D R A G O N 2 9

additional time beforehand for practice orstudy — even for an accomplished forger.Lack of practice quickly makes one rusty,and any forgery attempt will automaticallyfail (producing an easily detected forgery) ifthe proper amount of time is not spent inpreparation.

When making a copy, the forger mustspend 30 seconds per character studying theformation of the character and imitating it.A tracing will not suffice; the writing mustlook fluid, not stiff, and not appear asthough meticulous care was taken in theformation of each letter.

When making an original forgery inseclusion, the assassin must spend one hourof practice time for every 25 characters ofthe document to be forged, and 15 minutesfor the actual writing out of each 25 charac-ters when the document is being prepared.Practice time need not be continuous, butmust all be taken within 24 hours before thetime when the forgery is actually created inorder for the forgery to have the best chanceof fooling those who examine it. The actualpreparation of the document must be donein one sitting; splitting the writing into twoor more sessions will produce a documentthat does not have the ring of truth to it,and which will be detected as a forgery assoon as it is examined.

If a signature is to be forged, then at leastthree different samples of the signaturemust be obtained, and at least 30 minutesmust be spent practicing that alone.

When an original forgery is to be incor-

porated into a disguise so that the writing isdone in the presence of associates of theimitated person, then the assassin must befamiliar with the technique of how thatperson writes. This requires observation ofthe person when writing on at least twodifferent occasions. In addition, the assassinmust have obtained at least three samples ofthe person’s writing, each at least as long asthe document to be forged, and must prac-tice beforehand (in private) for one hour pereach 50 characters of the document to beforged. Again, all the practice time must betaken within 24 hours of the time when theoriginal forgery will be prepared to insurethe best chances for success. No extra timeis needed for preparation of a document infront of witnesses; the performance of theactual forgery takes only as long as the timerequired to write out the actual document.

The chance of accomplishing a successfulforgery is not diminished in front of wit-nesses, as long as all the necessary precau-tions are taken. However, performing aforgery while in disguise and while beingwatched by associates of the imitated persondoes increase the chance of the assassin’sdisguise being detected, even if the forgeryis successful. (If the forgery is detected, ofcourse, then the disguise is automaticallyseen through.) Each associate of the imi-tated person who witnesses the forgery gainsan extra 5% to his chance of detecting theassassin’s disguise for the day on which theforgery is performed. This simulates thepossibility that, although the forgery is

30 APRIL 1985

accepted as authentic, the assassin did takea greater risk by not only imitating theappearance of someone, but also imitatinghis writing style, and sometimes that riskwill cause the entire disguise to backfirebecause the assassin aroused suspicions thatwould not have existed if he had not per-formed the forgery to begin with. And if theassassin’s disguise is seen through, anydocument he prepared in the presence ofwitnesses will be automatically detected as aforgery, even though the dice roll for theforgery previously indicated success.

FORGERY SUCCESS TABLELevel of Base chance to performassassin Simple Average Difficult

3 60% 45% 30%4 65 50 355 70 55 406 75 60 457 80 65 508 85 70 559 90 75 60

10 95 80 6511 100 85 7012 105 90 7513 110 95 8014 115 100 8515 120 105 90

Modifications to base chance:Forger’s DEX Forger’s INT14-15 + 3 % 14-16 + 5 %16-17 + 5 % 17-18 + 1 0 %18+ + 1 0 %

Forger’s race Reader’s INTHuman + 0 % 3-5 + 1 0 %Dwarf – 5 % 6-8 + 5 %

Elf + 1 0 % 9-11 + 0 %Half-elf + 5 % 12-14 – 5 %Gnome + 0 % 15-16 – 1 0 %Half-orc – 1 0 % 17 – 1 5 %

18 – 2 0 %Note: Any reader with intelligence of 19

or higher will automatically detect a forgeryif he reads the forged document and isfamiliar with what an authentic documentof the same sort would look like, unless theforger’s modified chance of success is 100%or higher. The powers of observation ofsuch an intelligent reader are so great thathe will detect even the slightest flaw.

The chance for success of a forgery mustbe rolled separately for each person whoreads or examines the forged document. Areader is entitled to a chance to detect aforgery only if he is familiar with what anauthentic document of the same sort wouldlook like. Even if the reader has this famil-iarity, sometimes he will only scan a docu-ment (especially one of some length), and insuch cases that reader does not deserve achance to detect the forgery. Conversely, adocument that is very short (a brief noteand/or a signature, for instance) cannot bescanned as such, since scanning it andreading it are essentially the same thing. Insuch a case, anyone who views the docu-ment or signature is entitled to a roll to seeif the forgery passes inspection.

D R A G O N 3 1

Books to games? Perhaps!Using literature as the backdrop for adventuringby Arn Ashleigh Parker

Is there a Dungeon Master or a playerwho has never wished to have an AD&D®

game adventure in a world such as Tolkien�sMiddle Earth, Burroughs�s world of Bar-soom, or the savage Hyborian kingdom ofRobert Howard�s creation? Where is hewho has never dreamed of risking the perilsand reaping the rewards of such lands?Does a person like that exist among theranks of fantasy role-playing enthusiasts?

I think not. We are, after all our facadesare taken from us, human, and it is thenature of humanity to dream. I have oftenwished that I would be taken from thissmall, uninteresting planet of ours to afantastic world � much as John Carter wastransported to Barsoom in A Princess ofMars. Books have always been the center ofsuch dreams � not only to you and me, butto millions upon millions in times past.

Now, among those of us who indulge infantasy role-playing games, those gameshave begun to usurp the role of books.Lately I have found that, instead of starting(or even continuing) a book that appearspromising, I will work on some aspect ofmy campaign that needs attention. And, asmost everyone who is connected with fan-tasy role-playing games knows, such ave-nues of advancement for a game arenumerous beyond count. But there are only24 hours in a day, so after the mundane,necessary tasks of our world have beencompleted, precious little time remains forenjoyment. If the book ever gets read, it isin bits and pieces over a long period oftime.

The effect of reading less is, of course, toplace more importance on what is read.This in turn leads to the desire to incorpo-rate what has been read into one�s fantasyadventure game. Can this be done? And ifso, how much can be taken from the bookand placed in the game? The purpose of thisarticle is to explore the possibilities involvedin bringing a book world into a game world,as well as to offer ways in which this can bedone.

Recreating a worldIn DRAGON® Magazine issue #31, E.

Gary Gygax expressed his opinions on thetopic of blending elements of books andgames together. [Editor�s note: That columnwas reprinted in the Best of DRAGON Vol.II anthology, under the title �Books AreBooks, Games Are Games.�] While I am anavid fan of the ADVANCED DUNGEONS& DRAGONS® game (I am a DungeonMaster for my own campaign on a regular

32 APRIL 1985

basis, employing variants of AD&D® rulesonly rarely), I must disagree with the bentof Mr. Gygax�s article, if not with the actualtext. Mr. Gygax states that �a truly excel-lent novel provides an inversely proportion-ate amount of good material for a game.�This is true within the context of the novel,of course: if the game evolved into a contin-uous replaying of written events, then themore detail provided by the author, the lessthe players can role-play (the activity whichis the heart of the AD&D game).

But what if the novel is left behind?Could not a novel be used as something thathas happened in the distant past and nowhas been consigned to legend? Many possi-bilities are found along this train of thought;however, there is also much work requiredfor the DM and the players, should theattempt be made to follow this route. True,it would be easier (though by no meanseasy) to use a prepared setting such as theWORLD OF GREYHAWK� FantasySetting published by TSR, Inc., but forthose who are fascinated with a certain bookand who are willing to provide the time andenergy required, the following is a systemthat will give much enjoyment.

First: select a bookThis is probably the most important

decision you, the DM, will have to make,and it may be your most difficult as well. Ifyou are like I am, then there are manyfantasy worlds that grab your imagination.How are you to choose between them? Itwon�t be an easy choice. If there is a selec-tion of two or three books from which youare to choose, then you will have to let yourgaming habits, rather than your readinghabits, guide you in your choice. For in-stance, the three series of books that I willexplore in some detail will show how gam-ing preferences may guide the selection of abook world. The three series are all verypopular, and they have their own idiosyn-crasies that will set them apart from oneanother on key points. They are Gor, fromthe writing of John Norman, Barsoom, andMiddle Earth, but more on that will comelater. Most important of all is for the pro-spective world-building DM to keep aproper perspective on the whole process.You will select a book in time, but morethinking and planning is necessary first.

Second: obtain a mapAs any DM knows, a map is absolutely

necessary to a game, since characters (andthe world they live in) would have no sense

of purpose if they simply wandered fromforest to forest or dungeon to dungeon.Moreover, the map must be in reasonableagreement with the written word of thebook you have chosen, or much of the pointof making your favorite book world into ausable game world is lost. It is fortunate forthe DM that many authors include a gen-eral map of their worlds within the text oftheir respective books. However, this isoften not the case, and this can play havocwith the DM�s hopes: must he read throughthe entire book (or worse, series of books)and note all of the many cities, forests,mountain ranges, and other places of whichthe author wrote in passing?

The DM may not need to go that far ifthere is no map present in the book, forother books on the market may suit hisneeds. Many books have such tremendousfan followings that vast tomes have beenwritten about them, and there is often amap included in such a text. Unfortunately,many books loved by those of us who partic-ipate in fantasy role-playing games are notviewed by publishers to be popular enoughto warrant such additional books. Thus,you may find yourself in the position ofhaving to make a map of a world whosedetails probably do not come quickly tomind.

Should you find yourself in such a situa-tion, I suggest that you take the easy wayout and do not attempt to reproduce thebook world exactly as described by theauthor. Clearly, it would take an enormousamount of time to sift through the author�swork, searching for details such as aregenerally important to fantasy novels andtheir readers. The time and effort expendedto uncover the details of the book worldwould probably not affect the play of thegame in any significant manner. Themethod that I suggest you use in this situa-tion is the same as that a writer often uses tobegin an article: write down the items ofinterest about the book world that enteredyour mind the most, then gradually recalldetails from there. I would do this withoutreference to the book for about a half-hour,and only then should you seek passages inthe book for additional information aboutthings that you cannot quite remember.

Each of the three series of books used asexamples in this article represents a differ-ent aspect of the mapping issue. The Gorbooks neither have maps in any of them,nor have any auxiliary books been writtenabout them (despite their very large follow-ing). The Barsoom books do have maps

available, though not in the books them-selves. Both A Guide to Barsoom by JohnFlint Roy (Ballantine Books) and the gameJohn Carter: Warlord of Mars (SimulationsPublications, Inc.) have maps that are ofimmeasurable value to anyone choosing theBarsoom books as the basis for a fantasyworld. The Middle Earth books not onlyhave maps within their covers but also havehad many books written about them thatcontain maps. Journeys of Frodo by Bar-bara Strachey (Ballantine Books) and TheAtlas of Middle Earth by Karen WynnFonstad (Houghton Mifflin) are two exam-ples. Another interesting book concerningMiddle Earth is A Tolkien Bestiary byDavid Day (Ballantine Books), though thereis only one map.

Third: change the worldYou already have done the basic work for

your game: a world has been chosen, and amap of that world sits before you. Unfortu-nately, the world you have is, while interest-ing, different from an AD&D game world.This is a problem. Fortunately, the solutionis within your very grasp: a pencil! You arethe creator of this new world; thus, all thepowers of creation are yours to wield. Youmust now craft a story, and in it, you musttell the tale of how the world changed.

This is the point where purists will di-verge from pragmatists. To play the AD&Dgame in your favorite book world, you mustbe willing to make sacrifices: things cannot

remain the same if the AD&D game systemis to be played as it was meant to be. Youwill find it easier to alter the author�s worldif you recall that change is the essentialnature of all things. In any event, once youdecide to alter the world, you will probablyask yourself what changes you should make.

If a city existed in the book world, does itexist at present in your game world? If so,how does it exist? Is it poor? Has it devel-oped, stagnated, or regressed? Has somestrange happening changed it from the cityit once was? These value judgments � ingeneral terms, not detailed game terms �must be made for every important placethat exists in your world. Since it seems thatsome role-players are frustrated writers (andthe DM may be the most frustrated of all),ideas on how to transform your worldshould spring quickly to mind.

Fourth: redraw the mapYou have now created the framework of

your world. What remains to be done is todraw out the new map. Noting all thechanges that have happened to your world(by your own hand in the previous step),make a new map on a hex sheet, with onehex equal to five miles. This is highly suit-able for gaming purposes. If your world islarge, you will probably wish to create alarger-scale map as well: one hex equal to50 miles might be very useful, for instance.

At this point, you will want to place thedetails of your world that were too unim-

portant to mention in your creation story:monster lairs, ancient shrines, special ter-rains (scrub, canyons, marshes, etc.), andpopulation centers. When this lengthy stepis finished, you will be ready to play, butwill your players be?

Fifth: inform your playersYour world is now complete, and, after

preparing some adventures, you are readyto have your players begin to explore thewild, untamed lands of this newly createdenvironment. There is one difficulty, how-ever: your players have no idea what ishappening in your world or what yourworld is all about. Those players who haveread the book(s) from which your world hassprung will have a degree of familiarity withyour world, but their misconceptions mightprove worse than the ignorance of otherplayers. To remedy this problem, you mustsupply the players with a general fact sheetthat enumerates the major happenings thathave occurred since the conclusion of thebook(s) upon which your world is based.They should then be ready to discover whatawaits their characters in the world that youhave devised.

Example one: GorGor is a world without magic, as created

by author John Norman. Technology,though present in the Sardar, is not forgeneral use on Gor, since the Priest Kingsdo not allow its use. Thus, steel and gold

D R A G O N 3 3

rule Gor, and great cities wage war byprimitive means. There are no dwarves,elves, orcs, dragons, or many other crea-tures of the AD&D game system on Gor, atleast as far as we know. There are, however,many terrifying beasts such as larls, sleens,and tarns.

To alter Gor into a magical world withdeities and basilisks is not an easy task.Also, we must be careful not to go too far inour changes, or the flavor of the world willbe lost. A person who chooses Gor for hisgame world is obviously someone who likesfighting with non-magical abilities, so thechanges must be slight as far as magic isconcerned. But, at the same time, it mustbe possible for a player character to be amagic-user, an illusionist, a druid, a cleric(called an initiate on Gor), or a member ofa sub-class that uses spells.

I suggest the following scenario. Let usfirst interpret the evil Kurii in our ownmanner, since John Norman has not sup-plied enough details about them. The Kuriiare not only creatures that have developedgreat technology, but they also worship agreat evil spirit that has been created by theKurii�s own dark souls. This spirit sur-rounds and permeates the Kurii�s SteelWorlds. Since all attempts to improve theirlot have failed, the Kurii have prayed all themore fervently to the evil spirit, hoping thatit will aid them in their attempt to rule Gor.

In time, a scientist-Kur creates a machinethat he believes can materialize the malevo-

lent spirit. He chooses himself as the recep-tacle for the experiment, and (unknown tothe other Kurii) he succeeds in placing thespirit within his corporeal being. Almostimmediately, he feels the power within him,and he succeeds in keeping it under control.He obtains a vessel and goes to Gor. Afterusing his power to land on Gor, he disem-barks from his ship and attacks the city Arwith black energy blasts that destroy half ofthe city before the Priest Kings can inter-vene. As the Priest Kings use their poweron the renegade Kur, the scientist losescontrol of the spirit. In that moment, thespirit destroys the physical body that itinhabits, and the body explodes.

From the Kur�s body, hordes of creaturesstream forth: orcs, dragons, drow, andmany others. Also, a few good creaturesstream from the form, probably due to theinfluence of the Priest Kings� powers whenthey attacked the Kur.

Ar becomes a ruin with many evil crea-tures in it. Many creatures flee to the Voltairange and other places. In all, Goreans arestunned, as are both the Priest Kings andthe Kurii. Also, the spirit seems to havedisappeared into the fabric of Gor. Fromthis, magic is created; though this explana-tion of magic is different from that offeredin the AD&D system, it will have to do.This would be an interesting world.

Clearly, however, this is not going to be apure AD&D game campaign: there is toomuch that differs from a �legal� world. But

that is fine for the DM who desires such aworld. If he wanted the WORLD OFGREYHAWK Fantasy Setting, he wouldhave chosen it.

Example two: BarsoomThe world of Mars as envisioned by

Edgar Rice Burroughs is a fantastic planetwith incredible alien races. This is a worldthat is far more suited to fantasy role-playing games than the world of Gor. Nev-ertheless, it has some of the problems thatGor has: for instance, a lack of magic anddeities. The setting provided by Edgar RiceBurroughs, however, is better for our world-building purposes. Barsoom is shrouded inmystery, even though the whole surface hasbeen mapped out by the Red Men. Rumorsof magic circulate throughout the Barsoomnovels, though it is always portrayed asvoodoo, with the exception of John Carter�sability of teleportation.

On Barsoom, unlike Gor, technology isnot limited. For example, radium pistolsand air ships exist, and they are used regu-larly. This is one of the most attractivefeatures of the world to the DM. Unfortu-nately, such things are antithesis to theAD&D game system. There are two ways todeal with this situation: 1) eliminate thetechnology, or 2) make it difficult for playercharacters to obtain these technologicalitems. The first solution is probably out ofthe question for most Burroughs fans, andthe second requires the skill of a goodDungeon Master.

The following scenario is an example ofwhat can occur on Barsoom. An ancientbeing of enormous power (understood as adeity) is awakened by a foolish man or beastor nation. This power, then, awakens othersof its kind. These �gods� were old whenBarsoom�s oceans yet thrived, and theychose to sleep in the bosom of Barsoom at atime when the planet was a thing of beauty,for it was they who made the world beauti-ful. When awakened, these gods see whathas happened to the world they love.

In an attempt to discover what caused thedecay of Barsoom�s beauty, these powersseek the races of old � races that were tohave been the caretakers of Barsoom whilethe gods slept. Elves (guardians of thewoodlands), dwarves (protectors of the landbelow), and gnomes (watchers of the fairhills and plains) � these races were theassigned caretakers of Barsoom. Needless tosay, the gods find few of these caretakersstill thriving. Apparently, these races choseto hide themselves long ago, and, for somereason, the secret of how to awaken thegods became lost after a few generations.

After having learned all these details, thegods then get together to determine theirplan of action. They choose to attempt tobring back the natural beauty of Barsoomby performing miracles (i.e.,spells) for their devotees and

granting clericby revealing

the lost secrets of magic (i.e., magic-userand illusionist spells). As for the manymonsters listed in the AD&D books . . .well, the DM is free to populate Barsoom

34 APRIL 1985

with those creatures he feels would addmore local color to the environment.

Example three: Middle EarthOver half a decade ago, I followed the

process described in this article to remakeJ.R.R. Tolkien�s Middle Earth according tomy own image of it. The process has beenneither a short one nor an easy one. How-ever, the great advantages I have found inmaking use of Tolkien�s work have beenwell worth the time and labor required. Ihave been able to call upon a world sogrand in scope that it has the possibility toencompass everything that I could conceive.

One of the most important reasons that Iselected Middle Earth as the world of my

game campaigns was the vast culture pro-vided by Tolkien. Though Mr. Gygax saysthat �a truly excellent novel provides aninversely proportionate amount of goodmaterial for a game,� I have found that thisis true only for games that try to rework theauthor�s storyline. The Lord of the Ringstrilogy has provided my players and mewith at least a proportionate amount ofgood, solid fun.

To illustrate specifically my point, thefollowing list enumerates the events thathave transpired in my world. Note that theplayer characters had no part in the eventsuntil item 9 and that the game was in tran-sition (normal Middle Earth changing tostandard AD&D rules) during items 8 to 10.

36 APRIL 1985

Event Explanation1

2

3

4

5

6

Annuminus was rebuilt (early fourthage FO).Travelers from the far east emerged,slaying the savages in Rhun andclaiming the land as their own (earlyFO).Khazad-dum was reclaimed (middleFO).Dwarves of the East (a once-lostkindred) journey to west MiddleEarth and take the Ered Mithrin astheirs, freeing it of many Cold Drakes(late FO).Osgiliath is rebuilt and renamed theseat of Gondor�s power (late FO).The occurrence of the Great Disaster:the second strife of music betweenEru and other Ainur. The multiverseis created, and Middle Earth is tornand shook by the shock (Enedwaith issunk, a new sea � Valaer � is cre-ated east of Rhun, and many citiesare toppled) � named the beginningof the fifth age (FtA).Much rebuilding is done (early tomiddle FtA).

7

8

9

10

The Temples of Shadow are found:otherworldly prisons for monsterscreated by old and new Ainur whoseessences have been corrupted. Thesetemples are used by the Valar to buildadventures of great power in anarena-like series of trials. A king ofMiddle Earth is foretold (early FtA).Adventurers enter the Temples ofShadow in search of their destinies(all FtA).The Temples of Shadow �explode�during the god wars. The result is therelease of horrible monsters intoMiddle Earth. Annuminus and Osgi-liath are destroyed. A king of MiddleEarth is named, and he is imbuedwith many powers by the gods (be-ginning of the sixth age).

Purists would, no doubt, find my inter-pretation of Middle Earth�s fourth, fifth,and sixth ages to be unsatisfactory at best,but they can make their own versions ofMiddle Earth�s future. Mine works fine formy players, their characters, and myself, asI am sure your choice of a world will workfine for you. After all, that is what counts.

Editor�s noteProper names and many other

terms that appear in italic typewithin this article are taken fromthe particular works to which theyrefer � works which are protectedby copyright and trademark laws.The terms are used here to helpillustrate the practical applicationof the author�s ideas, not to implythat these terms can be used indis-criminately. The reader should notmake any use of the works men-tioned in this article which wouldinfringe the rights of the copyrightowner.

PBM update: news & viewsOne man�s perspective on the play-by-mail industryby Mike Gray

It�s been almost a year since my lastarticle about play-by-mail games appeared,and lots of things have happened in theindustry since then. The biggest news isthat the play-by-mail industry is finallypulling together to form an association. Asof this writing (January 1985), there aremore than two dozen charter members. Sofar the association has run a group adver-tisement in Analog magazine in an attemptto generate new interest in the hobby, offer-ing a package of catalogs, rules, flyers, andmagazines prepared by the member com-panies. To get the package, send $2.00 toPlay by Mail Association, 8149 E. ThomasRd., Scottsdale AZ 85251. You can alsobecome a Consumer Member of the associ-ation by sending in a check for $10.00 tothe same address. Consumer Membersreceive a one-year subscription to the Asso-ciation Newsletter and voting privileges inyearly balloting for best PBM game, withthe award to be given out at the Originsconvention. [Editor�s note: See the nomina-tion ballot for the Origins awards, printedelsewhere in this issue.]

