Magazine

Issue #120Vol. XI, No. 11

April 1987

PublisherMike Cook

Editor

Roger E. Moore

Assistant editor Fiction editor

Robin Jenkins Patrick L. Price

Editorial assistantsMarilyn Favaro Barbara G. Young

Eileen Lucas Georgia Moore

Art directorRoger Raupp

Production Staff

Gloria Habriga Kim Lindau

Subscriptions Advert is ingPat Schulz Mary Parkinson

Creative editorsEd Greenwood Jeff Grubb

Contributing artistsLinda Medley Timothy Truman

David E. Martin Larry Elmore

Jim Holloway Marvel BullpenBrad Foster Bruce Simpson

Joseph Pil lsbury David TrampierJanet Aulisio Richard Tomasic

Jeff Easley Dwain MeyerTom Marnick Lori Walls

Lawrence Raimonda

9 PLAYERS HANDBOOK II:The ENRAGED GLACIERS & GHOULS game�s first volume!Six bizarre articles by Alan Webster, Steven P. King, Rick Reid, Jonathan Edelstein, andJames MacDougall.

20 The 1987 ORIGINS AWARDS BALL0T: A special � but quiteserious � chance to vote for the best! Just clip (or copy) and mail!

OTHER FEATURES

24

28

33

36

38

42

Scorpion Tales � Arlan P. WalkerA few little facts that may scare characters to death.

First Impressions are Deceiving � David A. BellisThe charlatan NPC � a mountebank, a trickster, and a DM�s best friend.

Bazaar of the Bizarre � Bill BirdsallThree rings of command for any brave enough to try them.

The Ecology of the Gas Spore � Ed GreenwoodIt isn�t a beholder, but it isn�t cuddly, either.

Higher Aspirations � Mark L. PalmerMore zero-level spells for aspiring druids.

Plane Speaking � Jeff GrubbTuning in to the Outer Planes of existence.

46

62

64

68

70

74

Dragon Meat � Robert Don HughesWhat does one do with a dead dragon in the front yard?

Operation: Zenith � Merle M. RasmussenThe undercover war on the High Frontier, for TOP SECRET® game fans.

Space-Age Espionage � John Dunkelberg, Jr.Spies battle across the interstellar reaches of the TRAVELLER® game.

The Game Wizards � Douglas NilesEspionage alert: the TOP SECRET® game revision!

Here Comes the Cavalry! � Matt BandyThe fighting armored cavalry of the STAR FRONTIERS® game.

Born in the Ruins � Dan SalasSocial class and the second-edition GAMMA WORLD® game.

76

79

Welcome to the Machine � Douglas A. LentThe life and times (such as they are) of Marvel�s Machine Man�

The Role of Computers � Hartley and Patricia LesserOf bards and other tales, with hints as well as reviews.

DEPARTMENTS346

26

Letters 86 TSR Previews 97 SnarfquestWorld Gamers Guide 88 TSR Profiles 100 DragonmirthForum 92 Gamers� Guide 102 WormySage Advice 94 Convention Calendar

COVEROur April cover painting has no real title as such. Linda Medley, the California

artist who created it, describes it as a �generic bar scene� which she had wantedto try. We looked at the painting when it arrived, and the only trouble we hadwith it was in deciding how quickly we wanted to use it. There�s something foreveryone here, it seems � more than first meets the eye. Happy April!

SPECIAL ATTRACTIONS

2 APRIL 1987

fixesWe received the following letter from Vince

Garcia, the author of �A Den of Thieves� (issue#115, page 14). He had a few corrections and addi-tional information for that article, but we weren�t

able to print it earlier: The relevant parts of hisletter follow. � RM

Thieves� guild

Dear Dragon:� As regards to the guild-within-a-guild, the

Additional Followers Table should be C ratherthan D, as in the article. The confrontation factoris F (see below).

Table F: Encounters within parent guild

Diceroll Result

01-50 No confrontations this month.51-80 Parent guildmaster suspicious over low

guild tithe, forcing PC�s group to cutback on activities; quarter indicatedtake this month.

81-85 Randomly selected thief bungles pick-pocketing attempt; 90% chance he is in-carcerated and fined 10-40 gp; 10%chance he is killed.

86-90 Assassination attempt made on parentguildmaster�s assistant: 10% chancedeath results, 25% chance in that eventPC is asked to take his place.

91-95 Parent guildmaster suspects presenceof guild-within-a-guild, spending next l-3 months exploring the possibility; 15%chance he discovers the PC�s guild un-less all unauthorized operationsstopped during the time period (quar-ter all indicated receipts if activitiescontinue to be pursued).

96-99 Parent guildmaster�s assistant suspectssame as above; 10% chance he discov-ers PC�s guild and who runs it regard-less of whether or not all unauthorizedthieving activities are halted. If he dis-covers the guild�s presence, he may be-come involved in a beneficial way,extort a percentage to keep quiet (DMmust arbitrate).

00 PC learns his parent guildmaster will berelatively unguarded and open to possi-ble assassination attempt within 1-6days (30% chance this information is atrap by guildmaster to weed out trai-tors; DM arbitrates).

The following adjustments are made to the dice

+ 30 if activity factor 1 is pursued; and,+50 if activity factor 2 is pursued.

One other error: On page 22, under Extremeand purposeful measures taken, the text shouldread x3 instead of x4.

Vince GarciaFresno, Calif.

Lizard bites manDear Dragon:

Regarding the article �Adventure Trivia!� (issue#117, pages 26-27): In question 19, it is asked howmany successful hits would be necessary for a gi-ant lizard to kill a fighter who has 57 hp. The ar-ticle states that the answer is four, but thisamount would only be sufficient to render thepoor tighter unconscious (57 - 16 x 4 = -7)According to the DMG, a character is only killedafter his hit-point total falls below -10. There-fore, five hits would be necessary to kill thefighter.

Brian HindenburgSycamore, Ill.

I see your point. This was an editorial mistake(we changed that one particular question slightly)which made the question a tricky one, since anycharacter at - 7 hp is probably as good as dead.Five hits it is, then. � RM

Too muchcoverageDear Dragon:

In DRAGON® issue #116, several people madequite a bit of noise about how DRAGON Maga-zine should expand the number of games that itcovers. Perhaps this is so, but by now theremust be over 750 role-playing games on themarket. If DRAGON Magazine were to report onall of them � well, let�s try not to think about it.Mr. Spivey said if you would report on the top10 or 15 games, you would increase your read-ership, but to me it would get quite boring.

My solution? Keep the magazine for D&D®and AD&D® games, and the traditional medie-val- and ancient-setting games, and have a sistermagazine with a science-fiction type name forscience-fiction, modern-military, and any otherRPG that doesn�t fit into the first category.

Just one other thought, although I�m sure Mr.Gravel's intentions must be good: Please do nothave articles on MONOPOLY® and RISK® games.Include these in a third periodical, entitled"Boardome."

Bob HughesSchenectady, N.Y.

The chances of seeing another magazine fromTSR, Inc., covering science-fiction games aloneare very poor: We�re swamped with work on themagazines we already have. Though I doubtwe�ll cover the MONOPOLY and RlSK gameshere, we will leave open the possibility of cover-ing certain very popular boardgames withfantasy or science-fiction themes (the OGRE®and CAR WARS® games immediately come tomind). We will continue to cover the mostpopular science-fiction, espionage, super-pow-ered hero, and other such role-playing games inthis magazine. � RM

�Official� business

(continued on page 69)

Roger Moore won�t be writing thismonth�s editorial; he wanted me todo it instead � to give a more for-mal introduction of myself by wayof expressing a few of my thoughts.I hope it�s only a coincidence that hechose to do this in the April issue.

Many years ago, I learned to playthe AD&D® game in the StudentUnion of the University of La Crosse� only then it wasn�t known as theAD&D® or D&D® game: it was sim-ply known as �D and D.� The gamewas fairly crude at that point, com-ing fresh from its genesis and di-rectly from the spiral notebooks ofGary Gygax and Dave Arneson,among others. The game existed as aset of three, digest-sized, paper-bound rule books, all very drablywritten, cheaply printed, and spar-ingly illustrated. These were the�official� rules in 1975. The gameitself was simplistic by comparisonto today�s role-playing games, and itsrules were riddled with vagaries,inconsistencies, and numerousflaws. But in that crude and ratherbasic form, the game had somethingthat a lot of its followers lack; it wasthe first of its kind, and there was alot of room left for development.

Now, in 1987, the AD&D game hasbecome the largest and most popu-lar role-playing game on the market.Ten (at present) books and numer-ous modules make the system com-plete; they also make it extremelycomplex. Letters arrive daily askingthe designers to resolve the flaws orto make rulings on contradictions inthe system. Others write to com-plain about having to buy ten booksto own the AD&D game. Still otherswrite to ask what rules in DRAGONMagazine are �official� and whichare not. To these gamers, the AD&Dgame has become a mass ofconfusion.

With the second edition of theAD&D game presently in the works,more complaints and letter express-ing confusion arrive each day. Somegamers worry that their favoriteclasses will no longer be part of the�official� rules, hence they will nolonger be able to use them in play.Still others complain that they aredispleased with having to buy thesecond edition � a purchase whichwill outmode their first-editionrules. These same people are fur-ther annoyed that the second-edition

D R A G O N 3

The World Gamers GuideIf you live outside the continental SF = STAR FRONTIERS® game; ST =

United States and Canada, you can be STAR TREK®: The Role-Playing Game;included in the World Gamers Guide by MSH = MARVEL SUPER HEROES®sending your name and full address, game; TS = TOP SECRET® game; T =plus your gaming preferences, to World TRAVELLER® game; RQ = RUNE-Gamers Guide, DRAGON® Magazine, QUEST® game; VV = VILLAINS &

other game-players who would beinterested in corresponding about theactivities that they enjoy. Unfortunately,we cannot extend this service to per-sons who live in remote areas of theU.S. or Canada, or to U.S. military

PO. Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147. VIGILANTES� game.Abbreviations in parentheses after a The World Gamers Guide is intended

personnel with APO or FPO addresses.Each eligible name and address that wereceive will be published in three con-secutive issues of DRAGON® Magazine;to be listed for more than three issues,you must send in another postcard orletter.

name indicate games in which thatperson is especially interested: AD =AD&D® game; DD = D&D® game; CC= CALL OF CTHULHU® game; GW =GAMMA WORLD® game;

for the benefit of gamers who liveoutside the continental United Statesand Canada, in areas where nearbygamers are small in number or nonex-istent, as a way for them to contact

Leonardo Flores (AD,TS)P.0. Box 3947 Ma. Sta.Mayaguez, Puerto Rico 00709

Lachlan Bull (AD,DD,SF,T)1 Arthur StreetKensingtonWhangareiNew Zealand

Troy Christensen(AD,VV,Swords & Glory)International ChristianUniversity2nd Men�s Dormitory10-2 Osawa, 3-ChomeMitaka-shi, TokyoJapan 181

Gary & Sharon Webb (AD)A.U.R.A. Inc.Casilla 603La Serena, Chile

Ryerson Schwark#207 Ito-Pia MansionMinami-Azabu 3-19-28Minato-ku, Tokyo 106Japan

Rollo Paciello III(SF,ADD,GW,MSH,TS,JAMESBOND,TMN TURTLES)PSC Box 4125APO, San Francisco CA 96293

William Megill (AD,TS,SF)IvyholmeDulwich CollegeLondon SE 21England

Knut Palmquist (AD,T,DD)c/o S. PalmquistFilippa vagen 2E22241 LundSweden

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

Gollum Game Society(AD,DD,CC,T,RZ, MERPPARANOIA, T2000, JUDGEDREDD)c/o Pederson, Storgatan 10 B64145 KatrineholmSweden

Jeff JohnsonSPDC Ext. NordBP 328MarouaCameroun

Martin Gibbs (AD,T,P,EPT)223 Crimea StreetNoranda, 6062Perth, Western Australia

Peter E. Pormann (ADD,SF)Auf den Blocken 222000 Hamburg 26West Germany

Tathuhiro Ishikawa (DD,SF)24 Chome, Kita 4 jyoChuou-Ku, Sapporo 064

DRAGON® Magazine (ISSN 0279-6848) is published monthly by TSR, Inc. The mailing address for all material except subscription orders is DRAGON Magazine, P.O.Box 110, Lake Geneva WI 53147; the business telephone number is (414) 248-3625. DRAGON Magazine is available at hobby stores and bookstores throughout theUnited States and Canada, and through a limited number of overseas outlets. Subscription rates via second-class mail are as follows: $30 in U.S. funds for 1 year (12issues) sent to an address in the U.S. or Canada, $55 for 12 issues sent by surface mail to any other address, and $95 for 12 issues sent airmail to any other address.Payment in full must accompany all subscription orders. Methods of payment include checks or money orders made payable to TSR, Inc., or charges to validMasterCard or VISA credit cards. Send subscription orders with payments to: TSR, Inc. P.O. Box 72089, Chicago IL 60690. A limited quantity of back issues areavailable from the TSR mail order department, P.O. Box 756, Lake Geneva WI 53147. For a copy of the current catalog listing available back issues, write to the mailorder department at the above address. The issue of expiration of each subscription is printed on the mailing label for each subscriber’s copy of the magazine.Changes of address for the delivery of subscription copies must be received at least six weeks prior to the effective date of the change in order to assure uninterrupteddelivery. All material published in DRAGON Magazine becomes the exclusive property of the publisher, unless special arrangements to the contrary are made prior topublication. DRAGON Magazine welcomes unsolicited submissions of written material and artwork; however, no responsibility for such submissions can be assumed bythe publisher in any event. Any submission accompanied by a self-addressed, stamped envelope of sufficient size will be returned if it cannot be published.

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

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

TRAVELLER is a registered trademark of Game Designers’ Workshop. OGRE and CAR WARS are registered trademarks of Steve Jackson Games. RUNEQUESTand CALL OF CTHULHU are registered trademarks of Chaosium Inc. MONOPOLY and RISK are trademarks of Parker Brothers.

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

4 APRIL 1987

FORUMJames Yates�s article, �Hammer of Thor, Spear

of Zeus,� (DRAGON® issue #115) is interesting,but it misses the point. �The different combatcapabilities of the clerics of the various cults�(page 38) would be a nice thing to illustrate, butmore important [than this] is the question ofgame design.

�Clerics have nearly as good a prospect ofsuccess in melee combat as fighters,� accordingto the Players Handbook (page 20). This conceptis radically changed by weapon specialization.How can a cleric even approach the skill of adwarven axe-wielder who renders a potential ofover 30 hp damage (counting maximumstrength and double-specialization bonuses,attacking twice) in one round?

Furthermore, James�s justification for thecleric�s use of sharp weapons is a bit thin. Heuses logic, which is not a necessary foundationfor a game.

In the first place, the idea that clerics useweapons that don�t shed blood is silly. It is aninaccurate allusion to old Christian priesthoodethics. Secondly, though I have not staved inanyone�s head lately, I can imagine what an 80-pound iron mace would do to someone�s cra-nium (needless to say, there would be lots ofblood). Also, why should an evil cleric followsuch guidelines? Why should he care?

The truth is that Mr. Gygax wanted to flavorthe game. By limiting clerics to blunt weapons,or by limiting any class weapon selection, theplayer is forced to play a character with somecharacter; he is forced to play something thatdoesn�t always swing a long sword.

I propose a simple modifier for clerics (anddruids) to return the prowess once shared byclerics and fighters: allow a single-class cleric (ordruid) to pick one weapon as the favoredweapon when the character is created. Whenthe PC gains a new weapon proficiency, givehim + 1 to hit and + 1 to damage with hisfavored weapon (as well as the new weaponproficiency.) Since clerics gain a new proficiencyevery four levels, this would not seriously alterthe game balance.

Richard WiedemanClaremont CA

I am writing this letter as an ultimate solutionto the often contradictory rule of training forlevels. The first, most obvious flaw is that onehas to find a �name level� character to conductthe training. In most campaigns I have seen,name level personages are usually too busyadministering baronies, commanding armies, ordoing whatever they do for a living to bothertraining some lower-level clod. Instead, leveltraining should be as with cavaliers: simply findsomeone of higher level than the one you aretraining to reach [with certain modifications tothe training costs].

Clerics should have to pay for training only ifthey train at the temple of another god. Thecleric�s own temple would have a vested interestin developing a cleric of higher skill; thus, hewould only have to pay for his living expenses

6 APRIL 1987

during this training period. If the cleric trains atthe temple of a god with the same alignmentand outlook (or same pantheon and no morethan one place removed in alignment), he willbe charged only half price, as the other godwould have an interest in seeing views similarto his own espoused.

Druids are related to nature and really valuegold and such only for what beauty it possesses.No amount of money will help the druid get inbetter touch with the forces of nature; thus, thecost of training is superfluous. Instead of a flatfee, it would be better to have the druid giveany excess funds to the druidic order for thepurpose of buying and protecting more wood-land areas.

For the fighter, there are two alternatives topaying exorbitant fees for training. The firstwould only work in a campaign that isn�t rushedfor time (campaign time, that is). The fightercould enlist in His Majesty�s Army for a term ofa few months, training with the rest of thedogfaces. At the end of the term, the fighterwould be considered trained. Also, where thereis no one to train our hero, the character shouldbe allowed to train himself. This self-trainingcosts 100 gp times the level to be attained, perweek. At the end of every two-week period, thecharacter saves vs. intelligence on a 1d20. Ifsuccessful, the character gains his level; if not,he must train another two weeks.

Barbarians are a different case altogether.Their exorbitant experience-point costs wouldindicate that they train as they go, just as thetrainerless rogue ronin must pay extra experi-ence points to advance in Oriental Adventures.

The ranger class is by far the most contradic-tory class with regard to paying for training.Although rangers do not hoard wealth, it isoften impossible for them to afford trainingcosts unless they do so. Also, if the rangertrainer remains true to this idea, he would notaccept an offered fee. Instead, a ranger trainee�straining time should be doubled, to reflect thefact that the trainee is doing the trainer�s chores(catching and cooking the meals, etc.). In thiscase, have the trainer assign the trainee a taskto complete once training is over. This couldrange from taking a letter to someone in anearby city to going on a major quest. But,whatever it is, let the player know that choosingnot to complete the task would have the sameeffect as knowingly committing an evil act. Thisis a more reasonable approach to a ranger�straining.

Thieves and assassins belonging to a guildshould pay a hefty percentage of all that theymake in order to be provided with training sothey can steal or kill even more for the guild.PCs in most campaigns are not regular membersof a guild in any one city, so they should pay theusual price.

If the DM feels a need to milk the players oftheir money anyway, there are better ways thanassessing unreasonable training costs. Thesemethods may come in the form of taxes, rottenexchange rates, or through the thieving of otherthieves. You would be surprised what a few

pickpockets (guild-trained, of course) could doto a party that has converted their holdings intogems!

David Van DomelenWaukesha WI

This letter is not about cover art, although it isin response to Dan Tejes�s letter on that subjectin DRAGON issue #117. As a long-time womangamer, I was very surprised to read that �fan-tasy role-playing games . . . appeal almost exclu-sively to males.� The first time I played anAD&D® game (over ten years ago), the DM andthree out of the seven players were women.The balance remained about the same through-out my college years. Interplay between charac-ters was enhanced by the sexual mix, andwomen brought a great deal of imagination andenthusiasm to the game.

As a thoroughly addicted fantasy reader, Iknow that such fiction is not written only �bymales, for males, and usually about males,� asMr. Tejes says. Even the oldest swords-and-sorcery traditions include women in activeroles. Look at the Greek goddesses, the Val-kyries, Circe, Calypso, Morgan le Fay, andNimue. In our own century, examples prolifer-ate. Even that towering patriarch, J.R.R. Tolkien,gave us the shield-maiden Eowyn. At least halfof the active fantasy writers whose works Ienjoy reading are women. Most of them writeabout major female characters; often, the malewriters do, too.

The fantasy genre, both in fiction and gaming,is not merely a male area of interest. It neverwas � and while I retain my senses, it neverwill be.

Kristin MarquardtHarwood Heights IL

I write this letter due to several commentsmade by Dan Tejes in DRAGON issue #177. Mr.Tejes lays stereotypes upon three of the mostabused subjects of role playing: females, thieves, and wizards.

First and foremost, Mr. Tejes attacks thefemale perspective, "There are almost no tradi-tional female swords and sorcery characters." Iwould refer Mr. Tejes to Red Sonja, Howard'sBelit and Valeria, Offut and Lyon's Tiana ofReme, Jordan's Red Hawk, and Kitiara ofDRAGONLANCE® saga fame. These are only afew of the female heroes depicted in swordsand sorcery literature. Mr. Tejes goes further,however, to imply that women make neithergood thieves nor good wizards, lacking greasyhair and long beards. The female in fact makesa better thief than the opposite sex, possessinghigher manual dexterity and also more charm,which appeals to the sometimes blunderingmale race, giving her a great advantage. Sincefemales are often judged as weak, why wouldthey not wish to indulge in sorcery, a professionwhich does not require great strength? It wouldseem, on a proportional bases, more womenmight be thieves and magic-users than men.

Mr. Tejes also relates, "Thieves are weasel-like,greasy males." My favorite character is a thief,and he is far from this insidious and downgrad-ing depiction. He is a charming, scheming,rogue, well kept and eagerly accepted by hiscompatriots for, unlike the stereotypical thief,he does not steal from everyone. He is no wea-sel, and his hair isn't greasy (it doesn't appeal tothe ladies or add to one's social grace and ac-ceptability).

"Great wizards have equally great whitebeards." I have no idea why all great mages areassumed to be bearded, but none of the ones I

(continued on page 44)

8 A PRIL 1987

Spells forEveryone:

Part IIIncredible nonmagical spells

know that hoard of gold is ahead! Keepgoing, you guys, while I watch the rear!�The material components are usually butnot always destroyed in the casting.

Fly ½: This spell is best held in reservefor a time when the character is in reallydeep, serious trouble near a cliff or shaft.To cast this spell, take a running start, flapyour arms, utter a plea to the ancient godof flight Jurronimoe (Oriental charactersmight well call on Bonn-zie), and jump. Ifyou do not begin an immediate plungingdescent, it worked.

Haste ½: Since haste ½ makes waste, adecision was made to exclude the descrip-tion of this spell, as characters are quitegood at wasting things (like time, money,monsters, and each other) without it.

Mind Blank ½: This is not so much aspell as the state of mind adopted by mostfighters. The verbal component is a simple�Duuuuh.�

anyone can use! Move Earth ½: The components ofthis spell are a shovel, a strong back, and amind blank ½. This is very useful in

by Alan Webster

Sooner or later, all gamers are facedwith the question: �Well, what the@*#%&! do we do now?� For some rea-son, none of their spells work, their magi-cal items are useless, and their extra-ordinary abilities aren�t all they�re crackedup to be. In the past, in situations like this,players were forced to think. With thepublication of this article, however, thisdreadful possibility may be averted.

Why? Because these nonmagical spellsare now available for ready reference.Anyone, no matter how bad the situation,may use these spells, and it is doubtfulthat anyone would want to unless thesituation seemed hopeless anyway. So,what have you go to lose? Clasp yourhands, fall to your knees, and prepareto cast!

Oh, but first, please note that this articleis based upon �Spells for everyone,� anarticle by L. Creede Lambard and JerryStoddard, from the April 1983 issue ofDRAGON® Magazine (#72), which explainsthe title. As noted four years ago, anythingdumb enough to believe in the effects ofthese spells deserves what he/she/it gets.Range, area of effect, etc., are all mostlyirrelevant, except as noted within the spelldescriptions. These spells are called �½-level� spells because they are less power-ful than first-level spells but better than nospells at all. We now return you to yourregularly scheduled spell-casting.

Air-Water-Fire Walk ½: These spellshave only one purpose, which is to get ridof unwanted associates. Example of use:�Don�t worry about that (bottomless pit,

10 APRIL 1987

lava flow, flash flood). I�ll just cast an (air, trench and tunnel creation.fire, water) walk ½ on you. Mumble mum- Neutralize Poison ½: After success-ble � there! Off you go!� fully casting detect poison ½, it�s a good

Alarm ½: When cast, this spell immedi- idea to follow it with this spell. The so-ately sensitizes all those within the area of matic component is formed by placing theeffect (hearing distance) to the probability index finger of one hand as far down theof danger. The material component is a set throat as possible � though not someoneof vocal chords, and the verbal compo- else�s throat. Let them cast their ownnents are the words �Help! Danger! spells.Aaaaaaaagh!� repeated loudly and often. Smucker�s Transformation ½: Upon

Detect Life ½: The caster grasps the being faced with the threatening prospectwrist of the creature in question and holds of imminent annihilation, the caster turnsit for 15 seconds. If the spell-caster is into a quivering mass of spineless jelly.attacked by the creature in question dur- Speak with Animals-Plants-Stone-ing this time, the thing is alive. If not, the Monsters-Dead ½: The spell-caster maycaster should turn to his companions and speak to any of the aforementioned crea-utter the dreadful words: �He�s dead, Jim! tures or things. However, it is unlikely in

Detect Poison ½: One of the most the extreme that he or she will receive areply � or, in the event that an answer isreliable spells of the lot, this spell is per-

formed by placing a piece of suspect food forthcoming, that the caster really wantsor material in the mouth of an unwilling to hear what the (violently annoyed) objecthireling. There is seldom any doubt has to say.whether the casting was successful or not. Spell Immunity ½: This spell is iden-

tical to air-water-fire walk ½ in its uses.Dream ½: Strangely, fighters seem tobe the most apt to fall prey to this spell. For example: �Don�t worry about thoseWhat usually happens is this: The fighter fireballs. I�ll cast fireball immunity ½ onhas just described what he believes is a you.�brilliant plan, in which he and his five Water Breathing ½: This spell is verycompanions can fight their way through handy when the caster is suddenly sub-the City of Brass, slay a death knight rid- merged into a large quantity of liquid. Theing a huge, ancient, red dragon, and res- somatic gestures consist of vigorouscue a fair maiden from the clutches of a thrashing motions, performed while voic-demi-lich and his younger brother, a vam- ing the verbal components �Glug! Glug!�pire archmage. At this point, his friends The spell duration is something less thanshake their heads and inform the fighter one melee round.that he is under the influence of this spell. Wish ½: This is it. The Big One. THE�In your dream ½ Bob.� spell. Everyone knows how to cast it, and

Find Traps ½: This spell is almost everyone is familiar with its myriad forms:infallible. Its material components are such castings as �I wish ½ I�d memorizedbrave adventurers blundering blindly feather fall,” or �I wish ½ I had a weaponahead of the caster, while the verbal com- that could hit this golem,� or even �I wish

ponents are usually along the line of �I just ½ I hadn�t let you talk me into this.�

The Punis MightierThan the

Sword

Verbal repartee for thejester NPC class

by Steven P. King

The Jester stepped into the street to facehis opponent, bells jangling with each step.Women hurried their children inside. Themen-folk hid behind the nominal safety ofboxes and barrels lining the street. TheJester had an unusually grim look abouthim as he faced the Merryandrew at theother end of the alley. The air was still.The challenger made the first move.“Draw!” he shouted.

12 APRIL 1987

The Jester grinned and pulled out a padand some charcoal. Quickly, he began tosketch. . . .

In DRAGON® issue #60 (and in the Bestof DRAGON Magazine anthology, Volume4), Roger Moore described the jester NPCclass. This class is, shall we say, interest-ing. However, more than four years havepassed since this article was originallyprinted, and it could use an update andrevision.

Spell booksA jester�s spell books may not be read by

anyone other than another jester, becauseof the design of the book and the way thespells are inscribed therein. The books arelong and narrow (typically 14� x 2�), andfirmly bound at the spine. Only a verysmall number of spells can be kept in eachbook, due to the rather unique method ofwriting used. Four spells of first or secondlevel, three spells of third or fourth level,two of fifth or sixth, or just one seventh oreighth level spell can be kept in each book.

To read a spell, the jester holds the bookwith his thumb on the edge of the pages.He then bends the book, causing the pagesto quickly flip by. On the pages are smalldrawings of a jester in the process ofcasting a spell. The somatic and materialcomponents are pictured very clearly,with the verbal components given in co-ded �speech balloons� When the pages areflipped properly, a sort of animated car-toon shows how to cast the spell. After afew minutes of flipping, the jester hasmemorized the spell and can cast it.

Jesters can�t read magic works of otherclasses any more than other classes canread a jester�s spell books. The only waythey can add to their spell books (withoutaccess to another jester�s books) is to ob-serve someone actually casting the spell inquestion. The jester must quickly mark themovements on a scrap of paper, thentransfer them in final form to his or herspell book. There is a 3% chance per levelof the spell that the jester will �mis-scribe�it, causing it to backfire each time it isused. This chance is reduced by 3% foreach additional casting the jester watches.The casting of a first-level spell must bestudied only twice to assure an error-freetranscription, while an eighth-level spellmust be observed nine times to be abso-lutely sure of it. However, the originalarticle�s 1% chance per level of miscastingthe spell still applies, no matter how wellthe jester may have managed to copy it.

PunfightingAhh, now we come to the real crux of

this article: the jester�s ability to slingpuns! Phil Foglio touched lightly upon thetopic in his �What�s New� comic strip inissue #72.

Everybody has the ability to make puns,but the jester class has elevated punningto an art form. Punning is the measure ofsuccess for jesters. The jester who can�tpun is shunned by his peers, and he soondecides that he doesn�t want to be a jesterafter all. (Maybe he can work and becomea lower type of minstrel, like a bard; sure,it�s a step down, but at least it�s some-thing!)

Rules for punfighting are as follows:Every class has a base 20% chance to pun,plus 1% per level of experience. Bardshave a base 40% chance, plus 1% per bardlevel. Jesters have a base 50% chance, plus2% per level. Every point of intelligenceover 10 gives +1% to punfighting ability.

To resolve a punfight, the attacker mustpick a topic. He then has the option ofgiving either a �straight line� or making apun. The defender rolls percentile dice. Ifthis roll is equal to or less than his currentpunfighting ability, he can successfullymake a pun on this topic. The attackermust make a returning pun. Each timesomeone makes a pun (except for theattacker�s optional opening pun), his pun-fighting ability is reduced by 5%. Thevolley continues until one opponent is �ata loss for words� (fails his ability check).That character then loses the fight.

Instead of merely returning a pun, ei-ther opponent can try to change the sub-ject. This opens up a whole new realm ofpuns and will reset both opponents pun-fighting abilities to their initial values. Thisis a difficult maneuver and has cost manya punfighter the battle. To change thesubject, the punslinger must declare hisintentions before rolling to see if he canreturn the pun. Then he makes an abilityroll at one half his current ability score. Ifhe makes the roll, the subject is consid-ered changed. If he fails, he still gets achance to return the pun, but his abilityscore (for this volley only) is cut by onehalf. If this roll is successful, the punfightcontinues on the same topic. If unsuccess-ful, it�s all over.

At the DM�s option, the topic can play amajor factor in the fight. If a punslinger isvery familiar with a certain topic, the DMmay give him or her a bonus ( + 5% to+ 15%) to his ability score. Likewise, anunfamiliar topic can cause a penalty to thescore. Suddenly, getting on a good topic isof utmost importance!

Another option is the punfighting formof the �critical hit.� The �critical hit� is apun so bad that it stops the opponent deadin his tracks and knocks him speechless.Only true jesters (not any other classes)can achieve a critical hit, and only if one�sability score is currently 35% or higher. Inthese conditions, rolling an 01 on yourability check means that a jester has comeup with the worst pun possible on thesubject. The opponent will be unable torespond and the attacking jester will havewon the battle. The �pun fallout� from acritical hit can be devastating. Everyonewithin earshot must save vs. paralyzationor spend the entire next round groaning atthe atrocious wordplay. Note that a criticalhit in a punfight can turn the tide of anearby physical battle!

The punfight has one prime significance

for jesters. In order to rise to the 9th(name) level, a Merryandrew must seekout a Jester of greater level and defeat himin a punfight. The Merryandrew initiatesthe battle and chooses the first topic. If hewins the battle, he can become a full-fledged Jester. If he loses, he must seek adifferent high-level jester and try yetagain. A Merryandrew may not punfightthe same Jester more than once in anattempt to gain the level.

I had thought of making the players actout an actual punfight instead of simplyrolling dice. This really isn�t fair, though.You don�t make the players of fighters

actually battle with swords do you? But, ifthe players want to, go ahead and let themmake . . . umm, fools of themselves.

The Merryandrew impatiently waitedfor the Jester to finish sketching. “Comeon! Get the lead out!”

‘Just a minute. I’m almost through.” Heheld up the portrait. “There, what do you‘ink? ”

“Looks good. I guess we can chalk oneup for you.”

The Jester smiled. The young one wasgood; this could turn out to be a longbattle.

D R A G O N 1 3

The Ecologyof the

PicklebugAvoiding a �pickle�

with this dangerous cuke-alike

by Rick Reid

Sominyx sat in his favorite cushionedchair, staring dreamily into the fire. Hislong, ivory pipe, grown quite cold duringhis meditations, was still firmly clampedbetween his yellowed teeth. A long,gnarled finger, ending in a curved nail,lingered on the last passage Sominyx hadbeen reading in the ancient tome restingon his robed lap.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!�Open up, quick! �Tis I, Pustule! Hurry!

It�s trying to kill me!� came a muffledshout from the front door.

Sominyx�s eyelids flickered at the inter-ruption. Casting a bemused glance at thethick, wooden door, he shook his wizenedhead, chuckling softly to himself. �Ah, theimpatience of youth,� he sighed.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!�Hey, Sominyx! I�m not kidding! It�s right

behind me!�Slowly, the wizard elevated his ancient

form from its comfortable resting placeand picked at the few specks of lint thathad accumulated on his robes. Then,noticing for the first time that his pipe wasout, he reached for a thin taper withwhich to relight it. The pounding contin-ued in the background.

BLAM! BLAM! BLAM!�Aaargh! It�s killing me! Help! Help!

Aaaarrrghhh!�Taking a deep draw on his newly

sparked pipe, Sominyx turned and shuf-fled toward the door. As his hand reachedfor the bronze latch, he stopped andcaught himself. �It was a rather chilly

14 APRIL 1987

night,� he mused. Perhaps a shawl wouldbe needed to protect his old bones fromthe chill that was sure to invade his sanc-tuary when the portal was opened. �Nowwhere did I put that silly thing?�

Blam . . . blam . . . blam . . . .The knocking and shouting had grown

softer now; a few feeble raps were inter-spersed with muffled cries for help. Thewayward shawl recovered, Sominyx bentto the task of opening the door. As usual,the door stuck. �One of these days,� hesaid aloud, �I�ll have to oil these hinges.�Finally, the stubborn mechanisms brokefree, and Sominyx found himself gazing onthe sight of young Pustule, lying facedown on the front stoop with a hideouscreature towering over him.

�Shoo! Shoo!� Sominyx gestured, tossinga power word, kill spell at the monster.�Didn�t anyone ever teach these creaturesany manners?� Then, gazing down at hisbloodied visitor, he remarked, �Well, myimpetuous friend, are you going to liethere all day or are you going to come in?�

After Pustule had settled into one of thewizards tackier pieces of furniture andwas given a lemon to suck for his pain,Sominyx began his dissertation,

�You know, I was just reading about amost remarkable creature, before you sorudely interrupted me � a curious insectcalled the picklebug.�

�Ohhh,� Pustule moaned. �Ya got anypotions of healing laying around?�

�As I was saying, the picklebug begins itslife as an egg, laid by the female of thespecies on the leaves of the dill plant.�

�Yeah, yeah, that�s great. But what I needto know is, what was that thing thatattacked me out there?�

�Oh, that,� Sominyx replied, obviouslydispleased at the interruption. �Just yourordinary garden-variety xaren.�

�A xaren!� Pustule gasped, spitting fortha once firmly attached molar. �What in theheck is a xaren?�

�As I was saying,� continued Sominyx,pointedly ignoring his battered compan-ion, �the picklebug survives in this eggstage, sometimes for many months, untilthe dill is picked for the manufacture ofpickles. The eggs, being quite small, arenot noticed by the picker. When the egginfested dill leaves are introduced into thevinegar-brine pickling solution, the eggsbegin to hatch into larvae. The larvae,resembling small green hair, feed on thepickling fluid and begin the first steptoward becoming mature picklebugs.

�Picklebug, shmicklebug! Who cares!�cried Pustule angrily. �Listen! This crea-ture ate my magic shield, sneered at myring of fire, and acted like my sword onlytickled. What I gotta know is this: How canI kill these things?�

A withering glance from the venerablemage silenced the young fighter. �Oncesafely secured in a pickle barrel, the lar-vae continue feeding until, after a span ofsix months, they become adult picklebugs.In color and appearance, the insects re-semble the regular pickles swimmingaround them, while their size is that ofyoung gherkins.�

�That�s fascinating.� Pustule remarked.�Totally fascinating. Look, I won�t take upmuch of your time. Please, just tell mehow I can kill a siren.�

�That�s xaren!” Sominyx spat. �As usual,you weren�t paying attention. Now, oncethe picklebug reaches the adult stage, itbegins to feed off the pickles themselves.They say an adult picklebug can consumetwo quarts of pickles a day. But herecomes the good part. What happens whensomeone reaches into the picklebarrel andaccidentally grabs a picklebug instead ofthe intended pickle? Why, nothing! Pickle-bugs are actually quite harmless, and are,in fact, rather tasty!�

�Ah, yeah,� said Pustule, painfully risingfrom his seat. �Listen, isn�t that my clericcalling me? Well, gotta go.�

Sominyx watched with a cocked eye asthe black-and-blue warrior slowly openedthe door and stepped out into the night.�Hmmmph!� the wizard muttered. �Theseyoungsters; always in a hurry! Couldn�teven wait long enough for me to tell himthe one thing I do know about xarens �they usually travel in pairs.�

The scream lasted only a few moments,until it was borne away on the night wind.Reaching into his vest pocket, Sominyxproduced a pouch of tobacco and refilledhis pipe. Slowly, the old mage settled backinto his chair to continue his reading.

Dining Outin the Hells

A fast-food guideto the Lower Planes

16 APRIL 1987

by Jonathan Edelstein

“I despair, Alryk. We have been wander-ing the Hells for weeks now and have yetto encounter one of those foul devils. Howyour black sword must thirst!”

“Aye, Moonbum, they always take totheir wings when they hear us screaminglike banshees — but we’ve worse to come,I fear.�

“What be this great challenge, Alryk?”“Ye olde iron rations are running out.

We’ll have to go back across the Styx formore!”

Alryk�s concern is legitimate and wide-spread. Many an adventurer, in the midstof a successful campaign against the evildevils, has been faced with the problem ofa declining food supply. If the characterreturns to the Prime Material Plane bynormal means, the devils will be waitingfor him upon his return to the Nine Hells.Interdimensional teleporting is dangerous,and wishes and such are rare. A cleric cancreate food & water only so many times.Therefore, the best solution seems to befinding food within the Nine Hells them-selves.

Recently, a copy of the Hells� gourmetmagazine, For Infernal Consumption,made its way to the Prime Material Plane.Included in it is a directory of the majoreateries of the Nine Hells.

