Reviews: Stonehell Dungeon by Michael Curtis.

Stonehell Dungeon: Down Night-Haunted Halls by Michael Curtis. Three-Headed Monster Games.

This review is unsolicited and I purchased my copy of Stonehell through the usual  channels. I own the PDF version, which, Adobe tells me runs 138 pages, cover and all. I have not ran the Dungeon, and will rely upon my 25+ years of experience to make up for that deficiency. The only real “Spoilers” are a couple of passages from the free-preview, used to give an example of the room descriptions. As a conceit, I usually use the term DM or Dungeon Master, when referring to a referee running a retro-clone and will continue that practice, here.

Michael Curtis has released his Megadungeon upon the Old School Gaming Community, so, first, let’s look at the description, from The Society of Torch, Pole and Rope's Storefront:

“Stonehell Dungeon is a classic-style megadungeon, filled with enough monsters, traps, weirdness, and treasure to keep you gaming for a long, long time. Explore over 700 rooms, encounter more than 40 new monsters, and discover 18 mysterious magical items -- and that's just in the first book! Stonehell Dungeon: Down Night-Haunted Halls details the first six levels of a megadungeon intended for use with the Labyrinth Lord™ role-playing game, but is easily adaptable to most early versions of the original fantasy role-playing game and its retro-clones. Featuring art by J.A. D'Andrea, Lee Barber, Marcelo Paschoalin, and Ralph Pasucci, Stonehell Dungeon gives the game master all the necessary information to run his players through the dungeon, while offering enormous opportunities to customize and expand on the site.”

It’s rare that I buy a published adventure and want to actually run the thing. Even really good ones. I do appreciate modules and usually purchase them for the purposes of reading and collecting, swiping a good idea, here and there, as I go. The creative work involved in running a game is an important part of the hobby, for me and I have no desire to deprive myself (thanks to some comments from Mr. James Raggi, et al, I’ve been doing some rethinking in this area.) I do, every once in a while, come across a published adventure, which I want to run. Sooner or later.

A quarter of the way into Stonehell, I wanted and still want, to run it Right Now!

Mr. Curtis has published a Tour de Force, and I’ll have to bust my ass if this review is going to even come close to doing it justice.

So, let’s take a closer look at Stonehell.

The print version is $13.00 and the pdf runs $6.50. A free preview, consisting of a one page introduction and the first quadrant of level 1, is available at the Storefront, as well as a free supplement: The Brigand Caves. More pdf supplements are promised and according to the author:

“These PDFs will be made available on Lulu (http://stores.lulu.com/poleandrope) for little or no charge, and will be released when time and interest allows.”

Stonehell is split into two parts, the first of which has been released, and is being reviewed here. Part one contains the Introduction, a Surface Level, five huge Dungeon Levels, two appendixes, and an Index.

The author’s introduction gives us some production history, general information on the design approach taken, and suggestions regarding the ways in which a DM might use the product. An entertaining history, which goes much further than what was given in the free preview and does an admirable job of conveying a sense of the horror and despair in which the Dungeon was birthed, follows. Stonehell was originally a prison, set up by a Tyrant and his heartless Vizier, its origins grounded in the type of “mundane” evil, with which we are all too familiar.

From there, some general information about the Dungeon and its inhabitants, secrets and several other useful passages on running the Dungeon, lead us up to the sections on the Surface and first five underground levels of the Dungeon.

The layout uses an adaption of The One Page Dungeon Template. The Surface Level is split into three areas and each underground level is split into four. A Master Map and Introduction (the latter includes a list, with basic stat information, of all the monsters featured in the level) is provided for all levels, each one being followed by an Overview and Template for each individual area. The Overviews include information on new monsters, important NPC’s, etc. The Templates are actually two-pages each, instead of one, providing plenty of room for the map, key, and other sections of necessary information.

The Appendixes contain some useful random tables, and specific, important information on certain features of the Dungeon. Lastly, comes the Index. A very nice touch, that last little bit.

So, what’s inside the framework outlined above?

Stonehell is not just a dungeon. It’s a Setting, with history, flavor, character and depth; an identity of its own. It is dynamic. The whole Dungeon is alive, and bustling with activity. There are monsters who traverse across levels, agendas and incidents of high weirdness. There are encounters which are interesting, dangerous and intriguing. There are new monsters, many of which induced me to smile in delight. There are features, which are left up to the user to develop, if he/she so wishes. There are moments that will make a DM rub his hands together and cackle with glee. There is all this, and oh, so much more. Throughout it all, the Presence of the Dungeon looms.

Stonehell is packed with information. There are no narration text boxes and the room descriptions are short and to the point, giving the DM the basic idea, without any hand-holding or rambling. Mr. Curtis does an admirable job, throughout, of providing just the right amount of information, not wasting space on the sort of particulars that are best left to individual DM’s. A couple of examples, taken from the free preview, will serve as an example :

5. Ancient Bedchamber: Smell of smoke & cooking meat; decrepit pieces of furniture. Berserkers (5) are cooking “long pig” over a small fire. They have 4d6 cp each.

28. Giggling Skull Shrine: Altar of bones; grinning stone skull on wall. Save vs. spells if altar is touched or laugh hysterically for 1d6 turns (double chance of wandering monster). Secret room contains religious vestments and a needle-trapped (save vs. poison or die) coffer holding 9,000 sp, 6 pieces of jewelry (10 gp each) and 2 potions of healing.

Without the kind of filler often found in published modules, Stonehell’s 138 pages make for a meaty sandwich, indeed!

The Word, here, is Organization. The whole thing is exceptionally well arranged and neatly laid out. Stonehell is very DM friendly.

Which, brings us back to the One Page Dungeon Template. As can be seen in the free preview, the author uses a two-page adaption of the Template, for each area of every level. The individual areas have their own title, history, current events, inhabitants, unique features, etc., and are designed to be more or less self-contained. They are like sub-dungeons, with their own flavor, that also tie-in to the overall Dungeon. The redoubtable James Maliszewski had some things to say about Stonehell’s use of the Template, in his review, which, you have probably already read. Here’s my two-cents, on the subject.

When the Master Map for each level is viewed, it comes off, in places, as overly-designed. This is due to the low number of connections between the areas (usually, two or three) and because the maps in each quadrant never stray beyond the 30 square by 30 square area, defined by the Template. Also, there are places where the author utilizes the quadrant map area in a way that enhances the square appearance of and perception of separation between the areas.

The Upside here, aside from the high degree of organization and ease of use, is that the modular nature of Stonehell, allows the DM to easily customize the Dungeon, moving things around, replacing areas with the DM’s own creations, etc.  Also, any given Quadrant can be readily taken and inserted into the DM’s own dungeon/adventure. Indeed, an immense amount of value could be had from cannibalizing Stonehell, as there are a ton of useful features and ideas found therein. Mr. Curtis discusses the various options open to the user and has designed his Dungeon in such a way, so as to enable DM’s to use Stonehell as a dungeon building tool-kit. He has also left design room to add onto the levels, (specifying such places, in some cases,) as well as to introduce sub-levels.