The association has made some plansalready � for instance, a reimbursementprogram has been proposed to �rescue� thecustomers of a PBM company that goes outof business. Elections are being held amongthe members to choose a board of directors,a membership committee, and an awardscommittee. Yours truly was chosen to countthe ballots, and I am also a nominee formembership on the awards committee.These are indeed exciting times!

Gaming Universal, a PBM magazinewith a lot of real potential, has ceased publi-cation after three issues. According to pub-lisher Bob McLain, all subscribers willreceive a $10 gift certificate from AdventGames and a free copy of Flagship, a PBMmagazine published in Great Britain that is,in effect, absorbing and replacing GamingUniversal. [Another editor�s note: Flagshipis available in the U.S. through FlyingBuffalo, Box 1467, Scottsdale AZ 85252.]All of the advertisers who had lined upspace in Gaming Universal will receivecomparable space in Flagship. McLain willbecome an editor for Flagship and will be aregular contributor of PBM articles for themagazines Game News and Space Gamer.

Now, on to the games. All five of thegames described and reviewed in this articlehave at least one thing in common: they areall run by responsible, efficient, professionalcompanies. [Yet another editor�s note: One

38 APRIL 1985

of the games Mike reviewed is now beingrun by a different company � but theabove statement still stands.] Although thegames differ in nature and complexity, theresults sheets are clear and legible and theturns are processed quickly. I have found allof the moderators to be very interested innew ideas and quick to answer questionsand give help and advice. I liked all of thesegames (some more than others, naturally)for different reasons � even though I gothammered in three out of the five.

BATTLE OF THE GODSIntegral GamesP.O. Box 13562Arlington TX 76013

Game format: 100% computer moderatedTurn cycle: fast game, every 10 days;

slow game, every 14 daysGame length: 15-25 turnsNo. of players: 10Initial cost: rules $1.50, set-up $3.50Turn cost: $3.50

Battle of the Gods is a very easy game inwhich the players become powerful godswho shape a universe to their own designs.The object of the game is to have the mostvictory points on a randomly determinedlast turn. Victory points are earned forcreating worlds, creating life, converting apopulation to your �religion,� destroyinglife, and teaching.

Each player must first create a god-character by distributing seven pointsamong four goals: creation, destruction,conversion, and teaching. (No goal canhave a point value higher than 5.) A basenumber of victory points is awarded forfulfillment of any of the goals, and eachplayer�s goal-points act as multipliers forany victory points earned in that category.For example, a player who has chosen goalnumbers of 4 for creation, 0 for destruction,2 for conversion, and 1 for teaching willreceive 4 times the base number of victorypoints for any act of creation, no points forany act of destruction, double value forconversion, and the base value of any pointsearned for teaching.

The universe, laid out on a 20-by-20grid, starts as a collection of about 100chunks of matter randomly scatteredaround. From this point on, players spendup to 100 power points each turn in anattempt to achieve their chosen goals. Thesepower points are spent on one or morecommands each turn; each command has asmall basic cost, but can be reinforced by

putting more power into it. When one ofyour commands opposes or conflicts with acommand from another player, the one withthe most power behind his command is theone who wins out. The commands includeprotect, destroy matter, teach, crusade,send prophet, bless, create life, and createworld, to name a few. The �protect� com-mand is a defensive maneuver, keeping yousafe from conflict from another player un-less he uses enough reinforcement in hiscommand to break through your protection.

Since all moves are secret and simultane-ous, you have no way of finding out whatanyone else is going to do on a turn. Youhave to decide how to use your power oneach turn � will you spread. it thin and trya lot of actions, or will you concentrate on afew actions, using a lot of reinforcement oneach one?

The rulebook has a color cover and isprofessionally written and designed � aremarkable effort for a company�s firstgame, which this is. Critically speaking, thegame is relatively simple, and you can�t doa whole lot for the $3.50 turn fee. Half ofthe players in my game dropped out. It isnot the most exciting PBM game I�ve everplayed � but it�s far from the worst. For abeginning PBM player, the game is easy tounderstand and very clearly explained. Ilike the fresh, new ideas in this game verymuch � I�ve never played anything elselike it. Down the road, I can see these ideasexpanded into a more complex and veryinteresting game.

WORLD OF VELGOR(THE MELDING)

Kelstar EnterprisesP.O. Box 639Zephyr Hills FL 34283[Positively the last editor�s note: Shortly

before this article was prepared for publica-tion, we received word that the World ofVelgor game had been sold and renamed.Under the title of The Melding, the game isnow being run by Kelstar Enterprises, atthe address given above. Anyone who�sinterested in getting involved in it shouldwrite to Kelstar for information, becausethe game has been modified in some re-spects. Mike Gray�s assessment of World ofVelgor is printed just the way he wrote it,on the assumption that most of what he hasto say still applies to the game in its newform.]

This is a medieval fantasy game with ahealthy dose of role-playing thrown in.

Each of the 40 players starts with possessionof one piece of the Rod of Wizardry. Thispiece confers minimal powers on the owner� powers which increase as you obtainmore pieces of the Rod. One of the objectsof the game is to collect and assemble the 40parts of the Rod, which you can accomplishby allying with or conquering the otherplayers; either an individual or an alliancecan win the game. But it�s not quite thatsimple. . . .

As a neutral �rodbearer,� you start with acastle, three apprentices, and several hun-dred troops which can be divided into threemovable groups (divisions). The first thingyou must decide is whether you will leantoward the good god Velgor or the evil godVexous. By doing good deeds, you increaseyour �allegiance factor� on the way toattaining good Arch-lord status. Or, bydoing evil deeds, you move your allegiancefactor closer to Black Master status. As soonas you achieve one status or the other, youare no longer neutral and the other playerswill know which god you serve. It�s impor-tant to know who your friends and enemiesare, because you get a big boost in yourexperience rating for doing away with theenemy. In addition to putting the pieces ofthe Rod together, your goal is to eitherenslave Vexous or fully restore the evil godto power � and nobody tells you how to doany of this; you have to figure these thingsout for yourself.

The next thing you must decide is whatprofession to take up � General, Wizard,High Priest, or Expert. Generals are best atfighting, but cannot cast magic spells. Wiz-ards are best at casting spells, but not verygood at fighting. High Priests have somebattle advantages and some magical ability.Experts (EXceptional PERsonality andTraining) can find hidden passages indungeons and are very good at recruitingnew troops, but cannot cast spells andaren�t too good at fighting. On each turn,your experience rating will increase basedon your actions. As your experience reachesnew levels, you get new spells, better com-bat abilities, better recruitment bonuses,and so forth.

Each turn you move your three divisionsaround the map by writing down the coor-dinates of the spaces you want to movethrough. As you travel, you will encounterother divisions of troops and other players�castles as well as neutral groups of all kindsof creatures � elves, dwarves, giants, cen-taurs, and dragons, for instance. You mustdecide to attack or parlay with the stran-gers, who will then decide whether to attackyou or join up with you.

The world map is very sketchy at thestart of the game; you fill it in for yourselfas you travel and learn more about thesurroundings. (It is rumored that there areeven some uncharted islands off the coastsomewhere.) You will soon find the locationsof dungeons, cities, ports, camps, and otherfeatures.

The rules come in a cardboard tube, likea scroll � a very nice touch. Unfortunately,

the rules are not very well organized, andthey are purposely skimpy in some areas.There are even some rules that aren�t true,but you�ll have to find those out for your-self. . . . Okay, I�ll give you one example:You are told that city escorts will answeryes/no questions in return for gold. Well, itturns out that they will give you a lot morethan a yes or no if you pay them enoughgold. (I wish I had found that out before Igot wiped out!)

There�s a lot more to this game thanmeets the eye. For example, you can buymagic items in the cities, or discover themin the dungeons. You can collect �ortron�(magical rocks!?), bring it back to yourcastle, and build your own magic items.You can choose different tactics for eachbattle you get involved in. There are a lot ofchoices to be made, and I can tell you frompersonal experience that the more time youdevote to trying new things and talking tothe other players, the better off you will be.

So why did I get wiped out? Well, I wasin a square with another player who heardfrom someone else that I was going to attackhim. Instead of calling me or writing to me,the player attacked me with his superiorforce � and the group he attacked con-tained my leader and my part of the Rod.Being a good soul on the road to Archlord-ship, I had chosen to stand and defend inthe �unlikely� event that I was attacked,without bothering to write or call my adver-sary � and that turned out to be a very bad

D R A G O N 3 9

move! If I had used a little more diplomacy,I might still be playing.

If you�re looking for a fantasy PBMexperience with lots of depth, lots of op-tions, easy-to-fill-out turn sheets, no hiddenfees, and a lot of surprises, try this one!

ILLUMINATIAdventure SystemsP.O. Box 22305Houston TX 77227

Game format: 100% computer moderatedTurn cycle: weekly or bimonthlyGame length: variesNo. of players: 24Initial cost: rulebook, set-up, and

3 turns for $15Turn cost: $4.00

This game is largely based on the excel-lent Illuminati card game published bySteve Jackson Games. As a great fan of thecard game, I found the PBM game to be alot of fun (as long as the other players leftme alone).

You start out with an alliance of groups,and your goal is to build up your poweruntil you control 32 (out of 256) groupsbefore anyone else does. The availablegroups range from the ordinary (Russia,Mafia, CIA, PLO) to the extraordinary(Boy Sprouts, Rocky Horribles, Society ofNannies and Butlers, United PackageSmashers). Each group is defined by astring of alignments, attributes, and abilitieswhich you can raise and lower during thegame to suit your devious purposes.

All of the defining indices affect the rela-tive success of the various orders that youcan give your groups on each turn. Ordersinvolve the allocation of men and cash byeach group that you control. The more aliketwo groups are, the better the chances thatone group will be able to take control of theother. The building of a power structure canbe a lot of fun.

Since the object is to control 32 groups,and since your fair share of available groupsis only 10, you�ll have to wheel, deal, andsteal a good number of groups from otherplayers. When I started losing groups andhad a streak of failures at getting newgroups, I knew I was in trouble. So I wrotea note to the gamemaster and he promptlysent me a 3-page reply with just the advice Ineeded.

Before you decide to try to take control ofa new group, you may first want to probeit. A successful probe will tell you the targetgroup�s alignments and attributes. With thisinformation, you can determine which ofyour groups should try the takeover. Thenyou will want to infiltrate the target withsome of your group�s agents and subvertsome of its cadre and leaders to your cause.If this is successful, you can then sendagents and spend money to take control ofthe target and add it into your own powerstructure.

What this game becomes is a very com-petitive race to build up your offensive anddefensive powers. Each turn you have to

40 APRIL 1985

decide whether to build up your groups orto go on the offensive. You have to do both,eventually, or you may lose all that youhave built up.

The rulebook is professionally typeset andvery comprehensive, and includes an in-valuable example of several sequential turnsand their results. The rules are not trivial,and it will take several readings to digest allof the text. In some cases, essential rules areimbedded in the Questions & Answerssection. I overlooked an important formulaand was spending too much money on myorders. The appropriate rule is in the Q &A section as a tip: �The square root of theexcess cash is rounded up to the next evennumber and added to the number of fullysupported agents.�

It is not readily apparent that diplomacyis useful in this game, even though there isa menu of dozens of messages that can besent to other players. But once you startlosing your groups to a powerful adversary,you can see how a group of weak playerscan team up against the strongest player byattacking a lot of that player�s groups at thesame time. Conspiracy is what Illuminati isall about!

The game is very interesting, but it canalso be quite frustrating when things aren�tgoing your way. As with most games, prac-tice makes perfect. And players who haveplayed this game before are going to have adefinite advantage just because they willalready be familiar with many of thegroups, while a new player will have toprobe to find out about them.

Illuminati is a game of medium complex-ity. For this reason, it might not be the bestfirst effort for someone new to PBM games.If you are a new PBM gamer, read throughthe rulebook before you sign up to play. Ifyou are an experienced PBM gamer, youwill find Illuminati to be an enjoyable andrewarding challenge.

CAPITOLAdventures by MailP.O. Box 436Cohoes NY 12047

Game format: 100% computer moderatedTurn cycle: every 10 daysGame length: variesNo. of players: 48 to 96Initial cost: $2.50 for rulebookTurn cost: $2.50 for 60 orders,

$1 extra for 30 moreThis game is run by the same company

that produces the grand role-playing PBMgame Beyond the Stellar Empire and thenon-diplomatic PBM game of robotic war-fare, Warboid World. And they have re-cently introduced a new fantasy role-playingPBM game called Crasimoff�s World.

Capitol has many features that set itapart from other games. In particular,victory is achieved by teams, not individ-uals. Players are grouped into twelveidentical-sized teams of 4-8 people each,and these teams vie for control of the gal-axy�s resources. Individual players are

grouped into teams according to where theylive, making it relatively easy for players tocontact each other or actually get togetherwith each other to plan strategies. Thus,Capitol makes a great club game, in whichyou can work closely with your friends andneighbors without having any major advan-tage over other teams.

The object of the game is to be a memberof the race that controls the highest numberof worlds when the game ends. The gameends when three races have no worlds left,or when the race with the most worlds hasat least twice the number of worlds as thesecond most powerful race.

The galaxy is a 98-by-98 grid with hun-dreds of worlds scattered around it. Once aworld is controlled, it starts producingresources. These resources can then be usedas bases to build ships, probes, and produc-tion goods. Some worlds produce moreresources than others and thus becomemore valuable.

Ship building is an individualized activ-ity. A ship consists of weapons, shields, andcargo bays. Each race has its own formulafor how much each of these things costs inresources. On your turn sheet, there is a listof five ship types that you can build, howfast they are, how often they have to berefueled, how many resources it takes tobuild them, and what size base is necessaryto build each ship. You also get a list of allthe worlds you control, any worlds you lostcontrol of in the previous turn, and-all theworlds your ships are/were at before andafter movement.

Designing ships, transporting resourcesaround the galaxy, building bases, conquer-ing new worlds, and exploring are all partof the opening game. Then you start run-ning into the enemy, which is when the funreally begins. You have to start thinkingdefensively by building bases and ships withmore shields, and when you meet an alienrace you have to decide whether to try toally with them or attack them.

Movement is handled by a clever systemwhich uses transparent overlays (sent to youin your first package), so you don�t have tofiddle with x-y coordinates. You just lay thetransparency over your local galactic mapand specify where you want to go by using adirectional code on the overlay.

The emperor of each race (team) is theplayer who controls the largest base ownedby that race. Each emperor gets a specialprintout which contains information on howmany words each race controls; this infor-mation should be passed along to othermembers of the same team. Emperors alsohave special powers that enable them tosteal worlds from other players.

Later in the game, the advanced stagerules kick in. Stargates can be built to con-nect any two worlds, and the minimum shipsize is increased.

I had a great team, and our emperor wasvery efficient. However, my territory bor-dered on two powerful enemies that I wasnot strong enough to attack by myself. So Iwas asked to make and keep alliances with

the enemy (in the best interests of our race).At that point, I lost interest and asked thatanother team member take over my posi-tion. I think my biggest mistake was in notexpanding and exploring more in the begin-ning. I spent too much time hauling re-sources and building up my bases. Instead,I should have been out conquering newworlds to build up my resource supply forlater in the game.

Capitol is a fun and very different experi-ence. The rules are clear and easily under-stood, the overlays are a nice touch, and theteamwork aspect will prepare a novice forthe individual diplomacy that must bedeveloped in most other PBM games.

QUEST OF THE GREAT JEWELSZorph Enterprises3646 Gibsonia RoadGibsonia PA 15044

Game format: 100% computer-moderatedTurn cycle: every three weeksGame length: variesNo. of players: 12Initial cost: rulebook, set-up, and

2 turns for $10Turn cost: $2.50 (through turn 10),

$3.00 (turns 11-20), etc.Quest of the Great Jewels is one of my

favorite play-by-mail games. I�ve juststarted playing my third game. I enjoybuilding up my empire, sending greatarmies into battle, and capturing specialmagic items which give me unique advan-tages over the other players.

The object of the game has varied a bit asthe game has evolved. In my first twogames, the object was to capture all threeGreat Jewels or to be the first player toexceed a specific (but unrevealed) score ofvictory points. However, because someplayers have felt that the game was tooshort, my latest game will end somewherebetween turns 20 and 30 instead of at apredetermined score. Whoever has thehighest score after the last turn will win.Each game I�ve played has been very differ-ent because the designer is still perfectinghis creation. I like the changes and that�swhy I continue to enter new games.

Before the game starts, you must choosewhich one of the four races to become:Azoni, Quntag, Rilris, or Slenth. TheAzoni are powerful fighters who reproduceslowly and earn victory points for buildingdefensive citadels. The Quntag are empirebuilders who get points for controllingterritory. The Rilris earn points for hoard-ing zorans (money) and magic. While theSlenth are the weakest fighters, they arequite prolific and earn points for destroyingtroops, leaders, and citadels, and for ravag-ing the land.

The most creative features of the gameare the magical talismans which can befound in neutral citadels, or guarded bydragons, or secured in the ten ForbiddenCities. There are special keys which openthe gates of the Forbidden Cities, Rings ofPower which confer special bonuses to their

proper owners, and dozens of other strangeand wondrous talismans: The Cloak ofDarkness makes an army invisible exceptwhen it attacks. A Palantir allows its ownerto spy on the contents of any one province.Paul Bunyan�s Axe can turn a forest intoclear terrain. The Doppleganger makes anarmy appear twice as large as it really is �and there are many more talismans besidesthese.

If you haven�t heard enough yet, you canbuild roads, citadels, navies, siege towers,and battering rams. You can send yourstrongest leaders against hungry dragons.You can (and should) flee from the invinci-ble Drevonyx. Or you can open and besiegea Forbidden City in search of the threeGreat Jewels, which bestow fantastic powerseach turn. If you capture all three jewels,you win the game.

As a Rilris, I allied with all three of myneighbors, rarely fought a battle, sold a fewleaders to a Slenth (blood money is stillmoney), and ended up winning the game.As an Azoni, I am furiously attacking myRilris neighbor, but I still have no magicand no keys. And I just started a new gameas a ravenous Slenth.

On the critical side, I am not sure thatthe game is completely balanced, since itseems to be very hard to get enough victorypoints to win as a Slenth. A Slenth must killand destroy things to earn victory points;this is not as easy a task as it is for an Azonito build citadels in the safety of his king-

dom, or for a Rilris to hoard his moneyturn after turn. Many players agree that itis very difficult to win as a Slenth, but it�s alot of fun to play one, because they breedlike flies and are always waging war.

Another criticism I have had is that thebest magic talismans are locked in the For-bidden Cities. By the time you find andcapture a key, you may not know where thecity it opens is located. And by the time youfind out and fight your way through enemyterritory to get there, the game will be closeto being over. This problem may be solvedby the new game-ending rule that is beingtried in my latest game.

I like Quest of the Great Jewels verymuch and recommend it highly. However, itis very much a game of diplomacy. If youdon�t spend time and money communicat-ing with other players, you�ll soon havemany uninvited guests in your kingdom.

Got a question about an article? Asubject you’d like us to cover — ornot cover? What do you think of themagazine you’re reading? Drop us aline at “Letters,” P.O. Box 110, LakeGeneva WI 53147. We’ll read everyletter we get, and we’ll select certainletters of general interest for publica-tion — maybe even yours!

D R A G O N 4 1

42 APRIL 1985

price

DM neededdanger

point whatsoever

The high-level adventure to end all adventures

Welcome to Nogard, a solitaire scenariofor the AD&D® game designed specially forplayer characters of ultra-high level andworld-shaking power. The adventure takesplace in an environment unlike any thatyour character has ever experienced, andyou and your character will both face chal-lenges that you never thought were possiblein an AD&D game adventure. And all ofthis is achieved without once placing yourfavorite incredibly powerful character injeopardy. Your player character can�t helpbut survive a journey through Nogard �but his life will never be the same again.

InstructionsYou will serve as both the player and the

Dungeon Master, so to speak, in this soli-taire adventure. Except for your character�srecord sheet and a pencil (which you�ll needonly briefly; don�t bother to get up for itnow), no materials are needed to run thisadventure other than the rules you arereading. Begin by setting the scene with thebackground, then start with Section I of theadventure itself. After you play through theevents of a section, turn to the sectionyou�re directed to at the end of that pas-sage. At times, you or your character willbe called upon to make decisions � but youalways get as much time as you need tomake up your mind. There are no tricks,traps, or unfair surprises in this scenario.

Nogard is actually four adventures in one� certain passages in the text are readdifferently for cleric, fighter, magic-user,and thief characters. Depending on whatkind of character you�re running, insert theappropriate passages where indicated. Torevive the adventure after several play-throughs, try mixing passages for differentclasses for a completely different adventureevery time.

BackgroundIn your career as a player character, you

have not simply reached the pinnacle ofachievement � you have defined it. But foryears now, ever since you became

C : Protector of the Universe,F : Warrior Without Peer,M : Supreme Spellcaster,T : Sultan of Stealth,

life hasn�t had as much zest as it did before.Your accomplishments are unparalleled,your talents beyond compare and yourriches beyond counting � but all of it iscoming to mean less and less. Lately, you�ve

44 APRIL 1985

found yourself wondering whether you canever feel challenged or motivated again.

Being a person of tremendous intelligenceand wisdom, you decide that there must stillbe challenges unrealized for you, because itdoesn�t make sense that someone as power-ful as you should be forced to be this miser-able. Then, one day, it happens. Just as youconcentrate mightily, trying to figure outwhere this place of challenge is and how to

get there, a sharp noise resounds (like thesound of a book being closed) and you arewhisked away.

THE ADVENTURE

I: After a journey that takes only twoeyeblinks longer than teleporting, you findyourself in the middle of a large expanse of

gray space. Amazingly, you have arrived ina state of full readiness � equipped for anyadventuring challenge you meet. At yourfeet are some of your most prized posses-sions, including

C: Thor's hammer, plus a completeoperating room inside a satchelof holding.