The only reasonably cheap place in theHells is a chain of restaurants known asMaughdonnell�s. Run by a devil knownvariously as Reynaud or Ronnell, branchesof this tavern can be found all over theInfernal Realms. According to the sageWestminster, it lives up to its motto ofbeing �pseudopod-lickin� good!� Findingsuch an establishment is no great problem� simply look for two sulfur-coloredarches linked at the base, like two hills.Indeed, Maughdonnell�s is the most com-monly patronized restaurant in the LowerPlanes.

There is a convenient animal tieup infront of each eatery. However, it is bestnot leave horses here, since this is whereeach restaurant gets food for its mostfinicky eaters. Within the tavern, charac-ters are greeted by a nonservus (see thedescription at the end of the article). Any-one under 7� tall is seated at a children�stable, where he is able to get a small prizesuch as a costume hellstone with an orderof 10 gp or more. Children�s dishes aregenerally accompanied by a side order ofkherezdal stalks and a pureed mugzhucshake � larger beings and adults mustorder separately.

The staples of this fast-food chain arestench kow burger and filet o� sahuagin. If

a character does not specify that the Diabolic regulars at these places do notburger be from a steak, he may develop take kindly to human intrusion. Since allviolent cramps for two days (save vs. weapons must be checked on entry, fightspoison for one day, with effects in either are finished using magic and food.case as per the spell symbol of pain). Steak Mugzhuc shakes which hit targets in a 30�burgers cost 5 gp above and beyond the range will blind them for one round andbase price of 8 gp for �normal� burgers. cause 2 hp damage in the same roundKherezdal stalks, a powerful laxative, are from violent retching (save vs. poison toavailable on the side for 4 gp. As drinks avoid). However, anyone between thego, cheap beer (2 gp per gallon-sized mug) attacker and the target is splattered foris the only alternative to the 3-gp, germ- half effect, whether or not the shake hits.carrying mugzhuc shakes. Items beyond Rock-hard stench kow burgers hit as slingthis selection are only available with a bullets (90� range), and the teeth in a filetbribe of 20 gp, and they necessitate a wait o� sahuagin can be thrown as normalof 1-6 hours. darts. If magic is used, restaurant prop-

erty must not be harmed. Otherwise, twononservi attack each offending characterand throw them out into the local garbagepit. The unfortunate adventurers thentake 2-8 hp damage from sharp bonesbefore passing out for 3-12 hours from thesmell (no save).

Though some knowledgeable sages callMaughdonnell�s �Juiblex�s home away fromhome,� Westminster insists that it is theNine Hells� best choice for hungry humanadventurers. Indeed, for those without themeans to go to fancy places like �13� it isthe only choice.

RONNELL MAUGHDONNELLCount of the Hells

FREQUENCY UniqueNO. APPEARING: 1ARMOR CLASS -4MOVE: 18"HIT DICE: 116 hit points% IN LAIR: 10%TREASURE TYPE: HNO. OF ATTACKS: 2DAMAGE/ATTACK: By weapon type or

2-9/2-9SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 80%INTELLIGENCE: ExceptionalALIGNMENT: Lawful evilSIZE: L (13� tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: 208

Attack/Defense Modes: All/All

Ronnell, or Reynaud, known as the Hells�answer to the Slime Lord, is the ownerand director of the Hells� only fast-foodservice. He desperately wants a higherstatus as lieutenant to an arch-devil, andhe will do almost anything to become one.He customarily fights with a large +2 redsausage which does 7-32 hp damage on asuccessful hit. He can create a 10�-diameter pool of slime on command thatacts as oil of slipperiness, and he radiatesan aura of fast-food mania that causescharacters to save vs. spells to becomeextremely hungry (as per a chime of hun-ger) and extremely silly (as per a chaosspell, save that all attacks made are totallyineffective).

Ronnell can apply the following spell-likepowers, one at a time and one per round:pyrotechnics, fireball, dispel magic, ani-mate dead, jump, haste (self), blink, holdperson or monster, tongues, teleport, and(fulfill another�s) limited wish. Once perday, he can use a symbol of discord. Ron-nell can summon 1-4 nonservi with a 55%chance of success, and he regenerates 1hp every two rounds. He is totally immuneto poisons and acids.

NONSERVUS (lesser devil)

TREASURE TYPE: NilNO. OF ATTACKS: 1DAMAGE/ATTACK: 3-12SPECIAL ATTACKS: See belowSPECIAL DEFENSES: See belowMAGIC RESISTANCE: 25%INTELLIGENCE: LowALIGNMENT. Lawful evilSIZE: L (7½' tall)PSIONIC ABILITY: Nil

FREQUENCY: UncommonNO. APPEARING: 2-8ARMOR CLASS: 1MOVE: 3�HIT DICE: 7+2% IN LAIR: 65%

The race of nonservi staffs the greatMaughdonnell fast-food chain. They areonly found working there or gatheringsupplies from the lands near each restau-rant (such as from hitching posts, sleeping

bags, etc.). In the latter case, 4-16 of thesedevils will be present. In their lair, trea-sure is in the form of a cash box contain-ing type B monies. Nonservi can bite, butthey also attack by throwing boiling oil,and they are immune to all forms of heatand poison.

Nonservi can use the following spell-likepowers, one at a time, once per round:command, produce flame, pyrotechnics,telekinese 3,000-gp weight, and summonanother nonservus with a 25% chance ofsuccess, twice per day. They regenerate1 hp per round.

Nonservi appear to be lizard-headedhumanoids wearing bright-colored uni-forms. These uniforms have tags on themstating each devils name (which are al-ways wrong). Nonservi have the equiva-lent of 18/00 strength and are able to fightunarmed with great facility. It is rumoredthat nonservi are either the reincarnatedspirits of evil cooks or are abishai whooffended Tiamat.

D R A G O N 17

Not FoundIn AnyStores!

Nonstandard magical itemsto keep the DM happy

by James MacDougall

Today, most AD&D® game players havetheir own copies of the Dungeon Master’sGuide, and they have the �Explanationsand Descriptions of Magic Items� section(known affectionately as �the shoppinglist�) all but memorized. Given a smartDM, however, players may find that notevery magical item performs the way it�s�supposed to.� Some nonstandard itemsmight find their ways into the campaign;as a result, the characters must discoverthe items� functions through traditionalexperimentation (such as handing thethings to an NPC and standing way back).Other items may appear to be standardtreasures,leading the players to becomeoverconfident (the poor dears). Whatfollows is by no means comprehensive,but it is a suggested list of items thatplayer characters may find in theirdungeons. The experience-point values forthese items (as well as gold-piece salevalues) depend entirely upon the whims ofthe DM.

The Rod of LordlyMight-or-Might-Not

This item looks exactly like the rod oflordly might from the DMG and will, infact, function the same as the standarditem, but only 50% of the time. Otherwise,the rod of lordly might-or-might-not per-forms in the following manner:

1. Should the rods wielder desire the

78 APRIL 1987

mace +2 function, the rod grows a styl-ized hand with fingers bent, suitable forscratching itches in hard-to-reach spots.

2. If the battle axe +4 function is calledupon, the rod grows a flat, flexible end,which is +4 versus small, flying insects(doing 1 hp damage at most).

3. If the spear +3 is activated, the rodshrinks to a length of 3� � the perfect sizefor removing things lodged between thecharacter�s teeth.

4. An attempt to use the rod for a climb-ing pole causes it to bury itself 3� in theground, requiring some digging to extri-cate it.

5. Trying to force open a door with therod results in the rod dancing noisily onend for a melee round.

6. If the rod is used to find magneticnorth, it points southwest or east (50%chance of either).

7. The flaming sword + 1 option, ifcalled upon, results in a flower sproutingfrom the handle instead.

8. If a charge is used to paralyze anopponent, the rods wielder suffers a fit ofsneezing for 1d6 rounds.

9. The rod will not cause fear in anopponent; rather, a small cloud appearsover the wielder�s head and rains on himfor a round.

10. Finally, instead of draining 2d4 hpfrom an opponent, the rod bestows 2d4 gpupon the opponent. Naturally, the goldcomes from the wielder�s purse (othercoins or valuables may be substituted).

Note that these last three undesirableeffects drain a charge from the rod just asthe desired effects would. Any attempt to

sell a rod of lordly might-or-might-not as ifit were a rod of lordly might will beviewed as a breach of alignment for goodcharacters.

Pipes of the BrewersEach round that this wooden pipe is

played, a character may turn a gallon ofwater or any other liquid into ale. Thequality of the ale depends on the tuneplayed (these tunes are jingles used by theparticular breweries to sell theirproducts). While this would seem indis-pensable to a post-dungeon (or more ap-propriately, an after-bar) party, there is anunpleasant side effect to possession of thepipes of the brewers: The pipe�s ownersuffers increasing dipsomania. Upon find-ing the pipe, a character has a 10% chanceof succumbing to a terrible urge to drinkhimself into a stupor. This increases by10% each day the pipe is kept. Thereafter,the character begins putting on a lot ofweight, and the character�s nose turns abright shade of red. The dipsomania canonly be cured by a remove curse, heal, orwish.

The Manual of Trendy and Commer-cially Lucrative Exercise

This magical tome is of particular use toany former owner of the pipes of thebrewers. The manual details an exerciseprogram created by the sage Fondah. Anyout-of-shape character (i.e., one withstrength and constitution scores less than10) who follows the manual�s instructionsfor just three months gains one point tohis strength and constitution scores. Notonly that, but the character looks goodand feels great. However, failure to exer-cise at least two hours per day causes theimmediate loss of all benefits, which can-not then be regained.

Onyx BallThis l�-diameter, black sphere acts just

like a crystal ball, but is only capable ofclairaudience since the ball is nearly im-possible to see through. Ten percent of allonyx balls are actually inert, but haveNystul’s magic aura cast upon them any-way for effect. A closer examination ofsuch balls reveals three finger-sized holesin close proximity to each other.

Toothpicks of LightningThese toothpicks are usually found in

the possession of a seemingly unarmedopponent. The dungeon party may en-counter a lone, big, and ugly fighter lean-ing against a door, with no weapons insight. As the party approaches, the fighterarrogantly ignores them, slowly cleaninghis teeth with a wooden pick. Suddenly,the fighter flips his toothpick at the PCs. In

flight, just before it strikes, the toothpickis transformed into a 30�-long bolt of light-ning, as per a javelin of lightning. Tooth-picks of lightning appear otherwise to be3�-long slivers of wood. There are up tofive such slivers in a pack, and each comesindividually wrapped for safety and com-fort. Please remember that there is a 1%chance per round that the toothpick �goesoff� if used as a tooth-cleaning implement� an interesting variation on Russianroulette. In this event, the user gains nosaving throw against its effects, takingdouble damage from the bolt.

Staff on Strike-ingThese staves are very emotionally sensi-

tive. They act as standard staff of strik-ings, but only as long as they feel they arebeing treated fairly. If a character wields astaff on strike-ing in three consecutivemelee rounds without using anotherweapon (to give the staff a break), the staffprotests. Leaping from the character�shands, the staff drops to the floor (only abend bars roll will keep it in the charac-ter�s hands). A placard then materializeson the staff, reading �[User�s name here]unfairly degrades and exploits the stave

proletariat!� (or something similar). Thestaff cannot be used until the characterallows the staff to rest for 2-16 meleerounds, after which the entire processmay be repeated, ad infinitum. A secondcharacter may be needed to arbitrate thedispute between the staffs user and thestaff, if the DM makes the staff intelligentand verbal in the manner of intelligentswords.

Gem of Not-Too-BrightnessAs far as anyone can tell, this gem is just

like the gem of brightness we�ve all readabout, except for one small detail. Everytime the gem is used, the user loses onepoint of intelligence. The loss of points is,of course, quite painless, and the charac-ter will not be aware that anything iswrong. The rest of the party, however,begins to notice things. Spells are forgot-ten, items are misplaced, boots are put onthe wrong feet, and, ultimately, affectedcharacters are unable to recall theirnames.

All intelligence points return 2-8 daysafter the gem is discarded. A remove curseis necessary to get rid of the gem. A char-acter�s intelligence can be lowered to anabsolute minimum score of 1 at

Manual of Plush GolemsThis magical tome permits a magic-user

to create the smallest of the five varietiesof golem, the cute and cuddly plush golem.A plush golem is an overstuffed facsimileof a furry animal (usually a bear) animatedby special enchantments. Each plush go-lem has 5 hp, attacks as a l-HD monster,and has an AC of 8. Plush golems attackwith a claw-claw-bite routine, but becauseof their size, they only do l-2/1-2/1-3 hpdamage. Plush golems take damage fromnormal weapons, but since they have nobones to break, they suffer no damagefrom blunt weapons. It costs 5,000 gp toconstruct a plush golem, and the manuallasts until 2-5 of them are made. After thispoint, the manual then turns yellow andthe writing fades to illegibility. Some wagscall plush golems �attack teddies.�

worst, but can go no lower than that.However, if a character is lowered to onepoint of intelligence before discarding thegem, the gem discards the character. Inother words, it teleports to another loca-tion where a smarter character is sure tofind it. When this happens, a wish, limitedwish, or a restoration spell is needed toreturn the PC�s lost intelligence points.

DRAGON 19

U r b a n B l i g h tM a d e E a s yHelp stamp out predictable

town encounters!

question mark, and he walks with a pro-nounced limp, leaning heavily on a caneconstructed from a stuffed swordfish.

Shippy is always cursing something orsomeone, usually in a very loud voice. Hepretends to be quite deaf, berating every-one to �Speak up!� even if they haven�tspoken. In truth, his hearing is quitesharp, and he is able to overhear quite afew conversations that would not takeplace otherwise. This makes Shippy anexcellent source of information, if one isprepared to pay his outrageous prices forbait and sit through several hours of ridic-ulously exaggerated sea yarns. Rumor hasit that Shippy�s place is host to illegalworm fights on Friday nights, but thisallegation has never been proven.

Madame Zuzu�s Bread and Fortunes The sign in the dusty window of thislittle shop proclaims �Madame Zuzu �Fortune Teller � Sees All � Knows All �Fresh Bread Baked Daily.� Inside is a small,round table surrounded by four chairs.On the table are a crystal ball and a largeincense burner which gives off an odor ofburning leaves. Madame Zuzu (AC 10; MV6�; T2; hp 7; #AT 1; Dmg 1-4 with thrownobject, l-2 with bread loaf; S 9, I 12, W 14,D 7, C 14, Ch 4, Co 4; AL CN) is a skinny,hook-nosed old crone with protrudingchin hairs and a rather prominent wart inthe middle of her forehead. She wears amulticolored turban and a long black robedecorated with silver stars. Madame Zuzucan usually be found seated at the table. Acurtain at the back of the room leads to asmall kitchen and fireplace where bread isbaked.

Speaking in a thick accent, MadameZuzu tells the fortune of anyone who paysher a 1 gp consultation fee. This reading isaccompanied by a great deal of mumbo-jumbo and hand waving over the phonycrystal ball (actually an inverted mixingbowl). Roll 1d12 for one of the following(faked) fortunes:

1. You will embark upon a long journey.When you arrive, you will have reachedyour destination.

2. You are about to misplace somethingvery precious to you. When you find it, itwill be in the last place you look.

3. I see a young man/woman in yourfuture. He/she will be wearing matchingstockings. Celebrate with some bakedgoods.

4. New enterprises may bring misfor-tune. Remember: Initiative comes to thosewho wait. Buy some bread soon.

5. You will succeed where others havefailed, if you learn the meaning of successand failure.

6. All is not as it seems. Trust no onebut yourself . . . and Madame Zuzu�s hotmuffins.

by Rick Reid

�Okay, DM, we�re in town. What do wesee?�

�Well, let�s see �there�s an inn . . . and atavern, and a stable, and a trader�s shop,and a . . . a . . . uh, what else do youneed?�

�Zzzzz.�

Has this ever happened to you? Sure ithas! Well, next time your players enter anew town, throw one of these establish-ments at them as a change of pace to the�same-old-shop blues.�

Shippy�s Bait and TackleWho would guess that the decrepit lean-

to squatting like a bloated toad at the edgeof the rotting wharf was in fact the resi-dence of the infamous Cap�n Shippy? Ev-eryone, that�s who, which is why mostdecent people give the place and Cap�nShippy (AC 10; MV 12�; F1/Tl; hp 6; #AT1; Dmg l-8 with lead-weighted club; S 8, I14, W 15, D 9, C 8, Ch 4, Co 5; SA causticcomments about characters and theirmothers; AL N) a wide berth.

Perhaps it�s the four leaky rowboats tiedto the dock, their bottoms rotted fromdisuse, advertised for rent at 2 gp per day.Possibly it�s the charming, hand-letteredsigns covering missing windowpanes,proclaiming �No Wimmen Allowed,� �NoGold, No Bait,� and �Closed,� Or maybe it�s

22 APRIL 1987

the human skeleton tied upside-down by itsfeet and labeled �The One that Got Away�that gives Shippy�s its quaint atmosphere.But don�t be fooled by outward appear-ances, for inside, Shippy�s is a veritablecornucopia of fishing paraphernalia. Wit-ness the shelves stacked high with jars andbottles of exotic bait (some of its originsbest left unknown) and a multitude ofhooks (ranging from the microscopicfeather hook to the half-ton �Thunderbarb,�whose purpose can only be guessed).

And talk about worms! Shippy�s hasevery variety known to Mother Nature.Among the listed varieties are dew worms,shrew worms, dead worms, red worms,head worms, green worms, bean worms,in-between worms, sand worms, landworms, hand worms, purple worms (justkidding), wigglers, squigglers, squirmers,crawlers, and, of course, the rare andspecial speckled spackle worm.

For those characters not been luckyenough to have already visited this estab-lishment, their first meeting with theproprietor is sure to be a moment to re-member. Shippy appears to be in his six-ties, although his actual age is unknown.He has one good eye, which he fixes stead-ily on his customers until they either buysomething or leave. (The other is a glasseye, which Shippy rolls on the countertopwhen he wishes to annoy a slow shopper.)His thin mouth is fixed in a perpetualfrown, and long strands of white hairprotrude from his ears and nostrils, per-haps compensation for the lack of sameupon his head. His posture resembles a

8. You will reap what you sow and sewwhat you rip.

9. You will live to a ripe old age, unless

7. An old friend will be the bearer ofglad tidings. Invite him in and give himb i s c u i t s .

you are killed.10. You will receive your greatest wish,

then not want it.11. A fool and his money are soon

parted. One gold piece, please.12. Beware the green monkey. He barks

at midnight.After the reading, Madame Zuzu de-

clares that �the ball has gone cloudy,� andtries to sell the patron a loaf of her stalebread (5 cp). If she is asked a direct ques-tion about present or future events, shereplies with either �Your question hasmuch merit. The spirits smile on yourinquisitive nature,� or �The path you travelmay well lead to that which you seek,�whichever is more appropriate. If thegroup questions her authenticity as amedium, she orders them out of her shop,threatening them with the dreaded curseof the slobbering camels and a large loafof French bread.

Realm of JunkAn 8�-high wooden fence encloses this

half-acre junkyard. The sign on the frontgate proclaims �Realm of Junk � His RoyalHighness King Woofer, Ruler of the World� No Peasants Allowed.� The gate is notlocked, but a wooden board nailed acrossthe opening at chest level forces anyoneattempting to enter to bow. Inside arepiles of trash and junk of every descrip-tion filling the entire half acre. There is agold-painted, one-room shack to the left ofthe entrance. A line of old shields embed-ded in the ground forms a path from theentrance to the house.

An examination of the shack reveals thepaint to be cracked and peeling. There aretwo suits of dented battle armor stationedon either side of the front door. The frontwindow is draped in tattered velvet.Above the door is a wood-burned signbearing a crown and six X marks.

Inside the shack, seated on a thronemade of old armor, barrels, pipes, horseshoes, and other odds and ends, sits KingWoofer himself (AC 9; MV 12"; F3; hp 11;#AT 1; Dmg 1-6 with pipe; S 8, I 14, W 3, D9, C 11, Ch 11, Co 12; AL CN). Woofer isquite mad. He actually believes that hisjunkyard is the entire sum of the civilizedworld and that he is its ruler. He wears athick, patchwork robe and a crown com-posed of 41 gold coins welded together.His scepter is a piece of lead pipe mountedwith a stuffed piglet head. His coat-of-arms, painted on a shield hung behind thethrone, shows a mangy rat emerging froma battered chamber pot with two

Searching the house reveals nothing ofvalue except the crown, which is made ofactual gold. Any weapons or armor foundare in no condition to be used. If the PCschoose to search the junkyard first, theyare able to find almost any item they de-sire after careful searching, though noneof these items are usable. There is also a60% chance per round that the partyencounters Prince, who presents himselfin the characters� path. If he smells fear, orif the party moves to attack, he springs. Ifthe characters avoid him or try to befriendly, he backs off but follows themuntil they leave, growling all the while.

If the group does not go along with theking�s eccentric behavior or makes himmad in any way, he screams for theprince. A low growl from behind the partyfollows. Standing in the doorway, wearinga spiked collar and a tin crown, is thebiggest, meanest junkyard dog the partyhas ever seen. Prince (AC 6; MV 15" ; HD3; hp 15; #AT 3; Dmg 2-8/1-4/; AL NE)springs to the attack, attempting to clawaway and lock his slavering jaws around acharacter�s neck. He is not rabid, but hisnails are filthy; any scratches have a 60%chance of becoming infected (as per agiant rat�s bite) if not properly treated.

The coin of his realm is junk, and heexpects all visitors to bestow a small grati-tude to approach his presence. All thelocals know of his condition and transactall their junk business without visiting thethrone. If they have something to unload,they merely bring it in and dump it; ifthey wish to purchase something, theysearch for what they need and leave foodor clothing in exchange.

crossed chicken bones above and beneaththe legend �Dis Gust, Dis Grace, Dis Place.�Lining the walls of the shack are suits ofarmor in various positions and states ofdisrepair. These are Woofer�s �subjects,�and he treats them as if they were alive.He considers anyone who enters his do-main as a barbarian and treats him ac-cordingly. King Woofer expects everyoneto bestow upon him all the respect andsubservience his position demands.

This small, stone building with a stuffedpig in the front window is the domain ofGristle the butcher (AC 10; MV 12" ; F4; hp18; #AT 1; Dmg l-6 with bloody meatcleaver; S 15, I 10, W 7, D 12, C 15, Ch 6,Co 6; AL N). Links of greasy sausage aredraped freely about the store, and severalunmarked barrels of disgusting animalparts are stationed throughout. A grimyglass display case half blocks the curtainedback wall. The back of the store consistsof a combination cutting room, storageroom, and living quarters. The entire placereeks of blood and entrails.

Gristle�s Butcher Shop

When anyone enters the shop (signaledby a tinkling bell), Gristle emerges fromthe back room and stands behind the case,cleaver in hand, glaring at the customer.The meat displayed in the case is very oldand not very appetizing. Gristle is notreally a good butcher; he just likes to cutup animals. He calls everything �meat� andcharges the same price for all his cuts (1sp per pound). Gristle has a tendency todrool a lot and punctuates his speech bywaving his cleaver.

The butcher offers to buy any extrahorses or pack animals the party mayhave. If they refuse, he, tries to sell them ahog�s head he has in one of the barrels,claiming it would make good soup. If thegroup spurns all his generous offers, hereaches behind the counter and retrievesa dented, white metal mask, which heplaces over his face. He then dancesaround, waving his cleaver and shoutingunintelligible curses until the party flees.

Bobo Watson�s Chicken EmporiumThe first thing most visitors notice about

this establishment is the 12�-tall woodenchicken welcoming them from the roofwith open wings. This giant clucker an-nounces to one and all (with a magicmouth) that they have arrived at theworld-famous Bobo Watson Chicken Em-porium. Sprawling over a hundred acresof prime gravel, the Chicken Emporium ishome to over 33 varieties of fowl. Visitorsmay choose any bird for their Sundaymeal, and may even watch its beheadingon the premises by one of several profes-sional axemen. Local children, employedas chicken chasers to catch the chosenchick, have to be fast and must possess akeen eye, for over 5,000 chickens call thisranch their home.

The gift shop boasts such delightfulsurprises as down pillows and comforters,hand-painted eggs, egg candles, books ofdelicious egg recipes, feathers for hats andheadbands, and, for the kiddies, JuniorChicken Rancher badges and the amazingship-in-an-egg.

Every day at noon, there is a demonstra-tion of raw egg juggling. Kids love towatch the chick feedings at 1O:OO A.M.,

2:OO P.M., and 5:OO P.M. The admission priceis only 6 cp. Chicken dinner prices vary.

No one has ever seen Bobo Watson.Some say he was a poor chicken farmerwho struck it rich and now lives the life ofa recluse. Others attest that he fell into avat of mash and was pecked to deathseveral years ago. Still others claim thatthere is no Bobo Watson � that it is afictitious name dreamed up by a group ofmerchants to help sell chickens. Whoknows? To this day, the mystery of BoboWatson remains just that: a mystery.

D R A G O N 2 32 3

by Arlen P. Walker

�As you crest the hill, you see a giantscorpion ahead of you. It is facing awayfrom you, seeming to gaze off into thedistance.�

�I�ll put on my ring of invisibility andsneak past it.�

Is this possible? I thought so, until Icame across the December 1984 issue ofScientific American. In that issue, PhilipBrownell writes about the way sand scor-pions detect their prey. Mr. Brownell�sarticle was not aimed at fantasy gamers,so he didn�t mention giant scorpions norany of the other concepts which interestreferees. Still, we can glean from his ar-ticle some new ideas which make giantscorpions more interesting.

24 APRIL 1987

Scorpions use neither their visual oraural senses to detect their prey. Instead,they use the vibrations of the sand under-neath them. Small sensors on their legspick up and measure the strength of vibra-tions; a scorpion uses the minute differ-ences in these vibrations picked up byeach leg to locate its prey. When the scor-pion has determined the distance anddirection of its prey, it charges toward itwith pincers extended.

Mr. Brownell gives about 30 centimetersas the maximum distance a scorpion cansense vibrations � a normal-sized scor-pion, of course. A North American scor-pion averages about 5 centimeters inlength, which means the maximum detec-tion distance is about six times the scorpi-on�s length. At a distance of about twice itslength, the scorpion is almost perfect in

determining both direction and distance toa victim.

Mr. Brownell�s experimental data pointsto a method for running encounters withgiant scorpions. Up to a distance of aboutthree times its length, the scorpion willalways move to within a few feet of itstarget before attacking. If it makes a detec-tion roll (1-90 on percentile dice), and if itrolls a hit against an unarmored foe (AC10) at the end of its charge, its pincershave bumped against (but not grasped) itsfoe, and it may attack normally.

If its prey is farther than three times itslength, the scorpion will move in the gen-eral direction of its prey up to that dis-tance. (Generally speaking, the fartheraway the prey is, the more tentative thescorpion�s movement toward it will be.) Inany case, if the scorpion cannot strike atits prey after it has moved, it pauses for asegment, waiting for another vibration,and reacts to it using the above guidelines.

Since the scorpion uses vibrations,rather than sight or sound, to track itsprey, it is immune to most camouflagingdevices. Invisibility will not even confuse ascorpion, as it attacks only if its pincershave touched its prey by the end of thecharge toward the prey�s expectedlocation.

Likewise, tunneling underneath thescorpion gives no protection. The scorpionstill realizes a character�s presence andcan dig the character out with its largepincers. It seems obvious that a scorpion isalmost impossible to surprise by any at-tacker who travels upon or under theground.

The scorpion�s detection ability shouldbe immune to any attacks which directlyaffect any of the senses except touch, asthat is the sense a scorpion�s vibrationsensors use. The scorpion�s attack may beslightly affected by blinding attacks (- 1 or-2 to hit, depending on the success orfailure, respectively, of the initial detectionroll), but sonic attacks should not affect itat all.

If a scorpion is immune to all thesethings, then what will affect it? It shouldbe penalized 10% on its detection roll foreach leg which is missing or crippled, asthe loss of sensory data from that legimpairs its ability to locate by vibration.Also, if several adjacent legs are incapaci-tated, the scorpion will not be able toaccurately detect the direction of preywhich is at a 90° angle to its missing legs.

These ideas about scorpions shouldmake for much more interesting andcreative play. A scorpion is the ideal crea-ture for demonstrating to a pesky thief ormagic-user that invisibility is a vastly over-rated ability.

So, the proper response to the openingsituation is:

�The scorpion turns and runs directlytoward you, pincers extended and stingerin the air, preparing to strike.�

And the player�s response is . . .�RUNAWWWAAAYYYYY!!!�

DRAGON 25

by Skip Williams

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

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

Please do not expect a personal reply, aswe no longer have the time to make them.However, we will do our best to answer asmany questions in this column as possible.

D&D® Companion Set

There are no costs given for thenew armors introduced in the Com-panion rules.

Scale mail armor costs 30 gp, andbanded mail costs 50 gp.

Can player characters create holywater? How is it done?

This is up to the DM. Generally, thisrequires a large, specially blessed recepta-cle and blessed containers. The actualcreation requires casting several spells,including purify food and water, bless, andcreate water. The exact cost of the imple-ments and the capacity of the receptacle isup to the DM, but keep in mind holywater�s standard cost of 25 gp per vial.

Could a group of-characters sharerulership of a dominion?

A group of characters could jointly rulea dominion, but if the characters are notall of the same alignment, the dominion�sconfidence level will suffer. The confi-dence level will also decrease each timethe characters argue, as the subjects willnot be confident when they see theirrulers bickering. The confidence level willreally take a plunge if the joint rulerscontradict each other on dominionmatters.

Since paladins and avengers cancast spells, can they also use wandsand staves?

Magical items do not require spell-casters; they require certain characterclasses. A paladin or avenger is still afighter and cannot use an item usable onlyby a cleric, druid, or magic-user.

26 APRIL 1987

pro-Drolems are immune to first

through fourth level spells, so

If druids don�t like metal, what dothey do with all the coins they findwhile adventuring?

Druids are not restricted as to the typesof treasure that they can keep. A druidwill, however, convert metal treasure to�natural� forms of wealth � gems, ivory,etc. � as soon as possible. This makessense in terms of the druids inclinationtoward nature and is also logical, since thistype of wealth is more portable and easierto conceal in the druid�s woodland home.

What does a potion of super heal-ing do?

A potion of super healing cures 6-21(3d6 +3) hp damage.

Just apply the standard rules from page32 of the DMC. Each of the gargantuanmanticore�s spikes inflict four times thenormal damage and have double range.

How do you create a gargantuanmanticore?

The War Machine gives a combatresult modifier for a force that isimmune to enemy attacks. Wouldn�tsuch a force simply win?

The modifier is + 150, enough to win inmany (if not most) cases. You still have togo through the computation, however, inorder to determine casualties and fatigue.Also, there is usually some way for theopponents to harm the force. Lycan-thropes, for example, are not immune tofire. It is also possible to defeat a forcepurely through positioning or maneuver-ing. A horde of lycanthropes might not beable to take a castle, for example.

What happened to the will o� wisp? The will o� wisp was dropped from the

Companion rules due to lack of space; anoversight caused it to be retained in themonster heading on page 28 of theDungeon Masters Companion. See theCreature Catalogue, pages 80-81, �Wych-glow,� for the will o� wisp�s statistics.

The umber hulk is a monster from theAD&D® game. The hulker, from AC9,Creature Catalogue, page 70 (under theheading �Hook Beast�) is similar to theumber hulk.

What is an umber hulk? It�s men-tioned as a monster with a gargan-tuan form.

How about some more informationon interplanar travel? For instance,can characters breathe on the Ethe-real Plane? What is found there?Also, how about some informationon wormholes? How do wormholesaffect movement and combat? Canthey be spotted from the EtherealPlane? If so, how do you break intothe wormhole from that plane?

The whole area of interplanar travel wasleft deliberately vague so that individualDMs could custom-create their own multi-verses. The Ethereal Plane, for example,could be a shadow of the Prime MaterialPlane, complete with ethereal buildingsand whatnot, or it could be somethingelse. Characters can breathe on the Ethe-real Plane; and usually do not get hungry.

Movement along a wormhole dependson what is in it. It�s difficult to go anydirection but �with the flow� in an earthwormhole. Otherwise, one can fly, or walk(or climb) along the sides. How easy this isdepends on the material in the hole, thespeed it is flowing, and the direction youwish to go. Combat in a wormhole posessimilar problems. Missile fire is usuallydifficult, if not impossible, since the mis-siles get caught in the �hole�s flow and arecarried away. Spell-casting and meleemight be possible if the characters havesome way to keep from being carriedaway with the flow of matter in the worm-hole. There is no up or down in a worm-hole. Exact combat penalties are up to theDM. Wormholes themselves are detectableonly from the Ethereal Plane (the outsideof the hole is seen) or from the planeswith which they connect (the vortexes, orthe inside of the hole, is seen). There is avortex at each connection point whicheither sucks in or spews out matter. Thestrength and volume of the flow variesfrom wormhole to wormhole. A wormholecan only be entered at the �ends� on thePrime Material or Elemental Planes,through the vortexes; one cannot breakinto a wormhole from the Ethereal Plane.

In general, each plane has its own uni-verse. How these universes interact witheach other is up to the DM.

I�m having difficulty reading table1Oc on page 46 of the DMC.

Read the chart as follows: leather, firstcolumn; scale or chain mail, secondcolumn; banded or plate mail, thirdcolumn; shield, fourth column. The fifthand sixth columns give the magical plus ofthe item and the percentage chance of aspecial ability. Table 10a provides the size,l0b provides the type of armor, and 10ddetermines special abilities, if any, of thearmor or shield found.

tection from evil cannot affect anyof them, right?

A protection from evil spell will workagainst a drolem, its immunity to firstthrough fourth level spells not withstand-ing. See the Master Players’ Book, page 8.

Beware of thismagical thief �the charlatan!by David A. Bellis

Since the dawn of history, there hasexisted a class of people who try to cheatothers by selling worthless products.These people are known as charlatans,and they exist even today. In an AD&D®game setting, charlatans sell fake medi-cines and potions, and cheat gullible peo-ple out of their hard-earned gold. Thecharlatan as an NPC character class is aninteresting being who could wreak havocon naive PCs.

Minimum ability scoresIn order to qualify for the charlatan

subclass of thief, a character must havethe minimum ability scores listed in Table1. If the combination of intelligence anddexterity is 32 or above, 10% is added tothe character�s earned experience points.

Racial limitationsCharlatans are able to cast magical spells

of a limited sort. Since only humans, elves,half-elves, and gnomes have the ability tocast magical spells of any kind, only theseraces can qualify for the charlatan sub-class. To find the maximum level attainableby race, add intelligence and dexterityscores, and consult the Table 2.

CombatCharlatans are weak in physical combat

potential, having 1d4 + 1 HD per level. At11th level and above, the charlatan gainsone hp per level. Level advancement forcharlatans is shown on Table 3.

Charlatans can only wear armor whichcan be concealed beneath their clothing(thus giving the charlatan the appearanceof an unarmored magic-user). Acceptablearmor types for this class are listed inTable 7. Weapons which a charlatan isallowed to use are also listed in Table 7. Itshould be noted that a charlatan willnever openly carry a short sword or sap;such weapons are typically concealed in awagon or cart.

Spell-castingCharlatans have limited magical power,

being able to cast only certain cantrips.Although they eventually gain a greatnumber of these cantrips, they never haveoffensive or defensive spell capability ofany real power. Charlatans employ theircantrips craftily, in a manner that makesthe spells appear to be mighty works ofspell-casting. Remember that, to mostuneducated NPCs (and many PCs), anymagic will appear to be great magic.

Charlatans have tour standard thiefabilities: picking pockets, moving silently,hiding in shadows, and reading languages(which eventually allows the charlatan toread magic). See the Players Handbook,p. 27, for descriptions of these abilities.

Charlatans also can mix �potions.� Mostof the time, these potions (or oils, salves,rubs, etc.) delude the imbiber into believ-ing that the potion has created the effectpromised. This minor delusion lasts for l-4turns per level of the charlatan The char-latan can, however, attempt to createpotions that actually do have the desiredeffect. These potions can actually be magi-cal potions or merely a mixture of non-magical ingredients which create thedesired effect. The chance for success increating real potions is one-fifth the basechance for mixing potions (roundingdown). In one day, a charlatan can create

Charlatans are able to cast the followingcantrips:

Useful: dampen, exterminate, and sprout.Reversed: hairy and wilt.Legerdemain: change, distract, hide, mute,

palm, and present.Person-affecting: belch, blink, cough, nod,

scratch, sneeze, twitch, and wink.Personal: bluelight, firefinger, smokepuff,

and tweak.Haunting-sound: groan, moan, rattle, tap,

and whistle.Illusion: colored lights, haze, rainbow, and

two-d�lusion

Charlatans memorize their spellsquickly, having merely to glance at theirspell books for one round to memorize asingle cantrip. Low-level spells can beadded to the list of usable spells at theDM's discretion keeping in mind thatcharlatans are not powerful spell-casters.

Charlatans often use their cantrips tocreate an undesirable effect in a possiblecustomer Such spell usage would includebelch, cough, sneeze, hairy and so forth.After afflicting a person with a cantrip,the charlatan gives him a sample of one ofhis potions, which �cures� the affliction.Since the cantrips' effects are short-lived,it will appear as if the potion has curedthe affliction. Few would then doubt thecharlatan's claims as a master potion-maker and magician.

Another favorite trick employed by(charlatans involves the use of haunting-sound cantrips to temporarily haunt ahouse. The charlatan then enters thehouse, mumbles some vague words whileswinging his hands around, and removesthe "spirits" from the premises. In general,charlatans are very creative in using theircantrips and often employ them to attractattention to their �great powers,� Aftersuch a performance as this, how couldanyone resist buying the magical items thecharlatan is selling?

Explanations of special abilitiesA. The charlatan has the non-magical

ability to create pyrotechnics with effects

At 10th level, charlatans may gain fol-lowers These followers number 4-16, andinclude fighters, thieves, charlatans, andapprentice magic-users.

Also at 10th level, charlatans gain theirgreatest ability � that of beguilement.With this ability, the charlatan emanates aminor form of empathy as he speaks. Anyintelligent creature within hearing dis-tance regards the charlatan as a trustedfriend and a respected mage. People thusbeguiled will buy as much as they canafford from the charlatan. This ability isusable once a day and lasts for one roundper level of the charlatan minus 1d4rounds. After this amount of time, peopleapathetically drift away from the charla-tan. Characters are allowed to make a1d20 roll against their wisdom as a savingthrow against beguilement, with a +2modifier added to the die roll. If the modi-fied number is equal to or less than thecharacter�s wisdom, the effects of beguile-ment are avoided.

Convincing disguises can be created by acharlatan of 5th level or higher This abil-ity is necessary to the class, as a charlatanoften visits towns where his face may berecognized by angry citizens. This abilityis similar to the assassin�s ability of dis-guise mentioned on page 29 of the PlayersHandbook.