Stonehell shows us what can be done with the Template approach and how tightly a multi-level dungeon can be built and presented, while still maintaining a high level of versatility. The benefits, as well as the limitations, of this particular design choice are exemplified.

It’s not the way I would go about designing a Mega-Dungeon (and, I have no idea how I would try to do it for publication,) but, as Mr. Raggi set me to thinking, that’s kind of the point. I think the design and maps are fine, DM friendly, immensely usable and accomplish what the author has set out to accomplish.

So, what’s the bottom line? I can’t do Stonehell the justice it deserves in a review. You’re just going to have to buy it and see for yourself.  Personally, I would rank Stonehell as being somewhere in the top five, in a list of the supplements and adventures I’ve bought, in my 25 year history of gaming. I won’t mention the other four, as I’ll no doubt write a post on the subject, one day.

A New Release From Barrataria Games

To clear up any confusion, I am reporting on the item below. I have no association with Barrataria Games.

From the Barrataria Games Storefront:

Companion Expansion (multimedia download)
Download: FREE
The Companion Expansion presents additional classes, spells, weapons and equipment, creatures and magical items for fantasy roleplaying games for basic- and expert-level players and gamemasters. It includes 7 additional character classes (bard, druid, gnome, half-elf/half-orc, half-ogre, illusionist, scout), expanded experience, combat, and saving throw tables, two additional types of magic (druid and illusion) and additional magic-user and cleric spells (90 in all), over 130 new or additional creatures (with a comprehensive index and suggested experience point awards), dozens of new or additional magic items, and extended treasure generation tables. Use these rules to expand your campaign in the WORLD OF STRONGHOLD or wherever your games are set!
[11/28/2009: Free download version now available!  Layout in progress on print-on-demand version to be available at lulu and amazon.com.]

The free download is a no-art version, but, the upcoming print version will be illustrated. Congratulations and a hearty Thank You, to the folks at Barrataria games!

Showing Off My Copy of Stonehell

After finding a really good deal on Cardstock and Sheet Protectors, I bought a Binder and printed out a nice, durable copy of my recently purchased PDF of Stonehell, as well as the first supplement. Granted, I ended up spending more than I would have for a print copy, but, I enjoy this type of little project and the copy I put together is very user friendly. I used a b&w laser printer for everything except the front covers of the main book and supplement, for which I used an inkjet. I’ll be posting my review of Stonehell in the next day or two. For now, I’ll just say it’s damn good!

 

 

The Critical 00 Resolution System

“The road to Rollmaster is paved with good intentions.”

One of the neatest features of “old school” gaming, is that player’s can try and do just about anything. For those wishing to add a little formality to the proceedings, I offer the following.

The difficulty spread for trying to “Do Something,”  such as knowing an obscure piece of religious lore, climbing a wall, etc., runs from 13 to 24.

13 represents the Merely Difficult. 18, is Very, Very, Hard. The Critical 00 System is designed with the supposition that most attempts will fall within this range. One of the irritating aspects of 3e, was the designers’ tendency to “move the goal-post,” and write dc’s of 35, 40 and up into their adventures, thus, screwing player’s who spent their hard earned skill points in building up their ability to perform a given action.

But, on occasion, it may be called for to deem a Task to be Extremely Difficult. This is represented by a 19–21 spread.

Lastly, you never know what player’s might try to do. 22-24 represents the Insanely Difficult to Nigh Unto Impossible range.

A Success is determined by making a Resolution Check and matching or exceeding the target number. Two ten-sided dice are rolled and the results are added together, then, a bonus is added to the sum. 0 is treated as zero, unless double ought is rolled, the latter being treated as a critical success, always.

There are two types of Resolution Checks, and each one has a separate method for determining the Bonus to the Roll:

The “I can do anything” Resolution Check – Characters receive a +1 bonus at first level, and an additional +1 every three levels, thereafter (Another at 4th, then at 7th, etc.) This is for anything the character may attempt, which is not covered by the roll/bonus below.

The “I’m a Professional” Resolution Check – Characters receive a +2 bonus at first level, and another +1 every other level, thereafter. This is used for anything that ties in close enough to the character’s class. Such as, a MU rolling to see if he knows an obscure bit of arcane lore, a Fighter trying to perform some simple blacksmithing to repair his armor, etc.

If a character Succeeds 50 times, at a specific Task, which falls into the first Resolution Check category, he may, thereafter, use his Professional Bonus on further attempts at the same Task.

Ability score modifiers may, at the DM’s discretion, be taken into account.

Ged – The Evil Little Bast… Er, I Mean, The Pitiful Little Duergar

Due to the various vicissitudes of life, my planned family game of Swords & Wizardry keeps getting postponed. The good news, though, is that my nephew, Alex, is visiting us for Thanksgiving and he plays D&D. He may be staying for a week, so, hopefully we can all squeeze in some playing time in the midst of Turkey, Black Friday, and all the rest of the Holiday Madness. My nephew stayed with us for a little while a couple of years ago and played in a short lived 3.5 campaign I ran. That game was scrapped and another started when my nephew moved back home and another player’s girlfriend decided he shouldn’t take part in any activities which she didn’t enjoy (and he was never seen, nor heard from, again.) The news that Alex was visiting us again reminded me of that game, the highlight of which, for me, was Ged the Duergar.

A recurring antagonist is one of those exquisite little events that can occasionally occur, during the course of play. It’s hard to bring it about naturally; those damn PC’s are always dead set on killing their foes. Occasionally, the “Bad Guy” escapes. Sometimes, the overall situation is such as to foster the NPC’s survival (“The King’s vizier is in it up to his eyeballs, but, we can’t touch him, yet!”) At times, guile serves to insure the survival of the enemy.

Ged was the right hand man of a half-celestial sorcerer. The sorcerer had forsaken his angelic heritage, going over to the dark side and setting up shop in a dungeon. He employed Ged and some “red shirts” to take care of the riff-raff. The PC’s dispatched the lesser obstacles, then ran into Ged from across the other side of a small chasm. A bridge was present, which the party wasn’t about to cross, without thoroughly checking it out. I decided that Ged was gregarious, bored, almost lackadaisical and hungry.

“You fellas sure you want to fight?” he casually offered.

“We can just let bygones be bygones. Do you have any food? I’m awfully hungry. It’s real hard to find food, down here.”

“I sure hate living in a dungeon. It’s as cold as my ex-wife’s heart. You guys got an extra tin of Iron Rations you could spare?

The above really doesn’t do Ged justice. My players were rolling on the floor, and immediately took a liking to the chap. After running through his pet monsters and traps, they finally got their hands on Ged, who, after a short melee exchange, surrendered. The Players tied Ged up, who immediately, in a friendly and careless way, spilled every bean, concerning his boss.

“I’m sure sorry about all this. I’m just a body guard, trying to make a living. I didn’t know what he was up to, until it was to late. (Resigned Sigh.) He threatened to kill me if I tried to leave; I guess I just got scared. Do you fellas have any Iron Rations you could spare? I understand if’n you guys decide to kill me, but, if you would consider just letting me go, I won’t cause you any more trouble.”