F: Your collection of +5 laser blast-ers and a 20-gallon jug of potionthat does anything I want.

M : A 32-volume set of spell booksand an amulet of protection fromrules.

T: A key that opens any door anddefuses any trap, plus a cloakthat always stays invisible(funny, I thought I saw it a min-ute ago . . .).

You don�t see much going on, but thatdoesn�t lull an experienced stalwart like youinto a false sense of security. You know thisis an adventure, and sooner or later some-thing is bound to happen to you if yousimply:

Stand there and wait � go to Section II.Sit down and wait � go to Section III.

II. After a while, you start to get boredwith just standing there, so you sit down.Go to Section III.

III. Sitting doesn�t seem to help. Neitherdoes pretending you�re asleep. You decidethat nothing is going to sneak up on you, soyou start to move toward the gray area inthe distance. It doesn�t take long to noticethat everything is a gray area in the dis-tance. You become even more watchful,thinking that attack from an unseen enemycould come at any moment. The suspense isbuilding � surely this will be a tale toregale even the most jaded of your friendsback home! Go to Section IV.

IV. Nothing at all happens to you for whatseems like ages. You get more edgy as timegoes on, moving gradually from a feeling ofanticipation to one of anger: Why isn�tanything happening? As time goes on andon (which, for game purposes, is twice aslong as just �on�), your mood becomes oneof panic: Why isn�t anything happening??

If you want to stick it out a while longer,go to Section VI.If you want to end the adventure now,go to Section VII.

V. There is no Section V.

VI. You aren�t sure how much longer youcan stand this horrible combination ofsuspense and boredom. Once in a while you

search furiously for some way out of thegray, but that never takes long becausethere's nothing to look at. You've evenconsidered doing away with yourself as away of escaping, but

C : Because of the enchantmentplaced upon you years ago by adeity who�s a buddy of yours,your wounds always heal in-stantly.

F: Your armor class is so low thatnot even you can hit you.

M: A spell you once researchedturned your body into a magicitem, and whenever you cast aspell on yourself, all you do isrecharge.

T: You can�t very well stab yourselfin the back, and who ever diedfrom picking his own pockets?

The pressure is getting unbearable.You�re not sure if you can stand even an-other minute of this existence. . . .

. . . and you�ve just decided it isn�tworth it. Go to Section VII.

. . . but you�re determined to get yourmoney�s worth out of this adventure. Goto Section VI.

VII. Being an adventurer of ridiculouslyhigh intelligence and wisdom, you musthave figured this out by now. But just incase, a voice booms out this brief message:�This extended vacation in Nogard comesto you through the combined efforts of theGods of Game Balance. You do not need theassistance of your player for the remainderof this adventure. Proceed to Section I, andbe on your guard � something could hap-pen at any minute.�

Epilogue: For players� eyes onlyWhile your character goes back to Section

I, you should read and follow the instruc-tions in Section VIII.

VIII. Go get the pencil we said you�d need.Across the top of your character sheet, writethe word �Retired.� Get out your next mostincredibly powerful and awesome characterand start the adventure over again. At leastthis time you won�t have to get up in themiddle to find a pencil.

There can never betoo many dragons, right?

The �What�s New?� Dragon(Draco Phoglius Ridiculus)

by Matt Legare

FREQUENCY: Very rareNO. APPEARING: 1 (unique)ARMOR CLASS: 4MOVE: 12�/26�HIT DICE: 3% IN LAIR: NilTREASURE TYPE: NilNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: See belowSPECIAL ATTACKS: Breath weaponSPECIAL DEFENSES: DM�s graceMAGIC RESISTANCE: See below)INTELLIGENCE: Animal (charitably

speaking)ALIGNMENT: NeutralSIZE: S (3½� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

Attack/Defense Modes: Nil

The �What�s New?� Dragon (also knownas the Mauve Dragon, or the Big Pain inthe Expletive Deleted) is a rare creatureindeed in the AD&D® game world. Becauseof its characteristics and general behavior,however, it is not much missed. It standsroughly waist high and resembles a short,light purple, fire-breathing dragon, with thehead of a cow wearing a puzzled expression.

According to legend, the �What�s New?�Dragon was created when a drunken arch-mage attempted to crossbreed a red dragon,

a blue dragon, a cow, and a small terrierdog he had handy, �Just to show �em!� Theresulting animal (using the term loosely)promptly torched the wizard�s lab and flewaway. The archmage later gave up magicand drinking, as well as a few other vices hewas indulging in at the time, and became ahermit monk.

The �What�s New?� Dragon, named for(Turn to page 53)

D R A G O N 4 5

The meanest of monstersTwo creatures that are tougher than anything

your character has ever encounteredby Craig Kraus

Dungeon Masters come in many colors, sizes, shapes, and align-ments. Two sorts of Dungeon Masters, the Killer Dungeon Masterand the Sleep-Inducing Dungeon Master, are particularly nasty andare covered here. General information and common characteristicsof these creatures are dealt with in this section.

These two breeds of renegade Dungeon Masters will always ap-pear to be human beings, and continually seek new players for theircampaign worlds because no sane person will play with them morethan once.

Sleeping Dungeon Masters: The best time to come upon a KillerDungeon Master is when he is asleep. Unfortunately, Sleeping-Inducing Dungeon Masters never sleep. However, the victims of aKiller Dungeon Master will find this an excellent time to avenge allof their dead characters.

Attacking a Dungeon Master: You will probably be charged withassault, though self-defense may be claimed. Check the laws in yourstate.

Subduing a Dungeon Master: An attack on a Dungeon Mastermay be made to subdue rather than to hospitalize. This usuallyoccurs when the entire gang of players becomes enraged simultane-ously and rushes the offending Dungeon Master, but no one hasaccess to automatic weapons. Players Handbooks are often used forpummeling attacks, as well as soft-drink cans, chairs, and good old-fashioned fists. A maximum of six human-sized attackers perDungeon Master is possible. When the Dungeon Master is nolonger moving except to breathe, he has been subdued.

Example of Subduing a Dungeon Master: Two 8th-level fighters,a 7th-level dwarven fighter, an elven 4th-level fighter/6th-levelmagic-user, and a halfling thief of 9th level stumble upon an un-armed, wounded orc with no armor. Thinking the orc will be aneasy hit, the group approaches. Suddenly the orc pulls out a ray gunand disintegrates the entire adventuring party.

�I�ve been playing that thief for three years!� yells Ken, slam-ming his fists on the table. Greg, not the type to be outdone, flipsthe table over and all the dice go with it. Sensing the group�s possi-ble displeasure, the Killer Dungeon Master attempts to flee whileMike hurls his copies of the Players Handbook and Monster Man-ual; the Players Handbook hits. Pat starts throwing empty drinkcans, and Nick tackles the Killer Dungeon Master as he reaches thedoor. Down on the ground, the Killer Dungeon Master is bom-barded with dice, books, chairs, and old copies of DRAGON® Mag-azine. (These guys are really mad!) When the Killer DungeonMaster is no longer visible under the debris, Greg announces, �Ithink he�s unconscious.� Now it�s Miller Time. The Killer DungeonMaster is officially subdued.

Value of a Subdued Dungeon Master: Zilch.Encountering Multiple Dungeon Masters: Don�t stop to ask stu-

pid questions, just run.

KILLER DUNGEON MASTER(Dungeus Masterus Horribilis Maximus)

FREQUENCY: Not rare enoughNO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: 10 (8 if unwashed)

46 APRIL 1985

MOVE: 12� (15� if pursued)HIT DICE: Constantly% IN LAIR: 100% (detailed below)TREASURE TYPE: Special, see belowNO. OF ATTACKS ON CHARACTERS: UnlimitedDAMAGE/ATTACK ON CHARACTERS: See belowSPECIAL ATTACKS ON PLAYERS: Mental stress and

frustrationSPECIAL DEFENSES FROM PLAYERS: Immune to

pleas of mercyMAGIC RESISTANCE: None except to mind-affecting spells,

which have nothing to affect (see INTELLIGENCE)INTELLIGENCE: As if you couldn�t guessALIGNMENT: Chaotic destructiveSIZE: MPSIONIC ABILITY: Can a vacuum be psionic?

This mutant strain of Dungeon Master is found in poorly litrooms, seated at some sort of card table (75%) or desk (25%) behinda flimsy cardboard screen covered with archaic lettering that henever reads. The table and adjacent areas are usually littered withbooks, notepads, empty soda cans, and miniature lead figures. TheKiller Dungeon Master uses this lair to lure unsuspecting role-playing gamers into the world of his warped imagination. Onceseated at the table, the players are destined to lose at least one dearlybeloved character apiece. It is a cruel fate, but unavoidable at thispoint.

The Killer Dungeon Master thrives on eliminating player charac-ters as fast as one can create replacements, even by computer print-out. With the Killer Dungeon Master in charge, monsters willautomatically become at least six hit dice more powerful than thescenario suggests is appropriate. If a module places two monstersguarding a treasure, you can count on at least fifteen being there.When a regular Dungeon Master would say, �The three orcs aredead; now you see a small chest,� the Killer Dungeon Master says,�So you killed three orcs, huh? Let�s see what you can do againsttwelve mind flayers!�

Killer Dungeon Masters are known to use wandering monsters,deadly traps, and the disease table in the DMG to destroy charac-ters, but what really sets them apart from other Dungeon Masters istheir access to the revolutionary new Wandering Damage System.The following information was stolen from the notebook of a sleep-ing Killer Dungeon Master, and is presented in its entirety for thebenefit of all gaming humanity (Killer Dungeon Masters have noother treasure but this):

How To Use The Wandering Damage SystemFirst there was the wandering monster. They serve well when

applied in hordes, but why not cut out the middleman and just dealout damage to the characters directly? It makes for a smoother,faster-paced game, and if you want to kill off characters quickly, itcan only be beaten by divine intervention by Cthulhoid godlings.

Instructions: Whenever a player annoys you in any way, by wear-ing tasteless clothes or eating the last corn chip, ask him to roll ad20. He may become worried that he�s rolling a saving throw.

(Turn to page 51)

Each square on this map is 1.5 meters across.

Starboard

Map Key

11. Ship�s stores and armory12. Captain�s quarters13. Transporter room14. Crew quarters (2)15. Sick bay16. Recreation room17. Ladder up18. EVA stores19. Airlock20. Stairway up (2)21. Impulse drive engineering controls22. Cargo bay

P o r t

23. Warp drive engineering controls LOWER

Deck Plans for the

GINNY’S DELIGHT©1985 by Dale L. Kemper An ARES� Section Special

Map Key

1. Sensors2. Bridge3. Sensors4. Dining room5. Computer room6. Lounge7. Ladder down8. Stairway down (2)9. Upper half of cargo bay (no floor)10. Impulse engine

Port

UPPER

Each square on this map is 1.5 meters across.

Starboard

DECK

DECK

(From page 46)Ha, ha!!! Little does he know that he just rolled on the WanderingDamage System matrix!!! Repeat the roll as often as desired.

The Wandering Damage System Matrix

Roll Result1 Your character has fallen down a flight of stairs; roll his dex-

terity or less on percentile dice, or else consult Limb LossSubtable.

2 The monster your character just killed gets up and attackshim, doing 8-80 points of damage.

3 Your character smells smoke; his right arm is on fire. Take 14points of damage and save vs. gangrene.

4 Your character cuts himself while shaving; consult Limb LossSubtable.

5 Your character�s nose hairs catch fire and he dies of smokeinhalation.

6 Your character stumbles backward into a yawning chasm anddisappears from view.

7 The next time your character says something, he eats hiswords, chokes on them, and dies.

8 Something cuts your character�s nose off, doing 2-12 pointsdamage and really messing up his charisma.

9 Your character steps on a piece of glass; consult Limb LossSubtable.

10 Your character suddenly catches a severe case of brain death.11 Something invisible chews on your character, doing 6-36

points damage.12 Your character develops an incredibly severe case of arthritis

and can grasp nothing with his hands; he drops anything he�sholding � and if that happened to be a sword or an axe,consult the Limb Loss Subtable.

13-20 Consult the Random Damage Subtable for no reasonwhatsoever.

Limb Loss Subtable (roll d6)1 � Left leg gone2 � Right leg gone3 � Left arm gone4 � Right arm gone5 � Head gone6 � Torso cut in half

Random Damage Subtable

Diceroll Result

01-05 Take 10 hit points damage.06-10 Take 15 hit points damage.11-20 Take 30 hit points damage.21-25 Take 10 hit points damage and consult Limb Loss Sub-

table, modifying die roll by +5.26-30 Take 10 hit points damage and roll again on Wandering

Damage System Matrix.31-35 Take 15 hit points damage and then take 30 more.36-40 Roll every die you own for damage.41-45 Take 17 hit points damage.46-50 Take 42 hit points damage.51-55 Multiply your character�s age by 5. Take three times that

much damage.56-60 Take 24 hit points damage and then take 31 more.61-65 Take 1,000 hit points damage and roll again.66-70 Roll every die within 30 feet for damage.71-73 Add up the total hit points of everyone in the party. Take

that much damage.74-75 Take 3 hit points damage and consider yourself very lucky

� for the time being.76-00 What? You didn�t get hurt? That�s impossible � this sys-

tem is foolproof. Roll again.

SLEEP-INDUCING DUNGEON MASTER(Dungeus Masterus Aerheadium Monotonus)

FREQUENCY: Here and thereNO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS: Not applicable, cannot be attackedMOVE: ImmobileHIT DICE: Just enough to be considered alive% IN LAIR: 100% (detailed below)TREASURE TYPE: Players� diceNO. OF ATTACKS ON CHARACTERS: NilDAMAGE/ATTACK ON CHARACTERS: NilSPECIAL ATTACKS ON PLAYERS: BoredomSPECIAL DEFENSES FROM PLAYERS: BoredomMAGIC RESISTANCE: Immune to sleep spells and powers

of all kindsINTELLIGENCE: High (for a rodent)ALIGNMENT: Neutral tediousSIZE: MPSIONIC ABILITY: �Psionics? Well, I worked out a system, only340 pages long, based on the 13th-century German philosopherNoodleheinz, who said form does not precede reality but rather isderived from the innateness of the mental image. Here, I�ll get itand show it to you. . . .�

The Sleep-Inducing Dungeon Master is always found seated at atable (75% likely to be laden with food), behind a homemade screendevoid of writing. The table is well-organized though extremelycrowded, and the adjacent areas are meticulously clean. Soft BarbraStreisand music can be heard from a concealed sound source, andthe room temperature will be ten degrees over the comfortable limit.

The Sleep-Inducing Dungeon Master lives only to steal the dice ofunsuspecting role-playing gamers, by luring them into his lair andthen boring them to sleep (or, in some cases, to death). Standardtechniques used by these Dungeon Masters include excruciatinglydull dungeons, pointless mazes, no monsters or treasure to be found,and constant searches through the rulebooks for scraps of informa-tion (�The combat tables are in here somewhere, I saw them yester-day.�) In some cases, a low-level Sleep-Inducing Dungeon Masterwill have an accomplice, who will be disguised as one of the players.This person will ask questions like, �What does a glaive-guisarmelook like?� and will not be able to decide on a name for his mule.

The Sleep-Inducing Dungeon Master gains power by accumulat-ing dice, at the rate of one Dungeon Master level per 1000 dicestolen from players. As the following table shows, the Sleep-Inducing Dungeon Master is also proficient at making players loseinterest in gaming if he can�t make them fall asleep.

Sleep-Inducing Dungeon Master TableS-I DM

level Distract Sleep Comatose Dead1 50% 10% � �

2 55 20 � �

3 60 30 0 5 % �4 65 40 08 �

5 70 50 10 05%6 75 60 15 107 80 70 18 158 85 80 20 189 90 90 25 20

Distract: Power causes player to wander away from game, eitherto a nearby checkers set or to the refrigerator.

Sleep: Player falls asleep, either at table or on any nearby sofa.Duration 10-60 minutes.

Comatose: Player will regain consciousness and come to his sensesin 4-6 weeks.

Dead: The unfortunate player has been bored to death, with nosaving throw.

D R A G O N 5 1

It takes all kinds . . .Who�s hot and who�s not in this new game worldby Adda Littlemore

Since the release of the ENRAGED GLACIERS & GHOULSFantasy Role-Playing Game, we�ve received several letters fromgamers as far away as Elkhorn, Wisconsin, and Crystal Lake, Illi-nois, in an outpouring of praise. True, a moderate number of lettershave pointed out some minor flaws within the game system, such asthe lack of any information on character races and classes, poorlydescribed monsters, and an unworkable combat system, but we atTyrannoSaurus Rex, Inc., feel that these annoyances can be over-come with a little time and patience.

As the first part of a projected 138-part series of corrections, alter-ations, revisions, adjustments, tinkerings, opinions, and replace-ment rules for the EG&G game system, we present the six majorraces of the NEIGHBORHOOD OF FRED Fantastically CompleteGame Setting.

HumansHumans, of course, are the dominant race found in the NEIGH-

BORHOOD OF FRED. They are able to enter into any characterclass and may progress as far as they like in such classes. In general,humans regard themselves as undeniably superior in every respect incomparison to other races, for which sentiment other races willgladly waylay humans at every available opportunity.

KoboldsAlso known as �diggers,� �beardos,� and, for the tapping sound

their mining tools make, �knockers� (as in, �That�s an interestingpair of knockers coming up the street�), kobolds have made theirgreedy presences felt in many a hoard and treasury vault. Barelytopping 4� in height and resembling short, grubby Santa Clauses,kobolds live in great underground caverns and tunnel systems, muchto the relief of the surface-dwelling races. They compete with ratsand goblins for living space in most city sewer systems. Koboldscovet everything they see that might even be remotely valuable,particularly if such items appear to be made of gold. Wise personswill cover their mouths when speaking to kobolds, to avoid showingtheir fillings.

FairiesArtistically sensitive in temperament and prone to throw fits if not

given their way, fairies are widely respected as the foremost authori-ties on flower arrangement in the land. Fairies lead merry lives ofdancing in the woods, interior decorating, and avant garde hair-dressing. Despite a racial tendency toward anorexia, fairies areprone to complain about their weight and are happy to offer dietaryadvice to all who care to listen. (�Oh, dear, I just know that nastyfried centipede is going to give you cellulite, I just know it.�)

GoblinsPowerful, strong, and yet dull, goblins are the biological equiva-

lent of bulldozers, and in fact they are often used as such by certainhighway departments. Goblins come in many assorted shapes, col-ors, and sizes, much as mongrel dogs will, and classification schemesmeant to sort them out invariably fail. According to the best authori-ties, goblins all belong to the same species, judging from their abilityto interbreed with each other, though it has also been pointed outthat goblins can also interbreed with numerous other races and withmost mammals and reptiles as well. Kobolds and goblins have hadan ongoing conflict (variously termed a �border conflict� or �policeaction�) that has continued for the last thousand years and couldeventually lead to the annihilation of both races, or so it is hoped.

52 APRIL 1985

BitersRanking somewhat lower on the evolutionary scale than kitchen

toasters, biters are a green-scaled reptilian race of short stature (4�to 5� tall) widely known for the ability to consume anything com-posed of organic matter. Biter communities have been successfullyemployed as alternatives to landfills, but despite this service, bitersare generally given the same regard and esteem as rattlesnakes. It isrumored that biters have compiled an encyclopedia on the culinarypreparation of every sentient race in the land, though when asked ofthis biters will only grin in a silly way and show their teeth. Theirteeth, by the way, can chop, cut, slice, dice, and make julienne friesout of most unarmed opponents.

BoggiesThough you might have the impression that nothing could be

worse than any of the aforementioned races, we have not yet gottento the boggies. Boggies are a very small and hairy race, lookingsomething like a cross between halflings and rats. They are lucky ifthey reach 3� in height, though their sticky little fingers havereached into money purses much higher than that. Boggies may becharacterized as sly and cowardly, and they are prone to gang up onlone wayfarers in a ratio of 20 boggies to one wayfarer. More bog-gies may be required if the victim is over 2� tall, and the wholeassault may be called off if they cannot find a way to attack frombehind.

Boggies have sharp, whiny voices that compare favorably to thesound of fingernails being scratched down a blackboard. Their racialhabits of pocketing everything that isn�t nailed down and of leavingrude sayings scrawled on sidewalks and front doors have led many arace to speak knowledgeably about the �boggie menace,� and somecountries refuse to import them even for zoological exhibits. Boggiesresent it that anyone should be taller than they are, and they go togreat lengths to make the �big �uns� pay for the insult.

Racial Preferences TableHow: Feel about:

Hum Kob Fair Gob Bit BogHumans T M NS EN M AKobolds M R I NS H E NGFairies A G M PA G M R/N AGoblins R I H BC V PE EBiters M D W D RA WD Q S ?Boggies H E HE H E HE AV B

Explanation of resultsT � Will tolerate members of this race.M � Considerable mistrust is felt toward this race.NS � This race is not taken seriously.EN � Desire exists to enslave this race for use as unskilled labor-

ers, preferably as bulldozers.A � Considerable annoyance is felt toward this race.RI � Strong feelings of rivalry exist toward this race.H � Extreme hatred exists toward this race.E � Desire exists to see this race become extinct.NG � Race should be nuked until they glow.GM � This race is viewed as grody to the max.R/N � Revulsion, bordering on nausea, is felt toward this race.B C � This race is seen as beneath contempt.V � Variable reactions, depending completely upon the individ-

ual in question.

PA � Despite petty arguments, the company of this race is prefer-red over all others, especially over those tacky, tacky, tacky goblinsand those nasty little kobold thingies, they are so gross, but thoselittle walking lizards, oh, my, they are the worst, they barf me out,like, gag me with a mace.

PE � This race would probably make good pets if they could everbe housebroken.

MD � Individuals of this race should be served cooked medium.WD � Individuals of this race should be served cooked well done,

due to extra toughness.RA � Individuals of this race should be served cooked rare.QS � Aside from quarreling over scraps, individuals of this race

get along well together.

? � Uncertainty exists as to the best cooking procedures for thisrace.

HE � Constant desire exists to humiliate and embarrass this raceat every possible opportunity.

