@Volume 16

Number I
NEWSZINE lssue 124
Mary Shelley
ffiffiffiffiffimffi#mm*ffitrwffi
TSR,Inc. 9 A Few of Our Favorite Things
More GameMastertips from our crack(ed)designersand editors.
Dr. Victor Frankenstein
Scott Douglas 10 Making the Terror Live
Judginghorror scenarios:It doesn'thaveto be a horror story.
HenrvClerval
Rob6rt Wiese 12 Modern Minions of Cthulhu
Urban legends,huh? Old wives'tales,huh? Make a sanityroll.
The Villagers
Dave Conant 15 The Land of Vecna
Terry Craig You read it here first. Vecnareturns in this domain excerptfrom the upcoming
RevlNtorr' hardback.
Isor
,efl Qulck 18 Victorian Knights
New kits for Masqueof the Red Death (official for LrvINcDeAru"l).

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More very fine letters this month from what kind of things do you take to a find a playeror three[o havea game
old-timers and young-timers. The let- tourney/convention?Do I takepre- with. S1dlv.it usedto be like that with
ters keep pouring in! Keep'em coming! made charactersor what?If so,how do I the RPG hobby aswell. Back in the early
know they're acceptable?Thanks. days(I've beenat this since1977),you
To PorvuplRoN' Newszine: could alwaysfind other playersfor the
I've been a subscriberfor several Tust\,11
Stahl main RPGsof the day ("Wanna play
yearsnow and the magazineis a hit and Goilfrey,IL D&D', or Traveller?").Nowadaysit's not
miss for me. asI'm sureit is for most so simple.
readers.After all, I know that no matter Sometimes I thinkwe forget that Eventhe (dareI saymost?)popular
how hard you try, you can only please there are non-congoers out there. Cons AD&D gamehas its own problems.
most of the peoplesomeof the time. are easy.fust show up! With th; number of publilhed AD&D
Sinceyou're asking for feedbackon Bring your dice, bring some money, worlds now available(including many
what we'd like from the Newszine,I'd and GO. You sign up for time slots (or Oh! So Lovingly Dropped by TSR),just
like to seeForgottenDeities and Elmin- try and get a few togetherto play a ses-^
ster'sEverwinking Eyemoveabout to sion or two of Al-Q,totr,l',SpelLIRvveR-
other worldssuchasGnevuRwK', or D&D-it's nearly impossible (your
DnecoNreNcE, MYSTARA', own classifiedssection would seemto
LeNr<gueR, and even BTRTHRIGHT', confirm this...).If the most popular sys-
PTaNESCAIE, and Dem SuN' tems haveproblems getting players,
(although the latter three

itiatlve
have their own line of sup-
port).
TheFoncorrrN
REALMS'is a wonderful
place,but with somuch
coveragein DnecoN' mag-
azine and its own line, it does where doesthat leavesmaller gaming
not needfurther additionsin companies (anyonefor CastleFalken-
this magazine'sfine pages. stein?Millenium's End?GURPS
In addition, I'd like to seemore Celtic Mlth?).
reprinted material from older issues, coto Is part ofthe problem the huge
oiperhaps a solid BestOf, in the tradi- learningcurverequiredto get into many
tion of old Bestof DRacoNmagazines. of thesesettings? If a player(or more
For myself, I would prefer to see specifically,the GM ) is goingto make
genericadventuresusing no statsuntil the effort to purchase, learnand run
the end, at which point severalgame somesessions with a new game,he'sgot
systemscould be coveredat once (i.e. "slots") in gamesyou want to play. Dif- to be surethat he'sgoingto havesome
GURPS,Hero, Rolemaster,Runequest, ferent gamesare offered at different olavers.So,is sheqoinqto takea risk or
AD&D', etc.) times,io you haveto figure out what is shegoingto pla| it sife and possibly
I'd alsolike to seemore gaming you wantio play and wlen. Almost all miss out on anbpportunity for a whole
tournaments hand vou characters new gamingexperience? The moneY
related material that can be placed in
into a campaign with a little work. This when you sit down at the table. Slots only stretchesso far...
includesthings like new monsters'mag- run for 4 hours, and ifyou havert't fin- OK, fellow RPGA members,hereare
ical items,spells,psionics,kits, classes, ished the tournament by then, every- the issuesthat I'd like to put up for dis-
NPCs,cities,and local and unique bodv iust stops.lf vou havedowntime cussion.Are theretoo many RPGson
things like artifactsor specialbeasties. betweengu-"s you might want to visit the market?Is there room for more?
seminars,go to the dealersroom' or How doesa smallgamingcompanylast
Yours truly, maybe even eat. loneer than a few weeksin this fickle
JoeG. Kushner There's tons more to know, but the maiket? Is there a solution to player
Chicago,IL best way to learn is to use the conven- availability?I'd love to hear other opin-
tion contact information here in the ions in the letterspage.
Forgolten Deitiesison the move, Newszine to write a con for details, and
then show up and play! Good luck! LeeSheppard
evenaiwe speak.Look for GnaYHnwr ' WesternAustralia
deities in the near future' and more fun
and surprisesin the far future. It'sgreatto seethe letterspageback
Actually )oe, you ask for an interest- in Pot-vueonoN, and in particular,some Lee is possibly our onlY Western
ing mix... more TSR world-sp,ecific healthydebategoingon for a change.I Australiair me-b".; and coincidentally
information in our regular columns, think ihat it'seisentJal for a continuing an assistant editor for Australia's own
and more generic information in other forum to be availableto RPGA"mem- eaming magazine,Au straI ian Realms.
places.What doeseveryoneelsethink bers, and it looks llke YourInitiative is ih"v*1t" kind enough to sendme
about that? Which is more useful for turning out to be an excellentstarting copiet, and it getsmy-big stamPo'
you, and at what percentagewould you point. Here'sa pet concernof mY own approval as a nifty magazine'TheY
like to seethe mix? 50/50?20/80?t00/0? for other membersto consider. evenproduce their own role-playing
To me, one of the reasonsfor the settings (sorta baclavards from how it
Dear Sirs: ohenomenalsuccess of the CCG market normally happens).
I have never attended any big tour- (and Magic: The Speculatingin particu- So,Lee o6viously has a vestedinter-
naments or conventions.I enjoy playing lar) is perhapsnot just its collectability est in making sure this RPG thing
AD&D and Shadowrun,but am willing or playability, but its availability.Walk sticks around. I mean, not that the rest
to try any t hingnew.M y q u e s ti o ni s , into any gaming shop and you'll always of us don't.

lssue 124 # 3
..r':Dbar,8.PGA: time. Does this really expand my hori- establishingsuch campaignswithin the
',:,$lgatding the recent desirefor feedback zons? Network? I would be interestedin helo-
'6if"PorvuspRoNand the LryrNG'"cam- You can try to createan "against i ng to establ i sh
C hi l l or C al l of Ct hulhu
::,,:p4r-gns... type" character,but it's difficult to stand campaignsif there would be a following
Tle recentissuesofPoTvHEDRoN by the choicewithout a group of regular for such (I lack the exoerienceor famil-
,:,:.httebeen much more interesting than gamersto call you on it. A final person- iarity with the other systemsto make
thosgI haveseenin the past.Perhapsil ality gripe: peopletend to be a bit obses- this offer there, though I'd be interested
'''"Was'thesnazzycolors, or perhapsthe sivewith their characters'treasure(to in playing in most of these!);anyone
w ri ti n gim pr ov ed,or pe rh a p si t w a sth e the detriment of personality).An exam- wanting to discussthis can e-mail me,
' ple:one group had two fighters,neither or you canjust pesterHQ until they will
clever/ibsequious co-menis by the edi-
...!e..f-,,r,Inany case, it was better. ofwhom I could describe, exceptby discussit.
-r:rr::':"Iitgeneral, I believethat the LrvINc their +X weapons.
cdmpaignsaresomewhat... lacking.I'm To condensethe aboveand distill a Yours truly,
not sureexactlywhat they lack,but T conclusion: CharlesBrown
.':':wt:ll'outlinewhat I seeas the pros and I am, in general,unsatisfiedwith the IGiveIn@aol.com
cons.Firsl-it's excitingto try and LtvtNc formats, as they stealfocus away
,:,,,:deveftlp a characterfrom convention to from characters,histories,personalities
' convention-to seethe growth and to and emotions.They then placethe focus RPGA Network:
'::r(36m€w ) simulate the at home gam- on acquisitionof experience,accumula- I really hope you can make all those
ing experience. In general,peoplewill tion of magicalitems and wealth,and changesyou professedto wish in issue
pldy the personality/character/class that encouragedoggedlycompletingthe sce- 120.I've beentempted to cancelmy
iom.s most naturallyto them,so there nario in the time allotted. membership lately as the genericarticles
is potentialfor some'reallyFunroleplay- This is, of course,coloredby my Ilke The Living Galaxy dried up and dis-
,,,,,i*g.1tr! can be exciting to try and advance experiencesand all my humble opinion. appeared,and issuel2l was almost
your character'sstatusin RevPNs completely LIVINGJUNGLE. I agree
BLUFr'"',thelargestcampaign setting in TasonRer.rrolds whole-heartedly with what you said
,. the known world (I doubt any home repoldj@river. it. gviu. edu about how this is the RPGA and not the
.ca mp aiqns hav elhe s am en u m b e ro f TSRPGA.
piuyirriho"gh of courseT may under- Obsequious comments?Well, ifyou say You wanted input, I've got a fel-
,,.,:,,g.!{S4te some extraordinary GMs). so, Mr. Reynolds, sir... ideas.
'Thatiaid,
I won't feel asbadly when I I ). Open it up. Ask for articles,features
,,,,,,9,q!-l,lqe the problems..., DearMembers: on all gamesin a big noticeablel'ar-. Do
' ''While Issue122of PorvupoRoNcausedme somespecificcompetitionsfor other
it's nice to simulatethe at
.,,,,home gaming experience,there are sev- to think of a few thines that I felt should gamessystems to attractinterest.
,,.eral ljoints where RevpxsBrurr (and be broueht to the attintion of the Net- 2). Kick RPGA UK/Europe up the back-
'r::,,gthgi'settings)
fail to do so. work, oi the subjectof Ongoing Tour- side, OR give them the ability to do their
,:,j:,, First, a typical campaignhas ionti- nament Campaigns. own PoryunoRott.
nuity of playersand events.A typical First of all, the "big ones"that the 3). Get someEuropeanmaterialfor
. Ltvtrucweekendgoessomethinglike RPGA sponsors(LIvtNc Crtv'"',LrvtNc someEuropeanstylebackgroundsin
this: Adventure l: Trek throueh the Dteru'', Lrvruc JuNGrE",Threads of TSR games.L,tNrcumR,RevsNrort'. and
snow bound wastesto foil thiplotting Legend,Virtual Seattle)arenot the only Red Death could all benefit from a real
of an evil sorceress;Adventure 2: With a onesout there.GameBase7, a Chicago old-world feel.
completely different set of adventurers, basedNetwork Club (formerlyknowi 4). Giveout player/judge pointsin com-
recovera holy dwarven stone.Villains asMGM, Grand Gaming Association)is petitionsand article submissionsasrrell.
(typically the foils which prompt intense currently running the Sparkscampaign, Bestwishes,hope the changescome
role playing) do not lastlonger than a using West End Games'rules for Star through.
single scenario.The charactersrarely Wars: The RoleplayingGame, and is
have past experienceswith eachother, consideringstartingsimilar gamesin JamesDesboroueh
so old rivalries, family feuds,Iost rela- PteNescllt, Champions, and Middle Grim@postmort.demon.co.
ik
tives, and other plot and drama EarthRoleplaying. I wantedto bring
spurring devicesrarely come into play. this up to inform other groupsof these
What remains?The treasure.Yes, campaignsand to seeif other clubsare
your charactermay not develop any sponsoringsimilar gamesof their own;
lasting bonds with a trusty group of like if you aren't, it might be worth consid-
minded individuals,but s/hecan cer- ering. I've had a greatdealoffun run-
tainly amassbunches of magical stuff. ning and writing scenariosfor Sparks.
Moving from the material to the The other point that I wantedto
immaterial,we arrive at personality. mention is thii: giventhe popularity of
One of the bestthings about tourna- theseLIvINc gamesand the apparent
ment gamingis the elementof surprise. p o p u l a ri tyof horror games,i t seems garie. However, many
You sit at the table and confidently cry, odd (to me) that the only horror game receive are for AD&D.
"l 'l l ta ket heeli, "onlyt o d i s c o v eirh a I in this list is the RPGA LrvtNc Dnaru. no problem with
he's a swarthy,unshaven,grumpy There are many other fine Horror RPGs
dwarf-like elf. Pregeneratedcharacters out there (Call of Cthulhu, Chill, \A4rat-
can shakeyou out of your mold, bump ever Palladium is calling their offering
you from your rut, etc. currently,Bureau13:Stalkingthe Night
Given the opportunity, I will play the Fantastic,Night Life, It Camefrom the
semi-pious,cynicalhuman with the dry Late,Late,LateShow WhisperingVault,
senseof humor and a big maceevery etc.).Would therebe any interestin

q # povhedron
) Our club changedits
NEWScen
wereheld. The proceeds
name from "O.R.E." (which from the gamesand salesof
stood for the Organization of sandwiches(donated bv
RoleplayingEnthusiasts, Subwav)and soft drinks
which is kind of lame, so we raised$:s0 for charity.
decidedto make the E Ori g i n a l J yth, e mi ni a-
changeat every convention, tures battle was the only
so we've been Elvises,EIe- scheduledevent,but some
phants,Echinoderms,Ernie, individuals who played role-
and many, many more) to playing gamesatihe store
"Dead Last." decidedthey wanted to help
We picked the name raise money and devel-
becausewe want to oped the event.
hear awards Rick Mar-
announcers tin and Sean
say,'And in fohnson wrote
first place... an interesting
Dead Last!" one round
Its also what AD&D tour- S a ra hDe t lin qo f t h e A me ric a nCa n c e rS o c i e t yh o l d s
we want to nament.The S c o t t ' sp o n v t S ilf o r Do n B in g let o c h o p o f f . M b m b e r s
be (the last authors and
Mike Simko
roinedwith'Oonto raise$635 to chopoff the offending
ones dead. hank (readScott'scon reviewp9.29).
Primitive sur- actedasjudges.
vival instinct!). The module ) Following are the 1996 Highest AveragePoints ]udge
We almost Zinvolved a plot to GnNCoN'game fair RPGA Elizabeth Patterson
changedthe name to -! murder a local official Pinnacle Event Winners: Network Club Event
"peanut butter and flumph," who was making trouble for West End GamesChampion lst place-Company of
#hi.h Ir onlv funnv if: the thievesguild. My table TobyWolff Framed Adventurers
1. you're from the northeast accomplishedits mission, FASAGamesChampion Eric Gershik
and know what marshmal- but I was the only PC alive at |effHughes KilimAltman
low fluffisl the conclusion. I spoketo the LryrNc IuNcrs- Champion WilliamMcCaig
2. you'veeverhad a fluffer- author about submitting the CindyHemedinger Eric Friedlander
nutter sandwich,which is eventfor Network sanction- Lryruc DEerH" Champion AndrewColeman
made of peanut butter and iirg, but he plans to try to sell Dan DonnellY feffBerg
llutt: it to DUNGEoNmagazine. Top Network Player: 2nd place-Sexton Everett
'
3. you hate flumphs. The RPGA Network pro- Scott Dulac Reuben Kinder
'Luckily vided prizesfor winners. AD&D FeatureTop Iudge loeZelmer
for our dignity,
common sensewon out over Membership applications RockyLange KoreyKennedY
amusedsatire. and samplePorvsponoN AD&D SpecialTop Judge fefferyKennedy
Other than that, our club issueswere on display to Laurie Fox Jonathon Woodard
has done diddley. attract new RPGA members. MastersTop Judge Chris DaoghertY
Severalindividuals even DavidKelman 3rd place-The Grevbeards
' Ti,rylanke
-Kevin Kulo expressed interestin joining. GrandmastersTop iudge
Massachusetts& Rhode StoreownerDaveHarris DrewCaldwell JasonDavies
Island Co-RegionalDirector coordinated the eventsand AD&D Open Top Iudge Tonia Lopez-Fresquer
orovidedsuDport.Dave has |ean GraY Weston Peterson
alreadybegunplanningfor West End GamesTop Iudge feffProuty
1997,andhopesto raiseat FloydWesel ' Rick Brill
) Gamersat Book World
bookstorein Fairborn, Ohio least$500at next year's FASA GamesTop Iudge
donatedtheir time and event. Wes Nicholson
money to help fight Muscu- LryrNc CIrv Top fudge
lar Dvstrophv over the Labor -Ed Gibson Dave Schnur
Dav#eekend.An AD&D Ohio RegionalDirector Top Network fudge:
tournament and a Warham- Tonv Davidson
mer 40K miniaturesbattle

Donesomethingworthcrowingabout?Had to eat somecrow?Go seethe Crowsequel with

your RPGAclub?\X/riteabout it! lf it's Networkrelated(andstayssafelywithintheTSRcodeof
sendit in, and we'll print it herein the new NE\ilScene.
ethics),
lssue 124 W 5
Tfre
i ; ; { u*,ou''it l'l i ;
l' ii
by Ed Greenwood
amedfor the adventurerwho
foundedit (afamouspirate and
soldierof fortune), Hawkgarth
waslongknown ns "the Woodof
Mony Monsters,"Die-hard hunters camehere by the
scoreto battle the last giant owlbears,giant stags,
greaterperytons,and other rare and deadlypredators.
The monstersdwelt herebecauseof an earliermage,Histokle Rireetha(saidto be a
refuseefrom Netheril who survivesin Hawksarth, as a demi-lich). Histokle assem-
bled"themto serveasguardiansfor his lloatiig manor.He broughtdeepspawn in by
the scoreto disgorgeminor beaststo feedhis monsters,and keepthem around.