Role-playing NPC’s is one of my strengths as a DM. I did my job with Ged so well, that, in a 3.5 game, they didn’t even ask for a Sense Motive, or any of that crap. They just Role-Played, and decided to set Ged free, kind-hearted souls that they were.

Ged, was as Neutral-Evil as Nerull himself and knew exactly what his master was up to. Ged was a “Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap,” kind of guy.

A few sessions later, the PC’s were asked by the local clergy to investigate some supernatural badness, at a local mine. The mining company had called in a consultant of their own. The consultant had several aides and guards working for him and Ged was his right-hand man. Ged’s new boss was in it up to his eyeballs, and once again, the duergar had to extricate himself from the situation.

“The guy needed some body-guards to come up here with him. I’m just a hired mercenary. I didn’t know he was killing folk. You guys looking to hire an extra sword or something? I’m out of a job, now, and could use a break.”

They had some doubts, but, perhaps because they already saw him as just a victim of circumstance, they decided that he could be telling the truth and let him go, again.

Recurring Villains are so much better, when the player’s really hate their foe. If I could have brought Ged into play again and made his culpability obvious, then, if he managed to escape, I think the PC’s would have been screaming for his blood! Now, that would have been fun. I’ll have to try and set something like this up again, one day.

More Swords & Sorcery Goodness from Mr. Jason Vey!

Jason Vey has released Age of Conan II: Secrets of Acheron, available at his Classic Edition Fantasy Resources. It looks fantastic! His original Age of Conan supplement is still available, as well, and he’s also created a DM’s Screen for the series. While you’re there, you might want to pick up his nicely formatted pdf version of Philotomy’s OD&D Musings. All of these are available as free downloads, so again, Thank You Mr. Vey. If you like his work, here’s a link to his Lulu storefront.

Speaking of which, Philotomy's site is back up! Woo-Hoo!

Thanks for all the nice comments on my The Dungeon is Trying to Eat You piece. I don’t want to burn you guys out on Random Tables, but I’ll probably do one more before the end of the year. My day job is rather, well, mind-numbingly boring, so I have to amuse myself somehow.

Until next time…

The Dungeon Is Trying To Eat You!

More d100 Random Weirdness

1. Crossing the threshold will transport the PC backwards in time 1 hour. Once.

2. The Possessed Dwarf, runs through the halls, looking for fresh meat.

3. A 7’ x 7’ Mirror of Life Trapping is mounted on the wall. A Lich, trapped inside.

4. Only the Hireling can hear the whispery voice, urging betrayal.

5. The Druid is proud of his underground grotto.

6. The Imp is trapped within the pentacle; he holds forth a scroll and pen.

7. Again you see the Raven; it appears to be following you.

8. Five adventurers are running toward you, screaming!

9. The Ogre has many pet spiders. He is inured to the poison.

10. Recent Excavation. Abruptly halted.

11. From beyond the Door, screams for help. A Magic Mouth.

12. Holy Wards seal the silvered door. A warning to pass by.

13. The Treasure Map is cursed to attract Wandering Monsters.

14. Loud Noises! The Goblins are digging.

15. Magical Darkness! The Skeletons attack!

16. Animate Dead effect on this level, once every 2d10 turns.

17. Teleport trap! Caged, Carnivorous Apes.

18. The Green Slime is Invisible.

19. A laughing skull, flies, follows, and taunts.

20. Kobold Ghouls, every freakin’ where!

21. A Mind Flayer tentacle, lays in a pool of blood.

22. Thousands of Magic Mouths, line the halls. Screams, taunts. A Clue?

23. Several sacks of coffee beans, a grinder and kettle, guarded by a golem.

24. The cauldron full of Stew smells delicious…

25. A large pot. A vile looking liquid. Eyes and organs floating.

26. A dead Orc, his torso slit open, clutches a strand of golden hair.

27. The Elf works a puzzle made of interlocking metal pieces, he cannot stop.

28. The above puzzle lies unattended, awaiting a hapless victim.

29. “Tillian’s Kitchen Magic,” a cookbook, is a disguised treatise on Infernal Pacts.

30. A backpack full of Iron Rations, is found amidst the liquefied remains.

31. Stone tiles etched with eyes. Some open, some closed.

32. A kitchen. Upon a tray, several rats on sticks are ready to go into the oven.

33. The hobgoblin tribe will bargain, if approached carefully. They control the stairs.

34. A small shrine to a well known deity. An appropriate offering will earn a boon.

35. As above, but the offering will invite a Geas.

36. The only way down, is to jump and hope the huge net will still hold.

37. They say their Lich master rules the level and demand an offering of magic.

38. Somewhere, a Decanter of Endless Oil is making this level rather dangerous.

39. Buried deeply within the hoard, sewn into a piece of leather, a Devil’s Talisman.

40. The Ghosts of the adventurers, re-enact the betrayal.

41. If they search the huge trash room, they will disturb the Yellow Mold.

42. Reading aloud the strange words upon the scroll, will disarm the magical trap.

43. As above, but the names of two powerful demons are thrown into the mix.

44. The Door is trapped with an Imprisonment spell. Others will be released.

45. A red mist, fills the level. The smell clings, attracting attention on other levels.

46. A demon face in bas relief, upon the door. The lock is deep inside the mouth.

47. The strange, red toads, provide type vi psionics for 3d6 turns, when licked.

48. As above, but ingestion causes 3d6 points of damage.

49. The strange, purple toads provide 5% MR, for 3d6 turns, when licked.

50. As above, but permanent, if the save vs. death is made.

51. The Frog shaped fountain spews yellow liquid, healing magic.

52. The Feebleminded Wizard has escaped death thus far, so deep in the dungeon.

53. A Secret Door hides a Sage’s Library, squirreled away.

54. The Frog Idol is made of Electrum. No magic; 10% the forgotten god will notice.

55. MU’s operate at +1 level in this area of the Dungeon.

56. A statue of a Type V Demon. Her face is very familiar.

57. All damage dice are at +1 on this level of the dungeon.

58. An alter to a God of War (forgotten?). Offering = 20% chance of bless.

59. As above, but he is forgotten, and an offering will remind him of the world.

60. A Creeping Doom is in continual effect on this level. It will replenish in 1d4 days.

61. Swords sans ego, in (2d10) or carried into the room, dance, attacking any.

62. The evil door will release a random curse, unless Dispel Evil or Magic is cast.

63. The pool is a scrying device; will plant a geas, 10% of the time.

64. Toads, slimes, and crawly things throng; a gold statuette of a hideous woman.

65. 3 areas w/ Monster Summoning V spell effects on this level, every 1d4 turns.