AV � Absolute avoidance of this race is practiced.B � Bickering is the rule within this race.

Aside from the statistics for the races, which will be appearingnext year at this time, that should cover all of the basics. Nextmonth we�ll have the character classes: Halberdier, Arquibusier,Caveman, Sumo Wrestler, Commando, Mugger, Medic, Chaplain,Apothecary, and Prestidigitator. Until then, keep gaming and we�llsee you in Fred�s Neighborhood!

There can never betoo many dragons, right?(From page 45)some pages in an ancient tome that firstdescribed the beast, does not have a lair.The chance of catching it while it is asleepor unawares is so low that players could justas well throw their dice off the table ratherthan try to roll for it. Instead, the dragonwill simply wander onto the scene at theDM�s discretion and investigate any loudnoises, such as those made by the averageparty of adventurers in chainmail and plate-mail armor.

Upon arrival, the dragon will announceits presence by voicing its call, �Growf!�(pronounced �growf� or �growph�). Thiscould mean many things, since it is the onlyword in the dragon�s language. This callwill be repeated for 1-6 rounds, after which(unless somebody answers the call withanother �Growf!�) the dragon will use itsbreath weapon on whatever targets arehandy.

Its breath weapon is not unlike that of ared dragon�s, with a few notable differences.It forms a cone of fire extending 30� fromthe dragon�s mouth; the cone�s base is 15�in diameter. The fiery blast lasts for half asegment (3 seconds) and only affects non-living objects. Flammable items struck bythe magical breath (such as clothes, back-packs, arrows, etc.) will automatically smol-der and burn, falling into ashes; strangelyenough, the dragon�s breath causes itsvictims to magically resist the flames, andno harm will come to people so affected �though embarrassment is possible. (�Whathappened to your loincloth, o mighty bar-barian?�) Magical items are allowed asaving throw vs. magical fire.

Metallic items will not burn, but non-magical metals will automatically melt intoslag (again, without harm coming to anyonetouched by it). Once the breath ends, themetal will have magically cooled so that,while hot to the touch, it will not causeinjuries. Getting out of a suit of meltedplatemail, however, could prove difficultwithout a can opener.

Despite its annoying habits, lack of intel-ligence, and homeliness, the �What�sNew?� Dragon has one peculiar ability thatallows it to survive all it meets. It is able toinvoke a condition known as �DM�s

Grace,� an annoying streak of unkillabilitybrought about by incredible twists of fateand a snickering DM. Spells cast at thedragon are dispelled mere inches away fromit, weapons miss it no matter how skilledthe wielder is, and thieves always step on asqueaky board when creeping up on it (evenin the outdoors). After about ten minutes ofthis nonsense, the dragon will get tired ofthe party and leave.

The worst thing that characters can do isto submerge the �What�s New?� Dragon inwater, for it will then appear to multiply innumber as if a mirror image spell had beencast upon it. The �images� are real, how-ever, and the dragon will produce multiplesof itself at a rate of 1-4 per round for theduration it is kept in water. Splashing waterupon it will automatically produce 1-4multiples of the dragon, all of them identi-cal to the original. Watering a �What�sNew?� Dragon is considered a felony inmost kingdoms, punishable by being madeto swim a froghemoth�s pond armed with aputty knife.

No experience will be gained from attack-ing a �What�s New?� Dragon, and thosewho try it should have their wrists slappedby a fire giant.

Quazar Dragon(Draco Godawfulus Armageddonus)

by Susan Lawson

FREQUENCY: Only onceNO. APPEARING: 1 (unique)ARMOR CLASS: -4000 (equal to sixteen

miles of iridium plating)MOVE: Effectively infiniteHIT DICE: All there are% IN LAIR: Nil, lives in interstellar spaceTREASURE TYPE: Planets may be found

in stomachNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: One world�s worth

per biteSPECIAL ATTACKS: Belch causes

10,000d6 damage to all beings withinone million kilometers

SPECIAL DEFENSES: Has no enemiesMAGIC RESISTANCE: Magic?

What�s that?INTELLIGENCE: AnimalALIGNMENT: Perpetually hungry

SIZE: L (120,600 km from nose to tailPSIONIC ABILITY: Psionics? How do

you spell that?

The dreaded Quazar Dragon is actuallyan alien lifeform that consumes wholeworlds to sustain its energy requirements. Itis especially attracted to worlds where enor-mous quantities of magic may be found,and it can detect the presence of such plan-ets from a third of the distance across theGalactic Disk. Such worlds are usually inthe terminal stages of what the gods call�The Monty Haul Syndrome,� in which ahandful of characters has managed to seizecontrol of their entire world�s supply ofmagic items and are busy making evenmore.

The first clue that a �Monty Haul�world is about to be eaten comes when thecharacters walk outside their gold-plated+8 castle walls, wearing their +22 plate-mail of prismatic invulnerability, and seethe sun disappear. This is a sure indicatorthat the Quazar Dragon has opened its28,260 km wide mouth and is about toswallow the planet whole. The only possibleway to save oneself in such a situation is toimmediately throw all the magical items onecan get hold of into a sphere of annihilation.The Quazar Dragon will take about 12-48hours to close its mouth, so the charactersdo have a little lead time. ALL magic,every scrap of it, every teensy weensy ittybitty bit of it, must be destroyed. If this isdone, there is a 5% chance the QuazarDragon will change its mind and not gulpthe planet down.

The deities themselves cannot undo orhave any say in the actions of the QuazarDragon, and to be perfectly honest, none ofthem want to do so. The Quazar Dragonhas gotten rid of many planets on whichcharacters dared call themselves the equalsof the gods, and the gods are quite pleasedwith the overall result, even if it does meanhaving to go back to the drawing board andcreate another new planet.

The Quazar Dragon has no natural ene-mies, being immune even to bumping intoneutron stars. It uses the vast amount ofenergy it takes in to launch itself acrossinterstellar space at trans-light velocities,ever searching for another inflated world tohave for a light snack.

D R A G O N 5 3

Rules to lose byThe Hopeless character class

From an ideaby Roger Koppy

Almost every gamer has had his bad days with the dice whencreating a new character for AD&D® gaming. I�ve had my share ofthem and have decided to do something about it. Instead of rollingand rerolling and re-rerolling and re-re-rerolling the dice to get anacceptable character that the DM�s going to kill off in five minutesanyhow, why not just generate a thoroughly lousy character andgive it a class of its own?

Thus was born the Hopeless character class. In order to qualify asa Hopeless character, a character must have all ability scores rolledas d4 + 2, giving a range of 3-6 for all major characteristics(strength, intelligence, etc.). A Hopeless character will suffer somesort of penalty for each such characteristic, as given in the PlayersHandbook. Not to worry. After all, this IS supposed to be a hopelesscharacter.

Race: All Hopeless characters are human, since the racial abilitylimits are too high for this class to qualify as anything other thanhuman. Besides, humans are boring compared to things like elves,dwarves, and the like, and this just adds insult to injury for Hopelesscharacters.

Hit dice: Hopeless characters get only one roll for hit points,regardless of their level, and they don�t even get to use regular diceat that. At 1st level, a Hopeless character receives 1-2 hp (flip a coin,with heads being 2 hp and tails being 1 hp). This coin toss is re-flipped at every level, and all former hit points are dropped andforgotten. A 1st-level Hopeless character could have 2 hp, then have1 hp at 2nd level, then 2 hp at 3rd level, then back to 1 hp at 4thlevel, etc. You get the idea. Life ain�t fair, man.

Armor: Any protection other than padded armor would be for-eign and useless in the hands of a Hopeless character. None of themknow how to put on anything more complicated than an old quilt.And shields? Shields are too cumbersome and Hopeless charactersare needlessly burdened by them. Shields do make nice dinner traysand wall hangings, however.

Weapons: To their credit, Hopeless characters may use any sort ofweapon that has no moving parts to confuse them, sharp edges tocut themselves on, or any other dangerous parts. This eliminates allof the useless things like the spetum and the glaive-guisarme, whichno one can pronounce, much less use anyway, and leaves just thesimplest and most efficient of all weapons: the club. No hurled orprojected missiles may be used, as these always backfire in the handsof a true Hopeless character, causing serious injury to either thethrower or the nearest ally. This rule also applies to sharp weaponsand those with moving parts.

Oil and poison: C�mon, get serious. Oil? Poison? Hopeless char-acters avoid these for their own good, being too clumsy to even thinkabout using them. I mean, really now.

Number of attacks per round: Just one. No more. Also, as longas we�re on the topic, Hopeless characters don�t have to worry aboutgaining any new weapons as they rise in levels or anything; read theparagraph above on weapons if you can�t figure out why.

Alignment: As if it made any difference, Hopeless characters maybe of any alignment that will have them.

Strongholds: A Hopeless character will never settle down toconstruct a stronghold for the following reasons:

1. He wouldn�t have any idea of how to get such a project started;2. If he received any help on getting the project started, he

wouldn�t have the faintest notion of how to govern a castle complex,its inhabitants, or his retainers, servants, hirelings, henchmen,maids, or the persons who live in his realm; and,

3. If, by some major miracle or gift of the DM, the Hopelesscharacter accomplished both of the above objectives, those peoplewho are supposed to be under his rulership would immediately

54 APRIL 1985

realize they were under the command of an incompetent and wouldoverthrow the character.

If a Hopeless character is lucky, he might be able to settle down atsome point and construct a straw or sod hut. Then the character cangovern as many chickens and pigs he wishes, until such time as theyoverthrow him.

Henchmen and hirelings: Not a chance. Would you work for aguy like this?

Hopeless character experience tableExperience 2-Sided Die

Points Level For Hit Pts. Level Title0 � 2,024 1 1 Klutz

2,025 � 4,076 2 * 1 Quack4,077 � 7,351 3 * 1 Goof7,352 � 16,395 4 * 1 Jerk

16,396 � 33,743 5 * 1 Blunderer33,744 � 52,448 6 * 1 Fumbler52,449 � 101,010 7 * 1 Maladroit

101,011 � 217,732 8 * 1 Public Hazard217,733 � 575,949 9 * 1 Incompetent

primarily for the reader�s amusement. Few Hopeless characters areknown to have ever made it past 1st level.

Special abilitiesAll Hopeless characters attack as 0-level humans and make saving

throws as 0-level humans. This is special because no one else istreated in this manner.

Anytime a Hopeless character rolls a 1 for a saving throw, heimmediately takes the maximum possible amount of damage fromthe attack. If a Hopeless character rolls a 1 on a �to hit� roll, heautomatically hits himself for normal damage (or, optionally, hisnearest ally for maximum damage).

All enemies of a Hopeless character immediately gain a +10% toall morale checks, regardless of the company that the Hopeless char-acter has at the time. Six devas and an army of phase dopplegangerelf-trolls could be backing the Hopeless character up, and the oppo-sition will still feel good. Conversely, all allies of a Hopeless charac-ter take a -10% penalty on morale checks so long as they believe theHopeless character is attempting to support them.

Any Hopeless character who survives beyond 1st level immedi-ately gains the power to cast fumble on himself once per day perlevel of experience thereafter. A Hopeless character who actuallymakes it to 4th level gains the power to cause confusion in any intel-ligent character who attempts to hold a conversation with him, apower usable once per round. This confusion is similar to the druidspell of the same name, only no saving throw is given and the confu-sion lasts for 1-4 days. Any Hopeless character who, ahem, makes itto 9th level will immediately gain the power to feeblemind an oppo-nent by touch, to an unlimited extent (this power limited only to oneuse per round). This will cause the Hopeless character to be declareddangerous and harmful to the public welfare, and he will be hunteddown by the armed forces of any nation he passes through.

Hopeless characters, by their nature, have saving throws of 40 vs.illusion/phantasm spells or enchantment/charm spells.

Uses of a Hopeless characterA Hopeless character is useful if you don�t want to waste a better

character in a dangerous scenario. They also make amusing attrac-tions in sideshows if one doesn�t approach them too closely.

* � All information on levels greater than 1st level is presented

D R A G O N 5 5

Getting in over your headSink-or-swim rules for the DRAGONQUEST� gameby Craig Barrett

In the realm of the Deep, mankind is analien. Given the most sophisticated modernequipment (or its magical equivalent in theDRAGONQUEST� game), man is stillonly a visitor here. He does not really be-long in this environment.

He is, however, a persistent visitor.Whether freshwater lake or saltwater ocean,the Deep is a repository of mysteries andtreasures that has lured man from timeimmemorial. So, DRAGONQUEST gameplayers ought to reconcile themselves to thefact that sooner or later one of their charac-ters is going to be drawn into an aquaticadventure. If he is going to survive thatadventure, he better have an idea of whatcould happen to him once his head goesunder the surface.

These rules are an attempt to meet thatneed for knowledge of underwater life andactivities; be aware, however, that everyeffort has been made to adhere to existingDRAGONQUEST rules. When necessary,realism has been sacrificed to playability.So, players should start thinking of swim-ming (which, for clarity�s sake, includesskin diving) as an adventure skill (accordingto rule 83.0), not as an acquired skill(Chapter VII).

SwimmersEvery DRAGONQUEST character

begins campaigning with the Swimmingskill at Rank 0. A character can keep him-self afloat in the water if he doesn�t panic,but that�s about all. He can hold his breathfor 6 pulses (30 seconds), but the thought ofdiving is utterly appalling to him. As thePC increases his Swimming Rank, he be-gins to extend these and other abilities; byRank 10, he is an adept Swimmer.

To chart this progress, use the experiencepoint costs listed for Stealth, which areexactly the same for Swimming, on theExperience Point Cost Chart (87.8). Upthrough Rank 4, EPs are applied to thisskill as described under rule 87.5; fromRank 5 on, EPs are applied directly, asdescribed under rule 87.6.

When a PC achieves Rank 1, he acquiresthese abilities: diving under the surface to adistance of 7½ feet (1.5 cubic hexes), hold-ing his breath for 6 pulses while diving andswimming, and swimming without stopping(hereafter called a sprint) a maximum dis-tance of 25 yards, at a speed of TMR ½.

With each advance in Rank, diving dis-tance increases by 7½ feet, underwater timeincreases by 2 pulses, and sprint distanceincreases by 75 yards. Swimming speed

56 APRIL 1985

increases to TMR 1 at Rank 3 and to TMR1½ at Rank 8. For all humans, chase speedin the Adventure Sequence (see 80.0, para-graph 2b, and Movement Rates, 65.0) isdetermined by multiplying the TMR by 50yards/minute. Note: A PC must spend 3pulses (Ranks 1-4) or 6 pulses (Ranks 5-20)hyperventilating before diving; if this isn�tdone, his diving time is reduced by 30%.

DiversSome PCs begin campaigning at a higher

Swimming Rank. The Diver is a personwho was born and raised around water, andwho probably learned to swim very soonafter he learned to walk. He has a naturalaffinity for water that is almost magical andthat no landsman could ever hope to match.

In order for a player to develop a PC whois a Diver, during the character generationprocess he simply opts, when he comes torule 8.7, for his PC to be a Diver in lieu ofenrolling the PC in a magical college. ThePC automatically receives the Swimmingskill at Rank 5 (worth 7,500 EPs), alongwith the following advantages:

1. A Diver can progress to Rank 20 in theSwimming skill. With each advance inRank from Rank 11 up, diving distanceincreases by 9 feet, underwater time in-creases by 3 pulses, and sprint distanceincreases by 100 yards. At Rank 12, hisswimming speed increases to TMR 2. (EPcosts for Ranks 11-20 are 5,000 EPs perRank.)

2. If a Diver becomes a Beast Masterspecializing in aquatics, a Navigator, or aRanger specializing in the ocean environ-ment, his EP cost for advancing in that skillis reduced by 25%, provided that his Swim-ming Rank is at least 2 levels higher thanhis Rank in that skill. Also, Divers havetheir success percentages in these skillsmodified by 5 points in their favor, when-ever these skills are used in, on, or underthe water.

3. A Diver who becomes a water magereceives a +5 addition to the base chance ofperforming any talent, spell, or ritual of hisCollege. No Diver may become an airmage, fire mage, earth mage, or blackmage.

Players are not encouraged to blithelyenter their PCs into the Diver class. Unlessthe player expects most of his PC�s earlyadventures to be in and around water, theadvantages of the Diver class are insuffi-cient to compensate for not being allowedimmediate entrance into a magical College

or ready access to �The warrior alterna-tive� (see DRAGON® Magazine, issue #86,p. 24). The Diver option is primarily in-cluded for GMs to use in creating veryimportant NPCs who ought to have specialaquatic advantages due to their origins, andto illustrate the fact that latecomers to thesea face enormous difficulties in attemptingto match the prowess of people who havespent all their lives in and around water.

However, players who feel that they�regetting their value�s worth can make theirPCs into Divers if they wish. While thisexcludes them from using the warrior alter-native, PCs who are Divers can alwaysenter a magical college at a later stage oftheir careers.

In addition, Swimmers are not foreverbarred from the higher ranks of the Swim-ming skill. Once a Swimmer has achievedSwimming Rank 10, any further EPs ob-tained during aquatic activity while wearinga merfolk�s cap of woven gold can be ap-plied toward achieving Swimming Rank 11and up. Without a merfolk�s cap, swimmersmust pay 7,500 EPs/Rank to achieve Ranks11-15, and 10,000 EPs/Rank to achieveRanks 16-20. In this way, a Swimmer cango as high as Swimming Rank 20 if hedesires, but he uses the skill increases perRank described under the �Swimmers,�heading above, not the increases given forDivers. Swimmers are never Divers: theadvantages of Divers described in this sec-tion never apply to Swimmers, no matterhow high a Swimming Rank they achieve.(But Swimmers do get TMR 2 at Swim-ming Rank 12.)

As to whether Divers who are alreadywater mages (or some other type) can alsobecome air, fire, earth, or black mages,using the option described in Eric Gold-berg�s DRAGONQUEST article inChaosium�s Thieves� World, this should beleft to GM discretion. I would favor it,providing the Diver became a water magebefore becoming any of the other fourtypes, to fully establish his mastery of thewater environment.

Underwater combatAll surface dwellers, whether Swimmers

or Divers, suffer one common disabilityunderwater: they are �legally blind.� Theycan locate light sources, and they can see,fuzzily, for about 3 hexes, but that�s all.Fortunately, this problem can be overcomeby using goggles (which block peripheralvision into the rear half of each hex on thecharacter�s right and left front) or a diving

mask (which gives unobstructed vision inthose hexes).

Less easy to overcome is the 25% visualdistortion with regard to distance, size, andangles that also affects all surface dwellersunderwater. Only experience teaches com-pensation for this, so distortion is reducedto 20% at Rank 1, 15% at Rank 2, 10% atRank 3, 5% at Rank 4, and 0% at Rank 5and above. This affects all ranged andmelee combat, underwater only.

Other than that, aquatic combat is essen-tially governed by rule 67.0, with directionsreversed: base chance of a character on thesurface hitting a character underwater isreduced by 20, with the added provisionthat no character who is 5 cubic hexes ormore below the surface can be hit by rangedcombat from the surface. Base chance of acharacter below the surface hitting a charac-ter above the surface is reduced by 15.

All ranged weapons are useless underwa-ter, except for three. Crossbows and heavycrossbows can be used, with reduced rangesof 3 and 4 hexes respectively, but no changein the base chance for being underwater.Nets used underwater have a range of 2hexes, with -10 to the base chance for thesecond hex only.

Both in and under the water, any meleeor close combat weapon has its base chancereduced by 10. Underwater, both Class Band Class C weapons suffer a further reduc-tion of -20 to their base chance, as well as -5to their current damage modifier. The

minimum Physical Strength for proper useof Class B and C weapons is increased by 1while underwater.

These reductions do not apply to magicweapons. Likewise, the fact that surfacedwellers are unable to make effective vocalcommunication while underwater does notaffect the use of magic. The limited soundsthat are possible serve magical purposesperfectly well. However, the process ofcasting a spell, vocal or not, reduces under-water breath time by 1 pulse in all cases �unless the Water Breathing Spell (41.G-12)or the merfolk�s cap of woven gold is beingused.

A note on watergoing monsters: In addi-tion to the 13 creatures listed in the Aquat-ics section of the DRAGONQUEST rulebook, the rules also contain swimminginformation for crocodiles, giant land tur-tles, suarimes, nixies, fossergrim, nagas,water elementals, and the demons Furcalor,Vephar, and Forneus. Tigers and sabertoothtigers may also be met in the water, andthese have TMRs of 1 and ½, respectively.Other non-aquatic creatures that are inwater seldom move faster than TMR ½.

BuoyancyAnother critical factor in underwater

combat is buoyancy (hereafter abbreviatedas BCY). With positive BCY, an object risesin water; with negative BCY, it sinks. At 0BCY, an object floats where it has beenplaced until it is moved.

The following assumptions are made forgame purposes only: When used to balanceweight, 1 BCY point equals 5 pounds. Howfast an object rises or sinks depends on howmuch BCY it has in excess of 0 BCY, with 1BCY point equal to 1 TMR. Maximumrates are TMR 4 in ascent and TMR 7 indescent.

Example: If a Diver wants to raise a 15-pound object from the bottom of a lake, hecan attach three 1-pound flotation bags(each filled with +1 BCY equivalent of air)to get 0 BCY, and then he can add onemore to get 1 TMR of lift. The object willrise 1 hex every pulse until the bags reachthe surface. Attaching a total of seven flota-tion bags would give the maximum ascentof TMR 4.

Example: To gain extra �bottom time,� aDiver can hold onto a line attached to aheavy weight and move with it as far downas he likes. If the diver is at 0 BCY, a 35-pound weight will take him down at themaximum rate of TMR 7.

Human males have +1 natural BCY andrequire a 5-pound weight belt to achieve 0BCY, human females have a +2 naturalBCY and require a 10-pound weight belt.Or, natural BCY can be overcome by ex-pending Agility points, with 1 AG pointequal to 1 BCY point.

Example: A woman of AG 15 can use 2AG points to overcome her +2 naturalBCY, rather than a 10-pound weight belt.