Il.au.kgarth Today
.:i"= aregign of cherryand applefarms, wood-
' Jo.{ay,t1av;te;;tj;;dHalkSarlf
bnCwindiry lanesalo"ngthe sorlthernbank of the River Scelptar.
i .lots,
. Hawkgarth s giqve is a gla-ssybarrow, almost all of.the woods and the
^;;;;;;;**i";;,;ia-riirt".r.t.;r
:,.1:,.,.
. "" manorhouseis an open-roofed,
':..,. .
ru;nr:d,sh.ell that floatsaboutfifty feetabovea bog.
-;:.r,,.-,,- jr
:::::r:i-'f: '-. . 'l'ho
f'he rnaribr
;.rt t.tit- mc-.iAr attracts adventurers^-,1
.++r..t..1.'--+,,.-." and sages.Its Fadingmagics brinS
..--. Tr. f.;i-- *-^i-. L

ili;r j'tl',;;,i.;-:
'.': . forth phantom imagesof those who cait spellsther6 an ageago,
r:: il:l
i,.;.,.,,,.q;.i",.:. ,",,. and beingsbrought forth-by Histokle'sarts.Suchsilentvisions
: ...j'..: ::.."{:.:" '
. . are ndmerousby moonlight.
..;. ,.U1+f..:l:,.". ''....", Many adventurersbrave the ruined manor when the
:, ;;:;;-,X#l::",.11.
'. rr.:" ::Si::...., ... moon
"ffi is high becausethe entrance to Histokle's hidden
i:-oon-sate:"
".. r...'"'nr,
" - i;;;p';J ;ffi ,il;;il ; amagicai
i :' :.- ""ji'r
,_i ',:,,'.
:ttliii;*:*;,ili
=
. po.rtal
portal that
rnat is
l S only V l S l D l e (and
Onl y visible (an(l operable)
OperaD l e, when
Wnen moon-
I
i' .lii
:*at' !:..-'
:!'':!..- -- .

t . .:' .'

,-:'rll",-"--... Histokle's Manor

.'--
."- ' :,."
.- : j:.:'.:
' .: j.: {
,'... Histokle's
H i c tnLl p'c l ai rlair
i s s eiis
d saidfnhee
to be a llabyrinth
ahr r r i nth rooms
of nnm
nfr qthr that con-
- :-:. ' , - :"-'- tain severalguardianmonsters(cloakers,bone nagas,living
..:.
*-".
':'.: :'.-..';:;.1;j' walls,
''".' +;,.; wall.s.and monsterzombiesarelikely); treasrrre(the pillars
likelv): treasure nillars are
..
:. ,:r.,
.1,;,, ,..::'.-$ to hide wands,new and strangepotions, and spellbooksin
,,"a-ici
' :l:;:1::-,.:;._ -*.fl';.-sforageniches);a largemetal automatonwhich maybe the
''$li:l*ii: ;l*t,1.;,:' iuUt.a"M ighty Servan"t of Leuk-o, though lacking'triitten
._,"
,:alh$i:;r;ri;if{}ii':::.. instructions); an enchantedthrone said to randomly augment an
" "-ability
iti +::..;" of any being who daressit upon i
rfi!i:'''' *at.hf,tliy abovelt-ihe demi-lich himself.
:*1" :, ' ' l-he Jlas.onmany powerful magesseekout the manor is not (pri-
'" : marily)
to gain its treasurehowever,but to survive an hour on Histokle's
th4one,keepiirgthe demi-lich at bay by giving interesting answersto Histokle's ques-
tior:sabqut the Realms.The lonely undead mage obviously retains far more aware-
nessaiid sanity than most liches who have degeneratedto his "floating skull" state,

e & r.oyhedron
 and can carryon long conversations,
appreciate jokesand well-toldanec-
dbies,and'exhiUitcuriosityand even
enw. He is cuite willins to hearalterna-
tive'informaijonofferei by an intruding
mage instead of "I don't know," so long
as it is interesting.
The ability augmentation of the
throne apparently occurs instantly upon
posterioi-to-seatcontact,but doesn't
manifest until the being sleepsand then
awakens.However,mageswho remain
alive on the throne for a continuous
hour gain immediate, detailed knowl-
edseof all magicalitemsand artifacts
thiy wearor citty. No hiddenpoweror
unawakenedability is omitted, and
every command word or procedure is
impressedinto the sitter's memory.
\A/herethe throne came from, and
who gaveit this power,aremysl.eries. "extra spell" is a single-usesummoning (today little more than a dry creekbed)
There arepersistentrumors that the of one of Histokle'sguardianbeasts, againstthe invaders,slayingoversixty
typicallva sarqoyleor beholder-kin.The kniehts beforedusk. \A/hren he then
divine hand of Oghma himself had
something to do with it. Others insist it s;rdian *'ill i.ifot- evensuicidalacts thrJatenedto call up the dead to fight
was Azuth, or Mystra and Oghma ior the casterwithout hesitation). with him, thev fled.
together,or that it is the lastsurviving One suchmagewasthe sorceress His knighis found Hawkgarth hours
minifestationof the greatpowerthat Harathraleeof Calimport, who agreed r. leanins
later, aeainstone rail
agai one
leaning agatnst ofthe
rall oI tne
oncebelongedto Savrasthe All-Seeing. to provide Histokle with a child of her bridge, swoid i-n hand and white as a
Given the fate of the last few priests who own birthing for him to raise as an heir. qhost-stone dead.His blood lay in a
examined the throne, it seemslikely that If the demi-llch's plan proceeds,he will i ool aroundhj m. One of th em Put on
its genesiswill remain a mystery. one day givehis knowledgemind-to-. ihe King's armor, and the rest mounted
'sometimes-as mind to his heir,and passinto eternal a guard around him. As the invaders
when those'oPenlY
ourportineto be priestsvisit-Histokle sleep. mide one cautious foray in the new day,
heliihts iridestroyingvisitors'and on thev sawthe Kins standingon the
othJr occasions he selmsmerelyto want Hawkgarth'-sDeath brif se with t*ot'dt a[ aroi-rndhim, and
to talk. Wherever his lair really is, tele- Aftei foundinghis town, Hawkgarth decited to seekeasierlandsto rule.
battled continually to prevent its capture The spot is still known asthe Ghost
,orf spellswill safelytakeintrudersback believethat loyal
tut of it to Faer0n,but dimensiondoor by greedy local tyrants seekingto best Bridee.Hawkgarthans
and passwallspellsthat breachthe the old soldier. subiictswho i,ere born in the realmcan
"walis"causevorticesoiwild magicthat In his final, most memorable clash, recel ve guiidance there.IftheY
oance rnere. go to
l l tl lc y gu tu the
tIr

naked(removingall items Hawkearthhimselfslaughtered a dozen bridee5v niohr

bridge humblv offer
nieht and humbly offer tnelr
offer their
thei
strip casters iis sald
it Is
King, rt saidtney will sei
will
theywlll s
see
wouldlbe "successors," #d died of the r*o."dto
sword
sword the
thirins,
to the Klng,
to an unknown place)and whirl them
wounds he took hewing down the forces thephantomof Hawkgarth*^"-Ytglll
off to a random destinati6n in the
of the thirteenth. in hit,a plute armor, swo"rdin hand-and
Realms,often badly injured. , 1 c :-l---^

or After his bodyguard was ambushed hear him whisper words of wisdom
A few mageshaveso imPressed
and killed, Hawkglrth alone held a cov- before he fadesawaY.
befriended Hlstokle that he gavethem
ered bridee over the River Mauraurin Hawkgarth'sbarrow-tomb is said to
spells,as a "boon" in their minds (this
hold treai.rre, a cursed,floating
lonqsword, the Aershivar Blackblade.
A5ner f r(errr(errrloer ttre The-Blackbladecan be taken bY the
adventurerwho defeatsits watch-ghost
Bord(er I3,e a,lrns- -$Ire euardian,but must soonbe returnedto
i"tsrestingplace,or it will emit new
Urdagus Malawree shoststdattack its wielder,and find its
r"r(ere-rleep in tI-re lla,rru-k- 5wn way back to hovering aboveHawk-
adventurer
-- of Nimpeth sarth's casket.
a5rtfi--ir-o(Dcls lrefor(e I " O.t" account say'sthat the Blackblade
doesno damageto undead, but strikes
sDemns in The Rum Duck tavern the livins ar+t rc hit, for 2d8 (S or M-
^ alisr f>( clrr (e red (D lr r ( D( Dr f l:
sized)o{zdtz (L-sized)slicingand
Yearof the Turret chillinedamage.Oncea daYil can
riazLrr--der tra,d- loe(Dn deliverl shrewdstrike(a +5 attack,
4dl2 damage),and can defend its
w earerw i th-spelturni
l ng(onem agical
r(eIDl eloed tolr Zl' Sll(DH attackonl%turned l00o/oeitherbackat
the sourceor any other target of the
(Drrlous- t$Irtr a,'t (ilt5for-4 wielder'schoosing).
- - Those travelerswho find such tales
too fanciful can avoid the Floating
Irl[f-]le)z|jlrrr troru.td f finrl outg
ls s u e r 2 4 W7
ShadowBog and the stone doors graven
with a crown transfixed on a sword,
leading into Hawkgarth Hill.

Government and Citizenry

SettlementsiriHawkgarth are few;
everything is spreadout. Most travelers
eventually find their ways to one or both
of two crossroads:Ingletar, at the west
end of the realm; and Ambrees, at the
eastend.
Ingletar offers a horse pond; a black-
smith ("Orlag Harlagus,Shoes&
Froes"); The Firefly.Down Inn
(Good/Moderate); Three SheavesTower,
a shrine to Chauntea:and a farm market
that gathersonce a tenday,where travel-
ers can buy all the waresHawkgarth
produces,and more (from traveling
wagon-merchants).
Ambreesis home to falagar the becamemore wily. Before attacking they ernment: all landowners in Hawkgarth
\{4reelwright, famous for his quality often scout out travelersfor several nominate and vote for eldersamong
wagon wheels;the Old Pipe And Pearls stops along the road. As always,travelers them to be Speakers.To be so named, a
inn (Excellent/Moderate);and the cozy' are cautioned to hide finery and keep candidatemust get a thousand votes,
superior Laughing Unicorn tavern, boasting to a minimum to avoid out ofa population ofnot quite four
which is known for the dancing, glow- unwanted attention. It should be noted thousand voting farmers.
ing white unicornillusionthat appears though, that not all Hawkgarthan farm- Speakerspropose laws and policies
brieflyeverymidnight (thanksto a spell erswill stick a blade in a throat when for the land in.pithy speechesat semi-
castlong ago by aHarper sorceress,to night falls. annual Moots held atop Hawkgarth's
give a sign to a friend she could not wait All of this creeping about after dark Hill. Thev call for votes.and the Senior
longer for). The Unicorn is a favorite of can make Hawkgarth a busy place for Speaker(currently a frail, long-bearded
many traveling minstrels of Faertrn,and lovers seekingseclusion,tramps seeking man, Ammanas "Hawk" Halauklyn) tal-
there'seven a ballad about the welcom- a quiet haystackto sleepin, and travel- liesall closecounts.Law enforcementis
ing sight of its window candlesat the ers on foot cutting acrosscountry. Many handled by the Garthammus family and
end ofa long and dangerousride. farmers haveguard dogswho growl and by the Striking Hawks, a band of locals
That song'snot all that fanciful, evenbay,but not bark. They approach (all LN hm F4sor F3s) who dwell near
either. The one thing that Hawkg'arth and spring silently, giving tongue only Wrinkled Hill. FaelraeGarthammus
can boast for its farmers is that some of after striking. The spell known as Dar- crafted a spell that allows both she and
them are accomplishedbrigands. They vo'sDancing Dogs is saidto havebeen her husband to hear the ten words that
commonly lean down from overhanging borne from that warrior-mage's desire follow the utterance of their names
tree-boughsto slicestrapsand lift away to enjoy an uninterrupted haystack (with the identitv and location of the
baggage,or even cut a horse awayfrom slumber one summer night in deepest speaker)whenever any Speakersays
a team when the coachmanis asleep. Hawkgarth. either of their nameswithin the borders
In somecases,coachesor wagons The reputation of Histokle's manor of Hawkgarth. This magic also allows
have crashedinto ravines or treesafter has led some folk to think Hawkearth Ilden and Faelraeto hear eachother in
brigands removed the coachman.The has no living magesof note-a tiirtuk , similar circumstances,and extendsto
injured or dead occupantshavebeen of course.At the very heart of the realm, Athkalon Blavkin. the leader of the
dealt with at leisureby the cutpurses, atop Wrinkled Hill, standsa modest cot- Striking Hawks.
who are then free to loot the goods or tagethat is home to Ilden Garthammus Most local legendsconcern the "ter-
even right the wagon again and drive it and his wife Faelrae,who settledhere rible hauntedfloating manor" ("I've
off to a remote barn for stripping. after finding Lapiliiya too crowded for seenthe bodies of dead adventurers
falling from it!") or the
ghost of Hawkgarth
striding from his
tomb to right
wrongs.Day-to-day
Hawkgarthan rumors
There'seven an old Hawkgarthan their liking. (both CG Wl6s) They are center on the latest dark plot of nearby
tale about one brigand band doing this, actually weredragons,turning into silver rulers who want (again) to conquer
and then being attackedby a second wvrms when they feel the need. Hawkgarth. The rumors are basedon
'
band who mistook them for merchants. That need usually comeseither when previousattemptsby variouspetty
So few survived this clashin the dark- awizard decidesthat Hawkearth looks rulers in the Border Kingdoms to seize
ness.that onlv two men were left to take ripe for domination, or when an adven- this region of "unprotected" farmland.
the wagon home, pulled by a single turing band, mercenary company,or Elminster hinted that many smaller
horse-whereupon they were, of course, neighboring ruler decidesthat Hawk- talesoftreasureand secrets awaitthe
ambushedby a third cutpurse band. garth needsa new form of government. patiently inquisitive visitor to pastoral
In recent years,traveling mageshave Hawkgarthans are quite content (as Hawkgarth.
evenedthe scorewith some of the more the Garthammus family forcibly point Don't get trampled in the rush, now
notorious brigands-but the survivors out) with their presentsystemof gov- U
e p eolylredron
 A ew0
oitr foCrorite it is a game.And don t take awaytheir drinks all night long-
by Monte Cook
it's not fun to be thirsty all night.