66. As above, but Monster Summoning VI.

67. All MU’s are under the effects of a Bless spell on this lvl.

68. As above, but Clerics.

69. As above, but Fighters.

70. As above, but Humanoids.

71. All spells are under an Extension effect on this level.

72. Mushrooms grow. Save vs. poison.

73. As above, but 10% chance of a permanent 1d4 HP increase.

74.  The Kobolds seek a sacrifice for the Monster they worship.

75. As above, but, the Kobolds are Tucker’s Kobolds.

76. The remaining Henchmen & Hirelings, hold up in the room, afraid.

77.  A lone fighter, wounded nigh unto death, seeks succor.

78. A psuedo-dragon is intrigued by the party.

79. If the Blink Dog is freed from his anti-magic prison, it will become a henchman.

80. The huge, ancient fountain depicts a famous mage – Acts as a Jug of Alchemy.

81. The Fountain depicts a pair of twins, fighting. It is a Mirror of Opposition.

82. The cockroaches on this level are unusually aggressive.

83. The elf, covered in worms and filth, raises his hand in greeting.

84. The strange, cloaked figures, have their mouths sewn shut.

85. Smoke fills the corridor; screams and shouts in the distance.

86. The smell of cabbage wafts through the halls.

87. Three bags, marked Erol, Durin, and Scrag, hold a dismembered corpse each.

88.  The copper statue depicts the demon-mother of toads. She looks almost human.

89. The Orcs will try to herd intruders to the area dominated by the Manticore.

90. The goblin has been torn to pieces; his hand still clutches a silver dagger.

91. The goblins will readily betray their hobgoblin masters.

92. The sneezing orc gives away his position.

93. The horrid groaning appears to come from everywhere.

94. The ancient painting depicts an executioner, dispatching a victim.

95. The above painting hides another, which shows a secret of the Milieu.

96. A local hero, long thought dead, is in captivity in the current dungeon level.

97. The orcs are having a party; roasting goblins & others, drinking, gaming.

98. The adventuring party seems angry about sharing the dungeon.

99. The floor is slick with blood.

00. The Lich, his army of undead, and Dragon ally, prepare to make war.

Odds & Ends – Free REH Book and More!

First of all, I hereby award A Paladin In Citadel 3d10 +5 Cool Points for his new Banner. Groovy!

For the past month or so, I’ve been using Windows Live Writer for blogging. It’s pretty cool and free. You can save drafts locally; post directly to your blog; edit something after posting and repost it without creating a double post or screwing up your formatting or anything; edit the pictures, etc., you’re using; insert tables, links, videos, and other things; create various types of headings; and a lot of other stuff! No, no one has paid or strong-armed me into writing this. I found Blogger’s posting software to be a bit of a pain, and just wanted to share. BE SURE to uncheck all the crap you don’t want installed!!!! Lamentably, they try to get you to install a bunch of other programs as well. If anyone knows of any other free, quality blog posting software, please leave a comment.

I recently found a copy of Michael Moorcock’s essay, Epic Pooh, online. Taking Tolkien, et al, to task.

Crimson Shadows - The Best of Robert E. Howard Vol 1 is available  as a legal, free pdf download on Scribd. A part of the Suvudu Free Library. Over 500 pages of REH goodness, including the Conan tales The People of the Black Circle and Beyond the Black River; arguably, the finest Conan story ever written.

That’s it, for tonight. I think I’ll tool around on the laptop and go link hunting. I’ll let you know if I find anything good.

Go To Hell! – Revisiting Ed Greenwood’s “The Nine Hells.”

(Since this is some kind of review, no, no-one has paid or enticed me in any way to write about this series of articles, written over 25 years ago.)

“Yes,” agreed the Paladin who had fought at his side. “You have joined an endless battle, my lord. But if you weary of fighting it here, amid that which you hold dear, then come with me – I ride on the hells tomorrow.”                                             

                                                                  Ed Greenwood – The Nine Hells, Part 1.

That Paladin lives eternally, in the front-piece to the first part of one of the most famous articles ever to grace the pages of Dragon Magazine. The art, by Larry Elmore, depicts a Paladin standing by the side of, presumably, a Name Level Fighter. At their feet lay the smoking corpse of a devil. Judging by the depiction and speech, our Paladin has the kind of poise worthy of Dr. Who. But, he has another thing coming! He’s about to storm Ed Greenwood’s Hell, and in the July 1983 issue of Dragon, # 75, we followed him.

The article was split into two parts, the second was published in issue # 76. Two follow up articles, “The Nine Hells Revisited” and “Eight Devilish Questions” appeared in issue # 91. Taken all together, the series runs to a little over fifty pages and gives the DM all the basic information he/she needs to design an adventure, or a campaign, set in, or involving the Infernal Realms.

Part 1 deals with a few introductory matters, like what to do with all those pesky, LE deities. Then, plunges into a plane by plane description of the Hells, from Avernus, to Stygia. Part 2, covers Malbolge to Nessus, then lists the changed ways in which spells, magical items, and character abilities will operate in the Hells. The entries for the individual planes start with short descriptions of the levels and their common inhabitants. These run about two-thirds of a page, or so, in length, on the average, with Avernus being the longest, at a little over a full page (aside from any artwork.) But they give the DM enough information to take things from there. Someone once said that true evil was banal. The landscapes of the Hells are uninspiring, for the most part. Drearily predictable. But, Hell itself is anything but boring.

After setting the scene for each level, Mr. Greenwood begins describing the various important NPC’s inhabiting these places and this forms the main part of his Hellish Gazetteer. Considering who the author is, it comes as no surprise that this is both the focus of the work and where it truly shines. We get Dukes, Chancellors, Outlaw Devils and more than enough Hot Devil Babes (the various consorts,) to fire the imagination of this DM, especially when he was 15. We get motivations, alliances, enemies, frenemies, personality traits, hobbies and machinations, as well as troop lists for the various Dukes. Of course, we get the stats and powers of all these movers and shakers, as well. The Infernal courts are a dark imagining of the byzantine political climate of our own governmental institutions, and the juicy “court gossip” of the Hells is definitely entertaining.

“Phongor is the dreaded Inquisitor of Hell; he is responsible directly to Asmodeus for the provision of complete and accurate news of the hells and other planes. To do this, he has subverted the spies of Adramalech (so that they report first, and most fully, to him), enlisted spies of his own (and spies to watch his spies; he trusts no one), and perfected the art of torture on devils, the lesser creatures of the hells, and intruders alike.”

                                                                   Ed Greenwood, The Nine Hells, Part 2.

“Lilis, consort of Dispater, is one of the older and weaker female devils, but her careful diplomacies and strategies and her attention to events in the hells and elsewhere (her network of spies is said to be second only to that of Asmodeus) has kept her own position in the infernal regions as secure as that of any of the nobility of the hells. Lilis and Biffant (q.v.), Dispater’s provost, are as trusting and as close as two devils ever become – but they are (thus far) unswervingly loyal to Dispater, making his control of Dis the envy of other Archdevils.”

                                                                   Ed Greenwood, The Nine Hells, Part 1.