Similarly, the Diver described above

D R A G O N 5 7

could have used 4 AG points to lift the 15-pound object to the surface, rather thanfour flotation bags. While Physical Strengthstates how much one can carry (see rules4.1 and 82.9) and indicates how muchenergy is needed to overcome the inertia ofobjects in water (to lift, pull, or push),Agility dictates whether one can or cannotmove that weight. Use this formula: 1 AG= 1 BCY = 1 TMR.

This can become dangerous, though,because AG points are also required for aswimmer so that he can move himself inwater. At Ranks 1-2, 6 AG points are re-quired per ½ TMR of speed; at Ranks 3-7,3 AG points per ½ TMR; at Ranks 8-11, 2AG points per ½ TMR; and, at Ranks 12-20, 1 AG point per ½ TMR. These AGpoints are not lost, and AG used for swim-ming can be simultaneously used for com-bat, stealth, or when determining InitiativeValue. But AG points used for swimmingcannot also be used for BCY.

Example: A woman of AG 15 would have13 AG points available for combat if sheused 2 AG points to overcome her natural

Example: At Swimming Rank 9 and AG15, with a 5-pound weight belt for 0 BCY, aDiver needs 4 AG points to swim at 1 TMRand 4 more to lift the 15-pound weight at 1TMR. This would still leave him 7 AGpoints unused and a total of 11 AG pointsavailable for combat (his normal 15 minusonly the 4 AG points used to lift and movethe 15-pound object).

BCY, no matter what her Rank is or howfast she chooses to swim. With a 10-poundweight belt to counter her natural BCY, all15 of her AG points would be available forother uses.

All of this points to the trouble a clothedand armored man has in water. Clothesbecome waterlogged rapidly, and theirweight affects both BCY and AG, with aminimum AG loss of 2 points. Shoes absorban additional 1 AG point; boots, 2 AGpoints. All types of armor except chain mailhave 30% added to their weight; all types ofarmor except plate mail add 1 to the wear-er�s AG loss, and plate mail doubles its AGloss.

keep the burden he�s carrying in motion).With only AG 16, he would have enough

points to keep afloat, but not enough to

Example: Wearing chain mail armor andseven pounds of clothes and boots in water,a man of AG 25 has a total AG loss of 7points (2 for clothes, 2 for boots, and 3 forarmor). He also suffers -10 BCY (7 + 42 =49 pounds of weight, divided by 5 = 9.8,rounded up to 10). His natural BCY is +1,but the additional 9 AG points applied toBCY gives him a net result of 0 BCY. With7 AG points already lost, that leaves himwith 9 AG points to spare. He can easilyapply 1 AG point to moving the weight he�scarrying and 6 AG points to swimming, nomatter what his Swimming Rank is. Heeven has a total of 8 AG points for combat(his 9-point reserve minus 1 point needed to

58 APRIL 1985

swim even one stroke. How long he couldfloat like that, or whether he could unbur-den himself, would depend on GM discre-tion. With only AG 15, he couldn�t evenfloat. He�d sink at a rate of TMR 1, start-ing the moment he entered the water.

If two men grapple in the water (twocombatants, or a drowning victim clutchingin panic at his rescuer), all of their AGpoints are absorbed in combat and cannotbe used for BCY. (The same is true of aman who is entangled.) Men in this condi-tion rise or sink according to their combinedBCY, with -2 BCY added to their total toaccount for the effects of mutual awkward-ness in water.

Normal exertionTime spent active in water is always

costly in Fatigue points for a landsman.Whenever a character spends a significantportion of any given hour in water (see82.1, paragraph 3), consult the Fatigue andEncumbrance Chart (82.9) as though hehad been carrying 60 pounds of weight for afull hour, and charge him the appropriatenumber of FT points. The exercise rateshould be read as one level higher than thesame exercise on land. (In lieu of assigningit a higher rate, the cost of strenuous exer-cise is doubled.)

This does not include the FT cost ofanything being carried, pushed, or towed inwater for a significant amount of time.Determine this cost separately, again at arate one level higher than on land.

Exceeding the limitsUp to this point, the life of a Swimmer or

Diver is relatively easy and uncomplicated.As long as he stays within his limits (andout of the reach of the nasties, he doesn�thave much to worry about. But if he wantsto complicate matters, he can exceed hislimits � for a price.

1. If a character dives past his Ranklimit, he immediately expends 1 FT penaltypoint for every 5 feet that he exceeds it by.

2. If a character exceeds his sprint limit,he immediately expends 1 FT point forevery 5 yards (+5 per Rank), or portionthereof, that he exceeds his limit.

3. During the tactical stage (rule 80.0,section 3), a character may double hisTMR for a number of pulses equal to hisSwimming Rank. To do this, he must haveenough free AG points to account for theextra speed (at the usual AG cost for hisRank). He must also pay 1 FT point per ½TMR of extra speed, payable every 10pulses, or portion thereof, spent at extraspeed. Underwater, the FT penalty is pay-able every 5 pulses, or portion thereof. Thisburst of extra speed is possible only onceper sprint or dive.

4. A character may exceed his underwa-ter time by a number of pulses equal to one-half of his Willpower (rounding down), at acost of 1 FT point every third pulse. Thefirst FT penalty point is lost on the firstWillpower pulse. If the character is not ableto take a breath by the time these pulses are

used up, he immediately begins to drown.5. In addition, whenever a surface

dweller dives past 33 feet, he immediatelyloses 1 FT penalty point. Another point islost going past 66 feet, and another goingpast 99 feet.

FT penalty losses due to these five causesare cumulative during a single sprint ordive. (A sprint is ended when at least 3pulses are spent at rest; a dive, when thecharacter resurfaces.) If a character accu-mulates FT penalties greater than one-thirdof his original Endurance level (roundingdown), the effect is the same as if he hadsuffered these losses due to a wound (rule19, paragraph 2): the character is immedi-ately stunned and begins to drown if still inthe water.

Fortunately, so long as the characterdoesn�t incur the drowning penalty, FTlosses due to these five causes are fairly easyto recover � unlike normal FT losses,which aren�t. Once the character is able tospend time resting totally out of the water,his rate of recovery is determined by divid-ing his normal FT level by his SwimmingRank (rounding up). The result is the num-ber of pulses of rest it takes him to recovereach FT penalty point. (FT points lost tocauses other than these five cannot be re-covered in this fashion.)

Females recover FT penalty points as ifthey were one Swimming Rank higher thantheir current level.

A character has one hour to recover FTpenalties; all unrecovered points after thattime become normal FT losses that willhave to be recovered in the normal fashion.FT penalty points are treated as lost pointsfor all purposes until they are recovered. Ifa character hyperventilates for a full dive,but only dives for 70% or less of his allottedunderwater time, 1 FT point lost duringthat dive is automatically restored at theend of the dive.

Also note that a character can exceed hisTMR limit while descending, without pen-alty, by making a sounding dive. This isonly possible at Swimming Rank 8 orhigher. The technique is to float on thesurface at 0 BCY, often while using a divingmask and snorkel to observe below. Whenthe character wants to make an extra-rapiddive, he jackknifes in the water, throws hisfeet into the air, and descends at TMR 3(for males) or TMR 2 (for females). Hyper-ventilation cannot be used with a soundingdive.

Even the number of FT points a charac-ter has can be exceeded (as in rule 82.6),but for a character in water, this is diredanger. The character may expend �phan-tom� FT points up to one-half of his initialFT points (rounding down) in aquaticactivity. In the pulse in which the last phan-tom point is expended, he immediatelycollapses. These phantom FT points mustbe �restored� by sleeping 1 hour per 2points, and only when this is completed canthe character begin restoring real FTpoints. (By now, FT penalty points havebecome normal FT losses, of course.) For

rule 82.6, paragraph 3, 1 phantom FTpoint equals one half-hour of exhaustion.

DrowningDrowning is the greatest danger a charac-

ter faces in the water. Aquatic enemies mayor may not be present in any given situa-tion, but wherever there is water, there isthe danger of drowning.

For game purposes, drowning is a processof Fatigue and Endurance point loss. In thepulse a character is declared to be drown-ing, he loses 1 FT point, and then continuesto lose 1 FT point every pulse thereafter.When he has lost all FT points, he isstunned. In the following pulse, EN pointloss begins at the rate of 1 point per pulse.When all EN points are gone, the characteris dead.

Once drowning has begun, the processcontinues until it is corrected by directaction, or until the character dies.

Drowning may result from several things.Whenever a character underwater uses upall his breath time, including his extraWillpower pulses, he is declared to bedrowning. Swim rate is reduced to 1/3 TMR(plus BCY ascent rate), and the characterimmediately makes a Willpower test to seeif he panics. If he rolls equal to or less than(Willpower x 4), he retains his self-controland can continue to help himself (by releas-ing his weight belt if he hasn�t already doneso, for example). If he rolls higher, he pan-ics and can no longer help himself.

A character who is stunned in or underthe water is also declared to be drowning.He cannot recover from being stunned orpanicked until after the drowning process isstopped (presuming he�s rescued).

Panic may result from anything thatwould cause panic on land (see rule 64.1,for example). When consulting the FrightTable (44.8) for characters in water, anyresult from 26-95 should be considered aspanic only � use the 26-76 explanation(recognizing that in water a panicked,drowning victim is virtually immobilized).All panicked victims begin to drown.

In addition, a Rank 0 Swimmer who(voluntarily or involuntarily) enters a freebody of water up to neck level makes animmediate Willpower check. If no frightoccurs, a further WP check is made every30 seconds the swimmer remains in thewater at that depth, or whenever an eventoccurs that would frighten him (such as asplash sending water over his head). Iffright occurs, consult the Fright Table, with01-20 as given and 21 + as a panic reaction.

Rescue and recoveryTo rescue a drowning victim, the rescuer

must come into close contact and execute asuccessful restrain action (16.5) on thevictim. A victim who is either stunned ornot panicking presents no problems (use thePS and AG of the rescuer, x 3, only), andthe victim can be pulled to safety at ½TMR (if rescuer has a Swimming Rankfrom 1-7) or 1 TMR (if rescuer has a Swim-ming Rank from 8-20).

A panicked victim, however, will attemptto grapple (16.3) any rescuer who comeswithin range and sight. If the grapple actionsucceeds, the rescuer must attempt to breakthe victim�s hold, or both may sink (seeBuoyancy, above). To lessen this risk, tworescuers may make a combined restrainattempt on a panicked victim.

An unstunned victim may also attempt aself-rescue by using a grapple action to seizea rope, branch, floating log, bush, or someother object that is within reach and sight,and pull himself to safety. Base chance ofthe grapple is determined as if the objectwere a person with PS 0 and FT 0 (see17.6, Strike Chance Modifiers). A panickedvictim suffers a -10 penalty to his basechance.

Only when the drowning victim reachesor is brought to a place of safety � essen-tially, out of the water, though the GM mayrule a character halfway up on a log or rockto be considered safe � can an attempt bemade to end the drowning process.

Every Swimmer and Diver learns lifesav-ing techniques when he learns to swim, andimproves them as his Swimming Rankincreases. Therefore, the rescuer with thehighest Swimming Rank should make theprimary lifesaving attempt. The basechance for this is the total of the victim�sremaining FT and EN points at the mo-ment of the attempt, plus (the rescuer�sSwimming Rank x 3). If a D100 roll isequal to or less than the base chance,

D R A G O N 5 9

drowning stops at once. If not, drowningcontinues, but further attempts may bemade every pulse until the victim is savedor dies. If more than one rescuer is present,a second rescuer may assist by adding his(Swimming Rank x 2) to the base chance.(An unstunned victim who is not panickingmay add his unmodified Swimming Rankto that of a single rescuer.)

An unstunned victim who has performeda self-rescue may attempt a self-save byadding his unmodified Swimming Rank tohis remaining FT and EN points; a pan-icked victim uses only his FT and ENpoints. The self-save attempt may be re-peated only until the character becomesstunned.

If the victim is under the Spell of Flota-tion (41.G-4), the extra Willpower pulsesadded to his breath time are increased by50%, and his chance of resisting panic isincreased by the strength of the spell (baseincrease of 5, plus 1 per mage�s Rank). Allrescue and lifesaving attempts (both byhimself and others) also benefit by thestrength of the spell. (Attempts by a pan-icked victim to grapple rescuers are reducedby the strength of the spell � the magichelps its target in spite of himself.)

In the pulse that a lifesaving attemptsucceeds, all FT and EN losses end. Pan-icked victims will not resist lifesaving,though they may have resisted rescue, andpanic ends in the pulse that lifesaving suc-ceeds. Beginning with this pulse, stunned

60 APRIL 1985

victims may attempt to recover from stun(see rule 19).

Once the drowning victim has beensaved, recovery of FT and EN points lostdue to near-drowning depends on the vic-tim�s fitness, as measured by his SwimmingRank. First, lost EN points are recovered ata rate of 2 per Rank for every six hours thevictim sleeps. Once that process is com-pleted and all EN points lost due to near-drowning are recovered, then FT points lostdue to near-drowning are recovered at arate of 2 per Rank every hour the victimrests. If no EN points were lost, FT recov-ery may begin at once.

New weapons and basic goodsThe following items should be added to

the weapons and goods lists:Diving knife: 14 oz., PS 7, MD 11, base

chance 50, damage modifier +1, range P(not weighted for throwing), Class A, useMC, cost 12. Skill Ranks with daggersapply.

Diver�s safety line: 150 ft. long, 15 lbs.,15 SPs.

Diving goggles: 9 oz., 15 SPs.Diving mask: 16 oz., 30 SPs.Snorkel tube: 12 oz., 2 SPs. Used to

breathe while floating facedown in water.Sounding dives will not dislodge it. Be sureto clear it of water before each use.

Weight belts: 5-pound type, 3 SPs; 10-pound type, 4 SPs; 15-pound type, 5 SPs.Belts have quick-loose ties and should beput on last when donning diving gear sothat they can be released without troubleduring emergencies.

Flotation (air) bags: 1-pound size, 2 SPs.Diver�s net sack: 8 oz., 1 SP. Since water

flows through the fine, cut-resistant mesh,the sack never adds + BCY beyond what-ever is placed inside. It has a drawstringclosure.

Diver�s belt: 12 oz., 4 SPs. Belt has sewnpouches for items small enough to passthrough the mesh of a diver�s net sack, andit also has loops for carrying tools andweapons.

Calf sheath: 8 oz., 2 SPs. Used for carry-ing a diving knife (only) at the calf; can beused on either leg.

Remember that the gear that a diveractually wears is made for underwater useand never imposes BCY or AG penalties onthe wearer � except for weight belts, whichaffect BCY.

A final word: These rules are designedfor a Mediterranean-style climate. If cam-paigns are to occur in cold Northern waters,be prepared to add warm clothing � long-johns, for example (of the waterproof sort)� to the basic goods list.

In real life, the hallmark of the goodswimmer or diver is caution. Wisdom dic-tates that he knows his limits and that hedoesn�t go beyond them. Hopefully, thatprinciple has come across in this article. If aSwimmer or Diver stays within his limits,he can collect all the rewards of the Deepand perhaps suffer none of its penalties.

D R A G O N 6 1

64 APRIL 1985

N A HILLTOP JUST NORTH OFWyndark, Sister Ayala huddled bythe campfire in the grey pre-dawnchill. In a few hours her party wouldbe on the move again and, beforenightfall � with the Goddess� bless-ing, thought the cleric automatically

� out of these debatable lands and in the river settle-ments. She crossed her arms under her cloak andrubbed her thin shoulders. A bed tonight, and no nightwatches. Her militant order was not noted for itsausterity.

A movement among her sleeping companionscaught the attention of the little priestess. Briony wasstirring. Suddenly rolling over and sitting boltupright, Briony scattered her fur wraps. Ayala smiled.The ranger always woke thus, leaping from her bed asif the camp were being attacked. An admirable trait ina ranger, but one with occasionally humorous results.Ayala, remembering a certain incident at the inn inUsseresk, smiled more broadly. Again, her order wasnot noted for its austerity.

Picking her way between the sleepers, Briony movedto the fire. �God�s teeth, but it�s cold!� she growled.

Ayala reached toward the pile of firewood by herside. �Then let us build up the fire for breakfast, rouseup these sluggards, and be gone the sooner.�

�Nay, Sister,� the ranger replied, touching Ayala�soutstretched hand, �bide for a moment. I�ve beenwatching for a time to consult with you privately.�

Puzzled, the little cleric sat back, folding her armsunder her cloak again. The tall ranger stood, turningto scrutinize the party still sleeping behind her. Shestared at the still forms for a moment, then movedaround the campfire and squatted beside Ayala. �Haveyou noticed nothing amiss with Inglaf?� Briony asked.

Ayala peered across the fire at the figure of the war-rior bundled in his sleeping robes. �No,� she answeredafter a brief pause. �Is his wound paining him? Iwould have sworn it was healed. Why did he saynothing of it to me last night?�

The ranger poked at the fire with a branch. �I don�tthink it is his wound. I�m no healer, of course, but hemoved lithely enough yesterday. No, there�s somethingelse troubling him. I don�t know what, but I�m wor-ried.� Briony thrust the stick into the fire impatiently.

Ayala nodded vigorously. The ranger was not afidgeter. She probably had reason for her concern.

�Keep an eye on him, won�t you, Sister?� askedBriony. �Perhaps he�s slept off his trouble, but ifnot. . . . Look, we�re not home yet, even if we arenearly out of the wilderlands. We�ll need every fighteralert and whole-hearted until then.

The cleric nodded again. �I�ll ferret out whatever itis that ails him, Briony, never fear.� Ayala slapped herknees with a decisive air. �Depend upon it.�

As the day wore on into the afternoon, Sister Ayalabegan to wish that she had not spoken so confidently.Gloom wrapped Inglaf like a cloak, bowed his headlike a heavy burden. No, worse than that! Inglaf�sstrength was his pride; no physical weight would cause

Inglaf�sDreamby Ama Darr Rogan

Illustrations by Valerie Valusek

D R A G O N 6 5

him to hang his head. And worst of all, worried the lit-tle cleric, his demeanor has begun to infect the rest ofthe party. Even Trath, usually as light-hearted as hiselvish kindred, and his half-brother Lilliard lookeddour. As dour as . . . as dwarves! thought Ayala an-grily. She shook her head with vexation, the loops andbraids of her ritual headdress dancing in the sunlight.What ails Inglaf? she asked herself just as she hadasked him earlier. His only answer then had been adespairing sigh; now she answered with a sigh of herown and trudged onward.

At eventide they found the inn for which Ayala hadyearned during the cold morning watches. It was not aparticularly elegant accommodation, but was stockedwith the homely comforts weary travelers most desire.

It had clean beds, noted Trath, his spirits restored,�though who�d complain of a flea or three after spidersand wood lice?�

It had hot water. Ludo Piedevair leered up at tallBriony. �Shall I come along and scrub your back,m�dear?� he asked.

�What! You�d steal the soap, you half-pint thief!Pick on someone your own size,� the ranger sputteredwith laughter.

And it had superlative ale. Ayala sighed with con-tentment. She could feel her first mugful clear down toher toes, which now seemed as warm as Ludo�s. Jov-ially, she banged the mug on the bar for a refill. Offthe road again! Party time! Then she caught sight ofInglaf, slouched at the end of the bar knocking backhis . . . yes, his fourth mug of ale as if it had beenwater. Damn the man! thought Ayala furiously. Then,contritely fingering the medallion at her breast, �No, Ididn�t really mean it,� she whispered.

The barmaid who was offering her the refilled mugbrought Ayala�s thoughts back to reality. A comelyenough wench, Ayala mused. Why can�t Inglaf take afancy to her and take his mind off his troubles? Ayalatook a deep draught of the ale, trying to recapture theparty mood. No use, Sister, she told herself. You knowyour duty. With another sigh, she set down the mug,wiped her mouth on her sleeve, squared her shoulders,and marched over to Inglaf.

�Come along, brother. Outside.�The fighter gazed at her dully.�And don�t pretend you�re drunk. You�ve put away

enough, but it�s had no effect. I can tell.��Nay, Sister.� They stood staring at each other for a

moment, then his head dropped and he covered hisface with his hands. �Oh, God. Sister . . . I . . . I ��

Ayala quickly grabbed his shoulder. �Not here, man.Come on. Outside, I tell you. Come, Inglaf. Outside.�

Half pulling, half shoving him, the little clericbundled the warrior through the taproom and out ofthe door, slamming it firmly behind them.

The night air, sharp with frost, still and clear,braced Inglaf for a moment. Ayala relaxed her grip onhis arm. After she had guided him gently to the benchunder the lantern hanging by the inn door, Inglafslumped down. He threw up a hand to shield his eyesfrom the lamplight, then said, �I thank you, Sister. I

66 APRIL 1985

don�t know what came over me in there. The heat andthe noise belike, or the ale. Say what you like, but thatwere uncommon powerful ale.�

Ayala snatched his hand from his face and glared athim. �Don�t trifle with me, Inglaf,� she snapped.�Heat and noise, indeed! Look me in the eye and giveme that sort of a child�s tale, if you dare.� Then sheadded more kindly, �Come now, Inglaf. There�s some-thing weighing on your mind. Tell me.�

�Don�t ask me, Ayala, I beg you.� Again he buriedhis face in his hands and groaned. �Ah, God! Thehorror of it. Don�t ask me.�

Ayala drew herself erect. Clasping her medallion, sheheld it out toward him and called, not loudly, but in acommanding tone, �Inglaf Ingmarson. Attend to me.�

His hands dropped, and he gazed at her with awe.Was it a trick of lantern light and moonlight com-bined, or one of his diseased imagination, that gavethe little cleric an unearthly aura?

�Attend!� she said again. �I adjure thee, in the nameof our Sovereign Lady and Mother, the most compas-sionate Queen of Heaven, to reveal thy distress to me,Her servant, that thou mayst have solace.�

Could this be Ayala, the Ayala he knew? Trembling,the fighter sank to his knees, stammering, �M � m . . .my Lady . . .�

�Kneel not to me, Inglaf,� she said quietly. �Youknow, I hope, that it was never I alone who healedyour wounds, but my Goddess. I wish Her now to healyour wounded spirit; however, as I am only Herearthly instrument, you must tell me what your troubleis.� She moved to the bench. �Sit here beside me.�Somewhat hesitantly he obeyed her, shaking his headas if to clear away the disturbing visions. She pattedhis hand. �Now speak, my friend.�

�Well.� He leaned forward, staring at his handsclasped together on his knees. �Well, it were like this,Ayala. It were a dream.�

Oh, Heaven bless us! thought the cleric crossly. Allthis fuss for a mere dream! Either she fidgeted impa-tiently or he caught her thought, for he shot her asharp glance.