At the '96 Gnv Colf GameFair, someof TSR'sfinest gaming Never Give Them What ThevExpect
minds sat as thepanel of a seminar: "What'sa DM to Do?" Our If thev think the house is hauntbd, d6n t tet them seethe
own ScottDouglas,who was volunteeredto be one of those ghost uniil they're sure it isn't haunted. If they suspectMr. X is
minds, showedme the handout the seminarattendeesweregiven. ihe murderer, don't let them find incriminatiirg evidence
Weall know good article ideaswhen theyfall on us.For thoseof pointine to him until they'redefendinghis innocence.Let
you who didn't get a chanceto attend the seminar (or takecopi- th"* .o"ttrirr.e themselvei of the wron-gbelief through their
ous notes),hereis the secondinstallment by PLeNnscetf setting own investigation. (Don't do it every time, though. No one
designer,Monte Cook. likesto be wrong all the time.)

Bring it Back to Haunt Them

Use Your Environment Soine of the best adventuresdon't come from a rnodule or a
While everyoneknows that there'sa big differencebetween
the player and the character,you can use the environment of
the player to enhancethe playing ofthe character.Ifyou want
to surprise the characters,surprise the playersby jumping at
them or yelling suddenly.If it's night, turn down the lights. If
they're dying of thirst on Athas, take awaytheir sodas(or
whateverthey drink at the game). If they're at a feast,pull out
some munchies.
Sometimessubtle changeswork just aswell-and they'll
never know they're being manipu-
lated. For example,if they go to
a strange,new place that
should feel different

l*t"**:t
;:,"r'l##L Lbo$
ew room -fi b0
alvv
t tnut
,.n o D'
$6w ,C
sron-a makesthe PC seemlike a real part of it
room you've becausehe doesthings that havelong-term
never gamed in. Don't effects.
tell them why. This works
well in long-running cam- '
paignsbecausethey'll feel ln comingmonths,we
a little ill-at-ease(in a good plan on collectingusefulDM
way) and they lose that pros.
hintsfromindustry
comfortable, j ust-another- But what about youT
gaming-night feeling, What areyour ideasabout how
which will carry over into to DM?We don't need a whole
their feelingsabout what's just sendYourbesttiPS
article,
going on in the game and tricksto:
(whether they realizeit or
not). "FavoriteThings"
Don't do the samething c/o RPGA
over and over,though Z0l Sheridan Rd.
Springs
becausethey'll get used to it LakeGeneva,Wl 53147
and it will lose its ef[ect,and tr
fssue 124 W g
 iarize yourself with the rules aheadof judgestelegraphwhen a monsteris
byGarytubt""qu" time, the lessyou will have to worry about to attack the party by their
about them at the table and the more actions and tone of voice. There might
Did the RPGA'coordinator of a con- time you will have to play. be nothing behind the kitchen door, but
vention ever convinceyou to judge a don't let your playersknow that. Learn
new systembecausehe neededjudges? Atmosphere Is Everything to act as if the monster is lurkins behind
Muyb. you wanted to try judging that At the table,you must buildlhe every door, in every closet.
systemin the first place?\A4renyou mood of the tournament.RPGsdo not Never tell the playersthe name of a
finally receivedthe tournament (per- havethe luxury ofvisual specialeffects monster. If they knoiv it is just a pack of
haps at the convention) did you wonder Iike horror movies.Your presentationof giant rats, they will not be nearly as
what you got yourself into? For many, the tournament and the players'imagi- scaredas theywould be if you described
this becomesa nerve-rackinssituation. nations are all you haveto work with. it to them. Make your descriptions
\A/hileI cannotadviseyo-uon some Changeyour voice according to the situ- sound sinisterand dangerous:talk
systems,I have spent time running and ation: yell, scream,shout, or whisper (if aboul the rat'sred elow:ineeyesstarine
writing many of the RPGA-sanctioned possible).Usesound effectsto your at them in the dark]ress. Iiyou trearari
horror systems:Call of Cthulhu, Chill, advantage.Find something that squeaks encounterwith giantrats the sameway
RavnNLoFT',and LrvtNc Dperu'" like a door; practicepounding the table you do when thiy meet the pack of jaik-
(althoughthe latter is not considered so that it soundslike the T-rex from alweres, your group will be jusr assiared
strictly a horror campaign).In this arti- TurassicPark. in both encounters.
cle, I offer tips on how to make tourna- Alter your paceas the encounter
ments a little scarier. merits. Go slowly at first to build ten- Keep PlayersOffBalance
sion. When a monsterjumps out at the Playersshould not feel as if they are
Preparation PCs,speedthings up. Make the players i n controlof thesi tuati onbecause'
Preparation is extremely important, decidetheir acti-ons'quickJy; their char- uncertaintyaddsto the atmosphere.
no ma tte rwhats y s t emy o u a reru n n i n g . actershaveonly a little time to respond. There are severaltricks you can use
You are sunk beforeyou begin ifyou do If you do not give playerstime to think oc,casionally to undermineplayers'con-
not readthe module in advance.This is clearly,they will react emotionally and fidence.Have them roll d20swithout
especiallytrue for horror tournaments, you will have a better chanceof scaring telling them why for no reasonexceptto
where it matters as much how things are tnem. unnerve them. Note their rolls, andlell
done aswhat is done.You haveto know Modifl,your environment,if you them that nothingseemsto havehap-
where the scary parts are and how to can. Play at night, dim the lights, and penedyet.lf playirsreallyneedto make
presentthem most effectively.I usually light the room using candlesor oil a roll during play,do not tell rhemwhar
read boxed text aloud to myself iust to lamps.Playominous background they arerollingagainst.Keeptrackof
getthe feelof how it sounds,to seewhal music. This is usuallynot possibledur- players'hitpointsyourselfand only
parts I should emphasizefor the most ing a convention, but works well at describetheir injuries to them. Roll dice
dramatic results,and to smooth out any home. If you are lucky enough to get a and act as ifyou are taking notes;I keep
roughspots.Somejudgesplay-testtoui- room to yourselvesat a convention, go a larged6 around just forihis pntpo...
namentsaheadof time with their gam- for it! Createuncertainty in your descriplions
ing groups. by using words like "se"-s" and 'tyet."
Familiarizeyourselfwith spellsor Subtlety Is Important Say,"The room seemsempty."with the
specialrules usedin the tournament. Good horror is subtle; try not to give empnaslson seems.
Nothing breaksthe mood during play anything awayaheadof time. Some Confirm actionsduring tensesitua-
more than the judge spending

:1ii.';::1r"."f::[-"",:#i
0oodhorror[s subtl0,,
, Thet0rnightbenothing
1o p Polyhedron
 tions. Ifthey saythey are going to open them feel at home at your table and thrown dead comradesthrough a gate
the cellar door, repeatwhat they just encouragesthem to participateand ask to hide them from the police.Teenage
saidasa question:"You'regoingto open questions.Encourage role-playingby charactershaveborrowed a parent's car
the cellardoor?" Sound doubtful, asif role-playingevensmallencounters, let- and driven severalhours to Miskatonic
you are trying to makesuretheyare ting quiet playersfind something inter- UniversityLibrary just to look some-
reallydoing this. Make it seemthat you esting,askingeveryonewhat theyare mlng up.
aretrying to coveryourselfsothat no doin[, etc.Tf,e more playersbecome Elpectthe unexPected. Be readYto
one can complainafterthe monsterrips involved in the character,the easierit is ,.rpond to what your playerschooie to
them apart. This works every time if you to scarethem. Besides,anyonewho sits do no matter how outrageous.If there is
do it the sameway no matter what is back and doesnot participate takesaway nothine in the tournament that covers
behind the door. Playerscannot help from everyoneelse'sfun aswell astheir their clioice, make something up consis-
but wonder why you are asking and start own. tent with the module. Rememberthat
worrylng. Your attitude towards the PCs the playersdo not know what is suP-
Do anything you can to get a reac- should be entirely different. PCs die or posedto.happen.ReactasifYou
tion. Thkethem asideor passnotes to are driven mad-it's an unavoidablefact expectedtheir actionsall along'
tell them informationoniy they would of horror RPGs.Do your bestto keeP
know. Physicallyseparatethem from the the PCs alive early in the round because Do not worry if all of this seemsa
group if theygo off on theirown. Bang it's no fun to die in the first hour or so, little daunting.The most important
5n the table'oithrow things.Blowa but do not feelbadly ifeveryonedies thing is that everyone,including you'
whistle at the table if your tournament near the end. It doesnot matter whether has iun. fudging any systemwell takes
is setin London and someoneis calling the groupdefeatsthe menaceor not. practice. Listen to your players'com-
the police. Active judging makesfor The'ultimategoal is for everyoneto have ments and learn asyou go. If You
entertalnrng play. a good time. endeavorto make horror scenariosa lit-
tle scarier,it will pay off. The best com-
BecomeAttached to the Players Be PreparedFor Anything pl i mentyou canhavei s a grouPo[
Not PCs Most horror scenarios do not chan- players.who areafraidto.get on the ele-
Strike a rapport with your playersif nel PCsinto one courseof action,but vatoraloneat the end ofthe evening
you can. Talk to them asyou are getting allow playersto be inventive in dealing becauseof the tournament you just ran
ready to start. Find out if anyoneis new with the horror. In my yearsof judging
to the game,and take time to explain horror RPGs,I have found playerscan
the systemyou are playing. This makes be VERY inventive. Charactershave

, btttdon'tlet tlourpid.lcrs
n door
Dehindtbeftitche that,
ftn00,
lssu e 1z4V 11
 OFTTHUTH
ffiIIIIONS
MOOERIT
PAfrAilORfrIAL OfTHE
MEATURES IIIYTHOS
Anyone reading Forteanliterature (named after CharlesHoy Fort, who collecteda massive
number of reportsconcerningthings and eventsmodern sciencecould not explain)will soon
learn that manybizarcecreatureshavebeenreportedby saneand crediblewitnesses.Since
Call of Cthulhu (CoC) hashad a Forteantimeline in its rules at leastas far back asthe Third
Edition (the lastboxedset),it seemsonly right that we translatesomeof thesebeastsinto CoC
stats,weavingthem into the Mythos asbestwe can.
by Gregory Detwiler
Armor: The mannegishi has a 3 point hide.

t|Atu|IE0lsHl Spells: Mannegishi with a POW of 14 or more generallyknow

at least 1D6 spells.Such spellsare tlpically related to under-
LesserIndependentRace
ground life, such as the contacting of underground racesor
Most often reported in easternCanadaand New England.(of . deities. Call Nyogtha, Clutch of Nyogtha, Contact Chthonian,
course),within emphasison Massachusetts, the mannegishiis Contact Flying Polyp, Contact FormlessSpawn of Tsathhog-
describedin Cree Indian legendry as a small humanoid being ghua, Contact Ghoul, Contact SerpentPeople,Contact Shudde
some four feet in height, with long, spidery legs,all four of M'ell, Contact Tsathogghua,Dampen Light, Deflect Harm,
which end in six-fingered hands that literally mold themselves FleshWard, Hands of Colubra, and Shrivelling are all popular
around ary.thing the creaturegrasps,a short, thin neck, and a spellsamong the mannegishi.
watermelon-sizedand -shapedhead equal in sizeto its body.
The headitself hasno nose,mouth, or ears,only a pair of Sanity: It costs 1D8 SAN to behold a mannegishi, but this
large, glassy,round, and lidless eyeswhich may changecolor drops to 1 point if a successfulSAN roll is made.
from orange to green.Its skin has the sandpapertexture of a
shark's skin, and is of a peachlikecolor.
According to the Crel, thesebeingshide between rocks in
the rapids, and only live to play jokes on travelers.As one may
imagine, however,the "jokes" may sometimesturn fatal. The
last recordedsightingstook placein April of L977,with the
being called the "Dover Demon" becauseof the Massachusetts
town it appearednear.
The mannegishi may be summoned, but few do so, and
fewer still return from the summonings. Their penchant for
strangling those they catch alone ( 1D6 damageper round;
takesa successfulSTR roll to break free) and their own use of
magicmake such summoningsa hazardousbusiness.(Note: In
the STR listings, the number to the right of the slashis for the
handsalone,which are specializedfor strangling.)

MANNEGISHI, Spindly-limbed Humanoids

Characteristics Rolls Averages
STR ID6I4D6 4l14
CON 2D6 7
SIZ 1D6 3
INT 3D6 11
POW 4D6 t4
DEX 5D6 18

M ove:6
Hit Points: 5
Average Damage Bonus: none

Weapon:
Hand ID6+STR
roll to escape

12 V Polyhedron
MOTHfrTAIT
LesserServitorRace

The mothman is distantly reiated to the nightgaunts, but with

severalstriking differences.A gray,hulking, humanoid crea-
ture up to 10(FM) in height,it has a pair of enormouswings
with a 10(FM) spaninsteadof arms.Evenmore startlingis the
fact that it has no head, nor any facial features at all savefor a
large pair ofglowing red eyesset in the creature'sshoulders.It
flies silently, without flapping its wings; the only sound it has
everbeenheardto make is a loud Eeeep!,likethe squeakingof
an enormousmouse.
In combat, the mothman employs a telekinetic effect simi-
lar to that ofthe lloieor. Becauseit has no physical attacks
beyond a rather inefrectualbeating of wings,however, its
telekinesisis far more efficient. \Vhereverit is, the mothman
can createa telekinetic effect with a STR of I for every magic
point it investsin the effort. The rangeofthis effectis 30 yards.
Giventhe largeamount of magic points the averagemothman
has,this makestheserelatively fragile (for M1'thosmonsters)
creaturesformidableopponentsindeed.
Thesebeingscan be found all over the world, but the most
infamous saveof sightingstook placein the community of
Point Pleasant,WestVirginia, in 1966-67.Inthe companyof
UFOs, they hauntedthe region for 15 months, in a reign of
terror that endedon December15,1967.On that day,the Sil-
ver Bridge, part of a major traffic artery befiveenWest Virginia
and Ohio, collapsedinto a KanawhaRiver during a major rush
hour. Thirty-eight bodieswererecovered;severalother people
wound up missingand presumeddead.The day before,wit-
nesseshas observedseveralmen in checkeredshirts climbing
all over the framework of the bridge. (Strangemen in check- ram, a rat's tail, long, slender,batlike wings, a long, ratlike tail,
ered shirts are frequently reported in occult literature.) and four hoofed feet, with the front legs shorter than the rear
Cultists?M1'thosmonsters in human guise?\Aho knows? ones.The creaturealsohas a rough, scalyhide. Its cry is a com-
bination of whistle and squawk,startingon a high and piercing
MOTHMAN, HeadlessWinged Creature note, and ending in a low, hoarsetone. Contrary to someleg-
ends,it doesnoibreathe flames,but it doeshavean acidicspit-
Characteristics Rolls Averages tle that burns like fire when it comesin contact with flesh
STR 2D6 7 (ranqeof five yards).
CON 2D6 7 A'ssomeonewho makesa successfulCthulhu Mythos roll
SIZ 4D6 t4 upon seeingthe creaturefor the first time will realize,the Jer-
INT 3D6 l1 se Devil b6longsto a speciesakin to that of the shantaks.
POW 4D6 t4 Afthoueh these"beasts can be summonedand employedas
DEX 4D6 l4 mounti, they arenot aspopular among occu]tistsasthe shan-
taksthemselvesfor someunkno*n reason.If a JerseyDevil is
Move:6124flying encounteredby the investigators,it will mo-stlikely be a wild
Hit Points:11 specimenroaminqfree.More common by far in Earth's
AverageDamageBonus:-lD4 Dreamlandsthanln the waking world, lerseyDevils arefound
in both realmsin regionsof thick forest.
Weapon:
Wing Beat 25o/o ID4-TD4 JERSEYDEVIL, Flying Horned Monster
Armor: A mothman has a 2 Point hide. Characteristics Rolls Averages
STR 4D6 t4
CON 3D6 1l
Spells: No regular spellsare known by any mothman, but with
the species'telekineticpowers,such arenot necessary. SIZ 4D6 14
INT 1D6 4
Sanig: It costs1Dl0 SAN to seea mothman, though a suc- POW 1D6 4
cessfulSAN roll reducesthis to 1D4. DEX 3D6+3 74

Move:8/i6 flying
Hit Points:13
(lesser
OEUIL
,EfrSEY shantah) AverageDamageBonus:*1D6
LesserServitorRace
Weapon:
The lersevDevil is a wingedmonsterthat hashauntedNew Bite 30o/a 1D6
Iers.yani the Philadelph'ia areajust overthe borderin Penn- Spittle 55o/o 2D6
sylvaniaas far back as 1735at least.It has a horse'storso with a
long, thin neck, a dragonlike head with the curled horns of a Armor:4 point hide. In addition, any electrical attack upon a

ls s u e 1 2 4 W 1 3
lessershantakwill automatically dispel its substancefor two
hours. After that time, howeter, its physical body will reform.