 “The Nine Hells Revisited,” provides more “Outcast Devils,” those natives who are Unique in the Monster Manual sense, but have been cast out of the hierarchy and are forced to eke out an existence, hiding in Avernus, all the while scheming to force their way back into their society. Information on how devils become Greater Devils is provided. The unique Arch-Devil Gargoth, is introduced, a being who is, perhaps, as powerful as Asmodeus, but who lives on the Prime Material, and may, or may not, be in league with the Lord of Nessus. Several pages are devoted to the various kinds of treasure which may be found on the various levels of the hells (woo-hoo!), providing some more flavor to the various planes, as well as their inhabitants. A few more odds and ends, such as travelling the Styx, round out the article.

Lastly, in “Eight Devilish Questions,” Mr. Greenwood provides some answers to a few questions submitted by readers of the original two-part article.

In his work on The Hells, Mr. Greenwood wrote a damn fine D&D supplement. We get a description of a setting which fascinates many DM’s and players, along with details of the major NPC’s which make the place tick. Also, the rules necessary for running such an alien environment, new and useful lore, and answers to various questions concerning the Devils and their home. A few maps of some interesting locations would have been nice, but it’s understandable why none were presented. It would have been a drop or two in nine, very huge oceans.

Even if the DM never plans on actually sending his players to Hell, the various major personalities presented can have a major impact on PC’s who are on the Prime Material. All those shadowy schemers and homicidal plotters are the real heart  of “The Nine Hells,” and poor fools on the Prime can become involved with those dangerous beings in a host of ways.  But, I loved this article so much, that I gave my players a reason to go to Avernus. Their 14th level characters managed to survive the thirty or so in-game minutes it took to accomplish their snatch-and-grab mission, and escaped right as an infernal army was descending upon them. The truth is, I set it up so that they wouldn’t have too much difficulty, so long as they kept their heads down and played it smart. It became apparent, rather quickly, that they couldn’t afford to dawdle. I just wanted to give them a taste of Hell. Surviving that environment for any length of time would require a lot of stealth, guile, power and luck from PC’s. Unless they somehow got themselves invited, which would be a dangerous situation in and of itself. Mr. Greenwood’s Hell is very well organized, and its armies will swiftly mobilize, dealing with any intruders as decisively as possible.  A “Ride on the Hells,” a la the crazy Paladin we met at the beginning of our journey is sheer suicide. He just doesn’t seem to be the stealthy, keep your head down, type.

In Paizo’s last issue of the magazine, they listed their “Top Ten Issues of Dragon.” Numbers 75 & 76 were the first two presented. I don’t know if there was a good reason the folks in charge of Dragon prior to the Wotc takeover didn’t include Mr. Greenwood’s articles in one of their “Best of Dragon” compilations. Maybe, they just needed to make room for crap. So, if you don’t already have these, you’ll need to get the original issues. All but the earliest Dragons can be had on Ebay for a reasonable price. “The Nine Hells” issues are definitely worth going to the trouble of procuring. 

Random Angel Generator – The Qabalah of Saint Gygax

Part 1 – The Planetary/magical Angels

In creating a Milieu Neutral presentation of Angelic Planetary Correspondences, the first and most obvious obstacle is that I have no actual planets to base the tables on. I can use the ideas represented by our own astrological symbols, of course, but, what I really wanted was something representative of the Metaphysics, explicit and implicit, of the D&D Multiverse itself. Therefore, I’m going with the most obvious such example, magic, and will herein base the Planetary Energies on the Types of magic.

In the Hermetic literature, the Angels are associated with the elements, planets, and zodiac. All of these are mapped onto the Qabalistic Tree of life, which provides another level of Angelic Correspondences. Those wishing a traditional example, may reference Tom Moldvay’s article The Seven Magical Planets in The Dragon # 38. Also, Aleister Crowley’s Liber 777, which contains the information in the article mentioned above but takes things much, much further, may be found here. Otherwise…

The Types of magic are here considered as a manifestation of the metaphysics of whatever fantasy universe is being used. The Types could be associated with other symbols or sources of divine energy; astrological, religious, or what have you. I decided to associate them with planets, because the numbering works fairly well. I’ve also thought of another approach for Zodiacal Energies. They actually fit fairly well with our own ideas about Planetary Energies, which is no real surprise as they are all drawn from our magical and religious heritage. I hope I’m not guilty of shoe-horning the symbols too much. I’ve taken a few liberties, combining those Types usually found together, thus, treating Summoning as a particular application of Conjuration, for example. There are arguments for and against that idea. Teasing out Mr. Gygax’s thoughts on this aspect of the game has produced questions as well as answers, which I will probably address in a later post. Also, I have completely ignored Possession. It’s strong associations with demons and extreme rarity of use suggest to me that it may be treated as a perversion of other magics.

Roll to Determine Type of Angel

d8	These are attributed to the Type of Magic Column Below.
1	Angels of Divine Power.
2	Angels of the Mind of the Gods.
3	Angels of the Words of Creation.
4	Angels of the Living Gods.
5	Angels of Desire.
6	Phantasmagoric Angels.
7	Angels of Divine Mercy.
8	Angels of Transmutation.

Correspondences

	Type of Magic.	Universal Principles.	Apparel .
1	Evocation	War, Aggression, Dominance, Force.	Armor. Shield. Flames. Red.
2	Divination	Knowledge, Teaching, Secrets.	Robes. Darkness. Light.
3	Conjuration	Creation, Command, Invitation. Art.	Noble Finery. Rich or dashing clothing. Purple. Blue.
4	Necromancy	Life Energy. Growth. Life. Death.	Robes. Light. Darkness. Organic materials. Green.
5	Enchantment	Love, Lust, Submission.	Nude, clothing designed to entice. Green. Purple.
6	Illusion	Dream, Guile, Trickery, Laughter.	Gaudy Robes, Motley, multi-colors, dark colors.
7	Abjuration	Fortification, Protection, Negation.	Armor. Shield. Clothing designed to deflect. Blue.
8	Alteration	Change, Transmutation. Metamorphosis.	Bright Finery, Nude. Yellows. Radiant clothing.

 

	Weapon Suggestions.	Other Accouterments.
1	Sword, Axe, Halbred. Weapons of Magical Energy.	Warhorse. Gauntlet. Flames.
2	Staff.	Book, Crystal Ball.
3	Rod, Staff, Scepter.	Crown. Orb. Throne.
4	Caduceus. Scythe.	Serpents. Skulls. Growing things.
5	Wand. Whip.	Flowers. Mirrors.
6	Sickle. Club. Silver Weapons.	Hooka, Smoke. Mirrors. Bells.
7	Staff, Sword.	Shields. Walls. Globes of Force.
8	Flaming weapons.	Gold, Alchemical Equipment. Potions.

Monster Dice and base powers: Roll 1d8 and add 4 to determine. Defense is that of the base creature, increased by 1 for each monster level ( so the most powerful is at –2, or 22 depending upon what system you’re using.) Resistance to Spells starts at 20% for a lvl 5 angel, and increases by 5% at each level. Move as base creature. If winged, flight is at double the base movement. A magical weapon is needed to hit; the DM may adjust this as he sees fit. Also, the Arcane spells listed below, may be treated as Divine Magic, at the DM’s Discretion.