�It weren�t no common dream.��Some dreams are sent from the gods, of course � or

from elsewhere,� she replied as patiently as possible.It�s most unlikely that this is either a portent or anomen, she thought, whatever I may say to soothe him.No, Inglaf has had a nightmare, so I must sit herefreezing. Unobtrusively, she drew her feet in under herrobe. �Go on, Inglaf.�

�Not no common dream,� he repeated. �More of avision, like. And what�s more, Sister, it�s come on methese two nights running. Now that�s more like a send-ing, ain�t it?�

Ayala nodded slowly. Two nights! That altered thecase considerably. �And tonight?� she asked.

He shuddered. �It�s the third night, you see. That�swhy I was trying to get drunk. But you were right: Itdone no good.�

�No,� answered the priestess briskly. �All that canhelp is to tell me. What happens in your dream?�

He looked at his hands again. Ayala, following hisgaze, saw that they were tightly clenched.

�It begin with me, all alone in the dark . . . and itget lighter and lighter, very slow. But I can�t turn myhead, nor even my eyes, to see where the light comesfrom. I�m standing there but I can�t move at all. It�slike � do you remember that fellow we met, in thatbar in St. Sylla that time? Poor bastard were magickedinto a statue for a hundred year � or so he said. But allthe while, he were alive inside.� He looked at herinquiringly. She nodded.

�It�s like that. So then it�s light, you see, and I cantell I�m on a vast, great pavement, stretching as far asI can see. I can�t see sky nor walls nor anything else.�He hesitated. �And then . . . then I do notice . . .something.�

She leaned toward him. �Go on,� she whispered.He wrung his hands. �It�s . . . all of us.�Inglaf gestured toward the inn door. �All the rest of

us � our company. Don�t you see? We�re all statuestoo, lined up as we usually march. Briony�s out infront, on point. And little Ludo�s about ten pacesbehind and flanking her like always. Sharper than aferret, he is, always looking out for any little thing. It�sthem to the life, but frozen, sort of. . . . Then Trathand Lilliard�s behind them and � oh, merciful Gods,Sister � the horrible thing is their cloaks, billowingout behind them like there�s a high wind or like they�rerunning. But there�s no wind at all, and they can�tmove at all.

�And then . . . I can�t move nor look around, but mystatue�s turned a little so I can just catch a glimpse of. . . of you, Ayala.�

Beside him Ayala trembled with a chill that hadnothing to do with the autumn night.

�That ain�t the worst yet.�Ayala signed him to continue.�Beyond you . . . there�s Reynar.��Oh, no!� she cried. �That can�t be, Inglaf. He�s

dead!��In my dream his statue . . . it�s fallen over.�She was sobbing now, her thin shoulders shaking,

her braids quivering. �Oh, Inglaf. I tried to save him; Itried so hard!�

Inglaf put his arm around her, patting her shouldersoothingly. �There, there. There, Ayala, I�m sorry. Butyou would ask me.�

She gulped, stiffened, dashed the tears from her eyes.�No!� She drew a deep breath, forcing herself to speakcalmly. �No, Inglaf. I didn�t just ask you. I adjuredyou in the name of my Goddess. And I adjure you still.You were right: It is a terrible dream. But you mustfinish telling me if I�m to help you. Don�t try to spareme.�

He nodded. �I understand, Sister. Well, then. That�sthe first bit, where I can just see. Then, a little at atime, I can hear. It�s a horrible din at first. Far aboveme, voices are gabbling all at once. The first night �forgive me! � I thought it was the gods and I wascome to judgment. But then, even though I can under-stand what they say, it don�t make sense at all.�

�What do they say?� Ayala was almost afraid to ask.�It don�t make any sense,� Inglaf cried angrily.

�They go on for a bit about rolls and about how hedidn�t make a roll nor she didn�t make a roll. And thenthey quieten down some and one voice � the onethat�s been yelling loudest � says, �Okay, Karl. Youroll up another character, and I�ll put him in later.�And another voice says, �Same level?� First voice, hesays, �Fat chance!� Like that � kind of nasty.� ThenInglaf looked away. �I won�t repeat what the othersays, that Karl. And another voice � it�s a woman thistime � she says �Oh, shut up, Karl. Let�s get on withit.� And then, all of a sudden, I�m pulled out of mybody, in the statue there; and I�m in another body, onethat can move and feel. And . . . and I�m staring downat that pavement, but it ain�t no pavement. It�s . . . it�ssort of a great, shiny parchment . . . marked off liketiles. And there�s our statues again. But this time,they�re tiddly little things not so big as your thumb.

�I look up then, and I�m sitting at a table with aparty of strange youths and maidens � if maidens theybe, so immodestly as they�re dressed. One . . . femalelooks around at the company and speaks � Ayala, shespeaks with Briony�s voice! � saying, �All right, gang,let�s get our butts out of Jack�s little trap here.� And shereaches for the figure of Briony on the parchment.

�And then, I understand that these folk believe that. . . that they are us and that we are naught but theirfantasy, their playthings for an idle hour.�

Ayala sat rigid. Inglaf grabbed her hand between histwo enormous ones, wrenching it in his anguish. Shehardly noticed the pain.

�Is that all? Ayala, you�re a priestess; you mustknow. Are we but a game for these gods or devils?�

Sister Ayala sat on a rough bench by an inn door.She gazed across the road to the fields sloping down tothe river, to the forest dark beyond, to the hunter�smoon riding the sky above the tree tops. �Nay, Inglaf,�she said softly. �It is but a dream � a strange and fear-ful dream, it may sometimes seem � but nothingmore.� Standing, she laid her hands on his head. �Andnow, let us pray to Our Lady that she will heal thywounded heart and mind and grant thee peace.�

A little later, the little cleric and the fighter creptinto the inn. A drowsy innkeeper waited to bolt thedoor behind them as they stole softly up the stairs. Ather door, Inglaf took Ayala�s hand again. She grimacedslightly; her hand would be sore for a week. ThenInglaf whispered, �Thank you again, Sister.�

Withdrawing her hand � tactfully she hoped � shepatted his cheek. �That�s all right, Inglaf. That�s whatI�m here for. Now, off to bed with you. You�ll sleepwell tonight�

�Goodnight, Ayala.�Too tired to bother lighting a lamp, Ayala undressed

by firelight, murmuring her evening prayers through asuccession of jawbreaking yawns. Finally, she crawledinto the high, curtained bed. Clean sheets! And I�malmost too weary to care.

Instantly, she was asleep. And soon, Sister Ayalabegan to dream.

D R A G O N 6 7

ACADEMY OF ADVENTURE GAMING ARTS & DESIGNOFFICIAL ORIGINS AWARDS NOMINATION BALLOT

for the year 1984, to be presented at ORIGINS ’85, June 27-30, 1985, in Baltimore, Maryland(for information about Origins ’85, write P.O. Box 139, Middletown, N.J. 07748)

The Origins Awards, presented at Origins each year, are an international, Instructions. Read Carefully. Print legibly or type your nom-popular series of awards aimed at recognizing Outstanding achievements in inations. Ballots that are messy, not filled out correctly, or showAdventure Gaming. They comprise the Charles Roberts Awards for Boardgaming, attempts at stuff ing wil l not be counted. You may l i st three nomineesand the H.G. Wells Awards for Miniatures and Role-Playing Games. An Awards per category. i t does not matter in what order you l i st them. To keepCommittee of hobbyists (some professionals, but primarily independents) directs the voting as meaningful as possible. do not make selections in unfamiliarend administers the awards system. The nomination ballot is open to ail categories. YOU MUST SIGN THE BALLOT! And include your address.interested gamers. YOUR VOTE can make a real difference! A final ballot is You may vote only once.prepared by the committee and voted on by members of the Academy of Nominations should be for products produced during the calendarAdventure Gaming Arts & Design. Academy membership, $3/year, is open to year 1984. Exceptions are permitted for older products which gainactive, accomplished hobbyists, both pro and amateur. Membership guidelines significant exposure and acclaim during 1984. Miniature figure seriesare available for a SASE from the addresses given below. Correspondence nominations should be for product lines which are either new or haveshould be sent to the USA address. Present members may renew by sending been substantial ly expanded in 1984.their check with this ballot. Canadians may send $3 Canadian, payable to This ballot may be reproduced and circulated by any mea nsMike Girard. UK and European members may send 2 pound sterl ing payable available, provided its contents are faithfully copied. Magazine editorsto Ian Livingstone. US and all others may send US $3 payable to GAMA. and publishers should plan to include the ballot in an issue of their

The Academy and the Awards Committee as well as the Origins con- publications due to come out during the interval from February tovention itself, function under the overall direction of GAMA, the Game April of 1985. Clubs and other organizations should circulate copiesManufacturers Association. among the members shortly after the first of the year.

All Adventure Gamers are encouraged to vote!

DEADLINE - APRIL 28, 1985THE H.G. WELLS AWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING THE CHARLES ROBERTS AWARDS FOR

ACHIEVEMENT IN MINIATURES AND ROLE-PLAYING OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT INGAMES BOARDGAMING

1 . B e s t H i s t o r i c a l S e r i e s , 1 9 8 4 :

2. Best Fantasy/SF Series, 1984:

3. Best Vehicular Series, 1984:(includes any man-made conveyance for land, sea, air or space)

4. Best Miniature Rules, 1984:

5. Best Role-Playing Rules, 1984:

6. Best Role-Playing Adventure, 1984:(dungeons, campaign modules, scenarios,e tc )

7. Best Professional MiniaturesMagazine, 1984:

8. Best Professional Role-PlayingMagazine, 1984:

9. Best Play-By-Mail Game, 1984:

10. Best Pre-20th CenturyBoardgame, 1984:

11. Best 20th CenturyBoardgame, 1984:

12. Best Science FictionBoardgame, 1984:

13. Best FantasyBoardgame, 1984:

14. Best ProfessionalBoardgaming Magazine, 1984:

The following categories recognize outstanding achievementin Adventure Gaming in general.

15. Best Adventure Gamefor Home Computer , 1984:

16. Best Amateur AdventureGaming Magazine, 1984:

17. Best Graphic Presentationin an Adventure Game, 1984:

(includes cover and interior art,components, etc)

18. Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame:(Previous winners are Don Turnbull,James F. Dunnigan, Tom Shaw, JohnHil l , Redmond Simonsen, Dave Isby,Gary Gygax, Empire, Dungeons & Dragons,Marc Miller and Steve Jackson.)

Name:

Address City/State or Province/Zip or Postal Code

Send in your ballot by Apri l 28, 1985 to only one of the fol lowing addresses:

Canada: Awards, Mike Girard UK & Europe: Awards, Ian Livingstone USA: Awards, Howard Barasch Australia & NZ: Awards, Adrian PettR R 1 27-29 Sunbeam Rd 3304 Crater Lane Breakout MagazineSouth Woodslee, ONT London NW10 Plano, Texas 75023 PO Box 162

Moorool Bark, VicCanada NOR 1VO U N I T E D K I N G D O M Australia 3138

LOG

CONTENTS

ARES Log . . . . . . . . . 70

�THESE ARE THEVOYAGES OF THEGINNY�S DELIGHT. . . .�Dale L. Kemper . . . . . . . . . . 71A tramp trader with a twist

WHY IS THIS MUTANTSMILING?John M. Maxstadt . . . . . . . . 74New body parts for GAMMA WORLD®

gaming

Not Quite THEMARVEL ®-PHILEJeff Grubb . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77This column is just ducky

THE MARVEL ®-PHILEJeff Grubb . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81Part 2 of the Invincible Iron Man�!

THE COMING OF THES�SESSUDavid Cook . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84A new race for the STAR FRONTIERS®

game

LISTEN UP! If you�ve been sending letters to Jeff or theARES� Section asking to see the Uncanny X-Men�, the NewMutants�, the Hellfire Club�, the Morlocks�, the Brother-hood of Evil Mutants�, the unstoppable Juggernaut�, or JeanGrey� (in all of her incarnations), then GO IMMEDIATELYTO YOUR HOBBY SHOP and purchase Operation Wideawake,the new all-mutant module for the MARVEL SUPERHEROES� game. Play it, read it, eat it, dance to it, just get itand have fun.

April is here, and with it we bring a special bonus to allMarvel® Universe freaks out there. Not only will you get theInvincible Iron Man�, but you get the Incredible Iron Duck�as well! Thanks, Jeff, even if you couldn�t include WindaWeston�. See �Not Quite the Marvel®-Phile� for more.

We have our very first ARES Section Special: The deckplans for an adventure-class starship for the STAR TREK®

game, set in the center of this issue. We have a nasty littlesurprise for the hardened Star Lawmen among you: theSathar�s cousins � as player characters � and mutantgamers (aren�t we all?) will find more mutations for theirmoney in this section.

With regards to the StarQuestions column: please don�tsend a self-addressed, stamped envelope with your ques-tions. Any questions sent to us will be answered only in thecolumn, except in unusual circumstances. We don�t have thetime to make personal replies. Also note that POLYHEDRON�Newszine has a �Dispel Confusion� column that answerssome science-fiction gaming questions.

See you next month!

ARES™ Section 96THE SCIENCE-FICTION GAMING SECTION

Editor: Roger E. MooreDesign: John Meyers

Editorial assistance: Patrick Lucien Price, Eileen Lucas, Georgia MooreGraphics and production: Kim Lindau, Roger Raupp

All materials published in the ARES Section become the exclusive propertyof the publisher upon publication, unless special arrangements to the con-trary are made prior to publication. Unsolicited manuscripts are welcome,but the publisher assumes no responsibility for them and they will not bereturned unless accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope ofsufficient size and volume.

ARES is a trademark of TSR, Inc.’s science-fiction gaming section inDRAGON® Magazine. All rights on the contents of this section are reserved,and nothing may be reproduced from it without prior permission in writingfrom the publisher. Copyright © 1985 TSR, Inc.

DRAGON, GAMMA WORLD, POLYHEDRON, and STAR FRONTIERS aretrademarks of TSR, Inc. All Marvel characters and ‘the distinctive likenessesthereof are trademarks of the Marvel Comics Group. MARVEL SUPERHEROES is a trademark of the Marvel Comics Group. Copyright © 1985Marvel Comics Group, a division of Cadence Industries Corporation. AllRights Reserved. STAR TREK is a trademark of Paramount Pictures Corpora-tion.

70 APRIL 1985

“These are the voyages of theGinny�s Delight . . .�

An adventuring starship forSTAR TREK®: The Role-Playing Game

by Dale L. Kemper

©1985 by Dale L. Kemper

Many science-fiction gamers enjoycreating adventuring parties which gofrom planet to planet in their own smallstarships. If no such ships are availablein the game, then the game master orone of the players with an interest instarship design will have to create them.The supplements already published forthe STAR TREK® game that deal withstarships (such as the Klingon and Fed-eration Ship Recognition Manuals) arequite limited in their presentation ofvessels that could be run by a smallband of adventurers. The manuals areinstead concerned with the larger shipsof Star Fleet and the Klingon ImperialNavy, ships that usually have 300-400crewmen aboard them.

Some games fill this gap with �adven-ture-class� vessels published in varioussupplements or magazines. This articlepresents one such ship for the STARTREK game, and it is ideal for adventur-ing parties of up to four characters. TheSTAR TREK game is not just for thosewho wish to be Star Fleet officers orKlingon Naval personnel. Onlyimagination should limit what charac-ters can do.

Tramp Trader Ginny�s Delight

Vessel Class: Tramp trader, smallVessel Type: MerchantmanDesigner: T.P. HodekkerVessel name: Ginny's DelightHull number: MM 13920

Contractor: Belter IndustriesCost: 29.23 MCR

Overall length: 48 metersOverall width: 34 metersOverall height: 15 metersDeck ceiling height: 2.5 metersCargo units: 90Metric tonnage (empty): 8000

Warp enginesType: One FWAMovement point ratio: 1/1Power units available: 6Stress charts: F/GMax. safe cruising speed: Warp 7.5Emergency speed: Warp 9

Impulse engineType: FIAPower units available: 2

D R A G O N 7 1

Shields and damage controlSuperstructure points: 5Deflector shield type: None

ArmamentsType: FP-2 photon torpedo mountLocation: BowFiring chart: 3Power to arm: 1Damage: 6

Other dataTransporters: One standard 2-person

modelShuttlecraft: NoneTractor beams: NoneCrew requirements: 1-4*Passenger facilities: VariesDamage chart: A

* � Captain, navigator, engineer, assist-ant engineer. One person may operatethe ship, however.

The tramp merchant trader Ginny�sDelight is a one-of-a-kind vessel, cur-rently owned and operated by CaptainOntario Barnes and various free-lancecrew personnel picked up at starbasebars and flop houses. Built some thirtyyears ago, the ship has acquired a num-ber of �special modifications� along theway that make her unique. One of themost important alterations is the TypeFP-2 photon torpedo mount situated

beneath the forepart of the warpnacelle. Being in such close proximity tothe warp drive, the mount cannot bedetected by most standard sensors, andthe Delight has surprised a number ofunwary pirates, eager for an easy kill.

No deflector shields have as yet beeninstalled, but Captain Barnes has fre-quently announced his intention to

GGi n n y � si n n y � sDelight is aDelight is a

one-of-a-kindone-of-a-kindv e s s e l . . .v e s s e l . . .

mount some eventually. Because of thecurrently poor defensive capabilities ofthe vessel, her usual tactic, whenapproached by any suspicious vessel, isto make an emergency warp out of thearea and to ask questions later. This hasbeen very effective in keeping the shipin one piece.

The Ginny�s Delight is streamlined andcapable of planetary landings. With herlow cargo capacity, she usually is foundtransporting smaller, high-profit cargoes,

sometimes of an illegal nature. Foundmainly in the Federation/Orion borderareas, she is well known in some of themajor ports there. She is easily recogniz-able by her unique forward-positionedwarp nacelle on her upper hull and bythe large cargo hatch aft. The old-stylesensor array and swept-back atmo-spheric winglets, combined with herworn appearance, complete the picture.There are no passenger facilities, butCaptain Barnes has been known to takeon a �paying� crewman or two, usuallybeing smuggled into one system oranother.

The Delight was constructed by one ofthe smaller ship construction yards,Belter Industries, located amid the aster-oid field surrounding Dicameron VI.Named by her designer after the mem-ory of a pleasant leave spent on thepleasure asteroid Alovar, she continuesto be one of the most interesting trampmerchantmen amid the thousands thatply their trade within the FederationExploration Zone.

The deck plans for the Ginny�s Delighthave been placed on the four centerpages of this magazine. Simply bendback the staples, pry the deck plansloose, and lay them out flat for use inyour STAR TREK® gaming with minia-ture figures or cardboard counters.

D R A G O N 7 3

In the current GAMMA WORLD® gamerules, the physical mutation new bodyparts has been left as a sort of miscella-neous physical, mutational advantage.When it is rolled, the player is allowedto design any sort of new body part hethinks will help his character, subject tothe GM�s approval. The idea seems to bethat such a variable mutation, ratherthan a combination of dry stats andofficial mutations, will make a characterunique.

However, this system creates prob-lems, at least in my experience. Someplayers have trouble inventing originalmutations which are more than merevariations of the official mutations in thebook, especially now that the latter havebeen greatly expanded. Not everyonecan be creative at the drop of the per-centile dice, and it is not fair to makethe party wait a week before adventur-ing while one player designs his newbody part.

The system is hard on the GM, too,who must regulate these player-designed mutations to keep them saneand reasonably balanced. As we allknow, some players constantly push forall they can get, and some GMs may lackeither the experience to balance sug-gested mutations fairly or the foresightto imagine how a clever and ambitiousplayer could wreck a campaign with amutation that seemed harmless enoughwhen it was approved.

When the GM does have the strengthand the judgment to hold the lineagainst an overambitious player, it canbe the beginning of an exhausting roundof haggling (�All right, if you won�t allowthat, how about this?�) or bickering(�You accepted his mutation, why won�tyou accept mine?�). After the furor hasdied down and the hard feelings havesettled in, chances are that the wholegroup will simply fasten on the one newbody part they consider the best thatthe GM will allow. This destroys thewhole point of new body parts: variety.

A table of new body parts is givenbelow. Hopefully, this one is extensiveenough to bring variety to the mutationwithout demanding impromptu inven-tions from the players or snap rulingsfrom the GM. Some mutations given hereare better than others, just as some offi-cial physical mutations are better thanthe others. None of them are utterlyuseless, but none are doomsday, either.Random percentile rolls are used to keepthe system fair. Everyone has the samechance at the best mutations, and it cutsdown on conflicts, since players seldomargue with ten-sided dice.

74 APRIL 1985

New body parts in GAMMAWORLD® gaming by John M. Maxstadt

WHY IS THISMUTANT

SMILING?

25-26: Bladelike limbs are gained onthe mutant�s upper torso or tail. 1-4attacks per round (roll d4 for number oflimbs) may be made, at 1-8 damage each;each limb hits as weapon class 3.

(no damage vs. AC better than 5). Thetentacles can grasp objects and candisarm opponents (must hit AC 10 andhave greater strength than opponent).The tentacles cannot perform finemanipulation, however. 27-29: A swimming bladder and fins/

7-8: An acid pump is attached to the flippers are set on the mutant�s abdo-mutant�s digestive system and mouth. It men, back, feet, or whereversquirts a stream of hydrochloric diges- appropriate. These allow swimming intive acid 4 meters long and 7 cm wide, water at land speeds, but do not confertwice per day, hitting anything in its the ability to breathe water.range as weapon class 13 (damage 4-24). 30-31: Froglike legs are gained. TheThe acid corrodes metallic locks, hinges, mutant may move normally and canmachinery, etc. jump 24 meters forward or 10 meters

9-11: Stalked eyes on 20-cm retract- straight up.able stalks replace ordinary eyes, giving 32-33: A chameleon-like, prehensilesight in two directions at once, around tongue is gained. It may reach out to 6corners, etc. meters to snatch objects by adhesion,

with a strength comparable to the char-acter�s arm strength. The adhesion maybe broken at will by the mutant charac-

I t is importantto remember

that new bodyparts is abeneficialmutation...

ter. The tongue may wield a dagger,hand axe, or club for an extra attackeach round.