Spells:A lessorshantakknowsno spells.

Sanity:Anyonewho seesa lessershantakloses1D6pointsof

SAN unless he makes a successful SAN roll, in which case the
lossis 0 points.

TBI.POUIIICER
Race
Independent
Lesser
This creaturefirst made itself known to the world on April 25'
1973,outsidethe home of Henry McDaniel of Enfield,Illinois'
Latein the evening,he hearda scratchingnoiseoutsidehis
door, opened it, and sawthe-thing. It was betweenfour and a
half and five feet in height, had three legs in a tripodal arrange-
ment. a r:airof short aims prottudingfrom the chestarea(like
d i n o s a u r),a n d ,o fF s e tti ni gts g ra yski n,a
th o seo f a c ar niv or ous
pair of pink eyesas large as flashlights.When McDaniel shot it,
h. ,ur ho obuiousinju'ry(he only had a .22automaticpistol),
but the creaturehissedlike a wildcatand leapedaway,covering
25(FM) per bound. The tracksof two of its six-toedfeetwere
4(IM) around,while the third wasonly three and one-quarter
inches.
Mvthos scholarstheorize that this creature comesfrom
some universewhere the vertebrateshave five limbs instead of
four asa common standard.Either that, or the odd-tracked
"les" in the tripod setwas reallya modified tail. Somethink
the"yare related to either the nightgaunts or-because of their
large eyes-the byakhee.Reports of thesecreaturesare scarce'
buithdy can appirently show up in any environment.

TRI-POUNCER, Three-leggedLeaping Thing Weapon:

Characteristics Rolls Averages Bite 30o/o 1D4+1
STR sD6 18 Claw 20o/o 1D4+1D4
CON 3D6 1l Kick 35o/o 1D6+3+1D4
SIZ 4D6 t4
INT 1D6 4 Armor: 4 point hide
POW 1D6 4
DEX 5D6 1B Spells:Tri-pouncersknow no spells.

Move:18 Sanity: It costslD12 points of SAN to seea tri-pouncer,or

Hit Points:13 ID4lf a successful SAN roll is made.
AverageDamageBonus:*1D4 tr

REFERENCE
Bord, Janet& Colin; Alien Animals;1980;StackpoleBooks.TheBords covera wide varietyof paranormalanimalsin separatechapters,including
Bigfoot,seaserpents,phantom catsand dogs,and winged monsterssuch as-Mothmanand the ferseyDevil. In addition to CoC, Beyondthe
Supernatural and Rifta players asweil will be intrigued by discussionof ley lines.

Clark, Jerome& Coleman, Loren;Creaturesof the Outer Edga 1978;Warner Books. Clark and Coleman have their own theories of what "alien
animals" are all about, and although they do not mention seaserpentslike the Bords do, they have expandedcoverageof Bigfoot-t1pe monsters
(the tri-pouncer is included in ChapterThree) aerialmonsterssuch asMothman, and the first book coverageof the "Dover Demon" ol man-
negishi. Later on, Clark and Coleman apparently put out either a book of further researchor the old book under a new title, rn Creaturesof the
Goblin Universe,which I haven't seen.

Coleman, Loren;MysteriousAmerica and Curious Encounters;19B3and 1985,respectively;both books by Faber and Faber.Coleman coversboth
monsterssuch asthe mannegishiand |erseyDevil (in MysteriousAmerica)and all sortsof other weird phenomenaand apparitions.In Chapter
18 of MysteriousAmericahe coversthe "Mad Gasserof Mattoon", which was actuallyfeaturedin this year'sGEtrCorv'GameFair Chill, 2nd. Edi-
tlon event.

Keel,JohnA.; TheMothman Prophecies;1975 (SaturdayReviewPress);1976(Signet,first paperbackprinting); i99i (IllumiNet Press;available

from AdventuresUnlimited, 303 Main St.,P.O. Box74, Kempton, lL 60946).This is r/reclassicaccountof Mothman's reign of terror, told by
the paranormal investigator who coveredit. BesidesMothman itself, th-estory coversUFOs, psychic phenomena, myste,rious"people', and just
plain nuts in abundance.Any refereein any horror gamewho wants a fertile source of ideasfor unusual encounters and eventsto hit his players
with needlook no further than this book.

14 I Polylredron
 VecnaLives!In

Hardback
New DomainsFromthe RnvrNtort@
by William W. Connors into theselands, especiallythose drawn At the easternedgeof this domain,
from the Citv of Grevhawk and the wherethe jaggedslopesof the Burning
world of Oeith, should realizethat the Peaksrise like shark'steeth from the
The Burnine Peaks lanquag,e and customsof thesefolk are Ashen Waste,life is fust as unwelcome.
The newest"ofRavenloft'sClusters lost"inihe historyof theirsupposed In addition to the deadlypropertiesof
appearedfully formedfrom the Mists, homeworld. Nowhere on Oerth does the AshenWastes,thesevolcanicmoun-
beendrawn from the world of
t"tu,ri.tn anvone speakor understand the lan- tains are marked by streamsof highly
Greyhawk.Despiteits recentcreation, guageoftavitius or Tovag. acidic water, flowing lava, frequent
moit inhabitarits of the Demiplane have tremors, avalanches,and other natural
heardof the dreadfulmastersof this Cavitius perils, which make the battles held there
realm:Vecnathe lich-god and his neme- The land: The tortured land of Cavi- evenmore danqerous.
sis.Kas the Destroyer. tius is the westernmost of the two The onlv ciiv in this realm is the
The paireddomainsof the Burning realms that make up the Burning Peaks skull-shapedCitadel Cavitius. Within
Peaksarecloselytied despitetheir great Cluster. Cavitius is roughly crescent this gloomy,sombercity dwell nearly
differences.It is difficult to imagine a shaped,borderedon the eastbYthe ten t'housand men and women.
lesshospitableland than that of Cavi- mountajn rangethat givesthis clusterits Althoueh an occasionaldemihuman
tius, the realm of Vecna,the lich-god. name. On all other sides,Cavitiusis finds his way into this abode of the
His is a regionof volcanicashand per- bordered by the swirling Mists of damned, only humans are native to this
petualtwilightthat leechesthe life from Ravenloft. domain.
Nieht doesnot exist in Cavitius-or Threeflasstoneroadsreachacross
its inhabitaitsas it crushestheir spirits.
On the other sideof the Burning Peaks perhais thereis no day.It can be diffi- the Ashen il'astes, wind their waY
cult to tell, Forthe skv is a uniform dark throughpasses in the BurningSlopes'
lies the domain of Tovag.In this tem-
grayin color,and the enlire realmexists and emeigejn the domainof Tovag.As
Derateland, life-and even some slight
i-na perpetualstaleof twilight.The vast theseleavEthe Citadel, they are well
ineasureof hope-exists, despitethe
mai6ritv of this realmis a seemingly constructed and maintained, but over
tyrannical nature of the dreadful over-
endlessdesertof ashspewedfrom the the courseoftheir transit, they gradu-
lord who rulesit.
The mastersof thesetwo realms volcanoesofthe Burning Peaks.These ally becomemore and more worn and
hated eachother in life and carried over emissionsgive the sky its somber, br6ken. By the time theY reach the
passes, the white stonesturn brown,
this enmity into their undeath. Each ' -Knowncolor.
oppressrve
havinqbeen stainedwith the blood of
constantly strugglesto gain power over as the AshenWastes, the
the other, determined to slay an enemy desertsof Cavitius are anathemato all untold thousandswho have died there.
that lives.Any living crearurewho trav- Imoortantl6 thosewho travelon these
who alwaysremains hidden on the other
sideofthe Burning Peaks. elstherebeginsto d-ie.No healingof .oadr a.. piotectedfrom the life drain-
iniuries or other ailmentsis possible ine effectsof the AshenWastes. A single
Culturally, the people in both realms
appearto sharecommon roots. This is within the Ashen Wastes,eventhrough stip off of them, howevebwill begin to
l eans.Onl y w i thi n l he w al l sof
m a e i c am kill the traveler.
hiidly surprisingsincethey weredrawn
who come thetitadel Cavitius'can the wounded Cultural leveL Medieval.
from the sime Iand.Travelers
hope to be restoredto health.In addi-
tion, eachhour that a living creature
spendsoutsideofthe Citadelreduces
h1m by I Hit Die or level. A creature
who falls to zero Hit Dice instantly
becomesa desertzombie under the con-
trol ofVecna (seethe RavrNrorr
MoNsrnous CorapsNltul\4'Appendix
III).
 The folk Thepeopleof this domain priestsof Vecna(who are not suitable lurkers beneath the sand that most peo-
all live within the confines of Citadel for use asplayercharacters). In addi- pleherespeak
of.These never
undead
Cavitius. They are a desolatefolk, tion, there are no demihuman nativesin leavethe confines of Vecna'sdomain.
devoid of hope and most emotion. this grim land. Becausethis land has no distinct day
Althoueh they are free-willed,most The oppressivenature of life here or night, most creaturescan be encoun-
haveha? their spirits broken and obey causesa reduction of4 points from the tered at any time.
without question any order given them Charisma scoreof any native Cavitian. Further reading: The demigod Vecna
by Vecnaor one of his minions. Every- Their exposureto the energy draining is featured in the GnsyFrrwK'Adventures
one in this city is a follower of the effectsof the Ashen Wastes,however, module VecnaLives!(TSR#9309).The
Maimed Lord. To be otherwise is to has qiven them a resistanceto wounds artifacts bearing his name (the hand and
invite torture and death. and'injurieswhich; thus, they use 12- eveof Vecna) aswell as the sword of Kas
The law: Vecnamaintains order sided Hit Dice rather than the tradi- are presentedin The Book of Artifacts
throuehthe agentsof his faith.out- tional l0-sided Hit Dice of the fighter (TS R#2138).
siderslhowevir,havedifficulty d istin- class.
euishinebetweenthe Churchof the Personalities of note: Vecna'schief Tovag
Vvhispeied One and a crushing,tyranni- lieutenants area pair of highly unusual Thi land: This domainis the smaller
cal secretpolice. g o l e ms(i f that i s i ndeedw hat theyare). of two regions which make up the Burn-
Althoueh Vecnafearsno mortal, he bne is composedwholly of eyestorn ing PeaksCluster.Like its sisterdomain,
is not fooliih enough to take chances. from the socketsof criminals, spiesland Civitius, it was pulled from the planet
This is especially true in light of his traitors, and the other is fashioned from Oerth, home of the famed City of Grey-
unexpected imprisonment.As such,the hands cut from the arms of thieves, hawk. Tovaglies pinned betweenthe
use of masic within Citadel Cavitius is assassins, and charlatans.Known as "the churning Mists and the jaggedBurning
punishabliby death.The only exception Eve"and "the Hand,"thesesinistercrea- Peaks.Much of the land is coveredwith
io this law,of course,arepriestswho tures are highly intelligent and unswerv- light forestsofscrub pinesand other
draw their power from worship of the ingly loyal to their master. plants hardy enough to survive in the
Maimed God himself. Encounters: Those traveling within sulfur-rich soil.
The closestthing to a constabulary the Citadel Cavitius will have the nor- The overlord of Tovag,the vampire Kas,
in Cavitius are the Fingersof Vecna. mal sortsof encountersone might asso- dwells in a sreatfortress that standsin
This group of enforcersis technically ciatewith alarge city. Life in Citadel the norther:n half of the domain. In the
part of the Church of the \{hispered Cavitius is particularly brutal, however, south lies the denselypackedcity ofTor
One, though they act more like an orga- with the strong taking what they will. Gurak and the expansesof farms that
nized collection of thugs and bullies. Outside the ciry the Ashen Wastes supply grain and bther crops to the
Native plaver characters:Characters are thick with desertzombies.Other inhabitants.
from Cavitius may be only fighters. No typesofunintelligent undeadarenot A number of well-constructedflag-
other classesare found here, exceptfor uncommon, but it is theseso-called stone highwaysrun acrossthe country-
 Daggers,are constantly bv' his class,not the normal 90% limit.
searchingfor traitors, Personalities ofnote: Apart from
spies,and criminals.To the brutal Kas,the most noteworthy
be sure,the daggersare individuals in this domain are Tejenthe
an efficient group. They Grim and Vocar the Obedient. Tejen is
havethe Dowerto sen- the master of Kas'sstatepolice and acts
tence and executecrimi- as the overlord's right hand in all mili-
nals on the spot. Little tary matters.Tejen,a l5th-levelAvenger,
matters like evidence hasswornto seethe lord of Cavitius
and actual guilt are sel- destroyedbecause ofwrongs doneto hjs
dom as important in the familv bv followersof the Maimed God.
meting ouf of justice. Kas afpieciates the loyalty ofTejen but
Indeed. travelersin Tor remembersall too well that he held a
Gorak are far more similar position before turning against
likely to run afoul of the Vecnaso long ago.
so-cilled law than any Vocarthe Obedientis a 16th-level
criminal. priest of Vecnawho headsa small,secret
Native player charac- ihurch devoted to the worship of the
ters: All allowable char- ChainedGod. The activitiesof this
acterracesand classes in church range from recruiting new mem-
Ravenloft (other than bersto acti ngasan i nsurgentguer r illa
the Vistani and half-Vis- forcethat strlkesagainstihe in"terests of
tani racesand the gypsy Kas wheneverpossible.Vocar is the
class)are availablehere. most wanted man in all of Tovag,and
Due to the accelerated the Daggerssearchconstantly for him.
aging causedby this Encounters: In Tor Gorak, the most
domain, native player dangerousencounter is likely to be
charactershave actually only lived half members of the Daggerschargedwith
the KarsicanWay,which runs between as long as their apparent agewould indi- keepingorder.Sinceoutsidersarelikely
Tor Gorak and the FortressofKas. cate.Thus, Tovagnativesreceivea -1 to siani out againstthe backdropof
Threelesserroadsrun to the west,van- penalty to their Wisdom score.After the despairand sufferingthat marksthis
ishing through passesin the Burning characterhasbeenout of the domain realrn,they will be o-bvious targetsfor
Peaksto emergein the domain of Cavi- for a month, the aging processslowsto arrest,torture, and possiblyexecution.
tius. Despite the fine quality of these normal, though this doesnot negatethe Outside of the city, Tovagis not a
roads, they are little used. Wisdom penalty.Also, the aging penal- particularlydangerousrealm.It hasits
Cultuial level Medieval. ties (from Table 12 inthe Player'sHaruL- shareofpredators,but thesearethe
The folk The poor soulswho live in book) ocax in half the normal amount sameasthose found in any temperate
Tor Gorak accepttheir lot in silence. of time. areaof like geography.Wolves,moun-
They recognizethat theirsis a harsh Life in Tor Gorak is harsh, and those tain lions, and the occasionalviper
ma st erand s peakof t h e v a mp i reKa s who dwell under the rule of the Daggers mark the most dangerousof this land's
only in whispersand guardedtones. learn to avoid the often over vigilant anlmals.
They know too well that the creature eyesof the law. As Within the Fortressof Kas,however,
wh o rulesbey ondt he B u rn i n gPe a k si s such,anynative of thinss are sure to be different. None can
far more terriblethan their orin lord. this realm is ruitrhnt horrors might dwell there,
The inhabitantsofTovag tend to assumedto have the but few arecuri ousenought o Pon-
havevery largefamjlies.This is due ability to hide in der the questionfor long.
mostlyt6 the facLthat the overlordpays shadowslike a thief. Further reading: Kas the
a decentbounty for eachchild born. The character's Destroyer is a major PlaYerrn
Thosewho live in this domain alsoseem chanceofsuccess the adventure VecnaLives!
rate.Most reach begins at 50o/oand (TSR#9309).The sword
to aqeat an accelerated
matirrity after about nine years,allow- increasesby 2o/oper that bearshis name is fullY
inq them to be conscriptedinto Kas's level to a maximum detailedinthe Bookof
n ri .'yr oon. r t han wo u l db e p o s s i b l e of 90o/oat 20th level. Artifacts(TSR#2138).
elsewhere.Any characterswho remain Ifthe characteris a tr
in this domain for more than a month thiefby trade,he
begin to agefasteraswell. beginsplay with this
1 The law: Kasmaintainsa war-time
mentality, forcing his people to live the
base(insteadofthat
listed in the charac-
Look for the RavnNroPr
hardbackin February
I most meagerof existences in order to
free up im*portantsuppliesfor his end-
ter generationsec-
tion) and may use
19971