Since charlatans often sell magical oralchemical substances, they can approxi-mate the values of these substances accu-rately. Given 1-4 rounds for examination, acharlatan can guess the price within a 10%deviation above or below the actual pricea mage or alchemist would pay for suchitems.

three trick potions. Real potions can bemixed in one day, but can only be mixedonce a week, due to the amount ofresearch necessary.

A charlatan can also mix poisons at halfthe base chance for mixing potions (again,rounding down). Charlatan poisons arenever directly fatal � they merely causesickness, sleep, pain, etc. These poisonshave durations lasting from 1-2 hours perlevel of the charlatan. One or two doses ofeach can be made in a day. Each dose iscapable of affecting 1-6 people. A charla-tan will often poison a whole town, thenrush in selling the cure. The cure may bea real one or merely a minor delusion

The ability to create pyrotechnics isavailable to all charlatans. This ability isnot magical; rather, the effects are causedby throwing powders or liquids onto a firesource The effects are similar to thoseassociated with the spells affect normalfires and pyrotechnics. The effects ofthese powders or liquids occur instantane-ously. Duration, range, and so forth shouldbe determined by the DM, based on thefire source and amount of substance usedto create the effect.

similar to the magic-user spells affectnormal fires and pyrotechnics.

B. The charlatan can approximate thevalues of magical and alchemical sub-stances.

C. Disguises can he donned by a charla-tan of 5th level or higher. Disguises canlower height by 1-2� or raise it by 3-4�.Disguises can also make the charlatanappear to be almost any race, any class, oras either sex. Chance of discovering thecharlatan�s disguise is the same as for theassassin�s disguise ability.

D. The charlatan can decipher magicalwritings as a thief of 10th level. Scrollswith magic-user or illusionist spells ofthird level or less can be read, although a25% chance of miscasting the spell exists ifthe charlatan attempts to cast them.

E. At this level, the charlatan gains thepower of beguilement.

FollowersCharlatans gain 4-16 followers at 10th

level. These followers come in four groupsof 1d4 members each. Roll percentile diceon Table 5 to determine the class and levelof each group. In determining the race ofthese followers, roll 1d8 and add the fol-lowing modifiers: if the charlatan is agnome, -2; elf, -1: human +1. Cross-reference the modified number on Table 6to determine the race of these groups.

StatusAll charlatans are cheats and tricksters.

They are never of a lawful alignment, arerarely good, and are usually highly cha-otic. Charlatans are always from a lowersocial class, though they are hardly everfrom one of the lowest classes.

Charlatans vary in personality and man-nerisms, except for one common aspect:They are all great cowards. Charlatansintimidate weaker characters and talktough, but if forced to back up theirclaims, they try to stall, run away, or talktheir way out of trouble.

DisadvantagesCharlatans constantly have to deal with

constables and dissatisfied customers.They are always in danger of getting thestuffings beat out of them by angry citi-zens Whenever a charlatan fails to suc-ceed in making a potion (note that thecharlatan always believes he has suc-ceeded in creating the desired potion), theuser immediately becomes aware of thecharlatan�s true profession, becomingenraged 85% of the time.

Additionally, any magic-user has achance to identify charlatans for whatthey truly are. This ability (which requiresone turn of observation) is equal to theintelligence score of the magic-user plusthe magic-user�s level, times two (i.e., 2 x(intelligence + level)).

MiscellaneousIn all aspects not mentioned above,

charlatans behave as thieves. This in-

DRAGON 29

cludes, but is not limited to, saving throws,combat tables, and magical items usable.Miscellaneous information showing vari-ous charlatan characteristics is listed onTable 7.

Table 1Minimum Ability Scores

AbilityStrengthIntelligenceWisdomDexterityConstitutionCharisma

Min. score—

129

13—

14

Table 2Level Limitations by Race

Combinedint. & dex.

25-2829-3031-3435-36

37 and up

Gnome557

10U

Racial typeElf Half-elf

5 77 10

10 U13 UU U

HumanUUUUU

U indicates level advancement is unlimited up to the class level limit of 15th level.

Table 3Experience Levels and Hit Dice

Experience Hit dice Levelpoints Level (1d4) title *O-1,700 1 1 + 1 Apprentice

1,701-3,400 2 2 + 2 Hoaxer3,4001-6,800 3 3 + 3 Cheat

6,801-13,500 4 4 + 4 Con man13,501-28,000 5 5 + 5 Defrauder28,001-58,000 6 6 + 6 Deluder58,001-95,500 7 7 + 7 Deceiver

95,501-150,000 8 8 + 8 Sharper150,001-205,500 9 9 + 9 Grifter205,501-300,000 10 1 0 + 1 0 Swindler300,001-525,000 11 1 0 + 1 1 Quack525,001-750,000 12 1 0 + 1 2 Charlatan750,001-975,000 13 1 0 + 1 3 Master Charlatan

975,001-1,200,000 14 1 0 + 1 4 Grand Charlatan1,200,001 and up 15 1 0 + 1 5 Grand Master Charlatan

* Charlatans often use the level title appropriate to the level title of a magic-userone: to two levels higher than the charlatan. They only reveal their true title to thosewho know they are charlatans.

Table 5Class and Level of Followers

Die roll Level and class *01-10 1st-level fighters (1d4)1l-20 1st-level thieves (ld4)21-30 1st-level assassins (Id4)31-40 1st-level charlatans (ld4)41-45 1st-level magic-users (ld4)46-50 1st-level illusionists (Id4)51-60 2nd-level fighters (ld4)61-70 2nd-level thieves (ld4)71-80 2nd-level charlatans (Id4)81-90 3rd-level charlatans (Id4)91-95 4th-level charlatans (Id4)96-00 Extra l-2 followers, plus

two more rolls

* For each group of four fighter fol-lowers, a leader of 4th-level fightingability is also gained as a follower.

Level123456789

101112131415

Cantrips Pick Move Hide inusable pockets silently shadows

3 40% 10% 10%4 45% 15% 15%5 50% 21% 20%7 55% 27% 25%8 60% 33% 31%9 65% 40% 37%

11 70% 47% 43%12 80% 55% 49%13 90% 62% 56%15 100% 70% 63%17 105% 78% 70%19 110% 86% 77%21 115% 94% 85%23 120% 97% 93%25 125% 99% 99%

Readlanguages

——

— 20%25%30%35%40%45%50%55%60%65%70%75%

Potionmixing*

46%50%53%56%59%62%65%69%73%77%81%85%90%95%99%

SpecialSpecialabilitiesabilities

A,BA,B—

——C——D—E—

————

* Base chance for trick potions. The chance to create real potions is one-fifth of the base; the percentage chance to create non-lethal poisons is one-half the base chance (round down in both cases).

30 APRIL 1987

lllustratlon by Gustave Dore, courtesy of Dover Publications, Inc.

Table 6Race of Followers

Die roll Race1 Gnome

2-3 Elf4-5 Half-elf6-7 Human8 Other (DM�s discretion)

Table 7Combined Information

Racial stock: gnome, elf, half-elf, andhuman.

Hit dice: 4 + 1.Spell capability: limited to cantrips.Class level limit: 15th (Grand Master

Charlatan).Armor permissible: leather and elfin

chainmail.Shield: none.

Weapons allowable: dagger, knife, dart,sap, sling, staff, short sword, andgarrote.

Flaming oil allowable: yes.Poison allowable: only self-manufactured

poisons (used by neutral or evil NPCs).Weapon proficiency:

Initial number of weapons: 2.Non-proficiency penalty: - 3.Added proficiencies/level: 1/4.

Alignment: any nonlawful.

32 32 APRIL 1987

by Bill Birdsall

Bill Birdsall is an occasional contributorto our magical-item files, and we ran twoof his magical rings in DRAGON® issue#l17, in the “Bazaar of the Bizarre”column. Three of his rings for the AD&D®game were withheld due to space limita-tions, and we present them now. — RM

Ring of Rapid RegenerationThis ring acts as a normal ring of regen-

eration with one major difference — itregenerates 1 hp per round rather thanone per turn. This ring is created by com-bining a ring of regeneration with a raredistillation of troll’s blood and potions ofspeed during the enchantment process.One percent of the rings of regenerationfound will be rings of rapid regeneration.XP Value: 5,000GP Value: 50,000

Ring of Para-Elemental CommandThe four types of rings of para-

elemental command are lesser versions ofthe rings of elemental command. Eachappears to be nothing more than a normalring, but each has certain other powers aswell as the following common properties:

1. Para-elementals of the plane to whichthe ring is attuned cannot approach within5’ of the wearer or attack the wearer. Ifthe wearer desires, he may forgo thisprotection and instead attempt to charmthe para-elemental (saving throw applica-ble at -2 on the die). If the latter fails,however, total protection is lost, and nofurther attempt at charming can be made.The properties below still function withrespect to the para-elemental.

2. Creatures, other than normal para-elementals, from the plane to which thering is attuned attack at -1 on their “to

hit” dice. The ring wearer takes damage at-1 on each hit die and makes applicablesaving throws from the creatures’ attacksat +2. In addition, all attacks are made bythe wearer of the ring at +4 “to hit” (or -4 to the para-elemental creature’s savingthrow), and the wearer does +6 damage(total, not per die) adjusted by any otherapplicable bonuses and/or penalties. Anyweapon used by the ring wearer can hitpara-elementals or quasi-elementals, evenif the weapon is not magical.

3. The wearer of the ring is able to con-verse with the para-elemental creatures ofthe plane to which the ring is attuned.Recognizing that the character wears thering, the creatures show a healthy respect

Rings operate at the 12th-level of experi-ence or the minimum level needed toperform the equivalent magic spell (ifgreater), with respect to range, duration,

Magma: At will, the wearer produces thefollowing magical effects: burning hands(once per turn), affect normal fires (onceper turn), flaming sphere (twice per day),or fire resistance. The ring appears to benothing more than a ring of fire resistanceuntil the condition established is met.

Ooze: At will, the wearer produces thefollowing magical effects: grease (once perturn), melt (once per hour), rock to mud(twice per day), or water walking. Thering appears to be nothing more than aring of water walking until the conditionestablished is met.

Smoke: At will, the wearer produces thefollowing magical effects: wall of fog (onceper hour), fog cloud (twice per day), solidfog (once per week), or free action. Thering appears to be nothing more than aring of free action until a certain conditionis met (such as having the ring blessed,slaying a smoke para-elemental, or what-ever is determined necessary to activateits full potential).

Ice: At will, the wearer produces thefollowing magical effects: ice storm (twiceper day), wall of ice (twice per day), Oti-luke’s freezing sphere (once per week), orwarmth. The ring appears to be nothingmore than a ring of warmth until thecondition established is met.

Note that the Dungeon Master is free tocreate any new para-elementals for therelevant planes as desired.

4. In addition, the possessor of a ring ofpara-elemental command suffers a savingthrow penalty as shown in Table 1.

5. Only one power (whether major orminor) of a ring of para-elemental com-mand can be used at one time.

to the wearer.

Table 1Ring of Para-Elemental Command

Ring type PenaltySmoke -2 vs. breath weapons or wind-based attacks.Ice -2 vs. fire or steam.Ooze -2 vs. petrification or polymorph.Magma -2 vs. cold or water.

Table 2Ring of Quasi-Elemental Command

Ring typeLightningSteamRadianceMineralVacuumSaltsAshDust

Penalty-2 vs. water, steam, or cold.-2 vs. lightning or electricity.-2 vs. paralyzation or darkness.-2 vs. petrification.-2 vs. death magic.-2 vs. poison.-2 vs. water or cold.-2 vs. disintegration.

D R A G O N 33

Ring of Quasi-Elemental CommandThe eight types of quasi-elemental com-

mand rings are lesser versions of the para-elemental command rings. Each hascertain powers (detailed below), as well asthe following common properties:

1. Quasi-elementals of the plane towhich the ring is attuned cannot approachwithin 5� of the wearer or attack thewearer. If the wearer desires, he or shemay forgo this protection and insteadattempt to charm the quasi-elemental(saving throw applicable at -2 on the die).If the latter fails, however, total protectionis lost, and no further attempt at charmingcan be made. The secondary propertiesgiven below then function with respect tothe quasi-elemental.

2. Creatures, other than normal quasi-elementals, from the plane to which thering is attuned attack at -1 on their �tohit� dice. Also, the ring wearer takes dam-age at -1 on each hit die and makes appli-cable saving throws from the creaturesattacks at +2. All attacks are made by thewearer of the ring at +4 �to hit� (or -4to the quasi-elemental creature�s savingthrow) and the wearer does +6 damage

or area of effect determinations whichmight apply. The additional powers eachtake only five segments to bring forth.XP Value: 4,000GP Value: 20,000

Lightning: At will, the wearer producesthe following magical effects: shockinggrasp (once per turn) or lightning bolt(four times per week).

Steam: At will, the wearer produces thefollowing magical effects: melt (once perturn) or fog cloud (twice per day).

6. All rings of quasi-elemental commanddetect as magic, but do not identify pre-cisely until a certain condition is met (suchas having the ring blessed, slaying a quasi-elemental of the type to which the ring isattuned, or whatever is determined neces-sary to activate its full potential).

Note that the Dungeon Master is free tocreate any new quasi-elementals for therelevant planes as desired.

4. In addition, the possessor of a ring ofquasi-elemental command suffers a savingthrow penalty as shown on Table 2.

5. Only one power of a ring of quasi-elemental command can be used at onetime.

3. The wearer of the ring is able to con-verse with the quasi-elemental creaturesof the plane to which the ring is attuned.Recognizing that the character wears thering, the creatures show a healthy respectto the ring wearer.

(total, not per die) adjusted by any otherapplicable bonuses and/or penalties. Anyweapon used by the ring wearer can hitquasi-elementals, even if the weapon is notmagical.

Radiance: At will, the wearer producesthe following magical effects: rainbowpattern (once per hour) or sunray (twiceper week).

Mineral: At will, the wearer producesthe following magical effects: transmutemetal to wood (once per day) or wall ofstone (once per day).

Vacuum: At will, the wearer producesthe following magical effects: unseenservant (once per day) or negative planeprotection (four times per week).

Salts: At will, the wearer produces thefollowing magical effects: irritation (twiceper day) or preserve (twice per day).

Ash: At will, the wearer produces thefollowing magical effects: pass withouttrace (once per hour) or detect invisibility(once per hour). The ring appears to benothing more than a magic ring until thecondition established is met.

Dust: At will, the wearer produces thefollowing magical effects: dust devil (onceper day) or transmute water to dust (onceper day).

Rings operate at the 12th-level of experi-ence or the minimum level needed toperform the equivalent magic spell orwand effect (if greater), with respect torange, duration, or area of effect determi-nations which might apply. The powerstake only five segments to bring forth.XP Value: 2,000GP Value: 10,000

34 APRIL 1987

by Ed Greenwood

From the journals of Shulheddin, MasterThief, founder of the �Soft Hands�Brotherhood:

"… Kedulkin, who was always the eagerone, claimed the right to descend first,since it was he who had discovered theshaft. If it was indeed a way into the LostCity, there would soon be treasure enoughfor us all, and so we agreed. Taking a deepbreath of fresh air, Kedulkin drew one ofhis throwing blades and a dropline, andvanished through the opening withoutfanfare. The fighting-men crowded closearound, trying to peer down into thegloom, but Mairclyn and I were too cynicalto stay that close, and too old to be takenby surprise from behind in such lawlesscountry. We were eyeing the tumbledrocks all about with ready weapons whenthere came the muffled thud of an explo-sion beneath our feet, followed by startledcries from the warriors. Kedulkin made nosound as his body, tangled with the rope,was flung high into the air like a child�sdoll, coming down to sprawl torn andlifeless on a high rock. Mairclyn and Iwere well away on the next rise when thefighters began stumbling about in aspreading yellow cloud of spores, cough-ing and crying out. Some were blinded,some shivered uncontrollably, and allseemed dazed and witless. We decided toleave that place ere a breeze came up tocarry the spores our way. . . "

From the Bestiary of Creatures Strangeand Wonderful, a tome of unknown au-thorship presently in the library of Pier-geiron�s Palace, Waterdeep:

�One of the deadliest deceivers in natureis the aniatha, or gas spore, a creaturewhich precisely resembles the dreadedbeholder. If an aniatha is struck andpierced, it explodes violently, injuring allwithin seven paces or so. Here follows allthat is presently known of the true natureof this odd and hazardous creature.

�An aniatha is a large, mobile, fungoidplant of unusual sophistication. It derivesenergy from visible light, particularlysunlight, and feeds on other plants to gainchlorophyll (necessary for this process)and cellulose (which it uses for structuralgrowth and repair). In this, it is no differ-ent from the luminescent �crawling night-moss� and other ambulatory fungusgrowths found in the forests and thickets,and it is just as unintelligent. But an ania-tha has the unusual natural ability oflevitation and floats slowly about, turningso as to absorb the maximum amount oflight in the vicinity � sunlight, if aboveground, or torchlight or phosphorescenceif in subterranean regions. Areas of con-tinual light radiance often serve as under-ground lairs for gas spores. The false eye

The Ecologyof the

Gas Spore

Not a beholder, but bad nonetheless36 APRIL 1987

of an aniatha (so-called because of itsexternal resemblance to the central visualorgan of a beholder, whose magicalpowers the aniatha does not share) isindeed an eye, which is sensitive to alllight and enables the creature to orientitself so as to gain the maximum possibleavailable light, identify food, and navigatethrough its surroundings.

�The gas spore also has 10 tentacle-likearms which resemble a beholder�s eye-stalks. These arms, sometimes called rhi-zome growths, are actually the feedingorgans of the gas spore. With them, ananiatha sucks molds and lichens from rockwalls, leaves from treetops and aerialplants, and duckweed or pond scum fromthe surface of pools of standing water. Thearms also help the aniatha �walk� deli-cately along rock walls, tree trunks, andthe like, keeping the central body of thegas spore from injury against such ob-structions. Under certain conditions, thearms also discharge rhizomes. Gas sporesoften group together where food and lightare plentiful, but they have no apparentintercommunication, and never attack orfeed on each other.

�The danger to adventurers lies in theaniatha�s asexual means of reproduction.The interior of a gas spore is a hollowcavity filled with gas, in which a cloud ofrhizomes is suspended (in whirling mo-tion), nourished, and protected. Thesereproductive spores are produced on theinterior surface of the gas spore and re-leased into the gas storage bladder whenfully developed. Here, they whirl at aconstant temperature and pressure, until atentacle of the gas spore touches the fleshof a warm-blooded mammal of gnomish orgreater size (for such are the aniatha�sminimum needs for a reproductive hostcreature). Upon such contact, the flexibletentacle exudes moisture to create a tem-porary airtight suction-seal with the fleshof the mammal, and a jet of rhizomes isexpelled through the hollow tentacle,where they stick to the hapless victim�sskin, thus infesting the mammal. Thetentacle constricts to pinch itself shut at itsbase (within the spherical body). Thecreature then withdraws from the mam-mal. Adventurers report that severingtentacles does not cause the central bodyto leak or explode.

�Warm-blooded creatures of sufficientsize are located by a gas spore�s infravis-ion. The aniatha will pursue such a pro-spective host until the creature iscontacted or until pursuit is ended by thedisappearance of the creature, by a bar-rier, or by the availability of other food.(Being unintelligent, an aniatha will breakoff pursuit immediately to ingest plantmaterial.)

�Unless the rhizomes are destroyed bymagical means, an infested host creaturedies, sprouting 2-8 gas spores from itsbody. In the last few hours before theiremergence, the growing spores eat awayand absorb surrounding bodily fluids and

belief that a gas spore must die (that is,explode) to reproduce.

�Any aniatha that lacks sufficient foodand energy to remain fully active willhibernate, floating motionless or driftingaimlessly in air currents with its bodilyprocesses halted, eye closed, and tentaclescurled in upon itself. Such suspendedhibernation can last for centuries, untilnearby light, heat, noise, or movementrevives the gas spore. Truly, it is a curios-ity of our world, if not a sentient creatureproper in the sense that others in thisbestiary are.�

tissue material, leaving only the emptyhusk of the host.

�If the tough, fibrous epidermis of a gasspore is ruptured and its gaseous interiorcontents are mixed with air, it will ex-plode, as mentioned earlier. Accidentalcontact with branches, rock, flesh, andother obstructions rarely splits an ania-tha�s skin � it must be pierced by a thorn,spike of rock, or the cutting edge of aweapon or similar object in order to rup-ture. It is the violent reaction of the gasspore�s internal gas with air � �a mereaccident of nature,� as the eminent natu-ralist, Gessage of Neverwinter, puts it �that makes the gas spore infamous anddangerous. It is thought that the tiny jet ofgas exposed to the air when rhizomes areejected at an intended host does not ex-plode because it is chemically altered bycells within the tentacle, so as not to reactwith air. There is certainly no truth to the

1. The explosion of a gas spore does 6-36hp damage to all beings within a 20� radius(half damage if a saving throw vs. wands ismade). Warm-blooded mammals withinthis range must also save vs. poison at +3to avoid being infested with rhizomes (seenote 5 for effects). Any creature in directcontact with an exploding aniatha (i.e.,touching the aniatha physically or with aheld weapon) takes full blast damage withno saving throw, but saves normally ver-sus rhizome infestation due to the force ofthe blast, which tends to drive most rhi-zomes past the victim. This saving throwversus rhizomes represents the possibilityof being infested at any time while a char-acter is within the spreading, dissipatingspore cloud � creatures remaining in thevicinity need not roll for a saving throweach round.

2. A gas spore�s levitation is a natural,spell-like ability, and is not, as is popularlybelieved, linked to buoyant internal gases.Instead, this ability is the result of anindependent power which is not fullyunderstood at present. In this way, the gasspore�s levitation is akin to that of thebeholder, and it is perhaps magical innature. Such levitation is an ability heldonly by the living plant and not by dead orsevered portions thereof. It enables theaniatha to move 3� per round in any di-rection (horizontal, vertical, lateral, and at

Notes

any vector or angle), and is a strong force,capable of resisting normal breezes (al-though a gust of wind can often hold oneat bay), and is thus unaffected by dispelmagic or reverse gravity. A push or repul-sion spell is effective in fending off a sporein most situations.

3. A gas spore�s eye has 12� infravisionand is sensitive to all forms of light andheat energy. Presumably, it can also detectvibratory and pressure-fluctuation distur-bances, for a gas spore can detect noiseand movement within 6� (although how itdoes this is unknown). It should be notedthat a gas spore�s eye cannot be blinded ordazzled by sudden or intense bursts oflight, such as those produced by explo-sions and some creature and spell effects;these are merely absorbed by the gasspore.

4. A cure disease spell cast upon anyrhizome-infested creature within 24 hoursautomatically destroys all the rhizomes.Note that from 20 hours of infestationuntil death (when the rhizomes hatch), ahost body is being eaten away from within(see below).

5. Rhizome-infested creatures are feeble-minded within two rounds of initial infes-tation and cannot grasp objects, performtasks, or even move without aid. This canonly be cured by the application of curedisease as noted above. An affected personcould stand, for example, but could notfight, defend himself, climb stairs, walk, oreven push open a door unaided. If thecharacter fell, he would lie unmoving untilhelped up. After 4-7 turns (3 + 1d4), thevictim slips into a coma and remainstherein until cured or killed by the hatch-ing spores, regardless of external stimuli.(Application of a temporal stasis spellaffects both victim and rhizomes normally,effectively freezing their activity.) After 18hours of infestation, a victim ravaged bythe spreading rhizomes must make asuccessful system-shock survival roll toavoid death. At 20 hours of infestation(and every hour thereafter), a host victimloses l-4 hp. These losses accumulate untildeath occurs, whereupon 2-8 spores eruptfrom the corpse. These effects occur un-less curative spells are used to halt thegrowth of the proto-aniathas. A cure dis-ease will destroy the rhizomes at thispoint, but will not cure any internal dam-age. By attaching themselves to such hosts,the proto-aniathas provide themselveswith protein substances not found in plantlife � substances which are essential totheir growth and survival.

Expelled, fledgling spores hatched froma host are of small size (4� diameter), doonly 2-16 hp damage if ruptured, and areotherwise identical to a mature spore.They grow to full size at whatever rateavailable food and light energy permit(usually within the first one to five yearsof life).

DRAGON 37

by Mark L. Palmer

Zero-level characters who desire to

Inquirers may be of any alignment. An

enter the druidic priesthood in theAD&D® game go through two preparatory

inquirer must make a saving throw vs.

levels: the inquirer and the petitioner. Aninquirer is simply one who is interested in

death magic after attending a lecture or be

entry to the druidic priesthood. The in-quirer attends various ceremonies andlectures held by a 3rd-level or higherdruid. The inquirer gains no specialpowers or abilities, has no responsibilities,and usually brings an offering to the meet-ings even though no donations are re-quired. The lectures are given in the formof parables or stories with hidden mean-ings and symbols; this keeps the sacredknowledge safe from the unworthy andthe uninitiated.

convinced to move one step closer toneutral with respect to Law and Chaos.

During the course of his training, a

Thus, an inquirer becomes either neutralgood, neutral, or neutral evil. If an in-

petitioner becomes true neutral in align-

quirer makes his saving throw, he findsthe teachings confusing and eventually

ment. He also gains the following powers:

leaves the lectures. He may return at alater date if he so desires and repeat thelectures. This saving throw is not requiredby PCs who desire to become druids,though it is useful for NPCs.

Once this change takes place, the in-quirer may ask to be granted petitionerstatus. The druid in charge performs aninterview which includes the casting of adetect balance, detect magic, and knowalignment spell, to insure that the candi-date is worthy. A simple ordination cere-mony is then conducted, and thecandidate becomes a petitioner.

Table 1Experience Levels for Aspirants

Experience Experience Accumulated Levelpoints level hit points title Orisons-1,500 to -501 0 2* Inquirer none-500 to -1 0 4 Petitioner 10 to 2,000 1 ld4+4 Aspirant 2**

* At this time, the druid gains his constitution bonus if he is zero level. If the in-quirer is seeking to leave a previous class for this one, he receives the constitutionbonus at 1st-level aspirant.* * At 1st level, a druid gains two first-level spells. He may choose to take two ori-sons in place of one first-level spell.

A petitioner is responsible for the clean-liness of the grove and is expected to helpkeep order at all meetings. When thepetitioner is ready to advance to the aspi-rant level, he is given another interview asdescribed earlier. If found worthy, thepetitioner is advanced through a specialceremony to the 1st or aspirant level. Thedruid is now able to receive two first-levelspells, or more, depending on his wisdom.Table 1 shows the progression we havejust discussed.

The following is a list of orisons that adruid may acquire through prayer. Aswith most druid spells, the material com-ponent is the druids mistletoe (unlessotherwise stated).

for scrolls) at half power.

1. The ability to cast one zero-level spell,or orison (as per DRAGON® issue #l08�Cantrips for Clerics�).

2. Save vs. fire-based attacks at +1.3. Use any druidic magic items (except

Table 2Druidic Orisons

1. Animal 11. Judgment2. Animal command 12. Liven3. Bless meal 13. Pet4. Consecrate 14. Preserve5. Elemental shield 15. Prod6. Find water 16. Remove pain7. Flame finger 17. Restful sleep8. Haze 18. Smokeball9. Holly dart 19. Temperature10. Humidity 20. Watch

The following abbreviations are used:AE is Area of Effect, CT is Casting Time,and Perm. is Permanent.

38 APRIL 1987

Animal (Conjuration/Summoning)Range: ½ mile Components: V,S,MDuration: 2 turns CT. 1 roundAE: Special Saving Throw: Neg.

This orison allows the druid to summonup to 2 HD of mammals, birds, or reptilesto his area. The animals are not under thedruid’s control. They may, however, besubjected to further spells cast by thedruid after they arrive. The componentsof this spell are an oak leaf and a small bitof food.

Animal command (Enchantment/Charm)

Range: 1” Components: VDuration: 1 round CT: l/3 segmentAE: 1 Animal Saving Throw: None

This orison (except as noted) is the sameas the clerical spell command. It effectsonly animals of low intelligence or less.

Bless meal (Alteration)Range: 1” Components: V,S,MDuration: Perm. CT: 1 roundAE: 1” sq. area Saving Throw: None

This allows the caster to bless a meal,including drink, so as to give those that eatit a +1 saving throw vs. any poison ordiseases it may contain, even if one is notnormally allowed.

Consecrate (Invocation)Range: 1" Components: V,SDuration: Perm. CT: 1 roundAE: 1” sq. area Saving Throw: None

This orison is used to consecrate anymaterial component that may be neededfor use in spell-casting (such as mistletoe,holly, and oak leaves). It is also cast beforeoffering any special sacrifices or beforebeginning any special quests. It offers nobenefits per se, but all affected itemsradiate a faint dweomer, as will any whohave embarked on a special mission.Druids will recognize the dweomer if adetect balance spell is cast, and will offer any aid to those so marked.

Elemental shield (Abjuration)Range: 0 Components: V,S,MDuration: 1 round CT: 1 segmentAE: The caster Saving Throw: None

This orison gives the caster 8 hp ofprotection from all types of attacks basedupon any of the elements (air, earth, fire,and water). The attack may be from amagical or nonmagical source.

Find water (Divination)Range: 100 yards Components: V,S,MDuration: 1 turn CT: 4 segmentsAE: 100 sq. yards Saving Throw: None

By means of this orison, the druid canlocate large amounts of water, fresh or

Humidity (Alteration)Range: 1” Components: V,SDuration: Perm. CT!: 1 segmentAE: 1” rad. sphere Saving Throw: None

By means of this orison, the druid mayenchant a special consecrated holy dart tobecome a magical dart +1 for one round.If not used before the expiration of theorison, the dart reverts to its normal state.

Holy dart (Alteration)Range: Touch Components: V,S,MDuration: 1 round CT: ½ segmentAE: One dart Saving Throw: None

A druid may cause a haze to envelop hisperson for two rounds by means of thisorison. This haze gives the druid the bene-fit of +1 to AC and +1 to saving throws.

Haze (Alteration)Range: 0 Components: V,SAE: 3” radius Saving Throw: None

This orison has two applications. Thefirst creates a small flame on the end ofthe caster’s forefinger. This flame cannotbe extinguished while the druid holds it.The druid has one round to transfer theflame to any combustible material or theflame dies. Once transferred, the flamebecomes nonmagical and is subject towind, water, and other means of beingextinguished. The second application isvery rarely used because of the greatdanger involved. The druid may imbue theflame with some of his own lifeforce. Thiscauses the flame to become magical, mak-ing it capable of striking any creature asthough the target was AC 10. The druidcan then hurl the flame up to 3’, and mustsuccessfully hit the creature. Magic resist-ance applies, and a successful savingthrow vs. magic negates half the damage.The amount of damage done varies withthe amount of lifeforce transferred. Thedruid takes 1 hp of damage for every hpof effect he wishes the flame to have.Furthermore, the druid must make anunmodified saving throw vs. death orpermanently lose ¼ of all hit points givento the flame. These lost hit points can onlybe regained by level advancement; nomagic of any type will restore the lost hitpoints. This application of the orison mayonly be cast once per day. Both applica-tions of this orison require only somaticcomponents, as the flame is drawn fromthe lifeforce of the caster.

Flame finger (Alteration)Range: 0 Components: SDuration: 1 round CT: 1/3 segmentAE: The caster Saving Throw: ½

otherwise, within 100 yards. The druidrequires a consecrated branch of woodcut in the form of a “Y”. The water mustbe of at least 10 gallons in volume and isnot guaranteed to be fresh or drinkable.

The druid may cause all objects in thearea of effect to become damp and slippery. This remains in effect until the areanaturally dries out. The reverse is also possible, with the druid drying an areathat remains dry until naturally becomingwet.

Judgment (Divination)Range: Touch Component: V,S,MDuration: 1 turn CT: 1 segmentAE: 10’ radius Saving Throw: Neg.

This orison allows the druid to hear adispute and render what he would con-sider a fair judgment. The disputers areallowed a saving throw vs. magic; other-wise, they agree to the druids settlement.If the disputers make their saving throws,they may ask for another judgment ormay seek another judge. Both participantsmust willingly submit themselves to thejudgment, or the orison has no effect.

Liven (Alteration)Range: Touch Component: V,S,MDuration: 1 turn CT: 1 roundAE: 1 plant Saving Throw: None

By means of this orison, the druid mayrestore life to any one plant; if applicable,he may also cause that plant to bring forthfruit. After one turn, the plant returns toits original state, and any fruit not con-sumed turns to dust.

Pet (Enchantment/Charm)Range: 1’ Component: VDuration: 1 turn CT: 1 segmentAE: Special Saving Throw: Neg.

This orison allows the druid to calm oneanimal of up to 2 HD, domesticating theanimal for one turn. The animal must havea low intelligence or less. Any attacks onthe animal break the orison.

Preserve (Alteration)Range: Touch Components: V,SDuration: Perm. CT: 1 round AE: 1’ square Saving Throw: None

This orison is used to preserve thosematerial components of an animal orvegetable nature for future use. Underthis orison, these items are not subject todecay. Other forces, such as elementalattacks, may destroy the item, however.

Prod (Evocation)Range: 1’ Components: V,S,MDuration: Instant CT: 1 segmentAE: 1 creature Saving Throw: Neg.

This orison produces an electrical sparkspringing forth from the caster’s hand tostrike any one creature. This spark does 4hp of subdual damage and 1 hp of actualdamage. (For information on subdualdamage, refer to p. 109 of UnearthedA r c a n a . )

D R A G O N 39

Remove pain (Necromantic)Range: Touch Components: V,S,MDuration: 1 hour CT. 2 segmentsAE: 1 creature Saving Throw: None

This orison negates the effects of pain,allowing the recipient to gain 1 hp, butonly for the duration of the spell (if theone who receives the orison is currentlywounded). This orison cannot help ahealthy character.

Restful sleep (Necromantic)Range: Touch Components: V,SDuration: 4 hours CT. 3 segmentsAE: 1 creature Saving Throw: None

This orison allows the willing recipientto gain twice the benefits from half therest; thus, the creature touched gains thebenefits of eight hours of rest from onlyfour hours of actual sleep. The individualmay be awakened at any time, and maywake-up of his own volition in an emer-gency. Upon the recipient�s awakening, theorison terminates.

Smokeball (Alteration)Range: 2� Components: V,SDuration: 1 round CT. 3 segmentsAE: 1� radius sphere Saving Throw: None

This orison brings into being a sphere ofdense smoke anywhere within the range

son, to charge an animal to watch overhim while he sleeps (the animal may, how-ever, make its saving throw and ignore thespell). If the animal accepts the charge, itremains alert and awake to the best of itsability. If anyone approaches within 20� ofthe caster, the creature will attempt toawaken the druid. The animal will notfight for the druid unless it is also at-tacked. The material component is a smallamount of animal food.

Watch (Conjuration/Summoning)Range: 0 Components: V,S,MDuration: 4 hours CT! 2 segmentsAE: 1 animal Saving Throw: Neg.

The druid is able, by means of this ori-

Temperature (Alteration)Range: 0 Components: V,S,MDuration: 1 turn CT. 3 segmentsAE: 1 person Saving Throw: None

An individual protected by a tempera-ture orison is protected from adversetemperature as though he was wearing aring of warmth.

that the caster desires. Those within thesmoke cannot see or breathe, and mustleave the smoke immediately.

40 APRIL 1987

forks of different materials, all set to the Pitch A and the notes adjacent to it. Thepitches and materials required are shown in Tables 1-4.A tuning fork set to the note B and madeof quartz crystal is used to reach the As-tral Plane. There is a 50% chance per use that the quartz will crack and be unusa-ble. Planar travelers entering the AstralPlane in this fashion are physically moveddeep into the plane, far from any colorpools .A single fork of the correct material and pitch will take the caster of the plane shift(and other items) to the top-most layer ofany Outer Plane. The major chord willtake the traveler to the second layer (if)any). the minor chord of that note willtake the traveler to the third layer (if any).Other chords may take the traveler todeeper layers, fail entirely, or take thetraveler to another area (see Experiment-ing, below).Reaching the Prime Material Plane re-quires a steel C-fork. The spell will takethe travelers to the Prime Material Planeto which the metal is native. If the metalcame from an alternative Prime MaterialPlane, then the fork will take the traveler to that plane. Such forks are normallyused by those interplanar travelers whowish to return to their native plane.

b y J e f f G r u b b spell plane shift. �The material componentThe plane shift spell also notes that

of this spell is a small, forked metal rod �travelers using these forks may be re-

the exact size and metal type dictating toturned to their starting plane. They mayonly be so returned under the following

Hello, and welcome to the first of a which plane of existence the spell will circumstances:series of articles on bits and pieces and send the affected creature(s) to. (Your 1. The individuals are still alive on theother neat things involving the care and referee will determine specifics regarding other plane.feeding of the known planes of existence. bow and what planes are reached.)� (The 2. The individuals are still on that planeThe purpose of this series is to supplement italics are mine.) OK, how many of you or planar layer (if they travel to anotherthe material that will be presented in the DMs have determined such a thing? Let�s plane or planar layer they may not beupcoming Manual of the Planes, the new- see some hands. Uh-huh. Right. A couple returned); and,est hardback for the AD&D® game system. of devoted folk, but the majority have let it 3. The same fork is used to return them.

Note what I said � the material here is a go by the wayside, either ignoring the This means in all cases of the glass forksupplement to the hardback. It�s not rough material components or just hoping that for the ethereal and 50% of the time withinformation in summarized form, a pre- the PCs don�t head out for the planes. the crystal fork for the astral, the trip toview, nor any of that. This is news you Let�s take care of that right now. Using the other plane is one-way.can use. the proper fork is preferred at formal

The reason is simple. In Manual of the dinner parties, but it is an absolute re-Planes, we (editor Mike Breault and my quirement when traveling between the Experimenting with forksself, aided and abetted by a number of planes. Many of the forks required to reachfriends and fellow gamers) are faced with other planar layers are listed as �un-about 40 infinite planes of existence, many Planar forks known.� Chords do exist for these layers,with their own multiple layers or demi- Planar forks are devices used in plane- but they differ from Prime Material Planeplanes. Certain things are not fully ex- spanning spells to determine the final to Prime Material Plane (that is, from gameplained, being left for another forum to destination of people using those spells. campaign to game campaign). Further,cover in detail. Two factors determine the final destina- they do not follow the standard rules for

This series hopes to be that forum. We�ll tion using one of these forks: material and reaching the other layers. Just because thetalk about some the nicer details and pitch. Material is the substance of which first three Hells use F-sharp and its majortricks of adventuring in the various planes the fork is made � usually, but not always, and minor chords in iron doesn�t meanwhere the physical laws do not conform to metal. Pitch is the note struck that guides that the fourth layer of the Hells will needthe standard campaign. Monsters, such as the spell to a particular plane. an iron fork or that it will be related to F-the astral dreadnaught, the archons, and The Ethereal Plane may be reached by a sharp in the least. In part, this is becausethe quasi-elementals, more magic items plane shift using a B-fork made of glass. the natives of these lower layers take athat are usable in the planes, and the very The body is transformed into the ethereal dim view of interplanar trespassers, andbusiness of being a world-shattering state in making the transfer into the plane. they deliberately alter the requiredpower like Odin or Zeus. The glass fork is broken in the use of the chords.