34-37: Sucker or friction pads aregained on the mutant�s fingers and toes.The mutant may climb sheer, smoothwalls and even cross ceilings at slowspeed. Obviously, this ability is not effec-tive if the mutant is wearing shoes,gloves, or armor.

38-39: Eyeshields (shaded transparentthird eyelids) are gained inside themutant�s eyelids. The eyeshields closeinstinctively to negate light generation,and they protect eyes with infravision,dark dependency, etc. However, they donot negate physical damage taken fromdark dependency.

40-42: A saurian snout (with toothy12-15: Two crab- or lobster-like jaws) is gained on the mutant�s face.

pincers are gained on the mutant�s Mutant may bite for 3-18 damage onceupper torso or tail. Two attacks may be per round.made per round for 3-12 damage each; 43-46: Scales cover the mutant�sthe pincers can open cans, act as scis- entire body, giving it AC 7.sors, etc. 47-49: A clublike tail replaces the

16-18: Beetlelike mandibles are set on mutant�s ordinary tail (if any). Onethe mutant�s face. One attack per round attack per round at 3-18 damage isat 4-16 damage can be made, and the allowed, and the tail may be used as amandibles may act as can openers, hammer, battering ram, etc.scissors, etc. 50-51: A constricting tail is gained

19-20: A siphon mouth, mosquito-like instead of an ordinary tail. One attackin nature, is gained. One attack per per round at 2-12 damage may be made,round at 1-6 damage may be made, with and damage can continuously be appliedcontinuous 1-6 damage every round every round after the first hit. Thisafter the first hit from fluid draining attack is not effective vs. any AC better(ineffective against androids, robots, and than 4.other opponents without bodily fluids). 52-54: Poison fangs are gained in the

21-24: A light-producing organ is mutant�s mouth, allowing one attack pergained on the tip of the mutant�s tail, round (maximum of 5 poison uses perpalm, or anywhere else. The light covers day). Poison intensity is 13-18 (d6 + 12).a 15-meter radius area for a maximum 55-56: A viper tongue replaces theof two march turns per day (the mutant mutant�s ordinary tongue. This organmay divide time into search turns or combines the heightened taste andeven action turns as desired). heightened smell mutations. The mutant

This table could also be used as a listof suggestions for any GM who prefersto assign new body parts himself or whohas the players choose them. In thelatter case, the last two (duo-animalismand multimorphism) should be excluded,since they are more powerful than therest. Players would tend to choose themall the time, making them rathercommon instead of very rare as theyshould be.

The table itself requires a few wordsof explanation. It is important to remem-ber that new body parts is a beneficialmutation, so the parts that a player rollsshould not hamper his character�s otherabilities. For example, carnivore jawsand siphon mouth do not lower a char-acter�s charisma or impede his speech(although they might change the soundof his voice). Talons, pincers, or handswill not replace existing hands, claws,feet, or other useful appendages, butwill have proportioned limbs of theirown. Carnivore jaws or fur would bererolled for a reptilian character, as theywould be net disadvantages over thecreature�s own natural attributes. If theGM rules that a hump or clublike tailwould prevent a bird from flying, heshould disallow and reroll these newparts for avian characters.

Likewise, new body parts should bererolled if the character already hasthem, multiple body parts being a differ-ent mutation. Hands are no more newbody parts for a humanoid than arescales for a snake or carnivore jaws fora bear or tiger. In keeping with the ben-eficial nature of the mutation, the GMshould avoid looking for situations inwhich new parts could be troublesomeand restricting, with two exceptions.Most will not allow humanoids to �pass�as pure strain humans, and many willnot allow them to fit into armor. Human-oid characters run these two risks withany physical mutation. One final note:Unless otherwise specified, attacks withnew body parts are rolled to hit onPhysical Attack Matrix II.

New body partsRoll percentile die and consult thefollowing list of new body partdescriptions.

1-4: A poison sting is gained on themutant�s tail, fingers, or elsewhere. Oneattack is allowed per round (maximumof five poison uses per day), with apoison intensity of 9-18 (d10 + 8).

5-6: Two tentacles, each 1.5 meterslong with suction disks, are attached tothe mutant�s upper torso. Two attacksper round are allowed at 1-6/1-6 damage

D R A G O N 7 5

may track prey by �tasting� the air overany terrain, but this ability is ineffectiveif the trail is over an hour old. Thistongue also detects heat and radiation.

57-59: An eaglelike beak is gained onthe face, giving one attack per round at1-8 damage.

60-62: Talons are gained on themutant�s upper torso limbs or on hisfeet. Two attacks per round at 1-10 eachmay be made. These talons can graspobjects but cannot perform finemanipulation.

63-67: Fur is gained over the mutant�sentire body, providing AC 8 and insula-tion in cold weather.

68-69: Skin flaps that allow glidingare gained on the mutant�s arms (fore-legs), extending to the lower (rear)limbs. Gliding may be accomplishedfrom any higher elevation to a lowerone, for a horizontal distance equal tothe difference in elevation x 5. The GMmay wish to consider hot-air thermalsand other wind phenomena for longglides beginning at great heights. Theseflaps may also be used as a parachute toslow falls and negate falling damage.

70-72: A food-storing hump is gainedon the mutant�s back, providing foodand water for four days with no illeffects. The hump must be replenishedby two days of heavy eating before itsresources can be used again. The humphas no encumbrance value.

73-75: A fatty layer is gained underthe skin. The layer negates poison dam-age from claws, fangs, stings, etc., unlessa �to hit� roll 4 or more points over thenumber needed to hit was rolled. Thelayer also provides insulation in coldweather, and the mutant may go with-out food (but not water) for two days, asper hump above.

76-78: A prehensile trunk is gained onthe mutant�s face, serving as a thirdhand for an extra weapon attack eachround. Other uses are possible, and thetrunk can even fire a pistol or type(slowly).

79-81: Carnivore jaws are added tothe mutant�s face, giving one attack perround for 2-12 damage.

82-84: Retractable claws are gainedon the mutant�s fingers. Two attacksmay be made per round for 1-6 damageeach, but the mutant cannot use hishands for other purposes at the sametime as he attacks.

85-87: A prehensile tail 2 meters longis gained. It acts as a third hand (seeprehensile trunk), but it cannot meleeeffectively unless brought around to thefront where the mutant can see it.

88-91: Vocal articulators may be

76 APRIL 1985

gained by mutant animals, giving themcoherent, humanlike speech capabilities.

92-95: Hands are gained on the uppertorso or feet. These hands may wieldweapons, perform fine manipulation,handle artifacts, etc.

96-97: Roll twice on the above table,ignoring any result over 95.

98: Pick any of above (including �rolltwice,� though in the latter instance theplayer must roll for random abilities).

99: Duo-animalism is gained. Themutant is combined with another animaltype to form a hybrid creature. Forexample, a human/bird might havewings, talons, and a bird�s beak, butcould retain human size, speech, arms,and hands. An alligator/lobster mighthave a full carapace, gills, stalked eyes,and pincers, while retaining the alliga-tor�s size, bite, and tail-slap attacks. Half-human duo-animals are common infantasy literature (such as the centaur,minotaur, lamia, and harpy). Any secondanimal type is acceptable, but the char-acter should not abandon his originalanimal type altogether. The player andGM should design a hybrid charactertogether and agree on its abilities.

00: Multimorphism is gained. Themutant�s consciousness exists simultane-ously in more than one body. This is notlike temporal fugue; it more closely

resembles having twins or triplets with asingle guiding mind. Roll a d6: 1-5 =two bodies, 6 = three bodies. All bodiesmay attack at once and otherwise func-tion as individuals, except as notedbelow.

All bodies are basically identical inappearance and have similar abilityscores. Mutations rolled before multi-morphism is generated are common toall bodies, but those rolled after thismutation are split evenly between them(which may make the separate bodieslook different).

Each multimorph can sense every-thing the other bodies can, even if theyare miles apart. A single consciousnessguides the bodies, but each body has itsown brain, so mental attacks must rollto hit each brain separately (as per dualbrain, except that each brain hit by anattack will take damage). All bodies maybe hit by the same area attack if neareach other, effectively multiplying thedamage.

Hit points are rolled separately foreach body, and they cannot �loan� hitpoints to each other. Each body heals atthe normal rate, effectively multiplyingthe character�s overall healing rate. Ifone body dies, its hit points do nottransfer to the survivor(s).

TheNot Quite

MARVEL®-PhileIron Duck™? Would I kid you?

by Jeff Grubb

A caveat to the reader: If you arelooking for the inspired second half ofthe Iron Man� article entitled �PumpingIron,� be warned that this ain�t it! IronMan�s over on page 81. If you want realMarvel®-stuff, go there, then come back.I�ll wait.

Back? OK. I�d like to dedicate thisarticle to a few individuals who wouldnormally wait some time before appear-ing in a MARVEL SUPER HEROES�product. I mean a long time. A reallylong time, like eons. Glaciers will have tomove south and cover Lake Geneva.Mephisto� and Pluto� will get into asnowball fight before these charactersappear in a module.

This is because these characters arebasically silly. Now, there is nothing

wrong with being silly. If you thinkabout it long and hard, most heroes arekind of silly to start with. Flashy outfits.Funny abilities. Funky names. (Howmany of YOU would call yourselfStilt-Man�? Let�s see hands!)

Still, there are those that go beyond thebounds of what even a world thataccepts the existence of radioactive spi-ders, gamma bombs, and adamantiumsteel alloys could imagine. Such charac-ters would make your standard, irradi-ated, upgraded, high-powered hero sit upand say, �Hey! Are you for real?�

Each of these characters has had thatsaid to them at least once. Despite that,they show pluck, determination, and alot of grit. Thanks for everything guys.Don�t forget to write.

All Marvel characters, their likenesses, and MARVEL SUPER HEROES are trademarks of the Marvel Comics Group.©1985 Marvel Comics Group, a division of Cadence Industries. All Rights Reserved.

HOWARD THE DUCK�Duck, currently unemployed

Fighting: GOOD (10)Agility: GOOD (10)Strength: TYPICAL (6)Endurance: GOOD (10)Reason: GOOD (10)Intuition: GOOD (10)Psyche: REMARKABLE (30)

Health: 36Karma: 50Resources: FEEBLEPopularity: ?

Known Powers:

QUACK FU. Quack Fu is a very obscuremartial art. With it, Howard can stunand slam opponents who are biggerthan he is. (Of course, most of the popu-lation of the U.S. is bigger than he is.)

D R A G O N 7 7

IRON DUCK SUIT. Created by ClaudeStark (short for Starkowski), the IronDuck suit provided Excellent protectionfrom physical attacks, and it had springswhich allowed Howard to jump 1 storyhigh and 2 areas away. In addition, thesuit was equipped with a small flame-thrower (Excellent Damage, 2-arearange) and a chest lamp (Typical inten-sity, 1-area range). The suit was shred-ded in a conflict with the nefariousDr. Bong�. I mention it here onlybecause Roger nagged me into it. Happynow? [Yes.]

Talents: Howard is a licensed cabdriver in the city of Cleveland, Ohio. It isa good bet he won�t get lost there. Hehas also taken some odd fares to NewYork City as well.

Howard�s story: Howard is a native ofDuckworld, an alternate world whereducks are the most highly advancedspecies. Men (or �hairless apes�) areunknown on Duckworld. Howard waspulled from his world by the machina-tions of a power-hungry demon muckingabout with the Cosmic Axis. Howardlanded near the Nexus of All Realities,and with the aid of the Man-Thing�, heattempted to set things right. Duringthat adventure, Howard fell from thedeadly Stones of Oblivion to his doom.

Actually, it was worse than doom. Helanded in our world, in Cleveland, Ohio.In the years that followed, Howard triedto make a living in a �world he nevermade,� and he held several jobs in suc-cession, including cab driver, dish-washer, bill collector, and candidate forPresident of the United States. He hasmade some important human friends,including the master of mystical arts,Doctor Strange�.

Howard is caustic, cynical, and gener-ally bad-tempered in dealing withothers. He is usually easy to identify as acigar-smoking humanoid duck.

THE FABULOUS FROG�MAN�Eugene Paul ColoritoHigh School Student

Fighting: POOR (4)Agility: POOR (4)Strength: POOR (4)Endurance: EXCELLENT (20) (give the

kid a break, will ya?)Reason: TYPICAL (6)Intuition: POOR (4)Psyche: TYPICAL (6)

Health: 26Karma: 14Resources: POORPopularity: 3

78 APRIL 1985

Known Powers:

LEAPING: Frog-Man wears a suitequipped with electrically-poweredleaping coils that allow him to reach aheight of 6 stories per jump and to cross3 areas at a hop. Sadly, Eugene does nothave very good control over his leaping:when he lands, he must make a AgilityFEAT to stop, or he keeps on going intothe next area, rebounding off buildingslike a drunken pinball. Fortunately,when bouncing around so erratically,Eugene is DOWN TWO to be hit andshifts UP ONE to charge an opponent.

Frog-Man�s story: Eugene is the son ofVincent Colorito, alias the Leapfrog, asmall-time villain who wore a frog suitthat allowed him to leap small buildingsin a single bound. After several stingingdefeats, Leapfrog retired and Vincentwent straight. Seeking to redeem hisfather�s name, Eugene donned the cos-tume to turn it into a force for good as(tah-dah) The Fabulous Frog-Man.

Eugene is very earnest and truthful.He is also trustworthy, loyal, helpful,friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,brave (sort of), clean, and reverent. Heembodies the hero�s code as he sees it.He is also a klutz who�s going to get hurtif someone doesn�t watch out for him.

Frog-Man has sprung into combatalongside Spider-Man� and the HumanTorch� in battles against Marvel SuperVillains�. He hasn�t been croaked yet,but he�s always bounced back to tellribbitting tales of his Incredible FEETs.Though he told Spidey� that he�s toadthe line and has acted more cautiously, it�sonly a matter of time before he leapsfrom his pad into action against� [Stopor the column gets cut off.] Okay, okay,I�ll be good, no more.

WILLY LUMPKIN�Mailman

Fighting: POOR (4)Agility: POOR (4)Strength: POOR (4)Endurance: GOOD (10)Reason: TYPICAL (6)Intuition: TYPICAL (6)Psyche: TYPICAL (6)

Health: 22Karma: 18Resources: POOR (pension)Popularity: ?

Known Powers:

Willy Lumpkin has no known super-human powers. He can, however,wriggle his ears real good.

Willy�s story: Once a mail carrier forthe New York City branch of the U.S.Postal Service, Willy�s route included theBaxter Building, home of the FantasticFour�. The bulk of his overfull mailbagwas usually filled with letters to the FFfrom fans and other true believers. Atone point, Willy offered his services tothe Fantastic Four, based on his ear-wriggling skill. The FF politely declined,as Willy�s skills were better used inserving the government.

As the years past, increased technol-ogy caught up with Willy, and the oldpostman retired with a pension and thelove of the people on his former route.He still visits his old friends on occasion,and he is always welcome at the BaxterBuilding.

There is no truth to the rumors thatWilIy Lumpkin is really the Hobgoblin�;nor is he a former Herald of Galactus�,a front for the Maggia�, the man thattaught Daredevil� everything he knows;nor is he Thor�s� brother, who was sentdown to Earth to learn humility andwhose paperwork was then lost inAsgard. However, if any of the above istrue, remember that you heard it hereFIRST!

D R A G O N 7 9

The MARVEL®-PhilePumping Iron, Part 2 by Jeff Grubb

Last time, you will remember, the brave(but foolish) designer set about describ-ing all of the important gizmos thatwere part of the Iron Man� armor. Heended up with an article twice the sizeof a normal Marvel®-Phile, and underthe gentle(?) prodding of the ARES�editor, he carved it down into two man-ageable sections. The first section wentinto depth on Iron Man�s familiar red-and-gold suit and gave the stats for TonyStark� and Jim Rhodes�. (See DRAGON®

issue #95.)This section will describe some of the

different suits that have popped uprecently. The most recent set of armor

worn by Tony Stark first appears in IronMan #191 and gets a workout in thefollowing issues. It was recently lostundersea. The Space Armor firstappeared in Iron Man #142 to #144, andthe Stealth Armor first appeared in IronMan #152. Both the Stealth and SpaceArmors were destroyed. Finally, round-ing out this article is a history of theIron Man suits.

A final note: I recommend use of thesecharacters only for those players whoare die-hard Shell-head fans. The statsavailable in MH AC 2, Avengers�Assembled!, and MH Special, SecretWars�, should be sufficient for most of

your gaming needs. Check with yourlocal Judge.

NEW IRON MAN� ARMORDesigned and used by Tony Stark(lost)

Fighting: EXCELLENT (20)Agility: GOOD (10)Strength: REMARKABLE (30)Endurance: INCREDIBLE (40)Reason: INCREDIBLE (40)Intuition: EXCELLENT (20)Psyche: TYPICAL (6)

Health: 100

All Marvel characters, their likenesses, and MARVEL SUPER HEROES are trademarks of the Marvel Comics Group. ©1985 Marvel Comics Group, a division of Cadence Industries. All Rights Reserved.

D R A G O N 8 1

Known Powers:

BODY ARMOR: Tony�s most recent set ofarmor was similar to his original set, butit was much less powerful, as it was notdesigned for combat. The new, slate-gray armor provided Remarkable pro-tection from physical attack andExcellent protection from most energyattacks (including radiation, cold, andfire).

REPULSORS: The new suit of armor hadlimited repulsor power capable of doingRemarkable damage at a range of 8areas.

FLIGHT: The new suit flew by less pow-erful boot-jets, capable of reachingExcellent speeds.

OTHER: Tony�s gray suit had no air sup-ply as Rhodey�s armor did. It wasequipped with all-band radio, includingRhodey�s private wavelength, as well asthe radar/sonar package.

IRON MAN� SPACE ARMORDesigned and used by Tony Stark(destroyed)

Fighting: GOOD (10)Agility: GOOD (10)Strength: MONSTROUS (75)Endurance: UNEARTHLY (100)Reason: INCREDIBLE (40)Intuition: EXCELLENT (20)Psyche: TYPICAL (6)

Health: 195

Known Powers:

BODY ARMOR: The properties of thisarmor were similar to the suit noted inDRAGON® issue #95, save that it pro-vided Monstrous resistance to heat andcold as opposed to Remarkable.

REPULSORS: The repulsors of the SpaceArmor caused Monstrous damage at arange of 15 areas.

FLIGHT: Short term flight was managedby conventional boot thrusters that flewat Amazing Speed. Once the suit clearedthe inner atmosphere, Tony could trig-ger his nuclear thrusters that providedUnearthly speed in space. Triggering thethrusters inside the atmosphere wouldhave resulted in Unearthly damage to allbelow him and produced a high level ofradiation. (This is known as Bad Karma.)

VARIO-BEAM SPOTLIGHT: An extensionof the Unibeam that was never incorpo-rated into the standard suits, the vario-beam could provide illumination up to15 areas away. In addition, it couldcreate a deflector beam (the opposite of

82 APRIL 1985

the tractor beam), which could applyMonstrous Strength to an object.

EXO-UNIT GAUNTLETS: In addition torepulsors, the Space Armor wasequipped with a separate set of gaunt-lets that could act as long-range grap-ples. The gauntlets could maneuver upto 7 areas away, and they could bemanipulated as if they were still part ofthe armor. The weak mooring of thegauntlets allowed them to be used onlyin zero-gravity situations.

AIR SUPPLY: The bulk of the SpaceArmor was devoted to transportationand life support. Iron Man could survivefor 4-5 weeks on the recycled air andwater in his suit.

ECM: The Space Armor had the sameelectro-magnetic countermeasures asthe standard suit now worn by JamesRhodes. Due to the powerful nature ofthe suit�s thrusters, the wearer had noability to evade detection when thethrusters were in use.

OTHER: This suit was equipped withstandard radar/sonar detection unitsand radio hook-up with a 2000-milerange, as well as an automatic cameradesigned to withstand the rigors ofspace.

IRON MAN� STEALTH ARMORDesigned and used by Tony Stark(destroyed)

Fighting: EXCELLENT (20)Agility: REMARKABLE (30)Strength: INCREDIBLE (40)Endurance: MONSTROUS (75)Reason: INCREDIBLE (40)Intuition: EXCELLENT (20)Psyche: TYPICAL (6)

Health: 165

Known Powers:

BODY ARMOR: The Stealth Armor wasdesigned for speed and non-detection. Ithad only Remarkable protection againstphysical and energy attacks, includingfire, cold, radiation, and acid.

FLIGHT: The Stealth Armor could reachUnearthly speeds in open air, but nor-mally moved at Amazing speed when onsecret missions, traveling at treetoplevel. Its jet gasses passed through multi-ple baffles to eliminate noise and toproduce a quiet ride. The jet-boots couldbe used offensively, with a range of 1area for Remarkable damage.

NO REPULSORS: The Stealth Armor hadno repulsor capabilities.

SENSORS: In addition to the standardradar/sonar package and radio, theStealth Armor was equipped with X-rayand sonic scanning capabilities, each ofwhich had a range of half a mile. TheStealth Armor was also equipped withphotographic equipment loaded withinfrared film.

ECM: The mostly highly developed set ofarmor in this regard, the Stealth Armorevaded standard radar detection by awave-modifier that curved the radarwaves back on themselves, producing noimage (Monstrous protection from radardetection). The jets were baffled to pre-vent sonic detection, and the waste gaswas cooled to deter heat-seekingdevices. Finally, the armor had a black,non-reflective coating that detered bothmechanical detection and visual sighting,at a cost of lowered resistance to energyattacks.

IRON MAN�S� STORY

Anthony Stark was the heir of industri-alist Howard Stark, whose achievementsincluded the development of theArsenal� robot for the U.S. government.Stark built his father�s business into amultimillion-dollar industrial complexwith major munitions and weaponscontracts with the Department ofDefense.