Roll to determine the Level of the Angel.

d8	Powers.
5	May cast any 1st and 2nd level cleric spell, as well as any 1st & 2nd level Arcane spells which are of the Type corresponding to the angel, 1/day each.
6	As above, but 2/day each.
7	As above, but, 3rd level as well, all 2/day each.
8	As above, but all 3/day each.
9	As above, but 4th level spells as well, all 3/day each.
10	As above.
11	As above, but, 5th level as well, all 3/day each.
12	As above, all 4/day each.

The Planetary Angels are considered to appear as a Human or Demi-Human like creature. The table may be expanded, or, further configurations may be reserved for other Angelic beings.

Base Appearance

d6	Appearance.
1 - 4	Human.
5	Elf.
6	Dwarf.

Sex

d8	Sex.
1 - 3	Male.
4 - 5	Female.
6 - 7	Androgynous.
8	Neuter.

Head

d 100	The Head Appears to be A:
1 - 70	Match for the Base Appearance.
71 - 75	Bear.
76 - 80	Serpent.
81 - 85	Nimbus of Light.
86 - 90	Hawk.
91 - 93	Wolf.
94 - 98	Dragon.
99 - 00	Covered.

The head (as well as much of what follows) may be determined by the generated Type instead, but, I wanted some general diversity in the table.

Other Noteworthy Physical Characteristics

d 100	Roll Twice on this table.
1 - 30	Winged.
31 - 45	Horned.
46 - 48	Extra Pair of Arms.
49 - 51	Extra Pair of Eyes.
52 - 55	Extra Pair of Wings (add a first pair as well, if not already rolled.)
56 - 65	Odd Skin Color.
66 - 68	Covered in Fur.
69 - 72	Appears as a Pair of Identical Beings.
73 - 75	Smaller than usual for Base Appearance.
76 - 77	Larger than usual for Base Appearance.
78 - 79	Hairless.
80 - 81	Mechanical.
82 - 85	Incredible Beauty (35 + Com.)
86 - 87	Hideous.
88 - 90	Made of Light.
91 - 95	Metallic.
96 - 00	Roll Two-More Times.

The “Extra” entries may be selected multiple times; otherwise, re-roll duplicates.

Sunday Design Diary Update – Getting My Head Out of My Ass

I – In which I have delusions of grandeur.

The other day, I was having a telephone conversation with my closest friend, Darren B. I was telling him about my blog and the plans I was making for my upcoming D&D activities. Many years ago, Darren played Sir Alexian Balthafor in my Kastmaria campaign, which is the character I used to tell the tale  posted  in The Sign of the Blue Dragon: A Drop In Locale for your D&D Campaign. (there’s also a follow-up, here.) He hadn’t read the piece at the time and made the remark that he occasionally considered writing some stories using his old character and Kastmaria, but, he felt kind of funny about the idea, because Kastmaria was my world. I assured him that I wouldn’t have any issues with him doing so, and he replied “Yeah, that world was really a collaborative effort on all our parts, anyway. It was almost a subconscious thing.” I knew exactly what he meant, of course, and it’s an idea I’ve been thinking about, recently.

I talk a lot about the DM/Player synergy that develops in a well played game, but, during the past ten years, or so, the aspects of that idea which apply to world building kind of turned invisible in my mind. When 3e came out and I decided to update Kastmaria, I wanted to present an elaborately detailed campaign setting, one  which would awe my players and be worthy of publication; nay, be worthy of sitting upon a shelf beside The Forgotten Realms or World of Greyhawk boxed sets. Something with the depth and breadth of Middle-Earth, but, without the fictional language. I may have been naively over ambitious, but, I wasn’t going to try to go quite that far.

Thousands of hours of actual gameplay and DM design work had developed a lot of history and depth for Kastmaria, but, there were huge chunks of it still undeveloped. Almost the entire western portion of the continent was little more than a few vague notes. The players had never decided to go there, you see.

So, feeling like a poseur as a world designer, I set about updating the world to 3e and creating an encyclopedia, gazetteer, etc. I had very few notes from the original campaign; most of it was in my head. After getting my first draft  written out, I started running it, assured in the knowledge that my attention to detail and loving craftsmanship, as well as the history generated by a long-running campaign, would insure a rich, immersive experience for my players.

I had picked up a lot of bullshit ideas, in recent years, about story and the proper way to DM. I never ran a Railroad, but, I was using some ideas that didn’t facilitate Sandbox play very well, and between the approach I was taking, and the 3e oriented approach of my new playing group (after moving to a new city, I was playing with gamers I had recently met,) it was a far cry from the kind of games I used to run.

I wondered why lightening didn’t strike twice and my game didn’t have the same rich level of creativity as past campaigns.

II – A brief interlude from the past.

It was sometime around 1990 and I was sitting on Darren’s couch, jotting down some notes for our game which, would take place later that day. Darren and Joey were having a serious discussion about something D&D related. Then, Joey said something which caught my attention:

“I think James is the best DM in our group,” Joey said.

“I agree,” Darren replied.

I was a bit surprised, very flattered, and wasn’t sure that I agreed, at all. My friends were both very intelligent, creative people, and excellent DM’s themselves. It did a lot for my confidence and self-esteem, at the time.

I now know that I do disagree. Not to take anything away from myself, but, the truth is, that as a group, the six of us were able to find that special place where our combined imagination and creativity, created a synergistic experience that was more than the sum of its parts, giving birth to something magical. It is D&D at its best, and the well of magic we created was enough to sustain the campaign for over five years, during the first two or three of which, we would play between 12 and 18 hours each week. I don’t think I was a better DM than Darren or Joey, it’s just that as a DM, I had learned enough to allow room for the imagination of my players and they had learned enough to take advantage of that fact. Other factors are involved here as well. Most of us were close friends, each bringing our own unique individuality to the table. Doing something with people you love will enrich any experience.

III – Not to whine or anything, but, it’s part of the tale.

There were some other factors working against me as well. A little while after I began my 3e campaign, I developed Type II Diabetes, which went undiagnosed for a while. If you’ve ever had your blood sugar running over 400, you know how hard it can be to concentrate or think clearly in such a state. Then, the gods decided I needed another cross to bear. I developed Depression and an anxiety disorder. Getting out of bed was a herculean task; I damn sure didn’t feel like DMing. Or forcing myself to do the kind of work necessary for running a smooth 3e game. When you’re Depressed, you don’t want to do anything. Usually, I didn’t and relied on the skills I had learned over the years to run the game on the fly. Back in the day, I ran a lot of my sessions this way and often preferred DMing by the seat of my pants. But, this was not an easy task, when I could barely keep my head on straight and felt like crawling under a rock and dying. 3e is enough of a pain in the ass to run, when you’re prepared and feeling well. Sometimes, I pulled it off. Sometimes I didn’t. While my experiences DMing AD&D over the years did wonders for my self-esteem and helped form a positive aspect of my self-image, my experience while DMing 3e left me feeling as if I had lost yet another very important part of my life.