We�ll start with something simple and spell. Those cast into the Ethereal Plane If the travelers uses the plane shift spellindicative of the problems faced when are placed deep into that plane, away from with different forks or other types ofdealing with the planes in general: Players any curtains that lead to other planes. chords, the DM may either choose a resultHandbook, page 50, the fifth-level clerical The Inner Planes may be reached by or may roll on Table 6 to send them

42 APRIL 1987

have stumbled into Lolth�s lair by mistake).These rules are the general heading forhelping the DM get players into the planes,and into further adventures � and that�s aplane fact.

whither he will.The DM is not committed to these com-

binations and is free to modify them to fithis own campaign, For example, a DM notwanting easy access to the Inner Planesmay change the notes to combinations of aG as opposed to combinations of an A, andnot tell the players (until a few of them

Table 1Major Inner Planes

Fire Copper AEarth Zinc AWater Lead AAir TinA

Table 2Para-Elemental Planes

SmokeMagmaOozeIce

Bronze ABrass AZinc/lead mix APewter A

Table 3Quasi-Elemental Planes

LightningRadianceMineralsSteamDustVacuumAshSalt

Tin A-sharpCopper A-sharpZinc A-sharpLead A-sharpZinc A-flatTin A-flatCopper A-flatLead A-flat

Table 4Energy Planes

Positive Material PlaneNegative Material Plane

None knownNone known

Table 6The Outer Planes

NirvanaArcadia

Layer 2Layer 3

Seven HeavensLayer 2Layer 3Other layers

Twin ParadisesLayer 2

ElysiumLayer 2

Silver CGold C-sharpGold C-sharp majorGold C-sharp minorGold DGold D majorGold D minorUnknownGold E-flatGold E-flat majorGold EGold E major

Layer 3Layer 4

Happy HuntingGround (alsoknown as theBeastlands)Layer 2Layer 3

Olympus/ArvandorLayer 2Layer 3

GladsheimLayer 2Layer 3

Limbo¹Layers 1-5

PandemoniumLayer 2Layer 3Layer 4

Abyss²Layer 1Other layers

TarterusLayer 2Layer 3Other layers

HadesLayer 2Layer 3

GehennaLayer 2Layer 3Layer 4

Gold E minorUnknown

Gold FGold F majorGold F minorGold F-sharpGold F-sharp majorGold F-sharp minorGold GGold G majorGold G minor

Nickel CIron C-sharpIron C-sharp majorIron C-sharp minorUnknown

Iron DUnknownIron E-flatIron E-flat majorIron E-flat minorUnknownIron EIron E majorIron E minorIron FIron F majorIron F minorUnknown

Iron F-sharpIron F-sharp majorIron F-sharp minorUnknownIron GIron G majorIron G minorUnknown

Platinum C

Nine HellsLayer 2Layer 3Other layers

AcheronLayer 2Layer 3Layer 4

ConcordantOpposition

¹ Limbo�s layers tend to overlap and oozebetween each other, so that precise deter-mination of the destination layer israndom.² The lower layers of the Abyss may bereached by random chords (see Experi-menting, below).

Table 6Random Planar Destinations

1d100 Destination01 Transported to intended destina-

tion. .02-50 Nothing happens.51-80 Transported to random layer of

the Abyss.81-90 Transported to demi-plane of

DM�s choice.91-00 Transported to Alternate

Material Plane.

D R A G O N 4 3

FORUM(continued from page 6)

play are. Beards tend to get in one�s way whenworking with chemicals and that sort of thing.

The foremost bearded wizard which comes tomy mind is Tolkien�s Gandalf. Do all wizardslook like him? I think not, but it seems that mostplayers think so.

By laying these accusations on females,thieves, and magic-users, Mr. Tejes is being leftout of three of the most stimulating roles toplay. I often hear skeptical and lewd remarkswhen I suggest other males play female charac-ters, but my best fighter and only assassin arefemales, and they are a force to be reckonedwith. Thieves and magic-users require a differ-ent mentality to be played. These folk cannotbarge into a room in full plate armor, armedwith their mighty blades, and hack everythingto bits. That is the noble fighter�s job; the thiefand magic-user must live by stealth, luck, andspell-casting. No sex, race, or class should beslighted, because the best adventuring party hasa variety of each.

Randy A. DonahueHot Springs AR

I have one quick issue regarding women inD&D® games. It is hard to be a woman DM. I�vegiven up. It�s hard enough to find men whodon�t mind campaigning with a woman (espe-cially when she runs a male character). I�veheard every excuse from �Well, then we have towatch our language� to �You might take our�rape and plunder� campaigns too seriously andbe offended.� Come on, guys. At 27, with alibrary of well over 200 science-fiction andfantasy books, don�t you think I can handle it? IfI couldn�t, I�d get out of the group. After all,nobody forces me to play.

Sometimes I feel like I�m beating a dead horse,but there are women who like all the hack andslash as much as you guys out there. I feel thatif a letter like this gets printed, maybe it�ll startsome more guys thinking about includingwomen players in their campaigns.

P.S. Can anyone suggest easy ways to findplayers? My husband is in the Navy, and wemove a lot. It seems to take forever to find otherplayers. I know they are out there; I just don�thave a good way to find out who they are in ashort amount of time (within a month or two).Any suggestions would be helpful!

Candace MiesenMillington TN

Every so often, I read a fresh crop of lettersor articles on the fundamental topic �we shouldbe nice to the poor girls/women and help themlearn to play the D&D game!� While I under-stand the authors� good intentions, I cannotagree with their premises or suggested coursesof action.

As a female player and DM for over nineyears, I have seen a number of reasons for thedearth of females in gaming. One, and I suspectthis is the primary one, is a combination of lackof interest and peer pressure. The age at whichmany players begin their interest in FRP gamesalso happens to be a period in a child�s life whenboth boys and girls are under extreme peerinfluence. In both cases, but particularly for thegirls, the urge is to �go with the crowd.� This is arepressive cycle; not many girls play in D&D

44 APRIL 1987

games because few of their friends do. Worseyet, the girls who are free enough from peerpressure to try out novel ideas are outsiders,seen as �weird,� and are the least likely ones toincite a trend; the very fact that these girlsengage in an activity, whether chess club orD&D games, can often label the activity assomething only for nerds. In addition, most�mundane� girls are simply not interested ingaming and have no desire to change.

A second major reason for the shortage offemale players is the attitude of the existingmale players and gamemasters. Throughout theyears I have been playing FRPGs, without exception, I have been treated as a novice in anygame I joined � even by new players enteringgames in which I was already a participant. Asfar as I can tell, the prevailing attitude amongthe less-enlightened male gamers (this includesmost of those in the adolescent age range) isthat all females are novices at best and incapa-ble of learning. It can get very frustrating attimes to be treated as a total and permanentincompetent. If a person is only tentativelyinterested in gaming in the first place, this kindof subliminal insult will turn them off veryquickly.

Isolating a broad group of people as a specialcase and giving them special consideration inthe guise of helping them often harms morethan it helps. Such a group will have a difficulttime, at best, being accepted by the majority.The unvoiced, often even unrecognized, attitudeis �if they were really equal to us, they wouldn�tneed special privileges.� This is the case,whether it is hiring quotas or seminars on�Women in D&D Gaming.� I do not want to betreated as a �female gamer;� I am an ordinary,normal gamer whose plumbing just happens tobe different from most of my companions.

I am involved in three weekly AD&D games,one of which I DM, all with at least two femaleparticipants. My advice on how to obtain andretain female players is fairly simple. First,remember one fundamental thing: Females areindividuals, too! We are no more all alike thanmales are. So, you�ve seen a few incompetentfemale players or DMs? If they had been male,would you refuse to play with males after that?We are people, same as you. We have good daysand bad days: we start as beginners and learn. Ihave run into many (usually young) males whosaid �but I wouldn�t know what to do with afemale player.� The answer is simple: deal withthe player, ignore gender. I�m not much differ-ent from the guys I play with. My characters, ofeither sex, do not want to be protected. Theyare quite capable of committing adequate mayhem on their own.

The one change to gaming style that I wouldsuggest is one that will make the game moreattractive, not just to female players, but toanyone besides adolescent males. I have seen fartoo many games run by young, inexperiencedmales which are endless streams of mayhem,often with crude pornography injected. I haveeven played in a few of these (with male charac-ters, out of self-preservation). I suppose if youare a 14-year-old boy, this sort of thing is fun,but not many people of other ages or eithergender enjoy it. Interestingly enough, I (and allof the female players I know) run characters ofeither gender; so do the male members of ourregular gaming group.

Severe sex discrimination is often institutional-ized, as it were, in game rules. In the case of agame mercifully forgotten by history, the follow-ing rule was stated: �Players wishing to play afemale character must . . . make the followingadjustments to die-rolled characteristics: phy-

sique and endurance - 3, charisma - 2, socialclass - 3, bravery - 2. They will be excludedfrom combat, from all parts of the Church savethe nunnery, and expected in most cases toadopt a domestic position as wife, housekeeper,and servant. These factors are invariable.� In agame with magic, miracles, and dragons, wasthe idea of a female adventurer so unthinkable?Needless to say, I doubt if the game in questionattracted many female players, and certainly nofemale characters. Judging by its brief period ofexistence, I suspect it attracted very few playersat all! I have found that games tend to eitherignore all differences between male and femalecharacters, which is dull, or severely restrict thefemale characters, which is worse. Vive ladifference! One option is to apply a - 1 to thestrength of female characters and a + 1 todexterity or constitution, player�s choice. Inaddition, in my campaign, the character class ofranger is restricted to male characters only, as asort of fraternal society, and witches are exclu-sively female.

The easiest thing to do is to leave your stereo-types behind when you go to a game and treatfemale players as just what they are: people.

One final thought. How many girls have nevertried role-playing for the simplest reason thereis: �Nobody ever asked me�?

Jeanne McGuireState College PA

I would like to comment on Mr. Dorman�sarticle in issue #117. His ideas on how to use thefeudal system for AD&D games were excellent,but some problems may arise.

One problem is chaotic characters. The feudalsystem relies on strict adherence to law andknightly standards in which one obeys his lord�scommands without question. Chaotic charactersmay rebel against such a system. This couldprovide for interesting confrontations. A secondproblem is shifting loyalties. The feudal systemdepends on knights and serfs giving their loyalty to their feudal lord, and during the fall ofthis system, many shifted their loyalties to theirking and nation. Finally, a third problem is thecontrol the feudal lords have over towns. Manymerchants and tradesmen lost the opportunityto make money because they had to obey theirlord. Under this system, the commerce of manytowns in Europe was weakened.

This does not mean one should discard thesystem. The system does provide law and orderin a local area. You could modify the system soas to encompass the chaotic ideas of individuals.Another modification could be that the kingonly deals with other nations and keeps an eyeon all the feudal lords, thus avoiding the possi-bility of shifting loyalties. A third possibility is toallow tradesmen or merchants to make moneyfrom side endeavors, thus avoiding the problemof a weakened town commerce. There are, ofcourse, other ways to modify the feudal systemso that it does not seem as harsh, but thenagain, you may choose not to, thus giving playercharacters something to fight against. Whocould be a better foe than an evil feudal lord?

Drew MartinRockville MD

Please remember to enclose aself-addressed, stamped envelopewith all of your submissions tospeed our response.

46 APRIL 1987

HIS JERK KILLED A DRAGON ANDleft it at my doorstep. Sir PercivalFlaubert, first son of the local baron� blond, always smiling, arrogant.You know the type. His father boughthim the fastest horses, the flashiestarmor � like I said, a jerk. And he

had to slay this four-ton monster in front of my hovel.Why didn�t I see it coming? My wife had told me the

day before that the neighborhood serpent had seized avirgin and carried her off to his mountain lair. I wasmildly surprised that there were any virgins left � SirPercy wasn�t particular. In fact, I�ve always wondered ifthat girl didn�t set the dumb lizard up just to get Percy tonotice her.

I didn�t take it too seriously. It was late fall, I had acrop to get in, and my cow had died two weeks earlierwith the flu. Yes, the flu. But I figured everybody has hisproblems, right? I would manage.

When Sir Percy got the word about the virgin, hecharged up the mountain and offered the beast a chal-lenge. Oh, not to fight him there, of course. No, theyneeded an audience so that young Flaubert could build hisknightly reputation. He invited the poor serpent to meethim at the edge of the village. My edge. The dragon didn�tcatch on what the meeting was for, and the girl, playingthe damsel in distress to the hilt, evidently didn�t clarifymatters. Dumb lizard never knew what hit him.

I�d strapped myself into my ox harness and was pullingmy wagon in from the field when I saw the crowd aroundmy hovel. Rather easy to guess what happened: over herelaid a mountain of dead dragon, and over there stood SirPercy, beaming at the halfhearted cheers of my fellowpeasants and ogling the virgin. I went straight to him.

�I say, my lord, you�ve slain a dragon.�Sir Percy looked my up and down, as if I were what

stunk instead of the foul serpent behind me. Then heturned back to the girl. I tried again.

�When do you plan to pick it up?�His eyes jerked back to mine, his expression of faint

disdain blossoming into a proper sneer. �Pick it up?� hedemanded, with that irritating drop and rise on the lastword of his sentence that blue bloods must start teachingtheir children prenatally. �That is a dead beast, peasant. Ido not touch dead beasts.�

I�ve never been a crusader, but the fact that this carcassloomed in front of my cottage stimulated within me a sud-den zeal for the proper disposal of hazardous wastes.�Well, somebody�s got to get rid of it! It�ll stink up thewhole region!�

Young Flaubert smiled superciliously. �Of course,someone will. You shall.�

�Me!��I�ve done you a favor, varlet!� Sir Percy snarled.

�Now you must do the rest!�I hated him calling me a varlet. I wasn�t certain what

the word itself meant, but I knew exactly what he meantby it. �Now wait �� I began, but the knight had nomore time to chat with a common peasant. He tossed theswooning girl onto his charger and mounted up behindher.

DragonMeat

by Robert Don Hughes

Illustrations by Brad W. Foster

D R A G O N 47

46

�What have you ever done for me?� I shouted at hisback, but the racket of iron-shod hooves drowned out mywords. He ignored me.

I looked at my wife. She rolled her eyes. I looked at myneighbors �or tried. They were all scampering back tothe village, or else back to the fields, but not one scam-pered anywhere near me. The task of dragon removal hadbeen placed squarely upon my capable shoulders. Theybelieved in me.

How do you move a dead dragon? What do you do withit once you get it to wherever you�ve moved it? I�d nevergiven such questions any thought before. If asked, I mighthave suggested that a dead dragon would simply disap-pear, being a magical beast. At the very least I figuredthat other dragons would come to collect the remains oftheir own and bear him off to some burial ground in thehills. That prompted my next thought: �I�ll wait,� I toldmy wife. She rolled her eyes again, and went into ourhovel holding her nose.

Two days later no dragons had come, and the stenchwas awful. Worse than that, everyone seemed to hold meresponsible. Friends of a lifetime cursed me as I walkedthe mud roads of the village. Some kid threw a dirt clodand knocked off my cap. I stomped into my cottage torecount these injustices to my loyal wife.

�Sluggard!� she railed. �Lazy oaf! It�s been three days,and you�ve not lifted one finger to dispose of that thing!�

�That thing, dear wife, will not be moved by my liftingone finger!� I replied, with all the logic of the truly defen-sive.

�Well, it certainly won�t move itself!� she snarled back.�I know that!� I barked. �I�m working on it.��Work! What work? All you�ve done is sit on the stink-

ing beast�s head and bite your lip!��I�m thinking!��Yes, well, it�s stinking. Perhaps you haven�t noticed?�

she added more sweetly.Indeed I had. I�d even slept in the doorway the night

before in hopes that I�d catch a cold. No luck. Why can�tyou ever catch one when you need it?

�If you don�t do something soon, we�re going to haveto leave this village. No one will talk to us. We�re outcasts!We might as well burn this hovel to the ground! And whatabout our children, how would you like it if �?�

She went on, I think, but I didn�t hear the rest. Herwords had inspired a splendid plan. I�d burn it! Make anawful stink, of course, but how much worse could it bethan what we already smelled? I raced to the fire pit, got areally good flame burning on the end of a stick, and ranout to the side of the dragon. There, I paused trium-phantly, then put the thing to the torch.

It didn�t burn. My wife strolled out the door with asmirk on her face.�Dragons breathe fire,� she remindedme. �Think they could do that if their hides could burn?�

I shrugged, then sat down on the dead creature�s headand thought some more. That night I didn�t even go in-side. I slept on the ground, and woke with a wonderfulcovering of frost on my back. I inhaled with great excite-ment � but no luck. My sense of smell was marvelouslyacute.

It was a bad day. First, the baron�s steward arrived in

APRIL 1987

the company of two of the old goat�s men-at-arms. Hekept his distance as he unrolled a long scroll and read aproclamation. Whereas I had willfully neglected my dutyto king, country, and lord of the manor, I was to be finedsome exorbitant sum, to be extracted daily until such atime as the fetid hulk should be removed, and so on andso on. All this to a man whose cow was dead. I shrugged,and the steward tamped at his nose with a handkerchiefand started to ride off.

That�s when this other contingent of riders arrived,dressed in the livery of the king no less. A strange littleman whose eyes didn�t focus got off his horse and walkedover to me. He had an odd smile, as if half-embarrassedat what he was about to do and half-thrilled at being theone permitted to do it. �Is this your dragon?� he asked.

�He is now.� The words were out of my mouth andgone before I could stop them, and the little man�s eyesglowed wickedly. I�d known it from the moment he�dgotten off his horse, and it was my own fault for not be-having accordingly: this was a tax man. He scribbledsomething on a scrap of parchment and handed it to me.

�What�s this,� I asked flatly, but I already knew.�Property taxes,�the little fellow grinned, and he got

back onto his horse.�How can this be property when the baron has ruled it

a public nuisance!��We�ve had no conversations with your baron on this

matter. He can rule it whatever he likes. You ought to begrateful the beast isn�t moving.�

�Why,� I asked, not really caring.�Transportation tax,�the gleeful mouseling cackled,

then he and his entourage departed, leaving me and thesteward to stare after him.

The steward�s last words to me were brief: �Whateveryou do,� he warned, �pay us first.�

Then he, too, was gone, leaving me to pay my dragon�shead in shock and murmur, �Fat chance . . .�

You see, few things terrify me so much as taxes. Thebaron�s fines I could ignore. I was already so deeply in-debted to Flaubert I�d die before I could even pay off theinterest. But tax evasion was another matter. That couldget me arrested, hauled off to the king�s court, and im-paled on a stake! I got a little desperate then; and wildideas filled my head. My inner turmoil was evidently notparticularly noticeable on the outside, however. My wifestalked out of the house, propped her hands on her hips,and stared at me. I struggled to be polite. �Yes?� I in-quired.

�Do you realize we don�t have a scrap of food in thishouse? While you perch there like a plump vulture, therest of your family is starving! Other men in this villagewould have ��

I�m certain she continued, but I didn�t hear. I was offfor the cutting board to fetch a cleaver, then back out thedoor with it clutched in my fist. My wife�s eyes suddenlygrew very wide and round, and she backed up against ourstinking guest and stood there; quivering. �What�s thematter with you?� I asked with exaggerated kindness.

�Don�t you point that thing at me!� she gasped, gestur-ing toward the cleaver.

I looked down at it. �It doesn�t have a point,� I ob-

served snidely. We�re very accurate when we quarrel.When I looked back up, she�d disappeared. Odd, Ithought, but really preferable. I was about to experimentupon the dragon, and she tended to be squeamish.

Going to the far side of the mound of flesh, I pulledback the cleaver and chopped downward. I nearly cut myhand off. The blade bounced off the scales and landed twofeet behind me, while I grabbed my vibrating arm andsought to still its shaking. �Scales,� I reminded myself.�Under the scales,� I suggested as I picked up the cleaverand tried again. It took a couple of hours, and the wife�scleaver would never be the same, but I did manage at lastto pry five of the wicked scales aside and cut myself a sliceof dragon. I glanced around guiltily to see if anyone waswatching, then tiptoed to the hovel door to see if my matewas back. She wasn�t. I danced to the firepit, stirred thecoals to action and added a log, then found a flat, blackpan and started frying the lavender meat.

I won�t describe the smell it made while cooking, exceptto note that hungry dogs would gag at it. I persevered,nose firmly clasped between thumb and forefinger of myfree hand. Obviously, the stuff did cook. I had to assumethat only the scales were fireproof.

How can you tell when dragon is done? The meat stilllooked purple when I took it off the fire. I let it cool aminute, then steeled myself and took a bite. All of myworst fears were confirmed. Dragon tasted exactly likeliver.

I ate what I could stomach, reminding myself with adesperate optimism that there are many in this life whoactually like liver. I didn�t realize it, but that moment wasthe turning point in my life. I was no longer a peasant.Henceforth I would be a salesman.

One thing saved me: my wife liked it. Oh, I didn�t tellher what she was eating, of course. I only lured her backto the hovel on the promise that I�d go to market in thenext village and buy some meat. I kept my promise too �I just bought it from myself. I sold a dozen other chunksas well � none to anybody from our village, of course. Infact, I had to leave rather hurriedly when one of myformer friends got wind of a scent that had grown familiar,and started spreading nasty rumors. I beat a hasty pathhome, enjoying the unusual jingle of coins in my pants.When I got to the hovel, I cut a few more strips off thecarcass and told my dear wife that it was parrot. Whenshe told me she liked it, I told her what it really was, andspent that night back outside on the ground again.

The next day the steward showed up with a new procla-mation. I didn�t pay much attention, but my dear ladydid. She burst into tears and ran over to grab my arm.�They�re going to seize our home!� she wailed. �Non-payment of fines!�

I stood there with a cleaver in my hand, purple bloodall the way up to my shoulder, gazing over the head of mywife at our humble hovel. �Let them,� I grunted.

�What?� she snapped, all tears vanished.�What would they do with it?� I asked her.�Sell it!�I nodded knowingly, then took a long, meaningful whiff

of that pungent aroma we�d grown to know so well.�Right. Must be hundreds of people who�d love the fresh

air . . . the view. . . .� I patted the dead beast�s head. Ithink I was actually growing fond of it.

My wife stared back toward the cottage, a puzzledfrown on her face. �Mmmm.� That was all she said.Then she went inside and left me to my butchering.

It was dark work. I�d gotten my fill of hacking on thosenasty scales the first day, so I used the area I�d cleaned asan entry point and just cut my way into the dragon. Bynow there was room to squeeze inside, and I was comingto understand the life of a miner. While I didn�t enjoy thework exactly, I didn�t mind it much either. As far as I wasconcerned, I mined a vein of pure gold. It netted me ahealthy profit the next day, when the market rotated toanother town. And the day after that, you might say myfortune was made. That same pushy neighbor who hadspotted me before saw me again and had gone up ontosomeone�s cart to announce that the lavender stuff I wasselling was dragon meat. He�d intended to warn peopleaway. As it happened, I learned that day that advertizing� even negative advertizing � sells meat.

Now, I�d never been a merchant, but I�d never been afool either. The sudden run on my ox cart stimulated myeconomic imagination. I raised my price. Not withoutsome hesitation, of course: would they laugh in my face?

Not so. They just paid through the nose in coin or bar-ter, then ran off to brag to other peasants about how muchthey�d had to pay to get their chunk of dragon.

When I toted up my takings at the end of the day, twothings were evident. First, I wouldn�t have to drag my oxcart around by my own strength anymore, for I�d madeenough cash to buy a new cow. And second, I needed tohire my neighbor.

Actually, I didn�t hire him. Instead, I told him I�d spon-sor him. He could climb into the dragon with me, cut asmuch meat as he could carry, and sell it for whatever hecould get. All he had to give me was half of his daily take.He jumped at the offer. There are lots of idiots in theworld, aren�t there?

Within three days I no longer visited the market myself.I was sponsoring fourteen distributors, and they weredoing all the selling. All the butchering, too. About all Idid anymore was to find new peasants I could tell about�the business.� Incredible as it seemed, I soon had thegold to pay my taxes, and the baron�s fines as well. Ididn�t, of course. I just had the funds available. And I soldmy new cow to one of my distributors. After all, why did Ineed it? If I kept it, the baron would just seize it for non-payment of fines. Let him come take my hovel, instead.

I suppose it was inevitable. About the time the dragon�scarcass was half-empty and my distributors had startedsponsoring distributors of their own, Sir Percy showed uplooking grim. �Trouble! � my distributors murmured, andthey scuttled away into the twilight. I stepped out to facethe man who had ruined me � and thereby made merich.

He looked at me scornfully for several minutes, as ifexpecting me to talk first. I could wait. Sure enough, thestench at last got to him. �Varlet! I hear you grow wealthyfrom my dragon!�

�With due respect, my lord, it�s not your dragon.��It is mine! I killed it!�

DRAGON 49

�Now that I�ll grant,� I responed, �but of course, youdeclared it a public nuisance and bade me remove it. I�mdoing that, my lord.�

�It�s my property!� Flaubert roared.I paused thoughtfully, then said, �Actually, it�s not. You

see, the king�s tax man has declared it my property, andI�m paying taxes on it. Thus legally ��

Flaubert did what any sensible knight would do. Hetried to chop my head off.

I did what any sensible peasant would do. I ran anddived into the carcass. Flaubert started in after me, actu-ally getting so far as to push his helmeted head inside.�Ah, my lord?� I said quietly. �I thought you didn�ttouch dead beasts?� Then I gave a little sniff � just alittle one. Enough, however, to remind him of the smell.

Sir Percy threw himself backward with a lordly�Aurgh!� A cry no peasant could even imitate. Then hewhined, �How can you do that?�

I smiled, but I doubt if he could see it through thegloom. �Somebody�s got to,� I reminded him.

�I�ll get you, peasant! I�ll be back in an hour with myguards!�

�Bring them,� I yawned.�We�ll seize your possessions!��I�ll move anything of value inside here.��I�ll imprison your wife!��I�ll move her in here, too.� I hoped he wouldn�t ask

how I intended to accomplish that. Given her choice, Ifigured my dear lady would opt for his dungeon instead ofmy dragon carcass.

Fortunately, he didn�t press that point, but went on toother threats: �We�ll attack!�

�Go ahead, if you think you can penetrate this oldhide!�

�You forget yourself, varlet. I killed this beast!��A lucky blow. You got him in the eye. And if the liz-

ard had happened to blink at the proper moment, yourblow would have bounced off, and he�d have roasted youfor supper.�

This was true enough, and it made Sir Percival screamwith rage. It also gave him a new idea.

�We�ll burn you out!�I had to chuckle. �I tried that. The scales won�t burn.��We�ll . . . we�ll . . . starve you out!�I glanced around. �Plenty of food in here,� I said non-

chalantly, not bothering to mention how I loathed thestuff. I figured I could learn to like it.

�I�ll . . . I�ll ��It was evident poor Percy�s imagination had run dry.

Before he pieced together the fact that I had, indeed,pierced the dragon�s hide and that in all probability hecould, too, I figured I�d better suggest some ideas of myown.

�Sir Percival, there�s no reason why we can�t all have aslice of this dragon. Now let me just tell you a little abouta business that just can�t miss. It�s all based on the single,inviolable principle that anyone can get rich if he doesn�tmind taking advantage of his friends. And Sir Percy, Ineed a distributor like you. The way I figure it, this skinwill be empty within another two weeks. But there arehosts of dragons out there just waiting for an ambitious,shrewd knight like yourself to . . .�

And Percival bought it. He now has a hundred and sixdistributorships in a dozen feudal kingdoms. And I spon-sor him!

We�ve diversified. I took the scales and started makingflameproof armor and selling it to knights going out afternew meat. The wife and I have built a little mansion nearthe hovel, but we�ve kept the old place. Sentimental rea-sons, you understand.

We still have our problems. Some noisy group of picket-ers keeps campaigning to shut our business down, sayingthere won�t be any dragons left for posterity. As if poster-ity should need any! But it�s all just talk. Why should theking close me down when he�s one of my best distributors?

We�ve done well. I can�t complain. And the king andsome of the other boys are dropping by this afternoon fora chat. We�re talking about going into unicorns.

50 APRIL 1987

Spies in space inthe TOP SECRET®

g a m e

by Merle M. Rasmussen

Three years ago, DRAGON® Magazineran a series of articles which depicted thefuture history of lunar exploration andcivilization, according to a number ofpopular science-fiction role-playing games.At the time, I was making a list of gameswhich might be worth covering in thisseries when Merle Rasmussen suggestedwriting up the TOP SECRET® game’s ver-sion of space and lunar adventuring.

Espionage on the High Frontier? Well,after all, there was James Bonds Moon-raker movie, and several other novels andfilms have been made about adventures inspace which involved astronaut-spies andcosmonaut-spies. What was there to lose?

Merle went to work. Many months later,he produced a three-part series of articlesdescribing possible near-future adventur-ing in space with TOP SECRET gameagents, which we present now. It ain’tKansas, Toto. — RM

The idea of conducting espionage mis-sions in outer space is not a new one. Spysatellites and space weapons tests haveoccurred for many years, particularly bythe United States and the Soviet Union.Manned espionage and military missionsare also not new, as both of the abovenations have conducted purely militarymissions using the Space Shuttle and Sa-lyut space station, respectively. It is notdifficult to conceive of manned spacemissions in which espionage, whether on avery detached or very personal level,could become quite important � impor�tant enough to send highly trained agentsinto space. This article presents the basicrules necessary for TOP SECRET gamemissions into this last and deadliest fron-tier of them all.

New personal traitsTwo new personal traits important to

characters adventuring in space are pre-sented in this article. These traits areadditions which are designed for thisspace article and are not part of the �offi-cial� TOP SECRET game system. Adminis-trators may use these new personal traitsin Earth-bound situations where theyseem appropriate.

Balance: To determine a particular char-acter�s Balance Value, add the character�sWillpower and Coordination values to-gether and divide the total by two. The

equation for this secondary personal traitis as follows:

Balance Value = Willpower + Coordination2

Wellness: The Wellness Value is calcu-lated by adding a character�s PhysicalStrength and Willpower values togetherand dividing the total by two. The equa-tion for this secondary personal trait is asfollows:

WeIIness Value = Physical Strength + Willpower2

Agents operating as astronauts have tomeet both general and specific require-ments, none of which are waived on theirbehalf. The United States space program istoo valuable to risk on the weaknesses ofan unqualified astronaut. It is assumedthat the Soviets (and any future space-faring nations) have equivalent require-ments. General astronaut requirementsinclude the following:

Acceptable citizenship. This applies toanyone who takes passage aboard anyAmerican spacecraft, whether crewmanor payload specialist or visitor. So far,astronauts from West Germany, SaudiArabia, Canada, France, and Mexico haveflown aboard the Space Shuttle, as well asAmerican private citizens and militaryofficers. Numerous cosmonauts fromSoviet-bloc nations have traveled intospace aboard Soyuz spacecraft. France isthe only nation to have sent crewmen onboth Soviet and American space flights.

Age. There is no real age limit for be-coming an astronaut, though the oldestastronauts are in their mid-50s. Astronautcandidates must be mentally and physi-cally fit. Mentally fit candidates haveCharm, Courage, and Knowledge traitvalues all above 40. Physically fit charac-ters have a Movement Value greater than120, with vision corrected to 20/20 andnormal hearing.

Sex and race. Qualified individuals ofeither sex are allowed in the program.Shuttle pilots and commanders, who areusually pulled from the military, haveinvariably been male. Racial barriers havealso eased considerably since the earlydays of the space program.

Height. Acceptable heights for astro-nauts range from 60-74� (150-185 cm).This is the height of the individual asmeasured under Earth gravity situations,not under weightless conditions.

Education. A college degree in science orengineering is required. Some flying andskydiving experience is also preferred. Todetermine an agent�s college degree, referto Education on page 5 of the TOP SECRETCompanion. If the Companion is not availa-ble, the agent must have a college degreein his Area of Knowledge (AOK) with thehighest rating score above 70. If none ofthe agent�s scores are above 70, the agentcannot become an astronaut. Agents com-

Astronaut requirements

Guest astronauts: Several of the astro-nauts sent into space aboard the shuttlehad specialized missions or were simply�guests� placed aboard the ship for politi-cal reasons. Two U.S. Congressmen wentaloft in the shuttles Discovery and Colum-bia; Sharon Christa McAuliffe was sched-uled to teach from space. Any agent addedto a shuttle roster in an emergency mightbe placed aboard as a �guest,� provided

Pilots: Pilots spend most of their worktime involved in launch, ascent, insertion,orbit, deorbit, re-entry, and landing proce-dures. Agents wanting to fly a Space Shut-tle need a college degree (B.A. minimum)in Engineering, Biology, Physics, or Mathe-matics. An advanced degree (M.A. orPh.D.) and working experience in theaeronautical field is also preferred. A pilotmust have a college degree in at least oneArea of Knowledge listed on Table 1. Inaddition to the college degree, pilot candi-dates must have at least 1,000 hours ofexperience in command of a jet aircraft.Experienced test pilots have an even bet-ter chance of becoming an astronaut-pilot,though such would happen only in ex-traordinary circumstances, as experiencedshuttle pilots would be preferred.

Mission specialists: Mission specialistsare professional astronauts who spendmost of their work time in space or inpreparation for spaceflight. Mission spe-cialists operate various systems aboard theshuttle. Agents acting as mission specialistsneed at least one of the same college de-grees as pilots have. In addition, they musthave some background in biological sci-ence and at least three years workingexperience within their field of specializa-tion. A mission specialist must have acollege degree in at least one of the Areasof Knowledge listed for pilots on Table 1and a superior Area of Knowledge ratingscore in a field required for missionspecialists.

Payload specialists: Payload specialistsare experts in operating the sophisticatedequipment carried into space in the shut-tle�s cargo bay. This has included Spacelaband all its related materials, and has alsoincluded both the conducting of experi-ments to take place inside the shuttle itselfor the care of satellites to be placed intoorbit. Payload specialists tend to be one-shot passengers, depending on the equip-ment involved. The training for thesepart-time, nonprofessional astronauts isbrief when compared to the time involvedfor regular astronauts, but it is quite stren-uous and intensive.

Crew positions

pleting the Pilot Training Course of theEspionage College (found on page 70 of theCompanion) have flying experience, as doany agents with Transportation and Aero-nautical Engineering AOK scores over 75.Table 1 shows the Areas of Knowledgecurrently required for Space Shuttlepilots, mission specialists, and payloadspecialists.

Areas of specialization: None (AmericanSpace Shuttle only)* .

Ability acquired: The agent can performeach duty of a payload specialist with a90% chance of success. Duties are thoselearned in training, including payloadoperation, normal flight procedures, emer-gency flight procedures, and generalhousekeeping. Increase Courage +(l-10).

Area of Knowledge increases:Astronomy/Space Science +(l-10) x 2.Computer Science, Aeronautical Engineer-ing, Electrical Engineering, MechanicalEngineering, Transportation Engineering,Home Economics, Medicine/Physiology,Military Science, Naval Science, and Physi-cal Education � all +(l-10).

Credit: 200 Experience Points.

Prerequisite: General astronaut require-ments listed above, including MovementValue above 120.

Course: Payload Specialist �RainingCost: $40,000.Time: 4 weeks.

Payload specialist trainingAgents posing as technical experts or

satellite specialists receive most of theirtraining from the foreign government,private business, private organization, orprivate citizen supplying the experiment,equipment, or satellite, and paying thenecessary fee. Payload specialists receiveabout 150 hours training at the JohnsonSpace Center. This training includes learn-ing about the shuttle and the equipmentused to support the payload, housekeep-ing, and various other shuttle duties, aswell as learning what to do in case of anemergency. Course time and costs aremodified by the amounts listed under theEspionage College Course Handbook onpage 67 of the Companion.

there was no need (or no time) for a coverto be manufactured. Such a flight wouldhave to be launched in secret, probablyfrom Vandenberg AFB in California. Train-ing for guest astronauts is equivalent tothat for payload specialists.

Characters might be qualified in morethan one specialty, but are assigned to onlyone per flight. For example, Guion Blu-ford, Jr., was equally qualified as pilot andmission specialist, but served as a missionspecialist.

All astronaut candidates must pass psy-chological testing and an interview con-cerning their education, health, character,performance in front of a group, andinterest in the program. Before the finalselection, the astronaut-trainees are putthrough intense physical fitness tests. Ifselected, it is up to the astronaut-trainee tomaintain or improve that level of fitness.Since there is no regular daily exerciseroutine for astronauts, they must manageto work this routine into their busy sched-ules. Working out in a gym, jogging, orplaying a sport are recommended forstaying in shape.

D R A G O N 53

* The Soviet Space Shuttle program maybe operational by 1990. Additionally, the French/ESA Hermes spaceplane andBritish/ESA HOTOL spaceplane programsmay be operational by the year 2000, thusexpanding career possibilities here.

Regular astronaut trainingOnce selected, the regular pilot and

mission specialist astronaut-trainees musttake two to three years of training. Train-ing includes classes in basic science, basicmath, meteorology, guidance, navigation,astronomy, physics, and computers. Theystudy manuals and attend lectures byexperienced astronauts. Nearly weightless(or microgravity environment) trainingtakes place in a water immersion facilityand aboard aircraft flying parabolic flightpaths. Additional mission training takesplace inside flight simulators. Course timeand costs are modified by the amountslisted under the Espionage College CourseHandbook on page 67 of the Companion.

Course: Astronaut/Cosmonaut Training*Cost: $1,500,000.Time: 150 weeks.Prerequisite: General astronaut require-

ments listed above including MovementValue above 120.

Areas of specialization: Mercury Pilot**,Vostok Pilot** , Gemini Pilot* * , VoskhodPilot **, Apollo Command Module Pilot** ,Apollo Lunar Module Pilot* *, SoyuzPilot* * * , American Space Shuttle Pilot,Skylab Mission Specialist**, Salyut/MirMission Specialist, American Space ShuttleMission Specialist.

Ability gained: The agent can performeach duty of a pilot or mission specialistwith a 95% chance of success. Duties arethose learned in mission training, includ-ing working in a pressurized space suit,escaping from the spacecraft in case ofemergency, surviving on land and water,performing certain types of experiments,and operating the shuttle. Increase Physi-cal Strength, Willpower, and Courage+(1-10) x 2.

Area of Knowledge increases:Astronomy/Space Science + (1d10) X 3.Computer Science, Ecology/Earth Science,Aeronautical Engineering, Electrical Engi-neering, Hydraulic Engineering, IndustrialEngineering, Mechanical Engineering,Transportation Engineering, Geography,Home Economics, Mathematics/Accounting, Medicine/Physiology, MilitaryScience/Weaponry, Naval Science, Photog-raphy, Physical Education, Physics, Psychology, and Social Science/Sociology � all+(1-10) x 2.

Credit: 7,500 Experience Points.* French space crewmen have been

called spacionautes. See also the footnoteregarding the Soviet Space Shuttle and thetwo ESA spaceplane projects in the sectionon the Payload Specialist paining course.