While supervising the test of one ofhis transistorized weapon systems inVietnam, Stark was wounded (a piece ofshrapnel lodged dangerously near hisheart) by a booby trap and taken pris-oner by the Viet Cong. The Viet Congleader, Wong-Chu, offered to have theshrapnel removed if Stark would pro-duce a super-weapon for him to useagainst the ARVN and American forces.Distrusting Wong-Chu, and aided by acaptured physicist named Ho Yinsen,Stark built an electrically powered,transistorized suit of armor, equippedwith a pacemaker to allow Stark�s heartto continue functioning. Yinsen perishedin an attempt to let Stark fully chargethe armor, but Stark took vengeance onWong-Chu and scattered his guerillas.

Using this original armor, Stark madehis way back to safe territory. He wasaided by Lt. James R. Rhodes, a helicop-ter pilot downed behind enemy lines.One their way to an American firebase,the two of them flushed out a secretViet Cong supply dump.

In the years that followed, Stark usedthe armor to fight criminals and threatsto the U.S. government. He kept hisidentity secret, letting the world believethat Iron Man was only an employee ofStark Industries. Iron Man was one of

the original Avengers™, with GiantMan™, Wasp™, Hulk™, and Thor™. Starkprovided the team with its New YorkHeadquarters, and supported the groupthrough the Maria Stark Foundation, atrust organization set up in Tony’s latemother’s name.

During this period, Stark Industriesflourished, becoming Stark Internationaland controlling a large industrial com-plex on Long Island. Aware of the grow-ing misuse of powerful weaponstechnology, Stark closed out his weaponscontracts, developing instead new tech-niques and equipment for communica-tion, medicine, and space technology.Stark also received an artificial heart,allowing him to survive without wearinghis pacemaker chest plate.

Iron Man’s armor slowly evolved froma slate-gray suit into its present form.New methods of attack demanded thatthe hero be able to develop newdefenses, in particular methods of pre-venting override of his circuits, as wassuccessfully attempted by Justin Ham-mer, a business rival. Stark also devel-oped specialized suits of armor forunusual missions, including an atomic-powered set of Space Armor and a low-radar-profile set of Stealth Armor.

The pressure of being an inventor,businessman, and hero led Stark todrink, first socially and then to excess;he became an alcoholic and his workand life suffered accordingly. Starkmade a brief recovery only to plungeback into the bottle under the influenceof another business rival, ObadiahStane, who played upon Stark’s weak-nesses in an attempt to take over Stark’scompany. The takeover of Stark (nowStane) International succeeded.

Unable to function as Iron Man, Tonypassed the armor on to Jim Rhodes, whohad joined Stark International followingthe end of the Vietnam War as Tony’sprivate pilot. Rhodey used the armor torepel attackers on Stark Internationaland to disable and destroy the majorityof the machinery capable of creatingmore Iron Man armor. The Space andStealth Armors were also destroyed.

Rhodes, as Iron Man, workedfreelance for some time, while Tony, hiscredit frozen, undertook a long battle toconquer his alcoholism. Rhodey, Tony, aformer Stark scientist named MorleyErwin, and Morley’s sister Clytemnestra(a computer specialist) relocated to Cali-fornia. The “new” Iron Man joinedHawkeye™ and the West CoastAvengers™, while Tony returned toinventing, developing an advanced “s-circuit” that allowed greater use of avail-

able area than standard transistors.With the Erwins, Stark and Rhodescreated Circuits Maximus, a small hi-tech company funded from specializedjobs that Rhodes provided as Iron Man.

As time went on, Rhodes began havingsevere headaches whenever he used thearmor. At first it was believed that thecybernetic helmet of the armor, whichwas adjusted to respond to Tony Stark’sspecific brain patterns, was ill-fitted toRhodey’s mind. Tony attempted to cor-rect the problem several times withoutsuccess. Rhodey became increasinglyuneasy over his ability to use the IronMan armor properly, and he feared thatTony would ask for the armor back.Though justifiably proud of his serviceas Iron Man, Rhodey became irritated,hostile, and irrational as his headachesworsened, and he developed homicidaltendencies.

Tony became increasingly worriedabout Rhodey’s now-violent temper, andhe created a new suit of Iron Manarmor, using several new techniques hewished to try out. While this most

recent set of armor resembled the origi-nal gray armor developed in Viet Nam, itwas controlled by more precise “s-cir-cuits.” It was not more powerful thanRhodey’s suit, but it was more highlyadvanced. The two Iron Men confrontedeach other when Rhodey lost control ofhis rage; with his new armor and knowl-edge of Rhodey’s armor, Tony won thefight, calming Rhodey and talking outtheir difficulties.

Tony debated for a time whether toretain his new suit of Iron Man armor,as the role of being a hero was one ofthe pressures that drove him to drink.Rhodey left Circuits Maximus to dis-cover the source of his headaches. Even-tually he learned that they were theresult of repressed guilt over enjoyingthe use of the Iron Man armor, while hisfriend Tony suffered from alcoholism.After losing his “new” gray Iron Mansuit in a recent battle, Tony has set towork building an all-new, state-of-the-artversion, using the West Coast Avengerfacilities. The new suit will premiere inIron Man #200.

D R A G O N 8 3

The Coming ofthe S�sessu

A new alien race for the STAR FRONTlERS ® gameby David Cook

[Editor�s note: David �Zeb� Cook was oneof the original designers of the STARFRONTIERS® game system. Thoughfuture releases from TSR, Inc., maymake no reference to the S�sessu,gamers may adopt them into theirgames as player characters if the refereeso allows and if care is used in settingthem up in the campaign.]

First contact with the S�sessu occurredshortly after a brief skirmish betweenthe S�sessu and the UPFS frigate Hellscar.The Hellscar, severely damaged in anencounter with two Sathar ships, madean emergency jump and re-enterednormal space off Phri�sk, one of the twosettled worlds belonging to the S�sessu.Orbital stations registered the arrival ofthe warship, and an interplanetary scoutwas sent to investigate.

The Hellscar established visual contactwith the scout and refrained from offen-sive action, since the scout was of anunknown design. Hailing signals fromthe Hellscar were returned on anunused frequency in an untranslatedlanguage. When televisual ship-to-shipcommunication was established, theHellscar�s captain, believing he hadstumbled onto a Sathar base, openedfire on the scout vessel.

Fortunately, the frigate�s fire-controlsystems were damaged and the shotsmissed. The scout vessel returned fireand managed to cripple the frigate,though the smaller ship�s weapons weretechnologically outmoded by UPFSstandards. The frigate�s captain broad-cast a long-range distress call to theFederation, but he and his crew wereunable to resist a boarding attempt bythe S�sessu.

Several weeks later, an attack/rescuefleet arrived off Phri�sk. The UPFS fleetwas large enough to suitably impress theS�sessu, a remarkable achievement con-sidering their racial tendencies. Havingdetermined by talking with the Hells-car�s captain that the aliens were notSathar, the fleet commander organizedthe first diplomatic missions and formal

84 APRIL 1985

contact between the S�sessu and theFederation proceeded unhindered. TheS�sessu refused to give up the frigate,which they considered a prize ship;because of this and the frigate captain�sfamiliarity with the S�sessu from hiscaptivity, the Hellscar�s captain wasdesignated temporary ambassador tothe S�sessu worlds.

Physical appearance

S�sessu are almost identical in appear-ance to Sathar, the most obvious differ-ence between them being bodycoloration. A Sathar�s skin is yellow orbrown, but a S�sessu has a bright pink-or green-tinted skin. The S�sessu do nothave the patterns of dots or stripes ontheir heads that the Sathar have. Other-wise, all other descriptive informationon Sathar can be applied to S�sessu.

Senses

A S�sessu�s sense of hearing is equal to aHuman�s. Its sense of taste is slightlybetter than a Human�s, but its sense ofsmell is somewhat less well developed. AS�sessu�s double pupils give it superiorall-around vision, allowing it to see inseveral directions at once. A S�sessualways has a +2 Initiative Modifierbecause of its excellent vision.

Speech

S�sessu speak with a hissing lisp. Theyhave quickly learned Pan-Galactic sincetheir existence was discovered, and theycan speak it normally. They can alsospeak the language of their own race.

Society and customs

In general, S�sessu are extremely com-petitive and self-centered. Each individ-ual does what it wants, caring little forothers except for those who can helpthe S�sessu achieve its goals. Power andpossessions are only for those S�sessuwho can take and keep them. Thiswould seem to create a society wheremurder and violence are rampant, butthis is not the case. Indeed, at timesS�sessu can be highly organized and

cooperative, and violent crime is anuncommon occurrence among them.

If a S�sessu believes there is some sortof personal gain to be had in doing so, itwill work cooperatively with otherbeings. A group of S�sessu might pooltheir money to build an interstellarspaceship, and another group might hirea police force to protect them fromrobbery or murder by others. However,S�sessu will have only one leader amongthem in most situations. Thus, a S�sessucompany is controlled by one extremelypowerful boss; the captain of a S�sessuspaceship is the absolute leader of allbeings aboard that ship. S�sessu philoso-phies are based on getting and keepingpower, not on what is right or wrong. Toa S�sessu, the only actions that are�wrong� are those that keep it fromreaching its goal in the best and safestmanner possible.

The discovery of the S�sessu has pre-sented a puzzle for xenobiologists. TheS�sessu have no explanation for theirsimilarity to Sathar and were in factunaware of the existence of the Satharuntil contact with the UPF. The currenttheory held among scientists is that theS�sessu are an offshoot of the Satharrace, and this seems well-supported. Ifthis is true, the separation between theSathar and S�sessu would have to haveoccurred more than 20,000 years ago,long before the Sathar or the S�sessu areknown to have developed space travel. Ithas been speculated that an ancientunknown race of aliens (possibly thegroup known to xenoarchaeologists asthe Tetrarchs) transplanted a smallgroup of S�sessu to their present home-world at that time.

S�sessu only hold claim to a smallregion of space, consisting of two stellarsystems (each with one small inhabitedplanet) lying ten light years from theGruna Garu system, on a line runningfrom Dixon�s Star to Gruna Garu and onto the S�sessu worlds. Due to their simi-larity to the Sathar, it was only throughluck and careful diplomacy that theywere not immediately attacked as hostile

aliens by the rescue force that foundtheir homeworld. Little is known aboutthe S�sessu�s history, as friendly diplo-matic relations have only recently beenestablished.

The S�sessu are extremely aggressivebusiness dealers. In their attempts togain an equal footing with the otherraces in the Frontier Sector, they havehired adventurers to spy on, infiltrate,steal from, or suppress activities theS�sessu deem �unfriendly� in the Fron-tier systems closest to them. This hascaused Star Law to take an active inter-est in certain foreign and businessaffairs of the S�sessu, though the race asa whole is not regarded as dangerous orhostile.

Attitudes

The S�sessu are essentially amoral (nei-ther knowing nor caring about the dif-ference between good and evil). It is agood bet that a S�sessu will always doexactly what is best for it, even to theextent of betraying others without asecond thought to save itself. This�every-worm-for-itself� attitude makesthe S�sessu disliked, especially by theVrusk (who have suffered in certainbusiness dealings from the S�sessu lovefor �dirty tricks�).

Nonetheless, the other races havelearned to work with the S�sessu, oftenwith great success and mutual benefitfor both sides. S�sessu adventurers oftenwork well as team members, especiallyif they see their chances of finding per-sonal gain and wealth are improvedthrough cooperative effort. Of course, abetter offer might always be made bysomeone else, leaving the door open forpossible treachery.

Special abilities

Ability Insight. Because of the extremelycompetitive nature of S�sessu society,individuals have developed the ability tojudge the strengths and weaknesses ofopponents. All S�sessu start with a scoreof 5% in this ability. This is the percent-age chance a S�sessu has of learning oneability score or skill level of a being heobserves. The S�sessu must see his oppo-nent actually doing something related tothat ability score before he can makethis judgment.

For example, Asphenomenas, a S�sessu,sees a smuggler outside a spaceport. Thesmuggler is trying to shoot a beamweapon at a guard robot. Aspheno-menas secretly watches the smuggler,and the player tells the referee thatAsphenomenas wants to use his AbilityInsight to determine the smuggler�s DEX

score (based upon the smuggler�s shoot-ing ability). The referee secretly rollspercentile dice. If the die roll is 05 orunder, Asphenomenas will have learned

Power andpossessionsare only for

those S’sessuwho can take

and keep them.

the smuggler�s DEX score. A roll over 05would indicate uncertainty and noknowledge gained. Ability Insight maybe increased by spending experience,just like any other ability score may beraised. This ability may only be used

once per game hour, simulating theintense concentration required to use it.

Creating a S�sessu character

S�sessu characters are created in thesame way as other characters. The fol-lowing Ability Modifiers are used whencreating a S�sessu:

STR/STA: +0DEX/RS: +0INT/LOG: +10PER/LDR: -10

S�sessu have the same movement rate asSathar do. They walk at 10 meters perturn, run at 20 meters per turn, andmove long distances at 3 kilometers perhour.

The following Racial Reaction Modi-fiers may also be used when dealingwith S�sessu:

Humans have a -5 reaction penalty toS�sessu.

Vrusk have a -10 reaction penalty toS�sessu.

S�sessu have a +5 reaction bonus toSathar.

S�sessu have a -5 reaction penalty toVrusk.

D R A G O N 8 5

CAPCON VIII, Apr. 5-7This gaming convention will be staged at

Ohio State University. Admission fees are$2 per day; gamemasters will have their ad-mission fees refunded. For more informa-tion, contact: Jeff Gerckens, Box 21, OhioUnion, 1739 N. High, Columbus OH43201, or telephone (614)876-2170 or(614)764-6085.

NORTHEASTER 3, Apr. 12-14This gaming convention will be held at the

College Ave. campus of Rutgers University.A game auction, a costume party, andseminars will be among the featured events.For more details, contact, Northeaster 3,Box 101, Rutgers College Student center,126 College Ave., New Brunswick NJ08903.

PINE CON III, Apr. 12-14The university of Maine Gamer�s Society

presents its third annual gaming convention,which will be held at the University of Maineat the Orono campus. Features will include

tournaments, contests, seminars, and lots ofsurprises. Preregistration fees are $12 for theweekend. For more details, contact: PineCon III Director, 218 Gannett Hall, UMO,Orono ME 04469.

CAROLINA CON IV, Apr. 19-21To be held at the Tremont Motor Inn in

Cayce, S.C., this convention will offer anassortment of role-playing, board, andminiatures tournaments. For more informa-tion, contact: Ed Vincent, 1851 WindoverRoad, Columbia SC 29204; or, RobertChenoweth, 133 Casbel Court, Hopkins SC29061.

CONTRAPTION, Apr. 19-21To be held at the Holiday Inn in Troy,

Mich., this convention promises many in-teresting events. Contact: Contraption, 327Orion Terrace, Lake Orion MI 48035.

EXPLOR-O-CON �85, Apr. 19-21This convention will offer many gaming

activities, including numerous RPG tour-

naments. Gamemaster, dealer, and speakerinquiries are invited. For more information,contact: Explor-o-con �85, P.O. Box 435,Gardner MA 01440-435, or telephone(617)632-9588.

FAL CON IV, Apr. 20-21This convention will be held at the Air

Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo.For more information, contact: Paul Toro,Box 1016 USAFA, Colorado Springs CO80841.

WIZARDCON �85, Apr. 20This gaming convention will be held in

Ferris Booth Hall at Columbia University InNew York, N.Y. Events will includedemonstrations, panels, and role-playingand board game tournaments. Althoughthere will be no admission charge, a nominalentry fee will be required for each tourna-ment. For more information, contact: Col-umbia Games Club, 301 Ferris Booth Hall,Columbia University, New York NY 10027.

ALTI-EGOS, Apr. 26-28This science-fiction and fantasy conven-

tion will be staged at the Sheraton DenverTech Center in Denver, Col. Guest of honorwill be acclaimed author Anne McCaffrey.Featured events will include a writer�s panel,an art show, science-fiction and fantasyfilms, and a model contest. Registration feesare $35. For details, contact: Alti-Egos,P.O. Box 261000, Lakewood CO 80226.

GAME FAIRE �85, Apr. 26-28To be held at Spokane Falls Community

College in Spokane, Wash., this conventionwill offer a large variety of role-playing tour-naments and board games. Preregistrationfees are $7; registration fees are $5 for asingle day and $9 for a weekend pass. Formore details, contact: Paul Wilson, c/oMerlyn�s Science Fiction/Fantasy Store,West 621 Mallon, Spokane WA 99201, ortelephone (509)325-9114.

WIZARD�S CHALLENGE �85,Apr. 26-28

This annual gaming convention will beheld at the Travel Lodge in Saskatoon,Saskatchewan, Canada. Guest of honor willbe game designer Steve Jackson. For moreinformation, contact: The Wizard�s Corner,801C Broadway Ave., Saskatoon, Saskat-chewan, Canada S7N 1B5.

GOLD CON III, Apr. 27-28To be held at Omni Auditorium in Pom-

pano Beach, Fla., events for this conventionwill include historical, fantasy, and science-fiction games, various movies, and a dealers�area. Participants of U.S. Armed Forces arewelcome. Registration fees are $6. For fur-ther details about this convention, contact:John Dunn, Omni Box Office, B.C.C.-North, 1000 Coconut Creek Blvd., Pom-pano Beach FL 33066, or telephone(305)973-2249.

MILCON, Apr. 27-28To be held at the Ramada Inn in

Milwaukee, Wis., this science-fiction andfantasy convention will feature Car Wars�,Chill�, and AD&D® tournaments. Registra-tion fees are $15. For more informationabout convention offerings or about judgingevents, send a self-addressed, stampedenvelope to: Metropolitan Gaming Associa-tion, c/o Louis B. Mengsol III, 5616 W.Cairdel Lane, Mequon WI 53092, ortelephone (414)242-2304 after 3:00 P.M.

LITTLE WARS, May 4-5To be held at the Willow Creek Hotel in

Palatine, Ill., this convention will featureover 70 events, strictly for fantastic andhistoric miniatures. Preregistration fees are$5; admission fees are $6 for the entireweekend, $4 for Saturday attendance only,and $3 for Sunday attendance only. Fordetails, contact: Todd Fisher, 6908 N.Oakley, Chicago IL 60645, or telephone(312)465-7006 during evenings only.

CONJURATION 2, May 10-12This event will be held at the Camelot

Hotel in Tulsa, Okla. Toastmaster will beEd Bryant, and guest of honor will be MikeResnick. For more details about this gamingconvention, contact: ConJuration 2, P.O.Box 690064, Tulsa OK 74169, or telephone(918)438-3336.

MADNESS �85, May 11Sponsored by the RECAP Truancy

Prevention Program, this gaming conven-

tion will be held at Middletown High Schoolin Middletown, N.Y. Registration fees are$3. For more information, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to: Madness�85, 34 South Street, Middletown NY10940.

HAWAIICON �85, May 17-19To be staged at the Pacific Beach Hotel in

Waikiki, Hawaii, this convention willfeature role-playing games, miniatures,seminars, and a dealers� area. For more in-formation about the convention or abouttailored travel arrangements, contact:HawaiiCon, Inc., P.O. Box 25445 HonoluluHI 96825.

TALLY CON 4, May 24-26This gaming convention will be held at the

Hilton in Tallahassee, Fla. Guests of honorwill be L. Sprague and Catherine Crook deCamp. Activities will include an art showand sale, panel discussions, a game room,and �filksinging.� Registration fees are $15.For more details, contact: The GrinningGremlin, 824-C W. Tharpe St., TallahasseeFL 32303, or telephone (904)385-1518.

V-CON 13, May 24-26This science-fiction convention has a

theme which focuses on the bizarre, themacabre, and the supernatural. Featuredevents will include role-playing and boardgames, an art show, and a dealers� room.Registration fees are $18 (in Canadian fundsonly) until May 23, and $20 at the door. Formore details, contact: V-Con 13, P.O. Box48478, Bentall Centre, Vancouver, BritishColumbia, Canada V7X 1A2.

M.I.G.S. VI, May 26Sponsored by the Military Interests and

Games Society, this event will be held at theKitchener-Waterloo Regional PoliceAssociation Recreation Centre in Cam-bridge, Ontario. Featured activities includewargaming tournaments and a paintingcompetition. Registration fees are only $1.For additional information, contact: GeorgeM. Bawdfen, 11 Veevers Drive, Hamilton,Ontario, Canada L8K 5P6.

CAMPCON �85, June 1To be staged at Camp Emmanuel, south

of Astoria, Ill., this event will feature allpopular role-playing and board games.Registration fees are $1 in advance, and $2at the door. For more information, contact:Kevin B. Sager, P.O. Box 833, Astoria IL61501, or telephone (309)329-2934.

HATCON 3, June 6-7To be held at the Ramada Inn, this con-

vention will include a hat masquerade, apool party, a champagne Sunday brunch,and various games. Guests of honor will beIan and Betty Ballantine and Fred Haskell.Registration fees are $30 until June 1, and$35 at the door. For additional information,contact: Kennedy Poyser, CT SF Society,108 Park Ave., Danbury CT 06810, ortelephone (203)743-1872.

SYCCON I, June 8To take place at the Peach Tree Mall in

Marysville, Cal., this convention will featurea variety of gaming events. Winners willreceive $50 worth of gaming merchandiseand comic books. Though admission is free,there will be a $1 registration fee for eachevent. Be aware that openings are limited.For more information, contact: UPdate Pro-ductions, c/o The Game Warden, 24 PeachTree Mall, Marysville CA 95901.

GLATHRICON, June 14-16To be held at the Sheraton Inn in

Evansville, Ind., this event will feature amasquerade, seminars, tournaments, and anRPGA luncheon. Guest of honor will beFrank Mentzer, game designer and editorfor TSR, Inc. Registration fees are $6 untilApril 15, $8 until June 1, and $10 thereafter.For more information, contact: R.C.S.F.A.,P.O. Box 3894, Evansville IN 47737, ortelephone (812)858-5419.

SEAGA �85, July 5-7To be held at the Airport Ramada Inn in

Atlanta, Ga., this gaming convention willfeature computer gaming tournaments, doorprizes, and movies. Dealer inquiries arewelcomed. Admission fees are $12 until June15, and $15 at the door. For more details,contact: SEAGA, Inc., K. Scott Filipek,P.O. Box 930031, Norcross GA 33093.

D R A G O N 8 7

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