lesswar againstVecna.He caresnothing his discretionaryskill

for the pe6ple,seeingthem only as points to further
instrumentsin his effort to destroyhis increasethis ability
formermaster, in addition to the
Life in Tovagis dominated bY rou- 2o/oincreasereceived
tine searchesofpeople and residences, a with eachlevel.The
completelack of personalliberties,and maximum chanceof
the crushingheel of a tyrannicalpolice success for a thief
Thestatepolice,
state. knownasthe characteris dictated

fssue 124W 17
 @Kbd Dgdth
dsquc
Victorian l(nightr,fluro.t of GothicEanth
byAndrew
Hauptmann Some cowboysfind hobbies to passthe
time, suchasplaying cards,singing,or
evencomposingpoetry. Many are sim-
ith the introduc- ply bored most of the time they are out
tion of the Masque on tne range.
of the Red Death SpecialBenefits: Cowboyslead a
campaignexpan- harsh life, where the first rule of survival
sion for the is "learn fast or get out." Anyone who
RavENtorr'set- can't learn the ropes quickly and do
ting, and the their own work is not invited back for
related LtvtNc anothercattlerun. Becauseofthis bap-
DsATu" tournament campaign from the tism of fire, cowboyspick up the skills
RPGA',I'veseenmany good ideasfor they need very easily.Thus, cowboyscan
new kits that aren'talreadyrepresented buy nonweapon proficienciesfrom three
in the kits from A GuicleTo Gothic different proficiency groups at the listed
Earth. cost: General,Military, and Wilderness.
Following are four new kits inspired SpecialHindrances: Like the
by charactersthat I've seen(and cre-_ explorer/scout,the cowboy.spendslittle
ated) in recent LIVINGDEarH gamesthat tlme soclallzlng or even seemganyone
I've played and judged, and also by other than his fellow cowboys.This
archetvoesof 1890sculture and litera- Description: Cowboys are known by givesthe charactera -4 reaction adjust-
ture. Euth kit representsone ofthe four many namesthroushout the world-on ment when dealing with non-cowboys
standardMasquecharacterclasses(sol- the ranch they are Jaled wranglers, in (loyalty modifi ers are unaffected).
dier, tradesman,adept, and mystic), but Mexico vaqueros,in South America Becausethey are so vital to his work,
offers something new that cannot be gauchos-but all are easilyidentified by the cowboy must buy proficiency with
found within the scopeof the standard their working clothesand equipment. the following weaponsat first level:
charactercreation rules. Following the Standarddressincludestight denim army revolver,hunting/bowie knife, and
kits is a description of Arithmology, a trousersand chaps,high leatherboots, a lasso.The lastweaponproficiencyslot
new nonweapon proficiency designed kerchiefor bandanna,and a broad- may be spent on any weapon the cow-
for use by gnostic characters. brimmed hat or sombrero. boy desires.
Ed. note:The following kits are sanc- A cowbov'smost important assetis
tioned for use in LrvrNc DEerH tourna- his horse,which is his only reliableform Servant
ments.Eniov! oftransportation on the range.A horse
is so highly valued that a cowboy who is Class: Tiadesman
Cowboy low on water will sive it to his horse AbilityReq: Cha12
instead of drinking it himself. Standard Prime Req: Dexterity
Class: Soldier equipment includes a lasso (called a lar- Hit Dice: d6
AbilityReq: Con 13 iat in the SouthwestUnited States), Attack As: Tradesman
Prime Req: Strength knife. and army revolver.Rifles are not SaveAs: Tradesman
Hit Dice: d10 used as frequently by cowboysbecause Advance As: Tiadesman
Attack As: Soldier they,arebulkier and lesspractical than Exc Strength? No
SaveAs: Soldier revolvers. SpellAbility? No
AdvanceAs: Soldier Sadly,the Cattle Boom that drew so Exc Constitution? No
Exc Strength? No many people into the life of a cowboy Starting Cash: 3d6
Spell Ability? No had largelyendedby the mid-1880s,due Proficiencies
Exc Constitution? Yes to the growth of railroads and the clos- Weapon Slots: 3
Starting Cash: 3d6 ing of the old cattletrails. The glamour Additional Slot: 4
Proficiencies and fame cowboysonce enjoyedhas Nonprofi ciency Penalty: -3
WeaponSlots: 4 mostly faded into memory and the stuff Nonweapon Slots o
Additional Slot: 3 of old storiesand dime novels.Most Additional Slot: 3
Nonprofi ciency Penalty: a
cowboysare now ranchers,and the rest Available Categories: General,
Nonweapon Slots: 3 havefound new roads to travel, and new Professional
Additional Slot: 3 adventuresto seek. Bonus Proficiency: Etiquette
Available Categories: General, Role-Playing: The cowboy'slife is RecommendedProficiencies:
Militarv. Wilderness hard and lonely, Ieavinglittle time for Savoir-Faire,
Modern Languages,
Bonus Proficiency: Equestrian fun or socializing.As a result, cowboys ' any Professional
Recommended Profi ciencies: tend to be direct in their dealingswith
Animal Handling, Rope Use, other folk, and don't caremuch for "city
Survival, Tracking slickers"who can't hold their own.

18 p Polyhedron
 Attack As: Adept under heavenand earth, aswell as in the
SaveAs: Adept holy book. Most gnosticsfirmly believe
Advance As: Adept in the inherent edodnessof the human
Exc Strength? NO spirit, and in thE eventual triumph of
SpellAbility? As Adept s.oodoverevil.Thesegnosticsstriveto
Exc Constitution? N f,elpothersrealizetheir spiritualpoten-
Starting Cash: 2d6 tial, evenif thev follow a different reli-
Proficiencies gion or sect.
"
Weapon Slots: 2 It should be noted that somegnos-
Additional Slot: 3 tics cultivate the worship of evil entities,
Nonprofi ciency Penalty: -4 often through the writings of ancient,
Weapon Slots: 5 dead religio'ns,or active 6vil cults. Such
Additional Slot: 3 "deities" may include evil gods of dead
Available Categories: General, cultures,such asthe Egyptiangod Setor
Arcane the Norsegod Loki, or perhapsforgot-
Bonus Proficiency: Religion ten demons or otherworldly evil entities
Recommended Profi ciencies: that were old when the world was young
ForbiddenLore,Academician, and were banished from the mortal
Ancient Religion, History, planebeforerecordedhistory.Theseevil
Description: The well-groomedbut- Prognostication,Arithmology gnosticsare a forceto be reckonedwith,
ler, the attentive maid, the uniformed and make excellentNPC opponents..
coachman,the matronly lady-in-wait- SpecialBenefits: The power ofthe
ing, the obedient foreign manservant- gnostic'sfaith allowshim to castspells
all of theseimagesand more come to with greaterpotency.AJIspellcasting
mind when one thinks of thosededi- effectsare resolvedas if the casterwere
cated souls who find employment as one level hieher than his actual level.
personalservantsto society'swell-to-do Thus a 2nd]evel gnosticcastshis spells
elite. Whatever their official title or with the effectivenessof a 3rd-level
function, they all sharethe samepur- adept.This ability doesnot grant the
pose,to seeto the needsand comforts of extrl spellsavailableto a higher-level
their employer and his family. adept, only the enhancedeffectsfor
Role-Playing: Cultured, genteel, spellscast.Thus a lst-level adeptstill
prim and proper-all of thesedescribe startsplaywith only one memorized
ihe ideal servant.Mannersand protocol spel lper day (or tw o i f the a deptis a
a rethe higheso[ t v ir t u e s ,p ro mp ta n d sbeci i l i sti n a parti cul arsch ooiof
quality servicethe loftiest of goals.The magi c),but cancastthatspellwit h t he
needsof the employer(and his guests) pot"ency of a 2nd-leveladelt.
are of the highestimport, and the ser- B y spendi ngan exl rano nweaPon
vant will seeto those needs,evenif the proficiencysloion Religion,the Inostic
employerhimselfdoesnot recognize ian becomea vestedservantof his reli-
them! gion (priest,rabbi,monk, etc.).Not all
This kit works best when another PC Description: The gnostic is an adept Inosticsdo this,nor is it requiredfor
is the servant'semployer.Any character who deriveshis knowledgeof wizatdry ihe snostickit. Noneof the SpecialBen-
of noble or wealthybreedingwould do, from holy booksand textsof his reli- efitJor Hindrances of the parson kit for
though the idealPC companionwould gion. By hnding hiddenmessages and tradesmenapply, only the recognition of
be th"edandv (another kif for tradesman tecipherinecoies found betwienthe the gnosticas an authorizedrepresenta-
characters). linesof prajrers and holy scriptures,the tive"ofhis religion, capableof perform-
qnosticuncoversa potentsourceot ing the appropriateservices and rituals
SpecialBenefits: A good servant
attemptsto maintain a calm and proper iraeic. \Aftetherthe enosticfindscon- thEreof.Nbteihat this ordainmenldoes
demeinor no matter what haPPens n".iinn, betweenhii-rselfand a true not grantthe gnosti canyof t he special
around him. The unflappable character divinity cannot be proven by even the abiliiiesor benefitsof the Mysticclass.
gains a +2 bonus on all savingthrows most noted metaphysicians, but to the SpecialHindrances:Cnostics
gnosticthe spellshe receives is prool requirean original,untranslated copyof
igainst fear effects,whether magical or
non-magicalin nature.This bonus nat- 6nouehof the powerof his faith. their chosenscripture to acquire spells,
urally appliesto all Fear Checks. Tfie practiceof gnosticismis a quest written in the original languageof that
Speiial Hindrances: An unfortunate for divine truths and revelationsabout text. A translatedversion will not con-
side effect of the servant'sattitude is a the spiritual connectionsbetweendivin- tain the hidden spellcraft secrets.It is
natural aversionto objects,people,and ity, the universe,and mankind. Note assumedthat an briginal, untranslated
that the gnosticism can be applied to work is available for a starting charac-
situationsthat might be considered
improper,rude,or vulgar.This givesthe any religionwith a written text,so any ter's 1st-levelspells.Additional com-
servanta -2 penaltyon all Horror hoiv book could eachbe usedasa mentariesmust be soughtout every
Checks. ,o.r'... for gnostic study with similar time he becomeseligibleto casta new
results.The particular religion doesnot spelllevel(2nd,3rd,etc.).
Othergnos-
Gnostic matter, only the adept'sfaith in it.
Role-Playing:The gnosticis a
ti csw i l l usual l ymakethe l ocat ionof t he
reauired texts availablein return for a
Class: Adept devout follower of his particular reli- serviceor holy pilgritrageof someso-rt,
AbilityReq: Wis 14 gion, and can evenbecomea vestedpar- usuallyinvolvi;g iome fitrm of sacrifice'
Prime Req: Intelligence ion of his sect.His work is to seek fastins,and praier.Therearealsotime
Hit Dice: d4 holinessand goodnessin all things and nionetaiycostsfor the traveland