* * Though facilities, equipment, andtexts exist for training astronauts andcosmonauts to operate these spacecraft,no operational spacecraft of these obsoletetypes are known to exist. Note that aVoskhod spacecraft was merely a stripped-down Vostok. It is possible (but not likely)that a museum piece could be made opera-tional or that an unused spare craft exists,but the launch vehicles and launch facili-

ties themselves may not exist. Onlyadvanced-design Atlas and Titan missilesare currently able to carry Americannonshuttle manned spacecraft into orbit.

* * * The Soyuz spacecraft has under-gone numerous modifications over theyears, and some types are now obsolete.The exterior and interior appearance ofthe Soyuz craft has been considerablyaltered, as have various incarnations ofthe Salyut space station, of which the Mirspace station appears to be a variant.

Crew complementUsually seven, but occasionally up to

eight, astronauts can be selected for anAmerican Space Shuttle flight. The basiccrew consists of the shuttle commander,pilot, and necessary mission specialists.Overall crew safety and flight execution isthe commander�s responsibility. The com-mander is qualified as a pilot. The pilot,second in command, assists the com-mander. Sometimes the commander iscalled the �pilot� and the pilot, �co-pilot!The mission specialists coordinate payloadoperations and carry out mission scientificobjectives. One or more payload specialists(scientists, engineers, or physicians) areselected by the organizations that built thepayloads to be operated. Payload special-ists may be trained to operate other payloads, and are trained in Space Shuttlehousekeeping, plus normal and emergencyflight procedures. A mission specialistoperates the remote manipulator armwhen necessary.

Each crewman receives cross-training soat least one person can handle the dutiesof all the others. All flights have a backup

54 APRIL 1987

crew, In case of accident or illness, anycrew member can easily be replaced by anidentically-trained substitute withouthaving to cancel the mission. Each crewtakes part in spacecraft reviews and testprograms so as to maintain their familiar-ity with the shuttle and its systems. Crewreplacement has been performed on manypast space missions, including once whenthe entire primary crew was killed in aplane crash (Gemini 9, 1966).

Before and after flightsTwenty-four hours prior to a flight, the

crew members are given a physicalcheckup. The chance of passing the pre-flight physical is equal to the character�sWellness Value. A character with a Well-ness Value of 100 or greater has no chanceof falling the preflight physical. Roll per-centile dice to determine this; if the valuerolled is less than or equal to the charac-ter�s Wellness Value, the character is al-lowed on the flight. If the value rolled isgreater than the character�s WellnessValue, the character may not go on theflight, and his alternate goes instead.

Following a flight, crew members aregiven a physical and spend several daysdebriefing. These post-flight reports in-form future crews of what worked andwhat didn�t. They also help flight plannersdetermine whether spacecraft systems,payload handling, or training proceduresneed to be improved. The press is alwaysanxious to talk to astronauts after thecompletion of a flight. The press crunchcan be avoided if a news blackout is an-nounced at the start of a mission on thegrounds of national security. Soviet

spaceflights are always performed insecrecy. After the debriefings and pressconferences are completed, the astronautsgo on a short vacation before returning totheir jobs, when studies and training beginagain for the next flight.

It is suggested that agents assigned toespionage missions in space be placed onboard the shuttle during secret military-sponsored flights. The press can be kept ata distance during the entire mission due toa mandatory news blackout in the name ofnational security. If a military-sponsoredsecret flight is not available, the mission/payload specialist cover allows the greatestpossible access to space with the leastamount of training. Non-agency crewmembers could be sworn to secrecy aboutsecret payload testing operated by agentson board. Rarely would an entire shuttlecrew be made up of agents, and only thenin the gravest and most unusual circum-stances.

Space sicknessWeightlessness disturbs the vestibular

system, causing vertigo, nausea, and vom-iting when the subject moves around. Thisdiscomfort, affecting many subjects ontheir first day of weightlessness, is dubbed�space sickness.� The resultant nauseareduces the subjects appetite for severaldays. Time-release motion-sickness medi-cation absorbed through the skin is applied by placing an adhesive strip behindone�s right ear. Motion sickness medicationis only effective if administered beforespace sickness occurs. There is no guaran-tee that this medication will combat allspace sickness effects.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

The chance a character does not experi-ence space sickness is equal to the charac-ter�s Balance Value. If the character�sBalance Value is 100 or greater, there is nochance the character suffers space sick-ness. Roll percentile dice; if the valuerolled is less than or equal to the charac-ter�s Balance Value, no space sicknessoccurs. If the value rolled is greater thanthe character�s Balance Value, the charac-ter becomes space sick for a number ofhours equal to 100 less the character�sBalance Value. Characters suffering fromspace sickness have a temporary loss ofCoordination of l-100% for the sickness�sduration, whether medicated or not.When the duration of the sickness is over,the affected character recovers all low-ered characteristics.

For example, Yuri has a CoordinationValue of 53 and a Willpower Value of 69.His Balance Value is 61 (53 + 69 = 122;122/2 = 61). Yuri�s chance of not becom-ing space sick is 61%. Percentile dice arerolled, getting a score of 74. Since 74 isgreater than 61, Yuri becomes space sickfor 39 hours (100 - 61 = 39). Percentiledice are rolled again. An 85 is rolled. Yuri�sCoordination Value is temporarily reducedto 8 (53 X .85 = 45; 53 - 45 = 8).

When a character moves from a weight-less to an environment with gravity,whether by landing on the Earth or Moon,or experiencing acceleration aboard aspacecraft, the chance for space sicknessshould be rolled again. If the character isspace sick when the change in gravityoccurs, use the character�s temporarilyreduced Coordination Value in the calcula-tion of Balance Value to determine if the

D R A G O N 55

sickness continues and, if so, for howmuch longer.

Physiological effectsAfter 7-10 days in a weightless environ-

ment, the following effects reach theirpeak. Body fluids become more evenlydistributed throughout the body. Legsbecome 5% thinner in circumference. Thefeet and waist appear thinner. Upper bodyblood pressure rises and may cause blood-shot eyes, a red and puffy face, nose-bleeds, nasal congestion, and headaches.The senses of smell and taste are de-pressed. Lung capacity decreases as moreblood circulates in the chest. Chests andshoulders become slightly larger. Bodieschange in size as well as in shape. Spongydiscs between the vertebrae absorb morefluid from the surrounding tissues, caus-ing an increase in height of 2%. Returningto a gravity situation causes these effectsto be reversed in 2-20 hours. Decelerationduring re-entry causes blood to pool in thebody away from the brain and may lead tograyout (a �graying� of vision) or blackout.Inflatable bladders inside antigravity-suittrousers place pressure on the lower body,literally squeezing blood into the upperbody and preventing pooling.

Additionally, a character�s thirst is de-pressed, loss of body fluids is increased,potassium and calcium salts are lost, bloodplasma falls, red-blood cell (RBC) produc-tion ceases, and T-lymphocytes (whichfight against infection) are lost. Add theeffect of a closed environment wherebacteria can remain suspended indefi-nitely in weightless water drops, and youhave a breeding ground for disease. Thechance of not contracting a head coldunder these conditions is equal to thecharacter�s Wellness Value. A characterwith a Wellness Value of 100 or greaterhas no chance of contracting a head cold.Roll percentile dice; if the value rolled isless than or equal to the character�s Well-ness Value, the character is healthy. If thevalue rolled is greater than the character�sWellness Value, the character contracts acold. A character contracting a head coldtemporarily loses a Life Level point for aperiod of time in hours equal to the char-acter�s Wellness Value subtracted from100. It has happened at least once that anentire spacecraft crew has fallen ill withhead colds (Apollo 7, 1968).

The need for RBCs is also reduced bythe reduction in muscular usage and bythe higher oxygen content of spacecraftatmosphere. Characters are at their lowestlevel of physical well-being just beforebone-marrow production of RBCs recurs.For game purposes, this weakness is con-sidered damage. The production of RBCsrecurs after a period of 30 to 60 days. Thenumber of Life Levels lost after a specificnumber of days without gravity and exer-cise are given on Table 2. Refer to thistable when a character is subjected togravity after a period of weightlessness.Note that no character can be killed by the

56 APRIL 1987

A character moves inside a spacecraft byusing handholds or by connecting anddisconnecting footholds (such as suctioncups or locking mechanisms on footwear).The most popular form of locomotion ispushing oneself away from a solid objectand floating toward one�s destination. Thisform of motion, similar to swimming andpopularized by the Skylab astronauts, isdubbed soaring The trickiest parts ofsoaring are takeoff, which determines thedirection and speed the astronaut is travel-ing, and landing, If ill-timed or neglected,these actions could result in painful colli-sions with solid surfaces or other astro-nauts. To conform these actions to gamefunctions such as movement speed andcombat, treat soaring as wading.

A character may choose to dart (push offquickly) inside a spacecraft, but there is a5% chance per landing of suffering W-typedamage from the HTH Combat ResultsTable (rule book, page 28). A characterinjured from such a collision is stunnedand unable to perform any action for anumber of phases equal to the number ofinjury points received. Luckily, importantonboard equipment switches are usually,protected by safety covers in spacecraft,to prevent accidental triggering. For gamepurposes, treat darting as running.

Self-styled acrobats may wish to performdaring athletic feats which cause them totumble, spin, and pivot. Accidentally, afteran unintentional collision or when at-tempting to avoid damage in combat, acharacter might tumble uncontrollablyagainst his will. For game purposes, treatsuch motion as running and dodging,whether the tumbling is voluntarily per-formed or not.

Most of these same forms of locomotion�hand-over-hand, soaring, darting, andtumbling �can also be performed in aspacesuit, both inside and outside a space-craft. The difference is that outside thespacecraft, astronauts are usually tethered

Zero-gee movement

For flights lasting less than seven days,15 minutes of strenuous exercise per dayreduces the number of Life Level pointslost for that mission by ½ point per day.On longer missions, increase the exerciseperiod to 30 minutes. Daily exercise caninclude running on a treadmill, riding abicycle (ergometer), wearing an elastic�penguin suit,� or performing heavy calis-thenics. Soviet cosmonauts, long accus-tomed to prolonged spaceflight, haveworked out careful routines of exercise tohelp in such circumstances.

For example, George is on a seven-daySpace Shuttle flight. Without any exercise,he loses 4 Life Level points when he re-turns to Earth. If George exercises strenu-ously on three days of the flight, he losesonly 2 Life Level points (1½, rounded up)when he returns to Earth.

loss of Life Level points in this manner; aminimum Life Level score of 1 is alwaysleft to the character.

or have their feet in restraints. At othertimes, astronauts are also hoisted andmoved around by the shuttle�s remotemanipulator arm. Last, but not least, anastronaut may don a Manned Maneuver-ing Unit (MMU) and jet around withenough propellant for a total velocitychange of 66� per second. Thus, an astro-naut could use a MMU to gain a 6�/second,with enough propellant left to come to adead stop and repeat the process fourmore times, leaving enough left for onelast 6�/second spurt (hopefully, the astro-naut will aim at a solid object that he cangrasp, stopping his forward motion at thattime).

Extravehicular activity (EVA)There are three modes of EVA or �space-

walking:� surface, tethered, and un-tethered. During a surface EVA, theastronaut remains on the surface of thespacecraft. Hand-held electro-adhesivepads, handholds, and Dutch-shoe footrestraints are designed for surface work.

During a tethered EVA, the astronautmaneuvers in space, but remains attachedto the spacecraft and its life-support sys-tem. A variable flexibility tether consistingof a 3-meter-long series of ball-and-socketlinks encased in an outer soft covering isused for tethered work. A ratchet on theastronaut�s belt enables the astronaut toapply tension to the links and lock them inany position. This type of tether is moredifficult to cut than the wire, hose, andcable combination tether or various beltand tether waist restraints.

During an untethered EVA, the astro-naut must use an independent propulsionsystem and a portable life-support system.The MMU and the Portable Life-SupportSystem (PLSS) were designed for un-tethered EVAs. Hand-held, high-pressure,cold-gas propulsion units are also used. Acommon error in using these devicesinvolves the overcorrection of a tumblethat increases the problem. Riding theshuttle�s remote manipulator arm withone�s feet secured has become a new modeof untethered EVA, but the rider must relyon the abilities of the arm�s operator. Payload and mission specialists are usuallytrained in the arm�s operation. Satelliterecovery has been performed using anastronaut set on the arm.

EVA is very exhausting due to the bulki-ness of the spacesuit and is especiallypronounced without zero-reaction tools.This fatigue is simulated for game pur-poses by subtracting 1 point from theastronaut�s Willpower rating for every 10minutes of EVA. When the character�sWillpower score reaches 10 or less, theastronaut becomes drowsy and has diffi-culty working; he will likely be sweatingprofusely, and his helmet visor may befogged over. If the character�s Willpowerscore reaches zero, he falls asleep or sim-ply drifts, exhausted. This is not a perma-nent Willpower loss � it is merely anaccounting method. The affected charac-

ter�s Willpower is not affected for anyother purpose.

Bending at the waist, whether crawlingthrough a narrow, bent tunnel or workingoutside the spacecraft, is very difficult inspace, as gravity cannot pull the uppertorso over. A spacewalking cosmonaut(Voskhod 2, 1965) once had grave difficultyre-entering his spacecraft after his walk,as the airlock tunnel required him to bendat the waist. Only by letting air out of hissuit (enough to let him and his suit becomemore flexible) was he able to enter again.To further emphasize the extreme dangersinvolved in spacewalking (which are muchoverlooked by naive observers), a Sovietcosmonaut on the Soyuz 26 mission (1977-78) accidentally drifted free from hisspacecraft without a tether. Were it notfor the quick actions of his fellow cosmo-naut, who was spacewalking at the timeand caught the other cosmonaut by thefoot, the cosmonaut would have been lostin orbit.

Combat in zero-geeA character performing the action of

firing a projectile weapon, swinging ahand-held mass, or throwing a hand-to-hand (HTH) weapon experiences an equaland opposite reaction. Performing any ofthese actions in a weightless or micrograv-ity environment causes part of a charac-ter�s body to spin, lean, or twist; naturally,the rest of the character�s body follows.These motions are divided into three sorts:roll, pitch, and yaw.

One phase (1 second) of projectileweapon firing, no matter how many bul-lets are fired, causes a character to changefacing by 90°. One action in UntrainedFighting, Knife Fighting, Boxing, Sword-play, Judo, or Martial Arts HTH Combatcauses a character to change facing by90°. The character continues to pivot (roll,pitch, or yaw) at a rate of 90° per phaseuntil another force stops the spinning.Usually, this means the character strikes amore massive object, such as a spacecraftwall, and bounces off in a differentdirection.

The chance for a character to stop thetumbling is equal to the character�s Bal-ance Value. Characters with a BalanceValue of 100 or greater stop the tumblingmotion the following phase. Roll percentiledice; if the value rolled is less than orequal to the character�s Balance Value, thecharacter stops the tumbling in the follow-ing phase by acrobatically counteractingthe motion or by catching hold of anysolid object in reach. The character cannotperform any activity other than attempt-ing to stop the tumbling. If the value rolledis greater than the character�s BalanceValue, the character continues to spin,bouncing off solid objects or drifting offinto the vastness of space. An additionalattempt to stop the tumbling may be madeeach phase until the tumbling is stopped.See the combat example below for moreinformation.

Space and weaponsStandard weapons used aboard space-

craft (which incidentally violate Article IVof the Outer Space Treaty) should have

The third method for preventing tum-bling involves the use of weapons with norecoil. These recoilless weapons includethe 13mm Gyrojet/Microjet Launcher,80mm Missile Launcher, High-IntensityLight Device, High-Intensity Sound Device,and the Electrical Shock Device (Compan-ion, page 62).

A second method of preventing tumblinginvolves securing the character�s bodybefore combat begins. This includes usinghandholds, foot restraints, securing straps,suction cups, and other characters to holdthe combatant in place. �A character canalso position himself against a solid object,such as a wall, so that the reaction presseshis body against the obstruction, but doesnot cause him to tumble.

Tumbling is prevented in several differ-ent ways. The most common methodinvolves mounting a weapon to a solidobject before it is fired. This action doesnot include monopods, bipods, or tripodsunless they are bolted in place. Simplybracing a weapon against a solid objectwon�t prevent tumbling. The Weapon atRest on Solid Object Hit DeterminationModifier (rule book, page 24) does notapply to projectile combat in space. Oncemounted, it is often too difficult or tootime consuming to move the weapon to anew location.

their trigger guards enlarged or removedso they can be used with gloved hands.Because of extreme temperature varia-tions, most guns used outside of spacecraftmisfire during a Hit Determination roll of92-93 and jam on a roll of 94-00. Revolversmisfire on a roll of 97-00, but won�t jam.Ammunition is combustible; the oxygenwithin the shell reacts with the powder,allowing the gun to fire. Blowguns andflamethrowers can only be used in anatmosphere, and so are useless exceptwithin a spacecraft (but the use of openflame on spacecraft is extremely danger-ous, due to the high oxygen content of theair and possible presence of free-floatingflammable material). Aerosol Spray De-vices may explode in vacuum conditions.The spray from an Aerosol Spray Deviceor the liquid inside a dart may freeze orvaporize in space, Contained breathingapparatuses on spacesuits prevent gasesand sprays from being effective weaponsexcept within shirtsleeve environmentsaboard ships. Sprays are useful for obscur-ing vision. Air (pellet) guns may be firedonce in a vacuum, but can only be filledwith compressed air in the presence of air.

In a weightless environment, nearly allprojectile weapons have no range modi-fiers beyond point blank range and haveno maximum range. In space, a bullet orthrown weapon continues in a straightline at the velocity it left the gun or throw-er�s hand until another force acts upon it.This means all targets are treated as ifthey had an unlimited upper limit forshort ranges (i.e., no medium- or long-

D R A G O N 5 7

range modifiers apply). Note that, withouttraining, a gunner is likely to aim in such away as to account for gravity�s effect onthe bullet �meaning that until the gunnerlearns to aim directly at the target, he willalways miss what he aims at beyond shortrange. Very small targets at extremeranges may cause the application of otherto-hit penalties, since normal hand andbody movements and the difficulty inaiming at very small targets may cause thegunner to miss.

Projectile weapons which disperse parti-cles or fire recoilless ammunition havemedium- and long-range modifiers inweightless (microgravity) environments asshown on Table 3.

Whether slug, buckshot, or birdshot isloaded in a shotgun, only one projectilecan hit a target beyond 300� when firedfrom a shotgun with full choke, modifiedchoke, or improved cylinder. Only oneprojectile can hit a target beyond 50� whenfired from a sawed-off shotgun.

Conventional telescopic sights are worth-less to helmeted astronauts since theycannot get their eye near the eyepiece.Silencers are unnecessary in space sincethere is no atmosphere to conduct sound.Monopods, bipods, and tripods are worth-less unless bolted to a solid surface. Heavyartillery is not necessary to incapacitatesomeone in space. A simple sharp objectwhich punctures a suit is enough to keepan astronaut busy trying to save himselffrom the effects of space. Obscuring anastronaut�s faceplate (such as with paint ordust) also reduces his possible actions.

Characters have one less action availableto them while fighting in a weightlessenvironment. Inside a spacecraft, this lackof action is due to slippage and the oppo-nents drifting apart because of swinging,striking, and being struck. Outside aspacecraft, this lack of action is due toslippage, driftage, and spacesuit bulkiness.If opponents are in a confined space, tiedin place, or tied together, they cannot driftapart but retreat is more difficult. Swing-ing at or striking an opponent causes acharacter to tumble, as described in thesections on �Zero-gee movement� and�Combat in zero-gee!

When a character is hit by a projectileor struck by a a solidly-landed hand orfoot, the victim also tumbles (roll, pitch, oryaw) at a rate of 90° per phase. Thechance for a victim to stop the tumblingaction is equal to the victim�s BalanceValue, as noted in the section �Combat inzero-gee.� If the attack is a successful holdor a projectile such as a lasso which tiesthe victim to the attacker, both individualsbegin to tumble. A victim tied in place orforced against a solid object will not tum-ble. Light, hurled objects (such as knives)may not cause a target to tumble, depend-ing upon the force of impact and the massof the victim and striking weapon.

If a tumbling character strikes a solidobject, there is a 5% chance of receivingdamage from the impact. The amount of

58 APRIL 1987

damage is calculated on result W (rulebook, page 28). There is also a 5% chanceper point of damage done by striking asharp or pointed surface of tearing open aspacesuit; this includes being struck withHTH weapons such as knives, swords,foils, and spears. Whenever a character isinjured in a tumble and is not wearing ahelmet, the character is stunned. Astunned character is unable to performany function for a number of phases equalto the number of injury points he re-ceived. If an attacker and a victim aretumbling together, each of them suffersresult W damage.

Example of space combatWhile on a double spacewalk outside a

military-mission Space Shuttle, an enemyagent posing as a mission specialist iscaught trying to cut the tether of a payload specialist, Daniel Walker � who ishimself a special agent assigned to locate asuspected saboteur among the shuttle�screw (mission now accomplished). Thetwo agents are 25� apart. Suspecting trou-ble, Daniel thought to bring along an ille-

is 75 and the knife�s PWV is -10; theenemy�s base accuracy is 65. The onlyrange modifier which applies is the -42for the short-range distance. After throw-ing the knife, the enemy agent tumblesbackward in a pitching motion (a 33%chance was given for him to either roll,pitch, or yaw, with a 1% chance that hedid none of them).

As Daniel aims the .45 revolver at hisopponent, the knife strikes him. Roll per-centile dice and refer to the General InjuryDetermination Table in the rule book (page25) or the Accelerated Specific InjuryDetermination Table in the Companion(page 50). We�ll assume the blade harm-lessly glances off Daniel�s visor, startlinghim but not knocking him backward. If ithad struck anywhere else, there wouldhave been a 5% chance per point of dam-age done of a suit tear. The first combatphase ends.

Taking careful aim at the tumbling en-emy agent, Daniel fires. Subtract 20 fromthe from Daniel�s base accuracy for atumbling (running and dodging) target.The short-range modifier for the .45 hand-

gal (but helpful) .45 U.S. Government-issue gun is -45. Its PWV of 45 and Daniel�srevolver. The enemy agent cuts the tether Offense Value of 60 gives a Base Accuracyand throws an Air Force survival knife at of 105. Daniel�s chance to hit is 89 (105 -Daniel; treat the weapon as a thrown 45 = 60;60 - 20 = 40). A 38 is rolled onhunting knife. The enemy�s Offense Value percentile dice, indicating a hit. Daniel

Requiredfor

MS, PSMS, PS

PSMS, PS

P, MS, PSMS, PS

PSPS

P, MS, PSMS, PS

P, MS, PSP, MS, PSP, MS, PSP, MS, PSP, MS, PSP, MS, PSP, MS, PS

PSPS

P, MSMS, PS

PSPSPSPSMS

P, MS, PSMSMS

P = Pilot; MS = Mission Specialist; PS = Payload Specialist

AgricultureAnimal ScienceArchitectureAstronomy/Space ScienceBiology/BiochemistryBotanyBusiness/IndustryChemistryComputer ScienceEcology/Earth SciencesEngineering, AeronauticalEngineering, Construction/CivilEngineering, ElectricalEngineering, HydraulicEngineering, IndustrialEngineering, MechanicalEngineering, TransportationGeographyGeologyMathematics/AccountingMedicine/PhysiologyMetallurgyMilitary Science/WeaponryNaval SciencePhotographyPhysical EducationPhysicsPsychologySocial Sciences/Sociology

Area of Knowledge

Table 1Required of Knowledge

yaws wildly to the right from the .45’srecoil. The enemy agent tries to regain hisbalance this phase and rolls a 17 — suc-cess! —just as the .45 standard ammuni-tion slug slams into his chest-mountedDisplay and Control Module (DCM), whichwas positioned where the slug would havehit him otherwise. Making an incredibleroll of 00, he remains stable and quicklyattempts to flee toward the airlock beforehis system fails. (Roll percentile dice andrefer to the section on the DCM to deter-mine the exact malfunction.) The secondcombat phase ends.

Rolling a 99, Daniel fails to regain hisbalance, smashing into the remote manipulator arm and causing 4 points of dam-age. The bulky spacesuit reduces thedamage by half to 2 points of damage;since Daniel is wearing a helmet, he is notstunned by the impact for two phases. Theremote manipulator arm has no sharpsurfaces, sparing Daniel the horrors of asuit rip and exposure to vacuum. Grabbingthe arm, Daniel stabilizes himself, filledwith terror at his loss of control — andwith thoughts of vengeance against thesaboteur. . . .

Typical hardwareBelow are samples hardware typical of

that flown on many shuttle missions. Extra Blood pressure cuffStethoscopeThermometersOtoscope

Environment/medical instrumentationSound-level meter with octave analyzerHigh-rate, low-rate, and passive-radiation

dosimeters

Window filtersTrash containersLines, straps, and cables

Stereo tape recorder with cassettesHead setsBinoculars

EquipmentExercisorFood WarmerWater dispenserVacuum cleanerMirrorsFlashlight

Vise grip and other pliersSwiss Army knifeScissors

Ratchet/torque wrench with socketsCrescent wrench combinationScrewdriverHammer

Tools

equipment may be added for special mis-sions, as the Administrator desires.

Table 2Damage Due to Weightlessness

OpthalmoscopeBioinstrumentation system (EKG device)

Number of Life levelweightless days points lost

1-2 13-4 25-6 37-8 4

9-10 511-12 613-14 715-16 817-18 919-20 1021-22 1123-24 1225-26 1327-28 1429-30 1531-33 1434-36 1337-39 1240-42 1143-45 1046-48 949-51 852-54 755-57 658-60 561-90 491-120 3121-150 2151+ 1

Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU): TheEMU, or spacesuit, consists of seven parts

Special hardware

Mounting brackets

Photography gear16mm Data Acquisition CameraTime-coded, slow, fast, and normal

speed film5mm, l0mm, 18mm, and zoom lens with

film magazinesHasselblad 70mm reflex cameraStandard and 250mm lens with film

magazinesNikon 35mm single-lens reflex, f/1.4 lens,

and 35mm film cassettes35mm self-developing CRT camera (pho-

tographs orbiter operational data onCRT screen) with film cassettes

Portable lightFlash gunFilters

One wide-angle lensCassette recorder and cassettes

Television systemTwo portable TV cameras with monitor-

viewfindersOne color lens

Packing material

SuppliesTapeDry wipes

which allow an astronaut to put it on andtake it off unassisted. Donning the suittakes five minutes. Removing it takes oneminute.

Because of the EMU’s increased paddingand the underlying cooling and ventilationgarment, all projectile and HTH combatdamage is reduced by half. Any attackwith a sharp object or projectile whichcauses one or more points of damage tothe suit’s wearer has a 5% chance perpoint of damage done of tearing the suit.Any attack which causes damage towardthe death (not unconsciousness) of thewearer also damages the suit first. Thehelmet is considered proof against allattacks save against projectile (bullet)attacks which hit the faceplate; these havea 10% chance per point of damage done ofcracking the plate — leading to certaindeath in a vacuum situation. One disadvan-tage of using the EMU is that astronautscannot raise their arms above theirshoulders.

Portable Life-Support System (PLSS): ThePLSS is contained in a backpack perma-nently attached to the EMU’s upper torso.All connections between the life-supportunit and the EMU are inside the suit, elimi-nating the hoses and connections seen onpast spacesuits. The unit contains enoughoxygen and electric power for sevenhours. This allows 15 minutes to check theEMU after donning it, six hours of EVA, 15minutes to take off the EMU, and 30 min-utes for reserve. In addition, an emer-gency 30-minute oxygen supply iscontained in the secondary oxygen pack.The PLSS is recharged between space-walks using the shuttle’s onboard systems.

A chest-mounted Display and ControlModule (DCM) contains the electrical andmechanical controls required to operatethe EMU as well as a microcomputer. Themicrocomputer’s LED display providesconstant status checks of oxygen andbattery power. Additionally, if there is anEMU malfunction, the microcomputerprovides a warning and specifies the appropriate corrective action.

Each time a PLSS is struck by a shot,blow, or collision, roll percentile dice andrefer to Table 4. Note that if the radio isdamaged, person-to-person communica-tion can still occur by conduction if twohelmets are pressed together.

Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU): TheMMU is essentially a miniature spacecraft.The unit is flown very much like a space-craft, and pilots and mission specialistsneed no additional training. This personal-ized propulsion system can be used insideand outside a spacecraft because nitrogengas is used as the propellant. The MMUoperates up to six hours with normal useand has enough propellant for a totalvelocity change of 66’ per second. Twentyfour nozzles arranged around its exteriorallow fine-control maneuvering and allowan astronaut to hover in one spot. Theright hand control governs orientation —pitch, roll, and yaw. The left hand control

D R A G O N 5 95 9

governs straight line motion along the X, Y,and Z axes.

The MMU is a self-contained backpackthat latches onto the EMU. To use theMMU, first unfold the control arms. Next,back into the MMU while wearing theEMU. Two latches connect the MMU to theEMU�s PLSS backpack. The latches allowan astronaut to put the MMU on and takeit off without assistance. Fifteen secondsare required to put the MMU on, and fiveseconds are needed to take it off. A fiber-optics cable links the MMU to the EMU�sDisplay and Control Module (DCM). Thisallows the astronaut to monitor the MMU�soperation the same way the EMU is moni-tored. Readouts show propellant quantity,battery power level, and malfunctions,along with the necessary corrective action.

One MMU is carried per shuttle flight,but another can be carried for rescuemissions or when flight plans require two.When not in use, the MMU is stored in thefront of the cargo bay.

Each time a MMU is struck by a singleshot, blow, or collision, roll percentile diceand refer to Table 5. Each time both thePLSS and MMU are being worn and thechest-mounted DCM is struck by a singleshot, blow, or collision, roll percentile diceand refer to Table 6.

Survival limits depend on a character�sWillpower value. If a character exceedsany environmental survival limit, thecharacter suffers unconsciousness. If acharacter exceeds his survival limit on anyentry, he loses 1 Life Level per minute heremains in that environment. See Table 7.

Damage from exposure to space due to apuncture in an EMU is cumulative. Anaverage character survives a slow expo-sure to vacuum a bit longer by holding hisbreath, but sudden decompression literallyblasts the wind from one�s lungs, regard-less of attempts to hold it in. Any charac-ter passes out after only a few seconds ofcomplete exposure to vacuum, and braindeath from oxygen starvation begins mo-ments later. (People do not explode withinseconds from blood boiling in the veins.Skin exerts an elastic counterpressure toprevent swelling and distortion caused bygas bubbles forming in the tissues. Thehuman body can be exposed to vacuumfor around three minutes without suffer-ing irreparable harm.) In sunlight, anexposed agent with oxygen can standabout 213° Fahrenheit before passing out.In darkness, he can stand about ll° Fahr-enheit.

Atomic radiation and light have littleimmediate effect on the character. Radia-tion doses are measured in rems, theamount of ionizing radiation required toproduce the same biological effect as oneroentgen of high-penetration X-rays. Mostplaces on Earth have a background of 0.1rem per year, and U.S. standards for thegeneral population are 0.5 rem per year.The annual dose of cosmic rays on an

Survival limits

unshielded astronaut is 10 rems. Radiationshielding is necessary all the time an astro-naut is in space, and temporary shieldsmust be available for solar flares. Solarflares are violent solar disturbances whichblast high-energy protons into space with-out warning. The dangerous rain of parti-cles can last for days after a solar flare.Manned telescopes and scientific instru-

ments give astronauts a few minuteswarning to find cover before the danger-ous proton flux strikes. See DRAGON issue#l08 for the effects of atomic radiation onagents.

For game purposes, the timing of solarflares and the length of the disturbanceare random. Roll percentile dice once eachday. On a roll of 00, a solar flare occurs.

Table 3Projectile Weapons with Range Modifiers in Space

Q R CZ

aa

bb

cc

dd

ee

ai

ajalapaw

Weapon10-gauge variable-choke pump:

full chokemodified chokeimproved cylinder

12-gauge variable-choke pump:full chokemodified chokeimproved cylinder

16-gauge variable-choke pump:full chokemodified chokeimproved cylinder

20-gauge variable-choke pump:full chokemodified chokeimproved cylinder

28-gauge variable-choke pump:full chokemodified chokeimproved cylinder

410 caliber variable-choke pump:full chokemodified chokeimproved cylinder

12-gauge Winchester pump-actionMl200 (U.S.A.)

12-gauge High Standard Ml0A (U.S.A.)13mm Gyrojet/Microjet Launcher80mm Missile LauncherAerosol Spray Device

-120* - 3 6 0-120* -216

0 0- 1 0 - 5 5

- 2 6 0 - 5 2 0

- 4 5 0 - 9 0 0-405 - 8 1 0- 3 6 5 - 7 3 0

-187* -561-168* - 5 0 4-151* -453

-133* - 3 9 9-120* - 3 6 0-108* - 3 2 4

-107* -321- 9 6 * - 2 8 8- 8 6 * - 2 5 8

- 8 0 * - 2 4 0- 7 2 * - 2 1 6- 6 5 * -195

- 6 7 * -201- 5 0 * - 1 5 0- 4 4 * -132

Range ModifierMedium Long

* The range modifier for all indicated shotguns at medium range is as follows: at5l-300�, the listed subtraction is halved; at 301-600� the subtraction is as shown.Double-barreled shotguns have an ammunition capacity of 2 and each barrel mayhave a separate choke setting. The second consecutive shot from a side-by-side (notover-and-under) shotgun has a -5 Hit Determination modifier. Sawed-off-shotgunsare usable at all ranges. Add +10 to the RM at point-blank range. Add -5 to theRM at short range. Add -100 to the RM at medium range. Add -300 to the RM atlong range.

Table 4PLSS Damage Table

Percentile Systemdice roll damaged Effect01-25 None None26-50 Oxygen Purge Wearer has nothing to breathe in l-10

minutes51-63 Radio Transmission Wearer can receive, but not send.64-75 Radio Reception Wearer can send, but not receive.76-00 Temperature Regulation Suit becomes outside environmental

temperature in l-10 minutes.

60 APRIL 1987

Roll percentile dice to find how manyhours the storm lasts. The risk of meteor-oid collision is negligible, though the in-creasing amounts of space debris (flecks ofpaint, bits of metal from booster explo-sions, etc.) may make large space stationsprone to be damaged on a regular basis.

Characters can hold their breath volun-tarily for a number of seconds equal totheir Willpower value, no matter whatthey are doing. If the character cannottake a full breath after the last breathruns out, the character becomes uncon-scious. One full breath of air (with oxygen)revives the character with no damagewithin a few minutes. Once the characterpasses out, no appreciable brain damageoccurs for (Willpower x 5) seconds. Afterthat, the character loses 1 Life Level and10% Knowledge immediately, and every(Willpower x 1) seconds afterward. Thissituation applies only to exposure to airwhich has no oxygen whatsoever in it, notto vacuum exposure. A slow exposure tovacuum extends the agent�s life for onlyl-10 seconds beyond the limits of Table 7,after which the agent goes unconscious, asnoted above, and brain death begins.

Further readingAn Administrator willing to do some

research before starting a space-basedadventure for his agents would do well toread through the following books as back-ground.

Benford, Timothy B., and Brian Wilkes.The Space Program Quiz & Fact Book.New York: Harper & Row, 1985. This bookhas a great amount of information onspecific space launches, including a com-plete table of space shots through mid-1984. Lots of useful space trivia.

Canan, James. War in Space. New York:Berkley Books, 1982. Covers the historyand future of the military uses of thespace program; excellent source forscenario ideas.

Cooper, Henry SF., Jr. A House in Space.New York: Bantam Books, 1978. Describesthe Skylab missions in a readable style,giving an excellent idea of what it�s like tolive in space for long periods of time. Goodsource of �mood� information to makegame missions seem real.

Gatland, Kenneth. The Illustrated Ency-clopedia of Space Technology. London:Salamander Books Ltd., 1981. Beautifulfull-color illustrations of all major space-craft up to the publication date. Especiallyuseful for figuring scale sizes, showing theplayers �what, things look like,� and soforth.

Joels, Kerry, and Gregory Kennedy. TheSpace Shuttle Operator’s Manual. NewYork, Ballantine Books, 1982. Though theother books listed here are especiallyuseful for creating background materialfor space missions, this book is requiredreading, as it describes in great detailhow Space Shuttle missions are per-formed. Any Administrator running sce-narios in space will find this reference

62 APRIL 1987

book invaluable, as nothing else imparts lenger disaster, describes death in space;the true feel of taking part in a shuttle the information is quite valuable, though itmission the way this book does. Lots of is ironic that a notice of the Challenge&clear illustrations and diagrams. launch appears on the same page.

Ritchie, David. Space War. New York:New American Library, 1982. Anotherexcellent source for military/espionagemission ideas; useful background materialas well, when taken with the book byCanan.

Sheffield, Charles, and Carol Rosin.Space Careers. New York: Quill Books,1984. Superb text covering the overall set-up of worldwide space programs, particu-larly those of the West. The section on thedevelopment of the Air Force�s SpaceCommand division are especially interest-ing to Administrators.

Next month: Operation Zodiac � 12scenario ideas for shuttle-board agents.

Oberg, James and Alcestis. �Last Flights.�Omni, vol. 8, no. 4 (January 1986): 22. Thisbrief article, written prior to the Chal-

Oberg, James. Bed Star in Orbit. NewYork Random House, 1981. The mostinformative and readable study of theSoviet space program and its future inprint.

McConnell, Malcolm. Challenger: AMajor Malfunction. New York: Doubleday& Co., Inc., 1987. Though written specifi-cally about the Challenger disaster, thisbook describes in detail the inner work-ings of NASA and the Space Shuttle pro-gram prior to Challenger’s loss. Anothergood reference book for setting mood inan adventure.

Table 5MMU Damage Table

Percentile Systemdice roll damaged Effect01-25 None None26-38 Propulsion MMU leaks all propellant in l-10 minutes.39-50 Propulsion MMU leaks all propellant in l-10 seconds,

causing random tumbling.51-57 Orientation Control MMU loses all ability to control pitch, roll,

and yaw.58-63 Pitch Control MMU loses ability to pitch.64-69 Roll Control MMU loses ability to roll.70-75 Yaw Control MMU loses ability to yaw.76-82 Straight Motion Control MMU loses all ability to move along X, Y,

or Z axes.83-88 X-axis Control MMU loses ability to move along X axis.89-94 Y-axis Control MMU loses ability to move along Y axis. 95-00 Z-axis Control MMU loses ability to move along Z axis.

Table 6DCM Damage Table

Percentile Systemdice roll damaged01-13 None14-38 PLSS39-63 MMU64-00 PLSS and MMU

EffectNoneRefer to PLSS Damage TableRefer to MMU Damage TableRefer to both PLSS and MMU Damage

Tables

Table 7Environmental Limits Table

Willpower Value:Perseverance Rating:Temperature, dryFreezing, unprotectedAccelerationAtomic radiation, annualLight, foot-candlesVacuum, exposure to

0-40Weak75 F.32 F.1 g

15 rem10,0003 sec.

41-73Average

213 F.11 F.4 g

27 rem18,2505.5 sec.

74-100Strong325 F.

7 F.7 g

38 rem25,0007.5 sec.