IV – Another walk down memory lane.

“The Cleric’s converted me to his religion. I worship… what’s his name again?”

His name was Kuekar. A lot of player’s have a favorite class and/or race. Joey tended to play Thieves or Dwarven Fighters. He played the best damned dwarf I’ve ever seen, and I was lucky that he was playing one in my campaign. Balston, whom I usually refer to as Balston the Usurper,  Balston Wizard-slayer, or, Balston Wizard-lover, was chaotic and more than a little deranged. Brian’s Cleric served a Barbarian Warrior god, which was right up Balston’s alley. The demi-humans in the campaign worshipped different aspects of the same divinities as the humans. I had originally planned that the dwarves worshipped a version of Metrane, a LG Deity of War, Honor, Chivalry and Protection. After Brian and Joey’s characters developed their new found attachment, and since we hadn’t yet figured out exactly where Brian’s character came from, the picture changed. Now, a group of barbarians lived in the Wolf  Mountains, near Korocia, the Dwarven Kingdom. Also, worship of a dwarven aspect of Keukar was prevalent amongst the inhabitants of Korocia and the barbarians and dwarves were allied. Balston’s “getting religion” had a major impact on the game, leading to the quest for The Axe of the Dwarven Lords (which was a very different thing than the DMG version) and Balston getting involved in the Dwarven Civil War, usurping the throne in the process. Later, he decided to betray his god, which took the campaign in yet another direction.

I don’t remember just how much of the backstory the players directly suggested in the instance related above, and how much was me working off of their ideas. I always took cues from the suggestions, actions and ideas of the players, either directly, or, working their ideas into the campaign. Their imagination was of paramount importance. If there was something in particular they wanted to experience, they would tell me, and I would make sure they did. Even when they didn’t relate it directly, with every conversation, every moment playing, every round of speculation the player’s engaged in, I would glean the information I needed, to know what they wanted, what excited them, what kinds of events to throw across their path, what sort of thing they would enjoy finding when they decided to go off and explore a new section of the map. My interaction with the players was often like an endless, Random Table, giving me ideas, a springboard for my imagination, and churning fresh creativity into the game, constantly.

When the player’s would ask a question about an undeveloped area of the world, they would throw in their own ideas and speculations, usually unsure as to whether or not I had an answer yet. After a brief discussion, I would make a decision, tying everything together neatly, hopefully so, anyway. A nice, DMy way of handling it, but, I wish I would have involved them in a more active way. Maybe even giving them each a little design homework. I’m not sure how many players would want to take such an active hand in things, but, I think the idea is worth further exploration.

V – Back to more recent times.

During my 3e days, I didn’t forget everything I had learned. Also, my state of health most definitely had a deleterious effect on my game. But a campaign world with so much already decided and set in stone, restricted the feedback and interaction I feel is important to the kind of game I want to play. Even if I’m willing to make changes, and alter the landscape, so to speak, the very existence of so much detail can curtail creativity and predetermines a lot of the in-game action. With the original Kastmaria campaign, I created a map, wrote down the political divisions (for the most part, having little more detail than the name,) made up some gods, and made a town, with  just enough detail of the surrounding area to get things started. And one organization, The Arcane Order. I now think I don’t quite need that much, but, I still like the idea of knowing what the world looks like.

VI – You Can’t Go Home Again.

So, my conclusion is, that Kastmaria’s days as an active campaign world are done. By using it in my 3e game, I foisted a played out world on my group, one in which too much history had gone down to let us create the experience of making it our world (I now remember my wife making the joking remark that I was handing them a Used World. I think it was a joking remark.) Not without letting go of that history and my feelings about the place, scrapping it all and going back to a village, dungeon, and surrounding wilderness. At that point, why use the same world at all? If I did what was necessary, it would, at most, only superficially resemble the previous incarnation. Way too much gameplay had taken place there, even with so much still undone, after the end of the original campaign. The world had a character all its own. The players, being new to the setting, were trapped in a world that wasn’t made for them. They could learn about it, come to appreciate it, even embrace it in the way a player might embrace Greyhawk or The Forgotten Realms. If, it was their cup of tea. Eventually. But it would never be a world made just for them, with their input, their needs in mind, their personality and gameplay helping to shape the very fundamentals.

I don’t mean to knock anyone who enjoys Greyhawk, or any other setting. Running  a well loved, famous campaign world can be special for DM and Players, alike. It’s a different experience, with a different approach. Adventuring in a world that is truly alive inside the imagination is the key, here, and it’s a fantastic experience, whether it’s a place like Greyhawk, known and loved by many, or, a place the players help nurture and create themselves. 

VII – So, where am I going from here?

A much more bare bones approach. I’m doing the world map. A hexmap of the starting area; a town, megadungeon, wilderness, a few other features. An idea of the nearby political divisions; a little more detailed than what the characters would know. Some basic background and history, a page worth, or so. A few gods, but, I’ll let the players design their own, if they want to. Or, import a divinity from elsewhere, if they so desire. The rest, we’ll flesh out during play. I’ll see just how far the players want to be involved in designing the setting. They can’t know everything, of course. If we’re talking, and the group thinks it’s a cool idea that a nearby country is a Magocracy, and a player wants to be a low level member of that  Magical Order, we can all flesh the idea out, even going into details of the hierarchy, etc. Of course, they won’t be privy to the knowledge that the Archmage is actually a secret worshipper of Orcus, or, that certain members are plotting a coup.

You can’t go home again, but, home is where the heart is. If I invite my players to make a creative investment in the campaign, maybe we can steal some fire from heaven and feel it burn.

Weird Scenes Inside the Dungeon

A Random Table containing mostly non-combat related Dungeon scenes and events. My rule was to not go over one line per entry.

1. Two hands, forearms, half a head and a knee, protrude from a stone wall.

2. A medium chest, filled with seashells. Some sharp edges are poisoned.

3. A mural depicting an unorthodox version of a historical event.

4. The walls and ceiling are constituted to function as a spellbook (% filled?)

5. 5 large chests are filled with costumes and props.

6. A variety of bones, carefully polished, hang from the walls.

7. A chicken coop. The inhabitants are strangely mutated.

8. The walls are adorned with antique weapons; it is evident that many are missing.

9. Three wooden, weapons practice dummies; well made.

10. A butcher’s diagram of an elf hangs from the wall of this food preparation area.

11. A small chest filled with polished stones. 10% chance of minor magic.

12. Five raised stone slabs; half finished flesh golems lay upon three.

13. A large crate with five well known paintings, stolen decades ago.

14. A bundled collection of 5 dungeon maps. One is a level of the current dungeon.

15. A swarm of crawling insects, devouring corpses.

16. A single gold piece lies in the center of this otherwise empty appearing room.

17. 3 orcs, in chairs, throats slit. A valuable deck of cards is spread upon the table.