lssue 1 24# 19
 to find theseaddj-
necessary
ecuiDment Description: When the spiritualist NewArcane Proficiencv
t ionil re l i g i o u s t e x r s . T h e d e ta ils a r e le ft movement spreadthrough Gothic Earth
to the DM, but an amountnot lessthan in the late 1800s,a few wealthy,upper Arithmoloqv
(2 rr
$500and onemonth per spelllevelis crust curiosity-seekersturned this idle slots/Int/-2)
recommended, fascination inlo a full-fledged lifestyle.
Becausethe gnbstic derives his Unlike most, theseamateur dabblers Arithmology is the practice of find-
knowledge of magic from the writings into magic occasionallyfound some- ing the numerical valuesof letters,
of his own religion, spellsderived from thing more than a fake fortune-telling words, and names,and using thoseval-
other sources,including thoseof other or stiged haunting. They discoveredihe ues in magical equationsto discover
religions, are more difficult to learn. The powersof mysticismand the spirit truths about the subfect.Names,even
gnosticsuffersa -2 penaltyto all Spell- world. Thesewell-to-dodabblers,called assumednames,carry power,and
Iraft checksmadeto learn'suchspells dilettantes,achievedwhat takesmost knowing the valuesof thesenames
(other usesofthe Spellcraftproficiency mystics a lifetime to learn. Quite by grants power over the named individual.
do not incur the -2 penalty).This accident,they havediscoveredtrue In game terms, using Arithmology to
penalty doesnot apply to spellsacquired magic! find the value of a subject'sname (real
"NOTP:
when saininqa new experience level, While mystic dilettantes or given) givesthe subject a -2 pena]ty
which'areasiumed to 6e researched seemsimilar to the adept'scharlatan kit, on all savingthrows againstthe spell-
from the gnostic'sown holy books,only there are important conceptualdiffer- caster'smagic.If the true name of an
to spellsacquired from other sources encesbetweenthe two. Charlatans, outer planescreature(suchas a fiend) is
while adventuring. It is the DM's pre- looking for fancy incantations to spice known and calculated,this penalty
rogative to decidewhether a spell found up their acts,were surprised to discover becomes-4. Of course,a fiend'strue
du-ringan adventureis from a religious they could cast real magic, whereas name is a closelyguardedsecret.Its dis-
source,and if so from which religion. Dilettantes alwaysexpectedto find real covery may be as dangerousas an
magicthroughdabbling. encounter with the fiend itselfl
"Role-Phfrng:Dilettintes arethrill-
Dilettante Arithmology has two requirements
seekerswho look for new sensationsand asidefrom knowledge of the craft: mate-
Class: Mystic experiences through magicalritualsand rials and time. Materials are easily
AbilityReq: Cha12 events.They visit iny plice or eventthat acquired:paperand writing utensils,and
Prime Req: Wisdom proclaims itself to be magical in nature, p.ihnpr a'bookof tablesarid an abacus.
Hit Dice: d8 including paganrituals, seances, for- The time factor can be more prohib-
AttackAs: Mystic tune-readings,haunted sites,and any- itive. When using the Arithmology pro-
SaveAs: Mystic thing elsepossibly related to the spirit ficiency,the player must add the
Advance As: Soldier world and mysticism. \A4riletheir numerological value of the subject's
Exc Strength? No approach is eclectic,unprofessional,and name (whereA=l,B=2, etc.).The sum
Spell Ability? As Mystic haphazard,dilettantessometimes man- of the letters is the total number of
Exc Constitution? No agi to find true magic amidst the fakery rounds the calculation will take.
Starting Cash: ' 6d6 and stagemagic,and to enjoy the expe- For instance,BrNIeltrN HeRnrsoN
Proficiencies rience regardlessof its authenticity. (U.S.Presidentfrom 1889-1893) hasa
Weapon Slots: 2 SpecialBenefits: Used to dealing numericalvalue of 170 (add it up and
Additional Slot: ) with strangeand unusualpeople,the see).This translatesto 2 hours, 50 min-
Nonprofi ciency Penalty: -4 dilettante gains Savoir-Faireas a bonus utes for proficiency use.NOTE: Arry
Nonweapon Slots: nonweapon pfonclency. player mathematical error results in fail-
Additional Slot: 3 Exposureto a broad baseof mystic ure for the entire proficiency check.
Available Categories: General, practiceshas its advantages.Every other Only part of a name,or an alias,pro-
Arcane experiencelevel starting with lst, a vides appropriate negativemodifiers to
BonusProficiency: Savoir-Faire dilettante can chooseto researchtwo the proficienry check:
RecommendedProfi ciencies: spheresinstead of one. When reaching
Religion, Ancient Religion, the next level of experience,the dilet- Alias -10
ForbiddenLore tante gainsaccessto both spheres.The
charactercan studyfor minor or major One missingname 4
accessin either or both studied spheres,
but cannot gain major accessto a sphere In anv event, its user must be free
unlessminor access was gainedin the from disiractions, making Arithmology
previous experiencelevel. impossibleto usein combat.Practition-
A dilettante cannot focus studiesto ersshould discovernecessary namesand
gain both minor and major accessto the equationsbeforeconfrontingan enemy.
samespherein one level. For example,a BecauseArithmology taps into the
dilettante cannot use this benefit to gain magical energiesof the world, tainted
both minor and major accessfor the long ago by the Red Death, any use of
healing.spherein one level. He could this proficiency requires a Powers
galn mmor accessln one experrence Check. This checkis made at the end of
level, and then maior accessthe follow- the required calculation time.
ine level. Ifthe characteralsopossesses the
- SpecialHindrances: Becauseof their Prognostication profi ciency,Arithmol-
sporadic and informal studies,dilet- ogy may be usedwith numerology to
tantes take longer than the norm to divine the future. A characterwho
achievenew experiencelevels.They knows both proficienciesgainsa *2
advanceusing the soldier'sexperience bonuswhen usingPrognostication.
table rather than the mystic's. U

20 W Polyhedron
 ii

r;i stef
:

god of spring and dawn, for Ravrr.rs

ATempleof tathander, or vour own campNgn
BLuFF"'
by Bohhy Nichols the priests, and the temple'srepresenta-
HolyDays
tive on the Clerical Circle has been
Sitting atop RavensBluff's highest working to ensurethat any adventurers The mostimportantday of the year
hill, the Halls of the Morning Light hired by the city,or its representatives, in the temple'sview, is Greengrass,the
command a view of the city. It is espe- go to the Halls of Morning Light to return of spring. On this day,the tem-
cially appropriate that this is the temple receiveblessing.So far, his efforts have plesof Lathanderand Lliira join to hold
ofLathander,god ofthe spring and the met with little success. a week-longcelebration(thoughthe
dawn, as this temple faceseastwardso The church ofLathander rarely finds Lathandranpriestspresideoverthe cer-
that worshippers receivethe full glory of itself at odds with other civic temples,as emonies).this festivalis known for its
Lathander's gift eachmorning. the tenetsstate,"BecauseDawn comes uncheckedrevelry featuring minstrels,
Lathanderoccupiesa placeof promi- eachday without fail, the Morning Lord religious plays,and gamesof chance.
nence among the powers of the Civic can be relied upon to resolve any differ- Durins the summer,the Halls host
Religionbecausehe alsopresidesover encesbetween his children." There are formal hoiv davsat Midsummer and at
births, renewals,and new beginnings,all sorepoints, however.One of the biggest summer solstiie, which marks the
of which arevery dear to the citizens of standing arguments is with the Tower of beginningof summer.Thesearemore
RavensBluff. The priests take their Holy Revelry,the Lliira temple,_ower. .oi.-n diys and involvemuch liturgy
duties to the city, which are several,very who should presideover the celebration and reverence.
seriously. of the return of spring.Another long- The winter solsticeis a daYof
First, and most importantly, the standingdisagreement is maintainedby mourning for Lathander's priests.The
prieststendto the sickand dying.Death the folJwers"ofHelm, who believethai oriestsfait for a weekand ihen come
is iust a new beginning,accordingto their temple should be on the high hill, into the temple humbly dressed.This is
Lathandran teaching,so many come to sincetheir god is the patron ofvigilance. a time of renewing vows to Lathander
have their pain easedas they crossover and reflectionon his blessingin the pre-
into death.In addition, most women vious year.Priestsoften inscribescrolls
who give birth in the city are tended by with descriptionsof new eventsin their
Lathandranpriests.Expectantand lives and the names of people met in the
hopeful mothers are alwayswelcome in last year.Thesescrolls are offered to
the Halls of the Morning Light asthe Lathanderin gratitude.
blessedof Lathander.Even animals
about to givebirth areblessed(though Relarn Dayspring
not at the temple) becausemany farm- Hieh Morninsiord
ersveneratethe Morning Lord. 6f theClericalCircle
Ch]efPrelate
The church also believesthat any Human Male 13th Level Specialty Priest
new undertakingshould be blessedby Aee:50
theirgod,so theyspendtime walking H;ight:s'9"
throLighoutthe iity, bringing blessin-g., Weight:185lbs
Srn cem os t c lt r z ensoo n o t s e etn e n e e c Hair:darkbrown/graying
for every little thing they do to be Eyes:brown
blessed, they rarelyvisit the temple Morninglord RelarnDaYsPringhas
exceptfor largeundertakings, suchas beenservingashigh priest of this tem-
t he" buildinogf a h o u s e ,o r th e Hecarries
eightyears,
plefor almost
start ofg"a.long journey.Adventurersare
-n ri i n himself with confidenceand vigor,
themostnegligent,
among to
according knowing from personal experiencehow
lssue 124 @ 21
 BriefTour of
The Hallsof
Morning
Lisht

( JS M
H
\\\\\\\\
powerful Lathander'shelp can be. charms,however,unlessthey are occu- an order ofpaladins dedicatedto Lath-
-
Relarn was once an adventuring priest, pying a bed in her infirmary. Shehas no ander,but felt the call to be a more
'
but quit when he lost a hand to some irit..".tt in marriage, as sheknows she direct servantof his god. His parents
Zhentarim agents.He could havelost has been called by Lathander to this were disappointed;his decisionwent
ministry. Allara tends to be gruff and asai nstthr-ee generati ons of tr adit ion.
much more, but Lathander'sdawn came
in a burst of radiancewhich surprised quiet when peopleengage. her in conver- Tiev havenoi spokento him since.
his enemiesand allowedhis escape.He s a tro nb, ut w hencomfortl ngsomeone Vethicleft his homeland,Sembia'and
has sincehad his hand regenerated, and s h etra n sformsi nto a cari ngand outgo- adventured for severalyears.After sur-
though he no longer adventures,he still i n g w o man.W henshei s not busYw i th viving a troll ambush,he and his com-
eivesadviceto adventurerswhenever the sick,shespendstime in the private oanidnscameto the Halls of the
c h a p epl r ayi ng,and someti mes w al ks Mornine Lieht ior assistance. \&rhen
iossible. Vethiceiteftd the templefor the first
throueh the city to dispense comfort
and hialins to ihosewho will not come time, he felt he had found his home.
Allara Dawnmaiden up to the Halls. Vethic doesnot adventure any more'
FemaleGold half-elf 1OthLevel but encourages all prieststo spend-sev-
SpecialtyPriest eralvearsdolne soln preparationfor
ige:52ilooks 30) Vethic Dawnshield finding their oi'n placein Lathander's
He i sh t : s ' 4" Human Male 8th Level Cleric service.
Wei"sht:toglbs Ag e :3 5
uaii bright copper H ;i s h t:6 ' 1" Other priestsinclude Larrend Orcs-
bane (hmP5), Malloca Silvereyes (hf
Eyes:golden Wei-ght:tlOlbs.
Hair: blond P5), and SierraDawnsdaughter(hf P3).
Allara is the priest in chargeof the Eyes:clear blue They are assignedto the main sanctuary,
infirmary, and the one to whom request and'one of th?m is alwaysthere between
fo r h ealingor m idwifes e rv i c ecso me . Vethic is Relarn'sright hand, the sec- dawn and dusk. Irilica (hf P1) and
Shetakesher duties verv seriously.She ond in command of the Halls of the David Starwatcher(hm P1) are new
M o rn i n s,Li eht.H i s duti esi ncl ude iunior priests.They areassigned to
can usuallybe found in the infirmary
areadayand night, eventhoughthe assignin"g wbrk, teachingthe acolytes, i abori ousj obs,i ncl udi ngcl e aningt he
and"insu"ring that the tehple'sduiiesto holy areas.
templeis not openat night.Shehas
for neglect- the city are iraintained. Fie sits on the The temple alsosupports15 follow-
often beenchidedby Re-larn
ins her own health in the interest of her Clericil Circle when Relarn is indis- erswho servethe priests.Thesemen
palients,and this is usuallytrue. posed,and handlesall mattersthat do and women wash,cook, clean,assistin
- the infirmary, and do whatever else
Allara's exotic looks and caring atti- not require Relarn'spersonal attention.
Needlessto say,thesedutieskeephim needsto be done.
tude make her attractive to a large num- U
ber of men, both within the temple and busy from dawn to dusk.
without. Sheis oblivious to their As a young man, Vethictrained for

a
lssue 124 23
 ffi#m'pmfuffi#
#s#mmd

by RogerE. Moore
e'velookedinto thc the-
ory andpracticeof island
campaigns fo, the
AD&D' game. It's time
now to look at a variation on the theme that carries
it to an extreme:demiplanecampaigns.
Ethereal thoushts
PtANtscApEboxed set or even the origi
Long before the Ap*p 2nd Edition PtANtscAPE original
ep*p Manual of the Planesvolumecame out, a seriesof short adventuremodules
ep*p rr
for the GREvHewr'campaign introducedthe conceptof islanddemiplanes.These
il"ne initiallyl modules (EXl Dungeonland"EX2 The Land Beyondthe Magic Mirror, and WG6 Isle
ii
of the Ape) describedbizarre "partial planes" and demiplanesfloating in the Ethereal
eacha separateunlverse
Plane,eacn universewrtn
with rts
its own maglcal and physicallaws. Other planes,
magical ancl
see demiolanes.or pocketdimensions(the terminology
demiplanes, terminolosv gets
setsloosehere) appearin Ql Ol
Queenof the DemonwebPits and 34 The Lost Cavernsof Tsojcanth.
Here we should clarifrwhat we mean when we talk about a demiplane. In the
DM" OpnoN: High-Level Campaigns,pages44-45,we seethat a demiplane is a dis-
crete (finite, bounded) world floating in the EtherealPlane.A demiplane can be
quite small, under a mile across,or up to Earth sizeor larger.We can picture one as a
planetlike object surrounded by thick, multicolored ether-fog. Characterstraveling
through the EtherealPlane initially seeonly a small part of any demiplane when they
come upon it, its featuresappearing out of the denseether like an oceanicisland out
of the seamist. (The description of the EtherealPlaneis taken from A DM" Guide to
the Planes,page23, and A Player'sGuide to the Planes,page6, both from the
Pr-q.Nrscepp campaign boxed set.)A demiplane can be of any shape;those in the
l{a,.L .li , - modulesEX1, EX2, and WG6
sS?::' i seemto be flat, like the Demiplane
of Dread. (What'son their under-
r$, sides,then?)
As noted earlier,eachdemi-
plane has its own physical and
magical laws.A demiplane can be
createdartifi cially by spellcasters
or godsusing powerful magic;
most small demiplanesareproba-
bly born in this manner. The
Gnrvsewr campaign'smad
demigod,Zugyg,is notorious for

.r% creatingsuchmicro-universes,
some of which are developedand
usedby that campaign's quasi-
deities.Descriptionsof those
beingsappearin DRecoN'issue
#71 (pages19-22),module EX2
(page8), and the 1983Wonro op t u r e s in a n Eth e r e alm
l a g in e a d e m ip lane
GnEYHewr'boxedset. Plane campaign
"Created" demiplanesare almost could start off
certain to reflect particular themesor ,ifi;il.h"" where dwarven prospectors
concepts,often in complex and many- devrces to
layeredform. Particular alterationsin
certain spellsor spell-like powers hunt for gold' centaurtribes in
hfl',''fl"#,"
encounteredon such demiplanesshould demiplane.
reinforce thesethemes.The "Alice" par-
tial plane(we'llcall it a demiplane)bf
i l i # ;#war paint gallop acros s th e
boarding a ship