100+Super438 F.

5F.10 g

46 rem30,5009.2 sec.

A new career forTRAVELLER ®

game charac t e rs

by John Dunkelberg, Jr.

In the futuristic TRAVELLER® game,there will always be a place for the spy,whether stealing technological break-throughs, eliminating political opponents,or keeping tabs on the opposition. Aftersuch a career, this person could well be-come an adventurer � but entering andsurviving an espionage career must comefirst.

A person looking for a job as an inter-stellar espionage agent has a choice ofthree types of organizations:

Government. Both �good� and �bad�governments usually have a secret service,and unpopular governments will alwayshave one to combat resistance movements.

Underground. Where an unpopulargoverment has come into power,espionage/terrorist organizations are likelyto combat that government.

Commercial. The rare commercial espio-nage agency uses it's agents to do "jobs" forgroups or individuals. This may rangefrom keeping an eye on a dishonest hus-band to performing corporate espiongageto carrying out assassinations.

Once the character has decided whichtype of agency he wants to join, he mustdecide what kind of work he is going todo. In so doing, he must decide whetherhe will work for the Control Department(which is involved in �direct action� jobssuch as bombings, muggings, and assassi-nations) or the Intelligence Department(which is involved in the �softer� fields ofspying, surveillance, and courier duty).

Using normal TRAVELLER game dicerolls (involving 2d6), the player resolvesenlistment into either of these fields usingTables 1 or 2. Re-enlistment is handledwith these tables in the usual manner aswell. Die rolls must be equalled or ex-ceeded with the 2d6 roll, with applicabledie modifiers (DMs) added to the roll. Acharacter always enlists at age 18.

Espionage agencies place a lot of trust intheir agents and in their agents� abilities.Consequently, agents are trained for fouryears before being assigned to actualmissions. Control agents must roll 3+ perskill (using 1d6) to gain each of the follow-ing skills at level one: Stealth, Brawling,Gun Combat (as per Book 1), and Poison.Intelligence Department agents learn onelevel of skill on a roll of 3+ on 1d6 foreach of the following skills: Disguise, Stealth, Surveillance, and Gun Combat.

After the four-year training period, allterms of service in the espionage corps aretwo years long. The second term (i.e., first

active term) requires no re-enlistment roll.During a term, the character takes oneassignment. Thus, when an individualsigns up for an agency, he is dedicating sixyears to the service: four years in trainingplus two years on active duty. The assign-ment is rolled on 2d6 in the appropriatecolumn on Table 3. The character mustthen roll to see if he survives the assign-ment, using Table 4. Take note of the DMsfor survival; if the character survives, roll7+ on 2d6 to gain a skill while the assignment is prepared for and completed (see�Training and skills� below). Note thatskills gained on an assignment do notaffect survival DMs for the assignment onwhich the skill was gained.

The assignments an agent undertakesshould be recorded for later use in estab-lishing the character�s personal back-ground. Cross-training means the agenttakes a temporary assignment from theother department on a special mission.

If an agent fails a survival roll, he mustthen roll on Table 5. No skills are gainedfrom failed missions. Note that capturemay affect re-enlistment for a new term ofservice, as noted on the table.

Training and skillsEach assignment allows for the chance

of acquiring skills. If a 2d6 roll of 7 + ismade on an assignment from Table 3, thena skill has been earned for that assign-ment. The player then refers to the appro-priate assignment skills table � Tables 6through 18 � which deal with the varioustypes of training and skills available to aTRAVELLER game agent. New skills aredescribed below.

Lock-Picking: The ability to spring lockswith simple tools. With a lock-pick set, anindividual with this skill can open simplelocks on a 2d6 roll of 5+, with a DM +lfor a Dexterity of 9+. More complex locksshould be shown as negative DMs.

Stealth: The ability to move quietly with-out attracting attention. It also allows anindividual to perform acts requiring highDexterity. For more information, see IgorGreenwald�s article, �Rogues of the Galaxy;in DRAGON® issue #97.

Concealment: The ability to concealobjects from a search. For more informa-tion, see DRAGON issue #97, as notedabove.

Disguise: The ability to alter one�s ap-pearance with the help of a disguise kit.See DRAGON issue #97.

Demolitions: The ability to place and setoff demolitions, or to defuse them. Formore information, see TRAVELLER gameB o o k 4 , M e r c e n a r y

Pyrotechnics: The ability to use flame-throwers, chemically ignited rockets, andflammable fuels. See DRAGON issue #97.

Surveillance: The ability to observesomeone�s actions in detail without beingnoticed and to detect observation. SeeDRAGON issue #97.

Interrogation: The individual can querya person and thereby coerce that person

into revealing information, sometimeswithout realizing the information wasgiven away. A roll vs. the person�s Intelli-gence (using 2d6 to equal or exceed thescore, indicating success) is suggested. SeeTRAVELLER game Book 4, Mercenary.

Double-Talk: The individual can twist hiswords so as to confuse those with whomhe deals. The use of this skill is handy tothe agency; one could use it, for example,to convince guards that he really is al-lowed into a restricted area. A roll of 2d6against the Intelligence of the person to beconfused is recommended. Certain ex-

tremely secure outposts may place nega-tive DMs on this roll.

As an example, Harji Krone, an agent fora foreign government with Double-Talk-2,needs access to a governmental building toprocure some secret documents. A guardis posted outside. Harji hails the guard andproceeds in. The guard stops him and tellshim only security personnel are allowedinside. Harji flips a piece of paper in frontof the guards face, bombarding him withbasically meaningless talk about securityclearances. The guards Intelligence is 8.Harji rolls a 7, +2 for skill, for a total of 9.

EnlistDM +l ifDM +2 ifRe-enlist

Government10+

7+

Underground Commercial11+ 9 +

Dexterity 9+Strength 9+

7+ 6+

Table 1Control Department Enlistment/Re-enlistment

Table 2Intelligence Department Enlistment/Re-enlistment

EnlistDM +l ifDM +2 ifRe-enlist

Government Underground Commercial9 + l 0 + 8 +

Dexterity 9+Intelligence 9+

7+ 7+ 6+

Table 3Espionage Assignments

2d6 Control Department2 Assassination3 Bombing4 Arson5 Raid6 Mugging7 Training8 Mugging9 Raid

10 Advanced Training11 Kidnapping12 Cross-training

Intelligence Department Local UndercoverConfiscationMisinformationSurveillanceCourierTrainingCourierSurveillanceAdvanced TrainingDeep UndercoverCross-training

Table 4Survival and Promotion

MissionAssassination/Deep UndercoverBombing/Arson/ConfiscationRaid/Local Undercover/KidnappingSurveillance/MuggingMisinformation/Courier

Survival Promotion7+ 6+5+ 8+6+ 7+5+ 8+4+ l0+

DMs on survival:+ 1 per level of Stealth (max. DM +2)Control � +1 if Dexterity 9+; +1 if Strength 9+Intelligence � +1 if Intelligence 9+; +1 if Dexterity 9+

DRAGON 6 56 5

The guard is convinced this person hasclearance and that bothering the personfurther could produce a demotion.

Poison: The individual knows of thedifferent poisons and nonlethal drugsavailable on the open and black markets.Poison skill enables an individual to iden-tify poisons, apply poisons and antidotes,and make poisons and antidotes. An indi-vidual with a skill level of 1 can apply andidentify poisons and illegal drugs. Anexample of a nonlethal poison is used inblackout grenades (250 grams; Cr 900; TL9). These grenades cause all beings within10 meters to go blind for 20 minutes. Thegas itself is invisible.

Espionage officersThe agency�s officers are commissioned

upon reaching age 50 (the 14th activeterm). Upon finishing the 14th term, anagency serviceman must roll to be com-missioned. If the roll is a 9+, the service-man can become an officer. If the roll is a12, the serviceman must become an offi-cer. If not commissioned, the servicemanreceives his mustering-out benefits at thattime and summarily leaves the service.

The duties of an officer (lst-5th) involvecoordinating missions of small groups andhandling logistics for them. The rank ofChief involves overseeing the officers andplanning the larger missions, especiallyassassinations and deep-undercover mis-sions. The Controllers handle the service�smajor policies and oversee any missionswhich deal with high-risk threats to theagency or which are carried out againstvery skilled enemy agencies. An agencyofficer takes on one mission to adminis-trate every term. Upon completion of asuccessful mission, an officer rolls 9+ togain his skills on Table 19.

Officers can be promoted upon thesuccess of missions they have adminis-

Table 6 Table 10Advanced Training Skills Arson Skills

1d6 Skill1 Jack-o-Trades2 Vacc Suit3 Double-Talk4 Pilot5 Electronics6 Medical

Table 7Training Skills

1d6 Skill1 Vehicle2 Concealment3 Stealth4 Disguise5 Gun Combat6 Blade Combat

Table 8Assassin Skills

1d6 Skill1 +1 Strength2 +1 Dexterity3 Stealth4 Gun Combat5 Gun Combat6 Poison

Table 9Bombing Skills

1d6 Skill1 + 1 Strength2 Demolitions3 Concealment4 Stealth5 Demolitions6 Pyrotechnics

ld6 Skill1 +l Strength2 Pyrotechnics3 Concealment4 Stealth5 Pyrotechnics6 Demolitions

Table 11Raid Skills

1d6 Skill1 +1 Dexterity2 +l Strength3 + 1 Endurance4 Gun Combat5 Demolitions6 Lock-Picking

Table 12Mugging Skills

1d6 Skill1 +l Strength2 +1 Endurance3 Brawling4 Brawling5 Blade Combat6 Stealth

Table 13Kidnapping Skills

1d6 Skill1 +1 Intelligence2 + 1 Dexterity3 Gun Combat4 Lock-Picking5 Demolitions6 Stealth

1d6Failure result

1 Killed in attempt2 Captured and imprisoned for (10 x law level) years3 Captured and imprisoned for (8 x law level) years4 Captured and imprisoned for (5 x law level) years5 Captured and imprisoned for (2 x law level) years6 Captured but not enough evidence to convict.

Table 5Mission Failure

Effects of, imprisonment on re-enlistment:All prison years are cumulative for the effects of imprisonment on re-enlistment.If an agent is imprisoned for more than 20 years, he cannot re-enlist afterwards.If an agent is imprisoned for 10-20 years, he can re-enlist if he rolls double the

normal re-enlistment score needed to re-enlist. If successful, he will be at half hisformer rank.

If an agent is imprisoned for 0-9 years, he can re-enlist if he rolls half the normalre-enlistment score needed to re-enlist. If successful, he will be at his former rank.

trated. An officer must roll the numberlisted on Table 20 or higher to be pro-moted. An officer can only be promotedonce per term. A Chief can be promotedto Controller only if the promotion roll ismade with a DM of -2, as a Controllerposition is a major step into another levelof the agency�s hierarchy. Junior Control-lers similarly roll with a DM of -3. Mostupper-level officers are assumed to beNPCs using anagathics.

Espionage officers must roll 10+ everytwo-year term or be relieved of duty. Eachsuccessful mission completed during thatterm acts as a DM of +1. Roll to choose anassignment just as you would for a non-com. An officer may refuse one missionassigned to him a year, thus receiving(rolling for) one of a different nature.

Upon retirement, an officer�s securityclearance rating goes down two levels. Forexample, a Section Chief�s security clear-ance rating will be six upon retirement.

When mustering out of the spy service,espionage servicemen roll twice for every

66 APRIL 1987

Table 14Undercover (any) Skills

1d6123456

Skill+1 Intelligence+1 DexterityStealthDisguiseDouble-TalkConcealment

Table 18 Courier Skills

1d6 Skill 1d6 Skill1 +1 Dexterity 1 Carousing2 +1 Strength 2 Recruiting3 +1 Intelligence 3 Leadership4 Stealth 4 Computer5 Gun Combat 5 Tactics6 Brawling 6 Admin

Table 19Officer Skills

Table 15Confiscation Skills

1d6123456

Skill+1 Dexterity+1 IntelligenceLock-PickingConcealmentStealthDouble-Talk

Table 16Misinformation Skills

1d6123456

Skill+1 IntelligenceDouble-TalkDouble-TalkStealthDisguiseDisguise

Table 17Surveillance Skills

1d6123456

Skill+1 Intelligence+1 DexterityStealthInterrogationDisguiseSurveillance

rank level on Table 22. Officers roll seventimes on Table 22 and once for everyofficer�s rank level on Table 23.

Table 20Success and Promotion

MissionAssassination/Deep UndercoverBombing/Arson/ConfiscationRaid/Local Undercover/KidnappingSurveillance/MuggingMisinformation/CourierTraining/Advanced Training

Success Promotion7 + 6 +5 + 8 +6 + 7+5 + 8 +4 + l 0 +4 + 12+

DMs to mission success:+1 each time officer undertook such a mission while a noncommmissioned offi-

cer (noncom) or administered as an officer, up to +2.+1 per level of Tactics, up to +2.

Table 21Espionage Officers� Ranks and Security Clearance

TitleNoncom —

Rank 1Rank 2Rank 3Rank 4Rank 5Rank 6Rank 7Rank 8Rank 9Rank 10

Security clearanceSC-10 (extremely limited)SC-7SC-6 (top secret)SC-6SC-5SC-5SC-4 (ultra secret)SC-4SC-3SC-2SC-1 (unlimited)

Rank

5th Officer4th Officer3rd Officer2nd Officer1st OfficerStation ChiefSection ChiefDivision ChiefJunior ControllerSenior Controller

Table 22Mustering-Out Benefits forNoncoms

1d6* Benefits1 Low Passage2 Blade3 Gun4 +1 Intelligence5 Travellers6 High Passage7 +l Social

* DM +1 for over 10 termsservice in the agency.

Table 23Mustering-Out Benefits forOfficers

1d6* Benefits1 Medium Passage2 Blade3 Gun5 Travellers6 High Passage7 Free Trader

* DM +l for Chiefsand Controllers.

Benefits for retired noncomsand officers

SC-A (Agent) � 2,000 cr pension.SC-9 to SC-7 (Officer) � 5,000 cr pension.SC-6 to SC-5 (Chief) � 9,000 cr pension.SC-4 (Junior Controller) � 12,000 pension

+ two-man personal bodyguard until15 years after retirement.

SC-3 (Senior Controller) � 15,000 crpension + four-man personalbodyguard until 25 yearsafter retirement.

D R A G O N 6 76 7

by Douglas Niles

The new TOP SECRET® game has somemajor factors in common with the originalversion, It is a game about spies and espio-nage, with all the special equipment,weapons, and gimmicks that make thesecret agent such a popular hero offiction, film, and television.

However, those of you expecting modifi-cations and streamlining of the originalrules will be in for a surprise. From theground up, the new TOP SECRET game isan original role-playing game system.Systems for character generation, combat,skills, and everything else have beenfreshly created. A conversion for originalTOP SECRET game characters will proba-bly be incorporated as a feature of thegame, allowing you to convert your oldcharacters to the new system.

The game is currently between thedesign and development portions of theprocess, but a number of sections haveemerged as clearly different from theoriginal. Other sections are still up in theair, as playtesters are consulted and vari-ous of the designer�s cherished ideas aremercilessly trashed.

Speaking of merciless trashing, I�d like towelcome Warren Spector to TSR, Inc. Hisfirst project was the editing of TOPSECRET game material, and he wasted notime in firing up his chain saw and gettingto work. Between us, we will give you aproduct that offers all of the flavor of theoriginal system, with game mechanics thatare much smoother and faster in play.

The new TOP SECRET game begins witha slightly different approach to its theme.While the detail needed for a realisticespionage game is included, the game�semphasis is much more focused on thesecret agent of movies and TV Action andadventure are primary features of thegame.

In line with this, the PCs and majorvillains have enhanced abilities, as well asthe opportunity to spend Luck Points toavoid campaign-ending disasters. Theminor NPCs have to suffer through therolls of the dice.

On to the game systems themselves:The game is built around a single game

mechanic � the Attribute Check. Eachcharacter has five attributes, each gener-ated by a �d60� roll, giving a range of20-79 for PCs and l0-69 for most NPCs.

The action scenes in the game occur intwo-second turns, with most PCs able totake one careful shot or two quick shots ina turn. Vehicles are given acceleration

However, your character is much morethan the sum of what he or she can do. Anumber of game features are designed toencourage role-playing and to help playersvisualize and play their characters. Yourcharacter can be as well rounded andbroad based � or as narrow � as youwant.

A major feature of character creationand the use of characters during play isthe area of skills. The game includes exten-sive skill lists and descriptions, and a char-acter is often defined by the types of skillshe has. Skills are handled in levels; mostcharacters have a level 1 skill at drivingautomobiles, while only the pros mighttake such a skill to 4th or 5th level. Addi-tional levels of skill provide modifiers toAttribute checks.

One of the major points of debate in thegame design is the role of player choice inthe character generation process. Warrenand I agree that skills, backgrounds, andgeneral characteristics of specific agentsshould be decided by the players. How-ever, I feel that Basic Attributes are bestgenerated through dice-rolling, with abalancing system to protect PCs againstparticularly bad rolls. Warren maintainsthat players should be allowed to spend apool of points upon attributes, selectingstrengths in those areas that the playersdesire. This one is still up in the air; wemight present you with a couple of op-tions, and let each Admin choose theprocedure he likes for his campaign.

The bulk of the rules for player charac-ters relate to creating the characters them-selves. Rules for the game are groupedinto two categories: Standard Rules (gov-erning the play of the game) and RealityRules. The reality rules are placedthroughout the book, separated by distinc-tive graphic elements. These are optionaland advanced rules that offer a greaterlevel of detail (�reality�) to the game me-chanics. Players may start a campaignwith the standard rules, and add the real-ity rules as the game progresses and theybecome more involved.

Players determine the outcome of acts byrolling ldl00, trying for a result lowerthan their relevant Attribute scores. Modi-fiers can shift Attribute scores up or downin specific situations.

ratings to match this scale, so incorporat-ing vehicle and pedestrian activity into thesame encounter is no problem.

The combat system is fully designed andundergoing playtesting. It incorporates asingle ldl00 roll to determine whether ornot you hit a target and where the woundis located. The same roll, in hand-to-handcombat, also tells how much damage theattack has inflicted! In ranged combat, asecond roll determines damage.

The combat system is very lethal, al-though the Luck Points enhance PC sur-vival. Thus, it is not impossible for a PC todash through a mob of enemy agents,dropping them right and left with thedeadly use of his Browning Hi-power,while evading some of the bursts of auto-matic weapon fire that are directed athim. Bursts, by the way, are handled as asingle attack instead of as a series of indi-vidual bullets. This has provided a majorincrease in the speed of play.

Loving care and attention have gone intothe development of vehicle rules. Theseare considerably more extensive than inthe original system, and include protectionand handling factors as well as accelera-tion. Skilled drivers will be tempted to tryspecial maneuvers, such as ramming,power turns, braking skids, and bootlegturns.

Other significant differences betweenthe two versions of the game concern theamount and nature of campaign back-ground. I can�t go into a lot of detail, be-cause much of this will be subject to thedesires of the individual Admin, but weare taking a different tack from theoriginal game system.

The new game presents a campaignenvironment with a �good guy� and a �badguy� spy agency. Obviously, these twoagencies are arch-rivals. In many cam-paigns, the PCs will be able to find readyemployment with the good guys. However,this �official� campaign is presented onlyin a portion of the Admin book, so it is inno way required for use. Several othercampaign genres, such as private eye, law-enforcement, mercenary, and counter-terrorist settings, lend themselves easily tothe game.

The game includes a 2-4 page rulessummary for experienced role-players thatshould get you up and playing with littlepreparation time. It will also include aplayer�s book, Admin�s book, Admin�sscreen, and several other little accessories

66 APRIL 1987

that speed play and enhance enjoyment. ated. There is still time to hear from you ifThe comments and feedback from the you have points that you think need to be

TOP SECRET game players we met at the addressed — but hurry! The game will beGEN CON® Games Fair last summer, and out late this summer. I’m afraid we don’tfrom those of you who have taken the have time to answer each letter personally,time to write, have been greatly appreci- but we read them and take your ideas into

consideration. (In fact, one of my simplepleasures of the last few weeks, occupyingan office next to Zeb Cook as I do, hasbeen listening to him discuss all thoseideas sent to him concerning the AD&D®game Second Edition. Keep it up!)

“Official” business

(continued from page 3)

rules won’t mesh with the first edition,thereby “forcing” them to purchase thesecond edition. In the end, it all leadsup to one thing: a lot of needless worryand unnecessary complaints.

When the second edition arrives, itwill replace the first-edition rules,which essentially replaced the originalD&D game I spoke of earlier. This doesnot mean it will make the first editionobsolete. In the case of the originalpaperbound rules, the hardboundscleared up a lot of the inconsistenciesin the earlier rules. By this time, a lot ofgamers had invested their money in thepaperbacks. They had also taken itupon themselves to fill in most of thegaps in the rules. In 1975, thereweren’t many role-playing games avail-able to choose from. As a result, fillingthe gaps and providing alternatives tothe present system was up to the indi-vidual. Many of these rules were neverpublished; they weren’t developed withthat goal in mind. Rather, they werecreated to help personalize a gamesystem whose very beauty lay in itsopen-endedness.

There were never any argumentsabout “official” rules then; each DMhad his own guidelines which he fol-lowed, the majority of which existedbeyond the sight and inquiry of theplayers. The beauty of the game wasthat it differed from campaign to cam-paign — that DMs weren’t afraid tofudge the rules, to make decisionsthemselves, or to alter rules they dis-agreed with or which did not fit themilieu of their campaign. It didn’t mat-ter that the rules varied from world toworld; this was simply an aspect ofpersonalization that went along withthe game. It was this aspect that madethe game unique.

There never were “official” rules inthe earliest edition of the game; therewere only “guidelines to follow in de-signing your own fantastic-medievalcampaign” (Men and Magic, p. 4). Theserules were meant to “provide theframework around which you willbuild a game of simplicity or tremen-dous complexity.” Rule changes wereacknowledged as a part of the systemin this early edition: “If your refereehas made changes in the rules and/or

tables, simply note them in pencil.” Thisnote was carried through in the PlayersHandbook (p. 6): “the most importantmaterial herein can be altered and bentto suit the needs of individual cam-paigns. Where possible, true guidelineshave been laid down to provide thebarest frameworks for those areas ofthe campaign which should be the mostunusual and unique.” I have no doubtthat this attitude will be carriedthrough the second edition AD&Dgame rules as well.

What it all comes down to is that theultimate choice of what is importantand essential to each campaign is up tothe individual. If the DM likes assassins,but they are no longer part of the“official” rules in the second edition,what’s stopping the first-edition rulesfrom being used? If a DM has grownaccustomed to using the first-editionrules, finding only a few items from thesecond edition useful, what’s to stophim from using the second edition asan accessory to the first edition? Thechoice of what is and isn’t necessary toa campaign is, as it has always been, upto the individual DM. No matter how

many revisions the rules themselves gothrough, the game itself remains, inspite of all its varying, personalizedforms. No matter how complex orrevised the “official” AD&D game be-comes, the game itself is only as goodas the players who play it.

And although the original game andits first edition were flawed and some-times vague, it seems like much morefun in retrospect — at least to a bunchof guys who once sat around a table inthe La Crosse Student union playingwith a handful of dice, a set of tatterednote-riddled digests, and a ream ofmaps and plot outlines.

Index to Advertisers

Adventurer Publication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7AMAZING® Stories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 (with card)Bard Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Chaosium Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Doubleday SF Book Club . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11DRAGON® Magazine . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8DUNGEON™ Adventures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19, 84 (with card)Fantasy Games Unlimited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43, 75FASA Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15Friedland Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40Game Designers' Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51, inside back coverGame Systems Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80Games Workshop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27, inside front coverGuild of Adventure Gaming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50Holoubek, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87Iron Crown Enterprises, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1, back coverK Society . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25Mayfair Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41Mite-Y Minions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .81Palladium Books . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31, 63Ral Partha Enterprises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35Skyrealms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34Steve Jackson Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..45Task Force Games . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83TSR, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78,89U.S. General Services Administration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

DRAGON 69

Here Comesthe Cavalry!

Conventional warfare in theSTAR FRONTIERS® game

by Matt Bandy

Some gamers (myself included) are at-tracted to the idea of combining role-playing with wargaming. For the mostpart, however, we are given only tantaliz-ing bits of such a combination that leaveus hungry for more. �The Battle ofVolturnus� in STAR FRONTIERS® moduleSF2 is a good example. The module is greatfun, but it ends too quickly. There�s AlexCurylo�s article, �Tanks a lot!� which ap-peared in DRAGON® issue #199 which dealswith modifying civilian vehicles for com-bat. But would there not exist vehiclesdesigned solely for combat purposes? Thisarticle presents just such vehicles, basedon Alex�s article noted above.

CavalryFour basic divisions exist in any well-

balanced military organization: infantry,

70 APRIL 1987

cavalry, artillery, and command. Thisarticle deals with cavalry � that branch ofan army organized and equipped for mis-sions requiring great mobility. Statistics forparticularly important cavalry vehicles arelisted in Table 1. Airborne vehicles are alsoconsidered cavalry. Particularly importantairborne vehicles are shown on Table 2.

The effects that different types of ter-rain have on cavalry vehicles is importantin the calculation of realistic rates ofmovement. These effects are shown inTable 3. Detailed explanations of terraintypes are given in the Alpha Dawnexpanded game rules.

Bumping maneuversThe vehicles dealt with in this article

may take any action, such as bumping andslipping, that normal vehicles can. Thebattlewagon is an exception to this rule, asits actions may be limited by its size. Some

examples of bumping seem pretty unlikely,such as a hovercycle running an exploreroff the road. To correct this situation andto integrate cavalry vehicles into the game,each vehicle has been assigned a �bumpnumber.� These numbers are listed inTable 4.

When a bumping situation occurs, thereferee finds the difference between thetwo vehicles� Bump Numbers and multi-plies that number by five. The result isadded to the modified reaction speedscore of the driver of the higher-valuedvehicle, then subtracted from that of thedriver of the lower-valued vehicle. Apercentile-die roll is made for each driverto resolve the success or failure of thebump. Rolls of 01-05 always indicate suc-cess, just as rolls of 96-00 always indicatefailure.

For example, a hovercycle is trying torun a ground car off the road. A quicklook at Table 4 shows the difference be-

tween the two vehicles� Bump Numbers tobe four. The hovercycle driver�s score of63 minus 20 (4 x 5 = 20) is 43, and theground car driver�s score of 81 plus 20 (forbeing the driver of the higher-valuedvehicle) and minus 30 (for being the vehi-cle bumped) is 71. The hovercycle drivermakes a 1d100 roll of 26, meaning hemaintained control of his vehicle. Theground car driver, however, is not sofortunate: a roll of 95 indicates loss ofcontrol. The referee now consults theControl Table in the Alpha Dawn ex-panded rules (page 31) and continues play.

When a driver loses control of his vehi-cle, standard procedures governing thissituation apply. The exceptions to this ruleare the tank (ground) and the battlewagon.Due to their low centers of gravity andwidth, these two vehicles do not roll over.Treat a result of either �roll� or �roll andburn� as a spin.

Armaments, defenses, and sensorsDefenses and sensors, instrumental in

locating and dealing with the enemy, areshown according to vehicular type onTable 5. Power screens may be of any typecovered in the Alpha Dawn rules, the mostcommon being albedo, inertia, and holo-graphic screens. Albedo and inertiascreens are detailed in �Tanks a lot!� Holo-graphic screens are described in the fol-lowing paragraph.

For use in sneak attacks, vehicles arecommonly fitted with holo screensequipped with camouflage feedback loops.In certain terrains, however, this tactic isnot effective. In passage over sand dunes,vehicles tend to raise a cloud of dust thatthe holo screen cannot hide, creatingsuspicion among observers. In these in-stances, it is best to disguise the vehicle assomething More regionally appropriate,such as a thundering herd of camels. Holoscreens cannot disguise or hide a vehicle

from radar or infrared sensors. Holoscreens use three SEU per. Minute.

Armaments are shown according towhich turret they occupy in each type ofground vehicle on Table 6. The same isdone for airborne vehicles on Table 7.

The following section regarding bombsis the only part of this article that deviatesfrom the rules set forth in �Tanks a lot!�That section of Mr. Curylo�s article over-simplified the topic.

Bombs do damage of varying severityaccording to the distance an object is fromthem when they explode. This is illus-trated on Table 8. The chance of a bombhitting its target is equal to one-half of thebomber�s dexterity score, modified. In theevent of a miss, use the Grenade BounceDiagrams on page 24 of the Alpha Dawnexpanded rules book. The asterisk repre-sents the target and the arrow representsthe direction the bomber is travelling. Thedistance by which the bomb misses itstarget is dependent upon the altitude ofthe bomber, as shown on Table 9.

The bomb explodes one turn after beingdropped, giving the bomber that amountof time to vacate the blast radius. Failureto vacate the blast area results in damageto the bomber.

Due to the increased sophisticationinvolved in the engineering, Manufacture,and application of futuristic vehicles, agreat degree of skill will be required tooperate these machines. Skill require-ments for operating the vehicles dealt within this article are shown on Table 10.

Targeting systemsNumerous targeting systems are in use

throughout the Frontier Sector. The mostcommon are the eye-weapon coordination(EWC), manual, and cyberlink systems.The cyberlink system is explained inYanks a lot!� The remaining two are de-scribed in the paragraphs that follow.

�Eye-weapon coordination� means thatthe gunner�s eyes and weapons are linkedin such a way that they move in tandem.This is accomplished through the use of aspecial helmet fitted with a low-powerlaser. The laser follows the movements ofthe wearer�s eyes and, through a complexcircuitry link, brings the weapons to bearalong the wearer�s line of sight. When theweapons are aimed at the target, the gun-ner has only to push a button, flip aswitch, or pull a trigger to fire any combi-nation of weapons. The helmet can beswitched from infrared to normal visionand can be turned on or off. The gunnerneed not expose himself to enemy fire, foreach helmet is also linked to a set of infra-red and video cameras. The images thesecameras receive are projected onto theinside of the helmet visor.

On all the vehicles detailed in this article,the weapons are controlled by EWC. Thevehicles have one gunner operating eachturret who may fire any combination ofthe weapons mounted on the turret in anyone direction on a given turn. Of course,

DRAGON 7171

Table 1Land Vehicles

Top TurnVehicle speed speed AC/DC Crew Parabattery MileageHover vehicles

Hovertank 200 70 60/40 3 4 4 SEU/kmAPC 230 80 70/60 2 (20) 3 2 SEU/kmBattlewagon 150 50 40/30 5 5* 8 SEU/km

Ground vehiclesTank 130 100 70/60 3 4 4 SEU/kmAPC 130 100 60/50 2 (20) 3 2 SEU/km

* A parabattery type 5 costs 8,700 credits, weighs 400 kg, and produces 8,000 SEU.

Key to Table 1AC/DC: Acceleration/DecelerationCrew: Minimum number of crew members required for the vehicle to operate at maximum efficiency. Value in parentheses

shows passenger capacity.Speeds: Given in meters per turn.Turn speeds: Because of their low centers of gravity, most vehicles shown here have high turn speeds.Mileage: The mileage properties of the vehicles are given because all the systems of said vehicles (i.e. weapons, defenses, sensors,

and targeting systems) as well as the engine draw power from the vehicle�s parabattery. A tally of SEU used should be kept by theplayers or referee.

Hovertank: A large, armored vehicle that floats 50 cm above the ground on a cushion of air. It resembles the tanks of today sanstreads.

APC: Armored Personnel Carrier. Both ground and hover APCs look like large, armored transports and can carry 18 passengers.These passengers can all vacate the APC in two turns via the 10 hatches in the ceiling of the passenger compartment. These hatchesmay be opened to serve as firing ports.

Battlewagon: A huge, armored vehicle wide enough to take up two lanes of a highway, and designed to carry out extremely haz-ardous missions individually.

Tank: A large, armored vehicle much like modern-day tanks in appearance and locomotion.

Table 2Airborne Vehicles

Top CruiseVehicle speed speed AC/DC Turns Crew Parabattery MileageAttack helicopter 600 100 120/l20 8 2 5 8 SEU/kmVTOL fighter-bomber 1500 650 120/120 6 2 5 8 SEU/km

Key to Table 2Turns: The number of 45° turns the vehicle can make in one game turn.Attack helicopter: An armed and armored jetcopter designed to combat enemy ground forces.VTOL fighter-bomber: An armored aircar with exterior weapon mounts that is designed for high-speed bombing runs. However,

it is versatile enough to hold its own in a dogfight.

Table 3Effects of Terrain

Vehicle Clear Broken Rugged Bog Water Highway HazardHover vehicles

Hovertank 1.0 0.8 - 1.0 0.9 1.2 0.8APC 1.0 0.7 - 0.9 0.9 1.3 0.8Battlewagon 1.0 0.8 - 1.0 0.9 1.2 0.8

Ground vehiclesTank 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 - 1.1 -

APC 0.9 0.7 0.3 0.6 - 1.2 -

AirborneAttack helicopter* 1.0 0.9 0.6 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.6VTOL fighter-bomber* 1.0 0.9 0.5 1.0 1.0 1.0 0.4

* Modifiers apply only if the vehicle is within 100 meters of the surface. Above that altitude, movement is at 1.0.

72 APRIL 1987

Table 4 Table 6Vehicle Bump Numbers Defenses, Sensors, and Turrets

Table 6Armaments for Ground Vehicles

Vehicle Bump numberHovercycle 1Ground cycle 2Hovercar 4Ground car 5Hover transport 6Ground transport 7APC (hover) 9APC (ground) 10Hovertank 12Explorer 13Tank 14Battlewagon 16

SensorsVehicleHover

HovertankAPCBattlewagon

GroundAPCTank

AirborneAttack helicopterVTOL fighter-bomber

Key to Table 5IR: Infrared camerasR: RadarS: Power screen(s)

V: Video camerasIRJ: Infrared jammerES: Ejection seat

SL: SearchlightA: Armor (# of coats)

weapons firing once every two or fourturns must respect their limitations. EWCgives the user a +30 modifier to hit. Thegunner receives no additional bonuses dueto weapons skills.

�Manual� operation means the gunneroperates the weapon by hand. This is byfar the most common targeting system incivilian use. The gunner using this systemmust expose himself to enemy fire but willhave hard cover if the weapon is mountedon a vehicle. Skill bonuses apply whenusing this system.

UPF and Sathar useThe UPF and Sathar war machines have

little use for cavalry vehicles, as they areexpensive and easily destroyed by plane-tary defenses in any attempted landing.Nevertheless, each faction does maintain asmall complement of cavalry vehiclesaboard assault transports, in case theattackers happen to cripple the enemy�splanetary defenses.

Planetary governments, however, are adifferent matter entirely. Being fast anddurable, cavalry is an important factor inany planetary engagement and constitutesa large part of all planetary governmentalarmies in the Frontier. For what it�s worth,large Sathar biogenetic constructs are alsoconsidered cavalry.

On a final note, EWC systems, all weap-ons, and all defenses presented in thisarticle are banned from civilian use (ex-cept by UPF Grant #739) by the ArmsProliferation Act.

Table 8 Table 9 Table 10Bombs Distance of Miss Skill Requirements

Distancefrom bomb0-20 m21-50 m51-100 m101-200 m201-300 m301-400 m401+ m

DamageLight25d1020dl015dl0l0d105dl0——

Heavy50dl040dl030d1020d10l0dl05dl0—

Defenses

IRJ,S,A20 2 (L)IRJ,S,A15 1(M)IRJ,S,A25 3(L)

IR,V,SLIR,V,SLIR,V,SL

IR,V,SL IRJ,S,A20 1(M)IR,V,SL IRJ,S,A25 2(L)

IR,V,SL,R IRJ,S,ES,A20 1(M), 4 (Pods)IR,V,SL,R IRJ,S,ES,A20 1(M), 4 (Pods)

Turrets

VehicleHover

Hovertank APCBattlewagon

GroundTankAPC

One

VMG,VHLVMG

VMG,VHL

VMG,VHL,FTVMG,FT

TurretTwo

GMx6-

C,FT

GMx8-

Three

--

GMx6

--

Key to Table 6VMG: Vehicle machine gun VHL: Vehicle heavy laser GM: Guided missile (Type 2)C: Cannon FT: Flamethrower B: Bomb (Heavy)

Table 7Armaments for Airborne Vehicles

Pod numberVehicle Turret One Two Three Four PylonsAttack helicopter VHL GMx4 VMG GMx4 VMG Bx2VTOL fighter-

bomber VHL GMx2 VMG GMx2 VMG Bx6

Key to Table 7VMG: Vehicle machine gun VHL: Vehicle heavy laser GM: Guided missile (Type 2)C: Cannon FT: Flamethrower B: Bomb (Heavy)

Altitude ofbomberPoint blankShortMediumLongExtreme

Miss distance20m50m

150m250m350m

Driver skillVehicle requirementAPC Technician 1Hovertank Technician 2Tank Technician 2Battlewagon Technician 4Attack helicopter Technician 4VTOL ftr./bmbr. Technician 5

DRAGON 7 3

by Dan Salas

The social systems of the second-editionGAMMA WORLD® game are briefly de-scribed in the Basic Rules Booklet andAdventure Book, giving a rough idea of theworld in which the player characters live.Yet how do the PCs and NPCs fit into thesecultures? Loners and wandering adventur-ers seem to be the most common types ofPCs, but many characters may not havebegun their careers in this way. For thisreason, a PC�s Base is much more than aplace to buy starting equipment. It is thecharacter�s home of origin � and in thishome, social classes can be an importantaspect of every person�s life.

Each player must decide if his or hercharacter has been raised in a particularsocial level. Some communities have noclass system. A good example is a smallegalitarian tribe in which all people sharethe same tasks, all contribute to the pro-duction and gathering of food, and nonehave more wealth or possessions than theothers. In such a tribe, the leader is thewisest (and sometimes strongest) person,and he or she rules in cooperation with atribal council. Yet the leader is no weal-thier than the other hunter-warriors ofthe community.

Most larger groups have a class systemwhich develops when there is a division oflabor among the people. In simple terms,the food-producers (herdsmen, farmers,etc.) give food and taxes to the non-foodproducers, in exchange for services suchas military support from soldiers, spiritualleadership from priests, medicine andhealing from doctors, material goods fromcraftsmen and merchants, and govern-mental leadership from officials, judges,and royalty. Social rank becomes the com-

74 APRIL 1987

To determine the level of a character,roll 1dl00 on the Social Level Table pro-vided with this article. The social system isdivided into five levels:

Very low. This level includes ex-slaves,beggars, criminals, and outcasts.

Low. This level includes laborers,farmers, fishermen, herdsmen, peddlers,and craftsmen.

Medium. This level includes technicians,doctors, government officials, merchants,

munity�s view of a character�s wealth,power, authority, and importance.

When families hold tightly to their ownclass levels, the system closes and becomesunchangeable. Referees would be wise tokeep the system open so that PCs canstrive to advance in the community.