18. The fresh corpse of a warrior, finger pointing to a word written in blood.

19. Huge spikes nail a dwarf to a stone wall.

20. Several pages of an adventurer’s journal strewn about the room.

21. Dilapidated furniture with 100 copper pieces stuffed within.

22. A little broken doll lays amongst more trash. 20% chance it is Cursed.

23. A well crafted bone flute and sheet music, resting upon a table.

24. A ghost sits at a table, offering to deal from a Magical Deck of Cards.

25. A set of wooden, well crafted, polyhedral dice.

26. A small shrine to an unknown god features a donation box.

27. A room filled with trash. Searching will be fruitless and noisy.

28. A lavatory with several marble toilet seats.

29. A pile of skulls.

30. A door, drawn in chalk, by a talented hand.

31. A double sided swivel mirror, inset in black wood with diabolical carvings.

32.  A severed head rests in a basket. It will answer three questions.

33. A pile of vomit with a finger floating therein.

34. A wooden harlequin mask, well painted, adorns the wall.

35. A small bookshelf, filled with nonfiction by an unknown author.

36. A goblin, eviscerated; a holy symbol of a lawful human deity, desecrated nearby.

37. A torture chamber, the iron maiden still has an occupant.

38. Notes in a wizard’s laboratory detail a working formula for Lichdom.

39. The charred corpse of a Hag lies inside a wooden oven.

40. A halfling lies cooked upon a large silver serving platter.

41. A children’s storybook, with hand painted art; the vellum is of human skin.

42. A fresh haggis lies upon a table.

43. A toy wand; the etched command word works on a real one hidden elsewhere.

44. A water clock, recently filled.

45. A statue of Asmodeus, life sized, made of stone. The eyes seem to follow.

46. The room is filled with gears & springs, functioning as an impractical timepiece.

47. The entire room is made of flesh.

48. Thin, metal wires, criss-cross the room.

49. The room is full of dead, bloated rats'; puddles of water and feces.

50. The bodies of 5 dead adventurers, looted. A few useful items.

51. The burned remains of 3 trolls.

52. A half eaten war-dog, his armor lies strewn about.

53. Tribal insignia adorns the abandoned hall of the Orc Chieftan.

54. Books are stacked from floor to celing; 10% chance of finding a spellbook.

55. A dead goblin, propped against a wall. A red bullseye is painted upon his shirt.

56. Shelves filled with containers. 30% chance of useful Material Components.

57. The walls display one huge mural, depicting a model of the Planes.

58. A forgotten armory.

59. A weapons forge. The anvils are covered in strange symbols.

60. Pillows, divans, a small wading pool. The scent of perfume and fresh blood.

61. Multi-colored lights fill this room, they rush toward anyone entering.

62. A small collection of bestiaries.

63. The floor is arrayed with painted wooden toys of monsters and adventurers.

64. Kegs and bottles of alcoholic beverages.

65. The stone floor is pitted and gouged by large claw-marks.

66. The water fountain depicts an elven maiden, washing herself.

67. As above, but she is screaming.

68. A large, ornate book, rests upon an alter.

69. Three barrels of fresh water.

70. A hobgoblin lies strapped to a table. A collection of instruments nearby.

71. A single black rose, laying upon a red handkerchief. Necromantic magic.

72. The room is sprayed with blood and gore; the headless corpse lays near a bell.

73. The Iron statue of the King speaks when approached, alerting all monsters.

74. The remains of a young red dragon draws scavengers to the room.

75. The Wizard has become a bit deranged from long sequestration in the dungeon.

76. Upon the door is a sentence drawn from an unholy source. It awaits completion.

77. Two large heavy bowls, one for water, the other for food, rests upon the floor.

78. A Maproom. Brittle parchment, faded and adorned with strange symbols.

79. The inhabitant of this area has set up a taxidermy workroom.

80. A Devil face is painted upon the floor. It looks hungry.

81. The columns are painted with scenes of skeletons, dancing.

82. As you approach the door, the boars head mounted thereon demands blood.

83. A sick, nausea inducing swirl of color assails you when you walk into the room.

84. An elf, head removed & resting in the hands of the idol, giggles insanely.

85. The Magical Mouth licks its lips and offers secrets in return for live food.

86. The lone goblin quakes in fear, and offers to show you a secret.

87. A grinning orc, eyes insanely bright, approaches as he slashes his own throat.

88. The above is actually a ghost; you see him periodically as you traverse the level.

89. The remains of a torchbearer have been unceremoniously abandoned.

90. The Imp who leads the Goblins of the Shattered Horn, has a proposition.

91. The corridor is filled with razor sharp glass. Extra shiny, as if covered in oil.

92. A Horn, 6 feet long, supported by a wooden frame, in the center of the room.

93. As the door is opened, the rats all stop and turn as one, staring, very still.

94. The Cleric wandering the dungeon seems a bit off, but his story seems plausible.

95.  The little fish pond is nasty and smells of rotted meat.

96. Several of the 100’s of cockroaches fly toward the door when it is opened.

97. The walls of the corridor seem to quiver, the color of the bricks begins to run.

98. 7 kobolds, armed with crossbows, are desperately trying to kill a toad.

99. The room has trash, old benches and a nude human female talking to a skull.

100. An old wizened dwarf stumbles about the dungeon; seeking death in combat.

Knockspell # 3 is Out - And a Few Odds & Ends

I am really digging Peter Mullen's art!

Just in case any of these ramblings might be construed as a review, no one has asked, bribed, paid, coerced, or otherwise enticed me to write any of the following. I purchased pdf’s of all three Knockspells over the past week from Black Blade Publishing. Go thou, and do likewise! The PDF’s are $4.00 each. A saddle stiched print version of # 3 is available for $10. I had trouble using Google Chrome to download from Black Blade, so, I pulled up Explorer (ugh!) and it worked just fine. I didn’t check Firefox, as I haven’t yet reloaded it after having to reformat my laptop a couple of weeks ago.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably very familiar with the Old School blogoverse and the more famous denizens thereof. So, you’re already well aquainted with the writings of many of the contributors and already know if Knockspell is up your alley or not. It’s up mine and I’ll be purchasing future issues.

That reminds me, Philotomy's OD&D Musings site has disappeared. Fortunately,  a version of his oft quoted essay, “The Dungeon as Mythic Underworld” appears in Knockspell # 2.

My links section is shaping up nicely. I’m trying to provide the best, content rich collection of links I can, serving as a truly useful resource for my readers, as well as myself. If you know of anything that should be listed, please leave a comment. Recent additions include The Motherload of Greyhawk maps, The Motherload of Mystara maps, and The Isomage's House, which doesn’t have a whole lot of content, but, does feature a very nice color hexmap that will please fans of Joel Rosenberg’s The Guardians of the Flame series. Also, Jason Vey has produced a Hyborian Age OD&D Supplement, which can be downloaded in pdf form at his Classic Edition Fantasy Resources site. I haven’t read it yet, but, it looks quite nice and is formatted in the style of the old TSR publications. Thank you, Mr. Vey.

And a very special thanks to the folks who have added me to their blogroll.