:l*Xt;ifl.'.tti:plains, and the deer and

EXl and EX2 is a good exampleof this,
but evenbetter is the RAVENLoFT'cam-
paign'sDemipla4eof Dread (a.k.a. PCs instead don their
Ravenloft), which is grounded in Gothic etherealarmororwhatever,, the antglOpe play.
horror. This demiplane'stheme is then fly off (fade out?) together to
greatly reinforced by its alterationsto their goal, perhapslinking arms or
spellsand local monsters. ropes"if
- lac'kinga t.n. veh'icle. hmmm. Elementsof a demiplane can be
-
The most famous demiplane other The existenceand gathering of such borrowed from almost any setting'.espe-
than Ravenloftis certainlyihe Demi- devicesbegsfor a campaign background cially an isolated island or town. Flip
planeof Shadow,which haslong been to make th-eiroresenceloelcal. Ethereal- through back issuesof DuNceONAdven-
referencedin AD&D game literature. travel devicesinigttt b. su"ppliedby an tures ind seeif something clicks, or look
For details on this demiplane, seethe organization seekingto explore the vari- at some of the worlds-appearingin
Manual of the Planes(page2l); ouidemiplanes.Foiinstance,thePCs SntttJeltutn'materials.
Dur.rcsoN'issue#35 (pages8-24,the could be membersof a kingdom'sspe- It is alsohelpful to look at other
adventure "Twilight's Last Gleaming"); cial military force fighting i plane-iross- published examples.ofdemiplanesor
DnecoN issue#213 (pages22-30,the ing army oifiends. The pCs gain their pocket dimensions (discreteworlds
items frilm a common armoiy or win attachedby magical gatesto another,
them for themselves.Their missions larger world). The Dru,coNtaNCEmod-
would be very specific:explore a demi- ules DLA1 pragon D,awn andDLS4
plane and reloit back on all activity Wld Elvesfeatureelf-inhabited po_cket
ihere; hunt for an enemy baseand dimensions,and the Kingdom of Caer
destroy it; capture war prisoners or Sidi and Labyrinth ofArachne from
recapture escapedonesl recovera stolen module Q1 are especiallyintere_sting to
item; etc. Witti a campaign like this, the study. Consider,too, thesepossibilities:
existenceand use of many ethereal- Avalon: Avalon is the magical island
travel items (which might be regardedas where King Arthur's body lies in sus-
unbalancing in any othlr campaign) is pended animation. This could be a
logicalandicceptible. demiplanepopulated by laeriegl .e.lg-
"The lish legend,perhapsw.ithwizardslike
PCsmight alsostart out asthe
assistantsor alliis of a powerful plane- Morgan le Fay ori\tlerlin in attendance.
crossingbeing, such as a quasi-deity Poseidonis: This was d1-e- alleged ..
-
name of the last island of Atlantis to fall
from thi GneiHawr .u-piistt, awizatd
from the FoRCOrrpuneerni'setting, or beneaththe waves'This could alsobe
a person or monster who turns out io be the name of a demiplane to which the
a ineddling demigod in disguise.They survivors of Atlantis fled when their
start with i home"baseon t"hePrime continent sank. Prehistoric life would
Material Plane,perhapsfrom a regular abound'-anda stran€espellcastingsys-
article "The Demiplaneof Shadow"); campaign *o.id lik Toril or OertTr. tem could confound PCs who attempt
and the Pre.Nrscepe boxed set'sA DM Eachadlenture consistsof the PCs to usemagic here'
Guide to the Planes(page23). The beinq sent into the EtherealPlane on a Gypsyland: The wayfaring Rhennee
Demiolaneof Shadowseemsto have soecialmission with the provision for folk of the GRsvnewr campaign are sup-
been ireated naturallx but its own laws the PCs to eventually estiblish their own posed to have come to the Flanaessfrom
still reflect its themes'of twilight, mys- mission plans in puisuit of a larger goal: inother world. Cot']_9they somehow be
tery, and borderlands. tfre aefetis" of a lingdom or wor'ld, ihe related to-the Aperusa of wild-
-gypsylike
establishmentof an"extraplanarsettle- spaceor the Vistani of the RwsNropr
Doors to Derniplanes *""ior fortress,or the githeringof campaign? Is therea demiplanefrom
set-uP
A DM using the PreNPscePE knowledgeand power fo1 the PCs own which thesefo-lkoriginated?
could create a variant campaign
exclusivelyin the EtherealPlane,in
based
liii*tTl:,:,t'*,'l?l;
"Y.'}ffi
guns and muleshunt-for gold, centaur
which PCsusemagicaldevices,spells, Demi-SampleS
vehicles,or psionics to navigatefrom It ir *rr.uoo.'ulitrn to think about run- iribes in war paint gallop acrossthe
one strangedemi-regionto another'A nins an'isllhd-deiriplanes campaign, plains,and the deerand the antelope
look through the four ENCYCLoPEDIA beciusethe DM's imaginationis th"e play.Firearmswork here,and magic
volumes revealsseveraltypes
M,q.clc,{." onlv limit on desiqnin;,eachminiature ir.riltttnot be very powerful.PerhJps
of etherealarmor (volume l, pages74- * o i l d . Pl . ntyof ei ci ti i g i deasappeari n Zaggor Murl ynd (one.ofth e
theDM OprtOu:High-ievetCam'paigns Cniv-u,qwK world'squasi-deities)created
75 and82), an etherealcloak (volume 1,
page301), an etherealshield(volume 3, tome, in chaptertw6. The ttttanuil of the this demiplane'
page1096),and someetherealpotions Planesmentionedsomething about a Next month: a leap into Wildspace.
dying demiplane of electromagnetism- Ll
and oil. A group ofexperiencedadven-

lssue l24 e 25
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materialI haveaccumulatedsince Animalsof NorthAmerica,and the lishthistemple,a minimumof five
1978 through1995.Forcomplete LondonSourcebook.Will pay any GEORGIA:Lookingfor 4 PlaYers (5) priestsand thirty(3o) wor-
list and prices,contact:Michael reasonableprice if in good or better nearButts County area to PlaY shipersare required.I have
Hall,8 DennySt.,Boston,MA Write:JamesRuland,
condition. DM's own campaignworld (other
acquireda suitableProPerty,but
02125. email:lancelol02@aol.com40700 Hwy 160, Mancos,CO campaignspossible).18+ Please.
needto demonstrateto the authori-
81328. 970/533-7073 Write:ThomasSingleY, 279 Sin-
ties that there is sufficientinterest.
WANTED: I would likeio Purchase gleyRd.,Jackson, GA 30233.
Donationsio defraYcost of con-
the followingAD&D Productsin WE BUYYOUR USED RPGS! 770/7753514
structionare welcome,but not nec-
usableconditionand will PaYgood GraveyardGamesbuysand sells WANTED: RPGA memberservtng essary.Pleasesend Your
name'
oricesfor them:Kara-Turthe East- used RPGs and sourcebooks.You RPGA #, characternameand class
time needshelP.I am a GM for a
ern Realmsboxedset; FR3 EmPires can also receivecredittowardsthe
purchaseof any gameswe havein group of 9 people.Becauseof lim- to: Ed Gibson 2300 El Cid Drive
of the Sands;FR8 Citiesof Mys-
our stockpile! Write: GraveYard ited accessto materials, I'm seek- Davton.OH 45431-2627
tery; and any LlvlNGCrY'" adven- etc. of
DE ing donations,PhotocoPies,
tures.Contact:Craig Greeson,807 Games,PO 5092, Wilmington, campaigns,modules,notes,etc. so
THE DRAGONS DEN currentlY
E. RudyPlace,Mattoon,lL 61938. 19808-0092email : waltonwi@ seeksnew membersfrom around
aol.com that we can continueto enjoYrole- the countryfor our RPG club!We
217123 5-2 72 2 playing.Also seekingPen Palsand
are new and wani to expand.We
GEORGIA:lam a 15-year-old new friends.Write: Brad SroufeEF-
WANTED: Old AD&D and D&D@ haveinterestin all RPGs and
gamerw/5 yearsgamingexPeri- 228262, PO 41 71C2, Hardwick,
modules.28-year-oldplayingsince CCGs. For more info,call David,
ence.I haveplayedD&D,AD&D, GA 31034 2 l 9 l 8 1 8 - 1 0 16 . l f i n t er e steidn b u y-
age 13, lookingfor old favorites:the
Giantsseries(G1-3),Shrineof and Prnnescnpe@. I liketo read Gathering ing or sellingAD&Dor Spellfire, call
FOR SALE: Magiclhe
Tamoachan(Cl), BarrierPeaks DRnoouLaucE@, Rnvenron@, and same.
I don't playas cards,the D&D basicset (1991
(S3),and JudgesGuildCamPaign FoRGorrEN RseLvs@.
ed.) and someTSR cards'All in
Aids-Verbosh,City Statesof World much as I usedto, but I want to. I CLUBINFOWANTED:I maintain
good conditionat reasonable NorthAmertcan
E m p e r o r a n d In vi n ci b l e Over lor d' need some pen pals and fellow prices.Pleasesend a long SASE theInternet-based
and otherWilderlandmodules. gamers;pleasewrite to me. Mark GamingClub List,and want to
for prices, terms, and information
Also,does anyonehavehost-cus- SaintJean,625 TrinityChurch expandour RPGA Networkinfo.
io: Sam SamPier,PO 435, Cleve-
tomizablePO softwarefor an Rd.,Canton, GA 30115-7700 The NAGCL isposted monthly to
land,UT 84518. Advancethanksto newsgroups.and echoed to AOL
AD&D-like PBM game(likeVGA ihose that write!
planets,but more comPlex)?Mail PLAYERS WANTED: Musi be andCserve. 54
covers
CurrentlY
orices 6500
Burrows,
to Derrek 18+ in the Downriver areaof WANTED: SPetnRe Chase Cards. statesand provinces,25O+ clubs.
Odessa, Wichita,KS 67226. email: Detroit,Ml. We will PlaYeverYtwo DRncouunce:3(2)-a-5-6(2)-8-1 5; Forcopyor to submitinfo:e-mail
weekson weekends.Pleasesend multigen@mult[genre.com or
twilight@elysian.net FoneorrEr REnrvs:10-13-15-16-
introductoryletteraboutyourselfto: 1 7'1 B'19-2O;Artifacts:4-6(2)-7-8' htip://www,multigenre.com/NAGC
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invites all gamers around the world Southgate, Ml 48195-1B13 Underdark: 4-7'a'22-24:Runes&
t o join o u r u n i q u e g a m i n g clu b .
Issue 124 # 27
-
'c i::'
'':r'
.' ':
''t'*+Cful
Sring#J? abeu
""8 f*" weeksafterthat cameGsNCoN,
_ iwo
TSR,Inc.: It'syour job to go
f5'ilfi::il':";K;;;;T" s" ro
to conven-
conv,en- _-f
g9l to.play
tO,playfuca-
AfCa

lT'':x11XTil"i.T,t1it3il?30*,
*::iiiJ*:ffi:l*::',tH.1il::i: -

[xl:tri*li:ti#r*i:':,4 ;*ii*xrru#ti* -4.t*li:fi.l

to people about what they want to see in RPGA memb_ers)' Tom
thtiuetwort<andtheNeuiszine,andlostBriscoeandJason
*#
On
filii*ti#"* Dougsmlth fo,@.
upthetrophiet
picks
iji;i-a."*i""'-Douq5mithpicksupthetrophlesforTopP|ayer,5CottDU/aCK\,\,'ednes-
to throw a game
ini rur.lu,oorgi
i#.'i.'u?.t1"Irir'r,lo,, W tlro,.
con
Origins
Oiverlulv fourth weekend,I went
to Orieins in Columbus,Ohio. As it
turns 5ut, Columbus has the third
Iar6estJuly4th fireworksdisplayin,the
country.So unexpectedly, we got a little
moment to ParticiPatein the great
American tradition of watching things
blow up.
I wis there with Monte & SueCook,
who arebothwonderfulpeople. started,I
spiffyPreNnsceps'
Althoughhe is now a spi
designer, us to be *e
Monteused of our Australianmembers,
eamedisigner,I4onte
game 7
I'ine editoifor the Champions RPG, so I Rick, Nicky, and Craig (whose
askedhim all my geekyfan questions last namesI also can't remember,but
about Champions all weekend. they know who they are). They told me
Origins was a great show. I did Wood, all about the fine art of freeforms in
demosbf Dne.cot'tDicE,'til I lost my came up for the Australia which put our sickly little
voice, and met severalfine upstanding con, and I was ashappy LARPsto shame.I evengot to play in a
RPGA membersincluding, but not lim- as a very happy person to see round of Paranoiawith the unfailingly
_
ited to, Dan Donnelly, GeorgeAber, them. entertainingDon Bingle asjudge.Jason
Mark Iindra, Kevin Rau, Troy "Old Though I was working, I was often took first placein that round. Go, Jason!
Man" Daniels, Frank Gerkins, and too asosto do morethan shoothe
Iustin whose last name I can't remem- ubiqriit6usMagic:the Gatheringplayers Gateway
ber, but you never sent sent me art sam- out of the walkway.Man, that thing's Over iabor DayweekendI went
ples,boy! big. Ifyou've neverbeen,go. back to California for Gatewayin L.A. I
- "I met Jeff Albanese there, did demos of
I mei and hunq out with Richard wason the panelof icouple of
"the dead guy" Dinsky, developerfor seminars,and sold RPGA sweatshirts evenmore Dnacor Dtcegames,and
Wraith: the Oblivion. He's an extremely becausethe arena was cold as a hung out with Agnes Thompson,
cool guy.Ail in all, Originswasa way meat locker. I got a copy EugeneLuster, and a cast ofthousands.
positive experience,spent with people I ofthe new Star I also met SteveHardinger briefly, and
ieally enjoyed.It's a keeperifI can get Wars severalother people whose names I
back next year. again can't remember,but in caseyou're
readingthis, Hi, I rememberyou, just
Editor's Dav not your names!Finally, I need to
About thre'eweeksafter that, I L insert the words "cool" and
went to Interplay's Editor's Day in "great" into this
California. It's not technically a con, paragraphto
but I'll count it any\ivav.I was over- meet
whelmed,hangingoui with com- my
puter programmersand editors quota
from big-namecompuLergame for
masaziies,the kindi that ;ll overusing
loo[ like they were laid out by posltrve
crazedchimps. adjectives.
Everyonewas cool,
though, and I got to sample
severalTSR licensedgames ROBERT'S
such as Brooo & M.tcIc'" .,, SUMMER
(real-timestrategy),a CON REVIEW
PteNrscepEsetting game still in the I stayedin the
works, and the DnecoN DIcn computer officeandworked.
gamewhich should be out in March
(but then again,it might not).
Thisyear'sADED"Openwinningteamsiandsproudwith
p/aques, and loot.
siaves,
ze # Polyhedron
ifi:i*xxft=r*1*li:itifri:r
c o n ve n t Io n
arrive at leastan hour b
justtomakeit.tothe
\
All of this, however,did not stop me
-".:""j.ffi.""-
from h a vi n g o n eofthet:f:gn* -
exneriencesever at Ben how I spent my summer v a c a t io n , '96

),i:iltJ3illHff:T,:"fir;i;Jff'a:?."
G llr
TO
i?*i.lii.Hi3i;);;ii;;h:t*"", t*:i**fld;:"*;
I I leS
in blacktie and rails/,Don u"d'riridu
Bingle, Robin Hartwig, Cheryl
Llewellyn, TimWhite, and Ioy
I
I
steppedin at a late minute to help with
Watkins, put on a first-classshow with marshal planning (and making some
gamesgalore, an excellentdealer'sroom, eventswith the sublime! tough but correct calls onsite), David
great guests,and the focal point of the Ray Delgado and Gail Reeseled a Baker who steppedin at the last minute
convention, an auction rivaling any I've huge team of Network volunteers to help Willi facilitate marshaling activi-
ever seen.Some of the items sild *".. u including SusanLee, "Gentlemart''fohn ties, a'ndJohn "He's Everywhere;Vac-
LrvtNc Ctrv Vorpal Sword +3 (there can A.T. Vaciaro, David Kelly, David caro for working his way'through
be only one), dinner with all the guests Samuels,Linda Baldwin, and so many marshal schedulesand reports. A hefty
of honor (including Ed Greenwood), others whose names elude my addled thanks also go to fohn Hinkle, who
and the opportunity to be the model for pate. There were lots of others who helped our AD&D Open staff (Larry
a Magic cardl made this show great,becausea conven- Hull and Dave Decker) put out a huge
We had an extraordinarily good tion as successfuland enjoyableas Dex- number of tables.Coordinators help all
'time,
played games'til we drbfped, and Con feedson the enthusiasmof willing, of our 300 judges, and while spacepre-
contributed more than $13,000for smiling minions. vents me from mentioning them all
GatewayBatteredWomen's Shelterand DexCon is the only con I've ever here, they are all appreciated.
Freedom ServiceDogs, Inc. Not bad for attendedwhere food was a featured Dan Donnelly was responsiblefor
a tr,vo-year-oldconvention. guestl DexCon volunteers and judges helping Network members enjoy them-

prason.con rft'"ffi'$::,?,,1!Eiii;?:1,t3*:':1'd il:;ilfi::x.fix:';