Social levels are completely differentfrom status-rank levels, though both cancomplement or contradict each other toprovide interesting situations. For in-stance, a low-ranking king might be dis-trusted because of his lack of experience(in other words, status points), while ahigh-ranking farmer is respected for hisexperience and proven ability. PCs canstruggle to increase in both social andrank levels, and referees are free to giveawards in both areas to successfulcharacters.

soldiers, and priests.High. This level includes rich merchants,

important officials, judges, tribal shamans,and knights (high-ranking soldiers andheroes).

Very high. This level includes the com-munity�s ruling family, royalty, and noblesfrom wealthy and powerful families.

These examples are general ones, notreflecting the specifics of any single com-munity. Most tribes have no importantofficials or royalty, while a city-state mighthave no shamans. The exact backgroundof a PC must be chosen by the player andgiven approval by the referee. Since PartVII of the second-edition Adventure Bookexplains that player characters shouldbegin in Tech Level I Bases in wildernessareas, many of the more civilized back-grounds, such as technician and royalty,are not available to starting PCs.

The following notes apply to the table.Starting money. Beginning characters

use this die roll to determine the numberof gold pieces which they can spend toarm and equip themselves. This rule re-flects the economic considerations ofsocial rank, where wealth brings respectand positions of power.

Research modifier. This modifier is usedwhen a character does research at a Base

Social Level Table

Social Starting NPClevel money Research Charisma reaction

1-5 Very low 2d4 X 10 - 0% - 4 06-55 Low 3d4 X 10 -5% -2 1

56-85 Medium 4d4 X 10 - 10% +0 286-95 High 5d4 X 10 -15% +2 396-00 Very high 6d4 X 10 -20% +4 4

in a community in which the character is amember. The researcher is using authorityand contacts to gain access to information.

Charisma modifier. This modifier isadded to or subtracted from the charac-ter�s ability score when determining themaximum followers and Morale adjust-ment on the Charisma Table, found in thesecond-edition Adventure Book.

NPC reaction modifier. This modifier issimilar to the one used in Oriental Adven-tures. When two characters meet andknow each others� levels, subtract thesmaller modifier from the larger. Thecharacter of lesser social level uses thefinal number as a penalty when rolling forthe other�s reaction, and the character ofhigher level uses the number as a bonuswhen rolling for the other�s reaction. Thismodifier is also used when a character isattempting to hire or recruit an NPC.

If a group in the community (such as theruling family or the merchants) is on badterms with another group (such as thefarmers, the soldiers, or the entire lowsocial class), then ignore this NPC reactionmodifier. Instead, use -2 if the group isdisliked, or -4 if the group is hated. Thispenalty applies only with reactions be-tween the opposing groups. The penalty isdoubled if the reacting NPCs are armedand prone to violence.

All modifiers listed on the table aresubject to change when a character pub-licly changes in social level. To do this, thecharacter must enter the profession ofanother level, either willingly or not. Thusa farmer can increase in level by becominga soldier, and a royal prince can decreasein level by becoming an outlaw. If theroyal prince�s criminal acts are neverknown to the community, then he remainsin the very high social level, even if he issecretly banished by his own family.

When a character holds professions ofvarying levels, he or she is still consideredto be a member of a single level. If all theprofessions are good, then the person isknown by the highest social level of thegiven professions. Thus, a noble-doctor isof very high level. If one or more profes-sions are �bad,� then the character istreated as being in the lowest of the bad-profession social levels. Thus, a noble-doctor-criminal is treated as if he were inthe very low social level.

The referee must decide any other con-siderations of a system of social levels. Willa corrupt politician be executed, par-doned, or demoted to a lower social level?Will an ex-slave be allowed to become apriest? Can a knight freely seize the ruler-ship of his community, or will the commu--nity resent his attempts to increase hissocial level? These questions are left to thejudgment of the referee, who knows hiscampaign world better than a series ofreaction charts. But, from the startingpoint given here, the referee is welcome toexpand social levels into a complex andfascinating part of his game world.

D R A G O N 7 57 5

The MarvelousMachine Man™and theMidnightWreckers™

by Douglas A. Lent

Jeff Grubb has been busy with theFORGOTTEN REALMS� boxed campaignsetting lately, but he promises to returnwith his (one month late) Marvel®-Phile onthe Unlimited Class Wrestling Federation�and all the strange and unusual folkstherein. Meanwhile, let�s get mechanicalwith MARVEL SUPER HEROES� OriginalSet statistics for the IndestructibleMachine Man� � RM

MACHINE MAN�X-51, alias Aaron Stack�Fugitive robot

Fighting EXCELLENT (20)Agility EXCELLENT (20)Strength REMARKABLE (30)Endurance UNEARTHLY (100)Reason REMARKABLE (30)Intuition INCREDIBLE (40)Psyche REMARKABLE (30)

Health 170Karma 100Resources FEEBLE (TYPICAL)*Popularity 0 (20)*

* Parenthetical terms apply to MachineMan in the 1980s; other terms are for hisfuturistic form.

Known powers:

ANTIGRAVITY GENERATORS: MachineMan has several built-in antigravitygenerators, allowing him to render himselfweightless and giving him the ability to flyat Feeble speed (two areas/round).

BODY ARMOR: Machine Man�s skin ismade of a titanium alloy that gives himAmazing protection from cold, heat, andphysical damage.

EXTENDABLE LIMBS: Machine Man canextend his arms and legs out to amaximum of three areas away. Within thisradius, he can engage in close combat andhandle objects without a FEAT roll. He canstep over structures up to three stories talland, by extending both arms and legs, canclimb surfaces at a rate of fiveareas/round. It should be noted that thefarther Machine Man extends his limbs,

Now on his own, Aaron began acrimefighting career as Machine Man in anattempt to find his place in the world ofhumanity. During this time, he was

Fortunately, Stack was able to removethe bomb although he could not deactivateit. Knowing this, Stack said a brief farewellto his �son� and sent Aaron away. Minuteslater, the device detonated, killing Stackinstantly.

At this same time, the other 50 robotsbegan to develop serious malfunctions intheir programming. An executive decisionwas made to terminate the project anddestroy the robots before they couldbecome dangerous. The destruct orderallowed no exceptions, within hours,Aaron would be destroyed by an explosivedevice built into him when he wasassembled.

Machine Man�s story: Machine Manwas created by a top-secret U.S. militaryproject, whose goal was to create a robotsoldier capable of independent thoughtOne of 51 original prototypes, he wasplaced in the custody of Dr. Abel Stack, abrilliant computer specialist who believedthat man and robot could co-exist inharmony. Stack taught the robot, whomhe named Aaron, as if it were his own son.Under Stacks guidance, Aaron developedhis own individual personality.

POWER SOURCE: Machine Man ispowered by a network of solar receptorspositioned at various points on his body.Because of this, if he is kept in totaldarkness for more than 40 hours, he willlose three Endurance ranks each hourthereafter. If he is not exposed to lightbefore his Endurance drops to Feeble, hewill shut down (i.e., go unconscious) froma lack of power, He will remain in thisstate until he is exposed to light oncemore, whereupon he regains Enduranceranks at a rate of one rank per round.

HEATING/COOLING SYSTEMS: MachineMan is able to use his internaltemperature control system to radiategreat amounts of heat or cold through hishands. He can do this with Remarkableability (causing Remarkable damage), andcan affect a maximum radius of threeareas around his hands.

PISTOL HANDS: Machine Man has a pairof modified .357 Magnums installed in hisindex fingers They have a three-arearange and do Good damage.

ENVIRONMENTAL INDEPENDENCE:Machine Man does not need to eat, drink,breathe, or sleep. He could easily survivein outer space or other vacuumenvironment.

the less strength he has in them. When hislimbs are extended one area, his Strengthis normal, two areas away, his Strengthbecomes Excellent, and at full extension(three areas), it is only Good.

befriended by several humans, mostnotably psychologist Peter Spaulding and�Gears� Garvin, a mechanic. Machine Mantangled with many foes as well, includingthe opportunistic Senator Miles Brickmanand Madam Menace� (alias Sunset Bain),an arms merchant who wanted tomass-produce robots copied from Aaron�scircuitry.

Then Machine Man met Jocasta�, aformer Avenger� and fellow robot. Duringtheir brief time together, they discovered amutual attraction that might have led tosomething much more for them both hadshe not been destroyed in a battle withher creator, Ultron�.

A few months later, Garvin, MachineMan, and Spaulding were at Garvin�sgarage, trying to find a way to reviveJocasta�s robotic brain. While Garvin wasaway, buying some necessary parts, Bain�sagents attacked the garage. Garvinreturned to find Spaulding dead and hisgarage in ruins. There was no sign ofeither Machine Man or Jocasta.

A few years later, Bain began sellingrobots based on designs stolen fromMachine Man, eventually gaining amonopoly on the entire robotics industryby the turn of the century. By the year A.D.

2020, Baintronics, Inc. was one of the most

powerful corporations in America.During this 40-year period, Machine

Man�s components remained crated andstored away in the warehouse whereBain�s technicians had left them. Then, acomputer error mistakenly identified theparts as obsolete, and the crate wasremoved to a Baintronics dumping groundjust outside New York City.

The crate was found by a pack ofMidnight Wreckers�, young people whoselivelihood came from selling black-marketrobots made from castoff Baintronicscomponents. Intrigued by the crate�scontents, they eluded a Baintronics patroland brought the crate back to their lair,where they succeeded in reassemblingMachine Man.

Soon after Machine Man�s reactivation,both he and the Wreckers were forced toflee when Baintronics security forcesfound the hideout. Following several closecalls, they eventually made their way toSanctuary, a flying city that served ashome base for the packs of Wreckers andtheir leader, the Ancient Wrecker�.

Upon his arrival, Machine Man wassurprised to learn that the AncientWrecker was none other than GearsGarvin. When Bain first began sellingrobots on the open market, Garvin new world.

realized what must have happened andtried to stop her, but soon found that hewas powerless to do so through legalmeans. In frustration, he organized theMidnight Wreckers as his way of strikingback at Bain.

Meanwhile, Bain had located Sanctuaryand organized a strike force under thecommand of Arno Stark, the Iron Man� of2020. Bain�s soldiers struck with surprise,and it was only after a bloody battle thatthe Wreckers were able to drive them off.Sickened by the needless violence andtired of running, Machine Man decided toconfront Bain face to face. After breakingthrough her defenses and barely survivinga duel with Stark, he at last stood beforehis persecutor, only to be stopped by areconstructed Jocasta, who had beenacting as Bain�s aide for the last 40 years.

Jocasta persuaded Machine Man to spareBain, but only after securing her promiseto leave him and the Wreckers alone, onthe threat of his return to claim hisrightful vengeance if she did not. Duringthis exchange, Machine Man realized thathis feelings for Jocasta were gone. Thusfreed From his past, Machine Mandeparted with his friends, once againtrying to find a life for himself in a strange

MIDNIGHT WRECKERS�

BRAIN�

Fighting TYPICAL (6)Agility GOOD (10)Strength TYPICAL (6)Endurance GOOD (10)Reason REMARKABLE (30)Intuition EXCELLENT (20)Psyche GOOD (10)

Health 32Karma 60Resources GOODP o p u l a r i t y 7

SLICK�

Fighting EXCELLENT (20)Agility EXCELLENT (20)Strength GOOD (10)Endurance REMARKABLE (30)Reason GOOD (10)Intuition GOOD (10)Psyche TYPICAL (6)

Health 80Karma 26Resources GOODP o p u l a r i t y 9

HASSLE�

Fighting GOOD (10) Fighting EXCELLENT (20)Agility EXCELLENT (20) Agility REMARKABLE (30)Strength TYPICAL (6) Strength TYPICAL (6)Endurance EXCELLENT (20) Endurance EXCELLENT (20)R e a s o n TYPICAL (6) Reason TYPICAL (6)Intuition EXCELLENT (20) Intuition GOOD (10)Psyche EXCELLENT (20) Psyche TYPICAL (6)

SWIFT�

Health 56Karma 46Resources GOODP o p u l a r i t y 6

Health 76Karma 22Resources GOODP o p u l a r i t y 8

WEAPONS: All the Wreckers have accessto laser pistols, the standard handgun ofA.D. 2020, though Slick and Swift prefer touse their close-combat skills instead. Laser

pistols have Excellent range (five areas), doRemarkable damage, and can fire 10 timesper charge.

In addition to her laser pistol, Hasslecarries a special grenade-launching pistolthat fires an explosive projectile that doesAmazing damage and has Excellent range.After firing one shot, the user must spendtwo rounds reloading (four rounds ifdodging or attempting to dodge).

Talents: All the Wreckers have pilotingskills. In addition Swift is trained inmartial arts, and Brain in electronics androbotics. Hassle�s agility is Amazing whenfiring handguns.

THE ANCIENT WRECKER��Gears� Garvin; mechanic

Fighting GOOD (10)Agility GOOD (10)Strength TYPICAL (6)Endurance GOOD (10)Reason EXCELLENT (20)Intuition GOOD (10)Psyche GOOD (10)

Health 36Karma 40Resources REMARKABLEP o p u l a r i t y 1 0

Talents: Gears is skilled in aeronautics.

D R A G O N 7 77 7

The number of computer-managedadventure and fantasy games entering themarketplace seems to be on the rise onceagain. For awhile, during the fall of lastyear, the number of new offeringsdropped off. However, with the holidayseason of 1986 and the birth of 1987, farmore games are being introduced to theconsumer.

Though fortunate for the consumer, thisis most unfortunate for us. We are findingit difficult to allocate the review timenecessary for a thorough examination ofeach new product, especially when theofferings include the new breed of mas-sively coded adventures. Where before wehad weeks to thoroughly investigate aprogram, now we have a few days tocomplete our task. Such has also occurredwith this column, which must, in thisissue, focus more on the new fantasy,adventure, and role-playing games beingintroduced, rather than the actual reviewof two or three offerings.

We also mentioned in one of our earliercolumns that gaming tips were not some-thing we would afford to cover. Somerules are created simply to make thosewho instigate such policies appear as totalcretins. This may be the case now, for wemust violate our own rule!

To be perfectly frank, we overlookedsome major points when we reviewed TheBard�s Tale in our last column (DRAGON®issue #116). And we thank Michael Busta,of Richfield, Ohio, who was kind enough

by Hartley andPatricia Lesser

to write to us regarding some of theseoversights. And, as The Bard�s Tale is sucha complex adventure, we felt a few ofMike�s hints and tips would be most appro-priate to further your play with this fan-tasy role-playing adventure game. We haveused his clues quite effectively to furtherour play of The Bard�s Tale.

First of all, Mike indicated that the char-acters we were using in the game lackedpotential. He recommends a group com-prised of one hunter or paladin, twomonks, one bard, and two spell-casters.Michael prefers the hunter character toother fighter types, as this individual has anumber of special weapons available tohim that can be found during the game.The paladin is certainly a wise choice; shestarts out as an excellent fighter with a lotof hit points. The monks, after they reachthe sixth level, become incredibly effectivein combat when you throw away theirweapons and armor. And don�t fret if youdon�t have a rogue. Mike says that theTrap Zap spell disarms any odious snaresbetter than the rogue could disarm themin the first place.

Mike also identified two additionaldungeons that we missed, due to our hasteto complete the game in time for the re-view deadline. These additional dungeonsare The Tower of Kylearan and The lowerof Mangar, and are accessed through theCastle itself. In order to enter Kylearan�sTower, Mike says you�ll first have to re-cover the eyeball from King Aildrek, whodwells in the Catacombs (a most un-friendly place to visit). Then, while holdingthis eyeball, your party must visit theStatue of the Mad God that is located

within the Castle. This places your partybehind the once-impassible gates. Accord-ing to Mike, when the party is ready totake on and (hopefully) defeat Mangar, youmust find the stairs hidden deep in thesewers and follow them to the surface.With the aid of Kylearan�s present, you�llbe able to enter Mangar�s Tower for thefinal confrontation!

Mike has some additional hints thatmight be of use to The Bard�s Tale adven-turers � hints that we have also tried andfound to be most amenable to game suc-cess. First, make certain that all of yourcharacters start with a very high constitu-tion score. Constitution is rarely given as abonus when individual characters reachhigher levels. Second, launch your partywith one magician and one conjurer. Afteryour magic-users have learned all seven oftheir individual spell levels, immediatelychange them to the Sorcerer class. Whenthey have become successful Sorcerers,adjust them to the Wizard orientation.Their final conversion should have eachbecoming a Conjurer or Magician �whichever class they have not previouslycompleted. Third, during your area pe-rusals, look for three silver shapes. With-out these shapes, you cannot succeed inyour quest. When you manage to enterKylearan�s Tower, make certain that youalways carry a Crystal Sword. Remember,the only sure way to win this game is tomap every square of the dungeon. As Mikeso aptly stated, the real key to winningThe Bard�s Tale is persistence. Thanks,Mike, for your help.

If The Bard�s Tale on the Apple II and theCommodore 64/128 computer was to yourliking, wait until you experience the gameon a Commodore Amiga computer. Thegraphics, the animation, and the sound areabsolutely stunning! We had the opportu-nity to talk with Brian Fargo, the presidentof Interplay Productions � the folks whoproduced this series of adventures. Wealso played both the new Amiga release ofthe game as well as The Bard�s Tale II: TheDestiny Knight for the Commodore 64/128. Both products are from ElectronicArts, 1820 Gateway Drive, San Mateo CA94404; (415) 571-7171.

The Amiga version is two disks full ofhighly compacted code that brings newlife to what has been called onscreenanimation. The opening scene for TheBard�s Tale II now shows the inside of theinn where all congregate. The fire roars inthe background, casting shadows on theimplements on the mantlepiece. All of theencountered creatures are fully animated,and some of the more outstanding imagesinclude the magic-users, whose gesturesanimate flying objects onscreen. There aresome hideous monsters that give the gamea new threatening feel when combat isannounced. Some of the onscreen repre-sentations will, indeed, cause one to seri-ously consider running away from theconflict. The mazes themselves are verywell done, with a true three-dimensional

DRAGON 79

Remember the red dragon from DRAGON® issue #116, page 72? Here it is again,on the Amiga version of The Bard’s Tale.

effect created using the walls, ceiling, andfloor. The town itself, with its streets andbuildings, are all effectively drawn inbrilliant color.

Additionally, the sound for the Amigaversion of The Bard�s Tale is awesome. Forexample, when entering a Temple for theall-crucial healing of an injured partymember, the monks gather together, andyou hear a marvelous Gregorian chantissue from the computer�s stereo speakersas the holy brothers work their curativepowers. The music played by the bard isnow dictated by the kind of instrument heor she selects. If the flute is the instrumentof choice, then you hear a flute when thebard�s song has been selected, not acomputer-generated instrument that al-most sounds like a flute, but an actualflute! This version has to be seen andplayed to be believed. We highly recom-mend this offering to those of you gamerswho have access to the Amiga computer.Brian also told us that he will be managing

a conversion of The Bard�s Tale for AtariST computers as well.

But that�s not all, folks. If The Bard�s Talewas to your liking, then you�re going toabsolutely go crazy for The Bard�s Tale II:The Destiny Knight. Released initially forthe Commodore 64/128 computer family,this is an awesome offering from Interplayand Electronic Arts that is 50% larger incode size than The Bard�s Tale I. The gamefeatures an expanded domain for explora-tion and adventure, and incorporatesadvanced combat and magic systems. Thetheme for this exciting quest centersaround your party�s search for sevenseparate pieces of The Destiny Wand. Thisdevice was forged by the Archmage Turinand had maintained peace and prosperitywithin the Realm for 700 years. But theRealm was invaded by mercenaries fromthe neighboring kingdom of Lestradae,and The Destiny Wand was stolen,smashed into seven pieces, and scatteredthroughout the Realm. This is your quest,

then � to make the wand whole again.Once this is accomplished, great powerwill be given to the bearer.

There are six cities (Tangramayne, Ephe-sus, Philippi, Colosee, Corinth, and Thessa-lonica) and 25 dungeon levels, plus a vastwilderness area that also requires as muchof a thorough search as the mazes them-selves. There�s also a sage out in the wil-derness who can be of invaluableassistance to your adventuring party. Plus,the archmage has been introduced, anextremely powerful conjurer class that isattainable by your magic-users once theyhave learned at least three levels for eachof the previous four magic-user classes.Like the bard, the archmage is one of themost important and most powerful charac-ters in The Bard�s Tale II. There are also 79different magic spells to aid in your play.

One of the most intriguing new facets ofthe game is the fact that distance nowplays an important role in combat. Forexample, in The Bard�s Tale I, all combatoccurred within 10' of your character.Now, combat can occur within a range offrom 10-90'! This means that in addition tohandheld weapon proficiency, you mightwant some of your characters to becomeadept with missile weapons, such asspears and arrows, or edged weapons thatcan be thrown, such as axes and knives.Unfortunately, unless these weapons areof the magical variety, they�re not recover-able once thrown. But let�s not forget thatspells may also be cast over distances.Spells in The Bard�s Tale II all have aneffective range, so if some hostiles sud-denly appear 60� in front of the party, andone of your Wizards happens to possessthe fifth-level spell Storal�s soul whip, theenemy would be within the effective rangefor the psionic attack, taking from 50-200points of damage. However, most of thespells are effective within the 10-30�range, which means you and your friendshad best be on your toes at all times!

Of extreme challenge are the real-timepuzzles that confront your band of ques-tors. Called Snares of Death, these loca-tions are the hiding places of pieces of TheDestiny Wand. You�ll always be alertedwhen your party has entered this area.Once you�re inside, you have a limitedamount of time to successfully completeall of the various tasks, puzzles, and rid-dles within the room in order to retrievethe segment. Sometimes, the order inwhich the tasks must be completed is veryimportant; in other Snares, the order hasno effect on your success. There is onlyone penalty for failure � instant death foryour entire party.

Other game features include a pregener-ated team of characters known as theATEAM, designed to get your feet wet inthe game, plus the ability to import char-acters from The Bard�s Tale I and UltimaIII into The Bard�s Tale II (when the AppleII version debuts, you�ll also be able toimport Wizardry characters). There areseveral castles that require exploration

80 APRIL 1987

(Fanskar�s Castle, Dargoth�s Tower, andOscon�s Fortress). Within the forests of theRealm, there are some crypts that canprove quite challenging � especially theGrey Crypt dungeon! As was the case withThe Bard�s Tale I, you�ll also find temples,taverns, and Roscoe�s Energy Emporium,plus two new edifices � for you gamblers,there are casinos for wagering and theBedder�s Bank for depositing or withdraw-ing your gold. Of course, the ReviewBoard continues to serve as the final au-thority as to when your individual charac-ters can attain the next level.

The Commodore 64/128 version of TheBard�s Tale II is exciting, sports extremelywell-programmed, three-dimensionalgraphics, continues to capture the flavorof a true fantasy role-playing game, andhas better sound quality than the firstoffering. The scope is mammoth in nature,and this is another highly recommendedoffering for all fantasy role-players. Inter-play Productions also expects to producean Apple II version and has hopes of alsoconverting the game to the Atari ST andCommodore Amiga machines. Interplay isto be highly commended for their currentproduct line.

There�s good news for Steve Jacksonboardgame fans! Released by ElectronicArts are computerized versions of hismost popular games: the AUTODUEL® andOGRE® games. The Autoduel computergame is set in the year 2030 and combinesthe feel of the Road Warrior movies withthe fantasy role-playing action of the Ul-tima adventure games. The computerizedversion of the classic boardgame still findsthe highways controlled by maraudingoutlaws. Likewise, several locales havetheir arenas awaiting your participation inmotorized combat. A player earns prestigeand money i money in those arenas, on the high-ways, and in the cities. Should you sur-vive, fame and fortune will naturallygrow. Players purchase and build custom-ized vehicles, and try to rid the land ofroad outlaws and cycle gangs. If a charac-ter rates a high enough status, the FBItries to enlist him in order to destroy theultimate evil force! Autoduel can be foundin Commodore 64/128 and Apple II for-mats ($49.951, and will soon be released inMacintosh, Amiga, Atari ST, and Atari 800computer formats.

The second computerized Steve Jacksongame is one of our favorites: Ogre. This isa game for one or two players that pits anincredible, lone cybertank, named theOgre, against more conventional forces ofinfantry, armored units, and commandposts. In one-player mode, you can withercontrol the Ogre or manage the forces thatoppose the Ogre. In the two-player mode,one participant becomes the Ogre playerand the other player manages the conven-tional forces. It then comes down to aquestion of who can outblast and outma-neuver the other player. The defenses thatthe Ogre tries to eliminate contain asmany as 20 units of infantry and 12 units

A typical (?) character from The Bard’s Tale II.

Several years ago, one of the first adven-ture games we played was called Zork.The company who produced this finefantasy adventure was Infocom, Inc. (125Cambridge Park Drive, Cambridge MA02140; (617) 492-6000). Shortly thereafter,the game became a hit. The adventuretakes place in a vast, underground laby-rinth, among the remnants of a fantasticcivilization known as the Great Under-ground Empire. Within this setting, exotic

of armor (heavy tanks, howitzers, etc.).But the Ogre has missiles, main and sec-ondary batteries, and antipersonnel guns.All of the battle action takes place in thenuclear wastelands of the future, with thebattlefield also player-designable as well.Ogre is now available for the Commodore64/128 and Atari 800 systems for $39.95,the Atari ST and Commodore Amiga at$39.95, and will soon be available for IBMmicros and their compatibles.

creatures, extraordinary sights, and mes-merizing puzzles were diabolically cre-ated. Zork I was soon followed by Zork II,then by Zork III, becoming one of the mostpopular computer game trilogy adventuresever written. Now Infocom has releasedthis trilogy in one package for the Apple IIand Apple Macintosh, Atari S-bit systemsand the Atari ST, Commodore 64/128 andCommodore Amiga, and IBM micros andcompatibles. Included in this package is aspecially minted Zorkmid coin, a history ofthe Great Underground Empire, two semi-luxury resort brochures, a FrobozzcoInternational stock certificate (named afterthe frivolous Wizard of Frobozz), an offi-cial letter, and a rather strange, old map.You can look forward to exciting encount-ers with the likes of Dimwit Flathead andthe Dungeon Master in Zork III � if yousurvive Zork I and Zork II, that is. Thistrilogy is highly enjoyable and is certainly

DRAGON 81

Garth’s Weapons Shop (the armory) appears before you in a settingfrom The Bard’s Tale.

one of the first classic computer adventuregames ever released. The price for thecomplete package is $59.95 for the C64/128 and Atari S-bit systems, and $69.95 forall other computer systems. That�s a $60savings over the total price of $129.85, ifyou had to buy each Zork adventureseparately.

A second new text adventure game fromInfocom is Hollywood Hijinx, wherein theplayer has inherited the entire estate ofhis uncle, Hollywood mogul Buddy Bur-bank. There are 10 treasures hiddenthroughout his home; in order for you tokeep the estate, you�ve got to find thesetreasures in but a single night. There�s anenormous hedge maze that�ll drive youbonkers as you try to navigate through it.You also get to control a special effectscreature from one of your uncle�s science-fiction film classics. This game is packedwith a variety of puzzles, and has beenreleased for the Apple II and Apple Macin-tosh, Atari S-bit and ST series, Commodore64/128 and Amiga computers, and IBMmicros and compatibles. The price is$34.95 for the S-bit machines and $39.95for all other systems.

Of final note is a brand new (and mostimpressive), fantasy adventure game enti-tled Might and Magic, Book One: Secret ofthe Inner Sanctum. Released for Apple IIcomputers, this program is a four diskadventure that is absolutely astounding inits total scope! We hope to have an in-depth review of this offering for you inour next column. Our initial foray intoMight and Magic leaves us with the im-pression that the creator has been a fan-tasy role-player extraordinaire.

With Might and Magic, you assemble aparty of six adventurers to explore a com-plete world in which your party crossesoceans, climbs mountains, searches

82 APRIL 1987

through castles and dungeons � all inthree-dimensional perspective. In fullcolor, all graphics are flicker-free, which isquite an accomplishment on an Apple IIcomputer. There is an elaborate combatsystem and hundreds of special events andencounters. The game has 94 differentspells and more than 250 magic items. Allare quite necessary, as there are over 200monsters of various descriptions andabilities.

The game packs 500 K of assembly codeon two, double-sided disks. There is a 54-page reference manual, a color fold-outmap of the Land of Varn (measuring 18�x 12�), and a very handy, quick-referencespell chart. As fantasy role-players arewell aware, mapping skills are most cru-cial to your campaign success. Subterra-nean towns that contain all manners ofinns and shops and training grounds canall assist in your quest to discover theSecret � but first, you�ve got to locate theInner Sanctum itself. Don�t think, not for asecond, that the Inner Sanctum is revealedon the map. This is one area you�re goingto really have to search for in order tolocate. Might and Magic is from NewWorld Computing, Inc., PO. Box 491415,Los Angeles CA 90049; (213) 659-1888. Iffirst experiences are any indication ofwhat is to come, Might and Magic is boundto be a real winner!

For Star Trek aficionados, Simon andSchuster Software (One Gulf & WesternPlaza, New York NY 10023) has released asequel to their last year�s successful StarTrek fantasy, The Kobayahi Alternative.The second program, which is entitledThe Promethean Prophecy, challenges youto unravel the mystery of a complex cul-ture and discover an adequate food sourcebefore the Enterprise crew starves. Youbecome Captain Kirk, and your decisions

in this interactive text adventure decidethe fate of your friends and crew. TheEnterprise comes under sudden attackwhile exploring an unmapped sector ofspace near the border of the Great Tran-stellar Rift. As a result, the ship�s entirestock of raw protein substance is contami-nated. To replenish the food supply, youmust beam down to the surface of Pro-metheus Four, the only Class M (oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere) planet within range,on an exploratory mission. You�ll discovera bizarre and alien planet full of mysteriesand puzzles. To win the game, you mustsolve a series of puzzles � the solutions towhich unravel the planets secret proph-ecy � and save the Enterprise crew fromstarvation. Simon and Schuster has re-leased the game for IBM micros and com-patibles, the Apple II family ($39.95), andfor the Commodore 64/128 computer($32.95).

Of final note, we recommend to Atari STowners that they consider Phantasie as ame well-worth their attention. Phantasieis a product of Strategic Simulations (1046North Rengstorff Ave., Mountain View CA94043; (415) 964-1200). We initially playedthe Apple II version several months agoand were favorably impressed with itsdetail and adventure. The Atari ST versionincorporates far more sophisticated graph-ics and sound, and has almost become anew game because of the ST�s environ-ment. Windows now accomplish a greatmany of the keyboard commands, such ascombat, spell-casting, and earning levels.For example, in every town there is aGuild. Through the Guild, parties may addnew members, purge unwanted adventur-ers, learn new spells, or obtain additionaltraining for each member of your braveband. In the ST version, you simply clickon the Guilds doors with the mouse, and apull-down menu at the top of the screendisplays your choices. You click on one ofthe choices, and additional dialog boxesare presented onscreen that require youto respond with another mouse click.

This same convenience is foundthroughout Phantasie, no matter whereyou are adventuring. The dungeons areautomatically mapped for you as youexplore them, and the map can be savedafter you exit the dungeon � somethingyou will be doing often; to complete adungeon in one foray is rather rare. Youcan also reset all of the dungeons back totheir original levels. This is one of themost enjoyable fantasy adventure gameswe�ve been involved in, and the Atari STversion presents us with a far more graph-ically enjoyable and aurally pleasing for-mat than previous releases of this game.

Please don�t forget to write to us withyour adventuring tips and other com-ments regarding computer games thatwould be of interest to fantasy role-players. Next column, look for our reviewof Might and Magic, and who knows whatother surprises! Take care, and game on!

NEW PRODUCTS FOR MAY 1987

CM8 The Endless StairD&D® Game Adventureby Ed Greenwood

Suggested Retail Price: $8.00Product No.: 9192

The investigation of a wizard’s deathleads the adventurers to the ancient tombof a mighty archmage. They must defeatenemy wizards who possess great powerand survive the tomb’s perilous traps toclimb the Endless Stair. Only then can theylearn the hidden secrets of the powerfularchmage.

GAZ1 The Grand Duchyof Karameikos

A D&D® Gazetteerby Aaron AllstonThis is the first in a series of gazetteers

which expand the players’ knowledge ofthe D&D® game world. This special moduleoffers highly detailed descriptions of thecities, people, governments, and customsof the area, in add ition to short,ready-to-play adventures, and a large,full-color map.

Suggested Retail Price: $10.00Product No.: 9193

REF4 Book of LairsAn AD&D® game anthologyby the TSR StaffThis anthology of one- and two-page lair

adventures for all characters can beinserted into existing campaigns and usedto introduce new players to the game — amust for all Dungeon Masters who designtheir own adventures.

Suggested Retail Price: $12.00Product No.: 9198

Suggested Retail Price: $8.00Product No: 6873

by Mary Kirchoff and Steve WinterThe future is now, and it brings death

and despair. The nightmare of MutantInternment Camps, patrol led bymutant-hunting robots empowered todetect, hunt down, and destroy those withexceptional abilities, is grim reality. It is theday after tomorrow, and worst of all, it isYOUR home town.

MX1 Nightmares of Futures PastA MARVEL SUPER HEROES��

Adventure

Marvel, Marvel Universe, and all Marvel charactersand character likenesses are trademarks ofMarvel Entertainment Group. Inc. Copyright©1987 Marvel Entertainment Group, Inc. AllRights Resewed.

Suggested Retail Price: $8.00Product No.: 7511

A new GAMMA WORLD® gameadventure using the revised rules! Thebrave heroes discover an ancient militarybase filled with useful and valuableartifacts. When they try to claim the basefor themselves, a desperate struggleensues.

by Kim Eastland

GW8 Gamma BaseA GAMMA WORLD® Game

Adventure

Suggested Retail Price: $3.95Product No.: 8116

AMAZING� Science Fiction AnthologyThe War Years: 1936-1945Edited by Martin H. GreenbergThis anthology of classic science fiction

from the 1936-1945 issues of AMAZING®Stories includes works by Ray Bradbury,Isaac Asimov, Edmond Hamilton, and JohnWyndham. Asimov discusses the era in hisintroduction.

The Art of the DRAGONLANCE® SagaEdited by Margaret WeisThe splendid fantasy work of Larry

Elmore, Clyde Caldwell, Denis Beauvais,Valerie Valusek, and other artists iscollected in this exquisite, full-color volumethat shows the evolution and settings of theDRAGONLANCE® world.

Suggested Retail Price: $16.95Product No.: 8447

Faerie Mound of DragonkindCATACOMBS� Adventure #1by Jean Blashfield and James M.

WardA new concept in adventure gamebooks,

this book introduces a technique thatenables the whole adventure to change atany moment! In the closest thing yet to anyrole-playing game, the hero must bravelyventure into a magical mazelike Celticfaerie mound and overcome the traps andtricks of the strange, mystical, andsometimes evil inhabitants of the realm ofthe Faerie. Will he ever return, or will his,fate remain unknown? The action is basedupon 32 full-page illustrations by ValerieValusek.

Suggested Retail Price: $7.9SProduct No.: 8420

ONE-ON-ONE� Adventure Gamebook#9

Daredevil� and Kingpin�, in TheKing Takes a Dare

by James M. WardDaredevil”” and Kingpin” have been

fighting each other for a long time, much tothe chagrin of New York residents whowould like a little peace and quiet in theircity. Now Daredevil” and Kingpin” haveeach decided that the feuding must stop —with the demise of the other!

Suggested Retail Price: $5.95Product No.: 8469

Marvel. Marvel Universe, and all Marvel charactersand character likenesses are trademarks ofMarvel Entertainment Group. Inc. Copyright©1987 Marvel Entertainment Group. Inc. AllRights Resewed.

NEW PRODUCTS FOR JUNE 1987

M4 Five Coins for a KingdomD&D® Game Adventureby Allen VarneyThe adventurers must locate and obtain

five magical coins and use their incrediblepowers to travel to a far-off, unknownplane. Once there, they must use thesecoins to resurrect a mysterious vanishedcity and rescue the ancient wizard whomade the magical coins, ending in acolossal battle in the very heart of the sun!

Suggested Retail Price: $8.00Prod. No.: 9204

13-5 The Desert of DesolationAD&D® Game Adventureby Hickman, et. al.A revision of these extremely popular and

best-selling modules, this module alsoincludes expansions for further play. Fromthe ancient tomb of Amun-Re to the losttomb of Martek, the adventurers pit theirsurvival skills against the most dangerousof desert foes.

Suggested Retail Price: $15.00Prod. No.: 9199

I 13 Adventure Pack IAD&D® Game Adventuresby TSR StaffThis indispensable anthology of short

adventures is for use with the AD&D®game, the Oriental Adventures book,BATTLESYSTEM™ rules, Dungeoneer’sSurvival Guide, and the Wilderness SurvivalGuide. The adventures can be inserted intoexisting campaigns or used as short gamesessions for beginning players.

Suggested Retail Price: $12.00Prod. No.: 9202

Suggested Retail Price: $19.95Prod. No.: 3021

ONSLAUGHT� GameAn SPI� lightning Strategy Gameby Douglas NilesThe greatest campaign in the U.S.

Army’s history is now playable in fourhours. The Western allied campaigns inEurope, from D-Day to the invasion ofGermany, are included. The ONSLAUGHT”Game is the first of the exciting new SPIlightning Strategy game line — highlyrealistic and fast-moving games, playablein a single evening!

The Gates of DeathAD&D® Adventure Gamebook #13by Terry PhillipsAs Wyn the Younger, you must prove your

paladinhood by crossing beyond the veryGates of Death to save the life of a doomedprincess. And time is of the essence, or theGates will close on you!

Suggested Retail Price: $2.95Prod. No.: 8963

Suggested Retail Price: $3.95Prod. No.: 8410

Darkwalker on MoonshaeA FORGOTTEN REALMS� Novelby Douglas NilesTravel back to a time unknown, a place

unknown. Experience the breathtaking,exciting adventures of whole new realms.This epic Celtic saga pits Tristan, a youngprince, against the shape-shifting beastKazgoroth. Can he defeat the dreadedmonster to prevent a blanket of evil fromcovering the land?

LAZER TAG� Adventure #Iby Robert CoulsonA new series of books featuring the

LAZER TAG” equipment from Worlds ofWonder, Inc. While trying out for the crackOlympic LAZER TAG” team, you findyourself embroiled in the dangerous,fast-paced world of interstellar espionage!

Suggested Retail Price: $2.95Prod. No.: 8280

High Spy

Trail of the SeahawksA WINDWALKER� Bookby Ardath Mayhar and Ron FortierReaders will fight alongside the heroine

of this novel as she trains to become awarrior so she can rescue her son, who hasbeen captured by the Seahawks, abloodthirsty band of pirate brigands intenton ruining the new city of Portland. Set in afuturistic, fragmented America, it is pureadventure in a world of new creatures. newtowns, and fresh heroes.

Suggested Retail Price: $2.95Prod. No.: 8723

Rogue Pirate A WINDWALKER� Bookby John Gregory BetancourtThe piratical hero of this story thumbs

his nose at legalities and other pirates aswell. He conquers the kingdom of anattractive but scheming queen, and rules itfor 24 hours merely to humiliate her, thengives her a soul-stirring kiss and sails away— setting the scene for her revenge and hiscounter-revenge.