,o, RpcA"
Net_
This is not a gamingcon per se,but is drinks, Chili,nachos,and bagels...plus fiancer,7.
raro
still probably one of the largests,trmmer 10,000pixie stix! Petilli and dozens
gu-ittgeventsonecanatteid.Ifyou I'vesaiditbefore-DexCon(liter- oflu"trr.".fr- work Pinnacle
sharegaming interest with a fascination ally) servesthose who serveits atten- men to run the
forrareandwonderfulcomicbooks, dees. IargestT.tvINGCrrv gygnt WinngfS
you'd be foolish to miss this event. Interactive ever!
I'm not going to saythat this gaming GnN CoN' Game Fair SpecialgueslsEd
:ffi,nf;;r - -- r -r-
evenrisestablished r"v,rrl"g,E"i""" T:hi,y.rr',Game wasa lotof
Fairevent eiln- and charity hair-
"rOariid Cody and
gaming coordinators fun for me (a lot of wor!, too). Network wood, |im "faux
tlarkiibermanbothreceived l}-year contractorsCherylFrechand,DanDon- O'Kane"Ward, GUtS, fead the
serviceawardsfrom the convention nellylaboredlong' planningthe event Larry"Carrague"
chairsthis year.This kind of tenure diligently..Network staffmembers Smith, and Julie
N
' r EWSCene
r rr rr On
translatesto (seemingly) effortlessuse Robert Wiese,Jeff Quick, andl slaved- "Amber Lynrt''
of time and space,and maximum gam- for weeksbefore the con, and hundreds Mazurek des"rrr"
ing fun and e'xcitement. Ot uy,,o #. hud of willing volunteersand judgessJaved f,[ft p*ir. f.r pa$e 5 !
to"starta couplegameswhilewaitingfor for 5 daysd-ur11g the con.And all that thiir performances
the elevatorslbit the gamesrocked! slaving paid off. asweil. The miniatures event was also a
Sheirie Millen Johi Richardson, Cheiyl's HQ staff masterfully han- rousing success,and Will Sampson,
Dan Donnelly, GeorgeAber, and Glenn dtd over 850 sc_oringpackets,and Don MarkI-indra, and Angelos Kaldis were
Smith are jusi a few feople who made Weatherbee'sIS staff enteredthem with instrumental for helping us make it so.
-conts nary a hitch. All that information is (For more informatibn about how the
contributions to the total success.
Sherrie and John marshaledplayersout tough to processefticiently, and-I must battle came out, read this month's
so efficiently, we are looking ut ihu-"- sayDon ind Cheryl made it all look Trumpeter.)
lesslyimitating their systemat next easy.Kudos-to all th-os.:who helped in Sherrie Miller and foeyMasden
yeartsWNren"FeNtA.sv'" show. HQ especiallyCarol Clarkson, Tammy made Network history, running the first
DragOn.COniS the must-seeevent "the-\octc]'.Sampson,The-reseBake-r ever "Masqueradeof ihe Red D-eath"
for anydnewho lives for Vampire LARR (and family), and Rocco "Mr. Cool'. , event,base^d on our LtvINc DpatI cam-
Lrvrxi crry, or life in the Atlanta Pisto. SpecialMVP honors 1oToq_l'the paign setting. Numerous obstaclesgot
Underground. Next year promises to be Doorman" Fortunato and Jennie "Miss ihr5wn in tlieir way,butthey-overcame
' Congeniality''Wright who managed
evenbigge' and better. eachone, createdawholly different kind
ou'f
Dexcon ii:")igi,:|T$'X'*$::ltt#;:. ;ffiiliiiT,"ffili;t1trme
' Vinny Salzillo wel-
Con Coordinator
comed us to the SomersetDoubletree
the
Anoiher specialmention: Knightsof
Empire PresidentDavidSamuels;I don't
Ail i; all, we ran u f..ord nrrnbe. of
qametablesat the GameFair,and sold a
Hotel in plenty of time to catch every think I could choosea more talented, iecord number of Network member-
minute of this action-packed conven-
lion-packed.conven- dedicated, unassuming._self-sacrificing, sldps. I think we all had a record good
.--.-*,.* w+,
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 A]R€I-D VISE s'
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Editor-in-Chief:FredFaber OetreATS 60,000
Societyrdrl'il, intilt""
T,'.Y; 3;:ff
'1i; An approaching force estimatedat over Kindle Creekjust outsideof Moss-
z'eNO acecls,€o, 60,000was roundly defeatedby a large bridges.'r\4rilealliedProcampanand
oF g,fcf,rto€,ft contingent of the city's forcesunder
High Priestof TempusCarlosdeVentura
dwarven mercenaryforcespinned down
the enemy'sinfantry on the creekbank,
Masical item trader Zeno hasbeen outsideof Mossbridseslast month. RavensBluff's elite cavalry and infantry
arrJstedby city watch officials as a Field Generaltoid CharlesBlacktree uni tssw eptbehi ndthe ri ghtf lank,and
prime suspectin the grisly deathof shop refusedto take the army into battle, rolled the opponentup, defeatinghim in
owner Navarre last tenday. claiming that city could be best detail. An enemy reservecolumn
The bludgeoningdeathof Navarre defended"behind our stout walls."War- receivedthe sametreatment.
left many citizensshaken,as rumors masterdeVenturadisagreed,accusing Wine flowed like rivers asthe victori-
spreadabout the batteredcondition of Blacktreeof "typical snivelingcow- ous column returned to a welcoming
the shop owner'sbody when found by ardice," and offered to take the field. RavensBluff shortly after.Acting Miyor
morning customers.Law enforcement After an all-night meetingof the Arvin Kothonos made a speechcongrat-
officials saythat the bald assailantused a Council of Lords,it was decidedto ulatingthe braveveterans, salng,
smooth blunt obiect,like the ball from a allow Warmaster deVenturacommand "Rarelv havewe profited so much from
paddleboard or a small flail to smash of the larger sally force, while leaving valiani, aggressive action. The war has
his emploverscoresof times. Blacktreein command of the smaller entereda new phase;the phasein which
Chief ConstableRolf "Sunny" Sun- garrisondefendingforce. we, not our opponent, dictate action."
river saysthere is no causefor alarm. In response,Blacktreeofferedhis Reserveunits are askedto stay mobi-
"We've got the villain in custody. lized until the recentminor breechin the
resignation,citing the Council's appat'
We'vebeen watching this unsavory fel- ent lack ofconfidencein his strategic city walls is repaired.Front-lineunits are
low for months now Severalcitizens decisions.Cooler headsprevailed,how- askedto stay on full alert.
havecomplainedabout being gougedin ever,asthe Councilrefuiedhis resigna- The staff and readershipof the Tium-
magic item tradesby Zenol' tion. peteraddsour congratulations to the
Officials believethat Navarre con- The sally force met the invadersat acclaimof the heroisof Mossbridges.
fronted Zeno with overchargingcus-
tomers. Zeno then allegedlymurdered
his employer.
Ofllcials confiscatedthe remaining
inventory from the now defunct trading t:

shop.The magic trader wasburied in a

small closed-casketceremonyyesterday.

GAl<rttsoL] I3€p c}-s,

I).KO.l3tNg, FOKee-
After deploying the city's field army,
garrison
tr00ps a
resisted
successfully
Imall assaultiorceon the city walls.
In a cowardly maneuver,the enemy
force, estimatedat lessthan 400,
breeched the city's walls in seventeen
olacesundercoyerofdarkness. Field
GeneralLord CharlesBlacktree's force
suffered minor casualtieswhiledispers-
ing the disorganizedrabble.Acting
MayorArvin Kothonosdownplayedthe
incident,sayingthat the wallswouldbe
repaired in a matter of tendays.
lssue
 TESFROM
The SurveySays...
FairthisYear, (manyvotesJ
At theGpuCoN'Game certain rules to keep the campaign fla-
.
Network HQ surveyed players of the Bring Chemcheauxback (severalvotes, vor, and to simplifit the burden on a
gameaboutthe
LIvntcClrv"Exclusive but doh't hold your breath) LtvrNcCrrv judge.Thesechoiceswere
. Chancesfor PCs to get involved in city necessaryfor campaign survivability,
direction of the campaignand the cur-
rent war plotline. We got a fair response politics or secretsocieties and we standby them,
. Consistentiudsine Many of thesegood suggestions will
lthanksto thosewho responded)' . Experience
We a s k e d r w o o p e n qu e stio n s. T h e caliulited more reasonably not happenunlessan author takesone
ttMy suggestion for further . Fewerdemi-humans
ffrst was: and runs w i th i t. l [you seea s uggest ion
plotlinesis..."Hereis a sampleof . For peopleto takeit seriouslY you want to help implement, write it up
. Giant rodents
iesponses, culledfrom the manYwe as a tournament or organizationand
. Infestationoffiends
reciived. (Comments in parenthesisare submit it. It's up to you.
fron the staff.) . Introduction ofnew deities
. More "heroic" adventures The last questionaskedabout a pro-
. A stranseland risesfrom the seathat . More bardshaving a good time (a posedsubscri pti on-onlquarty er ly
"be
needsto explored LrvrNc Ctrv Newslerter,' *hich *ould
favorite here at HQ)
. Anythins fof non-combatants . More intansible rewards contain gossipand plot elements,NPCs
. City oveithrown from within . More PCs involved in plot lines and PCs,businesses, and other cam-
. Covert take-over attempt by Zhentrl . More rust monsters (where are all the paign-enrichingmaterial.We askedif
Keep or Thav rust monsters anYwaY?) memberswould be interested,and
. Divine batile for the rights to Ravens . New orqanizations whether they would prefer a four-page
to ioin
Bluff . C)therJitiesto rival RavensBluff issuefor $6 per year or an eight-page
. Electionperils,politicalconflicts'may- . Roleplaying issuefor $12 per year.The overwhelm-
bonusexperience
o ra l e l ec t ions( a iouple o f v o te s p
, un . Shorter adventures ing response favoredthe eight-page
intended) . Specialmissiontournamentsfor par- i ssue.Look l or a sampl eri n l h e I anuar y
' Fewerdealingswith city officials and ticular faiths,races,classes PorvuEpnoNnewszine.
nobles,more dealingswith merchants . Stricter adherenceto characterrules
. Fewerwater adventures . Time travel ProposedPolicy9lT"S.j
. Invasionor subversionby were-crea- . Tougher opponents like rakshasa, ln our contrnurnslradltlonol consult-
tures medusa,etc. ing members before making policy or
. Large-scale prison break in all three . Travelto other planes rule changes,we announcethe proposal
DrlsOnS . Traveloutside the city, wilderness of two poliry changes.Pleaseconsider
I Losewar, PCsas resistance fighters
adventures(lots of votes) them and sendus your commentsby
. Lower city vs. upper city conflicts . Treasuredistributed throughout a regularmail or e-mail (contactinforma-
. Merchant wars
module, rather than all at the end tion on page2)byDecember3lst, 1996.
. Missionsof espionage,intrigue, and . Useof Charismaby judges,not just Your input makesa difference.
subterfuqe Comeliness
. More fb=udalplot lines
1. Lrvwc" SettingItem Auctions
. More water adventures
Somesuggestions deservedindividual We proposeto disallowthe saleor auc-
. Natural disaster-fire, tornado, or
resDonse: tion of LtvrNcsettingmagicalor other
earthquake . Dbwntime Activities-Interactive items for cashor other real world con-
. Oceanarmiesfrom around the sea
activities at conventionsserveas cam- sideration,including charity auctions.
making contact with city paign"downrime."Look therefor While LrvrNc Cnv magical items do
. Political vs religious infighting
iha-nces to buy land,recruitfollowers, raisea considerableamount of money
. Purgethe city of undead
join guilds,and more. If you do not find for charities,we can raisemoney by
. Reli-gious conflictsor holy wars
what you want at an interactive, talk to auctioningother items.The recent
. Splintergroupsand fanatics
the R6gionalDirector of LwtNc Ctrv, abusesinvolving playersselling their
. Tossa mountain seedon RavensBluff
Dan Donnelly. maeicalitems for cashcan castthe Net-
and start all over (there were several . Have HQ run the knighthoods and *oik in a bad light.
votes for starting over, eachinvolving a
City Watch-HQ has sought individuals
different method of destroying the city) to run parts of the LvrNc Crtv cam- 2. LtvINc CItv Tournament Acceptance
. Underdark adventures(severalvotes)
paign, not only to make their existence Weproposeto acceptLtvlNcCtrv tour-
. Win the war with great loss,then
possible(we don't havethe time) but nament submissionsonly from authors
rebuild (quite a few votes) ilso to empowermembers. who havewritten at leasfone eventwith
. Money certificates-We are trying, pre-generatedcharacters.First-time
The second question was: "IfI not to go certifi- authors should try their hand at situa-
despiteappearances>
could have one thing added to the cam- cate-happyin the campaign. Certifica- tions wherethey can control PC powers
paign, it would be..." The answers and abilitiesbeforeembarkinson a Ltv-
tion of magicalitems is necessary for
below are a representative sampleof the INGCITv event.There has beei a cry for
game control, but we do not plan to cer-
useful or interesting oneswe received. tify non-magicaiitems or money. better modules,and due to the number
. A lich . Severalpeoplemade suggestions to of LtvlNcCtry eventswe receive, we can
. A ThievesGuild bring back rules or options that have now afford to be choosy.
. Adventureswhich allow for roleplaying beendisallowed.We choseto disallow tr

32 p Polylredron
 '
PleasePRINT all information clearly! Your badge number (QSN) is the sameassignedin previous years.If you do not have a QSN number,
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rI-rDGE!
Register to Judge Network Events for the 1997 GBn CoN@Game
4
Fair & Festival now! This convention held August 7-10, 1997at
Milwaukee's wisconsin center will feature entertainment,
rsth
sh 6\
manufacturers, and the world's finest game competitions'
We expect nearly 30,000people from a dozen countries!

RJicisTER-BYiott. 5I \o rocrivE:
. Reduced$40 admissionfor all four days($45 after January31,
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. C on vE nTion A omission' . fvncr FEES.

The admission price fbr judges is $4O-half of which will be To register, submit the fee and the forrn on the reverse . This fee
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ments for judge status.To receivea $20 rebate,you must run a min- cost of processingpaperwork if you fail to run events.Half of this
imum of 3 full gaming sessions(full time slots) or 6 half sessions, fee is nonrefundable. The balance will be refunded if you run events
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This form must be postmarked by |anuary 31, 1997.
 I

WTNTER FnNTASY'I 97 f
Conrrerrtiorr Wiscorrsirr
FelrruarJr'--6-9
Center t l\rlihnza.ukee, \A/I -;
: Aca d e me f o r G a m e M a s t er s I
g

* Gamesfor Judges!
. LmucCtrv'"JudgeOnlySpecial-judge2 slotsof
r$

LryncCtrvandI slotof anyothereventto quali$t!

o AD&D@ JudgeInvitational-testyourmettleagainst
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AD&D Feature(2-round) 97oooo JorP t r JorF

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ALTERIttTY'"Sci-Fi Game Playtest 970004
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LrvrneDenrHFeature
LrvrNGJUNGLE"Challenge

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forms postmarked after December 31 , 1 996, will be returned unprocessed. Confirmation of pre'registration (badges and event tickets) will be sent by mail by Janua.y 1 6, 1 997
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