Suggested Retail Price: $2.95Prod. No. 8722

Danger, Second HandLAZER TAG� Adventure #2by Bruce AlgozinAs a key member of the Olympic LAZER

TAG” sharpshooting team, you find itpuzzling when your team begins to loserepeatedly to a team you’ve beaten easily inthe past.

Suggested Retail Price: $2.95Prod. No.: 8281

Lazer Tag is a trademark of Worlds of Wonder, Inc.©1987 Worlds of Wonder, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Unless otherwise noted:® denotes registered trademarks owned by TSR,Inc.� denotes other trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.

©1987 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

KARENMARTIN

In January 1986, Karen began her newjob as game editor. “One of the first things Iworked on when I came was the MARVELSUPER HEROES™ Advanced Game. Whatan introduction to the company! No mercyfor the new kid!” In July 1986, Karen be-came the freelance editing coordinator forTSR. “I now work closely with Bruce Heardwho handles the acquisitions. I wish I hadpaid more attention to my college Frenchclasses.” Karen’s job is to find people to editthe material that comes from the Acquisi-

In December of that year, Karen finallygot a call she had been long awaiting. TSRwanted her to come for an interview. “I hadapplied back in August of 1984 and camein for a couple of interviews, but that wasthe last I heard anything until Steve Wintercalled. I went in for another interview andwas hired before the end of the week. Whata Yule gift!”

Karen and her husband moved to WestBend, Wisconsin in 1984. Until this time,Karen had been a regular player of AD&Dgames, but this changed when she movedto Wisconsin. “The gaming groups in WestBend were too strange for my tastes. Iheard things like, ‘I’m invulnerable to eve-rything, so don’t even bother rolling a sav-ing throw! ' ” In 1985, Greenfield (aMilwaukee suburb) welcomed the Martinsas they moved once again in July. “I startedwork as an assistant manager at the LaneBryant store in Brookfield [another Milwau-kee suburb].”

and Scott, and sold draperies for a fewmonths.”

Karen Martin made her appear-ance on January 20, 1958. in themidst of a blizzard in northern Illi-nois. From the Deaconess Hospital(now a home for mentally disturbedchildren), she was taken to live in theold family home in German Valley.

Karen had a fairly quiet childhood— “After all,” she says, “how muchtrouble can you get into, living onfarm in the middle of nowhere?” Aftergraduation from Forrestville ValleyHigh School in 1975. Karen decided toattend Rockford College in Illinois,and in 1979 she graduated with a de-gree in English and a secondary teach-ing certificate.

During her freshman year at Rockford,she met David Martin, who would eventu-ally become her husband. They began dat-ing after David saw her in a collegeproduction of Blithe Spirit. “I played a crazymedium named Madame Arcati,” she ex-plains. “After a tempestuous, on-again-off-again relationship, we finally got married inApril 1980. At the time, I was teaching En-glish to seventh and eighth graders atStillman Valley Junior High — getting mar-ried provided a similar challenge!”

The following year, Karen began workingfor ASI (Advanced Systems Incorporated,where David also worked) as an editor fordata-processing manuals, so she and herhusband moved to Schaumburg to becloser to their jobs. It was here that Karenhad her first taste of adventure gaming. “Torelieve occasional boredom we would playgames on the computers. I liked one in par-ticular — Adventure.” A fellow employeenoticed Karen’s interest in the game, andinvited her to play in an AD&D® game withhis group. “I loved it and played often. Mar-athon games were not uncommon.”

After about two years at ASI, Karenmoved on to Glenview, Illinois, and into ajob with Scott, Foresman and Company asan editor in the Electronic Publishing de-partment. “I edited manuals for microcom-puter software for schools, but since then, Ithink the department no longer exists,” shesaid. “About this time I was offered a job asmanaging editor for a small publication.The day before I was to start, they calledand said the position no longer existed. So,to preserve my existence, I began a job assales associate for Lee Wards in Schaum-burg. From there, I went to Carson, Pirie,

tions Department. The jobrequires that she coordinatemany projects at once, in addi-tion to some editing of her own.projects. “It’s tough to juggle 10things at once, but I really like my joband the people I work with.”

Still footloose, Karen and her husbandmoved to Williams Bay in October 1986.And yes, they are thinking of moving again.“We’re looking for a more permanentplace.” In addition to her hobby of trans-porting entire households, Karen enjoysreading about ancient religions and culture,especially Celtic and Arthurian legends.She also likes reading fantasy literature.

Any advice for the readers, Karen? “Keeptelling yourself, ‘It’s only a game. It’s only agame. It’s only a . . .’”

REF4 was one of the projects which Karen helped

produce.

MARGARETWEIS

Interviewed by Tracy Hickman.

“We can write this book,” Margaretsaid. “It’s our story. Nobody knows itthe way we do. Nobody else can tellit right.”

It was January 1983. I was sittingin the 10’-wide cubicle that passedthen for the office of Margaret Weis. Iwas the design coordinator for ProjectOverlord (the cover name for whatw o u l d l a t e r b e k n o w n a s t h eDRAGONLANCE® saga), and she wasthe Coordinator for Books Division. Wewere part of a committee to select whoshould write the DRAGONLANCE novelwhich Margaret, Michael Williams, and Ihad already outlined.

And there she was, on the edge of herchair, her eyes full of determination and en-ergy. “We’ve got to prove to them that wecan do it. We’ll submit our own samplechapters and show ‘em.” Two days later, wewere ready with the prologue and first fivechapters of the first DRAGONLANCE novel.There was never any question after that asto who would write the series.

Margaret Weis was born in 1948, in Inde-pendence, Missouri, and later attended theUniversity of Missouri. It was here that shehad her first brush with heroic fantasy. “Iread Tolkien when it made its first bigsweep in the colleges back in 1966. Agirlfriend of mine gave me copy of thebooks while I was in summer school at MU.I literally couldn’t put them down! I neverfound any other fantasy I liked, and justnever read any fantasy after Tolkien.” Ulti-mately, she earned what her mother called“a worthless degree in creating writing.”Her mother’s dream of a Librarian Daugh-ter was at an end. Margaret went to work fora small publishing company in Indepen-dence and became an editor there.

Soon fate seemed to take a rather firmhand in Margaret’s life. “I did see the begin-nings of the D&D® game — all of the littlebooks — but was pretty much occupied bymarriage, kids, and a career, and just didn’tpursue it.” That changed after a few gameswith friends, and soon Margaret was follow-ing the fortunes of TSR, Inc. When she sawan advertisement for an editorial position inPublisher’s Weekly she sent in her resume.

“TSR was looking for a games editor atthe time. I sent in my application and tooktheir test, but was told that I wasn’t quitewhat they had in mind for that position.”Coincidentally, Jean Black, manager ofTSR’s book division, was looking around for

letters we received begging for more aboutKrynn. we are producing three anthologiesof short stories called DRAGONLANCETales. The first one is the Magic of Krynn,the second Kender Gnomes, and GullyDwarves, and the third Love and War: Tracyand I are doing a novella for each one. Thefirst novella is called ‘The Legacy.’ It’s aboutCaramon’s third son, who is a-magic-user

“We have several new projects based onthe DRAGONLANCE saga. One is Leavesfrom the Inn of the last Home, the Com-plete Krynn Source Book. It has legends,original music, kender and gnome prov-erbs, recipes, and a lot more. It’s just a funbook. We are also working on The Art ofDRAGONLANCE Saga, which contains thef u l l - c o l o r a r t f r o m t h e f i r s t t w oDRAGONLANCE calendars, the book cov-ers, and some of the art from the thirdDRAGONLANCE calendar that the artistsare producing now. In addition, it has art-work never before published.

“Finally, in response to the hundreds of

There’s been no rest since then. Margaretloves to write — lives to write, in fact. Whathas her interest now?

“Ray told Jean where to find my applica-tion. Jean walked over to the games divisionand picked it up.” Margaret was offered thejob on the same day as her interview. One ofher first assignments was to help coordinatethe new DRAGONLANCE project.

a book editor at that same time. She hap-pened to be talking to Ray Puechner, Mar-garet’s literary agent, and asked Ray if heknew anyone looking for work.

and must deal with the ‘legacy’ of his uncle. It’s going to surprise a lot of people! Thefirst anthology also includes the‘Test of the Twins,’ the short story Iwrote for DRAGON® Magazine [issue#83]. It has the original ending to thestory, which I had to rewrite because the ed-itor of DRAGON Magazine wanted some-thing more ‘upbeat.’ We’re also repub-lishing the short story by Roger E. Mooreabout Tasslehoff and the teleporting ring.And there are several new original storiesby some very talented new writers. We’veenjoyed working with them, and we’vemade a lot of new friends — but the newproject Tracy and I are working on will hope-fully make the DRAGONLANCE saga a fondmemory. It’s going to be fabulous!”

TRACYHICKMAN

The setting is an autograph party at aWaldenbooks in Milwaukee. Tracy and I aresitting at a table, pens in our hands. A youngman comes up and asks me to sign his copyof the DRAGONLANCE Chronicles. As I doso, he looks around sadly.

“Where’s Miss Hickman?” he asks in wist-ful tones. “Couldn’t she be here today?”

Tracy groans, flings his arms out in front

Interviewed by Margaret Weis.

of him, and beats his head upon the table.“I am Tracy Hickman!” he moans.

Yes, Tracy Raye Hickman is a he. Not onlythat, but he is married to his childhoodsweetheart, Laura (the pretty Hickman sis-ter, who was also the inspiration for Laur-ana), and he has two children. I can hearhearts breaking all over the world.

Tracy was born on November 26, 1955,in Salt Lake City, Utah. He grew up in SaltLake and eventually attended BrighamYoung University. Did he always want to be-come a role-playing game designer?

Not exactly. Tracy has held various jobs,sometimes several at one time. His firstbrush with DUNGEON & DRAGONS®

games came when his wife, Laura, failed topick him up after work one day. Under-standably upset, Tracy rode his bike acrosstown, where he found his wife at the houseof a friend, so totally engrossed in a gamethat she had forgotten about him.

Tracy somewhat grumpily asked her whatthe board looked like.

“It doesn’t have a board,” Laura told him.“All right,” Tracy said patiently. “Explain

the rules.”“They're ... well ... kind of flex-

ible,” Laura admitted.

“I was not im-

publish the adventures they had designed— Rahasia and Pharaoh. Tracy and Lauragained a reputation on a local level. Then

“For three weeks after that, I didn’t seehim,” Laura says with a sigh. Completelyfascinated, Tracy immersed himself in therules; within a month, he and Laura wroteand designed their first role-playing adven-ture — Rahasia.

Eventually, the two decided to privately

Laura was impressed, however. She boughtTracy the blue Basic Set for his birthday andgave it to him a month early.

pressed,” Tracy recalls grimly.

disaster struck. Tracy went into businesswith an associate who went bad, leavingTracy and Laura with $30,000 in badchecks to cover. Driven into bankruptcy,Tracy sent their modules to TSR, Inc., “liter-ally so that I could buy shoes for my chil-dren,” Tracy adds, shaking his head.

But disaster was actually the door open-ing to Tracy’s career. TSR not only wantedthe modules but wanted Tracy as well.“They said it would be easier to publish myadventures if I was part of the company. So,we made the move from Utah to Wisconsin.It was a terrifying experience. We had nomoney. My parents begged us not to ven-ture into such foreign territory to pursuesuch a bizarre career. My father wrote thatthere was a secure job as a fry cook in Flagstaff (where my parents were living), and hepleaded with me to come take it.”

Shortly after Tracy came to TSR, Inc., in1982. management announced the inten-tion to develop a series of role-playing ad-ventures based on dragons. Tracy justhappened to have this proposal. . . .

Code-named Project Overlord, theDRAGONLANCE Chronicles was the firstproject TSR, Inc.. had undertaken thatwould include adult novels as well as

What else are Tracy and I working on?Well, there’s the new, top-secret Project X.“All I can say about that,” comments Tracy,“is that we’ve been earthbound too long.We’re setting out for the stars!”

Tracy’s current project is DRAGONLANCEAdventures, a role-playing game supple-ment produced as a deluxe hardboundbook. Set for release in August, the hard-bound will include history and backgroundfor both Pre- and Post-Cataclysm Krynn,character class descriptions and statistics,and rules and histories covering the otherraces, such as elves, dwarves, and kender.The Orders of High Sorcery are detailed, aswell as how magic works in Krynn. TheGods of Krynn and rules for clerics aregiven here. New spells for both clerics andmagic-users are included, as well as an-cient artifacts and character descriptions ofboth player and nonplayer characters fromboth contemporary and historical times.

‘games, calendars, and other spin-offproducts. The original DRAGONLANCEteam was formed under Tracy’s leadership,bringing together some, of the most crea-tive minds in the company. Two millionbooks and a half million modules later, theDRAGONLANCE project has proven to beone of the most successful the companyhas undertaken — a credit to the many peo-ple who put so much time and effort into it.

92 APRIL 1987

DRAGON 93

CONVENTIONCALENDAR

Convention Calendar Policies

This column is offered as a service to ourreaders around the world. Anyone mayplace a free listing for a game conventionhere, but the following guidelines must beobserved.

in order to ensure that all conventionlistings contain accurate and timely infor-mation, ail material should be either typeddouble-spaced or printed legibly on 8½” X11” paper. The contents of each listingshould be short, succinct, and under 150words in length.

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

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

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

where additional information and confirma-tion can be obtained.

Convention flyers, brochures, newslet-ters, and other mass-mailed announce-ments run the risk of not being consideredfor use in this column; we prefer to see acover letter with the announcement as well.No call-in listings are accepted. Domesticand foreign conventions are welcome.

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

Convention listings should be mailed bythe copy deadline date to ConventionCalendar, DRAGON® Magazine, P.O. Box110, Lake Geneva WI 53147. Copy dead-line dates are the last Monday of eachmonth, two months prior to the on-saledate of an issue. For example, the copydeadline for the August 1987 issue is thelast Monday of June 1987. Plan ahead;early listings pay off!

If a convention listing must be changedbecause the convention has been can-celled, the dates have changed, or incor-rect information has been printed, pleasecontact us immediately! For any ques-tions or changes related to this column,please call either Robin Jenkins or RogerE. Moore at (414) 248-3625.

indicates a Canadian convention.

MUNCHCON VI, April 10-11The Marshall University Science Fiction Soci-

ety is planning its sixth science-fiction conven-tion, MUNCHCON VI, which will be held inCorbly Hall on the Marshall University campusin Huntington, W.Va. This year�s events includerole-playing and boardgaming, an art show,

94 APRIL 1987

movies, seminars, and a hucksters� room. Formore information, contact: Mary Sheffer, MUN-CHCON VI Public Relations, c/o Marshall Univer-sity Science Fiction Society, Memorial StudentCenter, Marshall University, Huntington WV25701.

GAME FAIRE �87, April l0-12This gaming convention will be held at the

Spokane Falls Community College in SpokaneFalls, Wash. Sponsored events include AD&D®game tournaments, chess matches, CAR WARS®games, microarmor, boardgames, and role-playing competitions, as well as miniaturespainting, diorama, and costume contests. Otherevents include live SCA fighting demonstrations,panel discussions, dealers� tables, and a hugegame auction. Registration for GAME FAIRE �87is $10 for a pre-paid weekend pass, $12 for aweekend pass at the door, $5 for Friday orSunday only, and $6 for Saturday only. Allprofits go to the Wishing Star Foundation. Formore details, contact: Paul Wilson, Merlyn�s,West 621 Mallon, Spokane WA 99201, or call(509) 325-9114.

CAPCON X, April 17-19The Ohio State University Miniatures and

Gaming Association (OSUMGA) is proud toannounce the 10th annual CAPCON, which willbe held in both ballrooms of the Ohio Union,1739 N. High Street, Columbus, Ohio. CAPCONX needs referees, game masters, and judges fora number of events; contact us as soon as possi-ble. Admission for CAPCON X is $3 for each day.The convention is open from 5 P.M. to 11:30 P.M.

Friday, from 9 A.M. to 11:30 P.M. Saturday, andfrom 12:30 A.M. to 10:30 PM. on Sunday. Eventssponsored include a variety of board-, role-playing, and miniatures games, a number oftournament events, and a miniatures-paintingcontest. For more information, write to:OSUMGA/CAPCON, Box 21, The Ohio Union,1739 N. High Street, Columbus OH 43210, or callMark Loughman at (614) 263-9057.

GAME-A-THON 4, April 24-26This 24-hour gaming event will be held at the

Town Center Hall in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. Alltypes of role-playing, board-, computer, andminiatures games are offered, as well as adealer�s area and movie room. Preregistration is$4 until April 10. For details and dealer�s infor-mation, contact: GAME-A-THON 4, Santa FeSprings Gamers� Association, PO. Box 2434,Santa Fe Springs CA 90670.

LITTLE WARS, April 24-26This gaming convention will be held at the

Triton College Student Building in River Grove,Ill. Focusing on miniatures events only, thisgaming convention offers hundreds of histori-cal, fantasy, and science-fiction miniaturescompetitions. Registration fees are $6. For moreinformation, send a SASE to: Todd Fisher, 6010N. Marmora Avenue, Chicago IL 60646.

LAF-CON II, April 25Sponsored by the Lafayette Area Gamers, this

convention will be held at the Family Inn inWest Lafayette, Ind. Events include an RPGA�Network AD&D® game tournament (open tononmembers as well), a variety of fantasy role-playing games, wargames, miniatures events,and special guest Penny Petticord. For furtherdetails, write to: LAF-CON II, c/o L.A.G., Box 51,Lafayette IN 47902, or call Stan Mitchell at (317)523-2551.

SCRYCON �87, April 25This is the fifth year able adventurers have

sallied forth to find the remaining pieces of thefabled Crystal Monolith in this annual AD&D®game tournament. Presented by the Seekers ofthe Crystal Monolith Gaming Club, this conven-tion will offer a variety of events ranging fromTALISMAN to TOON® games. Also featured willbe a miniatures-painting contest, an art show,and the Clubs popular used games sales table.This one-day event will be held in scenic RedHook, N.Y. (60 miles south of Albany). For moreinformation, send a SASE to: J. Kesselman,SCRYCON �87, 7E Baldwin Lane, Lake KatrineNY 12449.

WERECON IX, April 26-26This role-playing game convention, sponsored

by the Detroit Gaming Center and the City ofDetroit Recreation Department, will be held atthe Lighthouse Center in Detroit, Mich. ErickWujcik (TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES®and Revised RECON® games) is the featuredgame master. A variety of role-playing games,tournaments, and naval miniatures events willbe featured. There is no charge for admission tothis event (although tournament fees rangefrom $1 to $2). For further details, contact:Erick Wujcik, PO. Box 1623, Detroit MI 48231,or call (313) 833-3016.

AMIGOCON II, May 1-3This science-fiction and fantasy convention

will be held at the Holiday Inn Sunland Park inEl Paso, Tex. Stephen R. Donaldson will be theguest of honor, with Real Musgrave as artistguest of honor. Events include all forms ofgaming, an art show, a masquerade, and adealer�s room. Registration is $12 for the week-end if paid prior to April 15, or $15 thereafter;single-day registration is $7.50. For more infor-mation, contact: AMIGOCON II, c/o EPSFFA, PO.Box 3177, El Paso TX 79923.

THE WIZARD�S CHALLENGE �87May 8-10

This fifth annual gaming convention takesplace at the Holiday Inn in Saskatoon, Saskatche-wan. Scheduled activities include an AD&D®game tournament, Star Fleet Battles tourna-ment, game demonstrations, and miniaturesdisplays. The registration fee is $5 for the week-end. For details, contact: The Wizards Corner,801C Broadway Avenue, Saskatoon, Saskatche-wan, CANADA, S7N lB5.

KEYCON �87, May 15-17This science-fiction and fantasy convention

will be held at the Delta Winnipeg at 288 Por-tage Avenue in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Guests ofhonor will be Keith Laumer, Ken Macklin, andMike Glicksohn. Events include filksinging,videos, an ice-cream social, an art show, anauction, a dealer�s room, gaming, parties, andmuch more. Membership rates are $18 untilApril 26 and $24 at the door. For more informa-tion, write to: KEYCON �87, PO. Box 3178,Winnipeg, Manitoba, CANADA, R3C 4E6.

MISCON II, May 15-17This science-fiction, fantasy, and gaming con-

vention will be held at the Quality Inn in Mis-soula, Mont. Guests of honor are Steve Jackson,Bob Eggleton, Mike and Beth Finkbiner, andMarion Zimmer Bradley. Events include anRPGA� Network tournament, other role-playinggames and boardgames, videos, a masquerade, adance, an art show, panels, and a writers� work-shop. Registration is $15 until April 15 and $18thereafter. For further details, contact: MISCONII, c/o WMSFC, PO. Box 9363, Missoula MT59807.

TECHNICON 4, May 15-17Sponsored by the Virginia Tech Science Fiction

and Fantasy Club, this special gamingconvention will be held at the BlacksburgEcono-Travel in Blacksburg, Va. Guests of honorinclude Margaret Weis, Terry Adams, and LisaCantrell. The convention features other guestspeakers, an extensive gaming tournament,video rooms, an art show, computer games, amasquerade, and a dealer�s room. Membershipis $10 before May 1 ($6 for students) and $13thereafter ($9 for students). For moreinformation, contact: TECHNICON 4, PO. Box256, Blacksburg VA 24060.

BAYCON �87, May 22-25This science-fiction and fantasy convention will

be held at the Red Lion Inn in San Jose, Calif.,over Memorial Day weekend. Guests of honorinclude Barry Longyear, Mike Glyer, Marta Ran-dall, and one to be announced. Advance four-daymemberships are $25 until April 30. Thereaftermemberships are $35 for the weekend. Single-day memberships are available at the door for$15 per day. For more information, send a SASEto: BAYCON �87, PO. Box 70393, Sunnyvale CA94086, or call (408) 446-5141.

GAMEX �87, May 22-25Brought to you by STRATEGICON, the people

who also brought you ORIGINS �86, this gamingconvention will be held at the Pasadena HiltonHotel. Role-playing, wargame, computer game,and family boardgame tournaments will beoffered, as well as an RPGA� Network AD&D®tournament and various seminars and demon-strations, a flea market, a game auction, and anexhibitor�s area. Pre-registration is $16 untilMay 9; thereafter, registration is $20. For moreinformation, contact: GAMEX �87, c/o DTI, PO.Box 8399, Long Beach CA 90808, or call (213)420-3675.

NOT *A * CON, May 22-25This is the first eat-in, sleep-in, gamers� holi-

day. Role-playing gaming, miniatures competi-tions, and a host of other events are scheduledto be run by the best game referees in theIndiana tri-state area. For more details, write to:NOT *A *CON, 3328 Broadway Boulevard, FortWayne IN 46807.

RAGGCON, May 24-25Sponsored by the Rockford Area Gamers�

Guild, this gaming convention will be held onthe Rockford College campus. Events include agame auction, a Masters and a regular RPGA�Network AD&D® tournament, and a number ofother tournaments. Prizes will be offered in anumber of these tournaments. Registrationcosts are $5 for the day and $8 for the entireweekend; a $35 fee will cover all accommoda-tions, meals, and registration costs. For moreinformation, send a SASE to: RAGG, 2736 CityView Court, #301, Rockford IL 61103, or call(815) 282-1278.

DALLAS FANTASY FAIR, June 5-7Sponsored by Bulldog Productions, this comic-

book, science-fiction, and film supershow takesplace at the Dallas Hyatt Regency, 300 Reunionat I-35. This event includes appearances bydozens of comic-book artists, writers, editors,and publishers, as well as a number of filmpersonalities. Other features include a hugedealer�s room, a professional art show, an artcontest, an art auction, video rooms, a masquer-ade, numerous workshops, previews of upcom-ing motion pictures, and a variety of gamingevents and open gaming competition. Ticketsfor this three-day event are $20 through May 15and $25 thereafter. For more information,contact: Bulldog Productions, PO. Box 820488,Dallas TX 75382, or call (214) 349-3367.

NEO-VENTION VI, June 5-7This gaming convention will be held at the

Student Union of Kent State University in Kent,Ohio. Sponsored events include RPGA� Networkevents, miniatures displays and gaming, an artshow, and numerous other attractions, includ-ing special guests Penny Petticord and FrankMentzer. For more information, send a SASE to:NEO-GS, PO. Box 412, Cuyahoga Falls OH 44322-0412, or call (216) 666-1866.

DALLASCON, June 12-14This gaming convention will be held at the

Regent Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Over 100 eventsare scheduled, including an RPGA� NetworkAD&D® tournament, along with a variety ofrole-playing games, board games, and minia-tures games. For more information, including apreregistration form, send a SASE to: DALLAS-CON, PO. Box 867623, Plano TX 75086.

GLATHRICON �87, June 19-21This gaming extravaganza will be held at the

Executive Inn in Evansville, Ind. Guest of honor isE. Gary Gygax, with Frank Mentzer and PennyPetticord as additional guests of honor, RayVanTilburg is the artist guest of honor, and JayTummelson is the game master guest of honor.RPGA� Network tournaments include theAD&D® Grand Masters (a national first), theAD&D® Masters, the Joe Martin AD&D® Tourna-ment to Benefit the American Cancer Society(another national first), a variety of AD&D®,MARVEL SUPER HEROES� Masters and regular,TOP SECRET®, and GAMMA WORLD® gameevents. Other features will include a miniatures-painting competition, a banquet, and masquer-ade. Membership is $12 until April 30 and $15thereafter. Memberships may be limited, so earlyregistration is advised. For more information,contact: The Evansville Gaming Guild, PO. Box15414, Evansville IN 47716, or call (812)474-0461.

HAYSCON III, June 26-27The Pegasus Extension invites all fantasy and

science-fiction gamers to participate in theirthird annual convention to be held at the Memo-rial Union of the Fort Hays State Universitycampus in Hays, Kans. Featured activities in-clude all types of role-playing games, a minia-tures competition, a game auction, and dealers�booths. Preregistration fees are $10. For inqui-ries on registration or on game mastering forHAYSCON III, send a SASE to: HAYSCON III, ThePegasus Extension, 1718 Felten Drive, Hays KS67601.

BATCON VI, June 26-28Sponsored by the Southeastern Indiana

Gamers� Association and Role-Players� Work-shop, this gaming convention will be held at theSherman House Inn in Batesville, Ind. Events

include an RPGA� Network AD&D® gametournament, an AD&D® game open tournament,a TOP SECRET® game tournament, and manyother gaming contests. Also, there will be aminiatures-painting contest and a schedule offilms. Shawn McKee, designer of Hack-n-Slash,will be this year�s guest of honor. For moredetails and registration information, write to:SEIGA, PO. Box 266, Batesville IN 47006-0266;Robert Washburn, 1025 Locust Avenue, Bates-ville IN 47006; or, call Robert Westerman at(812)852-4542.

ORIGINS �87, July 2-5This national gaming convention and trade

show will be held at the Baltimore ConventionCenter and Hyatt Regency Inner Harbor inBaltimore, Md. The convention is sponsored byGAMA, the Game Manufacturer�s Association.For more information on registration rates andscheduled events, contact: Atlanticon, Dept.C.A., PO. Box 15405, Baltimore MD 21220, orcall (301) 298-3135.

AUSTIN FANTASY FAIR, July 3-5Sponsored by Bulldog Productions, this comic

book, science-fiction, and film supershow takesplace at the Austin Marriott, 6121 I-35 at U.S.290. This event includes appearances by dozensof comic-book artists, writers, editors, andpublishers, as well as a number of film personal-ities. Other features include a huge dealer�sroom, a professional art show, an art contest, anart auction, video rooms, a masquerade, numer-ous workshops, previews of upcoming motionpictures, and a variety of gaming events andopen gaming competition. Tickets for this three-day event are $20 through June 15 and $25thereafter. For more information, contact:Bulldog Productions, PO. Box 820488, Dallas TX75382, or call (214)349-3367.

DOVERCON III, July 18-19This year, DOVERCON will be staged at the

University of New Hampshire�s Memorial UnionBuilding (MUB) in Durham, N.H. Featured gameswill include the AD&D®, CALL OF CTHULHU®,CAR WARS®, DIPLOMACY®, GURPS, D&D®,MERP PARANOIA�, Star Fleet Battles,STAR TREK®, and TOP SECRET® games, and ahost of others. Registration for events will be ona first-come basis. A flea market, film festival,miniatures painting competition, art contest,and open-gaming area will also be provided.Preregistration rates (must be received by July1) are $7 for both days; at-the-door rates are $8for both days and $5 for one day. There will bea $1 entry fee for each event. Vendor and gamemaster inquiries are welcome. For furtherinformation, write to: Information, DOVERCONIII, PO. Box 622, Dover NH 03820.

KINGCON III, July 25This one-day convention will be held in the

Lewis Building at the City Park in MountVernon, Ill. This gaming event will run from 8A.M. to 8 P.M., and features a two-round AD&D®tournament, a miniatures painting contest,continuous movies, a dealer�s room, and avariety of role-playing and board games. Pre-registration is $5 until July 1; thereafter, regis-tration is $6.50 for the day. For moreinformation, send a SASE to KINGCON III, Rt. 1,Box 202, Kell IL 62853.

WINDSOR GAMEFEST V, July 25-26This gaming convention takes place at the

Ambassador Auditorium in the UniversityCentre at the University of Windsor. Featuredevents include role-playing, miniatures, and

D R A G O N 9 5

boardgaming, free movies, and a dealer�s area.Registration for this event is $10 for preregis-tered admission, $12 for regular registration,and $7 for a daily pass. For further information,contact: W.R.P.A., PO. Box 2055, WalkervilleStation, Windsor, Ontario, CANADA, N8Y 4R5.Telephone inquiries can be made by contactingKristine Sheffiel at (519) 734-1150 or JohnSchippers, Jr. at (519) 735-5233.

HOUSTON FANTASY FAIR, August 7-9Sponsored by Bulldog Productions, this comic-

book, science-fiction, and film supershow takesplace at the Houston Marriott Astrodome. Thisevent includes appearances by dozens of comic-book artists, writers, editors, and publishers, aswell as a number of film personalities. Otherfeatures include a huge dealer�s room, a profes-sional art show, an art contest, an art auction,video rooms, a masquerade, numerous work-shops, previews of upcoming motion pictures,and a variety of gaming events and open gamingcompetition. Tickets for this three-day event are$20 through July 15 and $25 thereafter. Formore information, contact: Bulldog Productions,PO. Box 820488, Dallas TX 75382, or call (214)349-3367.

GEN CON® 20 GAME FAIR/TRADE SHOWAugust 20-23

This year�s original gaming convention will beheld once at the MECCA Arena in Milwaukee,Wis. Additional information will appear infuture issues of DRAGON® Magazine. For pre-registration materials or for judging forms,write to: GEN CON® Game Fair, PO. Box 756,Lake Geneva WI 53147. Please indicate on theenvelope which information you are requesting(i.e., �Pre-reg info� or �Judging info�). For infor-mation on assisting the RPGA� Network Tourna-ment Headquarters, write: RPGA Network HQ,PO. Box 509, Lake Geneva WI 53147.

GATEWAY 7, September 4-7The seventh running of this Labor Day conven-

tion will be held at the LAX Hyatt Hotel. Featuredevents include role-playing games, wargames,family games, and computer games tournaments.Other events include seminars, demonstrations,auctions, flea markets, and an exhibitor�s area.Preregistration is $16 until August 21, and $20 atthe door. For more information, contact: GATEWAY �87, c/o DTI, PO. Box 8399, Long Beach CA90808, or call (213)420-3675.

NANCON-88 IX, September 4-7This annual, four-day gaming convention will

be held at the Ramada Northwest Crossing inHouston, Texas. Tournament events will includeAD&D®, Squad Leader, Star Fleet Battles, PARA-NOIA�, and Nuclear War games, and a varietyof others. A large dealer�s room and open-gaming room will also be provided. For moredetails, send a SASE to: NAN�S GAME HQ, 2011Southwest Freeway, Houston TX 77098 (Attn:NANCON).

GOLD CON �87, September 5-6This gaming convention will be held at the

OMNI Auditorium in Coconut Creek, Fla. Formore details on scheduled events and registra-tion rates, write to: GOLD CON �87, OMNIAuditorium, B.C.C. North, 1000 Coconut CreekParkway, Coconut Creek FL 33066, or call (305)973-2249.

MIRACLECON �87, September 12This one-day gaming convention will be held

from 9 A.M. to midnight at the Ramada Inn (I-70and State Road 72) in Springfield, Ohio. Spon-

96 APRIL 1987

sored events will include an AD&D® tourna-ment, a dealer�s room, a miniatures paintingcontest, a game auction, and a variety of othergaming programs. Registration is $5 for the day,with no additional fees for separate events. Formore details, contact: MIRACLECON �87,c/o Timothy A. Riley, 308 West ChurchStreet, Urbana OH 43078, or call(513) 653-7848.

SAN ANTONIO FANTASY FAIRSeptember 18-20

Sponsored by Bulldog Productions, this comic-book, science-fiction, and film supershow takesplace at a location which has yet to be an-nounced. This event includes appearances bydozens of comic-book artists, writers, editors,and publishers, as well as a number of filmpersonalities. Other features include a hugedealer�s room, a professional art show, an artcontest, an art auction, video rooms, a masquer-ade, numerous workshops, previews of upcom-ing motion pictures, and a variety of gamingevents and open gaming competition. Ticketsfor this three-day event are $15 through Sep-tember 1 and $20 thereafter. For more informa-tion, contact: Bulldog Productions, PO. Box820488, Dallas TX 75382, or call(214) 349-3367.

CONTRADICTION SEVEN, October 2-4This science-fiction and fantasy convention

will be held at the Ramada Inn, 401 BuffaloAvenue, Niagara Falls, N.Y. Anne McCaffrey isthe pro guest of honor, with Mike Glicksohn asfan guest. Other guests include Joan Vinge,Nancy Kress, Jim Frenkel, and T.S. Huff. Eventsoffered include a costume contest ($25 for bestcostume), an art auction, videos, parties, apeople and thing auction, panels, wargaming,filksinging, and other fannish activities. Regis-tration is $13 until July 11, $16 until Sept. 12,and $20 thereafter. For more details, contact:CONTRADICTION, PO. Box 2043, NewmarketStation, Niagara Falls NY 14301. Please send aSASE if you require confirmation.

DRAGON CON �87, October 2-4The Southeast Fantasy and Gaming

Convention will be held at the Pierremont PlazaHotel and Conference Center in Atlanta, Ga.Fantasy role-playing, strategic, and computergaming will be featured in over 75 tournaments.Panels, video rooms, a dealer�s room, a masquer-ade party, a game auction, and much more willbe offered. Featured guests will include E. GaryGygax, Michael Moorcock, Richard �Lord Brit-ish� Garriott, Robert Asprin, Lynn Abbey, BrianHerbert, and Steve Jackson. Pre-registration is$20 for Fans and $25 for Gamers through April15, and $25 for Fans and $30 for Gamersthrough August 15. (Gamer registrations includefour tournament entries.) For more information,send a SASE to: DRAGON CON �87, Box 148,Clarkston GA 30021. Registrants can use theirVisa or Master Card to charge advance member-ships by calling (800) 554-1162 (toll-free), or(404) 441-3045 in Georgia.

ICON XII, October 16-18This science-fiction convention will be held at

the Rodeway Inn, Hwy 965 and I-80, in Coralville,Iowa (call 1(809)228-2900 for reservations).Scheduled events include science-fiction readingsand panels, an art show, a large dealer�s room,and open gaming. Memberships are $12 untilSeptember 15 and $17 thereafter; special one-dayregistration is available at the door for $10. Forfurther details, contact: ICON XII, Dept. M, PO.Box 525, Iowa City IA 52244-0525.

NECRONOMICON �87, October 16-18The Stone Hill Science Fiction Association will

hold its sixth annual science-fiction conventionat the Holiday Inn-Sabal Park in Tampa, Fla. Thisyear�s guests of honor are Orson Scott Card,Frederik Pohl, and Elizabeth Anne Hull. Inaddition to panel discussions with these authors,there will be a vampire pageant, a costumecontest, trivia games, a general auction, and ahost of other events. Registration rates are $10until September 15. For more information,contact: NECRONOMICON, c/o Stone Hill SFAssociation, PO. Box 2076, Riverview FL 33569,or call (813) 677-6347.

RUDICON 3, October 16-18This wargaming and role-playing convention

takes place at the Rochester Institute of Technol-ogy in Rochester, N.Y. Events will include tour-naments, a dealer�s room, movies, and muchmore. For pre-registration or dealer�s informa-tion, contact: Steve Ritzau, RUDICON/RochesterWargamer�s Association and Guild (RWAG), c/oStudent Directorate, One Lomb Memorial Drive,Rochester NY 14623.

FANFARE �87, October 30-November 1Brought to you by STRATEGICON, the people

who also brought you ORIGINS �86, this science-fiction and fantasy convention will be held atthe Los Angeles Airport Hyatt Hotel. Role-playing, wargame, computer game, and familyboardgame tournaments will be offered, as wellas various seminars and demonstrations, a fleamarket, a game auction, and an exhibitors� area.For more information, contact: FANFARE �87, c/oDTI, PO. Box 8399, Long Beach CA 90808, orcall (213)420-3675.

DALLAS FANTASY FAIR, November 13-15Sponsored by Bulldog Productions, this comic-

book, science-fiction, and film supershow takesplace at a location which has yet to be an-nounced. This event includes appearances bydozens of comic-book artists, writers, editors,and publishers, as well as a number of filmpersonalities. Other features include a hugedealer�s room, a professional art show, an artcontest, an art auction, video rooms, a masquer-ade, numerous workshops, previews of upcom-ing motion pictures, and a variety of gamingevents and open gaming competition, Ticketsfor this three-day event are $20 through Novem-ber 1 and $25 thereafter. For more information,contact: Bulldog Productions, PO. Box 820488,Dallas TX 75382, or call (214) 349-3367.

ORCCON 11, February 12-15,1988Brought to you by STRATEGICON, the people

who brought you ORIGINS �86, this gamingconvention will be held at the Los Angeles Air-port Hyatt Hotel. Role-playing, wargame, com-puter game, and family boardgame tournamentswill be offered, as well as various seminars anddemonstrations, a flea market, a game auction,and an exhibitors� area. For more information,contact: ORCCON 11, c/o DTI, PO. Box 8399,Long Beach CA 90808, or call (213)420-3675.

GATEWAY 8, September 2-5,1988Brought to you by STRATEGICON, the people

who also brought you ORIGINS �86, this gamingconvention will be held at the Los Angeles Air-port Hyatt Hotel. Role-playing, wargame, com-puter game, and family boardgame tournamentswill be offered, as well as various seminars anddemonstrations, a flea market, a game auction,and an exhibitors� area. For more information,contact: GATEWAY 8, c/o DTI, PO. Box 8399, LongBeach CA 90808, or call (213)420-3675.

DRAGON 97

98 APRIL 1987

100 APRIL 1987

DRAGON 101

102 APRIL 1987

DRAGON 103

104 APRIL 1987